Chapter 214: Too Scum! (Guaranteed 2-in-1)

Liu Rulong introduced himself: "I am the manga artist for *Heroes Born of Youth*."

Just as he pointed his hand toward Wei Ming, Zhuang Che preempted him: "Then you must be the original author, Wei Kuangren?"

Wei Ming nodded: "That's me."

Seeing him admit it, Zhuang Che scrutinized him even more carefully: "So you are also Wei Shenme, and Wei Ming, and the Ah Ming who wrote *The Girl Who Lingers* and *Dream Camel Bell*?"

Wei Ming's eyes widened. She knew everything so clearly; could it be...

Zhuang Che extended her hand for a shake: "Let me introduce myself, I am Zhuang Che, Gong Xue's mother."

Wei Ming: *It really is her. I thought I might meet her, but I didn't expect to run into her right at the entrance. *

Zhuang Che: "Your little brother Xizi stayed at my house for a while and spilled all your secrets. Now, everyone in my family, from the old to the young, are your fans and listeners."

"Hello, Auntie," Wei Ming immediately smiled brilliantly, "I should have recognized you sooner. You and Sister Xue look like sisters; you look so much alike!"

Zhuang Che hadn't expected the famous writer Wei Ming to be such a flatterer, but she loved hearing it!

Long: *I didn't expect this either. I need to re-evaluate him. *

Then came the pleasantries between Wei Ming and Zhuang Che, leaving Liu Rulong with no room to interject.

After entering the publishing house, Long went to find his editor, while Wei Ming sat in the reception area with Zhuang Che.

Auntie Zhuang was also a fan of literature and film. Her family background had been decent, and while Gong's father was from a village in Pudong, she had grown up in Puxi. She had started watching films from the Republican era as a child, giving her a refined air without being overly worldly—a very cultured Shanghai lady.

Wei Ming also sought her advice on the Shanghai style of the 1930s and 40s, which he considered accumulating material.

"I heard you're also doing business? Clothing business?" Auntie Zhuang asked as they chatted.

Wei Ming nodded: "I'm just a shareholder; my two friends are mainly managing it."

If this were in Beijing, and it were Zhu Lin's parents asking, they might disapprove of him dabbling in such "vulgar" matters. They would say merchants aren't safe, and in their view, even writers weren't safe—only being a worker was proper.

But this was Shanghai. Auntie Zhuang praised his vision: "Keeping money in the bank is a mediocre strategy. Now that the country is reforming and opening up, investing in commerce to let money grow is the way of the wise. I'm also optimistic about the clothing industry. Girls on the streets are wearing increasingly beautiful clothes, and they don't even blink at spending half a month's salary on an outfit."

Gong Xue's father was an artist for a clothing company, which explained why Sister Xue had such a good sense of style.

This gave Wei Ming an idea. If "Oriental New World" grew big in the future, they could absolutely open a branch in Shanghai. This city had a more vibrant consumer appetite for fashion.

Finally, Auntie Zhuang invited Wei Ming to her home for a meal.

However, Wei Ming knew her home was too small, and he wouldn't know where to sleep.

So he declined: "Auntie, Ah Long and I still have to go to the Shanghai Animation Er Yingchang later. I don't know how late we'll be."

"Oh, your story *The Legend of the Heavenly Book* is being made into a film, right? My little grandson is hoping every day to go to the cinema to see Dansheng."

"Yes, that's why I'm here today. I'll likely be staying at the studio's guesthouse tonight. I'll come visit when I have more time."

After a while, Long came out with his royalties, and Wei Ming took the opportunity to take his leave.

Once he left, Auntie Zhuang went into the darkroom to develop photos. She washed two more copies of her daughter's photos to use for the cover.

Looking at her daughter wearing Hong Kong fashion, Auntie Zhuang felt immense pride: *I gave birth to her! *

They say that children in the middle of a large family don't get much attention, but her second daughter was the prettiest, making it impossible not to dote on her.

Auntie Zhuang had loved taking her second daughter to the movies the most when she was little.

It was just that the child had bad luck. When it was time to go to the countryside, her older sister and brother were already working, and her younger sister was too small, so it fell to her. She had drifted outside for so many years, suffering who knows how much.

But things were better now; her luck had finally turned.

Yet, Auntie Zhuang thought again of that young man, Wei Ming. What exactly was his relationship with Xiao Xue? The age gap seemed a bit large.

If they were closer in age, even just three or four years apart, he would have been the perfect candidate for a son-in-law.

Next, Wei Ming and Liu Rulong went to the Shanghai Animation Er Yingchang. It wasn't Wei Ming's first time; he greeted the gatekeeper and walked in.

It was Long's first time. He came with a sense of pilgrimage, expecting the walls to be covered in various animation elements, but the walls were clean, which disappointed him slightly.

However, once they entered the office building, familiar animated characters were everywhere.

