Chapter 69. I have such a good older brother. ...
Jing Yitong's eyes widened in surprise. So unexpected was he that he didn't even know where to put his hands for a moment, and asked uncertainly, "May I?"
Fang Xin had never seen Jing Yitong like this before, and found him both pitiful and adorable: "Didn't you volunteer to be my pianist before? Why are you reacting like this now?"
Jing Yitong touched his face: "I was just joking, trying to cheer you up, who knew you would actually invite me."
Fang Xingu pursed her lips, sulking: "Oh, so you're going to reject me."
“That’s not what I meant,” Jing Yitong interrupted him, sweating profusely. “I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle it. You know I haven’t played the piano for many years.”
Fang Xingu pondered for a moment before replying, "Don't worry about that. I wrote the music, and I'm sure you can definitely finish it with your abilities."
This was the first time Jing Yitong had felt so insecure. He hesitated before asking his biggest concern: "Okay, actually, what I'm worried about is that your other songs have big names in the industry as your piano accompanists. If my name suddenly appears on one of your songs, won't it be a bit... beneath you?"
"What?! You're not allowed to talk about yourself like that," Fang Xingu's eyebrows furrowed. He cupped Jing Yitong's face in his hands, looked intently into his eyes, and said, "Besides myself, I can't think of anyone else's name that would be more suitable to appear on this song than yours."
Without his seven-year relationship with Jing Yitong, the song "Parallel Parallelism" and even the entire album might never have existed.
The song "Parallel Parallelism" originated from Fang Xingu's admiration for Jing Yitong, so Fang Xingu hoped that its ending would also be related to Jing Yitong.
Looking at Fang Xingu's expression, Jing Yitong's heart was pounding. He used his last bit of composure to ask, "Really?"
Fang Xingu nodded vigorously: "Yes, I have such a good older brother, so you should appear in my song."
Seeing Fang Xingu's resolute expression and the gentle affirmation in his eyes, Jing Yitong felt his heart overflow with happiness. He could no longer suppress his smile, stretched out his arms and hugged Fang Xingu tightly, pressing his head into his chest and rubbing his chin against the top of his head, laughing as he said, "Am I really that good?"
Fang Xingu buried his face in Jing Yitong's chest, almost pressing it against his pectoral muscles. Whether it was because of poor air circulation or because of embarrassment, Fang Xingu felt like he couldn't breathe. He pushed Jing Yitong's shoulder away forcefully and said in embarrassment and annoyance, "You'd be in trouble if you suffocated me."
Jing Yitong then released him and said happily, "As long as you don't mind, I'm happy to be your piano partner."
Fang Xingu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He pushed Jing Yitong to sit down on the piano bench at home and helped him set out the sheet music for "Parallel Parallelism": "Alright, your task for the next few days is to learn this piece as soon as possible. We need to finish recording it before you leave for Guangzhou."
Jing Yitong glanced at the sheet music and found that Fang Xin's claim that it was not difficult was indeed true. Since it was a duet, the piano accompaniment he was responsible for was not even a complete piece. The overall melody was slow and melodious, and the technical requirements were not high. As long as he could grasp the rhythm, he would have no problem playing it.
But the more Jing Yitong looked at it, the stranger it seemed. Fang Xin could have played the score by himself, so why did he need to be asked to do it?
Moreover, the score is so simple that it's as if a small portion of the original score was taken and specially given to him.
As Jing Yitong pondered, he slowly tried playing it once. After confirming that he could indeed master it in a short time with his current skill level, he finally felt relieved: "I understand now. I'll go make dinner first."
Fang Xingu put his hand on Jing Yitong's shoulder and stood behind him, saying, "You can familiarize yourself with the piece some more. I'll cook dinner tonight."
Jing Yitong turned around: "Can I order food now?"
Fang Xingu turned his head back by the back of his head: "...Don't push your luck."
.
In two days, Jing Yitong became basically familiar with the sheet music and finally had some confidence in completing the recording before going to Guangzhou.
On the third day, the premiere of the movie "Water Eats Sand" will be held.
Jing Yitong set off for the premiere this morning. Today is not only the movie premiere, but he also has to give many media interviews, making his schedule very busy.
Although Fang Xin had agreed to accompany Jing Yitong to the premiere, he didn't go with Jing Yitong early in the morning. He first went with Qi Qiu to the instrument recording shop to check the effect, and then went to the premiere in the evening.
Fortunately, the instrument recording went very smoothly, even faster than he had expected. Fang Xingu and Qi Qiu both breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the album should be able to be officially released before July.
