[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-92":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},2260800,4412,"Chapter 92: First Animated Adaptation (1410)","rising-in-1979-chapter-92",92,"\u003Cp>Hearing Wei Ming praise him, Biaozi humbly said, “Oh, I’m no encyclopedia—I’m nowhere near Miss Wang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coach Wu: “Who’s this Miss Wang? Which school is she from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming smiled: “She’s not from any school—she’s a fictional character from a novel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s chat with Coach Wu was enjoyable; after a few cups of Erguotou, he even offered to lend Wei Ming a few books to read.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since his place wasn’t far, the three of them followed him back—these “martial arts manuals” were richly illustrated, and with Biaozi’s live demonstrations, they greatly helped Wei Ming’s creative work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming naturally thanked him profusely, promising to return them after reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the three walked away, Coach Wu turned to head back to the courtyard when he felt a sudden gust of wind behind him—he immediately reacted with a blocking stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing who it was, he laughed heartily: “You sneaky Wu Jinquan, trying to ambush me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Coach Wu, I’ve been waiting for you an hour—I didn’t even eat dinner,” the other man grinned, looking several years younger than Coach Wu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both shared the surname Wu, but they weren’t relatives; this Wu Jinquan worked at the Aerospace Bureau but had trained in martial arts since childhood, inheriting family traditions, specializing in Mantis Fist and Nine-Section Whip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Again about your son? I’ve told you countless times—he’s too young, too young.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Jinquan wanted his son to enroll at Shichahai Sports School to learn martial arts, but the boy was only five, not even in elementary school yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Martial arts require training from childhood—he’s practicing with me anyway, but my teaching isn’t as good as yours, and I’m afraid I’ll hold him back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Bin thought for a moment: “Your boy does have talent. How about this—next year, at least wait until then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh, fine then—how about we spar a bit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coach Wu burped, “No sparring—I just ate, I’m full to bursting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they rode, Wei Ming, Biaozi, and Liu Rulong parted ways; A Long said he’d finish the second part’s illustrations as soon as possible—he needed to support himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biaozi had drunk a little alcohol and was still buzzing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked Wei Ming: “Brother Ming, is your novel’s male lead named Biao?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure, but he mainly goes by a nickname in the martial world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the nickname?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “The Great Man!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming thought the film “Heroes Emerge in Youth” itself was merely average; its greatest strength lay in the age-gap couple: The Great Man and the Little Bride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Man was cheeky and mischievous, with mediocre skills; the Little Bride was quiet and reserved but possessed formidable martial arts—though she was his wife, she treated him like a mother, scolding and protecting him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this couple’s character dynamic must be preserved; everything else needed further refinement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming originally wrote this novel to connect with Xia Meng, but the film’s box office in Hong Kong was underwhelming—only 3 million HKD—far less impressive than its reception on the mainland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, it was said that Xia Meng’s Qingniao invested more heavily, taking overseas box office, while Emei Studio contributed less and took mainland earnings—resulting in Emei making a fortune while Qingniao barely broke even.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today he met Coach Wu Bin; if he could gain help from martial arts peers to refine action scenes and polish the script, perhaps even release it before “Shaolin Temple,” the outcome might differ.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the late night, as Wei Ming worked his patrol shift, he kept thinking about the story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After catching up on sleep the next day, he remembered he still had many photos undeveloped and hurried to the school publication’s darkroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Photographer Yang Hao arrived with a copy of the People’s Daily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Wei, you’re in the People’s Daily again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming glanced sideways—it was the closing report of the NPC session; his photo wasn’t there, but the article mentioned: “The oldest artist present was 83-year-old Mao Dun; the youngest was writer Wei Ming, only 18.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to his youth, Wei Ming got a passing mention alongside Mao Dun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, good—I’ll keep this newspaper.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Hao: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of silence, Yang Hao asked: “Why did you develop two copies of every photo?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, some I developed three copies of.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Hao: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Wei Ming could develop photos himself here, he still had to pay—he couldn’t take advantage of the institution—so Yang Hao could only sigh at how carelessly he spent money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After developing the photos, Wei Ming kept one copy of each, some to mail home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others were to be mailed to the people in the photos—for example, the photo with Factory Director Wang Yang and Director Ling Zifeng went to Beijing Film Studio; the one with Ma Jingwu went to Beijing Film Academy; the photo of Old Master Ma Shitu went to the Sichuan-Chongqing Writers Association...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people all had official positions; sending them photos turned them from his contacts into mutual connections—he became part of their network too, potentially useful later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing all this, it was nearly evening; Wei Ming rode over to Uncle Anping’s house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today was the release date of the November issue of Children’s Literature; Uncle Anping had asked him to come collect his royalty payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Book of Heavenly Secrets” was 38,000 characters; the first part was 12,000 characters, at six yuan per thousand characters—totaling 72 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, Aunt Xiaoyan brought good news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beijing Film Studio has decided to adapt ‘The Toothless Tiger’ and ‘If I Were Wu Song’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Both of them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, just these two. Too bad they have no plans for a feature film—if they did, ‘The Book of Heavenly Secrets’ would’ve been perfect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Anping asked for Wei Ming: “How’s the royalty calculated?