Long wanted to stop and look at every step, starting with the studio's mascot, the Great Sage from *Havoc in Heaven*.

Then there was Nezha, Afanti, the tadpoles looking for their mother, the cat fishing, Pigsy eating watermelon, "No Brain and Unhappy," the proud general, and the little carp jumping over the dragon gate.

Looking at the empty spaces on the wall, Long felt certain that the Dansheng he drew would have a place there too.

Because they had already been in contact, Wang Bairong, the director of the production workshop, wasn't surprised when Wei Ming knocked on his door. He wasn't surprised, but he was excited.

"Writer Wei, congratulations on bringing glory to our country!" He gripped Wei Ming's hand tightly.

It seemed the success of *Jumanji* overseas had been a great encouragement to these animators.

He had been thinking that if Mr. Why could make a name for himself overseas, then the collaboration between the Shanghai Animation Er Yingchang and Mr. Why on *The Legend of the Heavenly Book* would have many advantages in overseas promotion!

He even thought that if Wei Ming could quickly raise his international profile over the next two years, it might help *The Legend of the Heavenly Book* earn much more foreign exchange!

After sitting down, Wei Ming introduced Long to Wang Bairong: "I'll have to trouble Director Wang to look after my brother for the next two months. Although he's a bit reserved, his passion for animation is sincere. He couldn't even walk when he saw the characters on the wall earlier."

"Easy, easy. Little Liu is talented too. The Dansheng character design and many scenes he created have been adopted by the director for the film. His name will be in the credits."

Long's face flushed red with excitement. This was the studio's third animated feature film; it was his honor.

Afterward, Director Wang tentatively asked Wei Ming: "Do you think *Jumanji* could also be made into an animation?"

He wanted to strike while the iron was hot to earn more foreign exchange. This leader was truly ambitious.

Wei Ming replied: "I have no objections, but can the studio produce two films in the short term?"

This was the era of a planned economy; the studio's annual animation output was strictly planned.

An animated feature would take up a significant share of the annual production plan, squeezing out other projects. Moreover, feature films were harder to shoot and required higher precision, so for years, they had mostly produced shorts of ten or twenty minutes.

This was indeed a problem. Wang Bairong pondered: "If it's a co-production, perhaps we can relax the rules and give us more quota. I'll talk to the leaders about this."

Wei Ming: "Then I have no problem."

A novel could be adapted more than once, and he was eager for everyone to adapt it.

If the Beijing or Shanghai studios wanted to film a live-action version, he would also give his full support.

The special effects of this era couldn't achieve the lions and crocodiles in the novel using CG, but if they used real lions and crocodiles, it could be filmed—though it might be hard on the actors.

Next, Director Wang told Wei Ming that *The Toothless Tiger* had been completed.

"Do you want to see it?" Director Wang invited.

Wei Ming stood up: "Sure. The studio has had so many masterpieces this year that my story is just making up the numbers."

He wasn't being humble. After the turmoil, the studio had revived, but spent most of its elite resources on the tribute film *Nezha Conquers the Dragon King*, so the quality of the shorts had been average.

But this year, they had returned to their peak, releasing classics like *Snow Child*, *Three Monks*, *Ginseng Fruit*, and *Zhang Fei Judges a Melon*. *The Toothless Tiger* really couldn't compare.

Wang Bairong laughed: "Writer Wei is being modest. It's your debut, after all; there's room for improvement."

Wei Ming and Long watched *The Toothless Tiger* before it was released.

Then they were taken to the *Legend of the Heavenly Book* production workshop, where they met directors Wang Shuchen and Qian Yunda, as well as character designer Ke Ming and art designers Qin Yizhen and Ma Kexuan.

Watching them hand-draw the film's frames one by one was truly moving.

Wei Ming joked to Long: "Starting tomorrow, you'll be doing this."

Generally, the standard frame rate for film is 24 frames per second.

That meant they needed to draw 24 frames for every second of *The Legend of the Heavenly Book*. One minute required 1,440 drawings, and one hour required 86,400!

A feature film usually ran 90 minutes, requiring a massive number of skilled workers.

Of course, this was the highest standard. Most animations, especially TV animations, didn't require such high quality, often using two or three frames per drawing, plus cel animation technology to save time and effort.

Director Wang Shuchen was very tactful: "We certainly can't let Little Liu do this. He has talent; we have more important work for him."

When a bell rang, Director Wang said: "It's time to get off work. Writer Wei, Little Liu, shall we go to the canteen for a meal?"

"Sure. Would the two directors like to join us?"

At his invitation, the two directors joined them for a meal. Wei Ming's main purpose was to introduce Long to them.

He didn't really want Long to be a tracer; he hoped Long could truly learn the craft from these famous directors.

After the meal, they were arranged into a double room at the studio's guesthouse. Wei Ming would be leaving the day after tomorrow.

