Chapter 407 (Combined with Chapter 407)
407:
Kang Ying sat to Ye Qingxi's left and asked him affectionately, "Brother, when did you arrive? Why didn't you come last week?"
Ye Qingxi replied, "I'm busy with work."
"Are you still busy afterwards?"
Ye Qingxi looked at him helplessly, "I still have to work."
Upon hearing this, Kang Ying pouted, somewhat dissatisfied yet helpless, and said, "Alright then."
Ye Qingxi then rubbed his head.
Kang Lao's son got married late, and even after having children, he still devoted himself to his work.
His wife was also working alongside him.
Therefore, Kang Ying was always raised by Kang Lao and Kang Lao Madam.
Although Ye Qingxi only comes once a week or once a month, she always spends some time playing with Kang Ying each time she comes.
Children naturally like older children, especially since Ye Qingxi also calls Grandpa Kang.
Kang Ying initially thought he was her brother—but no, he also had a brother whose surname wasn't Kang.
By the time he discovered, to be precise, that Ye Qingxi was actually his grandfather's student, he had already come to regard Ye Qingxi as an older brother.
Ye Qingxi has a good temper, is patient with children, and is also good-looking. Kang Ying has always liked him.
Even after he had a younger sister, he still liked Ye Qingxi very much; she wasn't his brother's brother.
So Kang Ying was overjoyed to see Ye Qingxi.
When Mrs. Kang saw him arrive, she smiled and asked, "Xiao Xi, have you finished filming your movie?"
"It's finished filming," Ye Qingxi said. "I came to see you today so you could take a look at the background music I created."
"Okay, then don't rush off. I just bought some groceries this morning, let's have lunch together."
“Okay,” Ye Qingxi replied.
After he finished talking with Mr. Kang, he was taken to the toy house by the Kang siblings.
Kang Ying wanted to play with toy cars, and Kang Zhao wanted him to play house with her.
Ye Qingxi was too busy to be in two places at once, so she could only let Kang Ying do her homework first. Fortunately, she could play house with Kang Zhao first, and then play with toy cars with Kang Ying later.
Old Kang nodded as he stood at the door, saying, "That's right. When your little Xi was little, he would do his homework first thing every day when he got home."
Kang Ying looked at her little brother Xi, "Really?"
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi wanted to say that of course not. When he was a child, he did his homework entirely according to his mood. He would write whenever he felt like it. Sometimes he would finish it at school, sometimes he would start as soon as he got home, and sometimes he would wait until before going to bed to do it.
However, he didn't want to embarrass his teacher, so he just smiled.
Old Kang said, "Your brother Xiaoxi is amazing. He got 100 in every subject in elementary school and was always first in his grade. He was also the top scorer in the middle school entrance exam and the college entrance exam when he grew up!"
Kang Ying and Kang Zhao exclaimed "Wow!" and looked at him with bright eyes.
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
Old Master Kang added, "So you should learn from your brother Xiao Xi, understand?"
Kang Ying and Kang Zhao nodded repeatedly.
Kang Ying stood up and said, "I'm going to do my homework now."
Kang Zhao also said, "When I get back, I'll also get a perfect score."
Ye Qingxi patted her head, "Okay~"
Then he saw Kang Ying offer him her fluffy head, practically saying, "Let me touch you."
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi could only pat his head while holding the water.
Kang Ying went to do her homework, so Ye Qingxi started playing house with Kang Zhao.
This game is rather childish for adults. Fortunately, Ye Qingxi himself had a healing childhood, so he is always very patient and gentle when facing children, hoping that they can also have a happy and joyful childhood.
Halfway through playing with Kang Zhao, Old Madam Kang had already prepared dinner.
She specially made sweet and sour pork ribs, which Ye Qingxi loves. Kang Ying and Kang Zhao also like these two dishes very much, and the three of them passed their chopsticks back and forth.
Madam Kang looked at them with a smile, as if she could see Ye Qingxi when he was still a little girl, cute and adorable, sitting on a chair with his arms outstretched but still unable to reach the dishes on the far side, so she had to pick them up for him.
Now he's all grown up and can even serve food to her grandchildren.
Madam Kang picked up her chopsticks, placed a piece of spare rib on his plate, and looked at him with affection.
