Chapter 328

While Wei Ming was inspecting the performance venue equipment, Melinda and Sarah Brightman finished breakfast according to his instructions and prepared to go out.

Just as they walked to the lobby, seeing tourists with cameras, Melinda said "Oops": "I just felt like I forgot something, I forgot to take the camera!"

This was learned from Wei Ming. How can you not have proof when meeting big shots?

Melinda went upstairs to get the camera and let Sarah stand here and not move.

Sarah: "Bring me an orange while you're at it."

When Melinda came down from the guest room, she saw Sarah chatting with a middle-aged man, also a foreigner.

At this time, their conversation was already nearing the end. Seeing Melinda come over, Sarah introduced them. One was her friend, and the other claimed to be her fan.

At the same time, he was also the owner of this hotel, Michael Kadoorie, the third-generation leader of the Kadoorie family, a British-Jewish Hong Kong tycoon.

Melinda had heard of the Kadoorie family. They had come to China to develop since the Qing Dynasty and were also knighted by the Queen.

Before parting, Michael also smiled at Sarah and said: "Then we'll see you at the concert tonight."

"Okay, see you tonight."

After sending them away, Michael Kadoorie immediately called the Xinhua branch, saying that the invitation letter for the charity concert at the stadium tonight had been lost by the staff, and asked if they could reissue one.

The other party was very embarrassed and hurriedly said they would reissue it immediately.

This was indeed an oversight, because the main purpose of this time was to connect Chinese people around the world closely, and all the invited wealthy merchants were Chinese, regardless of whether they were from Hong Kong or not.

Even Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok was invited because he was in Hong Kong, but no letter was sent to the Kadoorie family.

The other party immediately filled this loophole. Taking advantage of the time, they not only sent an invitation letter to Michael Kadoorie but also to the principals of foreign banks such as HSBC and Citibank.

However, the only one willing to go was Michael. The Kadoorie family had always been close to the mainland, and recently they were seeking to cooperate with Guangzhou to build a nuclear power plant.

And the Kadoorie family had always been very enthusiastic about public welfare, and charity had never lagged behind others.

Another reason was that Michael had heard his father, Lawrence, say how wonderful it was to listen to "Only Time" at the Prince's wedding scene. Michael also wanted to listen. He had heard Sarah's previous "Moonlight Shadow" and liked it very much.

So when he learned that this newly promoted international top streamer singer was staying at the hotel, he immediately came over to get to know her. After learning that she was here to participate in the charity concert, he took the initiative to get a ticket.

Wei Ming hadn't considered the Kadoorie family before, but there wasn't a single foreigner among the invited targets. Governor Murray MacLehose was among the invitees, and he was also a person Wei Ming specifically named and hoped the branch would send a letter to invite.

Although the branch sent a letter, to ensure he would definitely come, Wei Ming asked Sarah to invite him in person again.

The 25th Governor of Hong Kong, Murray MacLehose, was the longest-serving Governor, the most accomplished Governor, and the Governor with the highest evaluation by Hong Kong people.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption, large-scale construction of public housing estates, promotion of free compulsory education, and construction of underground transportation were all his political achievements during his tenure. His policies laid the social foundation for modern Hong Kong.

After all, he was a Governor with high prestige. If he took the lead in participating, perhaps he could also drive some wealthy people to come over, and then there would be no shortage of showing some support.

Government House, Hong Kong, is located on Upper Albert Road on the hillside of Central, Hong Kong Island, with Victoria Peak at its back, overlooking Victoria Harbour. Murray MacLehose and his wife lived and worked here.

This Governor was already 64 years old and had just returned from London. Then he learned from his deputy, David Wilson, that there was such a charity concert to raise funds for the Sichuan disaster area, which had recently become known throughout the city.

At first, he also felt that a stadium for more than 20,000 people was not so easy to fill.

"Who did they invite, Sam Hui?"

Because Sam Hui had held a concert at the stadium before, he was the God of Songs, and his appeal was sufficient. It was lively, but it was complained about because it disturbed the residents.

Then David Wilson read the long list of names in the newspaper. Murray MacLehose had lived in Hong Kong for nearly ten years, so of course, he knew the weight of this list. There was no God of Songs, but it was even more divine than the God of Songs.

