"Then I'll discuss it with your father later."
If it were just about earning money for baby formula, Wei Yutang felt there was absolutely no need for this, but judging from Xia Xia's expression, it was obvious that he himself was very interested in it.
It's good to let him do things he likes and wants to do while he's still young.
"Yay, Uncle is the best!"
After her uncle agreed, Xiaxia didn't hold back at all in flattering him, showering him with sweet words.
"Wait, I only said I'd give it a try, but I didn't guarantee it would work."
"I believe in my uncle!"
Looking at Xia Xia's trusting expression on his phone screen, Wei Yutang helplessly rubbed his temples.
He had already said it, and if he couldn't do it, he would be letting him down, which gave Wei Yutang a very strange sense of guilt.
That evening, based on his guess, Wei Yutang called Chu Qing after Xia Xia fell asleep.
At this moment, Chu had just finished showering and was sitting on the edge of the bed reading a book, still looking sleepy. Wei Yutang guessed that he had also just washed his hair, as it was still a little damp.
Under the bedroom light, Chu Qing appeared somewhat gentle, her usual aloofness fading considerably, causing Wei Yutang to unconsciously soften his tone.
"Why don't you blow-dry your hair before going to sleep?"
Chu Qing frowned slightly, put the book aside, and replied:
"trouble."
He doesn't like blow-drying his hair, always complaining that the process is too tedious. Unless he's washing Xiaxia's hair and worried about him catching a cold, he's too lazy to bother with such details.
I had been reading in the well-heated room for a while, but I didn't expect Wei Yutang to still notice.
"I'll blow it for you next time I go back; I don't mind the trouble."
"Um."
After Chu Qing finished speaking, she guessed why Wei Yutang had made the call, and took the initiative to speak:
"Xiaxia is too young. Makeup is bad for a child's skin, and I don't want him to be too tired."
Wei Yutang nodded throughout as he listened to Chu Qing speak, completely agreeing with Chu Qing's thoughts on these matters, because he himself thought the same way.
However, he had already promised that little devil, and he didn't want to be a father that Xiaxia didn't trust, so he could only bite the bullet and start making things up.
"It doesn't matter if the cosmetics are good quality, as Xiaxia won't be too tired with a nanny around."
"And I think Xiaxia likes him quite a bit."
Chu Qing didn't take the previous words seriously, but Wei Yutang's last sentence made him start to think.
Seeing Xiaxia so excited, even bustling around, I really liked it. Before going to bed that night, she even acted coquettishly in front of me for a while.
"Let me think about it some more."
"Besides, Xiaxia is always by your side anyway, so it doesn't make much difference what you do. I can go over and help you take care of him after I'm done with my work here."
When Wei Yutang said this, he tried his best to control himself and not let his purpose be too obvious.
Perhaps because he had indeed performed well in front of Chu Qing before, his words now did not arouse any suspicion from Chu Qing.
"good."
The next day, after Xiaxia opened his eyes, he burrowed deeper into the covers. Before, the first thing he did when he woke up was to crawl out of bed and look for his father.
But since the weather started to get cold, this habit has gradually changed, and I try every means to stay in bed longer.
With snowflakes falling outside, he really couldn't resist the warmth of his bed.
Mother Wei had her assistant bring over breakfast that suited their tastes. The hotel room was well-heated, and Chu Qing, wearing only a sweater, pushed open the door and saw a small bulge on the bed.
I approached to see if Xiaxia was awake, and lifted a corner of the blanket to meet her eyes, which were darting around.
"dad."
"Okay, get up. I'm taking you to the film set today."
"Huh? Dad, what do you mean by this?"
At this moment, Xiaxia didn't even care about staying in bed. She crawled out of the covers and stared at her father with bright eyes.
"Sign a contract with my little actor."
"Wow, Xiaxia can dress herself up, Daddy, look!"
Xiaxia didn't need anyone's help this time and dressed herself.
While Xia Xia said he could do it, Chu Qing stood patiently to the side, watching as he noticed that Xia Xia even knew to put his long underwear inside his socks, and then pulled them up a little harder.
Xiaxia, dressed, ran to her father and urged him to hurry up and go out to eat.
After speaking with Chu Qing yesterday, Wei Yutang contacted his older brother, who had essentially raised him.
She is closer to her older brother than her parents, and instinctively seeks his help whenever something happens.
When Chu Qing and Xia Xia arrived at the film set, his agency had already finalized the contract, and all that was left was for him to sign it.
The more the screenwriter looked at Xia Xia, the more inspired she became. In the original story, the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion lost its lineage, and the legend of immortality disappeared from that continent.
However, he was more satisfied with his changes. He didn't alter the original ending for the Imperial Preceptor, but he made up for the regret in another way.
Xia Xia's costume wasn't finished yet, so the director asked the staff to make it according to Chu Qing's costume style. It was delivered to the film crew about a week later.
Xiaxia was very nervous on the day she tried on the clothes. She was held by the staff and changed without crying or making a fuss. She would only occasionally look around with curious eyes.
After changing the cosmetics, as Wei Yutang had previously requested, Xiaxia was given cosmetics that were not irritating to children.
He wore a dark cloak over his clothes, embroidered with cranes spreading their wings as if about to take flight in gold thread.