On the way back, Qi Qiu asked Fang Xingu while driving, "Now that the songs are basically finalized, what about the music videos? What are your thoughts?"
Fang Xingu: "Silent Voice and Parallel Parallelism will definitely be filmed. I'll think about the other songs some more."
Qi Qiu was shocked when he heard this: "How many music videos are you planning to shoot? You have so much money you don't know what to do with it?"
In the past, singers made music videos to promote their songs, but now that mainstream media channels have changed, the effectiveness of music videos has been greatly reduced. Making one is almost like burning money, and at most only fans will watch it. Therefore, many singers now don't put much effort into making music videos when they release a song.
Fang Xin is not short of money, and he knows that fans love to watch, so he plans to film more. He glanced at Qi Qiu and said, "The initial plan is to film five. I'll use my own money. You're being stingy."
Qi Qiu shook his head in anguish: "You don't know the cost of living until you're in charge of the household." These days, many singers release albums without even making a music video, or at most, they make two or three songs. Who makes so many right off the bat?
“I’m just being very dedicated and responsible for my work,” Fang Xingu said, ignoring Qi Qiu’s sarcasm. He simply watched Qi Qiu drive through the familiar roads and, seeing that Qi Qiu was about to drive to the fork in the road ahead, he quickly said, “Hey, go straight, go straight.”
Qi Qiu subconsciously returned to the straight lane, only realizing something was wrong after passing the intersection: "Going back to your house... uh, going back to Jing Yitong's house, isn't it supposed to be a turn?"
"I forgot to tell you, I'm not going home. Take me to the movie theater on Yifeng Road."
Qi Qiu felt the movie theater's name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he'd heard it recently. He instinctively asked, "Are you going to see a movie?"
Fang Xingu lowered his head and sent a message to Jing Yitong: "No, I'm going to the premiere of 'Water Eats Sand'."
Qi Qiu: ...
Qi Qiu gritted his teeth and said, "That 'Water Devouring Sand' that Jing Yitong filmed?"
Fang Xin was baffled: "Otherwise, which other 'Water Devouring Sand' would there be?"
Qi Qiu retorted, "Do you think the photos of you two taken together at the hospital weren't sensational enough for the whole internet?"
At that time, Fang Xin and Jing Yi went to the hospital to visit Wang Jinxu together. They were surrounded by a group of reporters from gossip tabloids. These photos were uploaded to the internet almost immediately, making the whole internet aware that the two of them had gone to visit Wang Jinxu together.
Qi Qiu can still recall the jubilant scene on the internet that day. CP fans were ecstatic and out of their minds after seeing the photos, flooding various platforms with their posts. Sodomized fans angrily criticized the CP fans for their sugar-coated behavior, saying that the person was visiting a seriously ill family member in the hospital, and they still had the mind to ship them.
So another big battle broke out between the two sides. This time, the CP fans were able to overpower the toxic solo stans. Bystanders were very curious. In addition, the drama "The World Is So Big" was airing recently and many people became fans of the same CP after learning about the cause and effect, which further boosted the popularity of this CP.
Among them, only the ordinary solo fans who seemed to have resigned themselves to their fate remained silent. It's unknown whether any of them secretly switched sides to the CP (couple) fan camp to get a taste of the sweetness.
In short, everyone is curious about the relationship between Fang Xingu and Jing Yitong—they can have New Year's Eve dinner together, and they can also visit sick elders in the hospital together.
They all seem to be either family or lovers.
Qi Qiu thought to himself, "He might be both half a relative and half a lover."
He said, "Others who get married think about how to distance themselves from the outside world, but you two are so happy about it, as if you want everyone to know that you two are getting married."
When Qi Qiu saw through his secret, Fang Xingu didn't dare to respond at all. He smiled awkwardly and said, "No, my brother invited me. He said it was his first time investing in and producing a movie, and he was a little unsure about it. He was afraid of being harassed by the media, so he wanted me to go and give him some encouragement."
Qi Qiu rolled his eyes. Every media outlet that could attend the premiere had been bribed. The excuse of "being afraid of being harassed" was just a load of rubbish. Only Fang Xin could believe it.
But what could Qi Qiu do if Fang Xingu insisted on going? He always felt that his son was no longer under his father's control. Although he was unhappy, he still took Fang Xingu to the movie theater entrance.
Before leaving, Qi Qiu wanted to remind Fang Xingu to hide himself well and not be discovered, but then he thought that it would be strange if such a big person sitting there wasn't discovered, so he had no choice but to drive away.