"I didn't expect the Chinese government to have such a strong appeal in Hong Kong."

David Wilson smiled: "If it were really initiated by the Chinese official side, perhaps there wouldn't be so many people responding. This time it was actually initiated by an individual, and it was also a mainland person. Through his personal charm and extraordinary creative ability, he gained the support of the music scene."

"One person? And a mainland person? What kind of person?"

"Wei Ming, his English name is 【Name】, he should also be very famous in the country."

Murray MacLehose immediately thought of Princess Diana's interview. It matched, it all matched. So the fundraising mentioned by this outstanding artist was to raise funds in Hong Kong!

After learning that he was also invited, Murray MacLehose really wanted to take his wife to participate. Regardless of where the funds were raised for, doing charity was always good, and his wife also liked to do public welfare.

And Murray MacLehose and David Wilson, who had secretly visited Beijing, both knew that Hong Kong would return sooner or later, and this could not be blocked.

Although they couldn't make all Hong Kong people love the UK, they cultivated the pride of the Hong Kong people during their tenure. It wasn't that any random patriotic propaganda could make them submit. If mainland people wanted to do any red propaganda, it might be counterproductive.

Just as they were chatting, they heard someone visiting. It turned out to be the singer Sarah Brightman, whom they had met once in London. Murray MacLehose and his wife were deeply impressed by her "Only Time." It was simply a voice kissed by an angel.

He was very puzzled why Sarah wasn't performing "Cats" in London but ran to Hong Kong.

After inviting her in, he learned that she was also here to participate in that charity concert, and specifically came to invite him.

Thinking carefully, it was also normal. The two songs after her debut both came from his hands, so he could be considered her mentor.

Murray MacLehose asked her what she would sing at the concert: "Sing 'Only Time'?"

"Of course."

Murray MacLehose laughed and agreed readily.

Melinda and Sarah looked at each other. Done.

Afterwards, Wei Ming at the stadium learned from Song Duanwu that Governor Murray MacLehose had agreed to attend.

And besides urging Murray MacLehose to attend, Wei Ming also had other actions.

The Xinhua branch was responsible for inviting wealthy merchants on behalf of the official side, while Wei Ming invited a group of second-generation wealthy people and celebrities in the film and television industry, especially female stars.

Unfortunately, he didn't have many successful film works yet, and he didn't know if people were willing to give him face.

Jackie Chan was hesitating at this moment whether to go. He still wanted to listen to the concert very much. So many popular singers, it looked lively, but he didn't want to do charity.

"Big Brother, you say if we go and don't donate a penny, won't we be laughed at?" Jackie Chan asked. At this time, the young Jackie Chan didn't have such deep awareness.

Sammo Hung, who was also invited, said: "Then you can donate a dime."

"Wouldn't that be laughed to death? Forget it, go see it tonight. Anyway, after so much propaganda for so many days, the Freedom Association didn't say not to go."

Because the overbearing Freedom Association didn't issue a ban against this charity activity to donate to the mainland for disaster relief, many invited artists were a bit moved.

And thinking like Jackie Chan, I want to listen to the concert for free, but I don't want to donate money.

And those second-generation wealthy people were not short of money, and because they were young, they liked to be lively. It's just that some were more obedient and knew to ask their parents, while some were more self-centered and drove their sports cars there.

Hearing that the mainland talent who shocked the British royal family wrote a new song for every participating singer this time, for these fun-loving second-generation wealthy people, this was the most attractive thing.

The concert starts at 8:00 PM and is expected to end before 12:00.

And starting from 6:00 PM, audiences began to enter the venue one after another.

At the entrances of all the gates of the Government Stadium, there were volunteers responsible for guidance. These volunteers were very young, and some even came from prestigious universities like HKU and CUHK.

And at each entrance, there was a huge donation box. This was not mandatory. If you listened comfortably, you could donate a little when you left.

It is roughly equivalent to subscription being a duty, and if you watch comfortably, please cast a monthly ticket or tip.

Old Ghost arrived at the scene at 7:00 with Mother Zhou and Liu Bin's couple, and there were also several employees from the store. Holiland closed early today.

Their seats were not those VIP seats, but ordinary seats, but relatively in the front. VIP seats were reserved for slaughtering people.

