Chapter 329: Hard to Refuse, Every Note Is a Heartfelt Cry!

It's hard to start anything; the first singer should be someone well-known, but Old Huo shook his head—this young Wei is still too inexperienced.

He glanced at his son Zhen Ting, signaling him to raise the tile later—at least they couldn't open with a worthless hand.

Jin Yong looked at Xia Meng and her husband to his side; financially, he was stronger than them. Xiao Wei had arranged poorly—this would likely flop, so it was his turn to shine.

Zhang Mingmin walked onstage in a formal suit, starkly different from today's pop stars, more traditional.

His ancestral home was Quanzhou, Fujian; he studied in Guangzhou as a child, then built his career in Hong Kong—he spoke Mandarin, Cantonese, and Minnan fluently, but chose the Mandarin path.

At first, Wei Ming asked how well he spoke Minnan; after Zhang Mingmin said he was fine, Wei Ming pulled a sheet from his portfolio and handed it to him.

"Then sing this one."

Tonight's main stage is Cantonese songs, but Mandarin and Minnan songs can't be absent—even though this song can be sung in Mandarin, Minnan carries the true flavor.

"In moments of failure, it's natural to complain / In times of hardship, fear creeps in / How could one lose hope / Drunkenly wandering each day…"

Before their TVs, many viewers said: "What is this? I can't understand a word."

But many others felt deeply moved, their eyes sparkling with delight—this was their native tongue!

Fujian has long been the main hub of Chinese emigration; overseas Chinese of Fujian descent make up a significant portion—even in Hong Kong, descendants of Fujianese account for one-sixth of the population, nearly a million people.

These people usually listen only to Cantonese or Mandarin songs; rarely do they hear excellent songs in their native dialect, and when they do, the quality is uneven and mostly from Taiwan.

For this group, "Love Will Win If You Strive" isn't just familiar—it's also exceptionally high quality.

Especially when he sang, "Three parts fate, seven parts hustle / Love will win if you strive," Fujian descendants in Hong Kong joined in singing along.

Even non-Fujianese understood the meaning and felt the lyrics were brilliant—especially those who had truly experienced entrepreneurship.

In the VIP seats of the stadium, these tycoons—aside from a few who inherited wealth—hadn't all walked smooth paths; the lyrics of "Love Will Win If You Strive" pierced their hearts—it was a true reflection of their own entrepreneurial journeys!

Shao Liushu again recalled his and his third brother's rocky path starting a business in Southeast Asia, then returning to Hong Kong, filled with deceit and sibling rivalry.

Then there was 63-year-old Bao Yugang, a Ningbo native who once held a respectable job in Shanghai, fled to Hong Kong due to war, began import-export trade, and only reached his peak at sixty—his path was far from smooth, and he too had once "faced failure and complained, faced ruin and trembled."

But business is like this: "Sometimes up, sometimes down." This song spoke directly to every entrepreneur's heart—even the barrier of dialect felt insignificant now.

When the song ended, the entire venue erupted in thunderous applause and cheers; most Cantonese song fans felt the unique charm of Minnan songs for the first time—and found them unforgettable.

After one song, they all remembered: "Three parts fate, seven parts hustle / Love will win if you strive."

Zhang Mingmin bowed in gratitude; hearing the crowd's response, he knew he might have just delivered the most important song of his life.

Wei Ming: This is just the beginning.

Before the TV.

Lin Zhenqiang clapped, and Lin Yanni smiled at Huang Zhan: "Admit it."

"Admit what? I'm saying the next Cantonese song might not be that strong—it's not even a Cantonese song," Old Huang dodged. "Watch TV, watch TV."

Onstage, Wang Mingquan and Li Xiaotian stepped up to cue the program.

Wang Mingquan: "Incredible! This song isn't just a symbol of the Minnan spirit—it's written for every struggler. As long as we strive, victory will come!"

Li Xiaotian held his small wooden mallet: "Indeed. Now let's see which boss will win."

