Chapter 251 Two-in-One
251:
This is the original ending of the story.
When Mu Shaowu watched it, he couldn't help but shed tears several times.
But now, Feng Que added a scene after Qiao Xia heard about Chen Lu's death.
Three days later, he received a letter from Chen Lu.
The letter contained only three sentences:
The password for the bank card is Tian Tian's birthday.
Tian Tian is your son.
I'm not lying to you this time.
Qiao Xia looked at the letter, but felt that whether it was true or not was no longer important.
Chen Lu had too many lies and deceptions with him, too many truths and falsehoods, right and wrong, and Qiao Xia had long since stopped trying to guess them.
Regardless of whether Qiao Tian is his son or not, as long as Qiao Tian considers him his father, he will always take good care of him.
Qiao Xia raised her hand, intending to tear up the letter, but then stopped.
He thought that perhaps Qiao Tian needed such a letter.
Perhaps this letter can put Qiao Tian at ease with him, allowing him to be willful and mischievous like other children, without always being afraid of being a burden to him.
Qiao Xia gave the letter to Qiao Tian, who had just woken up.
Qiao Tian was bewildered, not understanding how he woke up one morning to find that Qiao Xia was his father.
"Am I still dreaming?" he whispered.
Qiao Xia laughed and said, "Of course not."
"Then Dad, are you really my dad?!" Qiao Tian exclaimed excitedly.
Qiao Xia nodded.
Qiao Tian excitedly hugged him, repeatedly saying, "That's great, that's great, Dad, you really are my dad, that's wonderful."
This letter, which held no value for Qiao Xia, was a dream come true for Qiao Tian.
He treasured the letter, placing it at the very bottom of his treasure chest.
He felt that his nightly prayers had come true, and he had truly become his father's child.
After seeing Feng Que enter the dressing room, Mu Shaowu asked him, "Director Feng, why was this scene added?"
This leaves the question of whether Qiao Tian is Qiao Xia's son open to interpretation.
If this was the original script, then Qiao Tian was clearly not Qiao Xia's child.
But with this addition, Qiao Tian could potentially be Qiao Xia's child.
Perhaps Chen Lu really did not lie to Qiao Xia this time, just as she said in her letter.
Or perhaps it was simply because she saw her son run away from home out of guilt and remorse, not wanting to burden Qiao Xia, and feared he might do the same thing again, that she wrote this letter.
So that Qiao Tian could stay by Qiao Xia's side with peace of mind.
She still lied to Qiao Xia.
It can be interpreted however you like; it's all up to the audience's preference.
"Because I think this might be better for both Qiao Tian and Qiao Xia," Feng Que explained.
When he first started writing the script, he didn't encounter a father and son like Mu Shaowu and Ye Qingxi who weren't related by blood but had a very good relationship.
But later, after he spent his days with Mu Shaowu and Ye Qingxi...
Feng Que suddenly realized that because he was his parents' biological son, he had a blood relationship with them. Therefore, he felt that even if there was no blood relationship, it didn't matter. As long as there was love and affection, a father and son who were not related by blood could have the most sincere father-son relationship.
This is actually a very arrogant and condescending idea.
Because he already possessed it, he didn't care.
But for Ye Qingxi and Mu Shaowu, they clearly have love and affection, and a bond that is no less than that between any father and son, yet they are not related by blood.
Is it that they don't want to?
Of course not.
But that's just how it is, and there's nothing they can do to change it.
Therefore, they can only try their best to ignore it.
But if he could, Mu Shaowu would definitely want Ye Qingxi to be his biological daughter.
Ye Qingxi might also wish that Mu Shaowu was his biological father.
His biological father was indeed great and outstanding, but ultimately, he did not give him love and companionship.
The one who has always been by Ye Qingxi's side, shouldering the responsibilities of a father, is Mu Shaowu.
It was Mu Shaowu.
The realities of the world cannot be changed.
But things in movies can be changed.
Both Qiao Xia and Qiao Tian hoped that they were related by blood.
Why not grant their wish?
This is also good for Mu Shaowu and Ye Qingxi.
They were not biologically related in the real world, and now they were playing a father and son who were not related by blood in the movie. Feng Que didn't feel anything before, but now he couldn't bear it.
He hoped that in at least one world, they would be father and son.
Mu Shaowu no longer needed to explain repeatedly why a 26-year-old man would have a 6-year-old son, why they had different surnames, or why he was Ye Qingxi's father.
