Chapter 307: Zhou Hui Min

After signing the contract, Wei Ming asked Shangguan Xiaobao curiously.

"Mr. Huang Yulang must already know about this—what was his reaction?"

Although Huang was his new boss, Shangguan Xiaobao was happy to see him thwarted.

He smiled: "Of course he hoped our deal would fall through, but there's nothing he can do—you offered more."

Wei Ming nodded; it seemed he and "Qin Shi Mingyue" had indeed put some pressure on the godfather of Hong Kong comics.

For Huang Yulang to dominate Hong Kong and take his company public, he must bring "Lee Xiaolong" under his wing and must coddle Shangguan Xiaobao—he couldn't force him.

But for Wei Ming, this mainlander, it might be different; after all, this was the violent man who dared hire thugs to cripple Ma Rongcheng's hand after he broke away—so the crisis had to be smothered in the cradle, to give his own people a sense of security.

Looking at this seven-year-old company, and reflecting on the seven-year itch, Shangguan Xiaobao finally shook Wei Ming's hand: "I hope 'Xi Bao' thrives under your care."

Wei Ming reminded him: "From now on, it's called 'Kuangren Manhua.'"

The Xiao Bao and Xiao Wei brothers felt deep regret; apart from these apprentices, the company would no longer bear their mark.

After signing the contract, Xiao Gugu accompanied Wei Ming and Liu Rulong to meet the remaining staff—first priority was to stabilize morale.

Besides a dozen or so apprentices around twenty years old, there were another ten or so older, full-time workers who handled every stage of comic production: concept, script, artwork, and distribution.

Previously, "Xi Bao" published weekly; though it didn't make much money, it promoted the single-volume comics, whose profits mainly came from hot titles like "Lee Xiaolong."

Now those mature IPs had been taken by the two bosses to Yulang International; everyone in the company was anxious, especially middle-aged and young employees with families.

Wei Ming immediately raised salaries by 10%, calming the fears of veteran staff.

Since Ma Rongcheng had already warned his fellow apprentices, working under Wei Kuangren meant faster promotion to lead artist—so apprentices like Niu Lao, Feng Zhiming, and Li Zhiqing remained calm.

Until Wei Ming revealed the script for "Feng Yun: Xiong Ba Tianxia," they could no longer stay composed.

He'd originally planned to use "Zhonghua Yingxiong" as practice, but discovered Yulang International had already announced it and was testing it in the papers—so he'd go straight for the big move.

"Feng Yun," the most iconic Hong Kong comic, was arguably the most influential work in the Chinese-speaking world after "Gou Hu Zai," though "Gou Hu Zai" carried mostly negative influence.

The Tianxia Sect, the mighty ruler Xiong Ba, Sanfen Guiyuan Qi, "Is a golden fish meant for a pond? When it meets wind and clouds, it becomes a dragon," the God of the Wind Nie Feng, the Unweeping Death God Bu Jingyun, the Peerless Sword, and more.

Wei Ming only revealed fragments of the story, yet these fresh concepts and dazzling divine arts left the young men awestruck.

Though the mainland was poor, its cultural depth was profound—otherwise, how could it have produced a teenage genius like Wei Ming, Wei Kuangren?

Next, to familiarize himself with each Shangguan apprentice's style, Wei Ming gave them a task.

"The story opens with a battle between Xiong Ba and Nie Feng's father, Nie Renwang, at the Leshan Giant Buddha. Now, each of you draw one panel capturing your vision of this battle."

Fighting atop giant statues was an old tradition in Ma Rongcheng's comics—Statue of Liberty, Leshan Giant Buddha, both had been victims.

At this point, the youngest, Li Zhiqing, asked: "What does the Leshan Giant Buddha look like?"

The other seniors laughed—but their laughter faded, because none of them knew what the Leshan Giant Buddha looked like; most didn't even know where Leshan was.

The Leshan Giant Buddha is also called Lingyun Giant Buddha, so the place where Huo Qilin lived was called Lingyun Cave.

