Chapter 340: Wei Ming

Faced with the children's questions, Director Dai felt ashamed—the next episode hadn't even been started yet. To comfort them, he drew each child a different version of Black Cat Detective, and only then did he send the young viewers off from his door.

The next day, after arriving at the studio, Dai Tielang immediately sought out the director to ask whether Black Cat Detective could continue production.

"I think the young viewers really like it."

Director Te Wei chuckled: "Little Dai, you're getting anxious again—this has only aired for one day, what can you tell yet?"

"But all the neighborhood kids around me love it."

"A few isolated cases don't prove anything—let's wait a bit longer," Te Wei soothed him, though in truth the studio was tight on funds; if this project continued, it wouldn't be just one or two episodes—it would require long-term investment and demanded caution.

Yet that evening, the Shanghai TV station began receiving calls asking why the next episode of Black Cat Detective hadn't aired, and whether the time slot had changed.

In those days, ordinary people could barely afford a television, but anyone who owned a telephone was no ordinary person.

The next day, Shanghai TV contacted Meiying Studio, asking when the second episode would be ready.

Meanwhile, Meiying Studio also received numerous viewer calls inquiring about the same thing; the opening studio logo had been clearly seen, so some called the TV station, and even others directly dialed the studio director's office.

When someone smiles and says, "My grandson's waiting to watch," you'd better think twice.

Yet mounting evidence showed that the animated series Black Cat Detective was indeed a success; Shanghai TV later rebroadcast it, and its ratings surpassed the original airing.

Not only did Shanghai's children write letters to the TV station and Meiying Studio demanding updates, but even CCTV took notice, requested a copy, and planned to air it during the 5–6 p. . slot after school, since CCTV had recently been importing many Western, Japanese, and European animations—it was time for viewers to see the quality of domestic animation.

A week later, Wei Ming finally watched Black Cat Detective air on CCTV at home, with Gong Ying beside him; but the weather was hot, so before watching the cartoon, they took a bath and opened a package sent from Hong Kong.

It was from Liu Rulong and Gong Ying.

Rulong's gift to Wei Ming consisted mainly of ten issues of Maniac Comics, each with the lead artists' signatures; if Maniac Comics ever succeeded, these ten issues would become invaluable—Wei Ming would keep at least two: one to read, one to collect.

Rulong also reported in his letter the good news that Maniac Comics was suffering heavy losses: the initial 20, 00 copies sold out quickly, so the September second issue would likely lose even more—he planned to start the next run at 30, 00 copies.

The more they lost, the calmer Wei Ming felt; to challenge Huang Yulang, who nearly dominated the comics market, there was no way to avoid heavy costs.

Rulong also mentioned Gan Xiaowen, a master of absurdist comics; if he wanted to improve, it was simple—just write absurdity. Writing a long novel might be hard, but a medium-length story, the length of a film, wasn't difficult.

Wei Ming planned to write him two screenplays soon to test the waters.

Then, while Gong Shu was reading her sister's letter, Wei Ming flipped through the items Gong Ying had bought for her, and spotted a swimsuit—a three-piece.

"Why did Ah Ying buy you this?" Wei Ming picked up the package, puzzled.

Gong Shu blushed, snatched it away: "That little rascal's teasing me."

Gong Ying had described her and Rulong's trip to the Ocean Park and beach, where she saw many women wearing these skimpy swimsuits; curious, she bought two sets—one for each sister—even if they didn't dare wear them out, they could wear them at home for their boyfriends.

Wei Ming thought: clearly Rulong was clueless, so Ah Ying was forcing him to wake up.

Gong Shu complained: "Wasting money—how could you ever wear this outside?"

Wei Ming's mind raced: "We could dig a pool in our sihe courtyard!"

Though building an indoor heated pool was unrealistic—Lei Master and his team lacked the skills—an outdoor one was easy; just build a shade canopy, and summer entertainment would increase.

He could even invite Zhu Lin along—they weren't strangers anyway—and he quickly jotted it down in his notebook.

But right now he wanted to see Xue Jie wearing this three-piece—she'd just bathed, so changing clothes was convenient.

After much pleading, Xue Jie finally put it on; she felt uncomfortable—it didn't even cover her buttocks—did Hong Kong people have no shame?

Wei Ming didn't know whether Hong Kong people had shame, but he knew this pool had to be built—and water guns too—he'd discuss the plan with Lei Master tomorrow!

Gong Shu also shared some photos of Rulong and Gong Ying in Hong Kong with Wei Ming, remarking: "Have you noticed? Ah Ying is getting better at dressing—her clothes are more stylish and fashionable."

"Of course—she's a fashion designer now; her own taste matters."

Gong Shu looked at a photo of them at the Ocean Park: "Hong Kong people are resourceful—they actually kept such a huge shark in captivity for display. How did they manage that?"

Wei Ming said seriously: "I'm investing in film production with Qingniao, but there's no suitable role for you yet—I'll borrow you from Beiying Studio later and take you to Hong Kong."

Hearing Wei Ming's promise, Gong Shu pressed against his chest: "Good—I'll wait for you."

As their passion deepened, Wei Ming's hand had already reached the tie at the back of her swimsuit—just a gentle pull… when Lele's song suddenly blared—the Black Cat Detective cartoon began.