Ye Qingxi no longer has any other fathers; he is only his son, his son alone.
After hearing this, Mu Shaowu was somewhat surprised, "Director Feng, you're quite humane."
Phoenix Palace: ...
"I've always been humane, okay?"
Mu Shaowu thought about it and realized that it was true. Could an inhumane approach allow for bundled sales?
Could you start filming half a month earlier so as not to affect Ye Qingxi's studies?
Could you fly to his city and give him hands-on training?
"Then thank you, Director Feng," Mu Shaowu said with a smile.
Ye Qingxi also discovered that the script had been altered.
However, Ye Qingxi did not ask Feng Que why.
He has made far more films and television series than Mu Shaowu combined, so he habitually thinks from a cinematic perspective: such changes can make the film more open to discussion.
Like Rashomon, the plot twists and turns layer by layer until the very end of the film.
After the show, audience members can discuss with their friends or online friends whether Qiao Tian is Qiao Xia's son or whether Chen Lu's last letter was a lie.
You can also watch it a second time to verify your hypothesis.
Both the artistic and commercial aspects of the film have been enhanced.
After all, most viewers prefer a happy ending and would prefer that the child is Qiao Xia's, so that Qiao Xia's efforts and Qiao Tian's love for her would not have been in vain.
Of course, even without considering the film's perspective, but only from her own standpoint, Ye Qingxi felt that such changes were excellent.
He and Mu Shaowu are no longer related by blood in the real world.
Now that he's finally playing father and son in a movie, he naturally hopes he's Mu Shaowu's biological son.
He never wanted to be Mu Shaowu's biological son; he just couldn't be Mu Shaowu's biological son.
After Ye Qingxi changed her clothes and did a simple makeup, Qiao Tian's makeup and styling were complete.
He turned to look at Mu Shaowu not far away and saw that Mu Shaowu's makeup and appearance were quite different from his usual image.
To portray Qiao Xia's current state of despondency, the makeup artist gave him dark circles under his eyes, bluish stubble, and even messy hair, making him look like the kind of person who lives alone, doesn't care about anyone, and has no one to care about him.
Ye Qingxi: ...He's really nothing like his usually glamorous father.
Soon, Qi Yi's styling was also completed.
Her hair was very smooth and long, with only some curls at the ends.
Ye Qingxi looked at her hands; they weren't manicured.
This is the biggest difference between Chen Lu and Chen Zhi.
Chen Zhi is getting married soon. In order to choose a ring, she specially got her nails done. So, on her only two appearances, once at the counter and once at the intersection, she had long, pointed nails on her hands.
Chen Lu stopped getting manicures a long time ago because she has children and felt that long, pointed nails were inconvenient for taking care of them.
This is also the main reason why Qiao Xia later realized that he had only seen Chen Lu from beginning to end.
Because Mu Shaowu is more suitable for shooting sequentially, the first scene they are going to shoot today is the scene where Chen Lu impersonates Chen Zhi and takes Qiao Tian to meet Qiao Xia.
Ye Qingxi and Mu Shaowu had rehearsed this scene several times before, so for the actual filming, Mu Shaowu only needed three takes before it was approved.
Qi Yi: !!!
Qi Yi was shocked. Wasn't this acting quite good?!
Fortunately, she was prepared to film the scene with Mu Shaowu thirty times, but it only took three takes!
As expected, all the rumors about Mu Shaowu were just that—rumors.
Previously, people said he was arrogant and unapproachable, but after filming the variety show, Mu Shaowu turned out to be incredibly mature, reliable, and helpful.
Now they say his acting is terrible, but Mu Shaowu's acting is actually not bad at all!
Teacher Mu, you should spend more time issuing press releases to maintain your reputation! Qi Yi was really worried for him.
"Not bad, not bad." The assistant director looked at the playback on the monitor. "Director Feng, you have a keen eye for talent. I thought before that Mu Shaowu's acting skills probably weren't good enough for Qiao Xia, but now it seems he's not so bad after all."
Feng Que: ...How could it not be good?
It's been prefabricated for over a month now.
It's clear that food can't be prepared in advance, but sometimes it's best to prepare food in advance for people.
Feng Que smiled and said, "Yes."
However, as the number of scenes being filmed increased day by day, the focus that was originally on Mu Shaowu and Qi Yi gradually shifted and converged on Ye Qingxi.
It's not that people don't want to focus their attention on Mu Shaowu and Qi Yi; after all, who doesn't love to see handsome men and beautiful women?
