CH 79

October 30, 2022kaychandra

Chapter 79: Confession and Film Release

Because of the great success of “The Greatest Warrior”, the cast and crew of the movie were hounded by the media as soon as they stepped off the plane. The fans of several of the main actors were so enthusiastic that they blocked the entire pathway.

In order to maintain security, the airport arranged a lot of security personnel.

“Qiao Shao, may I ask what your next work plan is?”

“Qiao Shao, are you upset with Lee Han Kim and that’s why you refused his request for a photo?”

Gongxi Qiao was wondering who Lee Han Kim was and how he could be displeased with this person.

“Qiao Shao, Qiao Shao, Du Xinyu has publicly expressed her great admiration for you. May I ask if you and she will have the opportunity to cooperate in the future?”

Who was Du Xinyu again? Even if she admired him, why should he consider cooperation?

Once he became famous, there were many people who wanted to take a free ride on his fame. Gongxi Qiao apologized while saying nothing regarding the questions asked by the reporters. Chen Ke and several of Gongxi Qiao’s assistants struggled to push away the cameras and microphones that were almost poking Gongxi Qiao’s face, and worked hard to escort him.

After he was able to squeeze into the car that picked him up, before he even had time to breathe a sigh of relief, Gongxi Qiao saw Xi Qing sitting next to him.

When the reporters saw that Gongxi Qiao had already left, they surrounded his manager Chen Ke. They had waited so long at the airport, they had to get some news out of it.

Chen Ke was plunged into a sea of reporters, and only after the airport security personnel came to help did he leave in a car with Gongxi Qiao’s three assistants.

The driving skills of the Xi family’s bodyguards were top-notch. Turning east and west, they quickly dispatched a cadre of reporters. In addition, his car had a VIP atmosphere. When the car drivers next to them saw the long Bentley, they were worried and stayed away from it.

What if they accidentally scratched or scuffed it? If the responsibility fell on their heads, wouldn’t they have to pay until they cried?

“Finally I can breathe a sigh of relief.” Gongxi Qiao lay down on Xi Qing. “I’m going back to see my parents later. Come with me.”

Xi Qing’s face stiffened. “Going later?”

“Let’s go to your place to take a shower before going there.” Gongxi Qiao yawned. “Wake me up when we get there.” Recently, with jet lag, in addition to walking the red carpet and dealing with reporters, and then dealing with foreign film distributors, he was simply exhausted.

Seeing Gongxi Qiao’s tired face, Xi Qing touched the corner of his eyes with distress, then took out his phone and sent out a text message.

It shouldn’t be too late to buy a gift.

After returning to the Xi family estate, Gongxi Qiao took a hot shower and changed his clothes, looking quite refreshed. After getting into the car with Xi Qing, he noticed that the bodyguards were cramming things into the two cars behind him, and he blinked. “What are you doing?”

“How can I go empty-handed when I’m paying my first official visit to Aunt and Uncle?” Xi Qing suppressed his heart’s nervousness, his face still very calm. “I just don’t know what Uncle and Aunt like, so I prepared a little extra.”

Gongxi Qiao twitched the corners of his mouth and said half a second later, “An ugly daughter-in-law will have to face her parents-in-law sooner or later.[1] Don’t be too nervous.”

Xi Qing raised his eyes and gave Gongxi Qiao a look, not competing with him for verbal advantage.

Probably because they expected Gongxi Qiao to come back to visit them, Gongxi Xiong and Qiao Lanfen were both at home. However, they didn’t expect that their son would come back accompanied by the head of the Xi family.

The couple looked at the gifts that filled almost half of the living room and faced each other.

What did the Xi family head mean by this?

Fortunately, although Gongxi Xiong had doubts in his heart, no fault could be found in his manners. While greeting Xi Qing and sitting down, he said with a smile, “It’s good that you came. It’s too polite to buy so many gifts when you come here.”

If he didn’t know better, he would have thought Xi Qing was the nouveau riche.

“It’s only right,” Xi Qing took the cup of tea from the maid and said politely to Gongxi Xiong, “As a junior, it’s unbecoming to come empty-handed when you visit your elders.” 

Although coming empty-handed is unbecoming, isn’t bringing a bunch of gifts like you did a little too much?