The camera cut to the VIP seats; Wang Mingquan smiled: "Please, no more hesitation."

Huo Zhen Ting and Jin Yong were about to bid when a lesser-known man in the neighboring VIP seat shouted: "I donate one hundred thousand."

Hearing "one hundred thousand," Cheng Long and Hong Jinbao shrank back—these rich bastards were throwing around one hundred thousand!

At the time, a top star's fee for a movie was only 100, 00 to 300, 00; Cheng Long earned more, but couldn't he just buy a watch with one hundred thousand?

Wang Mingquan, who knew every VIP's name, introduced the man as Mr. Xu Rongmao.

He was a recent immigrant from mainland China, young, also from Quanzhou, Fujian—his future achievements would be immense, but now he was just a nobody; one hundred thousand was already a huge sum for him.

But he loved this song so much—it spoke straight to his soul—and as the first to bid, it was also free advertising for himself and his company.

Then silence fell; no one raised the bid. Xu Rongmao's heart sank—he'd have to pay after all.

At that moment, Li Xiaotian raised his mallet: "One hundred thousand once…"

"Five hundred thousand."

A hiss ran through the crowd—the bid had quintupled. The bidder was Huo Yingdong, bypassing his son entirely.

To be honest, he was moved by the song—Wei Ming's gala truly had heart.

For a Sichuan province with no personal ties to anyone here, five hundred thousand was no small amount—it was a major show of respect.

But Bao the Ship King immediately shouted: "One million."

"Whoa, one million!" Gong Ying sucked in a breath; the manga apprentices nearby were stunned—this much money? They could quit drawing comics.

But Ah Long remained calm: "After all, this is Ah Ming's song—him earning a million per song is normal. I say the first one should've been priced from the start."

Yet stronger hands still existed. As soon as Bao Yugang finished speaking, a voice with a Minnan accent rang out: "Five million."

Even Huang Baiming gasped—feeling rich was so satisfying!

Five million completely shattered the wealthy crowd's psychological limit—it was just a game, this was going too far.

Everyone turned to look—the man who shouted five million was Kuo He Nian, the Malaysian hotel and sugar tycoon.

At 58, Kuo He Nian's ancestral home was Fuzhou, Fujian; he was currently investing in Hong Kong's Shangri-La Hotel, came to check things out, and was invited by the branch.

Mr. Kuo also maintained close ties with the mainland—he secretly helped purchase scarce goods in the 1970s, and in 1978 invested in China's first Shangri-La Hotel in Hangzhou; the future-famous Jinlongyu brand also belonged to him.

He was usually frugal—owned a hotel empire but always stayed in standard rooms—even when donating, he never held back.

He hadn't planned to go this far—thought two hundred thousand would suffice—but as a Fujian descendant, hearing this song had gotten him carried away; he even wanted to make "Three parts fate, seven parts hustle / Love will win if you strive" his company's corporate culture—it fit the Minnan merchants perfectly.

With five million on the table, no one dared challenge him—the gavel fell.

Zhang Mingmin bowed again in thanks—five million could save many lives. He knew his role was small; it was Ah Ming's song that truly moved people.

Li Xiaotian asked: "Now, Mr. Kuo, what would you like Zhang Mingmin to sing next?"

Kuo He Nian was embarrassed—he didn't know Zhang Mingmin's repertoire.

So he said: "Could he sing 'Love Will Win If You Strive' again?"

The audience applauded enthusiastically—they couldn't get enough!

Unexpectedly, Zhang Mingmin happily sang it again—two songs, five million earned.

After Zhang Mingmin left, Li Xiaotian said: "The next song is powerful—it's a collaboration between me and Wei Ming."

Zheng Yuling: "Oh?"

Li Xiaotian: "This is the theme song of the upcoming ATV drama 'Huo Yuanjia.' I composed it, Ah Ming wrote the lyrics—it's called 'The Great Wall Never Falls,' performed by Ye Zhentang, director Xu Xiaoming, and actor Liang Xiaolong. Let's welcome them!"

