[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-427":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rising in 1979",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2261135,4412,"Chapter 427: Wei Ming","rising-in-1979-chapter-427",427,"\u003Cp>Inside the Southbank Cinema of the British Film Institute, there is a famous coffee gallery, a well-known gathering spot for London’s film and literary circles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actors, directors, film enthusiasts, and cultural workers frequently congregate here, earning it the nickname “fuel station” for intellectuals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andrew Lloyd Webber had just watched a new Spielberg film, *E.T.*, with Sarah Brightman—a children’s sci-fi story, deeply moving and profoundly astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the screening, the two sat quietly at the coffee gallery, discussing the plot and characters; Webber didn’t want to part from Sarah, wishing he could see her every moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he was still married, he promised Sarah he was working toward divorce, but as a successful man with considerable assets, divorce wasn’t something he could accomplish with just words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry, before *The Lion King* premieres, I’ll definitely be divorced.” That way, *The Lion King* wouldn’t count as marital property.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sarah didn’t want to talk about marriage or divorce—it made their relationship seem immoral, and she was merely watching a movie and having coffee with him, not checking into a hotel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she changed the subject: “How’s *The Lion King* coming along?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Going well—I’ve written several key songs; we might start rehearsals next year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But due to plot constraints, while he could cast Sarah as the female lead, her role would be minor; the musical could have only one central protagonist—Simba—with all core songs focused on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After chatting about *The Lion King*, a couple entered the café, each holding a book with an alien spacecraft on the cover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Sarah realize others in the café were already reading *District 9* over coffee; after just over a week on shelves, *District 9* had surged to the top of Britain’s bestseller list.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sarah thus shifted the topic to Wei Ming and *District 9*, and to human attitudes toward the alien shrimp versus E.T.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Sarah’s animated expression, Webber shrugged: “Alright, I guess I should buy a copy of *District 9*—otherwise I’ll fall behind the times. I’m not usually into sci-fi, but after *E.T.*, I’m intrigued.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must try it—I’ve already read it. I was left deeply unsettled, and filled with profound sympathy for the people of South Africa,” Sarah said. Melinda had given her a copy a week earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they finished their coffee and headed home, Sarah saw a protest march demanding justice for Mandela; she wanted to join, but as a public figure, she settled for silently cheering from inside the car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s unclear when the British began paying attention to Mandela, but the surge in interest clearly started with Wei Ming’s article last year; since then, numerous reporters had risked traveling to South Africa to interview Mandela, gathering firsthand material that enriched his image as an anti-apartheid fighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These protests only emerged after *District 9* was published; compassionate Londoners hoped the great British Empire would do something for the suffering people of South Africa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming certainly didn’t believe the British government had played no role in stoking this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, the two most famous aliens in Britain were the ugly-cute E.T. and the grotesque shrimp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spielberg hadn’t yet heard of *District 9*, but he’d recently heard the name of its author.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since its release, *E.T.* had achieved spectacular critical and box-office success—who could have imagined a sci-fi film centered on just one alien, with a tender core, would earn box-office returns rivaling *Star Wars*?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It became Spielberg’s next major box-office milestone after *Jaws* and *Raiders of the Lost Ark*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He now began seeking ideas for his next projects, starting with a sequel to *Raiders of the Lost Ark*, in collaboration with his old friend Lucas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also wanted to make a dinosaur-themed effects-driven film, hoping to bring dinosaurs back to life on the big screen—realistic, lifelike dinosaurs, not the old rubber-suit versions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d discussed it with Lucas; current computer effects technology could achieve this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, Spielberg’s frequent screenwriter recommended *Jurassic Park*—the English edition had already reached its second volume.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spielberg read it and immediately praised it—he felt this was exactly what he wanted: a dinosaur story packed with thriller and blockbuster elements; crucially, as the story described, the dinosaurs appeared only briefly, greatly reducing filming difficulty—a perfect script foundation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after sending someone to investigate, Spielberg learned the novel’s option rights had already been acquired by MGM—what a waste! MGM would never dare produce such a high-budget effects epic!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming didn’t know about this; even if he did, it wouldn’t help. Old Spielberg could only wait, hoping MGM would muster the courage to launch the project in three years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the day he received Melinda’s package, he first went to work at the library; with the librarian’s permission, he placed two English-language hardcover copies of *District 9* into the library’s English collection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Supposedly, the first person to borrow the book was Yu Minhong, a student from the 1980 Spanish class, who saw the characters on the spine, didn’t care what they meant, and checked it out immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never returned it for a long time—by the time he finished reading, another student had already borrowed it; this terrified Yu Minhong: “You’re the ones reading it, but if it gets lost, I’m the one who has to pay!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, he’d borrowed the deluxe edition with numerous beautiful illustrations—the price tag on the back made the son of a peasant gasp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the library, Wei Ming also met Uncle Anping, who was currently working on a TOEFL teaching project and came to the library to research materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming’s bag carried two Transformers, but he didn’t hand them over immediately—he’d save the gift for a proper face-to-face presentation, so he arranged to have dinner at Uncle Anping’s house that evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great, bring Xiao Hong too—have your aunt cook a couple extra dishes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Anping and his wife now earned good salaries; though they couldn’t match their nephew’s income, they could afford to eat well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wei Ming appeared beneath the girls’ dormitory, he was immediately surrounded by female students who idolized him—and demands for new work began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In their eyes, Wei Ming’s last literary work was still last year’s *The Days of Sunshine*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming immediately revealed he’d soon publish a collection of essays, and that *Huacheng* would release a novella.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wei Hong came down, Wei Ming quickly pulled her away from the crowd of girls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon learning there was a gift, Xi Zi happily performed a somersault for his cousin and uncle; Le Le didn’t let his brother have all the fun—he played a short piece on his harmonica for Wei Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as Le Le played, Xi Zi couldn’t wait: “Big brother, what did you bring me? Are they Dabaitu candies?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Xi Zi start rummaging through Wei Ming’s bag, Le Le panicked: “Can’t you wait for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming pointed at Le Le: “Appreciate first. Appreciate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xi Zi couldn’t possibly appreciate—he was pacing, scratching his head in agitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Le Le finished his piece, Wei Ming and Wei Hong immediately applauded, then pulled out two exquisitely wrapped boxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hong was curious too: “Brother, what’s the gift?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Toys—the Transformers I told you about.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hong’s eyes lit up: “These are fun—I’m sure they’re fun!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d played with them before; back then, the performance was still poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Anping also knew about Transformers; upon hearing the word, he came out from the kitchen to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So these are the toys? They must be expensive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming waved his hand: “Not much money—these two together cost about what you and your wife earn in a month.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming wasn’t showing off; he mentioned the price only to prevent Xi Zi from giving them to classmates like Xiao Mei, Xiao Li, or Xiao Fang—he’d done this too often before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? So expensive!” Lu Xiaoyan came out carrying dishes, startled: “Are these toys made of gold or jade?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming smiled: “These are made specifically to earn American dollars—Auntie plans to conquer the U.S. market first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dinner was forgotten—the couple immediately urged the kids to open them, and there they saw a beautifully crafted red truck and a yellow sedan.\u003C\u002Fp>",1354,"2026-06-19T16:30:59.356Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9ac47828f3cd3698f7ff3bf9b597394b07cb095bd3ab49304a4a2610bdf492f2","rising-in-1979-chapter-428","rising-in-1979-chapter-426",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]