After dinner, Ye Qingxi checked Kang Ying's homework and then played with his newly bought toy race car.
Kang Zhao didn't like this, so she took her own doll, sat down, and started changing her doll's clothes and braiding its hair.
She would occasionally hold up her doll and ask Ye Qingxi, "Is it pretty, brother?"
Ye Qingxi replied, "It looks good."
The next second, Kang Ying shouted, "Brother, look! I'm about to take a sharp turn!"
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ? What the heck?
Then he saw Kang Ying maneuvering his toy race car, making rapid turns.
Ye Qingxi clapped along enthusiastically, exclaiming, "Wow! That's amazing!"
Kang Ying is proud.
Kang Zhao asked him again, "Brother, which of these two dresses looks better?"
Ye Qingxi glanced back and pointed to the left, saying, "The blue one."
“I also think blue is prettier~” Kang Zhao said softly.
Standing at the door, Madam Kang smiled and said, "These two children really do like Xiao Xi."
"Only Xiaoxi doesn't find them annoying."
Grandma Kang smiled and clapped her hands, saying, "The cartoon has started. Who wants to watch the cartoon?"
"Me, me, me," the two siblings quickly replied.
Ye Qingxi finally breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that she no longer had to carry water.
"You must be tired," said Madam Kang, looking at him. "You've worked hard too."
"It's alright," Ye Qingxi said. "They're both quite cute."
This is the truth. Both siblings are very good-looking and know how to act cute and charming with him. They are so adorable and endearing.
After watching the cartoon with the two siblings, both children were sleepy.
Ye Qingxi then prepared to leave.
Mu Shaowu picked him up in his car and asked, "How did it go? What did your teacher say?"
"The teacher said he would take a look at it for me, and he wrote a poem for me himself. I listened to it, and it was very nice."
"That's good. With your teacher's help, you don't need to worry about music anymore."
Ye Qingxi nodded.
Mu Shaowu teased him, "So, what about your theme song? Do you need another teacher to help you?"
The other teacher he mentioned was naturally Murong Qing.
Since Ye Qingxi acquired the identity of Murong Qing's unofficial disciple, he gradually began to make Murong Qing fade from everyone's sight.
He was very successful. After writing four more songs for Mu Shaoting, "Murong Qing" emailed Mu Shaoting to say that he was getting tired of the current music and wanted to make some new music. He would no longer write similar lyrics and music, but he would continue to teach Ye Qingxi.
Mu Shaoting had no objection to this. She was already a big star at that time and had many classic songs. Although Murong Qing's compositions accounted for half of her pension, the other half was covered by other lyricists and composers.
She has good natural talent, so as long as the producer is supportive, she can sing her best.
Therefore, more than not writing songs for himself, Mu Shaoting was worried that Ye Qingxi would stop teaching him.
Like all elders, Mu Shaoting also hopes that all the world's best teachers can gather around her lovely little nephew. Regardless of whether her nephew will use or need them in the future, having them is better than not having them.
So when he saw Murong Qing say that he would continue to teach Ye Qingxi, Mu Shaoting was relieved and generously replied to his musical confidante: "Go ahead, whatever music you want to make, I'll support you."
May your new music bring you boundless joy and fulfillment, like a fish in water and a gentle breeze. May the mountains be high and the rivers long, and the seas wide and the fish leap freely.
From then on, the name Murong Qing completely disappeared from the music scene.
Occasionally, Ye Qingxi would receive emails from his aunt, asking him how his new music was going.
He would reply: "[It's not bad, it's just a pity I can't share it with you.]"
His aunt said, "It's alright. I'm not here to listen to your music. I just want to know you're doing well."
She added, "If anything happens, remember to call me."
Looking at her, Ye Qingxi felt that his aunt was indeed a very good girl.
The reason he has remained undetected all these years is partly due to his excellent concealment and caution, and partly because his aunt has always kept her promise.
No matter how long they had known each other, and no matter how close his aunt thought they were, she never pried into his information and respected his privacy.
So even now, Murong Qing is still Murong Qing.
No one thought Murong Qing was Ye Qingxi, and no one knew that Murong Qing was Ye Qingxi.