Fang Yihua heard this and grew furious—could they please cut this segment? Promoting ATV's drama on TVB? How dare they!

But Shao Yifu didn't care—he promotes, why can't I?

Three men strode onstage together—and their opening notes shook the hall.

"A hundred years of slumber—our people are waking / Open your eyes, watch closely / Who would willingly submit as a slave? / Because of cowardice and silence / The enemy grows ever bolder…"

Though most Hong Kong viewers had never seen the Great Wall, as a cultural symbol it was deeply etched into our blood—a spiritual totem.

Listening to this song, anyone with even a trace of patriotism couldn't help but feel their blood boil.

In the audience, Shi Hui and Fu Qi, with their daughter Fu Mingxian, felt their blood boil, faces flushed, even wanting to stand and sing along.

"How could we let our land be trampled again? / This sleeping lion is waking"—no wonder this genius from the mainland captured the spirit of Chinese men!

Hong Kong had also suffered Japanese occupation; its people understood the importance of a strong nation and hoped this lion would awaken soon to protect their peace. Thus, Hong Kong's films and TV of this era were rich with patriotic themes.

After hearing this song, millions watching at home eagerly awaited the upcoming drama—just to hear this theme song, they'd tune into ATV every day.

Shao Yifu felt something was wrong—he turned to Fang Yihua: "Which drama is TVB countering 'Huo Yuanjia' with?"

Zhao Ya said: "It's my and Chiu Kwan's 'Eagle.' But if I lose to Yuan Shen's 'Huo Yuanjia,' I accept it willingly."

Had the first bid not been one million, she'd have joined in.

The eldest son of Dong the Ship King shouted one million; Bao the Ship King countered with two million—now the starting bid felt like it had to be one million.

Liu Luanxiong glanced between several female stars, wanting to join—but one or two million? How many fans would he have to sell?

Li Jiacheng looked at his 17-year-old eldest son, Li Zeju: "Should we bid?"

At this point, Li Zeju had received his Stanford admission letter; Li Jiacheng now treated him as an adult.

Li Zeju hesitated; his 15-year-old brother Li Zekai blurted: "It's not land we're buying—why bid so fiercely?" Then Li Zeju said: "This charity concert will spark massive reactions across the three regions—and be remembered for generations. If we want to open the mainland market, let's match tonight's highest bid. I think we should wait."

Li Jiacheng nodded in approval—then wait.

At this moment, Li Zhaoji, father of Li Jiacheng, bid three million; then Old Huo stepped in with five million.

Again five million—once reaching this level, only those truly obsessed would continue.

In the end, Old Huo won the bid and requested Ye Zhentang's "A Life in Drama."

It was a theme song from last year's ATV drama "Six Lives of a Floating Life," composed by Li Xiaotian, lyrics by Lu Guozhan.

The fourth performer was Zhen Ni, born in Macau, with clear mixed-heritage features.

Though Zhen Ni hadn't yet released "Iron Blood and a Pure Heart" or "The World Is Always Beautiful," she was already Hong Kong's second-leading female singer after Xu Xiaofeng—her vocal prowess was legendary, dubbed the "Iron-Lung Empress."

Recently, she'd won Taiwan's Golden Bell Award for Best Female Singer—the last to win it was Deng Lijun.

Now Zhen Ni planned to launch her own music label and was eager to collaborate with talents like Wei Ming.

And the song Wei Ming gave her was titled "It Seems Like an Old Friend"—a gentle, intimate tune after the grand narrative.

"We walked the same path / Shared the same dreams / We were meant to be a pair / In youth, we didn't realize / But when we woke, we had to part…"

This was a signature song of Sammi Cheng, lyrics by Lin Xi, music by Lo Ta-yu—a powerhouse combination. At home, Liang Weiwén, a Hong Kong University student, felt his fortune being stolen again.

