Chapter 282: The Fantastic Voyage of the Original Manuscript of

After Xia Yan obtained Wei Ming's permission through Wei Tao, the second volume, "Human Righteous Path is Vicissitudes," was quickly borrowed by a bigwig he was well-acquainted with.

He even urged Xia Lao to save the final third volume for him~

It is now 1981, and many of the old leaders are still alive.

Among these people, a large number come from the Whampoa clique; for instance, three of the four old leaders still alive are related to Whampoa.

Although Wei Ming did not focus on depicting them, he mentioned them all. His principle is that those with significant roles have basically already passed away; of course, one cannot write or make things up randomly, as they do have descendants after all.

Later, after Xia Lao lent the third volume to this military bigwig, he asked him for the second volume, only for the bigwig to say he had already lent it to another comrade-in-arms.

"Oh my, it's too good; everyone wants to read it." The bigwig indicated that the second volume mainly covers the War of Resistance Against Japan period, which is also the most blood-boiling part.

Wei Ming absorbed the essence of many excellent later works of film and television about the War of Resistance. Jiang Limin has both brilliant military performances and outstanding contributions to the underground war; it is tense, exciting, and blood-boiling.

Even if there were no roles for themselves in the plot, it was a very interesting experience for the old generals to see comrades and opponents they were once familiar with.

Xia Yan was helpless: "You... then you must remember to help me get it back; this isn't mine."

"I've got it, don't worry."

And so, Wei Ming's subsequent 400,000-plus words of original manuscript began a journey of fantastic voyages, sometimes inside the Sea Palace, sometimes outside the Sea Palace.

But no one ever thought to make a copy; it was impossible for these big figures not to be able to get their hands on a photocopier.

They just felt that since the subsequent manuscript hadn't been officially published yet, if they made copies and it led to a leak, it would be too disrespectful to the creator. One cannot take it lightly just because he is young.

But later, as the influence of this issue of *Harvest* grew, the first volume of "Human Righteous Path is Vicissitudes" spread wider and wider, and more and more people wanted to read it. Originally, the second and third volumes were circulated separately, but later they simply ended up being passed around chapter by chapter, a bit like how middle school students in later generations would take apart pirated copies of massive web novels to pass around to each other.

Anyway, they were all retired or semi-retired old folks with plenty of free time, and it was rare to encounter such a long novel that was relevant to them, high in quality, yet not pretentiously profound.

After reading it with satisfaction, they couldn't wait to cast a monthly vote or post a chapter comment or something.

Anyway, Wei Ming temporarily forgot about the fact that he had the original manuscript. Next, besides writing scripts and playing with cats and dogs, he also returned to Peking University to start work; in any case, being on the job didn't hinder him from writing scripts.

Moreover, the ancient book repository was right next door, which made it convenient for him to look up some late Qing materials to perfect his script.

However, when at work, colleagues from the library and even colleagues from other posts would often run over to chat with him, all talking about the history and figures from the 1920s to the 1940s; they treated Wei Ming as an expert in this area.

Wei Ming was indeed worthy of being called an expert; he had read plenty in his past life, which could be considered decades of accumulation.

Although they hindered Wei Ming's creation to a certain extent, Wei Ming didn't mind. This job was already nearing its end, and Director Li Hanxiang couldn't spare the time to film it in the short term either; he was still working for Shaw Brothers.

That day, after chatting with his colleagues and having a meal with Brother Feng at a restaurant outside, he had just arrived home when he received a call from the Beijing Er Yingchang guesthouse.

"I've arrived in Yanjing." It was Gong Xue's voice.

"That's great!" Wei Ming said excitedly, "You have no idea, I've been missing you so much I couldn't sleep."

How could he possibly be unable to sleep while holding Zhu Lin? Gong Xue didn't believe his nonsense for a second.

She had already received a letter from Zhu Lin and knew that Melinda had written to Wei Ming again, even sending very revealing photos—nearly naked—and in her reply, Gong Xue had joined her in gossiping about Melinda, presenting a united front.

But Gong Xue didn't know that Zhu Lin had also bought sexy lingerie worn by foreigners, though it was easy to imagine they hadn't been idle during those days.

Strangely, hearing Wei Ming say this, she could hear the sincerity in his voice, and she didn't feel that Little Wei had become "dirty."

She gave a light huff: "Save it. Just letting you know, Ying is here too. I have the Beijing Er Yingchang guesthouse to stay in, but I don't know how you plan to settle her."

Wei Ming told her: "Leave that to Little Mei; I've already had him rent a place. However, Ying's workplace isn't Oriental Dongfang Dongfang Xintiandi, but the garment factory where Biao's mother works, to design clothes for them. Does Long know Ying is here?"

