Chapter 381: Fame Moves the World, the Promise of Next Year

These three are Old Cow's former neighbors; the feud began when Old Cow borrowed their beloved comic book, Little Hoodlum (Dragon Tiger Gate), then moved away, and the three neighbors have held a grudge against him ever since.

After taking a few punches from the old neighbors, Old Cow covered his head and shouted: "Ah Hu, Ah Bao, Da Xiong—give me some face! My boss is right here!"

The three youths only then noticed Wei Ming and Liu Rulong stepping out of the car; both dressed neatly, elegant and poised, utterly out of place in Kowloon Walled City.

Wei Ming was tall and imposing, clearly possessing an extraordinary physique; Liu Rulong, though wearing glasses and looking like a frail scholar, his mirrored lenses seemed to hint that he was a dangerous man.

The three temporarily stopped, but still muttered defiantly: "Your boss is tough, huh? Is he tougher than mine?"

Wei Ming stepped closer; the three immediately retreated two steps, for they were all scrawny boys around 1. meters tall, one barely over 1. , while Wei Ming, this northern giant, loomed far too tall.

Yet Wei Ming smiled warmly: "May I ask who your boss is?"

"Our boss is Hung Kam Bo!" the three replied proudly.

"So you're in the stunt business—meaning you make movies, you're cultural workers, colleagues!" Wei Ming smiled even more warmly; to him, risking danger and hardship as a stunt performer was far more respectable than being a petty thug—it showed they still wanted to climb out of the mud.

"Colleagues? What's your name?" Ah Hu, the leader, asked.

Old Cow rushed to his boss's side: "This is our Boss Ming, and this is Boss Long—have you heard of them? He's a guest of the Governor, the man who snatched two hundred million from the richest tycoons!"

Wei Ming tapped his head: "What do you mean 'snatched'? It's called fundraising—mutual consent. And it wasn't even two hundred million~"

Now the three understood who they were dealing with; such a spectacle couldn't have gone unnoticed, and all three had even heard Wei Ming's songs.

Understanding the source of their conflict, Wei Ming asked: "Do you still like reading comics?"

"Of course."

"Kind of."

"When I'm bored."

Wei Ming: "Have you heard of Maniac Comics?"

"Of course! I buy every issue!"

From their expressions, Liu Rulong knew these were die-hard fans.

Wei Ming clapped his hands: "Then it's simple—Old Cow, when your Power King gets published as a volume, send copies to these brothers."

Old Cow rubbed his shoulder: "You read my magazine, don't you know how precious my hands are now? Watch out—I might stop Power King and leave you with nothing."

The smallest one, Da Xiong, said: "You're the guy who drew Power King? I thought it was just someone with the same name!"

The other two were brothers—Ah Hu and Ah Bao—and upon learning their former neighbor had become a cartoonist, they sighed deeply; as children, they'd all dreamed of becoming martial arts masters and heroes from comics, but now they were just the most insignificant minor roles in the Hung Family Stunt Team.

Seeing they were all residents of Kowloon Walled City, Wei Ming proposed: "Can you three show us around Kowloon Walled City? I'll treat you to dinner."

"Why are you guys just like those foreign devils, treating Kowloon Walled City like a tourist attraction?" Ah Bao couldn't help complaining.

He'd heard foreign artists loved Kowloon Walled City—some even wrote letters begging to preserve it before demolition; one American cartoonist even said, "I'd rather see the Pyramids torn down."

It seemed true enough, but they were probably just like Ye Gong, fond of dragons in theory but terrified if one appeared; if you dumped them here to live for a while, their views might change.

Wei Ming pulled a pack of cigarettes from Old Cow and handed one to each of the three.

The three boys exchanged glances; dining with a celebrity like Wei Ming was worth bragging about, so they agreed.

But Ah Hu added: "Only half a day—we've got to attend our boss's birthday party tonight."

"Today's Hung Kam Bo's birthday?"

"Yeah."

Wei Ming asked: "Have you thought about what gift to give him?"

The question stumped them: "Boss always treats us to meals and fun on his birthday—nobody ever gives him gifts."

Wei Ming smiled: "If no one else gives him anything, but you three do—and you give him something he truly wants—what do you think will happen?"

The three exchanged glances; Wei Ming whispered two instructions to Old Cow, then drove off; he turned to the three: "I'll prepare the gift for you—consider it payment for your tour guide services."

Da Xiong hurriedly asked: "But will you still treat us to dinner?"

Wei Ming laughed: "Of course."

Kowloon Walled City was a den of all kinds—without a resident to guide you, trouble was inevitable.

Wei Ming first took a photo outside, then the five walked in through a western entrance.

Ah Hu said: "Kowloon Walled City is split into two zones: the West Zone is where ordinary folks like us live; the East Zone is chaos—drug dens, brothels, loan sharks, gambling joints—all over there."