Qiao Lanfen saw her son sitting down proudly beside the Xi family master, seemingly not taking the things in the room seriously. Inexplicably, she felt some uneasiness in her heart.

A large part of the evening’s dishes were made by Gongxi Xiong himself. Although the presentation wasn’t as beautiful as in a restaurant and the cutlery wasn’t as elaborate, it was a rare and comfortable experience for Xi Qing, who had never experienced this kind of family atmosphere.

“You can’t be too cocky even after winning an award. On the contrary, you need to work harder,” Gongxi Xiong said after waiting for Gongxi Qiao to drink a bowl of soup. “You can’t just wait for a few years to pass, and when people mention your achievements, they will still be the same trophies you have now.”

Xiao Qiao grew up as a sensible and intelligent child who hardly ever required him and his mother to worry. They didn’t have to worry about him getting into trouble at school, or not doing well enough in school, or even going down the wrong path. This kid was so sensitive, so sensible that they, as parents, didn’t know what else they could do for him.

“I will continue to work hard.” Gongxi Qiao nodded. He twisted his head to look at Xi Qing and then at his parents, hesitated and didn’t speak.

However, Qiao Lanfen, who was eating intently, noticed his action and gaped internally. On the surface, she smiled gently and said, “Xiao Qiao, I saw on the news that there’s a female artist surnamed Du who likes you. What is that about?”

“Hmm?” Gongxi Qiao was taken aback for a moment and shook his head. “I don’t know her at all.”

“These media just like to write nonsense.” Qiao Lanfen sighed. “I also think that female artist isn’t pure-minded. You’re not likely to like those kinds of girls.” Speaking of which, she raised her eyebrows. “You’re also in your twenties, but I haven’t seen you have a girl you like. Are you so discerning?”

“Not discerning…” Gongxi Qiao coughed dryly. “Just nobody suitable. Don’t you know my personality yet? I don’t want to harm other girls casually. That’s not a sin is it?” 

Qiao Lanfen sighed. She understood her own son in her heart. Other people said Gongxi Qiao was gentle and considerate, but she knew that this child lived too carelessly. After a long period of contact, she knew that if the girl wasn’t particularly tolerant and considerate, she wouldn’t be able to stand him.

But whose daughter wasn’t a treasure cradled in the palm of her parents? For a while, she could bear it to look at Xiao Qiao’s face, but in the long run……

Qiao Lanfen shook her head. When it came to choosing a man to spend a life with, Gongxi Qiao’s score could only be barely qualified.

“What nonsense.” Gongxi Xiong glared at him. “If two people like each other, how can they harm each other?”

Xi Qing nodded after him. “Mm-hmm, Xiao Qiao is very good.”

When Qiao Lanfen saw this, her heart got even more congested.

After the meal, Gongxi Xiong and Xi Qing had a good talk. When Xi Qing said goodbye on his way out, Gongxi Xiong repeatedly detained him. After seeing that Xi Qing insisted on going home, he changed his words and told him to come visit his home often.

Gongxi Qiao stood at the front door, smiling and making a bye-bye gesture towards Xi Qing until Xi Qing got into the car. Then he turned around and went back inside the house.

“Xiao Qiao, I heard from Sister Luo, you didn’t stay in your own villa some time ago?” Qiao Lanfen pressed the remote control in her hand and flipped to a palace drama before stopping. “Then where did you live?”

Gongxi Qiao watched the two female characters on TV having a verbal confrontation with insincere smiles on their faces. He smiled. “Just at Xi Qing’s. His cook is so good that I gained almost two catties after living in his house for less than a month.”

Qiao Lanfen saw the smile on Gongxi Qiao’s face, opened her mouth, and sighed after a long time, “Although you are good friends, it’s not very decent to always live in someone else’s house like this. If you’re not used to living outside by yourself, move back in.”

Gongxi Qiao heard his mother’s tone wasn’t quite right, and carefully measured Qiao Lanfen’s expression. Seeing that there was doubt and difficulty in her eyes, he understood at once that it seemed his mother was somewhat suspicious of his relationship with Xi Qing.

“I have a good relationship with him, it’s okay.” Gongxi Qiao smiled and hugged Qiao Lanfen’s arm. “Didn’t you say before that you admire Xi Qing?”

Just because I admire him doesn’t mean I want my son to get involved with him ah.

