Chapter 305: Adopt a Little Aunt, Pick Up a Beauty

"Ah Ming, the guy Old Man told us to find is Wei Lingling—also surnamed Wei?" asked Ah Long from the passenger seat.

"By family hierarchy, I should call her 'Aunt.' She's a top student from Stanford with dual bachelor's degrees in law and management—she's exactly the right person to find."

"Whoa, that's impressive—but will she even help us?" Ah Long asked again.

"Then we help each other."

Old Ghost said she took over a toy factory in Hong Kong, marking the beginning of her gradual takeover of the Wei family's businesses, though the factory wasn't doing too well—here, Wei Ming could offer some assistance.

Ah Long added: "Last night I thought about it—if we land Xi Bao, I'll stay here a few days until you return from London, then we head back to Beijing together. In the meantime, I can get familiar with the business and sort out my thoughts."

"Fine. Let Biaozi take Wu Jing back first—he's probably been missing his wife for ages," Wei Ming smiled.

"What about you? Do you miss home?" Ah Long phrased it more subtly—he only had one wife, but you've got two older sisters back home.

Wei Ming replied stubbornly: "Here, I'm happy—I don't think of Shu."

Hidden in the back, Ah Min couldn't help wondering: Could it be that Ah Ming is only happy here because of her?

"I remember you had a Hong Kong pen pal who used to send you magazines—did you meet her this trip?" Ah Long suddenly changed the subject.

Behind them, Ah Min's heart quickened. She'd been about to reveal herself, but pulled back, eager to hear how Ah Ming would describe her.

Wei Ming: "I met her. These past two days, she's been accompanying me on location scouting, eating tons of Hong Kong delicacies, seeing many sights, and experiencing local customs."

Ah Min: Hmph. At least you've got some conscience.

"No wonder you're happy here—how old is she?" Ah Long asked with a grin.

"Fourteen."

Fourteen? She doesn't look it. Ah Long suddenly felt embarrassed—joking about a fourteen-year-old girl? Even if Ah Ming was a lecher, he wouldn't have any thoughts about a girl younger than Wei Hong—would he even be human then?

"You're lucky—you've got a little sister accompanying you on location scouting. I'd only have Ah Jiang, and he's not even available on call—he's got to attend TVB training classes."

"My pen pal isn't available on call either—she's got school too. Final exams are coming up."

Ah Min: Liar. When have I ever not been available? You're the one who wouldn't let me come.

Ah Long chuckled: "Maybe not. Maybe your pen pal really is available on call."

Wei Ming blinked: "What kind of lame joke is that?"

Ah Long: "Try calling her. Maybe she's one of Cao Cao's."

Wei Ming sighed and gave a half-hearted call: "Ah Min. Ah Min."

Ah Min realized she'd been found out. She sat up from beneath the third-row seat: "Ah Min is here!"

"Ah!"

The van on the road suddenly swerved wildly like a snake, drifting for a long distance before regaining control and pulling over beside the road before entering the underwater tunnel.

Inside the car, Zhou Hui Min had moved from the third row to behind Wei Ming's seat. She looked embarrassed: "Ah Ming, don't be mad. I just wanted to surprise you—I didn't mean to scare you."

The girl's pitiful expression was too convincing. Ah Long softened immediately and rushed to defend her: "Ah Ming, just forgive her. Girls are naturally mischievous."

"I haven't even scolded you yet. You saw her get in the car and didn't tell me—weren't you afraid we'd run into bad people?" Wei Ming's nerves settled slightly.

Ah Long adjusted his glasses: "She's wearing a school uniform, and she's a girl—hardly likely."

He'd spotted her upstairs while Wei Ming and Old Ghost were whispering—a girl in uniform circled the car once, then vanished. Only after driving a while did he realize she was inside.

Besides, Ah Long had heard from his father about Zhou Ma and Zhou Hui Min, and knew that the Zhou girl was Wei Ming's pen pal. After some careful probing, he deduced that this mysterious girl was indeed Ah Ming's little pen pal—and he was right. Even drawing comics requires logic.

Wei Ming: "So we're going to the Peninsula Hotel—what are you going to do?"

"I can come with you—I can even guide you. Please?" Zhou Hui Min's hand had already clung to Wei Ming's arm. Never one to be affectionate, she now did it effortlessly, as if born to it.

A woman and a little girl—completely different experiences.

Wei Ming restarted the car: "Have you ever been to the Peninsula Hotel?"

"No, but our school took us to the Hong Kong Space Museum. The Peninsula is right across from it—both are on Salisbury Road," Ah Min replied.

Hong Kong's Space Museum opened last year, but the Peninsula Hotel has stood for over half a century, belonging to the famed Kadoorie family. Hong Kong's entertainment elite love having afternoon tea there.