As for A Long and A Ying, they came with the Madman Comics team, but in different positions.

Mother Zhou stared nervously at the stage, because her daughter was also going to perform today.

"What are you panicking about? It's just a chorus," Old Ghost said indifferently.

"That's also a chorus of more than 20,000 viewers," Mother Zhou emphasized.

At this time, Zhou Hui and her classmates had already arrived backstage. They were the last program, but they came the earliest.

This matter also alarmed their principal, and thus they got a VIP seat ticket for the students to cheer.

Zhou Hui had been looking for A Ming's figure, but didn't find him. He was welcoming today's gold masters in the VIP area.

Instead, other performing guests arrived one after another. Compared to the middle school choir wearing only student uniforms, the formal singers were dressed much more formally.

Watching and watching, Zhou Hui suddenly saw a head of fiery red hair. Two foreigners came in, and all eyes at the scene were cast on them.

There were no foreigners during the rehearsal. At this time, the first host of the night, Liza Wang, immediately stepped forward to welcome them.

"Miss Sarah Brightman, welcome to your arrival."

Everyone then realized, so it was her. Now the most popular female singer internationally, the existence of two songs becoming divine.

However, behind the divinity were Wei Ming's two divine-level works, so this was Wei Ming's secret weapon tonight!

When everyone's focus was on Sarah Brightman, only Zhou Hui stared at the red-haired woman next to her who was wearing casual clothes but was more beautiful.

Melinda? A Ming's first love?

This person immediately popped into Zhou Hui's mind. She and A Ming could be considered to have nothing to hide, so she knew A Ming's first love like the back of her hand.

She even couldn't help but match Melinda with the BGM of "First Love." While feeling it was suitable, she felt sour in her heart, and didn't dare to go up to say hello, just thinking if A Ming came in, would he introduce them to each other.

A Ming: Busy, no time.

Wei Ming first shook hands with Jin Yong and Run Run Shaw, who had already met, and invited them to take their seats. Both of them helped a lot for today's show. "Ming Pao" and TVB were two important propaganda positions.

Then he met another person named Qiu Qiu Degen.

Wei Ming also had some origins with him. Before, in order to promote the film, he staged an elephant tug-of-war at Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park. Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park and Song City were both his industries. Looking at Qiu Qiu Degen and Run Run Shaw entering the venue, Wei Ming thought that they actually had deeper ties. After Qiu Qiu Degen moved into Rediffusion and renamed it ATV, it was also the period when the two companies fought most fiercely.

Then came another person who had deep ties with the television industry, Deacon Chiu of the Lai Sun Group, the new owner of ATV after Qiu Qiu Degen.

Wei Ming also sent an invitation letter to his son, Peter Lam. Unfortunately, Joey Wong hadn't debuted yet, otherwise they would have been invited together.

He also invited Joseph Lau, but Joseph Lau was only 30 years old now and hadn't become a climate. He was just a small boss of a fan factory. Wei Ming let him sit at a table with children.

Next, the real big shot arrived. The world's number one shipping tycoon, Sir Pao Yue-kong, brought a daughter. He had four daughters in total. It's a pity, in the end, the shipping empire didn't have the surname Pao.

63-year-old Pao Yue-kong was still very active about today's charity concert. In July this year, he also took his family to Beijing, donating libraries and building hotels, and was getting very close to the mainland.

Recently, foreign media rated the world's seven great shipping tycoons based on the tonnage of ships under their names, which was like the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Among them, the number one shipping tycoon was Pao Yue-kong, with a tonnage of 13 million tons. The second shipping tycoon was also in Hong Kong, named Tung Chao-yung, 2 million less than Pao.

Tung Chao-yung was old and didn't come, but his eldest son came. He was still relatively young at this time.

With Hong Kong's shipping conditions, naturally, many shipping tycoons were born. There was also the Hui family, the late Republic of China shipping tycoon Hui Oi-chow. However, that was an even earlier story. His grandson was named Julian Hui, only 19 years old this year. Wei Ming also sent an invitation.

At this time, in another VIP area, some young people had already sat down. Some were children of merchants, some were popular stars, and young small merchants like Joseph Lau shrank in the corner like minions.

