[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-433":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},2261141,4412,"Chapter 433: Again, Sun Zi!","rising-in-1979-chapter-433",433,"\u003Cp>Yanjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaoyan had already gone to sleep, but Wei Anping stared at the two gift boxes on the bedside table and found it hard to fall asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was his mindset sending such an expensive gift? Was it guilt?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what exactly was going on? Wei Anping now wanted to fly to Hong Kong and demand answers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just who am I to you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning, who had settled in Hong Kong, were also unable to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou glanced at the brightly lit bustle below: “It’s already ten o’clock—don’t Hong Kong people sleep?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Xiaoning was flipping through the manga that Liangzi had brought them: “Maybe it’s just the lighting—if all the lights went out, they’d probably all be asleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knock knock knock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou asked who it was, heard it was Liangzi, then opened the door—Liangzi had seen their lights on from the balcony, came downstairs to buy them some late-night snacks, and lived next door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Xiaoning asked: “You don’t usually sleep at this hour?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just finished drawing a few pages, then watched some TV.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou asked: “Still working after getting home?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course—base salary’s just the minimum; everything else is paid per page drawn. More work, more pay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Xiaoning pointed to the manga magazine in his hand: “Is any of this yours?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liangzi pointed and listed: “The cover page is mine, this short story is mine, and this main arc in ‘Storm of the Qin Dynasty’ is mostly mine too. Now Brother Long is grooming me to take over as lead artist on ‘Storm of the Qin Dynasty’—it’s the hottest manga in Hong Kong right now, the tankōbon sells out instantly, and they’re about to launch action figures. Even Jin Yong’s following it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of the words escaped them, but both could tell Liangzi was riding high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Xiaoning finally couldn’t hold back: “Liangzi, you must be making a fortune now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liangzi didn’t hide his income: “About a few thousand, maybe once a year I break ten thousand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A few thousand? Ten thousand?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the official exchange rate was three Hong Kong dollars to one RMB, they knew in reality HKD was more valuable than RMB—even on the mainland’s black market—and Liangzi’s monthly income equaled what they’d earn in ten years of work!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their stunned expressions, Liangzi chuckled again: “Don’t just stare at how much I make—Hong Kong’s expensive too. You earn in Hong Kong, you spend in Hong Kong. I’m better off than average workers, but buying a house? Still out of reach. Maybe soon I’ll get a car for commuting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re going to buy a car? One of those tiny sedans on the roads?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, several guys in our company already have cars.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liangzi feared he’d crush them too hard—if they decided to stay in Hong Kong and not return, it’d cause trouble for Wei Ming. So he added: “Don’t worry. Keep working hard—you’ll get houses and cars too. I believe mainland China will keep improving. Even Wei Teacher’s factory is already building a plant in Shenzhen. More factories will follow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, Wei Teacher has a factory?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, a toy factory—super impressive. Our manga company’s his too. Brother Long’s just a small boss—he’s the big boss.” Liangzi’s eyes shone with admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang and Feng stared in disbelief. Maybe mainland China would develop, but following Wei Teacher? That was the real path to success. Too bad he wasn’t the manager of a film studio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they slept late, they rose early, waiting anxiously for Wei Ming’s call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Liangzi who came to get them: “Come on, let’s eat, then head to the company.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks, Liangzi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today Wei Ming had requisitioned Lao Gui’s car, picked up Xiao Hong, then went downstairs to find A Min.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah Ming, Hong, Hong-jie.” Zhou Hui Min greeted them, then waved goodbye to her mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car started, music played—Wei Ming recognized Zhang Mingmin’s voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Hui Min said: “It’s Mingmin’s new album, ‘Chinese Nation’—all patriotic songs. Seems aimed at boycotting the island nation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The textbook incident?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Hui Min nodded. The incident had angered patriotic youth across Hong Kong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming snorted. He believed that, under the current inability to use force, the best punishment was to take their money—using their own products to do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Wei Ming arrived at Maniac Comics, Zhang Yimou upstairs spotted him—he saw Wei Ming step out of the car, and with Wei Hong was an even more beautiful girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three went upstairs. The office nerds saw Zhou Hui Min and blushed—most dared not look directly at her. How had a fairy descended to earth?