Qiao Lanfen’s heart was a little congested. However, when she got together with her husband, she also suffered a lot of family obstacles. Fortunately, the two of them were firm enough to protect their relationship in the end. So when she saw the joy in Gongxi Qiao’s eyes and eyebrows, she couldn’t bear to break up the loving couple.

“Two men……” Qiao Lanfen sighed. “You never made me and your father worry ever since you were a child, but some roads aren’t easy to travel. I worry about you getting hurt and feeling sad, do you understand?”

She and the child’s father weren’t old-fashioned people. They raised their child not for the child to give them grandchildren, but hoping that the child would live happily for the rest of his life. But reality was cruel. This society was always extra harsh on certain relationships. She didn’t want the child she held so dearly in her hands to be hurt by public opinion and unfavorable eyes.

“Mom, I’m sorry.” Gongxi Qiao hugged Qiao Lanfen and didn’t speak for a long time.

Qiao Lanfen sighed again and after a long time said, “I’ll talk to your father about this. We won’t force you to do anything. But for us to immediately accept…… him, we can’t do it for a while. You guys can just live your lives. But no matter what happens, I hope you won’t let yourself be wronged. You still have me and your father. The prestigious families are no longer exceptional. The country has laws, no one has to be afraid of anyone.”

Gongxi Qiao’s eyes were hot. He hugged Qiao Lanfen tightly and nodded his head.

Qiao Lanfen saw him rubbing on her shoulder like a small child, smiled, and patted his back. “Already in your twenties, why are you still acting like a small child.”

“In front of mom and dad, I’ll always be a little kid.” Gongxi Qiao’s voice was a little hoarse.

“In front of our children, we parents also hope that we will always be towering trees that can cover the sky and protect our children from the rain,” Qiao Lanfen petted Gongxi Qiao’s head like a puppy, “but children always have to grow up.”

“I say, what are you two, mother and son, doing, being so mushy?” Gongxi Xiong came over with a cup of tea. “It’s just that we haven’t seen each other for a few days, what’s the problem?”

“What do you know?” Qiao Lanfen gave her husband a blank look. “Don’t make trouble.”

“Tch.” In front of his wife, Gongxi Xiong didn’t have much authority, simply a waste of his domineering name[2]. After being chastised by his wife, he sat down on the sofa next to her, and then looked at the TV with a bewildered face as several women sat together and said a bunch of things he couldn’t understand.

Gongxi Qiao looked up at his parents and smiled, feeling a little choked up in his throat.

How lucky was he to have such good parents?

After Gongxi Qiao returned to the country, there was no time to rest. He was busy with the filming of “Cultivation”, while also accepting interviews with the National Station. He was so busy that just when he came back from filming on location, the crew of “Golden Manor 2” came to the country to promote the film.

Although the “Golden Manor 2” crew didn’t have many contacts in Flower Country, the theater was optimistic about its box office performance. It had strong publicity and received a lot of attention before it was broadcast. In addition, during the promotions, they also deliberately played off the affection people had for Gongxi Qiao. Even the promotional posters featured the figure of Gongxi Qiao in them, which attracted the attention of many fans.

On the film’s opening day, the box office had nearly 40 million yuan and the reputation was also good. The only thing that made Flower Country fans a little sad was that Gongxi Qiao’s screen time was too small. He only appeared in the last few minutes, but looked very beautiful, and the jade flute also had a very oriental flavor.

For once, it wasn’t an East Asian character with an East Asian name, but wearing completely Western clothing.

If you asked fans what they thought of Gongxi Qiao’s character’s look, it was beautiful, dazzling and cool from the inside out, almost surpassing the main character’s face.

After the release of “Golden Manor 2”, the movie received rave reviews. In just one week, it earned 300 million at the box office, making foreigners see once again how huge Flower Country’s consumer market was.

However, what people didn’t expect was that after the movie was released in Strawberry Country and Mulberry Island, the character played by Gongxi Qiao was sought after by countless female fans. Many of them set his stills as their computer desktop or cell phone screensavers, and acted like nymphomaniacs for his face when they had nothing to do.

Face fans knew no boundaries. Gongxi Qiao became popular throughout the East with just a few minutes of screen time.

