Exciting 1979!

Chapter 454 From 1982 to 1983: Wei Ming's Three-Person Relationship
Wei Ming got Wei Ping'an excited, and the two chatted until very late. Even after Aunt Xiaoyan and her two children had gone to sleep, they were still talking.

Wei Ping'an then learned that his nephew was planning to donate and build a primary school in the place where he was filming in Sichuan and in his grandmother's village. The school would be named "Spring Primary School" in memory of the movie "The Shepherd's Spring".

These things will be prepared towards the end of filming, and it's not a one-off deal. We will definitely continue to donate in the future. All the schools that Wei Ming donates to will be named after him. He also plans to invest in this project regardless of cost.

Wei Ping'an sighed again, saying that his nephew's breadth of vision and courage were beyond the reach of ordinary people: "However, of your two songs, 'Where is Spring?' and 'On the Fields of Hope,' the latter seems to have a greater impact. Actually, calling it 'Hope Primary School' would also be a good choice."

Wei Ming waved his hand and said, "Hey, let's leave this name to the country. I'm just an individual, and I'll only do what I can."

He felt that by being named a "Hope Primary School," he had taken on the responsibility of educating all the impoverished children in China, but he still wanted to enjoy life.

“Uncle, this scholarship at Peking University needs a responsible and fair leader. As you know, I’m away from my post for almost 300 out of 365 days a year. I might be going to the United States with Xiaohong next year, so I’m entrusting this scholarship to you.”

Wei Ping'an did not refuse his nephew's trust. After thinking it over, he realized that he was indeed the most suitable person to take on the role of person in charge of the scholarship.

"A million! I wonder how many Peking University students will thank you."

Wei Ming: "Actually, 100 million is just the beginning. It seems like a lot now, but we will definitely have to add more money in the future. I even have the idea of ​​extending this scholarship to the whole country."

Right now, bank interest is enough. But when bank interest rates drop in the future, and we still need to ensure a sufficiently generous scholarship, we will have to rely on financial means. Wei Ming even thought that once the Shanghai Stock Exchange opens, he would set aside a sum of money specifically for this purpose.

I'll talk to Xiaohong again later; she'll definitely be happy to manage such a meaningful charitable foundation.

Because this was a big deal worth 100 million yuan, which the production management department under Uncle Ping An's leadership hadn't earned last year, the next day Wei Ping An and his nephew Wei Ming met with the Party Secretary, the President, and other leaders of Peking University.

Principal Zhang Longxiang shook Wei Ming's hand with great emotion: "Teacher Wei is indeed a hero among young people. I don't know what to say. On behalf of all the students of Peking University, I thank you!"

Next came the details of the donation. However, Wei Ming was about to return to Sichuan to film a movie, and Peking University was about to have its summer break. So, everyone agreed to formally donate funds to establish the Wei Ming Scholarship after the start of the new semester, and the news would not be announced before then.

The name of this scholarship is not a problem for the principal and the secretary. Compared to 100 million yuan in real money, isn't it normal for them to want a name?

Now that we've entered a period of reform and opening up, our minds should also be more open, right? Secretary Xiang said with a smile, "Is that hotel under construction in Yanjing called the Bao Zhaolong Hotel?"

Vice President Wang said, "Jiaotong University also has the Bao Zhaolong Library, so everything is normal."

What do you mean? Do you want me to donate a library? Let's talk about that after I've actually made a small fortune.

Donating buildings isn't out of the question. The conditions of Peking University's teaching buildings are indeed poor. Wei Ming has visited many foreign universities, and there are huge gaps in both software and hardware.

Because of the 100 million yuan that hadn't yet arrived in the account, several school leaders personally invited Wei Ming to lunch in the cafeteria. The head chef personally cooked several hearty dishes. When other colleagues saw this, they thought it was about the Mao Dun Literature Prize and wondered if the prize was that powerful.

It is indeed large, but it certainly doesn't compare to a million.

Wei Ming is leaving the day after tomorrow, and he wanted to spend all his time with his two girlfriends tomorrow, so he went to CCTV again in the afternoon to finish everything he needed to do on his way back.

As the chief consultant for "Journey to the West", he wanted to ask if there were any difficulties during filming, and also how many episodes of "Journey to the West" the Chinese people would be able to see during this year's Spring Festival.