Joseph Lau's "brother-in-law" in front, Philip Ma, was younger than him, and his capital was also more abundant. His father was one of the five great wealthy people in Hong Kong, but now it's a bit worse.

He brought a woman, but it wasn't his girlfriend, it was his sister, Ma Ma Jingyi, who played A Zhu and A Zi's mother, Ruan Xingzhu, and was still charming.

In front of their sister and brother was Julian Hui. Julian Hui, who was studying at the University of the Pacific in California, returned to Hong Kong for summer vacation, and then received an invitation. The other party was 【Name】, who was very well-known in the Western world now. Of course, he had to come over to see what was going on.

Didn't expect to meet an old friend here.

"Pansy!" Julian Hui happily greeted Pansy Ho, the sister who had family ties with his own.

Pansy Ho always had a smile on her face, but when she saw Julian Hui, her smile disappeared.

"Oh, Young Master Hui."

"Don't be a stranger, you can call me by my English name, Julian."

Backstage, singers like Tan Tan Yonglin, Leslie Cheung, and Kwan Ching-kit saw that their boss, Eddie Chung, had come, and he was followed by his 10-year-old son, Ronald Cheng. His eyes were not big when he was a child.

However, he was quite passionate about music and naturally didn't want to miss such a scene. As soon as little Ronald Cheng came, he was immediately surrounded by stars.

The time was getting closer and closer to the opening time. Tan Tan Yonglin found Cheung Ming-man, seeing him still calmly drinking tea to moisten his throat, couldn't help but ask: "Why are you still not in a hurry? Aren't you the first one to go up?"

Cheung Ming-man said: "No, I'm the second."

"Ah, you're the second, then who is the first?" During the rehearsal, Cheung Ming-man was always the one to lead the charge.

At this time, Tan Tan Yonglin suddenly found that several people appeared beside Eddie Chung.

Teddy Robin and his younger brothers Kwan Wai-lun, Kwan Wai, and others, and their clothes also became flashy.

This, this is the Playboy band!

Eddie Chung smiled: "That's right, the opening performance guest is the long-lost Playboy band. Brothers, are you ready!"

Old Zheng stretched out his hand bloodily, and the other four members covered their hands on it and shouted: "For dreams, no more hesitation!"

At 7:50, Raymond Wong and Tsui Hark and Nansun Shi couple had already taken their seats. Although Wei Ming sent them an invitation, they didn't want VIP seats, but chose to buy scalper tickets themselves.

One was to fear being forced to donate, the second was to fear being forced to stand in line to express their position, and the third was to fear that the position was too good to be seen by Michael Hui.

At this time, Michael Hui was probably watching the TV broadcast at home. Now both TV stations were playing this program, and there was no choice.

James Wong, one of the four great talents in Hong Kong, also didn't accept the invitation. He chose to watch TV at his girlfriend's house, and could also do some shy things.

As a result, just after hugging, someone knocked on the door. It was Lin Lin Yanni's younger brother, Lin Lin Zhenqiang.

"Sister, Brother Zhan."

James Wong said unhappily: "What are you doing here."

Lin Lin Zhenqiang said embarrassedly: "The TV at home is broken, and I didn't buy a ticket for the concert, so I can only come here to watch TV."

James Wong took a ticket directly from his bag: "Here, give it to you, go watch it at the scene."

Lin Lin Zhenqiang looked at the time: "You didn't say it earlier, it's about to start now."

The time came to 7:58.

Government Stadium.

The stage lights that were still on suddenly went out at this moment, and only the auditorium still had some light.

In the darkness came the voice of Liza Wang: "Tomorrow Will Be Better, Hearts of Chinese People Around the World Connect, welcome 25,000 viewers at the scene to come here!"

Teddy Robin said: "It seems that many are temporarily added seats, thank you for your enthusiasm for charity."

Carol Cheng: "Also thank TVB and Rediffusion TV for their strong support for this event."

The three people who couldn't be seen finished speaking, and the sound of the music prelude sounded at the scene.

The audience was stunned. Hmm, did it start directly?

As the lights came on, Teddy Robin's singing voice sounded at the same time.

"Bored looking at hesitation / Reaching the ideal is not easy / Even if there is confidence / Fighting spirit is suppressed..."

