Exciting 1979!

Chapter 490 The Night Before the Storm
When Mai Jia finally realized what was happening, he rallied all the company's top executives to criticize Huang Baiming. However, Huang Baiming simply shrugged and brought up the contract.

"I've already agreed to be a nominal director and even signed a contract. If I breach the contract, I'll have to pay a million yuan. A million yuan! Is the company willing to cover that for me?"

Tsui Hark and Teddy Robin, two insiders, tried hard to suppress their laughter. "That 100 million is your director's fee, isn't it?"

Although Karl Maka and Dean Shek gave Wong Pak-ming a dressing-down, they couldn't possibly pay the breach of contract penalty for him. They could only make him promise in front of everyone that he wouldn't delay the company's scriptwriting.

Meanwhile, Zeng Zhiwei, who was hiding in the corner, saw that one of the bosses, Huang Baiming, had even started filming for Wei Ming. He admired Wei Ming's clever methods and immediately made a phone call after returning home.

"Hello, is this Mr. Xiang from Win's Entertainment? I've thought about asking me to act in a movie. I have no problem with it. Okay, okay, let's meet tomorrow."

Zeng Zhiwei put down the phone, eager to get started. It was a new company, but as Hong Kong's highest-grossing director, and also a lead actor, asking for 100 million wouldn't be unreasonable.

~
The music video for "Full Moon Over the West Tower" is expected to be released alongside Vivian Chow's first Mandarin album after filming is completed. This will be the first story-driven music video in the Hong Kong music scene, making it groundbreaking.

As for the new album, Wei Ming sent Xiao Hong to the stock exchange these past two days, and he and Amin spent almost all their time at home discussing the songs on the new album.

Wei Ming was also learning for the first time that Amin had written so many songs during his absence. He mostly composed the music and then used the original lyrics of the ancients or made slight modifications.

The best piece was the one adapted from Lu You's "Chai Tou Feng · Hong Su Shou," which amazed Wei Ming. At the same time, he could sense Amin's complex and depressed mood from the melody.

This song is the title track to be released with the album, and it has already been recorded.

Another good adaptation is Li Qingzhao's "Sheng Sheng Man," which is about searching and searching, feeling lonely and desolate, and feeling sad and miserable.

There's also an adaptation of Yan Shu's "Huanxi Sha," the one with the line "The flowers fall helplessly, the swallows return as if we've met before." Because the original lyrics were too short, Amin enriched them herself, but she wasn't quite satisfied. Wei Ming added a few lines for her, and suddenly the whole song came alive.

Among the songs composed by Amin herself, the one with the most significant lyric changes is "Nian Nu Jiao," which was written to promote the Nian Nu Jiao milk tea shop and adapted from Huang Tingjian's poem "Nian Nu Jiao: After the Rain."

The songs Wei Ming wrote for her were significantly altered from the original lyrics; some even retained only the classical charm while the lyrics were entirely new.

Among them, Amin particularly likes the song "Do You Know?" which has the freshest musical style. It has half original lyrics and half original compositions, and it is also a duet song. This is Amin's first time trying a duet song.

After trying to sing it herself, Zhou Huimin felt that it wasn't as amazing and exciting as "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," but she thought that it could have a good effect if she found a suitable partner.

"Amin, who do you think would be suitable to sing a duet with me?" Amin asked Wei Ming for his opinion.

Wei Ming thought for a moment and said, "Let's go with Zhang Guorong. Alan's Mandarin is terrible, Zhang Guorong is better, and he has a more classical temperament."

"That's what I was thinking too, either Ah Rong or Danny, but unfortunately Danny is still studying abroad."

Wei Ming: "After filming this movie, I'm going to study in San Francisco."

"Huh? Isn't it for accompanying someone to study?"

Wei Ming said, half-jokingly, "I've been writing in English lately, but I feel that English is not my native language and I'm not as comfortable using it, so I thought I'd take advantage of this time to study European and American literature in the United States."

Amin nodded. Amin always said that learning has no end, and he lived by that saying. Besides, it would be convenient for him to visit Amin if Amin was in the United States. Nowadays, it is much easier for Hong Kong people to go to the United States than to the mainland.