Long was still buzzing with excitement. When they were alone, he talked incessantly about the shock of seeing so many people drawing at once.

Wei Ming said: "You have about two months. Don't just bury your head in work; watch, learn, and make friends."

"Huh? Make more friends? Why?"

Wei Ming: "Because in the future, we might have the possibility of producing our own animations."

"Ah!"

Long was stunned by Wei Ming's ambitious words. He had never thought of it before because China already had the Shanghai Animation Er Yingchang, which had taken animation to such an extreme—did they need anyone else to do it? Wei Ming asked him: "Do you think China's animation output is enough?"

"Definitely not. I've only seen two animated films in my whole life."

"Since it's not enough, we'll do it ourselves. Don't be afraid!"

The glory of the Shanghai studio wouldn't last many more years. Soon, the generation of the 90s would grow up under the bombardment of Japanese anime and Disney.

While the neglect and side effects of animation policy were the main culprits, if policymakers could see the huge potential of animation, things might change.

Wei Ming felt that since he had chosen the path of a fairy tale writer, and wanted to nourish this generation of children with stories, he might as well do a little more.

Moreover, Long's fate could change, and he could realize his personal value. There was no future in forming gangs in Japan—forming gangs couldn't earn 12 billion in 20 days!

Wei Ming patted Long on the shoulder: "Think of Walt Disney, think of Osamu Tezuka. They achieved greatness through animation. Don't you want to be the Disney and Tezuka of China?"

Long was so swayed that his eyes were filled with little stars, and he was completely fired up. He was just about to make a vow when someone shouted from downstairs.

"Room 303, you have a phone call."

Wei Ming poked his head out: "Who is it for?"

"For Wei Ming."

"Okay, coming." Wei Ming told Long to digest that for a moment while he went downstairs to answer.

Auntie Zhuang Che got off work early and was responsible for buying groceries and cooking. Once she was done, the family arrived home one after another.

At the dinner table, she calmly stated: "Two young men came to the publishing house today—the manga artist and the original author of *Heroes Born of Youth*."

Gong Ying reacted for a moment. Who was that? Gong Xue immediately asked: "Wei Ming came to Shanghai?"

Gong Ying: *Oh, right, that guy who is a jack-of-all-trades. *

Zhuang Che: "Yes, the young man is very handsome and talented."

Gong Xue's older brother and nephew also started asking their mother about this extraordinary person. The nephew even wanted to urge him to update *Black Cat Detective*—every two months was too torturous.

They talked so much, but Gong Xue remained strangely silent.

However, after the meal, she took the initiative to help her mother wash the dishes and asked: "Where is Wei Ming staying in Shanghai? Is it still the Writers' Association guesthouse?"

Zhuang Che: *Oh, so she knows where he stayed before. *

"No, it's the Shanghai Animation Er Yingchang guesthouse. He's here for that animation, *The Legend of the Heavenly Book*." She sighed and told the truth.

Sure enough, not long after, Gong Xue made an excuse to go to the small shop to buy something and slipped out.

She went down, of course, to call Wei Ming. She was afraid that once Wei Ming was done, he would leave. It was rare for them to be in the same city; it would be a pity not to meet. They hadn't seen each other for a long time.

Wei Ming answered the phone: "Hello."

"Hello~"

"Sister Xue!" Wei Ming recognized her immediately. It wasn't in vain that he told Auntie Zhuang where he was staying; this useful information had been successfully conveyed to her.

"I heard from my mother that you came to Shanghai." Gong Xue's toes started drawing circles on the ground.

Wei Ming: "Yeah, I went to the publishing house today and it was such a coincidence—I ran into Auntie at the entrance. We chatted for a long time, and she really improved my impression of Shanghai mothers."

"My mother is indeed a good person."

"Then did she praise me after she got home?"

"She did, she did. She praised you for being handsome and young and promising." Gong Xue continued to dig at the ground in embarrassment.

Wei Ming asked again: "How is your filming going? Is it almost over?"

"There's about another month of filming left."

Wei Ming: "Then what time do you finish filming tomorrow? I want to treat you to a meal."

*And pay you back. *

What a coincidence, Gong Xue said: "I only have scenes in the morning, and I'll be free after that."

"That's great. Then I'll come to the studio to pick you up at noon. You'll have to spend the afternoon with me; I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."

Gong Xue shyly agreed. Today's Wei Ming was too direct and a bit overbearing, but she liked it.

Wei Ming: *I have to be direct. Sister Xue, you need to catch up to Lin's progress, and I have to keep the scales balanced. *

He couldn't bear to part with either of the two great beauties of the North and South, so he had to be a bit of a scumbag. Although his conscience would suffer, this was the price of greed. Let him be severely condemned.

Gong Xue paid for the phone call happily, but tripped as she left. Who had such poor public morality, digging a hole in the ground?