Hearing this, Wei Ming became even more eager to explore the East Zone.

Liu Rulong asked: "Do ordinary residents ever clash with the gangsters?"

Ah Hu: "We usually keep to ourselves—they don't force kids to join, but some join willingly; many of our old friends are now gang members, but we still greet each other as friends."

Once inside, Wei Ming and Ah Long's first impression was utter darkness.

No wonder foreign artists loved this place; for Westerners, the civilized high-rise society had nothing as visually shocking—once this is demolished, the only place left to capture such suffering art will be India's slums.

But India's slums are just vast; here, it's not just wide—it's tall. By day, it's a massive irregular block; by night, with all the colored lights on, it must feel like cyberpunk.

Wei Ming's camera clicked nonstop; passersby who spotted strangers asked questions, but Ah Hu and the others blocked them—all were known faces.

Ah Hu said: "The population's growing—lots of mainlanders and Vietnamese fleeing here. Life's extremely inconvenient; once we earn money, we'll definitely move out."

Wei Ming asked: "Who else lives with you?"

Ah Bao: "Parents, grandparents—parents work outside the Walled City, grandparents live inside."

Ah Long asked: "Are there factories inside the Walled City?"

Da Xiong laughed: "Some snacks you've eaten might've been made right here."

Along the way, they'd seen live and dead rats, open sewers, discarded condoms, even dried feces everywhere; thinking of the sanitation, Ah Long swore never to eat snacks again—maybe even the water here tasted like shit.

The deeper they went, the darker it got; Wei Ming temporarily put away his camera: "Ah Hu, can we visit your home?"

Ah Hu: "Better go to Da Xiong's—my place is on the 13th floor, his is on the ninth—easier climb."

Kowloon Walled City reached fourteen stories, no elevators—everyone climbed stairs, so Hu and Bao's grandparents rarely left the Walled City; everything was handled upstairs.

The Walled City was a miniature society: factories, restaurants, hospitals, even churches; criminals fleeing police could hide here—if they endured the loneliness and stayed inside for years, they'd be fine, since police rarely entered to enforce laws.

Finally they reached the ninth floor; the light was slightly better. Wei Ming teased Hu and Bao: "Even if your place is a pain to climb, the lighting must be great."

They grinned proudly: "That's why we're taller than Da Xiong—we got more sun as kids!"

In Da Xiong's home, a seven- or eight-year-old sister watched TV—The Female Kung Fu Hero, Mulan Flower, based on Ni Kuang's novel, starring Zhao Ya as the heroine, and the male lead was Huang Jinsen, who wasn't yet her second husband—but soon would be.

This seemed to be Zhao Ya's first film after giving birth to her second child last year—she was already a mother, yet hadn't reached her peak beauty.

Watching the girl absorbed in the TV, Wei Ming patted his pocket—thankfully he had candy; he quickly gave her two pieces.

"Thank you, big brother," the girl said little, but was polite.

Watching Zhao Ya on screen, Da Xiong suddenly felt inspired: "The director of this show came from our Walled City—I'll become just like him one day!"

Liu Rulong knew the show: "The director's Du Qifeng, right?"

Ah Hu: "Yeah—he used to be Da Xiong's neighbor, a few years older than us."

Wei Ming murmured in understanding—so Du Qifeng was from Kowloon Walled City too; but he'd already ascended to another class, becoming a motivational icon for Walled City youth.

After that, they wandered between the eighth and ninth floors, systematically learning the Walled City's ecosystem.

Soon they reached the Yamen Grounds; Wei Ming suggested: "Let's go down and eat."

Every inch of Kowloon Walled City was crammed—only this small central patch, about 200 square meters, roughly half a basketball court, remained open.

Once, Kowloon Walled City was a gray zone under joint British and Qing rule; this open space was the original site of the Qing Dynasty's Kowloon Walled City Yamen; after the Yamen vanished, the land was preserved.

Wei Ming saw several stone tablets recording Kowloon Walled City's history; he quickly took photos, while children played nearby.

According to Ah Hu, there used to be an open-air market here; now it's mostly used for gang negotiations or as a temporary martial arts school—like the Cai Li Fo Kung Fu school, which often occupied the space.

Beyond the Yamen Grounds lay the East Zone—the Walled City's commercial district. The five entered and immediately saw a video hall, playing explicit films—not just Hong Kong productions.

Then they went upstairs to several restaurants; passing one, they saw a bamboo cage outside; Ah Long leaned in and saw a dense mass of snakes.

Wei Ming smiled: "How about we have snake soup today?"

In the north, and even north of Guangdong, authentic snake soup was nearly impossible to find; Wei Ming hadn't tasted it since his rebirth.

Ah Long: "I'm fine with it."

The three Walled City youths hesitated, but remembering snakes were expensive and they rarely got to eat them, they agreed.