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the women didn’t feel the hostility they’d feel seeing Li Zhi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few who clearly saw her face whispered to themselves: “Hey—isn’t that the ‘First Love Goddess’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because she became famous singing “First Love,” some fans had given her that nickname. She’d never appeared on TV, only had a few photos in early-year newspapers—famous song, obscure face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming had business to discuss, so he had the receptionist show A Min and Xiao Hong around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Min was a loyal reader of Maniac Comics, especially fond of “Storm of the Qin Dynasty” and “Happy Ghost.” She was deeply curious about how manga was made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming first briefed Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning, pulling out a sketch he’d drawn: “Find a location similar to this building scene—it’ll be our main shooting site.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It showed two buildings across the street, each over ten stories tall, facing each other, their outer walls covered in neon signs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such places shouldn’t be hard to find in Hong Kong—after all, the original backdrop was Hong Kong itself—but Zhang and Feng were strangers here, so Wei Ming had Liangzi borrow Niu Lao’s car to help them search. Niu Lao was happy to assist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though “Transformers” was commissioned work with a smaller cut, he’d visited the Transformers toy production line and felt this product would outsell “History Cat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming said: “Take photos and let me pick. Now go get to work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Wei Ming entered Long’s office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You came and went so fast yesterday—didn’t you notice the office got bigger?” Long asked with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I noticed. More people, but not cramped—you rented the adjacent unit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. And we hired ten new staff—four manga artists, two of whom are already working on long-form originals, either their own or company-written. But there’s no room for them in the magazine yet, so we’re holding them back. Once we have enough new material, we’ll switch to a weekly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Li Zhiqing’s “Legend of the Condor Heroes” had drawn several chapters, revised endlessly, refined again and again—still not serialized, all to prepare for the weekly launch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming reviewed the two newcomers’ drafts. Their art wasn’t bad—in fact, it rivaled Ma Rongcheng, Long’s best artist below him. The stories? Mediocre. Let the market test them—if rejected, cut them without mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many of these artists had previously worked alone; now they joined Maniac for the safety of a big tree’s shade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps they hoped to draw something created by Wei Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take this guy—English name William. He’s a British exchange student we picked from a manga contest. He’s brilliant at sci-fi. Now he assists Niu Lao, but he’s a rich kid—doesn’t get along with Niu Lao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming said: “You could have him adapt ‘District 9.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha, that’s exactly what I was thinking. I was going to write you a letter to ask—since you’re here, it’s settled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long emphasized the defector he’d poached from Yulang International.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Wanyou is one of Huang Yulang’s most trusted disciples and the former lead artist of “Wild Wolf Legend.” He left Yulang International to pursue better opportunities—to create a masterpiece like “Feng Yun.” He specializes in wuxia and is the most skilled among the four newcomers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Wanyou had indeed been highly valued by Huang Yulang—he’d worked on “Dragon Tiger Gate” and later served as chief editor of “Chinese Hero.” Had Huang Yulang not repeatedly attacked Maniac Comics, Liu Long couldn’t have stolen his apprentice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could he be Huang Yulang’s spy?” Wei Ming joked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not sure—but if you can give him a work that hooks him, I believe he’ll switch sides.” Long had his own management style—he didn’t care about loyalty as long as there was a stake tying them down. Loyalty could be bought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming pulled a notebook from his bag: “You’re right. Then I’ll give him the story I prepared.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long’s glasses flashed with sudden light: “This—is that the ‘Journey to the West’ story you mentioned? For me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Give it to Zhang Wanyou. Keeping talent matters most.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No no no—let him adapt Jin Yong’s wuxia novels. Can’t let Li Zhiqing draw all three parts of ‘Condor Trilogy’ alone—he won’t draw anything else for ten years! I’ve decided—he’ll do ‘The Return of the Condor Heroes.’ Let me see it now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming had prepared this work thoroughly, but because it was so important, he still needed to refine it—aiming to finalize the first volume’s plot for Long before he left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Long saw the first page: Wei Ming had drawn a cartoon character, with notes beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sun Zi?” Long looked again at the childlike figure. He had a tail—but where was Sun Zi? And he had squinty eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Liu Long had lived in Hong Kong for a year. A mainlander might call this blasphemous nonsense, but Liu Long thought it fine—Hong Kongers had rewritten traditional tales in far stranger ways. This adaptation might just hit their tastes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Long kept reading the character notes: Age 12. Wait—he’s an alien? From Planet Vegeta—a violent, warlike Saiyan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because his combat power was too weak, he was exiled to Earth, originally sent to conquer it—but lost his memory, was found and adopted by a martial artist named Sun Qiafan, who named him Sun Zi.\u003C\u002Fp>",1647,"2026-06-19T16:30:59.356Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","15f9e3ea00a5735575ce9b518687234238c2d8e91e083be89688a2cb8ed03929","rising-in-1979-chapter-434","rising-in-1979-chapter-432",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]