Exciting 1979!

Chapter 443 Oh, so this is what they call a pair?

The show ended, but there was no footage of Vivian Chow announcing her withdrawal from the finals.

TVB cut this part because they still need Vivian Chow to attract viewers, and they are confident that they can persuade her to participate in next week's competition.

In Anita Mui's view, this meant that Ah Min had changed her mind, so Ah Min would become the biggest obstacle on her road to victory.

Wei Ming will probably write a new song for Amin, but it's uncertain whether "The Season of the Wind" can compete with it.

At Chungking Mansions, Li Jiaxin and her two daughters watched the show. Seeing Zhou Huimin advance to the finals with a landslide victory and remembering how she and Wei Ming were exchanging glances during the performance, Li Jiaxin felt a surge of displeasure.

Hmph, you little vixen!

My older sister, Li Jiaming, was still excitedly saying that she definitely wanted to watch the next episode, and that many girls in her class liked Zhou Huimin.

Hmph, you traitor!

Overnight, Vivian Chow's die-hard fans exploded like mushrooms after rain, and her rise to fame was unstoppable.

Even when Zhou's mother heard that her daughter still wanted to participate in the final recording, she hesitated a bit.

~
"What are you hesitating about?" Wei Ming asked Zhu Lin.

"I'm not from Beijing Film Studio, so is it appropriate for me to go there to watch your short film?"

“It’s not appropriate, but what can we do? You’re so famous now, it’s an honor for you to come to the Beijing Film Studio.” Wei Ming was inviting Zhu Lin to see his work.

Under Wei Ming's persuasive words, Zhu Lin finally agreed, and only then did he mention buying a house for Gong Xue's parents.

"I know you're filial, but my parents have a spacious house, so you don't need to worry about it."

That's what she said, but she was still very happy that Wei Ming was able to be honest with her about this.

Overjoyed, she rewarded Wei Ming once more.

Judging from Wei's fighting spirit tonight, he must have been quite well-behaved in Hong Kong.

That's right, he didn't eat it even when Zhou Huimin put it right in front of his mouth. That takes a lot of willpower.

The next morning, Wei Ming, Zhu Lin, and Gong Xue from Nanluoguxiang arrived at the Beijing Film Studio one after another.

Upon hearing that Wei Ming had returned, Liang Xiaosheng immediately notified the two directors of the Children's Film Studio and the Beijing Film Studio. In addition, some deputy directors and actors also wanted to come and see him.

For example, Ge Cunzhuang brought his wife Shi Wenxin and son Ge You along. Although they had already accepted Wei Ming's invitation, they still wanted to see what he was capable of in order to adjust their expectations.

Jiang Huaiyan also brought his daughter Jiang Shan, who was on summer vacation, to see a movie. Wei Ming glanced at Jiang Shan; she was the same age as Amin, but looked a little younger. Amin wouldn't let her watch, let alone Jiang Shan.

Wei Ming whispered a few words to Editor-in-Chief Jiang, and then Jiang Huaiyan coaxed Jiang Shan away from the scene. Before leaving, Jiang Shan glared angrily at Wei Ming, thinking that this hateful handsome brother must be the culprit.

As soon as she stepped out, Chen Huai'ai brought Chen Kaige in, along with Guan Zongxiang and his son. Old Guan was filming Old Bao in "The Bao Family".

Jiang Shan was furious. She raised her head and pointed at Guan Zongxiang's son, who was nearly 1.9 meters tall, and said, "He's the same age as me!"

Well, Guan Hu was kicked out too.

Chen Kaige sat down calmly. He now knew his father's plan. Although he couldn't accept being Wei Ming's assistant director, he was willing to take over if Wei Ming couldn't handle the project after it started.

The most surprising thing was Li Hanxiang. He specially decided to start filming an hour later today just to see the quality of Wei Ming's short film. Liu Xiaoqing and Liang Jiahui were also with him.

The last person to arrive was the newly appointed director of the Film Bureau, Shi Fangyu, who brought two colleagues from the bureau with him.

In fact, Director Shi and the two factory directors had very low expectations for this short film. As long as it was a work that used the camera and lighting correctly, they didn't expect it to pass muster with any special visual language.

Good heavens, just one minute of footage left them speechless. This is amazing!