After passing through the tunnel, they drove straight to the Peninsula Hotel. Outside, the concierge cars were all Rolls-Royces—no wonder it was Hong Kong's most luxurious hotel. Wei Ming's van felt too shabby to park beside them.

Inside the lobby, Ah Long and Ah Min were stunned—this foyer was truly opulent!

Only Wei Ming remained calm—he'd stayed here in his past life.

He gave the front desk Wei Lingling's name. The call went up immediately.

Wei Lingling, just out of the shower, heard her cheap nephew had arrived. She told the front desk: "Tell him to come up in ten minutes."

The front desk relayed her message. They waited briefly in the lobby.

When the time came, Wei Ming moved to go upstairs—but the front desk stopped him.

"Only Mr. Wei Ming may go up."

Wei Ming didn't insist: "Then you two have some afternoon tea nearby."

This put Ah Long in a bind—he was terrible with girls, especially girls who weren't his girlfriend.

So Ah Min took charge of the conversation. She'd already learned his name was Ah Long from the car ride, the NPC who kept appearing in Ah Ming's letters. Now she discovered Ah Long was actually Bin Shu's son!

So they were all family after all!

"Ah Long, you've never been to Bin Shu's workplace, right?"

"I have—I already ate at McDonald's with friends."

Zhou Hui Min: …

The doorbell rang. Soon, a woman dressed freshly opened the door—around twenty-two or twenty-three, still damp from her shower.

Wei Ming had never seen such a young auntie before—she was stunning, no less beautiful than a movie star. More importantly, her inner cultivation radiated grace. Though she wore no glasses, she exuded the aura of a top scholar, commanding presence.

Too bad her rift with Old Ghost only healed after Old Man's death—and she never got to meet her own brother.

"Auntie, it's Xiao Ming!" With no outsiders present, Wei Ming called out with exaggerated affection.

Wei Lingling was caught off guard by his heartfelt cry and instinctively stepped back two paces.

"Stop, stop, stop." Seeing Wei Ming's emotional expression, tall, upright frame, and handsome face, she'd almost hugged him—though she held back, her demeanor softened considerably.

She began to reflect: It was Wei Senhao who wronged her and her mother—why should she hold a grudge against her own blood nephew? Especially since he'd written songs she adored.

Realizing this, Wei Lingling smiled warmly: "Sit down, Xiao Ming. How old are you?"

Wei Lingling asked about Wei Ming's current situation like a proper elder.

"I'm twenty this year."

"May I ask—do you have a girlfriend?"

"Auntie, that's too forward."

Wei Lingling laughed heartily. This kid was interesting—not as stiff as mainlanders she'd imagined.

"I originally wanted to discuss the old Western-style house in Shanghai with you, but you showed up on your own—what do you need from me?"

Wei Ming said: "I know you studied law and management. I'm planning to acquire a comic publisher in Hong Kong and need your help with valuation and contracts."

Wei Lingling didn't ask why he wanted to buy a comic publisher. Instead, she said: "My legal training might not fully apply in Hong Kong, but I have a senior classmate who's a licensed Hong Kong lawyer—I can introduce you. As for valuation, I can help with that."

"That's perfect! I'm a complete outsider here—I'll feel safe with you!"

Wei Lingling said: "After we finish this, you're coming with me to Shanghai."

"That might not work—I still need to go to England first."

"Why England?"

Wei Ming explained the musical rights for The Lion King.

"You could just delegate this to your editor," Wei Lingling implied—it didn't warrant a separate trip.

Wei Ming replied: "This isn't trivial. The Lion King musical has huge potential—I must protect my rights."

Put it this way: The Lion King musical's box office rivals Phantom of the Opera—it sits at the pinnacle of its field.

Because it attracts children so strongly, with high ticket prices and enduring popularity, after decades of performances, its cumulative box office has reached $8 billion—far exceeding the combined global totals of the animated and live-action Lion King films. Just Broadway in New York has grossed over $1 billion.

Seeing Wei Lingling unconvinced, Wei Ming added: "Also, my editor is my ex-girlfriend. I plan to meet her during this trip."

Hearing this, Wei Lingling—who'd been treating herself as just another distant aunt—perked up.

"Ex-girlfriend? You already have one? She's in England? Is she Chinese-British? Are you planning to get back together?"

Wei Ming answered concisely: "She's British. We met when she studied at Peking University. Auntie, why don't you come with me to London? I'm afraid foreigners will cheat me. You're trained in law—Anglo-American systems are similar. Just treat it as a graduation trip." Wei Lingling crossed her legs: "You little rascal—you think you can get me to work for free? How cute."

She didn't say yes or no, but Wei Ming truly wanted her along—this little aunt was highly competent. Even if he hired a local lawyer, her oversight would make things safer.

Wei Ming had come prepared—he'd already figured out how to bind Wei Lingling to his side on the way here.

