Exciting 1979!

Chapter 484 My Great-Aunt's Secret
The company Wei Ming saw was called New Line Cinema, founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye (also known as Bob Shay), which mainly distributed European art films and low-budget horror films.

Until 79, when the Hollywood film market recovered, New Line Cinema began to enter the production field, but the works produced in those years were just so-so, relatively low-budget, with some profits and some losses, but no great fame.

Wei Ming had some understanding of this company. He knew that they started to rise to prominence by releasing the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, a co-production between the United States and Hong Kong. They then made a huge gamble on The Lord of the Rings and achieved great success. They were considered a second-tier film company with considerable strength. In the end, they were acquired by Turner Entertainment and merged into Warner Bros.

However, at this time, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics had not yet been released, and the rights to The Lord of the Rings were not in New Line's hands. Wei Ming felt that the most valuable person in this company was its founder, Robert Shaye. Although he had done some deceitful things, his abilities were indeed outstanding.

He extracted the company's information separately, thinking he could talk to them about it later.

As for the other companies, many of them didn't even survive into the 1990s; Wei Ming had never even heard of them.

Well-known small and medium-sized companies such as Lionsgate and Summit have not yet been established.

"What, you have an idea about this company?" my aunt asked.

Wei Ming: "It might be more suitable for our current financial resources."

He was thinking of buying all eight major universities in one go, but his financial strength didn't allow it.

As the two were chatting, Lizhi brought over a fruit platter containing lychees. Wei Ming noticed that she had changed her clothes and was wearing a cheongsam.

Wearing a cheongsam with Lizhi's figure is a bit too exaggerated; it feels like something is about to burst out of the clothes, making people feel hot just looking at it.

Wei Lingling said, "Should we have a conference call with Melinda? This is no small matter."

Wei Ming nodded: "But we can discuss this first. How about letting Langning handle the game company and DreamWorks handle the film company?"

Wei Lingling: "That's what I think too. Even if Atari is not good, it was once a giant with a deep foundation. DreamWorks can't take it over. I will take charge of this part."

"Can I make international calls from here?" Wei Ming asked.

After receiving a positive reply, they immediately called Melinda in London, who had just gotten home from get off work.

“Buy a film company? How much money would that cost?” Melinda didn’t object. On the contrary, after witnessing the success of “The Shepherd Boys” at Cannes, she felt that the film industry had great potential and could be well combined with the publishing and media industry.

If you're going to do it, do it big. Publishing plus film and television—that's already the beginnings of a media empire.

Wei Ming thought for a moment about the new line's information: "It shouldn't exceed ten million US dollars."

“That’s no problem, no loan needed,” Melinda said.

Previously, DreamWorks' cash flow came from Wei Ming's novels and songs, accumulating an astonishing amount over several years. Now, the publishing company has been established for a year, and in addition to Wei Ming's works, it has also produced some bestsellers. It has signed several promising writers and has already started making a profit.

“We still need to set aside enough money for the publishing company’s expansion. I have money in my Hong Kong account, and my aunt owns a bank, so it’s easy for me to borrow money,” Wei Ming asked again. “Did you receive that song?”

“I received the new novel and song. I just met with David Bowie today, and he raved about the song, even singing a couple of lines a cappella. I love it,” Melinda said. “I also love the novel; it’s awesome!”

"That's good. I'll continue this discussion here. You can come over when there's a result."

Wei Lingling snatched the phone: "I'll talk to Melinda for a bit, you guys go out first."

Wei Ming: "You were whispering to me behind my back?"

"Get out, get out." Wei Lingling winked at Lizhi, signaling her to pull the person out.

Lizhi immediately grabbed Wei Ming's arm and left the room. Once outside, Wei Ming turned out to be a tough guy.

Long-distance calls are quite expensive, costing three dollars a minute, but Wei Lingling waited until they were completely out before asking, "It's been more than half a month, have you made any progress?"

Melinda sighed: "No."