The two then chatted about Wei Ming's other songs, such as "Qing Ping Diao," "Pipa Xing," and "You Lan Cao." Among them, "Qing Ping Diao" was Teresa Teng's unpublished posthumous work, which was later performed by Wang Fei.

A standard album usually contains 12 songs. The two of them wrote 11 songs in total, and they are still missing one.

So they opened the three hundred Song Dynasty poems in their hands and played and sang them non-stop. Before Wei Ming left, they even composed a poem called "The Magpie Bridge Fairy".

This most famous poem about Qixi Festival over the past thousand years has been transformed into a sweet and heartwarming duet by the two of them.

While Amin was racking her brains over who to ask for this duet, Wei Ming asked, "Have you thought of a name for the album yet?"

Amin nodded. Originally, she wanted to take three words from "Chai Tou Feng" (钗头凤) as the name of this album, "Wrong Wrong Wrong" (错错错), because she and Wei Ming were having a falling out at the time.

Now she has thought it through: "The album will be called 'Mo Mo Mo'."

Also from the poem "Chai Tou Feng", "Mo Mo Mo" means "that's it" or "that's it," which sounds somewhat negative, but actually represents her state of mind of letting go.

Oh well, let him continue his lingering feelings for Melinda, since they were each other's first love.

Oh well, it doesn't matter if he has other lovers in mainland China. It's his own fault for not being able to be with him when he's in mainland China.

Oh well, even if he and Lizhi have something going on, I won't care. After all, she's really big, and I even want to touch her.

However, the status of the first wife must belong to oneself!
~
"My first wife, you still want to be me, don't you?"

In the swimming pool of a courtyard house in Nanluoguxiang, Zhu Lin and Gong Xue were playing and splashing around.

Zhu Lin and Gong Xue were just chatting about some unusual things happening in Hong Kong, and then Gong Xue mentioned the Huo family, whom they had dined together, and that the Huo family had invested in Qingniao Company.

As the conversation progressed, it naturally veered towards the legendary old man, Mr. Huo, and then Gong Xue started talking about his three wives.

Zhu Lin immediately became interested: There were actually three of them, even more impressive than Xiao Wei!
"Is it legal?" she asked.

“Of course it’s legal,” Gong Xue immediately poured cold water on Zhu Lin’s enthusiasm when he saw her eyes darting around. “But it’s been abolished now, so there’s no chance.”

"What a pity, could you tell me more about the stories of Hong Kong's wealthy families?" Zhu Lin said, indicating that she would love to hear it. She had previously preferred the stories of domineering CEOs in the Hong Kong romance novels that Wei Ming had brought her.

Gong Xue splashed water and said, "Although these wives are legal, the difference is still very obvious. The ones standing in front are basically the children born to the first wife. The Hong Kong tabloids even said that the old man had already made a will, and most of his estate was to be given to the children born to his first wife. So it seems that although they are half-siblings, their relationship is not very good."

At this point, Gong Xue was actually a little worried. She didn't want her child and Zhu Lin's child to fall out over the inheritance. But Xiao Wei really did have a considerable amount of wealth. He had so much now, and it would only increase in the future. Money is a powerful motivator.

Zhu Lin swam up to Gong Xue, thinking, "Xiao Xue, tell me, who is the first wife between us?"

Gong Xue laughed and said, "Then I'll take the plunge. I've known Xiao Wei the longest, even longer than Melinda."

Zhu Lin retorted, "You want to be my first wife? I'm older than you, so shouldn't it be my turn to respect the elderly and care for the young?"

"You're only four months older, how dare you say that?"

“It’s okay if they’re a little older, but don’t worry, I will treat them as my own, no matter who gave birth to them. I will never let the brothers hurt their relationship over money.”

Gong Xue smiled and didn't argue with her. There was no point in saying such things now. If one of them could get pregnant first, they would definitely get married first.

Even if he becomes the first wife, he will definitely treat Sister Lin's child as his own.

Having heard too many stories of family feuds in Hong Kong caused by money, she didn't want their family to become so heartless. Fortunately, Xiao Wei's wealth was incomparable to that of those Hong Kong tycoons.

The sun went down, and they wrapped themselves in towels and went back to their room to watch videotapes. Gong Xue had brought a lot of new films this time, which Sister Lin really liked; they were her window to the outside world.