"Ying is temporarily leaving her luggage with me; she's already gone to the Film Academy to find Long," Gong Xue laughed.

"Wow, Ying is so proactive. Do you want to come find me too?" Wei Ming said playfully.

"Sure, where to?"

"The Overseas Chinese Apartments or the courtyard house are both fine; I'm all alone right now."

Gong Xue: "Let's go check out the courtyard house tomorrow. The cat and dog are both there, right?"

"Right, but why not today?"

Gong Xue said helplessly: "Ying is staying with me at the guesthouse today; I can't just leave her all by herself."

Wei Ming sighed. Long, can you please put in some effort and stop holding me back?

After hanging up with Gong Xue, Wei Ming realized he hadn't congratulated her yet.

Immediately after, Gong Xue met with director Wang Haowei and others, and Director Wang filled in that "congratulations."

Congratulations to her for topping the *China Youth Daily* list of "Top Ten Most Beloved Young Screen Images."

The *China Youth Daily* published the results on the day Gong Xue arrived in Yanjing, as if to welcome her to the capital.

Because the voting period coincided with the hit run of *The Herdsman*, the audience's enthusiasm hadn't faded yet.

Although the film hadn't reached rural audiences yet, the gentle, virtuous, and upright Wei Fenfang won the evaluation of "If you marry, marry Wei Fenfang" despite her limited screen time, making Gong Xue famous in cities large and small across the country.

Although the number of screenings and viewers was not yet equal to *Romance on Lushan Mountain*, Gong Xue had an advantage over Zhang Yu in terms of looks and temperament, so she edged out Zhang Yu by a small margin, with Zhang Yu ranking second.

In addition, actresses like Chen Chong, Li Xiuming, and Liu Xiaoqing were also on the list.

Being selected by an authoritative major newspaper, and with the other selectees being the hottest actors of the moment, although the first-place ranking brought Gong Xue some controversy, this selection undoubtedly declared that she had entered the ranks of the current first-tier actresses. The next step was to consolidate her gains.

Gong Xue modestly said a few words, praising Director Xie for filming well and Wei Ming for writing well.

Wang Haowei nodded; this was the correct way for a southern girl to behave. If Liu Xiaoqing had taken first place, she definitely would have said, "Isn't it a matter of course that I took first?"

Then Director Wang Haowei mentioned the shooting plan: "The shooting date is tentatively set for late March, with plenty of time in between to memorize the script and experience life."

At this point, Gong Xue raised a question: "I want to go see the real-life person the story is based on."

Wang Haowei asked: "Do you know where she lives?"

Gong Xue laughed: "Just ask Teacher Wei; he definitely knows."

The "Crazy Mother"—just how crazy was she, and what form did her madness take?

After the New Year, Gong Xue had been to the Shanghai Psychiatric Hospital, but the madness inside was varied and strange; she really couldn't grasp the scale.

Although Wei Ming's script had detailed descriptions, she still wanted to see the real-life prototype with her own eyes.

Wang Haowei thought it made sense: "How about this, I'll go with you personally. Also, it's best if the child actor goes too. I'll make a call to Wei Ming now to discuss it."

However, she didn't get through; Wei Ming was no longer at home.

Last time, Zhu Lin felt the courtyard house was cold, and there hadn't been a stove lit recently, so Wei Ming had gone over early to light a fire. He was staying there today, and it should be quite warm by tomorrow.

Opening the door to the courtyard house, Wei Ming introduced Ginkgo to Gong Xue again; as for Sheriff, she had already met him before.

The cat and dog tilted their heads as they watched Wei Ming and Gong Xue enter, wondering: Was it this one last time?

Wei Ming first took Gong Xue to tour Lao Lao Lao Wei's collection; the porcelain with exquisite paintings left her amazed.

Wei Ming was generous with other people's property: "If you like anything, I'll give it to you."

Gong Xue shook her head: "If I like it, I can just come see it anytime; there's no need to own it."

"Of course you can come see it anytime," Wei Ming said, "This place was originally bought for you to live in, but now my parents are in the catering business, so it's basically been requisitioned by them. Still, I really don't want you staying at the guesthouse."

Gong Xue: "It's okay, I won't be staying there for many more days anyway."

"Huh?"

Gong Xue: "I'm going to see He Hua."

"Huh? You're going to Zigong?!"

Gong Xue nodded seriously: "Yeah, the director is going with me, and she wants to call Xizi along too."

Wei Ming gently squeezed Sister Xue's shoulders; the mountains were high and the road was long, and he was certainly reluctant to let her go.

But Sister Xue wasn't using a tone of consultation; it was clearly already decided.