"No need," Ye Qingxi replied to her father. "I plan to create my own work."
He said, "I've been learning from Uncle Murong for so many years, it's time for me to hand in my own answer sheet."
"So you're not only going to create original movies, but also original songs?" Mu Shaowu asked in surprise.
Ye Qingxi nodded.
Mu Shaowu: ...This...this...
Isn't this too much for you to do?
Are you really not under any pressure?
Mu Shaowu wanted to advise his son to take things one step at a time.
The theme song can be created another time.
But he felt he couldn't judge his son by the same standards he used for others.
Isn't that true? Others might not be able to sing at the World Championship opening ceremony while also getting a perfect score on their exams and being number one in their grade?
But his son can.
So his son thought, maybe his son could do it.
He has always been a very smart, resourceful, and capable child. As his father, all he needs to do is trust him, support him, and do his best to help him.
"Okay, then Dad looks forward to your final product," Mu Shaowu said.
He looked at his child, his eyes gentle yet earnest: "Dad has high hopes for you!"
Ye Qingxi smiled, hoping he would live up to everyone's expectations!
At two o'clock in the morning, Madam Kang got up to get a drink of water. When she passed by the study, she noticed that the light was still on. She opened the door in surprise and saw her husband wearing reading glasses, making corrections to a musical score.
"Why aren't you asleep yet, it's so late?" asked Madam Kang.
Old Kang glanced at his wife and said gently, "This is a piece of music that Xiao Xi wrote for his movie, so I thought I'd finish revising it as soon as possible and tell him, so the child can rest assured and go on to do other things related to the movie."
"This is his first movie, so there are a lot to worry about."
Madam Kang nodded, "That's true."
"This kid has been more accomplished than his peers since he was a child. He's only twenty years old, while other kids are still in college, he's already a director."
“That’s right,” Old Kang said proudly. “I’ve read his piece, and it’s actually quite good. It’s just that this kid has high standards and feels that he hasn’t written it well enough. If you ask me, it’s already pretty good.”
"Then why are you in such a hurry to change it?" Old Madam Kang advised, "You should go to sleep quickly, otherwise Xiao Xi will scold you again when she finds out."
Upon hearing this, Old Kang could only silently take off his reading glasses. "I was just about to go to sleep, wasn't I?"
He said, "Please don't tell the child."
Madam Kang snorted, "That depends on your performance later."
Kang Lao: ...
Old Kang had no choice but to obediently turn off the light and leave the study with his wife.
Ye Qingxi finished writing lyrics for the theme song and interlude he had composed in just a few days. He hummed them a few times, made some simple revisions, and then took the song he wrote for Mu Shaoting to Mu Shaoting.
Mu Shaoting is at home right now.
Back then, in order to teach her, Mu Feng specifically asked her to choose a branch of the Mu Group that she was interested in and put it under her management.
After much deliberation, Mu Shaoting finally chose a clothing company.
She herself loves beauty and has a good understanding of clothing. With Mu Feng's careful guidance and the professional manager he hired for her, the clothing company's profits soared under Mu Shaoting's management.
As Mu Shaoting watched the clothing company grow stronger day by day, he couldn't help but feel a bit attached to it. So he only retained the group's shares and a director's position, focusing more of his energy on this branch company.
Now that she's pregnant, although she can't completely stop working, she has a professional manager with her, so she doesn't have to be glued to the company every minute of every day.
Therefore, Mu Shaoting moved most of her work home to make her pregnancy easier.
When Ye Qingxi arrived, Mu Shaoting had just finished her afternoon nap and was eating a snack made for her by the nutritionist from the nursing team.
Seeing Ye Qingxi arrive, she said happily, "Why are you here? Haven't you been busy with your movie lately?"
"I'm here because of my movie," Ye Qingxi said. "Auntie, I need your help with something."
"What?" Mu Shaoting asked in confusion.
"I want you to sing the theme song for my movie."
That's it?
Mu Shaoting thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be such a simple matter.
"Okay, when do you want it?" She pushed the pastries in front of Ye Qingxi.
Ye Qingxi tasted it and exclaimed in surprise, "It's quite delicious!"
"Of course, if it doesn't taste good, would I eat it?" Mu Shaoting glanced at him with a smile.