The fans in European countries also felt that the mysterious Easterner played by Gongxi Qiao was very much in line with the original image, and even more vivid than the original novel, so he was officially crowned by the media as the “Prince of the East”, a Jack Sue[3] title.

When “Golden Manor 2” was about to exit theaters, it earned nearly one billion yuan in total box office revenue, not including the income from the online broadcasting platform. The investors of the movie simply loved Flower Country fans as well as Gongxi Qiao, the Prince of the East. They immediately said that the actor for the role of the Eastern Mystic in the third film couldn’t be changed, and that Gongxi Qiao must be asked to continue to act in the movie.

When that film was about to leave the theaters, “The Greatest Warrior” began to be heavily promoted. As the lead actor and investor, Gongxi Qiao flew around with the crew to do publicity. He even played the guqin in public at the premiere. After getting a lot of praise, he left.

On the surface, the plot of “The Greatest Warrior” was light-hearted. However, the plot revealed the contradictions and helplessness throughout the Jianghu and between the court and the people, and promoted a moral concept through the word “chivalry”. The director didn’t force this idea on you, but let the audience laugh through the plot, and then slowly realize it.

This movie was able to get the Golden Leaf Award for Best Original Screenplay precisely because the script had depth and logic, and it was moving and joyful. Otherwise, how could it beat a whole bunch of competitors and get the trophy?

A good script was half of the success of a movie, so even though many in the industry were worried that the movie would set the bar too high and end in failure[4], they still had high expectations for its plot.

Once the premiere officially began, Gongxi Qiao sat down below the stage with Xi Qing and watched the movie officially start. 

The movie opened with shots of an exciting fight scene and a nobleman’s luxurious life crossing each other. The Jianghu man was crude, while the nobleman was refined and polished from head to toe, just like people from two different worlds.

The Jianghu man killed a man, shaking off the blood on his hands, cursing an expletive.

The noble gentleman’s jade-like hand was put into a copper basin, which still had fresh flower petals floating in it. A row of maids carried trays full of handkerchiefs, and the noble gentleman wiped his hands for a while, using a full eight handkerchiefs.

He tilted his head slightly, half squinting his eyes and said, “Warriors use martial arts to violate the law[5]. But, I actually would like to see what the Jianghu is like.”

The camera gave a close-up of his hands, which were white and soft, a pair of hands that had been pampered with no signs of martial arts practice.

According to normal logic, this noble son would be a proper villain, just there to let the warrior male lead hit him in the face.

The credits listing the main cast and staff began to appear on the screen. The font was a very beautiful brush font, which looked especially ancient.

Although Gongxi Qiao was very good-looking as the noble son, everyone was still a little dubious. Didn’t they say that Gongxi Qiao was the male lead of the movie? How come Gongxi Qiao wasn’t playing a warrior, but a noble son who couldn’t do martial arts?

However, their doubts were soon left behind, because the movie was so interesting that they didn’t have the heart to think about anything else.

There was a lot of laughter after seeing Xu Chao as the warrior who was so down and out that he almost ended up being a cat burglar.

When Gongxi Qiao’s character, a young gentleman, exposed the tricks used by the Jianghu people to cheat money, and ended up being chased by the Jianghu people as they threatened to beat and kill him, and was caught in a dilemma, everyone’s laughter almost overturned the roof.

They were accustomed to seeing Gongxi Qiao in a variety of noble, perfect, and cool roles. Suddenly, he played a sometimes comical, sometimes noble, sometimes embarrassed role. Everyone suddenly had a kind of indescribable meng contrast feeling.

After the movie ended, everyone was still a little confused. Ah, actually no more? It turned out that 105 minutes had passed? How did they feel that it was only half an hour or less?

They couldn’t leave, so they waited for the easter eggs.

So when they saw Gongxi Qiao twisting his waist in front of the camera and saying he was so handsome, there was laughter. How could he be so shameless?

There were also several main actors and actresses grabbing snacks or something; Xu Chao hanging on the wires while Gongxi Qiao and several other main actors and actresses were holding food below and deliberately teasing him or something, which was simply too joyful.

Xi Qing saw Gongxi Qiao rolling around in a mud puddle and ending up with a face full of mud behind the scenes. He looked down and said to Gongxi Qiao, “Now you’re going to lose fans.”