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaoyan asked Wei Ming: “Will you write the screenplay yourself, or let Meiying Studio hire someone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Anping waved his hand: “Little Ming doesn’t know how to write screenplays.” Wei Ming: “I’ll write it myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle, writing screenplays is actually my real job!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaoyan said: “I also recommend you write it yourself—you can learn if you don’t know, and the pay’s much better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Anping: “Oh, how much better?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Lu Xiaoyan explained the details—though she’d heard it from the chief editor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Currently, there’s no copyright system in China; film studios, upon finding a novel they like, obtain permission and adapt it—sometimes even exploiting the same source multiple times, like “Xu Mao and His Daughters,” which both Beijing Film Studio and the August First Studio adapted into separate films.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for how much the original author receives...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The studio sets a total budget for the screenplay, allocating 20%–30% to the original author, 50%–89% to the screenwriter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After final approval, another 10%–15% goes to the managing editor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Short film royalties are roughly half those of feature films.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if Wei Ming doesn’t participate in the screenplay, he’ll get only about one-fifth of the total script fee—between one and three hundred yuan at most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, Wei Ming’s story was practically a ready-made script—minimal adaptation needed; letting someone else profit from it would make him a fool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming asked: “Do I still need to go to Shanghai?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaoyan said: “Write it first, send it to them—if they find issues, you might need to go in person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming nodded, then remembered another question: “How much is the illustration fee?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Film Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Liu Rulong, your letter’s here—I brought it back,” his roommate said, pointing to the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Rulong rushed over, thinking it was from his parents, but it was from Children’s Literature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart leapt—he opened the envelope, pulled out the remittance slip, and saw the amount: 40 yuan!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eight of his illustrations were selected, five yuan each!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d drawn them in just one week—if he kept drawing daily, earning over a hundred a month was feasible!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Rulong felt he was finally useful—but it was late; tomorrow he’d buy several copies of Children’s Literature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, anticipating the substantial adaptation fees, Wei Ming decided to delay the opening of “Heroes Emerge in Youth” and focus on rewriting the screenplay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he’d barely written a few words when he was interrupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wenhua panted: “Brother Ming, you, uh, my cousin’s here to see you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your cousin... oh, Mei Linda.” Wei Ming reluctantly put down pen and paper—he remembered he’d promised to go shopping with her at the Friendship Store.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming said: “Can I borrow your bike?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wenhua: “No, you have one yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “But Mei Linda doesn’t—she needs to ride it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately grabbed a cloth: “It was outside all night—I’ll wipe it down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as Mei Linda rode away on her Little Pigeon, Mei Wenhua kept staring after her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do you usually get around?” Wei Ming asked Mei Linda. “Bus?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Linda: “Rickshaws—there are plenty around the Summer Palace area.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming thought: She’s not destitute then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked: “How much money did you bring?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One thousand pounds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wow—over two thousand dollars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re pretty rich,” Wei Ming said enviously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Beijing, that could buy a Sihe Academy—even if it was only 3,000 RMB, for those wanting to leave China, this foreign currency was worth at least 20,000 RMB—possibly enough for two houses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is all I have—I can’t spend it all. I don’t know if I’ll find work right back home—I need to save some for living expenses.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming asked: “What kind of job are you looking for? Translation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I studied literature, so I’ll probably look for an editorial job at a publishing house.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, a publishing editor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming found Mei Linda even more alluring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Friendship Store on Jian Guo Men Wai Street, since many embassies were nearby, foreigners were common on the streets—and those entering and leaving the store were all foreigners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only scattered Chinese people could peek inside through store windows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with foreigners accompanying them, Chinese people still found it hard to enter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So before going out, Melinda borrowed clothes from Li Aiguo, and Wei Ming had already changed into them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he looked very stylish, and before even stepping inside, he began speaking English with Melinda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guard glanced at the two of them, said nothing, and let them in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Bonus chapter for 4,000 first subscriptions—actually not reached, but sincerity must be shown!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1718,"2026-06-19T16:30:57.111Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9a04bd1c288ab7e66bf006365beb768c368deb9f43ce98d27f693d519f84d137","rising-in-1979-chapter-93","rising-in-1979-chapter-91",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]