Wei Lingling: "No, at your age and his age, if you haven't used protection, it should be easy to succeed. Is it your problem or his problem?"

Melinda: "I've had a check-up, and I'm perfectly healthy."

"Could it be a problem with our little Ming?" Wei Lingling was also a bit vague, "He seems to be in good health."

"It's really good, you'll know once you use it." Melinda really agreed with that, but she didn't feel anything in her stomach, and she didn't know if there was something wrong with the seed.

Wei Lingling said, "Try harder when you come to the United States in a while. You'd better hurry up, our little assistant can't wait to make a move."

Melinda said nonchalantly, "Go ahead and do it. He's not my boyfriend, just an ex."

If Melinda cared about that kind of thing, thinking of her two older sisters in mainland China and her younger sister in Hong Kong, she probably wouldn't want to work anymore.

“I hope you can be the first to give birth, the eldest son and grandson, that’s definitely different. In ancient times, that would be considered a prince by a concubine.” Wei Lingling tempted Melinda with the position of prince. Britain is a constitutional monarchy, so she must understand these things.

On the other side, Lizhi let go of Wei Ming and said, "Then we'll both be studying in San Francisco from now on, so we can see each other often."

Wei Ming: "Not necessarily. Even if I go to school, I might not be at school most of the time, or even in San Francisco."

"Then you can take me with you wherever you go, okay? You need a helper by your side, right?"

Wei Ming looked at Li Zhi and said seriously, "Since you're here to study at university, you should prioritize your studies..."

Hearing this, Lizhi was somewhat disappointed. Wei Ming then said, "If it's a weekend or holiday, I can take you on some social practice."

Upon hearing this, Lizhi's face immediately lit up with a big smile, feeling that her persistence had finally paid off.

Thinking of this, she wanted to grab Wei Ming's arm again, but at this moment the housekeeper came over and said that the madam had to go out for a while and would come back to have dinner with everyone in the evening.

"Oh, okay, then we'll eat out for lunch too."

After his aunt finished her phone call, Wei Ming woke up Xiao Hong, and the four of them went out together to find a modern Chinese restaurant.

Wei Hong looked uncomfortable during the meal: "It's not as good as what my mother makes."

She still doesn't really like the sweet and salty taste, and the sweetness is a bit too much.

Wei Lingling smiled and said, "Today I'll treat you to some Western-style Chinese food. In the future, you can choose McDonald's or go to Chinatown to eat. Xiaoli, you can do the same."

Lizhi elegantly wiped the corner of her mouth: "I'm fine, I can eat it."

Next, they went to Chinatown for a stroll. Wei Hong felt that it was closer to Hong Kong, with a strong traditional Chinese style. She also noticed that most of the people there spoke Cantonese and Hokkien.

Many of the restaurants here look incredibly appetizing just standing outside, but I have to go home to have dinner with my great-aunt tonight, so I'll have to go another day.

The thought of living in this city for at least two more years put Wei Hong at ease, and she took the new camera her brother had bought for her and started taking pictures on Grant Street.

Suddenly, Wei Hong pointed to the car in front and said, "That's my aunt's car."

Wei Ming looked at the car: "How did you know?"

Wei Hong: I saw you when I entered the courtyard.

Wei Ming had no recollection of it at all. Wei Lingling said, "It really is Auntie's car. Is she here on business?"

Lizhi asked, "Should we go over and say hello?"

Wei Lingling glanced at the sign on the building: "No need, let's go look around somewhere else."

About half an hour later, Wei Lindi was escorted out by the president of the Fujian Chamber of Commerce. Beside her was Shi Jiawang, her late husband's nephew, who was walking with his head down.

Wei Lindi had no smile on her face. Shi Jiawang wanted to get into her car, but was stopped by her driver and bodyguard.

Wei Lindi snorted: "Take a taxi and get back home. Also, I'll pay off your gambling debts for today, but it will be deducted from your monthly bonus until it's paid off." "Ah, Auntie, you can't do this! How am I supposed to live?"