Even someone as arrogant as Chen Kaige was instantly captivated, not even blinking.

He also understood why Hu Zi and Xiao Jiang Shan were kicked out; the movie was indeed a bit erotic, with the female lead wearing a bra almost the entire time.

When it was shown in Hong Kong, no one paid much attention to it, since it didn't show any nudity. However, when it was shown at the Beijing Film Studio, many people frowned slightly, feeling that it was too explicit.

But compared to the subversive audiovisual language of this short film, what does that matter!

Most people have seen some foreign films, and even compared to the most avant-garde French New Wave, Wei Ming's short film is still outstanding!

Gong Xue and Zhu Lin, who were sitting in the back row, were also shocked. Xiao Wei's ability to make movies was terrifying!
Liang Jiahui was also stunned. He felt that Xu Jinjiang, who was not very good at acting, had an eerie quality in Wei Ming's lens. He was so convincing!

Damn, this guy with glasses suits me so well!
He even felt that acting in this short film might be more fun than acting in "The Empress Dowager".

While they were watching "The Witness," two groups of guests had already arrived at Vivian Chow's home in Hong Kong.

On one side were people from TVB and Capital Artists, including old acquaintance Lai Siu-tin; on the other side were people from PolyGram. Cheng Tung-han even brought Tam Yung-lun along to try and win him over.

At that time, there were no adults at Zhou Huimin's house, so she made a phone call to Lin Ni, who came downstairs.

Ni Nai's words revealed her true skill: "I understand everything. One of you wants Amin to participate in the finals, and the other wants to release an album for Amin. There's no conflict between you. The show will still go on, and the album will still be released."

Jung Dong-han laughed and said that PolyGram would release the album.

However, Su Xiaoliang, the general manager of Huaxing, could also see the value of the songs Zhou Huimin had, as well as her huge commercial value. If they were to give her to PolyGram, it would be aiding the enemy.

So he asked, "So, Ms. Zhou, are you planning to sign with PolyGram?"

Before Zhou Huimin could speak, Lin Ni interjected, "It's not impossible, after all, PolyGram is a major international brand."

“No, that won’t do,” Su Xiaoliang said. “If someone appears on our show but then signs with another company, how will we be able to convince the public in the future?”

Lin Ni said regretfully, "Then let's just forget about it. Amin won't be on this show. She was already reluctant to participate, and this is only because of Xiao Li."

Li Xiaotian's chubby face immediately trembled as if bathed in a spring breeze.

Su Xiaoliang glanced at Zheng Donghan, who was waiting for his chance. Damn it, how did I end up running into him? There are some things I can't say.

But even though it was inconvenient to say it, I had to bite the bullet and say it: "Ms. Zhou, have you ever considered signing with Huaxing? If you agree, Huaxing will do its best to make you the number one star."

Jung Dong-han asked with a smile, "Does this 'all-out effort' include the champion of the New Talent Singer Competition?"

He was questioning whether the New Talent Singer Competition was being rigged. Su Xiaoliang said righteously, "I believe that with Miss Zhou's strength, winning a championship would be as easy as taking candy from a baby."

Lin Ni said, "Manager Su has a point. If we win the championship but don't sign with Huaxing, it doesn't seem to make sense."

Su Xiaoliang said happily, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Lin Ni: "Then we won't participate in the competition. We'll just go up and perform a song so that you can give the audience an explanation. What do you think?"

"Ah, this?" Su Xiaoliang hesitated. His purpose in coming here was to persuade Zhou Huimin to participate in the finals. If she did participate, it would be enough to guarantee the ratings and the buzz. But could he still get Zhou Huimin into Huaxing Entertainment?
He and Zheng Donghan exchanged a glance; they both knew that it would be very difficult to obtain Zhou Huimin completely.

She is not just an ordinary rich person or a rising star; behind her stands a super creative genius comparable to Wong Jim and Joseph Koo. She cannot be offended, nor dare to be trifled with.

In the end, Su Xiaoliang and Zheng Donghan each compromised, with Su Xiaoliang agreeing that Zhou Huimin would only participate in the program recording and not compete.

However, the three songs she sang on the show will be recorded by Huaxing and released as a mini-album.

Therefore, TVB can have Holiland insert an advertisement during the finals, and will also strive for a ranking for Vivian Chow's work at the Jade Solid Gold Awards.