"Hating you on stage / Or me below / Not me and you / The mundane world vast, fate obscure / Separating you and me / Tears like dots, raindrops continuous / It seems like an old friend…"

The most enthusiastic reaction in the VIP seats came from Zhen Ni's husband, Fu Sheng—he was a disciple of Zhang Che and a current action movie star.

He was also a rich second-generation heir—his father, Zhang Renlong, was a famous businessman with political influence; he planned to bid one million for his wife if no one else did.

But he clearly overestimated—he needn't have worried. With Zhen Ni's popularity and the song's quality, younger mid-tier businessmen and second-generation heirs responded, raising the bid from fifty thousand all the way to two million.

When Ma Qingwei, son of the Ma family, reached two million, he stopped.

Then Lin Jianyue shouted: "Three million!"

The Lin father and son didn't sit together; Lin Baixin jolted when he realized the brat had shown up too—but three million was three million, after all, it was for charity, not chasing girls, and his family's real estate brought in over a hundred million in annual rent anyway, it was just pocket change.

But when the bid of three million was called for the third time, a man named Yang Shoucheng raised it to 3. million, and Wang Mingquan immediately introduced this Mr. Yang from Emperor Watch.

Yang Shoucheng had already begun entering the real estate industry, with a net worth in the hundreds of millions, a true representative of young talent.

Seeing this, Lin Jianyue sneered—who was this nobody, adding only a hundred thousand? The two bosses of future Huanya and Emperor Entertainment had already locked eyes.

So Lin Jianyue bid 3. million; Yang Shoucheng countered with 3. million; they kept going, until finally Lin Jianyue shouted 5. million.

Only then did he suddenly realize he'd bid higher than both titans—and Yang Shoucheng ultimately withdrew, his family's wealth no match for the Lins'.

On the other side, several bigwigs teased Lin Baixin: "Your son has guts and vision."

Lin Baixin could only smile and reply: "It's all for charity, naturally."

If they could secure the top charity spot today, five and a half million was worth every cent.

Wei Ming sipped tea backstage—these second-generation heirs were worth every penny; they were the ones truly willing to spend.

But then the study-abroad heir Lin Jianyue requested a song: "Moonlight Shadow," to be sung by Sam Hui.

Sam Hui had no problem—she could sing in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese—so Wei Ming's first English hit debuted early.

Song Wuduan beside him excitedly told Wei Ming: "Teacher Wei, we've already raised over fifteen million!"

Even if they stopped now, they'd have satisfied the domestic audience, and this already met Wei Ming's original expectation—but since the atmosphere was so electric, he simply raised his target higher.

After Sam Hui came Lo Wai, singing "How Much Wind and Rain."

"Silently leaning by the window, gazing / Rain falls fast, chaotic / Like a madman, full of bitterness / Cursing his weariness"

"Slowly exhaling smoke rings, looking back / Fragments of the past / Through how much wind and rain I've walked / Still standing here today"

"Who in life hasn't known pain / Gain and loss are inevitable / Seeing through every kind of storm / It strikes me on the face…"

At this point, the audience's hairs stood on end—Lo Wai wasn't dressed flamboyantly today; he sang this song of experience with calm, extraordinary vocal mastery.

Wei Ming had pulled this song out five years early—it was Lo Wai's later signature piece—and he still delivered it perfectly.

In fact, this song was originally a Korean track from four years later—yes, Cantopop didn't just cover Japanese songs; it covered Korean ones too.

Viewers in front of their TVs wept; some turned off their sets and stepped out of their homes.

On the hillside near Zhengmin Village behind the Hong Kong Coliseum, a crowd of people without tickets had gathered.

Though the view from the hill wasn't as clear as on TV, the live atmosphere was better—and honestly, the sound system was excellent; you could hear clearly even inside the village.

In the past, people complained when the Coliseum held concerts, but now villagers and outsiders alike came to listen, many holding binoculars; some villagers even sold drinks and mineral water on the side.

Many felt such a concert might never happen again—perhaps it would replay on TV, but the live experience was a one-time event.