Wei Ming returned to the room. Long was standing on his head in a middle-school-student way, his face even redder.

"What are you doing?"

"I just started having many unrealistic fantasies, so I'm trying to calm myself down," Long straightened up. "Now I'm very calm. Ah Ming, I want to say, let's work together to realize the great cause of Chinese animation dominating the world!"

Wei Ming: *You're still fantasizing, but I like it! *

Their hands gripped each other tightly. Long also expressed his thoughts: "For the next two months, I will learn the entire process of animation production and make more friends who can help us realize our ideals."

His enthusiasm was too high. Wei Ming was a bit worried. The market wasn't mature yet; even Disney's animation output was very limited, so there was no need to be so anxious.

"We can start with manga to cultivate the audience's reading habits," Wei Ming said. "After I finish the novel I'm working on, I'll write a long-form manga story for you that will keep you busy until you graduate."

"Oh my!" Long was thrilled. "What's it about?"

Wei Ming already had an idea while writing *The Terracotta Warrior*. He said: "The Qin Dynasty."

The next day, July 1st.

Wei Ming was woken up by Zhu Lin in the morning. She opened the door herself and then quietly crawled into Wei Ming's quilt.

*Why sleep? Let's get wild! *

"Don't mess around. I bought you breakfast, eat first!"

"No rush, eat you first!"

Fortunately, Zhu Lin came early; otherwise, such a toss-and-turn would have made him late for work again. She ran over at the risk of being late for work because Wei Ming was leaving tomorrow.

Another few condoms saved. After Sister Lin left, there were 300 yuan in the quilt.

Wei Ming didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Did she learn this from Melinda? It really felt like his "hard work fee."

Wei Ming pulled out 50 yuan: "Sister, I still owed you 50 yuan from before."

Zhu Lin pulled up her underwear: "Keep owing it. I want to be your creditor."

Wei Ming hugged the creditor's leg and began to prevent her from putting on her pants.

Today, Wei Ming went to the Film Academy and picked up Liu Rulong, who was already on vacation, and took him to the Peking University dormitory. Tomorrow morning, the two of them would head to the Capital Airport.

He never wanted to suffer through a long-distance train ride again, so he had asked Uncle Ping'an to help him get a certificate to qualify for tickets.

Long felt it was a bit of a waste: "We don't lack that much time."

"You don't, I do." Going to Shanghai early meant spending more time with Sister Xue, and it saved his waist and butt.

But once they were on the plane, Long exclaimed that the money was well spent. He even took out a sketchbook and drew *Rainbow in the Clouds*.

It was just too short; the plane landed at Hongqiao Airport in just over two hours. Because it was a morning flight, they missed the meal on the plane.

Wei Ming: "Next time we fly to Hong Kong, I guess we can have a meal on the plane."

But it would just be pre-made food, cooked on the ground and heated on the plane.

Long asked excitedly: "Ah Ming, are you going to Hong Kong soon?"

Wei Ming nodded: "*Heroes Born of Youth* is about to start filming. It will be released in Hong Kong, so I'll ask the Green Bird company to send me an invitation. After all, I'm the original author and screenwriter."

"What about me? What about me?" he asked hurriedly.

"You?" Wei Ming smiled. "I'll help you ask, but you're just the lead artist for the manga, so you might lack the qualifications. However, if you're willing to pay for your own travel expenses, it might be possible."

"I have no problem with that!" Long said. "I've saved over 2,000 yuan following you."

Wei Ming chuckled: "Then you're richer than me now. I don't have that much RMB. If I run out of money, you'll have to lend me some."

"What could you possibly spend so much money on?"

Wei Ming stroked his chin: "I wonder how much a meal at the Peace Hotel costs."

The first time he came to Shanghai to revise his manuscript, he walked along the Bund with Sister Chen Rong and Professor Qu and passed by the Peace Hotel. He had wanted to eat there, but he was broke at the time and could only dream about it.

Long had already completed the content for the first three volumes of the manga version of *Heroes Born of Youth*. After school started, he would continue to finish the last two volumes.

This time, he also intended to personally deliver the manuscript for the third volume to the Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House and collect the royalties for the second volume, so Wei Ming wouldn't have to borrow from him.

Wei Ming was a bit nervous: "Ah, I have to go too?"

"Don't you want to? After we're done with this, we'll go to the Animation Er Yingchang together."

Just like that, Wei Ming was dragged by Long into a "toad car" and headed straight for the Fine Arts Publishing House.

Zhuang Che, Gong Xue's mother, was not yet sixty and was rehired after retirement at the publishing house. She couldn't stay idle at home and wanted to continue contributing.

She had previously helped Wei Ming submit *Heroes Born of Youth* for publication. Later, the first volume sold extremely well, and the second volume was immediately followed up, with plans to increase the print run.