Here, snakes were prepared many ways: dishes, soups, even snake-infused liquor.

"One pigeon-stewed water snake, one braised snake pieces, spicy-hot snake, secret recipe crispy tender snake cutlets…" Seeing "Dragon Tiger Phoenix" on the menu, Wei Ming politely declined—cat meat was beyond his tolerance.

Seeing normal chicken and pork were also available, he ordered two more dishes, then two catties of snake liquor; the chef slaughtered live snakes right before their eyes—an experience rare indeed.

So far they'd talked only about Kowloon Walled City; once seated, Wei Ming asked what films they'd done with Hung Kam Bo.

Ah Hu: "We started late—we only did Ghosts Fight Ghosts, and one more, The Prodigal Son, hasn't been released yet."

Wei Ming knew it would release before Christmas, competing slightly with Wrong Wedding, Right Woman.

Da Xiong asked: "Boss Wei, do you make movies too?"

Wei Ming: "Maybe someday—I might even collaborate with you. Right now I write screenplays; have you heard of the movie Wrong Wedding, Right Woman?"

The three shook their heads; of course—they didn't read newspapers—but they'd find out soon enough when the new issue of Maniac Comics came out; Maniac Comics targeted exactly these kids who slipped through the cracks of compulsory education.

Wei Ming: "When it comes out, go support it—it's great, with plenty of passionate scenes."

Hearing that, they perked up—they'd been craning their necks to peek into the porn video hall earlier.

"So you came to Kowloon Walled City to write a story about it?" Ah Hu remembered Wei Ming said he was here for inspiration—he'd even asked what "inspiration" meant.

Wei Ming: "Maybe I'll write a story about the Walled City someday—but this time I'm writing a sci-fi story."

The three couldn't fathom how Kowloon Walled City could connect to sci-fi; they'd only read Ni Kuang-style sci-fi, forgetting someone had told them that the mainland-born Wei Ming looked down on Ni Kuang—one of the Four Great Writers—so this was his way of challenging him directly!

The snake meat was tender, smooth, firm, chewy, with no fishy smell and a faint sweetness; as long as you didn't think of the living snakes, it was quite delicious—barely a scrap left.

After finishing the full snake feast, the five continued exploring the East Zone—here, striptease shows lured gamblers, and many addicts wandered about; taking photos here required caution, and Hu, Bao, and Xiong grew even more subdued.

After circling the area, Wei Ming suggested going to the rooftop. Ah Hu sighed: "I should've just taken you to my place earlier."

The rooftop had people—a few half-grown kids were flying kites; Hu, Bao, and Xiong recognized them and greeted one older boy, who immediately ran over, leaping effortlessly over a railing.

Wei Ming squinted—this vaulting motion… it felt like someone he knew.

When he came closer, it was indeed him! He'd been good at hurdles since childhood~

Ah Hu introduced: "This is my neighbor Lin Jiadong. Ah Dong, call him Boss Ming and Boss Long."

"Boss Ming, Boss Long," Lin Jiadong said shyly. From this fourteen-year-old's face, Wei Ming could already see the shadow of a future Dongguan boy—he, too, came from the Kowloon Walled City.

As they chatted, Wei Ming suddenly heard a loud noise from afar. He turned and saw a plane flying toward them—close and massive.

This place was very near Kai Tak Airport. Had the government not restricted building heights for flight safety, the tallest structure in Kowloon Walled City would have been far higher than fourteen stories.

Wei Ming seized the chance, pulled out his camera, and quickly took a photo of the plane flying overhead from below.

Actually, shooting from below the government offices would look even better.

Watching the plane fly away, Hu, Bao, and Xiong stood frozen in thought. As children, they'd loved counting planes on the rooftop and dreaming of one day flying in one.

But over a decade had passed, and they were still vermin in dark corners. Sigh.

"Alright, we should head back. You still have to attend Boss's birthday banquet," Wei Ming reminded the three boys. He'd gathered plenty of material—this trip had been a success.

Then Ah Hu asked: "Boss Wei, could you take a photo of us here?"

Wei Ming glanced at the chaotic skyline above Kowloon Walled City: "Sure, strike a pose."

He took a group photo of all three, then photos of Lin Jiadong and the other kids, and finally had Ah Long take a group shot of himself and everyone.

When they exited through the west entrance, Niu Lao was waiting for them in the car.

Wei Ming asked: "Did you prepare the items?"

Niu Lao said: "Yes. I told them it was for Hong Jinbao. The deputy factory manager even made a special edition—look."

Wei Ming glanced: three music greeting cards, each with a poster of Hong Jinbao's three signature films—*Three De Monks and Chong Mi Liu*, *Fat Dragon Crosses the River*, and *Lin Shirong*—each with different music inside.

These music greeting cards were set to launch before Christmas—not just for birthdays, but for holidays too. Giving them to Hong Jinbao now was an early promotional push.