"Ask yourself why you don't learn to gamble like others!" After saying that, Wei Lindi got into the car and never looked at him again.

In the car, she said to the driver/bodyguard, "Ah Chao, from now on, Shi Jiawang is forbidden from entering the house. Give the order."

"Yes, ma'am."

Wei Lindi closed her eyes. Her husband's nephews were really disappointing. They had forgotten the Shi family's ancestral precepts and had actually gotten involved in gambling.

Moreover, as far as he knew, even the most human-like Shi Jiazhuang had long had a fondness for smoking weed.

After much thought, I realized that my own Wei family is the most reliable. I met Wei Hong on the first day today and I already knew that this child is exceptionally talented and intelligent, much like Zhiyuan in the past. I'm sure that even if she gets into a prestigious university like Stanford, she won't be a disgrace.

So during dinner, she specifically asked about my preparations for tomorrow's interview.

Wei Ming also took the opportunity to mention that he wanted to try studying at the University of California, Berkeley.

"I'm afraid I'll be bothering you for quite some time to come."

Upon hearing this news, Wei Lindi was genuinely happy: "You'll definitely be fine. With your achievements in literature and film, you're qualified to be a professor at Berkeley, let alone a student. But I'll still ask around for you."

“I want to take this opportunity to improve my English literature skills,” Wei Ming said.

"Haha, let's see who wins the Nobel Prize first, you or Xiao Hong," Wei Lindi said.

Wei Hong wanted to say that there was no Nobel Prize in Mathematics, but then she thought again, there is a Nobel Prize in Economics, which is also somewhat related to her.

Wei Lingling said, "The donations from the Zhiyuan Group are mainly aimed at Harvard Medical School. In 80 and 81, Harvard scholars funded by Zhiyuan won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for two consecutive years."

Wei Ming nodded. Perhaps it was the untimely death of Aunt Zhiyuan that made his great-aunt so concerned about medicine.

“The prize money Nobel gave them was Nobel’s, and I also gave them extra rewards later,” the great-aunt said with no small amount of pride. “You won the Palme d’Or last month, did your government give you any reward?”

Knowing that his great-aunt had always been somewhat hostile towards the government, Wei Ming cautiously said, "There wasn't any substantial reward, and I'm not short of money, but I feel like my status has improved. When I flew back to Guangzhou from Paris, the mayor even came to greet me personally. Great-aunt, do you know who the mayor of Guangzhou is? It's that Ye..."

Suddenly, my great-aunt put her chopsticks on the bowl, making a crisp sound.

Wei Ming immediately realized that he might have said something wrong. Although it wasn't exactly throwing his chopsticks, his aunt's mood had clearly soured.

Sure enough, she stood up and said, "I'm not very hungry, I'll go back to my room to rest first."

After taking a few steps, she suddenly turned back and said, "Xiaoming, you should negotiate your college admission yourself. I'm sure these universities would be happy to have you as an alumnus even without a recommendation letter."

After his great-aunt left, Wei Ming hurriedly looked at his aunt and asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

"I don't know?" Wei Lingling was also puzzled. Her nephew had just been bragging. Could it be that his aunt didn't like his vanity?

She then comforted her nephew, saying, "But you don't need to take it too hard. After all, your aunt has been living alone for so many years. Be more understanding."

"I didn't take it to heart. Sigh, I should talk less about domestic matters in the future. She has too much of a grudge against our party." Wei Ming could only guess that this was the reason.

~
Back in her room, Wei Lindi pulled out a photo that had never been displayed outside. In the photo, she looked like a young girl, but she was holding a baby boy in her arms, wearing open-crotch pants that exposed his genitals.

A man in military uniform was standing next to her, gently supporting her shoulder, but only half of his body was in the frame, and his face was not captured.

She looked at the photo, then at a young man in military uniform on the photo wall, and couldn't help but shed tears.

