Directing the Ark, Success if Not Banned

"He already knew this part of the plot, he just didn't know when it would arrive, so he asked for your help. The feelings she's invested in you now actually make me a little worried about what she'll think after this part of the plot happens."

Chastisement: "I understand."

"Your side has already started filming. I've already notified Madam Sicily to rehearse with you, so… take a moment to get into character. Let's all aim for a single take this time."

Chastisement hung up the phone call from Chen Qi. However, at this moment, Chastisement didn't seem as calm as her tone suggested. She looked somewhat lost and disoriented. Although she had recovered a lot, she still couldn't hide her disbelief at the news.

Don't misunderstand, it wasn't that Chastisement couldn't accept the news of Si Ye's "wrap-up." This was Chen Qi's fault. To get Chastisement's emotions just right, the first thing he said on the phone was deliberately, "Si Ye just died."

That one sentence almost scared Chastisement into fainting. Fortunately, Chen Qi immediately clarified, "It's the character Si Ye played who died," which helped Chastisement break free from her initial disbelief. But she was still shaken.

For Chastisement, although Si Ye was a family member, he was more like her younger brother. She was a few years older than him and had watched him grow into a responsible person.

In the movie, their roles had reversed. Si Ye became her older brother, and she had treated Si Ye as her brother for several months. She suddenly realized that the younger brother she always saw as immature seemed to be growing into a man in the film.

Despite his temper, his womanizing, and many other behaviors Chastisement disapproved of, none of it mattered as much as the scene where he, as the elder brother, stood up for his family.

Especially since Chastisement had read the character background stories beyond the script. Chen Qi had sent these to everyone to help them immerse themselves in their roles, and Chastisement had therefore carefully read through "her" background.

The character she played, Tom, was merely a tragic combination that this land never lacked: a blind mother and a drunkard father. At the age of eleven, both her parents died. The sick and wandering Tom was brought home by Si Ye, who played Sonny.

This family hadn't even debated whether Tom should stay; they simply took her in, even though The Godfather and Sonny didn't have their current achievements back then.

—This background made Chastisement understand why Tom and Sonny argued so much in the movie, yet their feelings for each other remained so sincere.

On the other hand, it also subtly influenced Chastisement's performance, adding a touch of genuine affection towards Sonny, played by Si Ye. She felt it was the emotion of real family.

It wasn't just her; over the past few months, Madam Sicily, Si Ye, Texas… everyone had felt the emotions of the characters they played in the movie.

Family was such an existence; it could only be maintained when everyone, subtly and naturally, invested their true feelings… But it was precisely because of this that Chastisement now found it difficult to figure out how to tell Madam Sicily that Si Ye had finished filming and no longer needed to come to the set.

After all… Chastisement could tell that Madam Sicily was enjoying this period of filming and was also enjoying this time when they were her "children."

Chastisement wordlessly poured herself a glass of whiskey, wanting to calm down with a drink. Just then, she suddenly heard heavy footsteps behind her.

The person was, of course, Madam Sicily. She looked much older than usual… Although Chastisement knew it was for the sake of portraying the exhaustion after being assassinated, seeing her "father" look so frail, she couldn't help but feel a jolt.

"...Give me that."

Seeing Chastisement drinking with a sorrowful expression, Madam Sicily clearly understood what she was about to be told. Having already known the plot, she realized the part she least wanted to accept had arrived.

She sat down slowly, like a person on their deathbed, took Chastisement's drink, and after forcing down the last half-glass with suppressed sadness, she continued to ask:

"My wife is crying upstairs… I heard a car arrive at the house." Her few words implied she already knew something, but she still wanted Chastisement to tell her the news directly.

"My good strategist, tell me what happened. Let me be the only one who knows nothing."

"...I was just about to go upstairs to wake you and tell you." Chastisement also closed her eyes. By this point, she had completely forgotten her lines. She was truly contemplating how to deliver the news of her beloved eldest son's death to a father.