Ye Qingxi: That's true.
"No rush," he said.
He laid out the lyrics and music he had written in front of Mu Shaoting, saying, "This is the one."
Mu Shaoting leaned closer to take a look, and what she saw stunned her.
"This... was written for you by your Uncle Murong?" Mu Shaoting asked.
Although she hadn't seen any new lyrics or music from Murong Qing for a long time, as longtime partners, Mu Shaoting could tell at a glance that it was definitely written by Murong Qing, especially the lyrics, the style was just too similar.
"I wrote it myself," Ye Qingxi said.
Mu Shaoting exclaimed in surprise: "You?!"
Ye Qingxi nodded.
He said, "I originally wanted to show it to Uncle Murong after I finished writing it, but I was a little embarrassed, so I thought I'd show it to you first, Aunt. If you think it's okay, then I'll send it to Uncle Murong."
Mu Shaoting was pleasantly surprised.
She looked at her nephew, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy.
"You really wrote this all by yourself?!"
Ye Qingxi nodded, "Mm."
"You've done a fantastic job!" Mu Shaoting exclaimed. "You've completely inherited your Uncle Murong's creative talent, and you're so young, you've even surpassed your master!"
She was overjoyed; nothing could make her happier than seeing her child's extraordinary talent.
Mu Shaoting hummed softly, and the more he hummed, the more he felt that Ye Qingxi's melody and lyrics were quite good.
"You only wrote this one?" she asked. "Didn't you write one for yourself?"
Ye Qingxi certainly wrote it.
He just didn't show the song to Mu Shaoting because he planned to sing it himself.
Now that Mu Shaoting brought it up, he took out the relevant photos from his phone and handed them to her.
Mu Shaoting found it troublesome to look at the photos, so she asked someone to print them out for her.
It was during this printing process that Ye Qingxi went to the printer and discovered that there were several photos of herself from when she was a child that had been left there.
That was a real "Ye Qingxi" when she was a child, not when she was five or six years old after he transmigrated, but a 100-day photo.
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi asked, puzzled, "What is this...?"
"Oh," Mu Shaoting explained, "Doesn't this mean that if you look at pictures of cute babies during pregnancy, your baby will be cute too?"
"So I asked your grandfather for some photos of you when you were little, hoping that your younger brother or sister will be just like you in the future."
Ye Qingxi was both amused and exasperated.
He felt it was unnecessary.
However, Mu Shaoting felt it was very necessary, absolutely necessary.
Over the years, she has never seen a baby cuter, prettier, smarter, or more considerate than her nephew.
Even now, looking back, Mu Shaoting has to admit that they, as elders, didn't actually put in much effort during Ye Qingxi's upbringing.
It's all because Ye Qingxi is smart and hardworking. Forget about being naughty, rebellious, or even crying.
She's simply an angel baby.
So after watching videos about the things newborns might encounter and the troubles children might face as they grow up, Mu Shaoting and Li Jing both agreed that it would be better to have a child named Ye Qingxi.
Even if the child isn't that smart or artistically talented, at least it's not tiring!
The next day, Mu Shaoting asked her father for photos of Ye Qingxi when she was a child.
The couple printed it out and pasted it on the wall, praying sincerely every day that their child's personality didn't have to be like his mother or his father, but just like his little cousin.
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi never expected that his uncle-in-law was involved in this.
He thought it was just his aunt's idea.
“Your uncle also thinks you’re very well-behaved,” Mu Shaoting said. “His cousin had a baby a few years ago. You wouldn’t believe it, but that child—if you didn’t know, you’d think it was a monkey from Mount Emei. It was always jumping around and causing a lot of trouble. Every time your uncle sees it, he has to look at your childhood photos to comfort himself that the child might not be a monkey, but could be a little angel.”
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi was once again left speechless, both amused and exasperated.
He looked at Mu Shaoting's slightly protruding belly and asked somewhat nervously, "May I touch it?"
"Sure." Mu Shaoting tugged at her belly, her voice filled with maternal love. "The baby is very well-behaved, doesn't fuss at all, and doesn't cause any trouble."
As Ye Qingxi listened, she gently placed her hand on Mu Shaoting's stomach.
