[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-494":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},2261202,4412,"Chapter 494","rising-in-1979-chapter-494",494,"\u003Cp>July in Hong Kong was scorching hot, but the air conditioning at home was kept at a moderate level, since Wei Ming and Xue Jie were unclothed, every movement was fully visible to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, Wei Ming was covered in a fine sheen of sweat; Xue Jie gently wiped him down with a towel, then draped a thin blanket over him. At the foot of the bed lay a silk stocking Xue Jie had once worn—now torn to shreds, which broke her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching his sister’s flushed, peach-blossom cheeks, Wei Ming felt he could go again, but he’d let himself recover first—though tomorrow he’d be officially busy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Gong Ying was visiting her sister’s home to see Gong Ying and their mother; as soon as she stepped out, Wei Ming immediately called A Min.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Hui Min had known last night that Wei Ming had arrived in Hong Kong, but hearing he was entering seclusion, she hadn’t disturbed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A Min, go to the company—I’ll introduce you to someone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The company here referred to a small music studio; though it had only Zhou Hui Min as an artist, and most of its business was collaboration with other firms, it still rented an office and hired two staff members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Hui Min said: “Today won’t work—I have to attend a funeral. Why don’t you come too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A funeral? Whose?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jen Ni’s husband—Fu Sheng’s.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days ago, Fu Sheng was in a car accident and ultimately died; reports said two cars were involved, with possible street racing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As always: a thousand roads, but safety comes first. Wei Ming merely saw the car as a time-saving tool—no need for racing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For weddings, you’re not invited, you don’t go; for funerals, you’re not invited, you still go. Wei Ming was friends with Jen Ni—he had to attend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he changed into more somber clothes and drove to pick up Zhou Hui Min.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Wei Hong, she’d gone to the stock exchange again; in Beijing, she’d heard the Sino-British negotiations were entering their second round, so a market surge was surely coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Xi Zi, his grandparents were taking him to Ocean Park today—he’d forgotten all about his brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the car, A Min asked: “You said you wanted me to go to the company to meet someone—who is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The musician I worked with on ‘The Class of the Cattle Herder’—he specializes in traditional instruments. I want him to contribute to the ‘Mo Mo Mo’ album.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Min said: “Then let’s meet after the funeral.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm, okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Sheng was a Shaw artist, Zhang Che’s favorite disciple, and in Hong Kong, he was nearly a top-tier action star, with a solid family background.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He played Guo Jing in the film version, and later his role as Xiao Yuer in Chu Yuan’s ‘The Legendary Twins’ became one of his most significant roles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last month, the film he starred in, ‘The Playboy,’ written and directed by Wang Jing, had just been released and earned over seven million—a strong box office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So many people came to pay their respects on the day he left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, of course, was his devastated wife, Jen Ni; Fu Sheng was only twenty-nine, and they had no children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his parents, brothers, and master, Zhang Che.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Che was preparing his new film, ‘The Thirteen Protectors of Mo Du Tan’—the one with ‘the master swordsman, the playboy tycoon, the student prince, the bear-tiger-eagle-leopard, the spectacles-and-cigarette, the long spear that cannot be escaped.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This film would gather all his disciples: Wang Yu, Di Long, Jiang Dawei, Wu Ma, Li Xiuxian, Chen Guantai, and others—including Fu Sheng, who was cast as ‘the student.’ But now he was gone, and the role eventually went to Liu Dehua.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaw sent many people too, including Liu Jialiang, the master currently filming Fu Sheng’s new movie, and Hong Jibao and Cheng Long, who were rivals to Shaw but fellow action stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also present were Jen Ni’s friends from the music circle—all acquaintances of Zhou Hui Min.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wei Ming and Zhou Hui Min arrive together, insiders immediately assumed they were a couple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jen Ni had always loved teasing the two of them, but now, thinking of her lost love, she felt a bone-deep sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her role as widow, she bowed to them in gratitude; Wei Ming and A Min replied, “Take care,” then entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this solemn atmosphere, many wanted to speak with Wei Ming, but felt it inappropriate, so they held back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the funeral ended, Hong Jibao and Cheng Long chased after him; Hong Fatty’s face glowed—he’d just released ‘The Five Lucky Stars,’ which had sold out every screening in three days, with projected total earnings no less than twenty million, far surpassing his previous personal best, possibly even overtaking ‘The Best of Both Worlds 2’ to claim the 1983 annual crown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the original timeline, the two films’ box offices differed by only a million or so, but this time, ‘The Five Lucky Stars’ carried the influence of its original manga.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, Hong Jibao delivered a message from Mr. Zou: “Jiahe still wants to produce a series of ‘Five Lucky Stars’ films and hopes to continue the collaboration.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The manga had been serialized for over a year, chronicling many stories among the Five Lucky Stars brothers—each small episode was brilliantly crafted, enough material for several films.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuangren Comics could earn licensing fees and boost magazine sales—a win-win, so naturally, no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming said: “Let Jiahe contact Minglong Media directly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Minglong Media?” Hong Jibao glanced at Wei Ming, then at Cheng Long—had they been doing something behind his back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ‘Dragon Ball’ manga was now paying homage to Cheng Long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, renamed—Minglong Media is now the parent company of Kuangren Comics.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you seen ‘The Five Lucky Stars’? Any feedback?” Hong Jibao added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just arrived yesterday; I planned to watch it today.” Wei Ming glanced at A Min.