"...But you need to have a drink first?"

"Yes." Chastisement lowered her gaze slightly. Madam Sicily had already confirmed the news but still concealed her sadness as she said:

"Then you've already had one."

"...They killed Sonny at the toll station. He's dead."

"..."

The moment Chastisement uttered these words, Madam Sicily, who had already anticipated this news, let out a weary sigh, her forehead wrinkles becoming even more pronounced.

Her eyes were immediately misted over. Her face was hidden in the darkness, making her expression unreadable, but she tilted her head slightly, holding back her tears from falling at that moment.

An old woman, upon hearing the news of her son's death, seemed to turn gray all over.

It was a moment of her vulnerability. In that instant, in Chastisement's eyes, she seemed to age ten years. She extremely difficultly but quickly concealed her emotions and, in a flat but strained tone, spoke as the head of the family:

"...Do not seek retribution. Do not seek revenge."

"I want you to arrange a meeting with the leaders of the five major families. This conflict must end."

She couldn't afford to lose any more children. She couldn't bear it. All she could do was endure the meaningless death of her beloved son and cut her losses.

Even if this decision was difficult, she had to make it. This was what a qualified family head should do, the correct judgment.

Madam Sicily stood up with difficulty, stumbled to Chastisement's side, and reached out to comfort the sister, who was like family brought back by Sonny… Chastisement did not resist, leaning her head against Madam Sicily's abdomen in compliance, briefly venting their mutual sorrow.

"...Call Bonacera. I need him now."

As Madam Sicily finished speaking, she walked wordlessly towards the door. She was going to change her clothes. Even though this matter was cruel to her, she still had to face it.

And this time, none of the surrounding film crew, nor Chen Qi and FrostNova who were supervising backstage, dared to break the atmosphere. They let Madam Sicily immerse herself in the scene.

An hour later, Madam Sicily, accompanied by Chastisement and several family members, pushed a cart covered with a white cloth through the elevator to the underground area.

There, Bonacera, who had sought the Godfather's help at the beginning of the film, stood ready in formal attire.

As several assistants pushed the cart out, he instinctively glanced at it. Bonacera, thinking this was a request for him to dispose of the body as repayment, became even more nervous.

Madam Sicily, now in formal attire, stepped forward. Although she was haggard and aged, her regal authority was still evident. She said calmly to Bonacera before her:

"My friend, are you ready to serve me?"

"Yes… but how do you wish me to proceed?"

Madam Sicily did not immediately answer his question. She walked step by step to the cart covered with the white cloth. After a long pause, she continued, concealing her sadness and said:

"I want you to use all your skills and do a good job with his makeup."

"I don't want his mother to see him like this..."

As she spoke, Madam Sicily reached out and, with difficulty and slowness, lifted the white cloth. At this moment, the horrific state of Si Ye's "corpse" was finally revealed to everyone for the first time.

Before Chastisement and Madam Sicily, Si Ye's "corpse" was visible. His face alone bore numerous bullet holes. With the effect of the makeup, Si Ye's face looked incredibly hideous. Several places even showed through to his internal organs. His death could only be described as extremely tragic.

Chastisement glanced once and couldn't bear to look away. Even though she knew Si Ye was only unconscious, seeing such a tragic death befall him, she still couldn't hide the shock and sadness in her heart.

Even Bonacera, the owner of the funeral home, swallowed hard after seeing Si Ye's state and cautiously looked at Madam Sicily...

"...Look at how they treated my child."

At this moment, in front of the unseen camera, Madam Sicily's sunken eyes were in the dim light, and no one could see her gaze... but her trembling eyebrows, furrowed wrinkles, and twitching lips... all her micro-expressions allowed everyone to feel the old woman's sorrow and grief at this moment.

An old woman who had personally witnessed her son's extremely tragic death. This was one of her few moments of vulnerability and breakdown. All she could do was prevent her tears from flowing and accept this reality she couldn't accept.

