Qiao Xin took a brief pause before turning to face Jiang Yu and Qin Shen. She opened her lips slowly, about to say something, but Qin Shen interrupted her: “You’re not mistaken. Naonao’s legs can turn into a tail. He’s born to Jiang Yu and me. Jiang Yu is a mermaid.”
Suddenly hearing these two shocking news, Qiao Xin stared at Jiang Yu and then at the little boy in the water. For quite a while, she was rendered speechless. Jiang Yu worriedly glanced at her and tugged Qin Shen’s sleeve, asking him to go over and support her in case Qiao Xin fainted like Qin Yunshan.
Qin Shen assisted Qiao Xin in settling into the chair next to him while Jiang Yu went downstairs to get a cup of hot tea. Qiao Xin drank two sips of hot tea and gazed at the little one in the pool. The little boy was holding a fish in his arms and was also looking at her. His beautiful little tail was hidden in the water.
Qiao Xin felt as if she were dreaming and pinched Qin Shen, who was sitting next to her. She realized it wasn’t a dream when she saw Qin Shen’s expression darken. “…can I touch him?” she asked after staring at the little boy for a long while.
Jiang Yu leaned over and beckoned to the little boy, who swam to the pool’s edge. Qiao Xin got up from the chair and squatted down, slowly reaching out to touch the little boy’s fish tail.
The little cub moved his tail and looked up at Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu patted his little head soothingly, then retracted his gaze and obediently let Qiao Xin stroke the child.
Qiao Xin caressed the little one for a while before standing up without saying a word. Jiang Yu stared at her bewildered expression, then glanced at Qin Shen anxiously when Qiao Xin abruptly said, “I’ll go out for a while.”
Jiang Yu’s heart thumped. “I’ll accompany you,” Qin Shen said, frowning.
Qiao Xin had no objection. Qin Shen gave Jiang Yu a reassuring glance before driving out with Qiao Xin.
~
Jiang Yu and the little cub waited uneasily at home. After about an hour or so, the two came back.
Qiao Xin was in good spirits, carrying a bunch of small and large bags, as Qin Shen trailed behind with a lifeless expression on his face. Jiang Yu was baffled and asked Qin Shen in a whisper, “What did you guys go out for?”
Qin Shen murmured blankly, “You’ll know in a moment.”
Jiang Yu soon understood and became helpless. In the bags that Qin ao Xin brought back were clothes bought for the little cub, which were different from the usual ones. They were all tutu skirts, ribbons, and the like. She dressed up the little cub like a mermaid princess and kept taking pictures nonstop.
“My mom has always wanted a daughter, and to dress her up as a princess from a fairy tale,” Qin Shen recounted to Jiang Yu in hushed tones. Qiao Xin likes daughters and still enjoys fairy tales at her age; he and Fang Miao are both sons, so when she saw the little one with his small fish tail, she saw an opportunity to satisfy both her fairy tale dreams and daughter fantasies.
Seeing Qiao Xin addicted to taking pictures and unable to extricate herself, Qin Shen reminded her, “Mom, don’t let others see these pictures.”
Qiao Xin patted the little cub’s little tail and waved her hand. “Don’t worry, if others see them, I’ll just say that I asked a foreign photographer to take a special shot.”
After having enough dressing up, Qiao Xin pulled Jiang Yu and asked him about the process of giving birth to the child with great interest. She regrets not being able to see the baby emerge from the egg with her own eyes. In between her words, she was subtly urging him and Qin Shen to have another fish egg and let her see it with her own eyes.
“By the way, Xiao Yu’er, have you been busy with work recently? Have you picked up any TV shows or movies?” Qiao Xin asked after chatting about the little one.
“Not at all; Sister Yan hasn’t chosen a suitable script yet,” Jiang Yu stated with a shake of his head. The last variety show he was in got high ratings, and he later received numerous invites for shows as well as scripts. However, because the scripts weren’t very good, Yan Shu refused to allow him to accept them. Recently, he’s been watching TV shows and keeping up with event announcements.
“Then, do you want to make a movie with me?” Qiao Xin asked, a faint smile on her face.
Jiang Yu was startled.
Qiao Xin had previously returned to China for a film, and the director of the film was Zheng Yuan, who had been her mentor when she initially entered the industry and had single-handedly launched her to fame. However, Zheng Yuan’s works the last few years have been relatively unimpressive, partly because the themes of the films he made were unpopular, and partly due to a lack of publicity funding. He experienced some health issues after numerous of his films flopped one after the other. The present film, which he is crafting with all his heart and soul in the hopes of a reversal, may be his last.
Qiao Xin is grateful for his support and generosity, therefore she returned to the country resolutely after reading the script.
The script is still not mainstream. It wasn’t a romantic movie, but rather a literary one about family ties. Qiao Xin plays the mother, and they are looking for a young actor to play her son.
At first, not many actors were willing to play in this kind of unappealing film, not to mention that Zheng Yuan’s several similar films all flopped, until the news that Qiao Xin returned to China solely to participate in this film broke out. It quickly turned into a hot search, and Zheng Yuan’s phone was almost blown up by the agents of the actors in the circle calling him. Qiao Xin is an international movie queen, with a strong box office appeal and domestic popularity. Being able to work with her means that no matter what you shoot, there can only be advantages and no downsides.
Zheng Yuan’s standards for the male actor, on the other hand, were very demanding; not only must he be young and have a pure temperament, but he must also have exceptional acting skills. Many actors in the industry have already auditioned for the role, but he is still unsatisfied. He asked Qiao Xin for her opinion this time, and Qiao Xin immediately thought of Jiang Yu.
“I’ll ask Sister Yan for her opinion,” Jiang Yu responded.
The opportunity to cooperate with Qiao Xin is rare, many people in the circle are vying for it, and so Yan Shu naturally agrees. Qiao Xin took him to meet Zheng Yuan the next day.
Zheng Yuan was very satisfied with Jiang Yu’s appearance, and after seeing his performance in his past movies and TV series, he asked him to audition on the spot, and they later signed the contract without any twists and turns.
~
The scenario in the film takes place in a remote village deep in the mountains, and Jiang Yu and Qiao Xin were required to enter the set ahead of time to experience rural life for a period of time in order to play their roles as accurately as possible.
Jiang Yu packed his belongings and joined the crew a week after signing the contract. Qin Shen’s everyday routine after leaving work is to coax Jiang Naonao and make video calls to Jiang Yu.
Unable to acclimatize, Jiang Yu fell ill within a few days after arriving there.
After a doctor examined him, it was found that he had nothing serious, but Qin Shen was still concerned after seeing how sick he was in the video, so he decided to visit the set.
He completed handling the company’s affairs ahead of schedule and informed his assistant. It just so happened that Fang Miao finished recording a variety show and had a few days off. Originally, Fang Miao and the nanny were supposed to look after Jiang Naonao but when he heard he was going to visit the set, he wanted to go as well, so the two took the little boy and went to the airport together.
After getting off the plane, the assistant had the car waiting for them at the airport over there. Qin Shen went over this time to surprise Jiang Yu. He didn’t notify Jiang Yu of his arrival and drove straight to the village where the crew was located.
Update 1/2
