TL: Hua
Previously, when it was announced that Qi Xiaoyu was going to make a movie about Peking Opera, there were many negative voices on the Internet. Some people said that he couldn’t sing, some said that he was inexperienced, and even fans were worried that he would be criticized for not being perfect.
Now, all those comments have disappeared. Occasionally, one or two are seen, but they are also dug out and slapped in the face.
“I didn’t believe Qi Xiaoyu could make this movie before; now if anyone tells me he can’t, I’ll smash their head.”
“Hahaha, don’t be so irritable; let’s happily wait for Xiaoyu’s new movie together.”
“Please let Huadan Xiaoyu come online quickly, and please make it a long movie. Ah~ I feel excited just thinking about it. I can’t wait to contribute to the box office.”
People in the industry who had been on the fence before were also eager to make a move. At that time, they were worried that Qi Xiaoyu’s movie would lose money, so they didn’t dare to cooperate.
Now, a lot of investors and sponsors came to his door one after another, asking for cooperation and ad placement.
Yu Xiaosheng and Li Kun couldn’t stop them, so Qi Xiaoyu had to speak up himself.
Qi Xiaoyu declined them one by one. When he saw a beverage sponsor, he couldn’t help laughing and said, “It seems that your company’s products didn’t exist yet in that era.”
When Xun Qian heard about this, he put his hands in his trouser pockets and looked down on everyone, “Do I look like I need money for investment?”
This is how those people were persuaded to retreat and recognize the reality that the sponsor is hopeless. After all, their family is rich and has money to spare.
A bunch of economic companies and artists also sent olive branches to seek cooperation, asking which vacant roles in “Red Moon Troupe” need to be recruited.
After seeing the sensational effect of Qi Xiaoyu’s Peking Opera performance, it’s certain that this movie will be a hit and make money. Who could doubt it??
But the main roles in “Red Moon Troupe” all require Peking Opera, and he has also agreed with Zhang Guohui to select a few suitable ones from the Peking Opera Theater and take them to slowly hone their acting skills and find the feeling of filming a movie.
For other less important roles that don’t require a lot of time to shoot, he has also invited Gu Meiling, Xue Qingchu, and Zheng Peizu to guest star.
No external support is needed.
All right, everyone took back the olive branch in dismay. Initially, they underestimated Qi Xiaoyu, only to discover he required no support from them at all.
****
After the official announcement of “Red Moon Troupe,” Qi Xiaoyu’s mind was on the movie and the upcoming wedding.
For this movie, he planned to take his time and work carefully. The planning period was one year.
The entire studio was invested in and built by Wanhai Real Estate, a subsidiary of Xun Group. It was located in the western suburbs of S City, more than ten kilometers past the urban boundary, which happened to be the land bought by Xun Group as well.
As early as last autumn, when Qi Xiaoyu was preparing the script, Xun Qian asked his people to start planning this matter.
By the summer of the second year, the main structures—the Red Moon Troupe’s living quarters and the theater—were complete.”
At first, Qi Xiaoyu felt it was a waste.
Xun Qian didn’t think so and analyzed with him seriously, “S City has a developed economy and a strong demand for film and television resources and tourism resources. In the future, this location can not only be rented to other film crews but also developed into a tourist destination, ensuring profitability. Moreover, you deserve better than what other film and television bases offer.”
Looking at Qi Xiaoyu with a doting face, he said, “And it’s close this way; you can come back home every day.”
Qi Xiaoyu tilted his head and said deliberately, “But I don’t just stay in the crew every day. After the wedding, I have to go to the Peking Opera House to teach people there.”
Xun Qian lowered his long eyelashes and rubbed Qi Xiaoyu’s nose with his nose. “Do you have to live there?”
Qi Xiaoyu also said seriously, “Yes, Dean Zhang has reserved a single dormitory for me.”
“How can a single dormitory be enough? At least a double room. I will move there too.”
“Why are you moving there?”
“Can you take in one more student?”
“Hahaha, no, you are too old; I can’t teach you.”
“???”
“Hahaha.”
The two laughed for a while before Xun Qian sent Qi Xiaoyu to the set.
The story of “Red Moon Troupe” starts from when Qi Xiaoyu joins the troupe, and the timeline spans twenty years until the troupe disbands.
The year Qi Xiaoyu joined the troupe, the Red Moon Troupe was still a grassroots troupe[mfn]Small troupe with fewer actors and simpler costumes and props, often performing in rural areas or small cities.[/mfn], singing wherever there was a play, wandering the streets and alleys.
Later, they became famous and were invited by a theater as regular performers, so they settled down in Beiping[mfn]Former name of the current Beijing city.[/mfn] and later moved to Shanghai.
At that time, his master was young, and his senior sister was only two years older than him. The two eldest senior brothers, one fifteen years old, sang Xiaosheng, and the other fourteen years old, sang Huadan.
Qi Xiaoyu brought people to the theater, not to shoot the movie right away, but to listen to stories and hone their feelings first.
That day, at six o’clock in the evening, Qi Xiaoyu finished work and was about to go home when he received a strange call.
He took a look and wanted to hang up but was afraid that it was about work, so he picked up the phone.
The other person’s voice was very polite, with a hint of flattery, but also laced with subtle arrogance, “Is this Xiaoyu?”
Qi Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment and tried to search for the source of this voice in his mind, but he had no impression at all. Among the women he knew, no one’s voice had such a harshness that could not be concealed.
He politely asked, “Excuse me, who are you?”
The other person laughed twice, sounding like she was trying to be friendly, but Qi Xiaoyu could still hear the awkwardness in it.