Next is Eddie Chung: "Who decides whether I go or stay / Decides the universe in my heart / Just want to rely on two hands to wave to the ideal / Ask the sky how high..."

And then a chorus.

In front of the TV, James Wong stopped driving Lin Lin Zhenqiang away. He listened carefully and affirmed: "New song, it's really not bad."

Lin Lin Zhenqiang, although he hadn't entered the music scene yet, had good taste: "The melody is brisk, the lyrics are very inspirational, it should be Wei Ming's handwriting."

Lin Lin Yanni was a famous talented woman in Hong Kong. She said excitedly: "I said so, a talent of heaven, I am chasing his novel now."

James Wong pushed his glasses and said sourly: "He is a mainland person, writing Cantonese songs is barely okay, maybe it's just this one that is good."

At Michael Hui's home, he looked at Teddy Robin, who was high-spirited and jumping up and down on the TV, and wanted to throw things in anger. This little radish head, sure enough, ran to stand for others, and it was free!

However, Raymond Wong, Tsui Hark, and others felt that this free standing was too worth it.

Although Playboy had old qualifications, there were really not many works that went out of the circle. It was not as good as the later Wynners. Now it's fine, disbanded for many years, and finally had a successful representative work.

Backstage, the three tigers of the Wynners, Tan Tan Yonglin, Kenny Bee, and Anthony Chan, shook their heads in envy after hearing this song for the first time.

Originally, Wei Ming said that if the Wynners could reunite, he would write them an extra band song. It is estimated that he had already written it. It is a pity that those two were unwilling to come. It is estimated that this "No More Hesitation" was originally written for the Wynners.

Tan Tan Yonglin shook his head: "It's a pity."

Kenny Bee said: "Yes, what a good song."

"I like its lyrics very much, just want to rely on two hands / wave to the ideal / ask the sky how high / the ambition in the heart is higher than the sky..." Anthony Chan sang directly.

The first song was very successful, the feedback at the scene was good, and the whole Hong Kong audience was staring at the TV seriously, and temporarily put down the things in their hands. This is a song that can encourage all people who are desperately striving for their ideals.

Even those first-generation entrepreneurs at the scene were quite moved. 74-year-old Run Run Shaw couldn't help but think of his experience of opening up the film market in Nanyang with his third brother back then.

If they were all songs of such quality, then Wei Ming's sincerity was still very sufficient, so donate a little if you donate a little.

After a performance, the three hosts went on stage, and Eddie Chung took the opportunity to indicate that PolyGram was willing to record records for this concert, and all profits would be donated to the disaster area.

His statement immediately gained a wave of goodwill, and the applause was very warm.

As the boss of the competing record company, Star Records, Run Run Shaw snorted. It seems that donating a little is not enough.

Next, the host invited Governor Murray MacLehose to speak on stage.

This Governor, who was most loved by Hong Kong people, directly stated that he represented the government to provide the stadium to the charity concert for free, and Wei Ming saved a sum of rent.

Then he also donated his own month's salary. Just now, he was indeed moved by the musical enthusiasm of several middle-aged men.

Many Hong Kong wealthy merchants who didn't come directly to the scene saw that the Governor had also paid, and immediately asked the driver to prepare the car. It was still in time to go now.

Host Liza Wang said: "Our charity initiator Mr. Wei Ming created many excellent songs for the concert. Next is a new song that will make everyone feel refreshed. However, in order to make every boss generous, why don't we play a bidding game."

Carol Cheng: "Oh? How to play?"

Liza Wang: "Like this, after the singer finishes singing, everyone bids, let him sing another one, the song is optional."

Teddy Robin: "Wow, this is good."

Saying that, he took out a small wooden hammer: "I'm all ready."

So the rules of the game were set, it depends on whether the singer can move the wealthy merchants, this is the key.

And the key among the keys is Cheung Ming-man, who appeared officially for the first time.

In tonight's performance list, his fame could even be ranked at the bottom. After all, Mandarin songs are declining in Hong Kong now, and his influence is not as good as those few like Tan Tan Yonglin.

However, he didn't sing Mandarin songs today, but Minnan songs that are more niche than Mandarin songs...

(Today's minimum guarantee, I vomited while checking the information for this plot~)

(End of chapter)