Jing Yitong's assistant, Yang Qing, had already received the news and came out to pick up Fang Xingu. The two of them went in through the side door and greeted Jing Yitong. At this time, the premiere was about to begin, so Fang Xingu went to the venue and took a seat.
Jing Yitong had already arranged a seat for him, right at the very edge of the first row. Normally, Fang Xingu would definitely not want to sit in this seat when watching a movie, as he would have to tilt his head back the whole time, and his neck would be stiff by the end of the movie.
However, in a premiere setting, since the first row is usually occupied by the main cast and crew, and there are no media or audience members around, this position actually feels very safe.
After the premiere began, the main cast and crew greeted the media and audience members. After a brief exchange, the film "Water Eats Sand" officially began playing in the theater.
The main cast members also came down from the stage and took their seats. Logically speaking, Jing Yitong should have sat in the middle of the first row, but because Fang Xingu was present today, he sat down next to Fang Xingu without making a sound. The two secretly smiled at each other and watched the movie quietly.
"Water Eats Sand" is a suspense film that tells the story of a national treasure-level Bodhisattva statue that mysteriously disappears in China and then mysteriously reappears at an auction house on a black market abroad. During the investigation by the anti-smuggling bureau, several murder cases are also uncovered.
Jing Yitong's portrayal of Zhang Xun, a customs police officer, is highly charismatic. He is deeply involved in the case, encountering a criminal gang and facing death several times. In the end, he escapes death thanks to his strong personal strength and intelligence, as well as the perfect teamwork, and finally uncovers the truth of the case.
The movie is fast-paced, with a wealth of information in the dialogue scenes and visceral action sequences. Both the protagonists and antagonists are intelligent throughout, and the atmosphere is exceptionally well-crafted. Some scenes are even a bit eerie and frightening, keeping the viewer's attention completely focused.
Several times, Jing Yitong tried to strike up a conversation with Fang Xingu next to him, wanting to ask for his thoughts, but Fang Xingu's focus was entirely on the movie, and he was slow to react. When Jing Yitong spoke to him, he would always reply with a few words after a long time.
Fang Xingu had no interest in paying attention to Jing Yitong. He was practically holding his breath while watching the movie, and the several plot twists made his heart rate approach 150. Only when Zhang Xun revealed the truth at the end did he finally dare to breathe.
As the end credits began to play, Fang Xin, using the music as a cover, leaned close to Jing Yitong's ear with shining eyes and said, "It's a sure thing, it's super good!"
Jing Yitong smiled and bumped fists with him: "Okay."
After the film ended, the cast and crew answered questions from the audience. Jing Yitong stood on stage and randomly selected a few media representatives and audience members to speak, receiving unanimous praise. This fast-paced, unpadded, and compelling film garnered immense goodwill from the audience.
Everyone who watched this movie had only one feeling—it was awesome.
It's not that the plot is particularly exciting, but rather that the pacing of the entire film is incredibly comfortable. Although the pace is fast, it doesn't feel rushed. The balance is handled exceptionally well, the content is very rich, the characters are well-developed, and it effectively evokes the viewer's emotions.
The media and audience members not only praised the actors, but also lauded the director and screenwriter, saying that all three are indispensable for a good movie.
But uncritical praise can get boring, so some media outlets have started to find alternative angles and different points of discussion.
For example, when the reporter sitting diagonally behind Fang Xingu was called on to ask a question, he said, "Professor Jing, we all know that this film is your first time participating in investment and production. During the screening just now, I noticed that you and the staff next to you were talking the whole time. Are you a little nervous about the final effect of 'Water Devouring Sand'?"
Upon hearing this question, Fang Xingu silently lowered his head. How did this involve him?
On stage, Jing Yitong looked down at the heads of the new and old audience members below and gave them a smile that no one could understand: "Nervousness is a given. Every work will eventually be judged by the public. Before the release, none of us are sure how the market will evaluate the work, so sometimes I need the approval of my friends."
"friend?"
The reporters present were all astute and quickly noticed Jing Yitong's unusual wording. They had initially assumed that the person sitting next to Jing Yitong was also a staff member, but upon hearing Jing Yitong's words, they all looked towards the corner of the first row to see which friend it was.
Soon, someone noticed that the person in the corner looked very familiar.
"Ah? Fang Xin?"
"Uh...Teacher Fang, what brings you here?"
Seeing that his identity had been exposed, Fang Xingu had no choice but to silently retort, "Shouldn't my presence here be both unexpected and perfectly reasonable?"
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