Chapter 422: Golden Rooster Queen, Hundred Flowers Queen

Treating Teacher Wei Ming to a lavish meal was a task assigned to Wu Tianming by Xiying Film Studio, so Wu Tianming even mobilized the studio's Jeep—he sat in the front passenger seat while Wei Ming, his younger brother, and two stunning beauties sat in the back.

Wu Tianming patted the cash in his pocket; it should be enough—he simply hadn't anticipated Wei Ming's friends.

Gong Ying didn't know Wu Tianming well, nor did Zhu Lin, but she had emotional ties to Xiying Film Studio and could easily strike up a conversation with Wu Tianming about the crew from their earlier shoot of "The Traitor."

Wu Tianming said, "This awards ceremony is being held in Xi'an, so Xiying Film Studio will certainly need to contribute significantly—Naren Hua will be the stage announcer during the cultural performances."

Zhu Lin said, "I really miss Xiao Na—she once said she wanted to apply to the Film Academy; I wonder if she…"

"Hey, she's already passed the professional exam—she's enrolled in the Acting Department of Beijing Film Academy; she just needs to pass the college entrance exam in two months," Wu Tianming said.

Beijing Film Academy's Class of '82—Wei Ming thought for a moment; that cohort was probably Zang Jinsheng and Lin Fangbing's.

Zhu Lin sincerely rejoiced for the little sister, while Gong Ying felt mostly envy—Miss Lin had been a worker-peasant-soldier student, and Little Wei was a correspondence student; was her own education too low? Would her future child mock her for it?

She was thinking quite far ahead.

The restaurant Wu Tianming had chosen wasn't far—they were staying at Xi'an People's Building on Dongxin Street, and just a few minutes' drive brought them to Dongda Street, where a grand sign appeared before them—Xi'an Restaurant.

This was the most respected old-established restaurant in Xi'an, with a long history; this was the newly completed branch, later to become the main store.

When Wei Ming and the others entered, the manager personally came out to greet them, having been alerted by Director Wu about who would be arriving today.

But the guests' prestige exceeded the manager's expectations: besides the world-renowned Teacher Wei Ming, there were also Gong Ying from the south and Zhu Lin from the north—he genuinely meant it when he said, "This humble place is honored."

The manager arranged a refined private room for them and left the ordering to Wei Ming.

Four adults and one child—Wei Ming didn't order much: the Shaanxi specialties—Hulu Chicken, Milk Soup Fish Pot, Warm-Sliced Kidney, and Sour-Spicy Intestine Strips.

"That's enough."

Wu Tianming checked his cash again—it was sufficient—then added a dish of Three-Peel Strips and ordered a bottle of Xifeng liquor; back then, Xifeng liquor still had strong market appeal, even in Beijing.

Over dinner, Wu Tianming brought up Li Hanxiang's film "The Empress Dowager," which he'd read about in the news.

Originally meant to be kept secret, but Li Hanxiang's trip to Beijing to film had been leaked by Shaw, leading to his blacklisting in Taiwan—so there was no longer any need for secrecy.

"Yes, I helped revise the script. The mainland side has offered strong support; they're currently shooting on location inside the Forbidden City."

Wu Tianming sighed: "Back then, when we proposed co-producing 'The Great Battle of the Terra Cotta Warriors,' why didn't the Film Bureau give us this kind of support? Your script went to waste."

Wei Ming shook his head: "It's different—this one is Hong Kong-funded, with Beiying Film Studio merely assisting and earning foreign exchange. Even if it never screens in mainland China, it doesn't matter. But you want Xiying Film Studio to lead—then the review process will be strict and rigorous."

Wu Tianming still couldn't forget "The Great Battle of the Terra Cotta Warriors." He asked Wei Ming: "You're staying at People's Building—have you met any foreigners?"

Wei Ming shook his head. Zhu Lin said: "We've met some—Xiao Xue even said 'hello' to them."

Gong Ying blushed: "I just wanted to practice my spoken English—they were an American family."

Wu Tianming chuckled: "Mostly they come to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. I've heard some foreign visitors even came to Xi'an after reading the novel 'The Great Battle of the Terra Cotta Warriors.'"

Gong Ying: "What? Foreigners know this novel?"

Wei Ming said: "The English edition was just released last month—but only in the UK so far."

Both girlfriends looked at him with renewed admiration—he was contributing to Xi'an's tourism industry! That counted as earning foreign exchange too!

Wu Tianming asked: "Teacher Wei, if we followed the model of 'The Empress Dowager'—let Hong Kong capital lead—could this project still move forward?"

Wei Ming realized: Old Wu truly wanted to make this happen. It wouldn't just earn foreign exchange for Xiying Film Studio—it would also enhance its production capabilities. Xiying's later rise to one of China's top studios relied not only on the new generation like Zhang Yimou and Chen KaiGe, but even more on Wu Tianming's vision and courage.

Wei Ming took a small sip of Xifeng liquor and laughed: "You sneaky old Wu—I get it now. No wonder you splurged on this fancy restaurant—you were waiting for me to say yes."

Wu Tianming grinned sheepishly: "Don't say that—I'd have treated you even without this. I became deputy studio head thanks to the success of 'The Ox and the Ox's Son'—and that film's success wouldn't have happened without your help and Brother Jiefang's."

Xi Zi froze: My uncle was involved in this?

Wei Ming said: "Alright, when I get a chance to go to Hong Kong, I'll help you find funding. But don't get your hopes too high—based on my estimate, this film's budget might exceed 'The Empress Dowager'; without the Taiwan market, recouping costs would be risky, and Hong Kong producers may not want to take that gamble."

Wei Ming didn't promise anything definite, but Wu Tianming was already deeply grateful.

After dinner, Wu Tianming's car dropped off the four at People's Building. Once inside, Wei Ming separated from Xi Zi and the two women—better to be cautious outside, with so many eyes watching.

The next day, more people arrived, and local reporters even gathered outside; every actor entering or leaving was stopped for interviews.

This reflected Xi'an's seriousness about the event—and also because the city had long been ignored by major cultural activities; this was a rare chance to shine.

Wei Ming took Xi Zi upstairs to visit Gong Ying and the others.

"The awards ceremony and performances are tonight—why don't we go out for a stroll later?"

Zhu Lin said: "You take Xi Zi out—I've made plans with Naren Hua."

Gong Ying: "I've arranged to join Beiying Film Studio's group with Zhang Jinling and others."

Avoiding suspicion—fine.

Wei Ming took Xi Zi and headed straight for the Shaanxi Writers Association—he needed to activate his connections in the Shaanxi literary scene.

Jia Pingwa was there—he now worked at the city's Writers' Federation, focusing on short and medium-length fiction; he was well-known locally but hadn't yet reached national prominence.

Seeing Wei Ming, he excitedly began discussing Lu Yao's "Life"—this novel had brought great glory to Shaanxi's literary circle and had sparked nationwide discussion in just a few days.

The three giants of Shaanxi literature: Lu Yao, Chen Zhongshi, Jia Pingwa. Wei Ming's favorite was Chen Zhongshi's "White Deer Plain," but the first to achieve national influence was Lu Yao's novella "Life."

Wei Ming told Jia Pingwa: "Yesterday I recommended this novel to Wu Tianming, deputy head of Xiying Film Studio—I'm sure it'll soon appear on the big screen."

Hearing this, Jia Pingwa slapped his thigh: "Too bad Lu Yao isn't in Xi'an—if he were, he'd have to treat us!"

Wei Ming laughed: "No problem—you treat us instead."