Ye Qingxi's acting was so natural and lively that the assistant director and other actors alike were drawn to her performance.
Qiao Tian is actually not an easy character to play.
In the early stages, he was by Qiao Xia's side, and his emotions were very complicated.
On the one hand, he knew very well that this was not his father, so he felt guilty and even tried to ingratiate himself with Qiao Xia.
On the other hand, his mother wanted him to stay with Qiao Xia, and he didn't want her to leave with regrets, so he had no choice but to agree. In this situation, he was actually somewhat helpless.
In his interactions with Qiao Xia, he discovered that his father loved smoking, playing mahjong, didn't like doing housework, and wasn't even very good at cooking. He was completely different from his ideal father, so he also felt somewhat disgusted by him.
In addition, his underlying personality is that of a very lively, cheerful, and sunny little boy. So how to perfectly blend these emotions together without offending Qiao Xia, and also without offending the audience after it is revealed that he is not Qiao Xia's child, actually requires a lot of skill.
However, Ye Qingxi integrated it very well, even exceptionally well.
If Feng Que hadn't spent time with him, he would have thought Ye Qingxi was just playing herself.
Not only that, Ye Qingxi also added a small detail to her performance.
On the first day, when Qiao Tian and Qiao Xia met for the first time, Qiao Xia tidied up the room and reluctantly made room for Qiao Tian to sleep in.
As Ye Qingxi closed the door, he paused for a moment, looking at Qiao Xia with a mixture of hesitation, anticipation, and unease, and asked, "Dad, do you want to hug me?"
Seeing the complex emotions in his eyes, Qiao Xia couldn't bear to refuse and hugged him.
Qiao Tian smiled shyly and said, "Goodnight, Dad."
Then the door was closed.
He breathed a long sigh of relief behind the door.
He seemed nervous about what had just happened, but in reality, he was nervous because he had lied to Qiao Xia.
After that, whenever they finished something together, or when they had a disagreement that they resolved, Qiao Tian would ask him, "Do you want to hug me?"
Qiao Xia would then bend down and hug him.
Feng Que was initially puzzled and asked him, "Why do you keep having Qiao Tian ask Qiao Xia if he wants a hug?"
"Because he knows he's not Qiao Xia's child, but he really wants to fulfill his mother's last wish and stay by Qiao Xia's side, so he thinks that this way he can get closer to Qiao Xia, and then Qiao Xia won't be willing to send him away," Ye Qingxi explained.
Moreover, this also echoes the climax in the middle, when Qiao Xia pushes Qiao Tian out the door and tells him to go find his family, and Qiao Tian hugs him and calls him "Dad".
In the beginning, he kept asking Qiao Xia if she wanted a hug. In reality, he wanted Qiao Xia's hug, he wanted to hug Qiao Xia, and he didn't want to leave Qiao Xia.
These were things that a six-year-old child obviously couldn't think of, so Ye Qingxi didn't say anything.
However, Feng Que clearly had already thought of that.
"Not bad." Feng Que patted Ye Qingxi's head. "You're so young yet you have such awareness. You're really born to be an actor."
When Ye Qingxi auditioned, he vaguely sensed that this child had her own ideas about character portrayal. She could talk about crying scenes in a very logical and layered way.
Now, Feng Que feels the same way.
Mu Shaowu: ...It's fine if you say this to me, but if my dad hears you, you're finished!
but……
Mu Shaowu looked at his son.
His son seems to be really talented in acting. There are some scenes that he thinks are quite difficult, but his son can even get them right in one take. After the take, he still feels that he didn't perform well enough and asks Feng Que to do it again.
How to put it? It's like a fish in water, or a tiger with wings.
If he hadn't known very well that Ye Qingxi had never acted since birth, he would have thought that his son was already a movie star while he was still in his mother's womb.
This must be putting a lot of pressure on him, a father who's a terrible student.
Mu Shaowu silently wiped the sweat from his brow, realizing that he had indeed let his son down.
He's the one who's disgraced his son!
After a week of filming, Ye Qingxi successfully transformed from the lovable "Xiao Xi" into the respected "Teacher Ye."
Previously, I thought Ye Qingxi must have gotten into their production crew because of Mu Shaowu's powerful connections. But after a week of watching Ye Qingxi's acting, I've gone from thinking, "How could Ye Qingxi, a second-generation star, possibly play Qiao Tian without her father?" to "Little Ye Qingxi is so cute, she can definitely play Qiao Tian." Then it went to "Ye Qingxi's acting is good, she deserves to play Qiao Tian." Then it went to "Teacher Ye's acting is superb, she's the perfect choice for Qiao Tian." Finally, I've gone to "Teacher Ye's father, please don't let it affect Teacher Ye's performance."
