Chapter 56 N-Giving

As expected, the sky, which seemed to be pressing down lower and lower, started raining again.

Before long, raindrops began to patter down, splashing into tiny water droplets on the half-dry ground.

It became increasingly dense, quickly filling the ground with water vapor.

It took Chu Beiling a moment to react before she opened the car door and got in.

The rain was pouring down as far as the eye could see, and his car was like a ship adrift on a turbulent sea, being violently battered. If he wasn't careful, it would be capsized by the waves and sink into the deep sea, never to see the light of day again.

Chu Beiling stared blankly at the waterfall-like flow of water through the windshield.

I don't know how much time had passed when Zhu Qing'an called: "When are you coming back? My documents are still waiting for your signature."

Chu Beiling calmed himself down and said slowly, "About half an hour."

Back in the office, Zhu Qing'an handed over the documents related to the collaboration with Chu Meng. Chu Beiling glanced at them and signed them directly.

Zhu Qing'an asked, "Are you skipping the basic animation confirmation again?"

With the basic animation confirmed, their first phase of collaboration with Chumeng is now complete. The next phase is not expected to begin until the next quarter at the earliest.

As for the animation of "Sword Song Beyond the Clouds", it is still in the early stages of the project. If he returns to Singapore, this will be the last time he goes to China to discuss the project with Chumeng.

After this parting, it should truly be goodbye forever.

Chu Beiling hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't decide whether or not to go.

He asked, "Has the time been set?"

Zhu Qing'an replied, "Not yet, but I guess it should be soon, in the next few days."

"Hmm," Chu Beiling said, "We'll talk about it later."

He really hasn't thought it through yet.

Zhu Qing'an clicked her tongue several times, looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and amusement: "President Xing is indeed your old flame. Look at you, whenever it's related to him, you change like this. Are you still the Ice Prince we know?"

Chu Beiling glanced at him: "Leo called me last night and talked about you. Guess what he said."

Zhu Qing'an dropped her nonchalant demeanor and stared intently at Chu Beiling: "What did he say?!"

Chu Beiling mischievously said, "Want to know? I won't tell you, guess for yourself!"

Zhu Qing'an reached out and grabbed his hand: "Don't do this, tell me, tell me!"

Chu Beiling glanced at his hand, and Zhu Qing'an quickly and tactfully removed it: "Tell me quickly, what did he say? Don't keep me in suspense."

"Did you bring any cigarettes? Give me one." He needed a cigarette to perk himself up.

Zhu Qing'an reluctantly handed him the cigarettes and lighter.

Chu Beiling reached out, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and just as he put it in his mouth, he remembered Xing Yu's dislike of him smoking, so he stubbed it out in his palm.

After finishing the task in a daze, Chu Beiling felt somewhat ridiculous.

I don't know what I'm persisting in.

Even though Xing Yuren wasn't there, he still obediently did as he was told.

Chu Beiling said, "If you want to know, go ask him yourself."

"Chu Beiling, you've gone too far!" Zhu Qing'an was so angry she almost vomited blood, but she was also anxious, so she could only swallow her pride and promise him: "Just tell me, I promise I won't tease you and President Xing next time."

Chu Beiling was satisfied and said, word by word, "He said if you continue to act so recklessly, he'll make me kick you back to Singapore."

Zhu Qing'an wanted to say something more, but Chu Beiling didn't give him a chance to continue: "Go out, don't bother me."

The door closed, and Chu Beiling slumped onto the table. He hadn't slept well last night, and he was still dizzy and his thoughts were all jumbled up. He couldn't read a single word of the document.

He didn't know how to face Xing Yu next, even in a cooperative relationship.

Knowing it was wrong, he was once again swayed by Grandma Chen's words, but his reason told him that he should go back to Singapore and stay away from Xing Yu.

He drifted off to sleep, and Chu Beiling continued his morning dream, the same dream that kept repeating itself.

This time, he finally managed to grab Xing Yu as he lunged at him.

When Xing Yu saw it was him, he smiled at him, then slowly pried open his hands and deliberately fell off the cliff.

Chu Beiling followed and flipped down, but ended up hanging from a tree, while Xing Yu fell to the bottom of the cliff.

Chu Beiling sat up abruptly, slumped in the chair, and gasped for breath, like a fish thrown ashore, desperately needing oxygen.

He then recalled the smile Xing Yu had given him when he shook his head at the nursing home.

That laugh was self-deprecating, helpless, and lonely, with a sense of utter despair and a feeling of being at a loss for what to do—it was very complex.

It was the same as the one he saw in his dream.

Chu Beiling had never felt so timid and cowardly before, but after returning, he didn't even have the courage to speak.