Wei Lindi couldn't help but think back to that afternoon in Los Angeles in 49, when she was having tea with her daughter Zhiyuan at home when a phone call came in from Taiwan.

The eldest brother choked up and said, "Xiao Ning sacrificed herself, and now I've lost my last son."

She launched into a tirade on the phone, berating Wei Muchun for failing to take good care of Xiao Ning: "Why did you send him to the battlefield! Why did you choose to live a life of ignominy in Taiwan while sending him to his death!"

However, after her outburst of anger and tears, she still had to pretend that nothing had happened in front of her husband and daughter, and dared not show it.

Unlike now, when she's in pain, she can simply cry out, "Xiao Ning, my son!"

~
The next day, Wei Ming carefully observed his great-aunt and saw that she seemed to be alright.

Today we have important business to attend to. Wei Ming borrowed a car from here to take Xiao Hong to Stanford. Seeing that other children were being driven by their parents, Wei Lingling also personally took her mother to the University of San Francisco. After all, having someone is like having a mother.

Upon arriving at Stanford, Wei Hong suggested that they first seek out their senior fellow student, Bu Suanzi.

"The school is so big, with Dr. Bu leading the way, we won't get lost."

"Dr. Bu?"

“Ah,” Wei Hong said, “He has been studying abroad for so many years, he should have a doctorate by now.”

Indeed, when they met, Bu Suanzi was already a first-year doctoral student, and his supervisor was a top expert in biology. He led Wei Ming and his sister to the place where international students were interviewed, and waited outside with Wei Ming.

With a letter of recommendation from Chen Xingshen, excellent grades and performance during her three years at Peking University, a high TOEFL score, and no problem with her spoken English, Wei Hong's interview went very smoothly.

Stanford warmly welcomes such outstanding Chinese university students to study here. Perhaps in a few years they will become a vital force in Silicon Valley, and then marry an American, get a green card, and spend their lives breathing the air of democracy and freedom while contributing to the development and growth of the United States.

The interviewer presumptuously presented a portrait of Wei Hong's remaining life.

Many students from prestigious universities like Tsinghua and Peking University who went abroad with Bu Suanzi or even earlier have decided not to return to China for the time being.

"Some have already found jobs, and others have already gotten married."

In the Stanford cafeteria, Bu Suanzi talked about the career paths for international students from prestigious universities like themselves, which currently consist of only three types.

Return to China, stay, or pursue further studies.

The line between the second and third types is rather blurred. Some people stay by pursuing further education, hoping to become more useful to the United States.

But Bu Suanzi said he wasn't, and Wei Ming couldn't tell whether this was the truth in a short time.

Even though he chose to stay after further studies, Wei Ming understood and respected that.

Not all top students can enjoy the same level of respect, freedom, and countless wealth in China as he does.

Moreover, the academic conditions abroad are indeed incomparable to those in China, especially in some high-end fields. It is normal for those who are dedicated to scientific research and want to leave a significant mark on human history to want to stay.

Their research findings are sometimes a treasure for all humankind, driving the progress of civilization as a whole.

When I got home that evening, everything went smoothly with Lizhi, except for Wei Ming, who was planning to go to UC Berkeley the next day.

Wei Lingling was going to visit Atari in Silicon Valley, and Wei Hong and Lizhi both offered to accompany her.

I accompanied Wei Ming to Berkeley.

Wei Lingling rolled her eyes, while Wei Hong looked at Li Zhi's stunning figure and worried about her best friend Ah Min from Hong Kong.

Don't worry, Amin, I'll keep an eye on my brother!
~
Amin feels numb right now. They haven't seen or spoken to each other for more than half a month since they parted ways in Cannes.

She wrote a letter to Wei Ming, but Wei Ming did not reply.

Influenced by this mood, she wrote several new songs. Although they weren't based on Tang or Song dynasty poetry, they were of good quality and could be kept for future use.
(End of this chapter)