Gongxi Qiao raised his chin and said, “Even if I’m a mud man, it’s still the most handsome mud man.”

Xi Qing laughed in a low voice, gently grabbed his hand and whispered in his ear, “Mm, you are the most handsome.”

Gongxi Qiao twisted his head and said uncomfortably, “Of course.”

At the end of the premiere, critics walked out of the cinema and sighed in their hearts. They originally thought that Gongxi Qiao winning the Golden Leaf Award at the age of 23 was a bit exaggerated, but after watching the film, they felt that Gongxi Qiao had the strength to win the award.

In this movie, Gongxi Qiao’s acting was very important. If any part of the performance wasn’t spot on, it might damage the mood of the movie, but Gongxi Qiao made the role alive.

This was a role that made people ignore the actor himself. He had a noble side belonging to the nobility, a kind side belonging to the righteous, and a manly side. He didn’t know martial arts, and even seemed particularly delicate because of his privileged life. Therefore, this role was very contradictory. If you weren’t careful, you wouldn’t be able to play the effect needed in the script.

However, Gongxi Qiao captured these points. The role was too difficult because the script gave him an important significance. In fact, it could be said that his role determined the success or failure of the movie.

Only after watching this movie did they really appreciate what film emperor-like acting was like.

What was even more frightening was that he was only twenty-three years old and still had a lot of room for future development.

One critic said: A superstar is rising, and his film emperor title is well-deserved.

Another critic had this to say: There is a kind of actor who always makes people believe that the character he plays is real. That is the power of acting interpretation. I can’t comment on Gongxi Qiao’s acting because when I watch this movie, I don’t see an actor’s acting, but another person’s life. As a film critic, I shouldn’t forget what I’m supposed to do, but I can say that while watching this movie, I was completely led by the plot and immersed in someone else’s story. Director Wang has a good grasp of the rhythm of the story, and the supporting cast and minor characters are very well thought out. At the same time, this is an unconventional martial arts movie that completely subverts our definition of the martial arts genre. For those who have seen it, they will feel that such a martial arts film is actually more real. So, this is a good movie that should not be missed. I believe that every fan who walks into the cinema will not regret it.

Fans who hadn’t seen the film yet saw most of the critics praising Gongxi Qiao’s amazing acting skills and the good rhythm and camera sense of the whole movie, and their appetite was immediately whetted and they lined up to go to the cinema.

After watching, fans knew what a good script, good director, good actors, good cinematography, good post-production, and good editing all in one work looked like. Many female fans said that when the noble son left the Jianghu, returning to the royal residence, riding on a horse and looking up at the snowflakes, it simply made people feel touched and sad, as well as indescribable heartache.

Boo-hoo, my noble son is so heartbroken, I wonder how he will live after becoming a king?

There were even people who couldn’t resist the gushing inspiration of their brain holes and started writing fan fiction overnight, brainstorming all kinds of grudges and feuds, giving each character in the movie a happy or bleak ending.

As for the film’s lead actor Gongxi Qiao, he no longer dared to appear in public because the reporters and fans were too crazy for him to handle.

Fortunately, the “Cultivation” crew did a good job of secrecy. He hid on the set after filming, and the media couldn’t find him, so he could finally have a few days of peace and quiet.

However, he didn’t know whether it was because Gongxi Qiao had won the film emperor award that the crew, actors and media who had interviewed him, and even the hosts of shows, were becoming more and more respectful to him. They called him either Qiao Shao or Brother Qiao, except for a few who were close to Gongxi Qiao who still called him Xiao Qiao.

From the change of name, the change of Gongxi Qiao’s status in the entertainment industry could be seen.

T/N:

1. An ugly daughter-in-law will have to face her parents-in-law sooner or later: this is a common Chinese saying, he’s not literally calling Xi Qing an ugly daughter in law lol

2. Domineering name: 雄 Xiong means imposing, powerful, mighty

3. Jack Sue: a male Mary Sue, like Gary Stu

4. Set the bar too high and end in failure: I’m not sure I translated this sentence right. 所以尽管很多业内人士担心这部戏被架得太高，到时候会下不了台 

5. Warriors use martial arts to violate the law: 侠以武犯禁 – this comes from a saying. The full saying is 儒以文乱法，侠以武犯禁 scholars use words to twist the law, warriors use martial arts to violate the law