"That's perfect. You can help me send some money over. I earned royalties from He Hua's story, so I should contribute. Also, once you confirm the time, I'll write a letter to my cousin to have him take you there; he knows the way."

"Mm, thank you for supporting my career." Gong Xue threw herself directly into Wei Ming's arms; the feel of these eighty-one pectoral muscles was truly great.

Wei Ming gently stroked her hair: "That's being too formal. Do you and I need to say things like that? Besides, this is my script too; I also hope the movie turns out well."

Gong Xue said solemnly: "I definitely won't let your story down!"

"We can talk about that later. Let me see how your yoga practice is coming along first."

Gong Xue's face turned red immediately: "How can I practice that at home~"

She was too embarrassed to practice in front of Gong Ying.

"That's why we still need a space of our own~" At this moment, Wei Ming wished he could arrange for Gong Xue to move into Zhu Lin's apartment.

But thinking about it, that was really too shameless, so he gave up the idea. He'd better find time to think about another house.

After admiring Lao Lao Lao Wei's collection, they finally entered the bedroom. By now, the red bed and red quilt had been tidied up by Wei Ming; there was certainly no trace of the battle that had taken place last time.

But another battle was about to take place here!

Because she wanted to see where Gong Ying was staying, Gong Xue couldn't stay with Wei Ming all night, so the two could only indulge in daytime pleasure, accompanied by the sounds of cats and dogs.

Afterward, Wei Ming and Gong Xue went to visit Gong Ying. She was renting a large communal courtyard, just one wall away from Biao's mother's house, which was convenient for Biao's mother to look after her. Moreover, the neighbors were all acquaintances; their character wasn't necessarily noble, but at least there were no hoodlums.

Innovation in clothing at the garment store was also a top priority, and Gong Ying really had some skills. Even if she was copying Hong Kong fashion magazines, Gong Ying was better at copying than they were. She was also regarded by them as a secret weapon to ensure the vitality of Oriental Dongfang Dongfang Xintiandi.

That night, Gong Xue had to stay with her sister, so Wei Ming let Long stay with him at the courtyard house for the night. The two could also chat about the progress of *The Legend of Qin*.

Once school officially started and his team was back in place, they could begin formal drawing. At that time, the few of them would have a division of labor, tentatively trying out a comic assembly line.

Wei Ming had only one requirement: "When we go to Hong Kong, we must have at least ten chapters of content."

"Then when can we go to Hong Kong?"

Wei Ming: "Not sure."

The next day, Wei Ming and Long were woken up by Ginkgo's barking; there was someone at the door.

Long went to open the door and said in surprise: "Uncle, why are you here?"

Wei Ming also stepped out of the room and saw his old man; he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

That was close! Just a little closer and he and Sister Xue would have been caught in bed by Lao Lao Lao Wei.

Lao Lao Lao Wei laughed: "Long, we returned to Beijing yesterday, but there was no one at the Overseas Chinese Apartments. I guessed Little Ming should be here, but I didn't expect you to be here too. Come over to the house for a meal later."

"Uncle, I'd like to go, but I have a date with my partner today. Let's do it another day."

"What, you have a partner too! Where is she from, and what does her family do?" Lao Lao Lao Wei was very concerned.

Look at these friends around his son; they weren't old, yet they had all found partners. Only this son who made him worry insisted on finding two.

It resulted in him effectively having none right now.

Long said sweetly: "She's a Shanghai girl, also studying painting. She..."

Speaking of this, he glanced at Wei Ming and then said: "Her sister is the actress Gong Xue."

"Ah, Gong Xue!" Lao Lao Lao Wei was surprised, and the phrase "Then aren't you two brothers-in-law" almost slipped out.

Fortunately, he held it back. Long took the opportunity to say goodbye, while Wei Ming returned to school to continue working, agreeing to go back for dinner in the evening.

School started on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month; today was the thirteenth, and Peking University already had students returning to school in staggered peaks, including international students.

"Leonardo!" Li Aiguo, coming out of Shaoyuan, saw Wei Ming and shouted while rushing over.

Wei Ming was also very happy to see him. Although the two hadn't communicated in the meantime, seeing his expression, he knew it was a success.

"Li Aiguo, you look in good spirits."

"Of course, if that song sells well, I can earn at least ten thousand dollars!" For a student like him, this was quite a good income.

If he could earn ten thousand, then Wei Ming knew roughly what his own income would be—one hundred thousand dollars?

But there was a prerequisite: the song had to sell well enough.

"Can you tell me in detail?"

Li Aiguo didn't mention the initial $5,000 buyout contract and went straight to the second contract.

That is, the treatment enjoyed by a serious musician with a certain degree of fame.