PolyGram will produce Vivian Chow's first solo album, which includes several Mandarin and Cantonese songs composed by Wei Ming, such as "First Love", "A Girl's Prayer", "The Flying Insects", "Pairs", "Pink Memories", "Rare Lovers" and "Tomorrow Will Be Better".

However, Vivian Chow's last song at the New Talent Singer Competition was reserved for Capital Artists' album, and PolyGram helped her commission songs for the remaining slots.

In this way, Vivian Chow will not sign contracts with either company, but only with them for albums. This time, she can collaborate with PolyGram, and next time she can collaborate with Capital Artists. It all depends on who can find suitable songs.

Of course, they were all thinking of taking what was already there and seeing how many more great new songs Wei Ming could write for Zhou Huimin.

Before parting, Zheng Donghan made a suggestion: "I think Amin, you can set up a company that only signs your own contracts, manage your own personal brand, and then cooperate with other companies. That would be more convenient."

Later, Zhou Huimin discussed it with Lin Ni, and Lin Ni's grandmother thought they could consult Lingling: "She's a college student, she must know these things!"

Zhou Huimin nodded, "I still have to go to university."

~
After watching it three times, the screening event for "The Witness" finally came to an end.

Li Hanxiang had to leave; if they stayed any longer, the entire crew would have to wait for them. Today they were filming the crucial scene where Biaozi beats up the foreigners.

He only had time to hurriedly say to Wei Ming, "This is a short film that can go down in film history!"

Liang Jiahui and Liu Xiaoqing said, "You can contact me for any roles in future films!"

Ge Cunzhuang brought his son to Wei Ming and asked, "Little Wei, when are we going to start filming this movie?"

He even used his familiar local accent.

Chen Kaige and his son also looked at Wei Ming. However, Chen Huai'ai no longer had the idea of ​​his son replacing him. He only hoped that his son could learn more from Wei Ming. Wei Ming was a treasure!

“I can’t make that decision,” he said, looking at Director Shi and the two factory directors. “We don’t even know if ‘The Shepherd’s Spring’ will be approved.” Shi Fangyu and the two factory directors exchanged glances and laughed. “Of course, Director Wei, you should get ready as soon as possible.”

This result was not unexpected. Even though the visual style of "The Witness" is completely different from that of domestic films, it is enough to demonstrate Wei Ming's directing ability, and that is enough.

Before, one might have wondered if it was written by Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning, two top students from the Beijing Film Academy. But now it's clear that this is not an artwork that two country bumpkins could have produced.

Moreover, Feng Xiaoning is here too. He swears to God that this film has absolutely nothing to do with Hong Kong directors. It was all made shot by shot by Teacher Wei, regardless of cost.

However, upon hearing the phrase "regardless of cost," Director Yu Lan felt a bit overwhelmed. The editing style of this film clearly indicated an extremely low success rate, with no perfunctory attention to detail, and it used only the best foreign film.

However, in Director Yu Lan's office, Wei Ming reiterated his previous statement: "The Children's Film Studio only needs to contribute 20 yuan, and the rest will be covered by a Hong Kong company called DreamWorks Pictures. Whether the final cost is 50 or 100 million yuan, they will bear the extra cost, and they will only cover the overseas market."

Factory Director Yu Lan smiled and said, "It's not that I'm stingy with money, but you're a new director, there's no need to spread the business too thin. I won't say more, when do you plan to start?"

Wei Ming said, "I need to go to Shanghai first. I have some overseas business with Shanghai Animation Film Studio. I also want to ask if it's possible to send 'The Witness' to the Venice International Film Festival."

Shi Fangyu stated directly, "I will communicate with China Film Group and foreign parties."

"That's good," Wei Ming said. "I'll go to Sichuan to scout locations after I get back from Shanghai."

Yu Lan said, "You can send your team over first, including the photographer, art director, and assistant director."

Wei Ming already knew that the assistant director was Chen Kaige, and he had no objection to that. Chen Kaige was also very capable, and his aesthetic attainments were also quite remarkable.

Wei Ming nodded: "Then I'll contact Yi Mou later and have him go directly from Xi'an to Chengdu."

Then Wei Ming called Chen Kaige and Feng Xiaoning over for a meeting.