"The Buddha is in Leshan, Sichuan—twenty stories tall, carved into the mountainside…"

At the time, the Leshan Giant Buddha wasn't yet widely known among mainland tourist sites—it was remote and late to be developed, but films like "The Mysterious Buddha" and "Feng Yun" played key roles in promoting tourism there.

Wei Ming felt words weren't enough, so he took a sheet of paper and began sketching rapidly with his brush.

Decades of experience as a third-class art teacher still lingered; Wei Ming sketched the Leshan Giant Buddha scene simply, in a style reminiscent of the early twentieth century.

Everyone was surprised—this literary prodigy could draw? And his quality wasn't bad at all!

Of course, the Leshan Giant Buddha itself was a shock to these Hong Kong-raised youths, even sparking a sense of longing.

Wei Ming said: "Alright, begin. When integrating characters into the scene, add your own style—I'll write stories tailored to your individual styles."

Hearing this, the boys immediately forgot their grief over their master's departure and eagerly sharpened their pencils, but they all hoped Wei Ming would choose them as lead artist for "Feng Yun"—this story was already fully formed and looked incredibly high-quality.

While they drew, Wei Ming asked A Long to sketch too, then chatted idly with Wei Lingling beside him.

"Auntie, have you been to Langning Factory yet?"

"Not yet. I'll go after returning from the Magic Capital and wrapping up my current affairs—it has a manager sent from Taiwan."

Wei Ming: "So you came back from America alone? Didn't bring any trusted aide? Isn't that exhausting?"

Wei Lingling smiled: "What? Don't want to return to the mainland? Want to work with me? I welcome you—Langning Factory may not rank high in Hong Kong, but it's far more promising than your comic company."

Wei Ming: "No, no—I want to introduce you to an assistant. I have a friend…"

He told her about Li Zhi and showed her a photo.

It was Li Zhi's old photo—still plain, and it didn't show below her neck.

To Wei Lingling, she was just an average-looking mainland girl—not particularly special; her face didn't compare to A Min's, and she didn't believe Wei Ming would be interested in a woman with only modest looks.

So Wei Lingling was curious: "Why are you helping her?"

Wei Ming: "We're both from the mainland—when you can help, you help. Otherwise, a girl like her could easily go astray under the impact of capitalist society."

This reminded Wei Lingling of some Asian immigrant girls she'd seen in San Francisco—her nephew's concern wasn't unfounded.

"I don't keep idle people around," Wei Lingling asked, "what qualities does she have that make her worth hiring?"

This was an interview—but conducted through Wei Ming as intermediary.

Wei Ming thought: "She's from the Magic Capital, has a high school diploma, speaks Mandarin and Shanghainese, knows some basic Cantonese, and is highly motivated—she's teaching herself English."

Wei Lingling: "So her Cantonese is still poor, her English nearly nonexistent? My business is mainly Hong Kong and the U. . that's a serious drawback."

Though Wei Ming wanted to help Li Zhi, he wouldn't lie—he nodded: "You summarized it perfectly."

Wei Lingling said: "Here's what I'll do—I'm renting an apartment near the factory and need a live-in assistant to handle my daily needs. If she's willing, she can come for an interview. If I see clear improvement, I won't rule out promoting her to administrative assistant later—salary could even double."

An assistant and a live-in assistant were vastly different—more like a maid or housekeeper.

But his aunt had offered a path forward; Wei Ming felt this was already a great opportunity for Li Zhi—he just didn't know if she'd accept.

"Alright, I'll tell her. I'm planning to take the staff out for dinner—want to join?"

"No, I still need to look for a place to live. If not for helping you, I'd have moved already."

"Looking for a place? Wait a moment."

Wei Ming used the company phone to make two calls. First, he called Lao Gui at Holin. He told him his aunt needed housing.

Lao Gui had lived in Hong Kong so long, he was practically half-local—renting apartments was far more reliable than Wei Ming or Wei Lingling could manage. Wei Ming called him over to help mend the father-daughter relationship.