Normally, TV series are filmed before they are broadcast. However, "Journey to the West" was too expensive and difficult to film, and it attracted a lot of attention nationwide. Therefore, CCTV hoped to broadcast the completed episodes every Spring Festival. Basically, post-production was carried out after each episode was filmed.

Wei Ming had already prepared the opening theme song for them.

When Wei Ming arrived, the Journey to the West crew was filming on location in coastal areas such as Lianyungang. Wei Ming met director Wang Fulin, who told him the story.

Lianyungang is where they filmed the Flower and Fruit Mountain storyline. The first episode should be able to be filmed, but it's hard to say what will happen after that. Because the production team adopted Wei Ming's suggestion, they didn't film episode by episode, but rather filmed scene by scene. So, although they filmed for another half a year, they didn't have a single finished product.

"Director Wang, how's the preparation for your 'Dream of the Red Chamber' TV series going?"

Hearing Wei Ming's concern, Wang Fulin felt a little embarrassed: "The script hasn't been written yet."

"Huh? Did you not write it, or did you not finish writing it?"

It was later confirmed that it hadn't been written yet, because who would write it, what the writing approach would be, and who would be the script consultant hadn't been decided yet. They had to wait for the Redology circle to see who won the debate before making a decision.

At this moment, Wang Fulin was genuinely envious of director Yang Jie. How simple "Journey to the West" was, and how capable she was with advisor Wei Ming.

"Teacher Wei, are you interested in the story of 'Dream of the Red Chamber'?" Wang Fulin suddenly had an idea.

Wei Ming hurriedly waved his hand: "I hate too many women. Three women make a drama. Just hearing about it gives me a headache. I can't even imagine what kind of life Jia Baoyu lived."

Wang Fulin shook his head. After all, he was a young man. Although his works were mature, he seemed naive and probably didn't know the wonders of women.

~
That night, Wei Ming dominated the battlefield from under the covers, wreaking havoc on all sides.

Since none of the three of them had any other plans for tomorrow, they spent the whole night playing games, which was a complete release after a long separation and before parting ways again.

In the end, none of the three of them knew how they fell asleep, and they didn't wake up until the sun was high in the sky the next day.

Gong Xue scratched his slightly disheveled hair: "Oh dear, I suddenly remembered something."

Wei Ming lifted his head from Lin Jie's arms: "What is it?"

Gong Xue: "CCTV contacted me and asked me to host a program."

Zhu Lin also woke up: "Your voice is indeed very good, but isn't it a bit of a waste of your talent to be a host?"

"It's not a regular hosting gig, it's just a variety show, where I co-host with a few crosstalk comedians," Gong Xue said.

She started out as an announcer in the army, where she had clear speech and a strong personality. Later, she entered the film industry and worked at some internal events at the Shanghai Film Studio and Beijing Film Studio. When she wasn't filming, the organization would ask her to participate, so hosting was not difficult for her. She hosted this year's Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival.

Wei Ming was still confused when Gong Xue added, "Besides, they said that as long as I host, they will show clips from 'Under the Bridge' on the show, which is great publicity."

Wei Ming suddenly came to his senses: "The program you're talking about, you don't mean the Spring Festival Gala, do you?"

Gong Xue shook his head: "I don't know, but it's a program from the Spring Festival Gala."

That should be right. Wei Ming remembered that Liu Xiaoqing was one of the hosts of the first Spring Festival Gala in his previous life. At that time, she was filming "The Empress Dowager" and was considered the leading lady in the mainland film industry. The trailer for "The Empress Dowager" was also shown on the Spring Festival Gala.

Of course, she now has the strength to compete for the top spot, but Gong Xue is clearly more deserving of the title, with her blockbuster movies and double Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress.

Furthermore, given that Gong Xue is currently free, it is understandable that CCTV chose to invite him.

Hearing Gong Xue say that, Zhu Lin thought it was quite good.

“Then we’ll be able to see you on TV on New Year’s Eve, just like you’re celebrating the New Year with us, even though you can’t be with your family.” Zhu Lin patted Xiaoxue’s head.