Feng Xiaoning was just sharing their experiences in Hong Kong with Chen Kaige, and one thing Chen Kaige was curious about was: "Are the skyscrapers in Hong Kong really like those in the movies?"

"Yes, Yi Mou took a lot of photos, and when we came back, Teacher Wei gave each of us a thousand Hong Kong dollars!"

Chen Kaige felt a little regretful; what a wonderful opportunity to open his eyes and see the world!

I should have known better than to be reserved and just went to Hong Kong with them. Even a short film needs an assistant director!
After explaining the key points of location scouting to the two key members of the production team, Wei Ming returned to his home in the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

Wei Hong told him, "Brother, I've already contacted our hometown. The old Party Secretary said that my uncle will send them to Yanjing today."

After estimating the time, Wei Ming said, "Then I'll go to the train station to pick them up this afternoon. You'll be leading the team to Shanghai this time."

“Yes, sir! Are we going to take a plane to Shanghai?” Wei Hong asked again.

Wei Ming: "Of course it's the train."

Although Wei Ming could accept the premium for the plane tickets, applying for plane tickets for so many children was no small matter, and Wei Ming was too lazy to bother with it.

At noon, he and Xiao Hong had a simple home-cooked meal. Wei Ming said, "Why don't you come with me to Sichuan before school starts? I'll take you with me when I'm filming."

He felt uneasy leaving a sixteen-year-old girl at home.

Wei Hong said, "Great! I've been missing Grandma and Xiao Yang too!"

Grandma has now returned to her hometown in Ya'an, and only Auntie is staying at Xiaomei's house to help her daughter take care of the children.

That's settled for now. After dinner, Wei Ming went to the nearby post office to receive some overseas mail and money order slips.

The main one is Melinda's "District 9," which has performed very well in the North American market and has topped the New York Times bestseller list.

She also cut out news articles from overseas about the sanctions against South Africa and sent them to him, almost always mentioning Mr. Why and District 9. Wei Ming has once again gained international fame, truly becoming an international celebrity.

This international prestige is something the motherland cherishes very much. Wei Ming, to a certain extent, also represents the image of China, and the golden light surrounding him shines even brighter.

The English version of District 9 and the electronic music hit "Wake Me Up" are providing Wei Ming with a steady stream of foreign exchange, and the figures on several remittance slips are also quite surprising.

In her letter, Melinda also mentioned: "After the Frankfurt Book Fair, once I've settled the translation rights for 'District 9,' I'll be resigning to go solo. I look forward to us achieving great things together!"

Frankfurt? Wei Ming probably won't have a chance to go because he's filming, but he has a new book that will be exhibited at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

With that in mind, Wei Ming drove his motorcycle to the People's Literature Publishing House again.

After two months of meticulous typesetting, Wei Ming's first collection of food essays, "A Bite of China," has been completed and will soon be released on a large scale. Meanwhile, the English translation is also underway.

The book's title is by Wei Mingding; the English title, "A Bite of China," is not very elegant, but it's certainly eye-catching.

Even the large slice of meat on the cover, resembling a continuous mountain range, was drawn by Wei Ming himself, and he also referenced Li Keran's painting "Thousands of Mountains Red and Forests Dyed in Color" which he collected.

After taking two sample books, Wei Ming went to the train station. This time, the village sewed a small red hat for each child, which was led by Qi Kexiu and made them very conspicuous.

Now he's Vice Principal Qi, and this is a formal appointment. Normally, he wouldn't need to personally handle such matters, but since he heard he's going to Shanghai, he definitely has to go and see for himself. He mainly wants to see if "Story Club," which has repeatedly rejected his manuscripts, still has any basic literary aesthetic sense.

Since Gong Xue was also going to Shanghai to prepare for filming "Under the Bridge," Wei Ming didn't hesitate and bought tickets for everyone to go to Shanghai the next day right there.

This includes Wei Hong, but not him. This time, he won't share the hardships with his sister; he'll go by plane with the Gong sisters and Xizi.

After settling the group of teachers and students and finding a place to eat, Wei Ming went to Uncle Ping'an's house.

Lü Xiaoyan sighed, "I really feel a little reluctant to let Xizi go on such a long trip by himself. He'll only be in second grade when school starts."

Wei Pingan said, "If you can't bear to part with them, then buy plane tickets and bring Lele along. There's no shortage of places to stay over there."