The second call went to the supermarket where Li Zhi worked—she was just switching shifts.

Wei Ming spoke honestly: "Sorry, my relative has high standards—she needs an assistant fluent in Cantonese and skilled in English. But I kept praising your diligence, ambition, and your plan to learn English, so she's willing to give you a chance—to start as a live-in assistant. Are you interested?"

"What exactly does a live-in assistant do?"

"You live and eat with her, serve her daily needs. You'll still do chores, but you'll be her confidante—you'll learn a lot just by being around."

"Ah? Live and eat with her!" Li Zhi's face flushed red. She couldn't help asking, "Is your relative male or female?"

"Of course female—I call her Auntie."

Hearing this, Li Zhi sighed in relief and asked: "Where is she now?"

"At my comic company."

"You bought it?"

"Yes."

Li Zhi: "Give me the address—I can interview right now."

She was interviewing her new boss—and also Wei Ming—to see if he truly had a new company.

Such kindness in helping her find a job must mean he had feelings for her; now that she'd seen Wei the Great Writer's real power, she wasn't opposed to further development.

She didn't know that some people truly helped without expecting anything in return—Wei Ming simply enjoyed helping others.

With A Min in Hong Kong, his attention could spare Li Zhi only a glancing light.

Wei Lingling had planned to go straight to view apartments, but Wei Ming held her back until Li Zhi arrived.

The moment Li Zhi saw Wei Lingling, she felt inferior—how fashionable, how beautiful, how commanding! This was her ultimate goal!

Wei Lingling's first impression of Li Zhi: On the photo, nothing special—but in person, she was unexpectedly striking.

Tall, fair, elegant—top-tier!

She even reconsidered her nephew's motives for helping others.

Wei Lingling asked a few simple questions: Can you cook? Can you clean? For Li Zhi, these were no challenge—raised without parents, she'd mastered essential survival skills; her Shanghai-style dishes were even quite good.

Also, a high school graduate was considered highly educated in Hong Kong—Wei Lingling hadn't dared hope for a college graduate even for an administrative assistant.

"How much did you earn per month before?" she asked. "Five, five hundred—but that's probationary. My boss said after three months, it'll go to eight hundred," Li Zhi said.

Wei Ming winced—such a meager salary barely matched the apprentices' pay at the comic company, but they learned skills.

Wei Lingling said: "One-month probation, salary 1, 00. After probation, 1, 00. No fixed days off—I rest when I rest, you rest when I rest. If I see progress, I might promote you to administrative assistant—salary could even double."

"Thank you, thank you, Boss!" Hearing a salary rivaling her father's, Li Zhi wanted to join Wei's team immediately.

Wei Lingling said: "You can start today. Come with me to view the apartment—salary begins today."

"I got no problem!"

After this interview, Lao Gui arrived. Wei Ming immediately led them downstairs and handed the two women over to him.

Wei Lingling grumbled reluctantly as he got in the car; Li Zhi couldn't figure out the relationship between this old man and the beautiful boss—or what role Wei Ming played.

But Wei Ming had warned her: as a live-in assistant, remember "three more, one less"—see more, hear more, do more, speak less.

She obediently followed them to Kowloon Tong—the factory was there, and the apartment would be rented nearby.

Meanwhile, the young artists of Kuangren Manhua had finished their assigned drawings.

"Come, come," Wei Ming said. "Let's all take a look."

Ma Rongcheng's style was delicate and realistic—he copied Wei Ming's background most faithfully, showing impressive foundational skill. His panel captured a moment of equal struggle, revealing his vivid imagination of Xiong Ba's Sanfen Guiyuan Qi and Nie Renwang's Xue Yin Kuangdao—two words: dazzling!

Niu Lao's style was brutally martial and unrestrained—the Buddha's head was chopped off; Xiong Ba stood atop the severed neck, gazing down at Nie Renwang's corpse floating in the river, his blood staining the water red.