Now everyone regretted not buying tickets, not biting the bullet and paying the scalper's price.

Hu Shu Yong was one such person—he should've just grabbed a ticket outright; now he could only watch with binoculars. Though not yet middle-aged, he felt like a man of the underworld who'd weathered his share of wind and rain.

In the VIP section, 31-year-old Kwoh Bing-hsiang of Sun Hung Kai smiled—this Mr. Wei Ming was truly a genius, and these songs struck straight at the hearts of the elders—who could resist opening their wallets, willingly?

He noticed his uncle Feng Jingxi's eyes were slightly moist.

Back then, Kwoh Bing-hsiang's father Kwoh Tak-sing, along with two young partners—Feng Jingxi and Li Zhaoji—founded Sun Hung Kai. Though they later went their separate ways, their bond remained; Feng Jingxi's securities firm still bore the Sun Hung Kai name.

Ultimately, this song raised four million in donations from Feng Jingxi's hands; Lo Wai then sang another song nearly emblematic of Hong Kong's spirit—"Below the Lion Rock"—and the entire audience joined in chorus.

The veteran singers had warmed up the stage; now, the younger generation took the spotlight.

First up was Chang Kwong-yung, only 25, dabbling in both music and film, but mediocre in both—yet his handsome looks gave him a certain status among young women.

He, along with the more popular Chen Baixiang and the less successful Chung Po-lau, were called the "Central Trio"—all young, handsome, and from families with some money.

For Chang Kwong-yung, following the old paths of singers clearly wouldn't work—he had to forge his own way, like incorporating dance.

The song Wei Ming now gave him was the heavyweight masterpiece that would cement his status as a Hong Kong music icon.

From the start, the upbeat, stylish music felt completely different from what came before—and there were backup dancers too.

"You loved me once, without a thought / Sacrificed your youth for my glory / Thank you for changing me, I have no words to give back / Your tenderness always makes me feel guilty…"

There were Chang Kwong-yung fans in the crowd; hearing it, they immediately felt the catchiness, their bodies involuntarily swaying to the rhythm—it was a Japanese original, after all, and the energy was truly well done.

Here it comes, here it comes—backstage, Wei Ming listened eagerly for the next line.

"Thanks thanks thanks thanks me Linda / Who can replace your place!"

Yes, this song was called "Melinda"—Sarah understood the English lyric and nudged Mei Lina.

"Oh, it's written for you."

Mei Lina smiled faintly—she'd give Leonardo an extra hour tonight, but unfortunately, they had no open positions left.

Meanwhile, A Min, listening, felt even more sour—"Who can replace your place"? So cuteness truly meant nothing against sex appeal?

Everyone had feared Chang Kwong-yung following Lo Wai might kill the momentum.

But now it was clear—no risk at all; the audience was mostly young, and this song perfectly matched their taste—the energy actually climbed higher.

As Chang Kwong-yung's mentor, Li Xiaotian, standing at the side of the stage, was thrilled—he hadn't been able to launch Ah Rong, but Wei Ming had.

After this song, Ah Rong could finally break through in the music scene!

But youth liking it wasn't enough—the real millions had to come from the elders.

So Chang Kwong-yung's song climbed from 500, 00 to 1. million, then stalled—Ma Qingwei's sister, Ma Jingyi, wife of former singer Chen Meiqi, won the bid.

At barely thirty, Sister Ruan Xingzhu already carried great charm; she wasn't familiar with Chang Kwong-yung's earlier songs, but she might become his fan from now on—she let him improvise.

Chang Kwong-yung indeed had no signature songs yet, so he sang "I Dreamed of You Last Night," a hit by his friend Chen Baixiang, smoothly introducing the next performer.

And when Chen Baixiang stepped on stage, he immediately locked eyes with the youthful, radiant Ho Chiu-kwan in the VIP section…

…

(10, 00 monthly votes on January, +1, 00 more for 11, 00—finally cleared January's base, will post the guaranteed update later)

(End of Chapter)