Previously, Black Cat Detective had only been popular in Shanghai; now that it aired on CCTV, it reached every TV station nationwide, covering tens of millions of viewers—the most consumer-capable demographic in China—its influence was enormous.

A movie needs weeks of screening to reach tens of millions of viewers; television achieves it in a single day.

Gong Shu watched every episode of Black Cat Detective—first to tell stories to her nephew, then she found herself learning and enjoying it, and kept watching; the last episode's egg-laying rooster had delighted her immensely.

Now seeing Wei Ming's characters come alive on screen felt surreal—she even wanted to visit the sihe courtyard and pet the detective.

"It's so well made—too bad there's only one episode," Gong Shu said.

Wei Ming replied: "Production will resume soon—I'm sure two more episodes by year-end won't be a problem."

Wei Ming thought monthly episodes were acceptable, but clearly Meiying Studio couldn't spare that much manpower and resources; weekly episodes hadn't even crossed his mind.

The movie ended—it was time for real work. Wei Ming tirelessly worked on Xue Jie's body, day and night, until her mature womanly aura grew even stronger.

She complained to Wei Ming that she'd probably never play a maiden again—only a young wife or a mother.

Wei Ming thought Xue Jie still looked fine—dressed up, she could pass for a teenager; it was Zhu Lin's subtle mature charm that was truly impossible to hide.

The next day, Wei Ming went to the sihe courtyard in Nandougu Lane in the morning and told Lei Master about the pool plan.

Lei Master sighed: "This will cost even more—including water usage later."

Wei Ming: "Money isn't an issue—use only the best materials."

Lei Master nodded—he knew Wei Laoshi's strength well; everyone in China knew—he was probably the richest writer in the country.

Mao Dun had left only 250, 00 yuan in inheritance; Wei Ming had earned more than that from a single English song!

At noon, Wei Ming ate lunch as usual; his parents excitedly talked about yesterday's Black Cat Detective. Wei Ming had previously had two works adapted into animation, but neither had the impact of this single episode of Black Cat Detective.

After lunch, Old Wei pulled his son aside and quietly gave him good news.

"Laofei from Shanghai sent word—the No. 2 Yuan of Jueyuan is now cleared for us—go inspect it."

"That was fast."

Old Wei: "Should we ask your aunt to come back? She said she had a treasure."

Wei Ming shook his head: "Just tell her—no need to wait for her. She's busy in Hong Kong; she can dig it up whenever she has time."

Wei Lingling was busy solving the technical challenges of Transformers, and the factory needed profits before Transformers could be made.

If Black Cat Detective weren't a mainland police officer, he'd never have become popular in Hong Kong—getting Langning Toys to produce related toys was another revenue stream.

But once Maniac Comics gained enough influence, licensing toys would be viable.

"Shall we go together?" Old Wei asked.

Wei Ming: "I won't go—but I know Uncle Anping is going to Shanghai next week for a meeting; you two can go collect the house together—it's his one-third too."

"Next week?" Old Wei said. "This week I'll return to my hometown—your donated bridge is being laid, I need to witness it."

I'll also chat with the villagers about my son donating 150 million yuan—see if they even understand what "hundred million" means; ten thousand wealthy households might be beyond their grasp.

Hearing his father was returning home, Wei Ming thought of the idea to turn Black Cat Detective into toys.

"Dad, do you think city kids who've seen Black Cat Detective will want to keep a cat?"

"Of course!" Old Wei answered without hesitation. "I even want to give the detective a white cat as squad leader—perfect for a story, and they could have kittens too."

Wei Ming smiled: "But keeping cats in the city is inconvenient, especially in high-rises."

"Exactly—that's why Xi Zi keeps wanting to run back to the sihe courtyard," Old Wei agreed.

"But if there was a stuffed doll exactly like Black Cat Detective—would kids buy it?"

"Whether kids buy it depends on their parents—they don't decide, but they'll definitely nag," Old Wei analyzed.

Wei Ming said to his father: "What if we have folks back home make Black Cat Detective dolls during off-season? This cartoon's popularity is high, the audience base is huge—it should sell well in cities. I remember our former neighbor, Zhao Guafu, was incredibly skilled with needlework—she once stitched me a puppy from scraps."

"Not just Zhao Guafu—several other old women are just as skilled! That's a great idea!"

Wei Ming added: "Have the village negotiate a partnership with the county supply and marketing cooperative—one handles production, the other sales—sell directly to the county, Hengzhou, even the provincial capital."

After a few more episodes of Black Cat Detective, its popularity will surge, and countless knockoff toys will flood the market—better to let our hometown folks profit early. If it truly becomes an industry back home, that's ideal.

As for licensing fees and intellectual property rights—no need to worry about that for decades.

More than ten years later, CCTV produced its own version of Black Cat Detective—crude production, the black cat looked like a black bear—and they didn't pay a single cent in royalties; how could you expect toy manufacturers to?

Wei Ming looked to the future. When copyright became formalized and Black Cat Detective's IP truly became valuable, he and Meiying Studio might even have a showdown—after all, the detective's design was his, and the novel's influence was enormous; he wouldn't end up as passive as Qian Zhixiang in his past life.

True, Teacher Zhu was the original author of Black Cat Detective, but the character's image and impact came from Dai Tielang's reinterpretation—so in the end, lawsuits erupted, friendships were ruined.