"I heard from Grandpa that Grand Uncle handed you a struggling toy factory in Hong Kong."

"That's true—but 'struggling' is too strong. Hong Kong's toy industry is just too competitive—I'm not top-tier, but I still make a profit."

Don't underestimate Hong Kong—it's called the "World's Toy Factory." By 1972, its export value had surpassed Japan's and risen to number one globally.

"I know a bit about toys too. Auntie, help me, and I'll help you."

Wei Lingling smiled: "You don't need to. I have my own methods—I'll use my contacts in the U. . to get orders from American toy manufacturers."

Wei Ming grinned: "So you're doing contract manufacturing."

Wei Lingling heard mockery in her nephew's tone. She raised her voice: "What's wrong with contract manufacturing? Cai Zhiming became Hong Kong's Toy King by doing exactly that."

The Cai Zhiming she mentioned was indeed impressive. Within less than ten years of founding his company, he became famous by manufacturing Snoopy toys, later buying back American toy companies and expanding his empire worldwide. At his peak, his family's net worth neared $10 billion.

Wei Ming said: "Cai Zhiming is impressive, but I admire another Hong Kong toy patriarch—Mr. Lin Liang."

Since Wei Lingling knew she'd inherit the toy factory, she naturally understood Hong Kong's toy industry landscape.

Lin Liang was also legendary—he first gained fame by marketing his own-designed four yellow ducklings. The world-famous Yellow Duckling of later generations came from his company.

Wei Ming continued: "Contract manufacturing is fine—it's one path. But if you develop your own toys, you own everything upstream and downstream. You can even make movies or animations about your toys—animation boosts toy sales, and toy popularity boosts film Redu."

"You know a lot about toys?" Wei Lingling ate a grape, sounding skeptical.

Wei Ming didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked: "Auntie, do you know what 'hand figures' are?"

"Hand figures?" The term sounded unfamiliar.

"This is a concept born in Japan," Wei Ming said. "It can be traced back to Space Battleship Yamato, which introduced character models; the previous two years' Mobile Suit Gundam deepened this concept, and the mecha models sparked a buying frenzy."

The idea of figurines was still new, later perfected by the Japanese, who drained every last yen from anime fans. Wei Ming told Wei Lingling that if she could become Hong Kong's first manufacturer of figurines, she'd surely get a taste of the hot soup.

Wei Lingling took it seriously and planned to research it thoroughly later.

But the playability of such toys seemed limited—they mainly satisfied hardcore fans' collecting impulses, which meant the market would never be large.

After all, how many hardcore fans could there be? And how many anime works could even cultivate them?

But Wei Lingling had to say: "You've given me a useful idea. Fine, I'll accompany you to London."

"Perfect. Along the way, we can discuss how toys and anime can mutually benefit each other—I'm going into anime, and you're going into toys."

If their own side produced a breakout manga, her toy factory could produce corresponding figurines and matching weapons—likely profitable. For example, Qin Shi Mingyue could serve as a pilot project; it had many handsome characters and dazzling weapons.

Wei Lingling smiled lightly: "I'm just using the toy factory as practice. I won't stay here long."

Her uncle wanted her to inherit his business in Taiwan, and her aunt also wanted her to go to San Francisco to manage her affairs—she was destined for greater things.

But Wei Ming said: "But if you can grow this toy factory into something big and strong, both Grandpa and Auntie will surely be delighted—after all, this toy factory is called Langning."

Wei Lingling's heart trembled—Wei Lang, Wei Ning, her two cousins who died in the war.

Yes, her uncle had named this toy factory "Langning," surely pouring deep, heartfelt affection into the name.

"I'll definitely work hard—no need for you to remind me. Have you eaten? I'll treat you. Afterward, let's visit my senior sister."

"Not yet. Good—I have two friends having tea downstairs. Join them."

On the way down, he introduced Long and Min's identities in advance: both were children of Lao Gui's partners.

"Actually, his fast food business could work well with toys—for instance, kids could buy specific meal sets that come with inexpensive plastic figurines, but only if his stores are large and numerous enough; otherwise, sales would be too low to matter."

Wei Ming gave Wei Lingling another idea—he remembered how McDonald's did it in the future.

In fact, McDonald's had officially launched this marketing tactic two years ago, but Wei Lingling didn't know—first, she rarely ate Western fast food; second, she had no children around her, and these toys were only included in kids' meal sets.

"Didn't know you had so many clever ideas," Wei Lingling laughed. "If that's the case, I should support him in expanding Haoli Lai worldwide."

Wei Ming thought that unlikely and said calmly: "Actually, if your toys become popular enough, you could directly partner with McDonald's."

Wei Lingling nodded, looking approvingly at Wei Ming: "Have you ever thought of studying in the U. .? You're so smart, and you have works and fame—I can help you get recommendation letters, like for Berkeley to study music."