“Xiaoyu, you have made a name for yourself now, so noble and forgetful that you don’t even remember your Aunt Wang.”
Aunt Wang?
Wang Mengqin?
This name was really a bit unfamiliar. Qi Xiaoyu hadn’t dealt with this person since he crossed over, so it took a bit of effort to pull this person’s information out of his long-ago memories—the original owner’s stepmother, the second wife of the original owner’s father, Qi Guanjie.
Oh, if it weren’t for this woman, the original owner wouldn’t be so miserable, and he wouldn’t have taken over such a mess when he first came here.
Now Wang Mengqin actually called him?
Qi Xiaoyu, “Hello, what can I do for you?”
Wang Mengqin smiled and said, “Your father is sick and wants to see you.”
Qi Xiaoyu said indifferently, “Oh.”
Wang Mengqin was surprised. “Aren’t you going to come and see him?”
“It shouldn’t be necessary.”
“Hehe, Xiaoyu, you’re really not going to come and see your father? You’re a public figure and a famous one right now. If you don’t come to visit your sick father, it will be bad for your reputation if words get out.”
“Yeah. But I’m very busy today, so I’ll hang up first.”
Qi Xiaoyu was too lazy to deal with this nonsense and didn’t want to give this woman a chance to mess with him, so he hung up the phone directly.
But Qi Guanjie is the original owner’s father after all. If he’s really seriously ill…
Qi Xiaoyu thought about it and called Zhang Han.
“Help me find out what Qi Guanjie has been up to lately.”
When the original owner was down and out, this family just kicked him out without a word.
But after he became famous, they never contacted him. According to the original text, Wang Mengqin was always very wary of him, fearing that he would snatch Qi Guanjie away.
So why contact him now suddenly…
Before Qi Xiaoyu could think about it, Zhang Han called back.
“Qi Guanjie’s company has encountered some problems with poor cash flow. His current wife, Wang Mengqin, is also addicted to stock trading. At the beginning of this year, the stock market was not good, and she lost a lot. I heard that Qi Guanjie couldn’t take the blow and was just hospitalized.”
“Is he seriously ill?”
“High blood pressure and diabetes, which are diseases that most elderly people will get. It’s not serious.”
“Okay, thank you. This woman may say something nonsensical, so please help me deal with it and give her some warnings.”
Zhang Han was stunned for a moment. He had just checked the information and found out the relationship between Qi Guanjie and Qi Xiaoyu. He was also worried that if Qi Xiaoyu was soft-hearted toward this kind of family, it would cause trouble in the future. But Qi Xiaoyu was unexpectedly very decisive, so he responded immediately.
“No problem. If she dares to talk nonsense, that company will be completely finished.”
“Okay.”
After Zhang Han said this, Qi Xiaoyu understood in his heart. She was just desperate for money.
Wang Mengqin wanted to use family affection to guilt trip him, but she really thought too much.
Qi Xiaoyu wasn’t going to care or even spend much time dealing with it. His time is worth more than this.
But after dealing with it, Qi Xiaoyu still felt a little uncomfortable.
It’s not easy for the original owner to have such a family. He really wanted to experience what a normal, harmonious, father-son, filial family relationship was like.
However, this melancholy disappeared when he saw the Xun family villa.
The Xun family brought him much more family warmth than he could have imagined.
White-browed Hero was rolling around in the yard when the car made its way in. When he saw Qi Xiaoyu’s car coming in, he chased all the way over and stopped beside the car door.
Qi Xiaoyu quickly blocked the dog and scolded with a smile, “Did you go to the stable and run wild again?”
Butler Cheng was chasing after him with a dog leash, using his hands and feet to secure the dog. When he heard Qi Xiaoyu’s words, he replied, “That’s right. It’s running around so much that I can’t even catch up. The doctor obviously said it will be much more docile after the surgery, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“Hahaha.”
Qi Xiaoyu helped put the leash around White-browed Hero and then dragged him inside. “Where is the Third Master?”
Butler Cheng looked very happy. “The Third Master is discussing with the people from the wedding company in the living room. It’s just right in time that you’re back. Why don’t you go in and take a look?”
“Okay.” Qi Xiaoyu handed the dog leash to Butler Cheng, went to the corridor to wash his hands, patted the dust off his body, and then entered the living room.
When he pushed the door open, he saw Xun Qian sitting opposite him with a slight frown. When he saw him come in, he put away the worry between his brows.
Qi Xiaoyu strode in and saw Xun Qian say something to the wedding company staff. Then, the staff packed up and stood up to say goodbye to Xun Qian.
He greeted the staff, then walked over and sat down on the sofa next to Xun Qian. “What’s wrong? Did you encounter any problems?”
On the coffee table across from the sofa, there is a fruit tray with seasonal grapes, cherries, and starfruit, divided into four or five small fruit plates.
Xun Qian picked a dark purple grape, peeled it and handed it to Qi Xiaoyu’s mouth. “Baby, we won’t have a Chinese wedding.”
Qi Xiaoyu ate the grapes and looked at him with black grape eyes. “Not doing it?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
Xun Qian peeled another grape and handed it over. “Just now the wedding planner said that the elders must be present in the process of a Chinese wedding.”
Qi Xiaoyu understood immediately.
If it was in the past, he would look for his master, but now, there’s really no one. Qi Guanjie doesn’t deserve it, and neither does Xu Xueyin.
He took out a tissue and wiped the grape juice from the corner of his mouth. “Then let’s have a Western-style wedding. I like it too.”
He wiped the corner of his mouth clean, hugged Xun Qian, and kissed him twice, “I like everything as long as I marry you.”
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One more chapter to gooooo