Though young, Li Zhiqing's style already hinted at future trends—he painted the landscape beautifully, with artistic elegance, while the two protagonists, Xiong Ba and Nie Renwang, were reduced to tiny dots. He sheepishly admitted, "Didn't have time to draw the figures."

The younger Feng Zhiming's technique was still crude; he couldn't add many details, but he rendered Nie Renwang's Xue Yin Kuangdao with extreme precision—the "sword" became the entire focus of the drawing.

Huang Guoxing, a comic artist famed alongside the absurdist master Gan Xiaowen, took the freedom to the extreme—he made the Leshan Giant Buddha come alive, one hand gripping Xiong Ba, the other choking Nie Renwang, with a speech bubble beside: "You dare build on the Buddha's head? You're asking for death!"

Seeing the painting, everyone burst into laughter, while Long took careful notes, recording each person's distinctive traits.

After all the apprentices' works were displayed, Wei Ming asked them who they thought drew the best.

The loudest calls were for Ma Rongcheng, followed by Niu Lao.

This worked out well—Wei Ming could conveniently hand the work over to Ma Rongcheng.

"Let's take a final look at Deputy Editor Liu Rulong's piece."

Long's work was revealed last, and everyone gasped—stunning!

Everyone had the same amount of time and the same textual description, but Long's version had far more detail; others typically drew only Nie Renwang and Xiongba, and at most added Yan Ying.

But Long's painting also included young Nie Feng.

The image was divided into three parts from top to bottom: Xiongba, standing atop the giant Buddha's head, embracing Yan Ying in a victor's pose.

In the middle, Nie Feng peeked out from the Lingyun Cave, his expression filled with sorrow.

At the bottom, beneath the Buddha's feet, Nie Renwang stood on one knee, gripping a massive blade in one hand—not in submission, but roaring to the heavens, eyes blazing red, muscles bulging as if preparing for a final, desperate surge, willing to trade his life and his sword to reclaim his manhood.

The composition's intricacy aside, the painting powerfully stirred the viewer's emotions—these tiny figures conveyed astonishingly detailed expressions.

Even if he'd known the theme in advance, the sheer volume of content in the other's painting dwarfed his own within the same timeframe.

The comic apprentices who had previously resented their boss's friend were now speechless.

It was said this Deputy Director Liu was a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy and had trained at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, the very place that produced "Little Tadpoles Look for Mommy" and "Havoc in Heaven"—clearly, he had real talent.

This evaluation allowed Wei Ming to assess each apprentice's skill and style, while simultaneously establishing Long's authority—a two-for-one win.

Next came a feast of good food and drink, to build momentum for the launch of "Maniac Comics."

The dinner was held at Yung Kee Restaurant, famous for its "Flying Sky Roast Goose," one of Hong Kong Island's more upscale establishments.

As they ate, Wei Ming discussed "Maniac Comics"'s business direction with Long and several management talents.

Meanwhile, Huang Yulang of Yulang International hosted a grand welcome ceremony for Shangguan Xiaobao and Shangguan Xiaowei, who had joined Yulang International—thus bringing both Hong Kong manga giants, "Dragon Tiger Gate" and "Bruce Lee," under one roof.

Yet beneath the glittering surface, Huang Yulang couldn't help worrying about Wei Ming, the disruptor—he wasn't sure if he could crush him once "Qin Shi Mingyue" launched.

At that moment, Huang Yulang's senior disciple Qi Wenjie entered, knocking and holding a tabloid.

"Master, look here—this is news about that mainlander Wei Ming."

Huang Yulang took it, glanced, and saw it was a mocking article—anyone with eyes could tell it had been leaked by Ma Jia himself.

It claimed Wei Ming had come to pitch a screenplay, but, dissatisfied with the price, he boasted he could write a song and earn over a million— the editor's tone made no effort to hide his contempt for mainlanders' fanciful delusions.