"There's no money to be had right now, but we enjoy mechanical reproduction royalties, public performance royalties, synchronization license fees, and everything else a well-known songwriter can enjoy."

Afterward, Li Aiguo explained these terms in detail.

Mechanical reproduction royalties mean that every time a song is produced on a physical record, the songwriter can receive a fixed royalty. Currently, it's mainly vinyl records and tapes, and there will be CDs in the future.

This income is generally 9 cents per song. If 1 million records are produced, that's $90,000.

Of course, 1 million copies is a very high achievement and not so easy to get.

But Li Aiguo's father got a price of 12 cents for Wei Ming, which is the level of a songwriter with a certain degree of fame.

Public performance royalties mean that when a song is played on the radio, on television, or in public places, public performance royalties must be paid. Although it's not much each time, it adds up, and sometimes it's very substantial.

In the future, Mariah Carey will rely on "All I Want for Christmas Is You" for her retirement, because every Christmas, this song is a must-play in every shop. There's money to be made in this, and it accumulated until she earned $60 million.

Synchronization license fees mean that when a song is used in a movie, TV show, or advertisement, a synchronization license fee must be paid. There is no unified standard for this; it depends on how the music company negotiates with the film company. Thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, or even more, is possible.

Although Li Aiguo didn't bring back real gold and silver, he brought back two contracts. The party of the first part, MCA, had already signed them; as long as he signed, they would take effect.

It even included Li Aiguo's ten percent, which would be deducted directly and remitted to Wei Ming.

However, the contract was in English, and Wei Ming said he wanted to take it back to study it. Li Aiguo didn't mind at all; he felt it should be that way.

So Wei Ming took the contract and found the 1977 Law Department.

The 1977 Law Department of Peking University produced many talents; big names in the legal world like Tao Jingzhou and He Qinhua were all from this class, and of course, there was Brother Qiang.

Wei Ming wasn't familiar with them, but they all knew Wei Ming and even admired him a bit. As soon as Wei Ming said he wanted to sign a contract with a big American company, let alone the students, they even brought the teachers over to help study it.

Later, they found there were too many professional terms, so they pulled in classmates from the Foreign Language Department of the same year.

Then everyone read it while sighing that the contracts of big American companies were really damn rigorous; there were too many details!

But surprisingly, there were no traps, which was a bit unexpected.

Wei Ming told them not to think too highly of foreigners: "I also paid a high price to hire an American lawyer."

Wei Ming's ten percent of the proceeds could be considered protection money for Li Aiguo's father.

If MCA followed up on John Lennon's death with a successful marketing campaign, the song's earnings would definitely be more than $100,000. And although John Lennon only died once, a great musician of his stature would likely trigger a wave of mourning every year at that time, so the song would always have value.

After confirming there were no problems with the contract, Wei Ming took two classmates from the 1977 Law Department and the Spanish Department to Shaoyuan to find Li Aiguo, and signed the contract in the presence of them and Li Kui.

After signing, Wei Ming thought of another important question.

"Aiguo, do you know who MCA is planning to find to sing this song?"

Li Aiguo was a bit embarrassed: "It seems to be a young British female singer, she seems to be only 21 years old, but don't underestimate her. The first album her group released after debuting sold 500,000 copies in the UK."

Finally, Li Aiguo said her name.

"Her name is Sarah Brightman."

Wei Ming gasped; it was actually this voice of heaven. Imagining her voice singing "Moonlight Shadow," Wei Ming felt that things were looking great!

Wei Ming first heard of Sarah Brightman when he heard her version of "Scarborough Fair," which was simply a massage for the eardrums, an auditory health treatment.

Later, he heard her "Time to Say Goodbye" and the Barcelona Olympic theme song "Amigos Para Siempre."

Of course, most Chinese people might not know her until 2008, when she and Liu Huan sang "You and Me" together.

Not to mention the quality of this song, being able to sing the theme song with Liu Huan at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in China, and being the only person in the world to have sung two Olympic theme songs, there was nothing to question about this singing skill.

In one word: superb!

Originally, Wei Ming just wanted to ride the wave of popularity, make some pocket money, and test the waters of the European and American music scene. He didn't expect to find Sarah Brightman right away, and he was even more confident in the "money prospects" of this song.

That evening, Wei Ming returned home and had a meal with his parents, grandmother, and Xiao Hong. In addition, Mei Wenhua also accompanied Yunyun over, so there were quite a few people.

Little Mei sighed: "It's only in this large living room of yours; if it were at my place, it would be too crowded."

He sat on the sofa and watched *Eighteen Years in the Enemy Camp* with Lao Lao Lao Wei. Lao Lao Lao Wei could finally watch TV; this was what a human life should be like~

(End of chapter)