"When are you going to Hong Kong again?" Zhu Lin asked, watching TV.

Gong Xue: "Let's wait for Xiao Wei. I'll go with him when he goes to Hong Kong again."

Zhu Lin: "I don't know when he will come back, or if he's having too much fun in Hong Kong to want to leave."

~
After all 12 songs for his Mandarin Chinese-style album "Mo Mo Mo" were ready, Wei Ming prepared to return to Beijing. Not only did he miss his two older sisters at home, but Wei Hong also wanted to say goodbye to her classmates.

She will be going abroad to pursue a master's degree after this semester, while her classmates will continue to work hard in their senior year.

Before leaving, some things were settled.

First, there are the two important characters, Dad and Mom, from "Home Alone." Mom has successfully invited Josephine Siao to sing "Only Mom Is Good in the World" again for a wave of nostalgia.

The role of the father was played by Huang Baiming, who volunteered himself. First, he was the right age, being one year older than Xiao Fangfang. Second, his role in "Home Alone" would give him a reason to direct this movie. Wei Ming was more than happy to accept the role.

In addition, Kuangren Comics Company has officially changed its name to Minglong Media, and a youth entertainment magazine called "YES!" has been successfully applied for.

Minglong also acquired a printing plant and a tabloid with a circulation of over 10,000 copies, becoming a veritable media company.

The diversification of business lines is also a preparation for a future IPO. The company is not short of cash now, but if it wants to make animation and go international in the future, the funding gap will be relatively large, and raising funds through an IPO is a good way to do so.

On the other hand, Langning Company established a subsidiary, BBK Electronics, holding 90% of the shares, while Minglong Media invested the remaining 10% in cash. At the same time, the two companies signed an agreement to become strategic partners, with Kuangren Comics' IPs being prioritized for development in cooperation with Langning BBK.

Langning Toys transferred claw machines, blind box machines, and some remote-controlled toys to BBK Electronics, and established an electronic game department and a game equipment department. Wei Lingling brought some professionals from Taiwan to start developing Chinese Block and the No. 1 handheld game console.

As for upstream semiconductor suppliers, she found one in Taiwan and even got her uncle to invest in it, so they'd be family now and wouldn't be held hostage by the supply chain.

My aunt is keeping a close eye on Nintendo and Atari; she still wants to buy an Atari to shorten the technology development time.

Wei Lingling said, "So I have mixed feelings right now. I hope Nintendo can succeed and erode Atari's market share, causing Atari to depreciate. But I'm also afraid that if they succeed too much, it will be difficult for us to take market share from Nintendo."

Wei Ming asked with a smile, "So how's Nintendo's stock doing now?"

Wei Lingling: "The market is very optimistic. Your one million dollars is almost two million."

Hearing this, Wei Hong was stunned: "Brother, you didn't tell me about these amazing stocks? You know how hard it is for me to find stocks in Hong Kong. I finally found two with potential, and I've only made 15% in the last few days." Wei Ming chuckled: "Two million is nothing. I'll consider investing when it becomes ten million."

Wei Lingling: "You think highly of them?"

Once Nintendo starts targeting the US market, its stock will definitely grow even faster. It's worth noting that at its peak, Nintendo's market capitalization was among the top in Japan, second only to conglomerates like Toyota, Sony, and Mitsubishi.

Wei Ming hugged his aunt goodbye and said, "I have more faith in you guys. The American game market is about to collapse. I hope that BBK, not Nintendo, will take over the market. I'd rather earn less from my own stock holdings."

Lizhi quickly opened her arms and gave her a hug, which made Wei Hong purse her lips. Luckily, Amin had to go to school today and didn't come to see her off.

As they were about to board, Wei Lingling asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Wei Ming: "For a game console to sell well, the playability of the accompanying games is very important. Having only one game like 'Chinese Blocks' is not enough. Now we need to think about what games we can independently develop to create a competitive advantage, especially for different markets."

Wei Lingling: "Recently, the World Martial Arts Tournament storyline in Dragon Ball has been very popular, and I'm thinking about whether to directly adapt Dragon Ball."

Wei Ming: "Then you must be very careful. If you don't do it well, it's better not to release it at all. We can't forget the lesson of 'E.T.' No matter how strong the IP is, if the game is not fun, users will not buy it."