Though he himself was a mainlander who had fled to Hong Kong as a child and endured a hard upbringing, Huang Yulang couldn't help laughing after reading it, his heart filled with disdain.

Qi Wenjie immediately said: "Master, why worry about such a brash, inexperienced youth?"

Huang Yulang sighed: "But his subordinate Liu Rulong is truly talented—their 'Qin Shi Mingyue' has an exceptional story and art style; no one else in Yulang International, except me and the Shangguan brothers, could produce work of that caliber."

Qi Wenjie added: "Hong Kong can't produce a master like you—we naturally rely on the Taiwan market, but they're mainlanders."

These words jolted Huang Yulang awake—he'd completely forgotten this!

Though there was no "Free Comics Association," because they were mainlanders, no matter how strong "Qin Shi Mingyue" was, it would never be allowed near the Taiwan market.

If he exploited this angle, he could even limit his entire company's operations to Hong Kong alone—even survival would be mere living in humiliation.

Once he grasped this, Huang Yulang's spirits lifted.

Meanwhile, Wei Lingling, who had just found a house she liked, called her uncle in Taiwan after returning to the hotel, updating him on her situation and casually mentioning Wei Ming's plan to launch comics in Hong Kong.

Zhou Huiwen, just finished with finals and looking forward to summer vacation, was in high spirits—until she saw the tabloid's mocking article about Wei Ming.

"Pfft, what do they know? These people have no idea how amazing Ming is!"

Amin nearly cursed aloud—yet on the same newspaper's other pages, she saw the headline: the global hit "Moonlight Shadow" had just received RIAA Gold Certification.

RIAA Gold and Platinum certifications were for the European and American markets, with strict standards: Gold meant 500, 00 sales, Platinum meant 1 million.

In Hong Kong, Platinum was 50, 00, Gold was 25, 00—500, 00 was a fantasy achievement for the local music scene.

The Gold certification was achieved in early month, right after it hit Billboard's number one; Platinum was no distant dream.

Just from record sales royalties, Wei Ming could earn nearly a million Hong Kong dollars—not to mention licensing and merchandise, a single song might equal all his income since his rebirth!

So Wei Ming hadn't been exaggerating—he'd actually held back.

Knowing the truth, Amin felt heartbroken, furious she couldn't speak up, and could only hug him to comfort him.

Behind her mother's back, Amin called Wei Ming, and they arranged to meet the next day.

"A bar? That's not good—you're still young."

"We'll just listen to music, no drinking, okay?"

"Fine, I'll let you pick from those few songs."

Amin asked excitedly: "How many songs did you write?"

Wei Ming: "Five, or maybe seven."

Two of them had both Mandarin and Cantonese versions.

The other three: one Mandarin, two Cantonese.

That day, Wei Ming packed his bags—he was leaving for London tomorrow—and tonight he arrived at a bar that didn't look too rowdy.

At the entrance, he met Zhou Huiwen, who had spent over an hour getting ready.

"Sorry, didn't make you wait long, did I?"

"No, I just got here."

"What do you think of my outfit today?" Seeing the awe in Wei Ming's eyes, Zhou Huiwen directly asked for praise.

Wei Ming: "I'd rather know how you did on your final exam."

"You…" Amin puffed out her cheeks, feeling he was deliberately annoying her.

Having successfully annoyed her, Wei Ming patted the girl's head: "Come on, let's go in."

Inside, a singer was performing—he was unknown. Wei Ming ordered two non-alcoholic drinks, then pulled out a sheet of paper.

"Here are the titles of five songs. Do you want to read the lyrics first before choosing, or just pick by title?"

Choosing by title alone was like blind selection.

But when Zhou Huiwen saw the song list, she immediately pointed to the last song.

"I want this one."

"Oh, 'First Love'?"

Wei Ming smiled: "You could read the lyrics and sheet music first."

"No need—I want this one." Amin wanted Ming to give her "First Love"—whether sweet or bitter, she'd accept it all.

(End of Chapter)