He dared not ask Xing Yu why he shouldn't return to Singapore, and he dared not ask about his relationship with Xu Zeyi. He was afraid of getting an answer he didn't want to hear, and even more afraid of hearing a definite answer from Xing Yu.

So I had to force myself not to think about it or ask about it, and even use words of rejection to remind myself to draw a line between myself and Xing Yu.

Her heart was racing with panic. Chu Beiling gripped the fabric of her chest tightly, staring at the script of "Sword Song Beyond the Clouds," trying to mentally prepare herself.

It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. As long as Xing Yu is doing well, it doesn't matter what happens to him.

There was a knock on the office door, and Li Zhiyi said, "President Chu, screenwriter Lin is here."

Chu Beiling steadied her breathing and calmly said, "Come in."

Lin, the screenwriter, was sitting across from Chu Beiling at the desk. Chu Beiling handed her a printed and annotated script: "I've marked all the questions I raised before and added my own thoughts and insights. You can refer to them as appropriate. Also, I'd like to hear your suggestions for the script."

Screenwriter Lin said, "With the theme of 'chivalry and patriotism,' the protagonist's family is wiped out by the imperial court. He unexpectedly learns the truth about the massacre from a prince who wants to usurp the throne. Under his instigation, he embarks on a search for seven sword masters. The story unfolds in a series of episodes and a main storyline, telling the stories of the protagonist and the other sword masters in the martial arts world, as well as the stories of the sword masters themselves. In the bonds of family, friendship and love in the human world, he finds his true self and true love."

Chu Beiling said, "If the role of the villainous prince in the imperial court is only to unlock the search for the seven sword masters, then I suggest directly deleting this villainous storyline, setting the world view in the martial arts world, removing the political intrigue of the imperial court, and making the villains also people in the martial arts world, or setting it in a chaotic world and increasing the role of the sword masters in the chaotic world."

After taking notes, Chu Beiling and other screenwriters continued, "The villains can be made more fleshed out. For example, the villain may be kind or cold-blooded by nature, but change because of someone. The bad things he does are all because of that person who caused this change. The contrast between his personality before and after must be great."

He must do bad things in a way that the audience can understand and empathize with; he may be bad, but I feel sorry for him.

Screenwriter Lin thought for a moment: "He was originally heartless, but became compassionate because of someone, and then became heartless again because of that person?"

“That’s one way to understand it,” Chu Beiling’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he calmed down before continuing, “Human nature is complex and cannot be simply defined. No one has a choice about what happens to the villains and the heroes. They are forced into that situation by their surroundings or circumstances. There is no solution. At that moment, they can only make that choice because if they don’t make that choice, they will only hurt their loved ones.”

Upon hearing Chu Beiling's analysis, screenwriter Lin's heart skipped a beat, and her emotions were stirred within just a few words. "I understand, President Chu."

Reminded by this, screenwriter Lin had a further thought: "Could the contrast in the villain's personality before and after be: After we separated, I became like you. You were like a clear moon and a gentle breeze, and I am like that now."

Chu Beiling nodded: "Okay, go back and revise the script. Send me the revised outline and the first twenty episodes of the script in a month."

After screenwriter Lin left, Chu Beiling got up and made herself a cup of coffee at the tea station. She then stared blankly at the Qiantang River through the French windows.

The rain poured down, the rain streaking against the window, reflecting his blurry image on the glass. It mingled and intertwined with the distant river scenery, which was shrouded in layers of mist and vapor, making it difficult to distinguish between them.

The scripts are interconnected and logical, and one can explore human nature through them. Even if the script is full of ups and downs in the middle, you can find out the protagonist's final fate by turning to the last page.

But reality is illogical; there are no reasons, no justifications, no logic whatsoever, and no idea what stage of the script we're on now.

Will the ending be good or bad?

Even worse—

Chu Beiling didn't know if he and Xing Yu had already been separated into two different scenarios after they parted ways ten years ago, with no possibility of ever crossing paths again.

After lost in thought for a while, there was another knock on the office door.

Chu Beiling: "Go in."

Li Zhiyi walked in and said, "President Chu, we can set off now."

Zhu Qing'an, who was following behind, said, "I'll go with you too."

"What are you going to do?" Chu Beiling glanced at him. "The basic animation for the initial stage should be ready in the next couple of days. If you don't go, who will?"

“That will take two more days. You’ll be back tomorrow night, so it won’t take up much time.” Zhu Qing’an said, “I also want to stroll along the Bund. It’s a rare opportunity, so of course I want to go.”

Chu Beiling was speechless: "You insist on coming with me. You're a grown man, are you afraid of getting lost on a trip to Shanghai?"

Zhu Qing'an pointed at him, then at herself: "Chu Beiling, every cause has its effect. Your retribution is me. This is retribution."