Wei Lingling nodded; she wasn't so short-sighted.

After Wei Ming and Wei Hong leave, she will also have to go to the mainland again. It seems that Lang Ning's factory in Shenzhen may not be enough now.

To compete with Nintendo on price, the main production of game consoles cannot be located in Hong Kong or Taiwan. It can only rely on the cheap labor costs in mainland China; otherwise, it will be difficult to win this battle.

After wandering for more than half a month, Wei Ming and Wei Hong finally returned to Yanjing.

Wei Hong wiped her sweat: "It's not much cooler here in the north, and we don't even have air conditioning."

Late June in Yanjing was certainly not cool. Wei Ming waved his folding fan and said, "Just bear with it. There will be an electric fan when we get home."

"Brother, I'll take a taxi back to school first. I have a lot of good friends among the senior students from the class of '79, and I want to see them off."

Wei Ming: "No rush, I need to see them off too, we'll go together tomorrow."

Wei Ming, from the class of '79, was most familiar with Guo Jianmei from the Department of Law, as well as Luo Yihe and Hu Chunhua from the Department of Chinese Literature, and Cha Haisheng from the Department of Law. Ying Da was also in this year's class, from the Department of Psychology.

In the summer of 79, Wei Ming and his friends entered Peking University together, and they had a deep bond.

Four years have passed in the blink of an eye, and they are about to graduate and enter society. Wei Ming is also about to leave his hometown and go to the United States.

There was no other way but to leave. Upon returning to Yanjing, Wei Ming first bought a newspaper and quickly discovered the major event that had been on his mind all along among the many newspapers.

One is the incident in Neimeng Yakeshi, and the other is the Tangshan kitchen knife gang.

A few days ago, PLA soldier Liu Fuyun and his comrades were returning home to visit relatives after completing their mission when they encountered a gang of cleavers on the bus. This gang robbed and even molested all the passengers on the bus.

Liu Fuyun, a soldier, witnessed all of this and stepped forward without hesitation to stop them. The other party temporarily gave way, but after getting out of the car, he and his companions were followed and attacked by the cleaver gang.

Of course, this is just one of the evils they have committed. The crimes committed by this organization, which rose to prominence in just a few short years, on this land are too numerous to count.

Tangshan was a microcosm of most cities in China at that time. Public security had reached the brink of collapse, and without drastic measures, the situation could not be reversed. This was the cry of the people across the country.

In the process of cracking down on organized crime, improper relationships between men and women that are consensual will naturally be impacted. Moreover, there are many relationships that are not consensual and are sometimes difficult to distinguish.

Although Wei Ming has some status, he doesn't dare to take risks. He estimates that soon there will be a typical case that will be used as a precedent. Once that person dies, no one will dare to take any chances anymore.

So when Wei Ming got home today, he only called Nanluoguxiang to let them know he was safe and didn't go there immediately.

When Zhu Lin received the call, she told Wei Ming something: "Our colleague, Teacher Dong Xingji, is gone. He committed suicide."

Dong Xingji is a senior figure at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, with deep experience and strong skills. Wei Ming asked, "Why is that?"

"There are conflicting accounts. Some say it's because his daughter disobeyed him and went to Guangzhou to sing for money. Others say he was refused a role in a play. There are all sorts of rumors. Some even say he's sick." Zhu Lin sighed. In fact, this gentleman is only in his fifties.

Wei Ming sighed, "Li Chengru must be very sad."

“Today we went to Teacher Dong’s house, and Li Chengru was there too.”

At first, Li Chengru was a complete novice. It was Teacher Dong who saw his diligence and eagerness to learn, took him under his wing and taught him. After being immersed in the Beijing People's Art Theatre for a long time, Li Chengru was able to apply for the Beijing Film Academy's acting training program and thus enter the industry.

Unfortunately, if he had just held on a little longer, and won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor next year, many of the problems he faces now might have been easily solved.

The next day, Wei Ming did not go to see his two older sisters immediately. He first went to the school with Xiao Hong.

Besides saying goodbye to the Class of '79, Wei Ming also needed to tell the school about studying in the United States. He was acting first and informing them later, so he told Uncle Ping An about it beforehand, and the uncle and nephew discussed it first.