Among them, Feng Que's assistant, Xiao Dai, changed the fastest.
Previously, he felt that Feng Que had placed too much emphasis on Mu Shaowu's popularity by giving up Kou Yang and choosing Ye Qingxi for Mu Shaowu.
Now, he thinks, can't their Director Feng give Qiao Tian more screen time?!
Look at Teacher Ye's performance! Doesn't this deserve a solo performance, a close-up?!
Director Feng! You're so foolish!
In response, Feng Que stated that he had indeed added it, and that he wasn't blind!
On the tenth day of filming, Ye Qingxi had just finished shooting and was resting on set in a down jacket when she received two cups of milk tea from Feng Que's assistant, Xiao Dai, and Mu Shaowu's agent, Zeng Chong.
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi thought for a moment, then accepted Zeng Chong's milk tea and said to Xiao Dai, "I'm sorry, Uncle Dai, but I'd like to eat tapioca pearls today."
"It's alright," Xiao Dai said with a smile.
He'll buy the pearls tomorrow!
Ye Qingxi picked up her smartwatch and saw that Qin Cheng had sent her a WeChat message asking, "Can I come see you?"
Ye Qingxi quickly called him back.
"Hello," Qin Cheng answered.
Ye Qingxi asked him while sipping her milk tea, "Brother, do you want to come see me?"
"Mm." Qin Cheng nodded.
He originally wanted to visit Ye Qingxi as soon as he had a holiday, but Ye Qingxi had just finished her exams and was on holiday when she flew to S City to film a movie.
This was Ye Qingxi's first time filming, and he was afraid that if he went there now, he would cause trouble for Ye Qingxi, so he waited at home.
After Ye Qingxi had been filming for a while, he felt that she should have adapted, so he made a request to visit the set.
Ye Qingxi readily agreed, "Okay, when are you coming over?"
"Is tomorrow okay?" Qin Cheng asked him.
"Sure," Ye Qingxi replied without hesitation.
He quite enjoys having people visit the set when he's filming.
Unfortunately, in his past life, he didn't have many friends, and when he was filming, few people came to visit him on set.
Now that Qin Cheng has arrived, Ye Qingxi is naturally overjoyed.
"When you come over, I'll treat you to some delicious food here."
“I’m the older brother, it’s my treat,” Qin Cheng said.
Ye Qingxi didn't dwell on this matter with him. "Okay, then you treat me."
After agreeing on a time, Ye Qingxi hung up the phone.
He told Mu Shaowu about it while Mu Shaowu was resting.
Mu Shaowu naturally had no objections.
"Who brought Xiao Cheng here? His father or his mother? Or Qin Yuan?"
“His mother,” Ye Qingxi said, “his uncle is still busy, but his brother said his mother isn’t busy, so she came with him.”
Mu Shaowu nodded, "Then you can take advantage of the days when you have fewer scenes to go out and have some fun."
"Mm," Ye Qingxi said with a smile.
Mu Shaowu patted his head and took the opportunity to sip his milk tea.
Then he turned to look at Zeng Chong.
Why don't I have milk tea?
Zeng Chong: ? ? ?
"You're filming a movie, so you need to manage your image. High-calorie things like milk tea are naturally irrelevant to you."
Mu Shaowu: ? ? ?
"So Xiaoxi isn't filming?"
“That’s different.” Zeng Chong’s gaze softened. “Xiao Xi is only six years old. This milk tea is delicious and warming, a win-win situation!”
Mu Shaowu: ...
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingxi raised the milk tea to Mu Shaowu's lips, "Daddy, do you want some? Then you can have some~"
He looked at Zeng Chong, "My dad can drink a little bit without any problem~"
Zeng Chong smiled and said, "That's right, Xiao Xi is so good~ She's such a good baby, Daddy~"
Mu Shaowu: ? ? ? At this point, you're not going to think that high-calorie things like milk tea are irrelevant to you?
Mu Shaowu was speechless. He felt that his agent no longer wanted to be his agent, but only wanted to be his son's agent!
Qin Cheng arrived quickly, reaching S City the following afternoon.
Mu Shaowu's assistant picked him and Qin Luan up and took them to the hotel where the film crew was staying.