Just standing next to Chu Qing, with the snowflakes falling outside, was a beautiful sight.
Author's Note:
I, Gu, hereby guarantee that I will only be absent for one day at most in July!
Chapter 64
The scenes related to the successor of the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion were all added by the screenwriter, so Chu Qing had to familiarize herself with the things she had seen before.
The director changed all his ideas immediately after seeing the script the screenwriter handed him. If he couldn't see the potential hidden in it, then all his years of making TV dramas would have been wasted.
The director personally selected all the actors in this production crew, and they are all good in terms of both acting skills and personality.
Xiaxia is naturally well-behaved and adorable. His arrival has won the hearts of many actors, especially since he loves to act cute and sweetly calls out to his older brothers, sisters, grandpas, and grandmas in his baby voice. Even veteran actors of a certain age can be easily won over by him.
Every time the director explained the scene to Chu Qing, Xia Xia would be held in Chu Qing's arms. They filmed many scenes together in the early stages, so the director could explain the scene to both of them at once, which saved a lot of trouble.
Because it was Xia Xia's first time acting, the director was very lenient with him, reducing the difficulty of the script again and again.
Today, Chu Qing and Xia Xia were filming a snow scene together. It was a rare sight to see heavy snow in Hengdian. The red plum blossoms were also in full bloom in the courtyard where they were filming. The director felt it would be a real pity to miss it.
The heir of the Imperial Preceptor's mansion in the courtyard was punished for not studying well and made to kneel in the snow. The Imperial Preceptor had just returned home when he saw the little guy kneeling straight in the snow from the window and began to feel sorry for him.
He held an oil-paper umbrella in one hand and a cloak in the other.
As he walked to Xiaxia's side, the oil-paper umbrella tilted slightly in his direction. Xiaxia looked up at him and called out softly, "Master."
The director didn't have high hopes for Xia Xia, after all, even many child actors in their circle had their share of setbacks during filming.
There's no way to properly address this kind of situation; you can only try to work it out over and over again.
Xiaxia's performance exceeded his expectations. Her emotional expression and everything else were spot on, and the scene of the father and son together was exceptionally pleasing to the eye.
After Xiaxia heard the director say it was done, she immediately reached out and hugged her father's leg, tilting her head up to act cute with him.
"Dad, it's so cold."
Chu Qing held his small hands in her palms to warm them, and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him when she saw him shivering from the cold.
When shooting outdoor scenes, especially snow scenes, there are usually no ways to keep warm. As an adult, he was fine, even if he was cold, it didn't bother him.
But Xiaxia was still too young, and she was shivering from the cold. She was already very well-behaved when she wasn't making a fuss while filming.
After the director noticed the scene, he waved to Xiaxia and told him to come over and warm up.
The assistant sent by Wei's mother to take care of Xiaxia was carrying a thermos containing ginger soup that she had personally prepared at the hotel.
Xiaxia was initially quite happy to have a bowl of hot soup to warm his hands, but when he discovered that the soup smelled a little pungent, his little eyebrows couldn't help but furrow.
Chu Qing walked over and took a look. After confirming that it was ginger soup, she started discussing with Xia Xia about drinking some.
"No, Xiaxia isn't cold."
Xiaxia already disliked its smell, let alone now that her father was telling her to drink it. Her little eyebrows furrowed, and every cell in her body seemed to be expressing her resistance.
Chu Qing just touched his hand, which was clearly freezing cold. The only reason he was putting on a brave face was that he didn't want to drink.
"But if you catch a cold, you have to drink very bitter medicine."
Xiaxia faced a difficult choice between the bitter medicine and the unpleasant-smelling ginger soup in front of her, but in the end, she obediently drank the ginger soup.
Fortunately, the assistant was quite skilled; the ginger soup only smelled a bit pungent, but it didn't taste too bad.
Chu Qing found the crew members easy to get along with and effortless. Every time Xia Xia went out for a stroll, her pockets would be stuffed with all sorts of snacks.
Until one day, a newcomer joined the crew. Chu Qing had a memory of this person; it seemed that they had participated in a variety show together before.
The director wasn't very satisfied with the arrival of this new actor, but since he was related to him, and his parents came to plead for his help, it wasn't easy for the director to refuse.
Song Menglai plays the role of a young general in the script. Her character was quite good in the early stages, but she did something in the scene where the imperial advisor died that wiped out all the charm she had built up in an instant.
There are national advisors who choose to sacrifice themselves for the country and its people, protecting the people behind them; similarly, there are generals who choose to betray their country and collude with the enemy.
Chu Qing and he didn't have many scenes together, and they didn't have much contact in general. Xia Xia didn't seem to like him very much either, so they had even less contact.
Originally, Chu Qing's agent planned to arrange a new script for Chu Qing after this drama was finished, hoping to establish her career as soon as possible.
However, with the New Year just around the corner, Wei Yutang specifically asked his elder brother to go and instruct him not to arrange any more work for Chu Qing.
Rather than pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, he wants his family to get together and have a good New Year.
Moreover, Wei Yutang felt that there weren't many good resources available right now, and he hoped that Chu Qing would be like him in the future, rather than becoming an actor with mixed reputation.
After the New Year, a director he had previously worked with had a very good script that he thought would be very suitable for Chu Qing.