“I was just saying it for show. Would I really abandon my job at ‘King of Fairy Tales’ for my son?” Lü Xiaoyan put away her sentimental act. “Besides, Xiaoxue is here, so I’m completely at ease.”

No wonder she's the mother of a movie star.

The soon-to-be-departed movie star Xizi pulled Wei Ming aside and asked, "Brother, this is a drawing I made of an egg. What do you think?"

Wei Ming said tactfully, "When we get to Shanghai, I'll take you to the Shanghai Animation Film Studio and let them teach you how to draw."

A week ago, "The Legend of Sealed Book" was officially released and quickly became the top choice for children's summer vacation.

Two children's films will be released this summer: "The Spring Water is Tinkling" from Shanghai Film Studio and "The Legend of the Heavenly Book" from Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

The former features Zhang Ruifang, Niu Ben, and Fang Chao, a child star whose luck was stolen by Xizi.

However, after its release, it was clearly not as sensational as "The Legend of Sealed Book," which had Wei Ming's original work and comic book as its foundation and was a successful Sino-British co-production. The two films were also not on the same level in terms of investment scale.

However, the decision to buy movie tickets rests with the parents, and Wei Ming's original work can never compare to classic works like "Havoc in Heaven" and "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King," which are based on classic novels such as "Journey to the West" and "Investiture of the Gods." Therefore, the sensation caused by "The Legend of Sealed Book" is slightly less than these two previous works by Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

Moreover, this kind of film requires too much manpower, material resources, and financial resources. After "The Legend of Sealed Book", the next film project of Shanghai Animation Film Studio is "The Monkey King Conquers the Demon", which is based on the story of "Journey to the West: The Three Battles with the White Bone Demon". It will probably not be able to meet the audience for another three years.

Clearly, it's impossible for Chinese children to watch an animated feature film every year with the production capacity of just one Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

Therefore, in order to meet the needs of the vast number of children and enrich their spiritual and cultural life, the Children's Film Studio was established, so that several children's films can be produced every year.

After having a meal at Uncle Ping'an's house and chatting about the old man and his aunt, Wei Ming returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment and called Gong Xue.

She told Wei Ming, "Aying went swimming."

Wei Ming: "Okay, I'll bring Xizi. See you at the airport tomorrow."

There were too many people at the Beijing Film Studio, so it wasn't convenient to talk. Gong Ying will be there tomorrow, so it probably won't be convenient either. That's why the two of them are having a deep and open conversation now.

Gong Ying didn't hang up until she came out of the pool and Wei Hong had finished showering.

It's a pity that without Gong Ying, the two older sisters would have been stacked together tonight.

Next, they'll be separated again in three different places, and it's unknown when the three of them will be reunited next.

~
In Hong Kong, after persuasion from Lin Ni and Wei Lingling, Zhou's mother finally agreed to let her daughter set up a company to pursue a singing career within certain limits. Moreover, her career would be regulated based on her academic performance; if her grades dropped significantly, she would be banned from singing.

Lin Ni actively participated in the discussion: "What should the company be called? How about Mingmin?"

There's Amin and Amin again.

Zhou Huimin shook her head hurriedly; the name made her feel like it belonged to Zhang Mingmin's older brother's company.

Wei Lingling: "How about calling him Ming Zhou?"

Zhou's mother: "Aren't you afraid Jin Yong will sue you?"

The abbreviation for Ming Pao Weekly is Ming Zhou.

In the end, Zhou Huimin felt that the Cantonese version of "The Flying Insects" was "a pair of couples," which was quite good. These three characters could be used as a company name. It was a bit playful and meaningful, as she and Ah Ming were a perfect pair.

However, there is obviously a difference between "a pair" and "a couple". Amin and Amin are a pair, Xiaowei Xuejie is another pair, and Weiminglin is the third pair. That's what we call a couple.

~
The next day, Wei Ming and his group went to the airport, while Wei Hong went to the train station.

The plane arrived in Shanghai at noon. Gong Xue and Gong Ying went home to see their parents and also talked about buying a house. Wei Ming had already helped them find one, and buying one at this point would basically mean they could move in right away.

Wei Ming, accompanied by his assistant Wei Xi, arrived at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio.
(Today's guaranteed minimum)
(End of this chapter)