That evening, Mu Shaowu hosted a dinner for Qin Luan and Qin Cheng.
Qin Cheng hadn't seen Ye Qingxi for ten days. Although they chatted on WeChat every day, the feeling was different when they finally met in person.
"Are you going to film a movie after you finish eating?" Qin Cheng asked him.
Ye Qingxi shook her head. Qin Luan and Qin Cheng came today, and Feng Que specially gave him and Mu Shaowu a night off, moving tonight's filming to tomorrow.
"After we finish eating, we can watch cartoons together."
"Okay," Qin Cheng replied.
Have you done your winter break homework?
Ye Qingxi: "...Not yet."
"Have you finished writing?" Ye Qingxi asked him.
Qin Cheng nodded.
Ye Qingxi: ...Well, as expected of you, you're just like Pei Liang's brother.
"I want to wait until school starts before I write it," Ye Qingxi said.
Who goes to work and does homework at the same time?
He wanted to delay.
"Okay." Qin Cheng didn't rush him. "You're so smart and have good grades, you'll finish writing quickly."
That's true, Ye Qingxi thought. The second-grade winter vacation homework is still quite simple.
Qin Luan watched the two of them chattering and laughed, "Xiao Cheng has been thinking about Xiao Xi since the start of the holiday, wanting to play with her. Now he's finally met her."
"The two of them have a good relationship," Mu Shaowu said with satisfaction.
Qin Luan thought so too.
"By the way, if you're filming this year, how are you going to spend the Lunar New Year?" Qin Luan asked him. "Are you going home again?"
“I asked Feng Que before, and he said that we would have two days off on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, so I can still go back.”
"That's good." Qin Luan nodded.
The four of them chatted and ate, and by the time they finished, it was past nine o'clock. Ye Qingxi took Qin Cheng back to her and Mu Shaowu's presidential suite, where the two watched cartoons together.
Seeing that Qin Luan was there, Mu Shaowu asked her to look after the two children while he went to find Feng Que to discuss the plot he was going to film the next day.
Around midnight, Mu Shaowu returned, and Qin Luan left with Qin Cheng.
Ye Qingxi waved to him and happily lay down on the bed after taking a shower.
Looking at the smile on his face, Mu Shaowu sighed and deliberately teased him, "I've noticed you're quite popular. When you're filming variety shows, your senior brothers and sisters, as well as Zhong Yan and the others, come to visit the set. When you're filming movies, even your brother comes to visit the set. Unlike me, nobody ever comes to see me~"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingxi quickly turned over and comforted him, "That's because I've never filmed this before, and besides, brother isn't just here to see me, he's here to see you too!"
Do you think I believe you?
Mu Shaowu smiled and pinched his little cheek. "My son is the most considerate. It's okay, as long as you're by Daddy's side, Daddy doesn't need anyone to visit him on set."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingxi smiled sweetly at him and hugged him.
He silently prayed in his heart: Maybe someone should come visit his dad on set. Visits are always a good thing; his dad deserves one too.
His prayers were answered quickly.
Two days later, Mu Shaowu and Ye Qingxi were filming a scene, and Feng Que was sitting in front of the monitor watching when he suddenly heard his assistant report in his ear: "The old man has arrived."
Phoenix Palace: ? ? ? !!!
Feng Que asked in confusion, "What is he doing here?!"
The assistant had no idea. "Perhaps you can ask him yourself."
After he finished speaking, he gestured with his eyes for Feng Que to look back.
Feng Que turned around and saw his old man, wearing a gray wool coat, his hair neatly combed, walking towards him with a cane.
His personal driver followed behind.
Phoenix Palace: !!!
Feng Que quickly went over.
"Grandpa, what brings you here?"
"What do you think?" Old Master Feng glared at him fiercely.
Phoenix Palace: ? ? ?
Feng Que was completely baffled; how could he possibly know?
He hasn't upset the old man recently!
"Why don't you tell me?"
Grandpa Feng snorted, "I'll talk? I'll talk! I've come to see my future granddaughter-in-law and great-grandson!"
"It's better to avoid some people who are only close to their own parents. Even when the emperor is far away, they still remember to tell their parents. What, is Grandpa not a person? Does Grandpa not deserve to know anything?! If your dad hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that you already have a boyfriend and even found yourself a son. Feng Que, is this how you treat your grandfather?!"
Phoenix Palace: !!!
Feng Que was so frightened that he quickly covered his grandfather's mouth!
Grandpa, you can't say that here!
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