At this moment, the filming set fell completely silent, with only occasional sobs heard.

There were no wails, no exaggerated shouts or anger. Just the expression of a father suppressing his grief was enough to infect everyone's emotions, both inside and outside the camera, allowing them to truly feel that sorrow.

Especially the members of the Cultural Troupe who were already fathers could empathize with the immense pain contained beneath Madam Sicily's restrained emotions, making these fathers feel the same sadness.

"...I kind of understand why you insist on capturing everyone's genuine reactions, Chen Qi."

Backstage, FrostNova subtly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, freezing them into ice before flicking them onto the ground. She then said calmly to Chen Qi, who was staring at the screen beside her, "Is this the last family member they'll ever see die?"

"No..." Even though Chen Qi had rewatched this classic countless times, seeing Madam Sicily's superb and heartfelt performance still moved him. He wiped away a few tears and said calmly, "It's precisely because I know that I didn't immediately give that part of the script to Texas... We'll talk about it after Talulah finishes filming Texas's scenes."

"...You're truly cruel." FrostNova chided Chen Qi softly upon hearing this. She wasn't blaming his filming methods, but rather the heaviness of the script he had written.

"Such a good family, and you have the heart to tear them apart. As a screenwriter, you are truly cruel."

"That's the essence of tragedy, FrostNova... To reveal beautiful things, and then to destroy them bit by bit with your own hands before your eyes. Nothing is more memorable than a perfect tragedy."

Chen Qi shook his head, then turned to comfort the sad FrostNova, gently rubbing her ears and hair, and said softly, "...Go call Talulah. We need to speed up the progress during this time. This masterpiece is nearing its final conclusion."

"Next, we have a few of the most important scenes. Everyone get ready. In a few days, we'll prepare for the final work."

Chapter Sixteen: The Most Exciting Scene, The Handover Between the Old and New Godfather

After Si Ye's scenes concluded, Chen Qi didn't immediately prepare a wrap party for him. He didn't want to disrupt the perfectly balanced atmosphere, as it would aid in the filming of Madam Sicily's final scene.

After Si Ye's storyline, Chen Qi planned to strike while the iron was hot and officially conclude Madam Sicily's scenes here. After that, Chen Qi could proceed without hindrance to film the final scene of "The Godfather," the "montage" editing technique that could be considered a textbook example for cinema.

It was time to give the people of this land a little bit of Earth-shattering experience, to let a world where most people's spiritual entertainment was severely lacking feel the textbook-level teaching methods of a classic masterpiece.

Chen Qi had also watched some movies from Terra, such as many popular films from Syracuse. But strangely, compared to movies, people of status in Syracuse were more willing to watch theater dramas.

It wasn't just because theater tickets were more expensive and demonstrated status, but because the current film production in Terra was largely still in its exploratory phase. Most directors' editing techniques, in Chen Qi's opinion, were not superb, even somewhat amateurish.

If Chen Qi were to evaluate it... it had a retro feel from the early 20th century.

But this wasn't solely due to technical limitations. After all, on this land, the pursuit of spiritual entertainment was still in its rudimentary stages. Chen Qi knew that once his "The Godfather" was released, his textbook editing techniques would sweep across this land and become a teaching material for countless people to emulate.

However, Chen Qi had no intention of keeping this a secret. He wanted to showcase the best aspects of filmmaking. He wanted to do his utmost to achieve the best results. He hoped his film would become the object of countless "tributes" – the kind that is "always imitated, never surpassed."

It could also help enrich the spiritual world of the audience on this land, indirectly motivating the development of Terra's entertainment industry. This way, his films and television dramas could also earn more reputation points...

A few days after Si Ye's wrap, Talulah and Texas returned to the crew from the countryside of Syracuse. As soon as they returned, Talulah, who had been separated from Chen Qi during this time, eagerly rushed forward to give Chen Qi a hug.