Gong Xue: "It's nothing, I've been used to it for so many years. But the people from CCTV said that I might have to perform a show. What can I perform? Unlike you, who dances well, I can only sing a song at most, and that's just an amateur."

Zhu Lin: "Sing! I think your rendition of 'On the Hopeful Fields' was pretty good, definitely better than mine."

Wei Ming: "Back then, if you could go on stage and sing a song, I think the audience wouldn't care what you sang. The atmosphere was the most important thing. It is said that there are now nearly 30 million television sets in the country. The number of viewers on New Year's Eve might even exceed 100 million. Just think about how big that influence is."

Gong Xue and Zhu Lin thought about it and realized it was just so-so. Their recent films had all attracted hundreds of millions of viewers nationwide, and "Mom, Love Me Again" even sold over 100 million yuan at the box office through regular cinemas.

Seeing that the two hadn't realized the influence of the Spring Festival Gala, Wei Ming said, "How about this, I'll write a new song for Sister Xue, and try to have a representative work in music, so that she can be a dual-threat star in the future."

Zhu Lin: "What amphibians? I've only ever heard of toads being amphibious."

"I feel like you're insulting me." Gong Xue immediately started wrestling with Zhu Lin, which made Wei Ming's appetite increase, and he prepared to eat breakfast.

No, lunch.

In the afternoon, Wei Ming stared blankly at the blank paper, wondering what to write. It had to be relevant to the characteristics of this era and also make a splash. The most popular song at the first Spring Festival Gala was "Hometown Love," which had been banned before and was sung by Li Guyi.

The new song I wrote for Sister Xue can't be any worse than "Hometown Love".

Xuejie's singing skills are better than average, but there is still a gap compared to professional singers. When she was in the army, she mainly sang revolutionary songs.

Red songs.

Got it!

This song is quite difficult to sing; I just don't know how much worse it is compared to Li Guyi's version.

So that day, Wei Ming took Gong Xue to see Teacher Gu and asked her to teach Sister Xue some professional and easy-to-learn singing techniques.

~
The next morning, Wei Ming first went to Uncle Ping'an's house to pick up Xizi, and then went to the airport to meet Pingping and Fangfang, who were brought by Mei Wenhua.

“These two little guys don’t want to leave now,” Mei Wenhua said helplessly. “They’re completely engrossed in watching ‘Black Cat Detective’ all day long.”

Wei Ming said, "Didn't I also buy you every issue of 'King of Fairy Tales'?"

Pingping said, "TV is better." He wasn't stupid.

Xiaomei said, "Big brother, how about I buy a TV for the family?"

Wei Ming: "If I could buy it, I would have bought it long ago. The village still doesn't have electricity. My uncle and his family can only start their factory in the town. In the village, they can only use donkeys and mules."

The two then chatted about Xintiandi, and Wei Ming praised and affirmed Xiao Mei's off-season discount event. Moreover, he and Biao's mother were now planning to expand their business, with Biao's mother acquiring a garment factory to directly control the upstream industry.

“On the surface, we’re going to separate, so the number of people in each unit will remain the same. But in reality, if we include the informal employees of the garment factory, we’ll actually have dozens of people,” Mei Wenhua asked. “Brother, do you think there’s any risk in doing this?”

Wei Ming replied, "Go for it. I know you've been holding back a lot these past two years. Although the relapses were quite severe in 82, they were eventually dealt with leniently. I believe things will be better in 83."

Meanwhile, Xizi was busy exchanging her thoughts on watching cartoons with Pingfang and his sister: "Which episode are you watching?"

Fangfang said, "It's episode ten."

Xizi: "I'll let you in on a little secret, there are only two episodes left before it ends."

Pingping said regretfully, "If only we could stay for two more days."

Wei Ming said goodbye to Xiao Mei and led them inside: "Even if we stay for two more days, we still won't be able to see it. The last two episodes haven't been made yet."

Dai Tielang once corresponded with Wei Ming, saying that the last two episodes would be broadcast during the Spring Festival and completed before the Spring Festival, so that he could have a relaxing New Year.

Besides the "Black Cat Detective" crew, Wei Ming is more concerned about the "Transformers" crew, as this is a major event concerning his aunt's business empire in Europe and America.

The popularity of Transformers toys also needs to be maintained through both comics and animation.