Wei Ping'an had a thick stack of documents to review, but upon learning that Wei Ming had received an offer from UC Berkeley, he first closed the door and then asked worriedly, "No one in the US tried to recruit you, did they?"

Ordinary people certainly cannot understand Wei Ming's mentality of going abroad to avoid the limelight; their first thought is that Wei Ming intends to stay abroad.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "Uncle, what are you thinking? If I wanted to stay abroad, I wouldn't have come back this time. I just want to study and improve. Studying European and American literature in the United States is definitely more authentic than studying it in China. I still want to make a name for myself in the international literary world, and I can also keep Xiao Hong company."

"Uncle will always believe in your stance and beliefs. In that case, I will accompany you to talk to the Party Secretary and the Principal about this matter."

Wei Ping'an personally took Wei Ming to meet the two leaders, where Wei Ming reiterated his thoughts in a logical and persuasive manner, leaving no room for rebuttal.

He just wanted to make a name for himself in the world of literature, what's wrong with that?

Wei Ming has just won the highest honor in the international film industry, and now he is going abroad to study for several years. Will he be infiltrated by others? This is no small matter.

The principal asked Wei Ming, "Would you mind if we reported this to the Ministry of Education?"

Wei Ming replied frankly, "I don't mind."

It's no use being bothered; this matter needs to be communicated to everyone from top to bottom before it can be approved. Besides the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture will probably know about it too.

Next, Wei Ming patiently waited for news. He believed that his study abroad application would most likely be approved because he had traveled abroad many times in the past and his performance had always been impeccable.

If a low-probability event occurs, such as preventing him from studying abroad, then he and his two older sisters will have to be careful about the impact and avoid seeing each other if possible.

After leaving Peking University, Wei Ming went to the Beijing Film Academy and met Hu Weili.

In just a few days, "The Shepherd's Class" will be officially released, and Hu Weili's fame and reputation will definitely rise accordingly.

"Your days of leisure are numbered," Wei Ming said to him.

Hu Weili also saw in various newspapers how popular their film was abroad, and his music was mentioned many times.

"I'd love to do film music, but I'm afraid I won't be able to find a director as knowledgeable as you again," Hu Weili said sincerely. Wei Ming's guidance was crucial in the creation of many of the pieces.

Wei Ming waved his hand: "Let's not talk about those formalities. Would it be convenient for me to come to your house for a visit?"

"You want to come to my house? What's up?"

"Big news, great news."

When they arrived at Hu Weili's house, his wife made tea for Wei Ming, and Wei Ming took out a check from his bag.

"Here's seventy-five thousand dollars, yours."

Upon hearing this, Hu Weili's wife, who was pouring water for her husband, trembled and almost scalded him.

Seventy-five thousand dollars! That's an astronomical figure for this impoverished couple.

Although Hu Weili really wanted to make money, he needed to ask clearly: "What is this money for?"

"You forgot? I signed a contract when I invited you. Do you remember what was written in the contract?"

Hu Weili couldn't quite remember, so Wei Ming helped him recall: "DreamWorks Pictures in Hong Kong commissioned you to create film scores. In the future, 10% of the revenue generated from the music will belong to the creators, and you will also receive a corresponding percentage according to your division of labor."

Hu Weili remembered, but what kind of revenue could be generated from film scores?

Wei Ming pointed to the check and said, "The original soundtrack for our movie was sold to a major international music company. Ten percent of the proceeds is $15. This soundtrack was a collaborative effort between you and me, so let's just say we each get half."

"This math problem is easy to solve," Hu Weili said tremblingly. "That means the dozen or so pieces of soundtrack we composed sold for 150 million, in US dollars!"

Wei Ming: "This is not all. There may be more benefits in the future, which will be a long-term thing."

Hu Weili and his wife both swallowed hard; they had seen a living god of wealth today!
Wei Ming added, "This money can only be cashed in Hong Kong, which will definitely be inconvenient for you. Alternatively, if you want US dollars in cash, foreign exchange certificates, or RMB, I can help you exchange them."

Wei Ming was curious: now that Hu Weili had so much money in his hands, would he still dare to try his luck in the Hong Kong music scene?
(End of this chapter)