Chu Beiling suppressed the urge to kill him and said, "I'm not going there for fun."

Zhu Qing'an said, "I know. You went to Shanghai to discuss the promotion and dubbing of 'Conquer the World' and 'Tales of Mountains and Seas'. I can be your assistant and offer some ideas on the voice acting and character design. As the art director, I also understand the characters."

Chu Beiling didn't argue further, and the two of them went to Shanghai together, but Li Zhiyi didn't go.

Back in his office, Xing Yu felt a throbbing pain in his head, both physical and psychological.

He didn't know what to do or how to break the deadlock between him and Chu Beiling.

For a moment, Xing Yu wondered why he had to pretend to be magnanimous or act like he knew nothing. He should have just told Chu Beiling that he had seen the filth about Zhu Qing'an that day.

Even if Chu Beiling suffers pain and sadness, it's better than not knowing any of the truth at all.

But he couldn't bear to expose such an embarrassing behavior in the most straightforward way, lest Chu Beiling fall into pain. At the same time, Xing Yu was even more afraid of Zhu Qing'an, who had been with him for many years.

Chu Beiling found it difficult to give up immediately, and might even forgive Zhu Qing'an's actions.

Just like how he used to tease and play pranks on him, always liking to make Chu Beiling angry to the point of exploding, all he had to do was coax him.

Chu Beiling has a fiery temper and is easily angered, but she is also easy to coax and talk to, and she is exceptionally soft-hearted.

So he guided and seduced Chu Beiling, just like before, to lure her to his side.

However, Chu Beiling had very high moral standards, and he didn't want to force him, so he kept pushing him against his will.

If Chu Beiling insists, he really doesn't know what to do.

Xing Yu absentmindedly flipped through the project proposal for "Sword Song Beyond the Clouds" in front of him when there was a knock on the door, and then Xu Tunan pushed the door open and entered.

“The basic animation for ECho has been completed in advance,” Xu Tunan placed a USB drive in front of him. “You can take a look. If there are no problems, you can ask them to come and confirm as soon as possible. There’s only one week left until the Spring Festival. Many project teams are starting to finish their work for the year. If they can’t finish, they will probably have to wait until next year.”

Xing Yu plugged the USB drive into the computer and began watching the basic animation.

Xu Tunan asked, "Regarding the creative and production issues of 'Returning Home Unharmed,' Xu Zeyi said he has time tomorrow and asked us to go there tomorrow. Should you go or should I go?"

Their company does not currently have the right to distribute films. To make a film, they can only work with traditional film and television companies. Their cooperation with Xingyao Media is not only about games but also about complementary resources in film. Xingyao participates in investment and, most importantly, distribution and production.

As for production and creative aspects, although Xingyao Media will not interfere and will handle everything, Xu Zeyi still needs to personally confirm the story logic and commercial viability of the script before officially starting production, and determine the later promotion and tentative release date based on their production cycle.

He and Xu Tunan had a clear division of labor: he was responsible for the project development and production of animation, as well as planning long-term development strategies and deciding on major investments, while Xu Tunan was responsible for marketing, coordinating various departments, and connecting with external resources.

In fact, it would have been more appropriate for Xu Zeyi to go during this conversation, especially since he was the one leading this project. Xing Yu also knew why Xu Tunan asked that question.

“I’m going to Shanghai to find Xu Zeyi,” Xing Yu said, unplugging the USB drive from the computer. “There shouldn’t be any problems. We can have them come over. If they raise any issues, we can tell them to wait until after the New Year.”

However, given Chu Beiling's meticulous nature when it comes to aesthetics, the basic animation will most likely not be completed until after the new year.

This is just right, it gives him time to think about whether or not to let Chu Beiling return to Singapore.

Xu Tunan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Xing Yu lifted his eyelids: "Just say what you want to say."

Xu Tunan said, "Once the basic animation is confirmed, Chu Fanfan probably won't be coming over again. 'Sword Song Beyond the Clouds' has only just been approved, and the earliest we can expect it is the last quarter of this year. Are you sure you want to go to Shanghai at this time?"

“He won’t come.” Xing Yu tugged at the corner of his mouth and said with a faint smile, “Even if he does come, I should still be responsible for ‘Return Unharmed’.”

Xu Tunan nodded. He could understand, setting aside Xing Yu's serious and responsible attitude towards everything.

The animated film project "Returning Home" was originally a film that Xing Yu produced for Chu Beiling.

Even though things have changed and people are no longer the same, Chu Beiling now has a boyfriend.

Xing Yu's ultimate wish remains the same:

Having exhausted all his resources and reached the end of his rope, he waited for Chu Beiling to return unharmed.

He will certainly make it carefully.