After dinner, Ji Ruochu dialed Jiang Honglin's number in front of the two of them.
"Master, are you free now? My dad wants to talk to you for a bit."
Beside her, Ji Mochen remarked, "...Good girl, you really know how to use language arts."
On the other end of the phone, Jiang Honglin hesitated before answering.
"Hello, Uncle Jiang." Eventually, the man took the call, "Yes, I heard from Ruochu. Are you suggesting she goes to the martial arts gym?"
...
"But her studies are already very demanding, with many extracurricular activities. Adding another one, we're worried she might get injured."
Tai Chi is one thing, but actually taking on a master, it's not child's play. They only have this one daughter, and they feel distressed even when she just bumps into something, let alone practicing martial arts.
...
"...Let's discuss it with Ruochu again."
No one knew what Jiang Honglin said on the other end of the line. When Ji Mochen hung up the phone, his expression was somewhat bleak.
"What's wrong?" Ji Ruochu, who was earnestly doing math problems on the woolen blanket, asked curiously, pen in her mouth.
Could it be that her master scolded him?
It can't be.
"Ruochu, tell dad, why do you want to go to the martial arts gym? Is someone bullying you at school?"
After speaking, he couldn't help shaking his head.
The recent parent-teacher meeting, the drawer full of snacks in their daughter's room, and the envious looks from every parent in the class were still fresh in their minds.
"No, they can't beat me anyway." Ji Ruochu said nonchalantly.
The old father thought to himself, *Wow, this situation just got more complicated.*
"Why is that? Practicing martial arts is tiring, and mom and dad are afraid you'll get hurt."
"Because..." The little girl finally sat up straight, her expression serious, "Dad, do you remember the fight scene I did when I was in first grade?"
Ji Mochen's face became even more peculiar, gritting his teeth, "Remember? How could Dad forget."
That year's winter, the couple finally managed to persuade their daughter, who never liked going out in winter, to go on a trip together.
As a result, on the last day of the return journey, they unexpectedly encountered a film crew shooting a martial arts drama in the scenic area.
Of course, if it were just an ordinary crew, it would be fine. The key was that the director was the renowned director of countless martial arts dramas, Qiu Xuetong.
Coincidentally, a child actor was injured that day, causing the day's shooting schedule to be directly interrupted, and the staff were packing up to leave.
The director's face looked a little unsightly as he left first, apparently lamenting the loss of wages for the day.
However, there were not many child actors who could perform martial arts scenes at such a young age.
As Qiu Xuetong was thinking about this and worrying about the expenses, he was also thinking about where to squeeze out some funds from a big shot later.
As a result, when he looked up, he ran into a family of three walking towards him.
Unlike others, this family all wore sunglasses and fluffy hats.
The man wore a black wool coat, and the woman next to him wore the same white coat.
The couple were tall and graceful, attracting quite a bit of attention even without seeing their faces.
Different from others, Qiu Xuetong's attention was focused on the little doll walking between the couple.
The little one appeared to be only about seven years old, with a fluffy curly sheepskin hat framing her small face even more soft and adorable.
She wore a milky-white woolen sweater and a pink coat that almost reached her ankles, with matching short boots on her feet, giving her a sweet and obedient look.
Without exaggeration, just one glance, and Director Qiu was smitten!
Could this be... the female lead of his own film who captivates audiences with cuteness and then conquers all in the sequel?
Qiu Xuetong rubbed his hands together, already scheming in his mind how to persuade the other party later.
But as he took another look and recognized Ji Mochen, his initially warm heart cooled slightly.
You see, the current female lead of this drama was still a minor character, but she had already begun to show her prowess in the sect, capable of defeating peers with ease.
Not to mention, martial arts scenes were inevitable.
Would Ji Mochen, known for doting on his daughter, be willing?
Well, forget it, let's wait for the original child actor. Nowadays, there aren't many willing to let their children do martial arts scenes—
Before this thought could even settle, a "thud" was heard from nearby.
It turned out that a passerby lost their balance and fell directly into the snow.
The fall itself wouldn't have been a problem, but the bottle of mineral water in their hand flew out and headed straight towards the family of three.
"Be careful!" Qiu Xuetong instinctively shouted a warning, but it was already too late.