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Jibao and Cheng Long immediately understood; Cheng Long smiled: “We’re heading to Europe to film soon—hope we can have dinner together before we leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “How about tomorrow night?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He and A Min had lunch at a restaurant; perhaps because they’d just experienced death, A Min’s mood was low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of Jen Ni’s heart-wrenching sobs, she couldn’t bear to imagine how she’d feel if Wei Ming died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A Ming, you must take good care of your health, okay?” A Min suddenly said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming smiled: “My health is fine—you’ll see later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Min blushed: “That’s not what I meant—I don’t want you to die before me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, that was the reason. Wei Ming gently held her hand: “I’m six years older than you, and men’s average lifespan is shorter than women’s—so I’m far more likely to go first. But since you said that, I’ll do my best to live a long, long life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the private room, A Min hugged Wei Ming tightly until the dishes started arriving, then shyly pulled away, feeling she’d been overly sentimental.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming only felt warmth in his heart, and a touch of guilt—what had he done to deserve such unwavering devotion from his girlfriends? He couldn’t give them undivided love, so he’d do his best to help them reach the peak of their careers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he began pondering what songs should be on A Min’s second Cantonese album. As Hong Kong’s diva, her Cantonese classics were still too few, and she needed a plan to break beyond the Chinese-language music circle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yidui Studio and Holiland shared the same office building, occupying a modest space without recording equipment, but filled with many instruments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Weili had inquired and found his way here himself—he’d already been waiting a while. The company had only two female employees: a manager and a receptionist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they’d had little interaction, Hu Weili had heard several songs by the company’s only artist, Zhou Hui Min—so that was ‘Pink Memory,’ then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was Zhou Hui Min’s most famous song in mainland China. As a musician, Hu Weili listened more than most, so he was familiar with her Cantonese songs: ‘Hard to Find a Lover,’ ‘My Favorite,’ ‘First Love,’ ‘I Like You.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And all these songs were written by Wei Ming—Hu Weili didn’t need to think twice to know Wei Ming’s connection with the singer was far from ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon he met the main person. Wei Ming didn’t explicitly state his relationship with Zhou Hui Min; after a brief introduction, he explained the situation of the ‘Mo Mo Mo’ album.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Weili first listened to the three already-recorded songs—he found them intriguing, traditional, classical, reminiscent of Teresa Teng’s ‘Faint Sorrow.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the later tracks forged a new path, advancing beyond the ‘Faint Sorrow’ style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing these excellent songs, Hu Weili’s initial discomfort vanished—he now wanted to work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Hui Min saw this elderly man pick up any instrument and play a melody effortlessly, his music theory flawless—she realized Wei Ming had found her a master. She instructed the manager to grant Hu Weili full authority and to buy any equipment he needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming participated throughout, but took a break to go upstairs to Holiland, sitting in Liu Bin’s general manager’s office to get a general sense of Holiland’s current status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Bin said: “We now have thirty-two Holiland stores in Hong Kong, three in Macau, and over a dozen more in preparation. This year we’re officially entering Taiwan—our first three stores received excellent responses; the second batch of twelve has just opened. We’ll continue expanding the Taiwan market—the more stores, the lower our costs, the higher our profits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s already fifty stores.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wei Ming felt this was far from saturated—in his original timeline, just KFC or McDonald’s alone had over two hundred stores in Hong Kong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Bin added: “Also, Nian Nü Jiao milk tea shops—just started this year, but expanding fast. The stores are small, costs are low—already twenty-three opened, and we’re opening a new one every week. The profit margins are very strong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he said: “The flour mill and oil press back in Ping’an County are under construction—they should open by year-end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming asked: “With such rapid expansion, your debt must be heavy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Previously, we owed fifty million; now we’re about to cross one hundred million—I’ve taken another big loan,” Liu Bin walked to the office map. “Asia is a weak spot for McDonald’s, so next we’re targeting overseas: Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia—all within reach.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze settled on the red region: “Of course, we’ve also been in constant communication with the mainland—we’re just waiting for policy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That market indeed held tremendous potential—and timing was critical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After talking with Brother Bin, Wei Ming returned to Yidui—he still had dinner and a movie planned with A Min.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over dinner, she told Wei Ming: “This Master Hu is from the mainland—what a pity, I wanted to sign him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming said: “Sign him. Master Hu is about to immigrate here—just offer good terms.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s wonderful—I’ve been lacking a seasoned mentor like him. But our company is too small,” Zhou Hui Min said, slightly embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what? Just don’t stop him from taking outside jobs,” Wei Ming smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Weili’s output was terrifying—Yidui, Dream Factory, and Minglong’s output alone couldn’t possibly satisfy him. In his original timeline, working at TVB for over a decade, he left nearly a thousand musical works.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today he finally saw ‘The Brilliant Scheme of the Five Lucky Stars.’ As the hottest film now, the theater was nearly full; A Min, fearing recognition, wore a mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming couldn’t help thinking: nothing could be better than dating both sisters in Hong Kong, then bringing A Min back to the mainland to court her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the film, A Min finally understood what they’d filmed on that visit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t help pinching Wei Ming’s thigh: “Hong Jibao’s films are too lewd.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1977,"2026-06-19T16:30:59.356Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","18e339cc3134e52df71b4ffd77fa2c553ff65fce622d721837d0c2179b49cdb7","rising-in-1979-chapter-495","rising-in-1979-chapter-493",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]