This was the first time he had touched Mu Shaoting's stomach. Ye Qingxi felt that there was nothing different about it, except that it was a little tighter. It was no different from his own stomach. But when he thought that there was a little life growing inside him, he felt it was incredibly incredible.
"What a good baby," Ye Qingxi said. "When it's born, it will definitely be very well-behaved too."
"That would be the best." Mu Shaoting prayed about this in his dreams.
She looked at her nephew, then at his hand resting on her stomach, and felt a sense of wonder.
She's pregnant!
It seems like just yesterday that Ye Qingxi was a baby, and now Ye Qingxi can be a big brother and touch the baby in her belly.
Mu Shaoting raised his hand and patted Ye Qingxi's head.
Ye Qingxi looked at her in confusion, and heard her gentle words, "Our little Xi has grown up too."
Ye Qingxi smiled to herself, thinking: Yes, he's grown up too.
"Alright, didn't you ask me to watch the song? Where is the song?" Mu Shaoting reached out his hand.
Ye Qingxi quickly handed it over.
Mu Shaoting took it, hummed, and nodded as he hummed.
This song is clearly different in style from her other song. Ye Qingxi's song is gentler and more like a gentle stream, unlike her other song, which is more catchy and has a more memorable climax.
He truly is a thoughtful nephew; he always saves the best for his family.
“I like this song, I’ll sing it,” Mu Shaoting said.
She also wanted to save the best for her child.
It wasn't the child in her womb, but the child she had watched grow up.
Ye Qingxi shook her head.
He said, "No, Auntie, your song is more like the female lead's inner voice. It's sung from the female lead's perspective. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to empathize with it as much."
"Moreover, the scenes it inserts are also shots of the female lead."
“My song is the opposite; it inserts shots of the male lead.”
Mu Shaoting: ...
"Can't you change it? This was your own creation after all."
“Of course not.” Ye Qingxi said confidently, “I created these two songs based on the personalities of the male and female leads. If I change them, the personalities of the male and female leads will also have to be changed, and I will have to reshoot the movie.”
Mu Shaoting: ...
Having no other choice, Mu Shaoting could only agree, saying, "Alright then."
"Then I'll record it for you as soon as possible."
"No rush," Ye Qingxi said. "Auntie, you can record it whenever you have plenty of time."
"Okay," Mu Shaoting replied.
The two chatted about many other things until Li Jing returned, and Ye Qingxi didn't leave.
With Li Jing back, Mu Shaoting prepared to eat.
Now Ye Qingxi is even less likely to leave.
While eating, Li Jing asked him how the film's post-production was going, saying, "If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know."
Ye Qingxi felt that there probably wasn't any, mainly because his stepfather was just too strong in this field. Whatever he needed, his stepfather could solve it with just one phone call, and his uncle-in-law wouldn't have a chance to help at all.
However, since her uncle-in-law had said so, Ye Qingxi still cooperated and said, "Okay."
The three chatted for a while, and it was almost ten o'clock before Ye Qingxi finally said goodbye to Mu Shaoting and Li Jing and went home.
Shortly after he returned home, he received an email from Mu Shaoting.
The email was not sent to him, of course; it was sent to Murong Qing.
Mu Shaoting: [This is a new song and lyrics composition by Xiaoxi. Take a look, doesn't it have a lot of your style?]
Mu Shaoting: [Oh, I forgot to tell you, Xiao Xi is a director now, so he made a movie. This is a script for the movie. I think it's very good. You can also take a look and see if there's anything that needs to be changed. This kid is shy and might be too embarrassed to ask you directly, so after you've read it, if you think there are any changes needed, you can contact him directly and tell him I sent it to you.]
Mu Shaoting: [Thank you for guiding him all these years.]
As Ye Qingxi watched, a soft warmth filled her heart.
He hadn't expected Mu Shaoting to take the initiative to contact Murong Qing on his behalf, especially so eagerly and attentively, right after he left.
The next day, he specifically hung up a ladder to reply to Mu Shaoting: "There's nothing that needs changing; his work is excellent."
Murong Qing: [You're welcome. It's my honor to have met you, and I'm also very happy to be able to mentor him. I'll go see his movie, and I hope it's a box office success. I wish you all the best in your future.]
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