Wei Ming smiled and waved his hand: "Save the recommendation letters for your niece—she has excellent grades. I'll pass. I still need to finish my correspondence course at Peking University."

By then they had reached the lobby tea area. Min and Long had already finished their drinks and were chatting about Wei Ming's middle school embarrassments.

Long spoke slowly, waiting until Wei Ming returned—only then could they move on to his life after arriving in Beijing; otherwise, Zhu Lin and Gong Ying might not stay hidden.

Wei Ming directly called the waiter to order properly—this meal was on Auntie's tab.

"Have we met somewhere before?" Zhou Hui Min looked at Wei Lingling and felt she looked familiar.

Wei Lingling remembered Zhou Hui Min, but didn't want her embarrassing crying episode brought up again, so she denied it outright: "No, I have an ordinary face."

"No way! Auntie, you're gorgeous!" Zhou Hui Min said sincerely. Compared to this mature older sister, she even felt inferior.

"What did you call me?" Wei Lingling froze.

Zhou Hui Min shrank back: "Ah Ming calls you Auntie. Since I'm his friend, I call you Auntie too."

Wei Lingling glanced at Wei Ming, who wore a calm expression. Though her nephew was a bit old, their appearances matched well.

But he hadn't told her yet—would he reconcile with his ex-girlfriend in Britain?

Or would he reconcile with her while still stringing along a little Hong Kong girl?

Hmph! Just like his grandfather!

Wei Lingling had a strong liking for the sweet, pretty Zhou Hui Min and accepted her "Auntie" title without hesitation—but when Liu Long also tried to call her Auntie, she stopped him.

"Let's keep things separate. Just call me Sister."

Long happily agreed, feeling like he'd gained an elder.

After eating, Wei Ming said to Min: "We're going to meet a lawyer, so…"

"Don't worry—I'll take the bus back to school." Min was in high spirits after a lavish meal at the hotel and meeting her Auntie.

Wei Ming: "Alright. What about tomorrow? Do you still want to come with us?"

"Can't tomorrow—I start final exams."

"What? Final exams tomorrow, and you still got in our car today!" Wei Ming was stunned.

Zhou Hui Min sensed Wei Ming was about to explode and quickly stood up to leave: "Oh no, I'll study hard—I'm leaving now!"

Wei Lingling called her back: "Let the hotel's concierge car take you home. I'll ride with their car."

Then she regretted it—do you think having a car means it's a bread van?!

Though she complained, Wei Lingling still took the two boys to meet her senior sister and began learning about Xi Bao's situation.

Wei Ming had given her so many useful ideas for the toy factory that Wei Lingling took his affairs very seriously. The next day, she began running around for him, bypassing Lao Gui—the two got along very well.

Auntie didn't even need Wei Ming to act—he just had to wait for news. And since Min couldn't accompany him, Wei Ming decided to drive around himself.

He first visited Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, Hong Kong's two film industry giants, and presented each with a script, asking how much they'd pay.

He brought Zhao Debiao and Wu Jing, revealing his identity as the screenwriter and author of The Hero Emerges from Youth.

This film had been a dark horse this year—solid script, sharp marketing. Both companies' executives naturally knew it.

But Shaw Brothers stuck to their stingy tradition, offering only 5, 00 Hong Kong dollars—less than what Li Hanxiang had paid.

Old Li paid 15, 00 for two scripts, and he hadn't even written them from scratch—he'd started from a half-finished draft.

Golden Harvest, by contrast, was generous: they offered 10, 00 Hong Kong dollars.

In mainland China, due to income limits, Wei Ming's script was worth at most 1, 00 yuan—Golden Harvest's offer was decent.

But Wei Ming didn't sell it immediately—he just wanted to test how much his script was worth now that he had some minor fame.

After asking Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, Wei Ming finally went to the newly established Cinema City.

Though Cinema City had been founded only recently, its film Happy Immortal Nest had done well, ranking second only to The Hero Emerges from Youth in box office. This year, it also had The Chase and The Ghostly Genius coming out—both top-ten contenders. It was a dragon waiting only to soar.

At No. 22 Kender Road, Kowloon City, Wei Ming's group had just arrived when a girl stormed out of the building, as if aiming directly at him—she collided squarely into Wei Ming.

Zhao Debiao's wide-open door didn't hit him, Wu Jing was so small he didn't bump him—why did she hit me?!

"Sorry, I'm so sorry, I…" Li Zhi apologized frantically, nearly in tears, until she looked up and recognized him.

"Wei Ming?!"

Wei Ming, unharmed, smiled: "Miss Li Zhi, what a coincidence. Are you here on business at Cinema City?"

Li Zhi glanced at Cinema City's office building and wiped her eyes: "I think you shouldn't go in—these people look down on mainlanders!"

(End of Chapter)