So this flight wasn't actually flying to Chengdu, but to Shanghai. As for Chen Kaige, he already left yesterday carrying a green train.

~
During this time, Wei Lingling was overseeing the construction of the toy factory in Shenzhen with Lizhi. When she returned to Shenzhen with her company's sales data from the United States, her treatment of her was significantly improved.

She used to be somewhat looked down upon as a Hong Kong businesswoman who made toys, but now she sees that the toy industry has great potential.

Wei Lingling also knew that Wei Ming was busy filming a movie recently and might not be able to take care of the Transformers animated film, so at the end of the year she sent Lizhi to Shanghai to visit her grandmother.

Then she saw Wei Ming with three little kids at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

The three little kids instinctively dared not look at Lizhi, who had three heads, and quickly looked at the screen in front of them.

Compared to women in mainland China today, her outfit was far ahead of its time, and she also had a distinct perfume scent.

"Xiaoli, you're here too? Where's my aunt?" Wei Ming was also a little surprised.

"Oh, her, she's still in Shenzhen." Lizhi was overjoyed.

She wanted to say how happy she was to see him, so happy that her menstrual cramps had disappeared, but considering Wei Ming's consistent attitude towards her, she decided to talk about serious matters instead.

Wei Ming pointed to the three little kids who were completely engrossed in watching the silent animation and said, "The first season is now complete. Welcome to review it."

He arrived a little earlier and had already seen it. In order to secure the contract for the second season, Shanghai Animation Film Studio had done a great job, and their labor costs were so low that even with such a good production, there was still a huge profit margin.

Director Wang Bairong, who was standing nearby, laughed and said, "I'm not bragging, but our film is so good that if it were released in China, it would be better than 'Black Cat Detective'."

Lizhi neither confirmed nor denied it, but mainland Chinese people do seem to really enjoy trying new things these days, and the story of alien robots does seem more interesting than that of forest police.

When they were in Shenzhen, Zhou Huimin's new song was even more popular in the local area than Li Guyi and Zhu Fengbo.

The song evokes pink memories and summer secrets, and Lizhi feels a pang of sadness whenever she thinks of it.

"When are you leaving?" Lizhi asked Weiming.

"Flying to Chengdu tomorrow."

Lizhi: "Then let's go to the Peace Hotel for dinner tonight. It's on me and the kids."

Where do you live?

"Yes." Lizhi was on a business trip, and the company reimbursed her expenses.

"The Peace Hotel is just so-so. The food is good, but the price-performance ratio is too poor. Do you want to eat local Shanghai cuisine or Western food? I can recommend one to you."

Lizhi laughed and said, "Have you forgotten that we're from Shanghai?"

Wei Ming: "So, which big restaurants in Shanghai have you eaten at?"

Lizhi: "..."

She suddenly had nothing to say. Before going to Hong Kong, she was just an ordinary person who had never eaten anything good. She knew the names of some big restaurants, but had never been to one.

So Wei Ming was in charge of the meal, choosing the time-honored Mei Long Zhen Restaurant, but he gave Li Zhi the opportunity to pay the bill.

This made Lizhi very happy. Usually, Wei Ming would treat people to meals, and those who could treat him to a meal were at least people with whom he had a special relationship.

During the meal, they also talked about the filming progress of "The Shepherd's Spring". They said they had enough film now, and Wei Ming even raised a glass to thank producer Li Zhi for her support behind the scenes.

They had a pleasant meal, but back at the Peace Hotel, lying on the comfortable bed, Lizhi suddenly realized that he might not have come to the Peace Hotel to eat because he was afraid she would do something to him here.

Lizhi, resting her chin on her hand, looked at her three children and thought, "What can I possibly do to you?"

Lizhi knew that Wei Ming must live in the old villa on Huating Road, which used to be her classmate's home, so she remembered the number and immediately called him.

"Are you home yet?" Lizhi asked as the call connected.

"We're here. Aren't you going to sleep yet? You should go to sleep early too."

Lizhi: "My birthday is in a few days, could you wish me a happy birthday in advance?"

Lizhi's birthday is on the last day of the year. She is the same age as Wei Ming, but a little over a month younger than him.