He could only watch as the bottle flew towards the man who was currently bending down, chatting and laughing with the child.
Seeing an imminent accident, in the blink of an eye, the small chubby hand, held by the old father, landed heavily on the man's shoulder who was squatting down.
Before the latter could react, a strong push sent him stumbling back several steps, completely unprepared.
With him out of the way, the water bottle naturally headed towards the little doll, but she remained unfazed, using the recoil force from the push to execute a swift kick—
Snap!
The mineral water bottle was instantly kicked away.
The whole process was smooth and flowing, almost completed in an instant.
According to Qiu Xuetong himself, it was this graceful kick that made him determined, even if he had to find a few more investors, to get this girl to act in the film, even if it was just for a few action scenes!
Naturally, Ji Mochen didn't believe it. In his eyes, it was simply an excuse.
To this day, he still remembers how Qiu Xuetong approached him with a grin, then pretended to just notice their acquaintance, and shamelessly pestered him after realizing the coincidence.
What irritated him the most was that his own daughter, upon hearing about the opportunity to act, actually showed keen interest, while his wife's eyes sparkled, subconsciously reaching for the high-definition camera in her bag.
To be honest, if it were anyone else persuading him, he wouldn't bother, but this person happened to be Qiu Xuetong.
It was Qiu Xuetong, to whom he owed a few favors from years ago. The refusal was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't utter a word under his daughter's hopeful gaze.
As he raised his eyes, he met Qiu Xuetong's gaze, full of debt-collecting intentions.
Ji Mochen: ...
Thinking back to the time when he had to go everywhere to find resources for his arch-rival just to ensure he and his wife could have some alone time, he felt so frustrated!
In the end, Ji Mochen could only reluctantly agree to let the crew dress his daughter in Crane Disciple robes, using the excuse of "letting the child try it out first."
At first, he hoped that his daughter would just have some fun and leave, but this little one ended up getting completely hooked.
The director was also worried about any mishaps with this little princess, so he made it clear to Ji Mochen that as long as she filmed a few simple scenes, he would hire a stunt double for the action scenes.
Before they could finish talking, the little one receiving guidance from the martial arts teacher on the other side suddenly kicked—
During the action rehearsal, she kicked and broke a prop.
After kicking, she leisurely glanced at her dumbfounded father and the director with shining eyes.
The expression seemed to say: "Stunt double? Who are you looking down on?"
From then on, the little one embarked on her own unique holiday life, waking up every day, finishing her homework after breakfast, and then eagerly heading to the set.
Sometimes chatting with the veteran actors, sometimes watching the filming effects in front of the director's monitor.
If it were any other child, the adults would have surely chased them away, but Ji Ruochu was different, Autumn Xuetong softened at the sight of her.
After all, a talent who could handle both literary and martial scenes at such a young age was simply a rare gem, like a heaven-sent prodigy.
Unfortunately, Autumn Xuetong also knew that even if the Ji family agreed to let the child enter the entertainment industry, they wouldn't allow her to become an action star.
In other words, unless she switched to filming different genres, this first collaboration should also be the last.
Thinking of this, Autumn Xuetong felt even more affectionate towards this little girl. Whenever she came, he let her sit in his seat, while Ji Mochen sat in the assistant director's seat.
As for him and the assistant director... each holding a small stool, naturally sitting beside the father and daughter.
The scene looked as if the father and daughter were the directors, to anyone who didn't know better.
You know, the viewing effect from the director's position is just different; the father and daughter could watch the actors perform on screen for quite a while.
The film Autumn Xuetong was shooting this time was about heroines and heroes wielding swords and traveling far and wide, maintaining his consistent style.
Humorous with a touch of sadness, the protagonist would miraculously survive in desperate situations, skillfully capturing the audience's emotions.
It's certain that once it's released, it will be another critically acclaimed film.
Days passed by like this, although in this drama, the young actor Ji Ruochu didn't have much storyline.
But it was nearing New Year's Eve, and even if they rushed, it would be after the New Year when they finished filming.
It was the first time the family of three hadn't gone home for the New Year's, and the elderly at home were extremely angry.
Of course, this anger wasn't directed at their obedient granddaughter, every phone call ended up with their son/daughter being scolded.
But what could Ji Mochen and his wife do?