The three tried them out and all agreed they were interesting. Wei Ming pulled out a pen: "There's blank space here—you can write a few words of blessing for Boss."

This stumped the three elementary students. Eventually, Niu Lao taught them to write heartfelt messages, and they parted ways.

When they returned to the entrance of Kuangren Comics, Wei Ming also parted with Ah Long and Niu Lao.

Ah Long told Niu Lao to go up first, then said to Wei Ming: "Yesterday, my father told me your prediction about the Sino-British negotiations. He originally planned to buy property, but now he's reconsidering—instead, he'll raise funds from relatives back in Foshan and wait for the right moment to enter the market."

Wei Ming knew his relatives back home had overseas connections and foreign currency.

Ah Long was worried his father would lose money, so he wanted to confirm with Wei Ming again.

Wei Ming said: "Don't worry. The tide is turning—we'll be fine if we ride it."

In truth, they already agreed the Sino-British negotiations would crash property prices. The question was: would prices rebound after the talks ended?

Wei Ming smiled: "Take Kowloon Walled City, for example. If the Sino-British negotiations happen, the British government will surely clear out this special zone—created by their mismanagement—before returning Hong Kong. So, triad influence will shrink, Hong Kong's investment environment will improve dramatically, and property prices will skyrocket!"

Wei Ming spoke of future facts: the clearance of Kowloon Walled City was written into the Sino-British agreement. Eventually, the British Hong Kong government spent 500 million to relocate tens of thousands and completely leveled the area.

Hearing Wei Ming's analysis, Ah Long was fully reassured. He now had to earn money—so he could help his family when prices crashed.

"So when are you going to write my second comic story?" he asked.

Wei Ming started the car: "I'll finish the ones for Huang Guoxing and Niu Lao first. Don't worry—I'll give you yours next year. You'll become famous because of this work!"

Famous nationwide? Watching Wei Ming's tail lights, Ah Long flexed his fingers—his pen was already desperate to draw!

The Mazda followed Sai Ying Pun and Pok Fu Lam Road, finally arriving outside St. Stephen's College—but school hadn't let out yet.

Soon, more cars pulled up—likely parents from far away picking up children. Most students walked or biked home after school.

Two days ago, Wei Ming had already arranged this with Ah Min. So after school, she didn't bike out—she looked for the car first.

She finally spotted Niu Lao's Mazda by the roadside and got in smoothly.

As soon as she got in, Ah Min put headphones on Wei Ming. Inside played Ah Min's version of *The Bug Flies*. Her Mandarin wasn't fluent, but her singing was clear. In her past life, she'd had several Mandarin hits, with huge influence in Taiwan.

Under the shade of trees, Wei Ming and Ah Min listened quietly to the song, then gave their honest review: "Nice."

The song had a melancholy undertone, but Ah Min's voice was sweeter—it made you feel joyful, like wanting to go to the mountains with your loved one to watch fireflies.

"Next year, let's go see fireflies again," Ah Min suggested.

Next year? He wasn't sure where he'd be then. He could only say: "I'll try my best to come to Hong Kong and be with you then."

With those words, Ah Min was satisfied. Now they were off to the movies.

Meanwhile, Hu, Bao, and Xiong arrived at Hong Jinbao's 32nd birthday banquet.

Thirty-two wasn't usually cause for a big celebration, but Hong Jinbao had gathered everyone from the Hong Family Troupe, fellow apprentices like Cheng Long and Yuen Biao, several members from Cinema City, and even "traitor" Zeng Zhiwei was bustling around. He'd even invited journalist friends—spending big, renting out a whole floor of a restaurant.

Cheng Long immediately understood: Big Brother wanted to promote *The Prodigal Son*, coming out in a few days, using his birthday as an excuse.

This film was produced by Golden Harvest, manufactured by Bao He, written, directed, and starred by Hong Jinbao, with Yuen Biao, Lam Ching Ying, and Chan Huen Ki among the leads. Big Brother clearly had high hopes for it—aiming to break 10 million.

This year had already seen two million-dollar films—*Modern Protection* and *Heroes of the Young Generation*. Hong Jinbao naturally wanted to make a fortune—he got 40% of box office profits.

But he was still just a high-level employee. Golden Harvest took 60% of local profits, kept all overseas earnings, often delayed payments to Bao He, and only after the founding of De Bao would Hong Jinbao become a major force.

The three little henchmen stood far, far from their boss, realizing they'd overestimated themselves—everyone around him was a big shot; their status made them invisible.

Then Hong Jinbao saw enough guests had arrived. He raised his hands—silence fell instantly.

But before he could speak, a familiar song rang out: "Wishing you longevity and boundless fortune, celebrating your joyful birthday! May you have this day every year, this moment every age…"

…

(Today's base update~)

(End of chapter)