Wei Ming: "Oh dear, why didn't you say so earlier? If I had known, I would have treated you to this meal. How about this, I'll give you a birthday card instead. You can pick one up from the factory when you get back to Hong Kong and put it on my tab."

Lizhi was amused and said, "Then next time you come to Hong Kong, you have to sign your name on it for it to be considered a gift from you."

“No problem,” Wei Ming added, “Xiao Li, happy birthday!”

~
In the last few days of 82, Wei Ming returned to Sichuan. The film crew, which had been resting for more than a week, restarted. There would be no more rest from then on. Wei Ming wanted to film all the way to the end, and finish before the Chinese New Year so that everyone could go home for the holiday.

Upon returning, Feng Xiaogang received the first good news from Wei Ming.

“I went to CCTV this time and learned that the Yanjing Television Studio has been established and is in urgent need of manpower. I recommended you to the deputy director, Ruan Ruolin. If you don’t mind, you can transfer there temporarily.”

This was China's first television studio, later renamed the renowned "Yanjing Television Art Center." Zheng Xiaolong, Xu Fei, Zhao Baogang, and even Feng Xiaogang himself, all started their rise to prominence from here.

Feng Xiaogang had been on the set for several months and knew how difficult it was to get into a film studio. There was only one spot available for each person. Zhang Guoli had a good relationship with Han Sanping and Mi Jiashan, but he also wanted to get in but couldn't. So he had long given up on the idea of ​​getting into the film studio overnight and was even worried that he would be back to square one after filming this movie.

Unexpectedly, Teacher Wei went back and solved my transfer problem with just one sentence. If you want to transfer, the other party has to be willing to accept you. Without Teacher Wei mediating, why would they take you?

Feng Xiaogang grinned, showing off his rotten teeth: "Teacher Wei, you are the North Star in the sky. Master Ming, if there is anything Xiaogang needs in the future, it's just a matter of a word from Master Ming!"

Wei Ming waved his hand: "We've all eaten from the same pot, let's not talk about that. Just do your job well and stand firm until the very end."

"Mmm!" Feng Xiaogang's eyes lit up. He felt like he wouldn't be able to sleep at night and wanted to go out and catch a couple of mice to show off his value.

In the first week of 83, Xizi's scenes came to an end.

Wei Ming asked him, "Should I have someone send you to Chengdu and you fly back to Beijing by yourself, or should you come with me? I can't go back anytime soon."

Xizi said firmly, "We'll go together. I'm not going back now."

He went back for more than a week. For the first two days, his parents and Lele treated him very well, but after three days, things changed. It's better to be in the mountains. Now that he's not filming, he has Xiao Yang to take him out to play. He's so carefree.

Xizi didn't want to go home, but Wei Jiefang and Xu Shufen felt like each day was an eternity of homesickness.

Through Lao Wei's tireless efforts, he finally trained an apprentice from the Ocean Park. This apprentice was a chubby girl who looked just like a panda. Xu Shufen also taught her Sichuan dialect, and the two giant pandas liked her even more.

When Lao Wei and Xu Shufen returned to Yanjing, they relied on their colleagues at Beijing Institute of Technology and this apprentice.

“Gangdan, Bass,” Old Wei gave Gangdan an apple and Bass a banana. “Although Dad is leaving, we’ll see each other again. I’ll try my best to come see you once or twice a year, okay? If you miss me, just pretend to be sick and have Fatty invite me over under the guise of finding a specialist.”

The female apprentice, nicknamed "Perla," was speechless upon hearing this, rolling her eyes. "Can't you stop setting a bad example for the kids? Besides, the name 'Pangya' is really tacky!"
Old Wei hugged the two furry creatures one last time, and tears streamed down his face. He felt more heartbroken than when he was separated from his father.

That's true. Dad has a young wife and a huge company, so he doesn't need to worry about me. Unlike those two little ones, I am a very important part of their world. They need me even more than Xiaoming and Xiaohong.

"Dad will miss you all so much, mua, mua!"

Xu Shufen struggled to pull Lao Wei away. When they left, he probably sensed something, as Gangdan frantically pried at the glass window, panting heavily with his mouth open.

Once it could no longer see its father, it flipped over and climbed onto Bass's back.
(Yesterday's guaranteed minimum)
(End of this chapter)