The little one woke up early every day, not even bothering to read her favorite books, just looking at you with bright eyes, without saying a word, you knew where she wanted to go.
So when his own daughter asked him if he remembered that play, Ji Mochen's teeth were almost ground to bits in frustration.
He remembered it all too well!
"Could it be that Ruo Ruo wants to become an action star in the future?" Ling Chujin beside him disagreed somewhat.
"Daughter, whatever you choose to do, Mom will support you. Being a star is fine, but it doesn't have to be an action star. It's too dangerous!" Ji Mochen nodded repeatedly, then added, "Even if you want to be a star, there's no need to act in films. You could also choose singing and dancing—hey, what's with that expression?"
The old father was taken aback by his daughter's look and had no choice but to step back again.
"Well, even if you don't sing and dance, we don't have to act in action films. It's not only dangerous, but whether the film can even be released after shooting is also a problem. The risk is too high!
Look at the film you guest-starred in back then. Just the main actors had changed three times, and several batches of investors had withdrawn their funds. It hasn't even been released yet."
Speaking of which, Qiu Xuetong's film was truly bizarre.
Everything went smoothly in the early stages. Not only did numerous investors come knocking, but with the renowned director Qiu Xuetong and his old editing partner teaming up again, A-list actors flocked in. Even Ji Mochen's daughter was persuaded to make a guest appearance. The lineup was simply luxurious!
With such promising prospects, even if it didn't become a huge hit, it should have achieved decent results. But the result was disastrous. Publicity, post-production, editing... Everything seemed ready for release. Then, overnight, the lead actor was changed!
Everyone was dumbfounded.
But what could they do? So much money had been poured in. If they really left it at that, the investors wouldn't be able to explain themselves!
There was no choice. Although all publicity was halted, they had to make the film, which would undoubtedly become another representative work.
Qiu Xuetong had to grit his teeth, persuade a few more investors, find new actors, and reshoot scenes with the original actors!
As for the schedule?
No problem. Since most of the budget had been burned through, he just made appointments one by one, gradually replaced them, and even managed to brainstorm with the editor to fix some plot holes.
This exchange took six months.
When the scenes were finally reshot and edited, Qiu Xuetong hurriedly called for action. They proceeded with publicity and fixed the release schedule with cinemas.
Then, overnight, another change happened!
Seeing this trend, the investors naturally refused to continue. Their money wasn't blown in with the wind; they began withdrawing their investments one after another.
In the end, it was Ji Mochen who, for the sake of his daughter's first film appearance, sought investment from his own brother, allowing Qiu Xuetong to continue filming.
This delay took another six months. This time, before Qiu Xuetong could finish editing the film, the only remaining original actor also left!
Qiu Xuetong, who had been editing day and night, felt his vision darken and almost passed out.
Fortunately, this time, Wan Jia willingly added more investment, barely stabilizing Qiu Xuetong's team.
But even so, the film hasn't been released yet, and it's said that it's still being edited.
Three years, a full three years!
The original genius director ended up spending three years editing the film part-time.
Outside observers joked: endless scenes, but unable to make it to the screen.
To put it nicely, this movie had been garnering attention for three years before its release, but to be frank, this production—it struggled with its lead actors!
As it progressed, Qiu Xuetong almost couldn't find anyone to cast anymore. In the entertainment industry, who doesn't have a bit of a shady past anyway?
But it's precisely because of this that some actors who had been quietly filming for years finally got a chance to grace the screen once again.
After all, in these three years, apart from the initial three leads, there were some actors whose careers took off midway, demanding more scenes here, requesting a change of co-stars there.
This left Qiu Xuetong, who was already struggling with tight budgets, with no choice but to... replace them.
And with every replacement came reshoots.
This led to the once award-winning and now frustrated director adopting a rather reckless attitude.
You want to film? Fine, film it. Don't want to? Fine, walk away. I'll find someone with better acting skills and lower pay!
It's just a matter of adding a few more shots, right? Having weathered so many storms, can a little delay like this really make a difference?
As a result, the quality of this production was once again elevated.
It's safe to say that once this movie is released, those involved will surely be back in the limelight.
As long as... this movie actually gets released.
[At five in the morning, A Yi finally finished writing. Too tired to divide it into chapters, so readers, enjoy these chapters combined.]