"How was it? Did you have a good time in the Syracuse countryside recently? Did you eat well?" Chen Qi looked at Talulah, who had been filming Texas's scenes in the Syracuse countryside for the past month, and returned her welcoming embrace, saying with concern, "From your appearance, this trip to the Syracuse countryside went quite well?"

"Yes, the countryside food in Syracuse was also delicious. Hearing you say that your scenes here are almost finished, we sped up our progress and quickly finished the final wrap-up."

"I wanted to enjoy my vacation, but I don't want to be a burden to you," Talulah said, leaning her head gently on Chen Qi's shoulder and tightening her grip on his arm.

Talulah and Chen Qi shared a brief moment of affection, completely unconcerned about the gazes from the rest of the crew. Scavenger and Ethan, who had just gotten out of the car and were assigned to assist Talulah with filming, instinctively looked up at the sky, pretending not to know anything.

The rest of the Integrated Cultural Troupe also turned their backs in tacit understanding, none of them wanting to witness their director and assistant director's affectionate display – they had seen enough of this during their time in the Snowfield and Lungmen. Just make it stop.

However, behind Chen Qi, FrostNova, who had temporarily taken over Talulah's work during her absence, was watching the two with a cold expression. When FrostNova's gaze met Talulah's, she clearly saw a hint of smugness in Talulah's eyes.

"Tch." FrostNova felt a slight annoyance but was helpless... It wasn't like Talulah was the first person to encounter this guy. Everyone had vaguely seen the relationship between her and Chen Qi when they were still part of the Reunion Movement.

At that time, Talulah went through a period of drastic personality change. The originally strong and somewhat reckless Talulah became cold and alluring overnight, as if she had suffered some immense shock...

FrostNova remembered that it was Chen Qi who went up and slapped Talulah directly. After that, FrostNova never saw Talulah undergo such a drastic personality change again...

It was around that time that the relationship between Talulah and Chen Qi began to change. As for when FrostNova's feelings for Chen Qi started to change, that was something that happened later.

Talulah seemed to have noticed FrostNova's emotions. Although she had realized long ago that ever since Chen Qi had inexplicably produced an Oripathy inhibitor and saved FrostNova's life, FrostNova's attitude towards Chen Qi had changed a lot...

But now, seeing FrostNova seemingly trying to challenge her position... Talulah felt that perhaps she should teach this girl what she couldn't snatch.

Therefore, Talulah brought her cheek close to Chen Qi's ear and, seemingly speaking softly, deliberately revealed a hint of shyness as she said, "Today... come to my room?"

"—I don't refuse, but are you sure you want to do it today?" Chen Qi raised an eyebrow, immediately understanding Talulah's intention. However, he was surprised. Talulah had never proactively brought this up before; at most, she would hint at it when she wanted something...

"Yan has a saying, 'A brief parting is better than a new marriage'..." Talulah continued, suppressing her shyness as she spoke into Chen Qi's ear, but her eyes kept provoking FrostNova intentionally or unintentionally. She continued:

"Besides, it's been a long time since the last time. How about I go to your room?"

"—Let's wait until the movie is finished. Everyone is very tired during this period, and we shouldn't affect everyone's rest."

Chen Qi thought about it and suppressed his impulses, not accepting this tempting offer immediately... But he wouldn't disappoint Talulah for too long. He immediately added in a low voice:

"After the movie is released and becomes a great success... you can have as much time as you want."

"Then it's a deal?"

Talulah's cheeks flushed slightly. She playfully punched Chen Qi's chest with her small, shy fist, but she still noted down this promise in her heart.

After Talulah and Chen Qi had a tender moment, on the other side, Texas, who had returned from filming in the Sicilian countryside, quickly set her sights on Madam Sicily not far away. Without a second thought, she immediately went to greet her.

"Dad." Texas's address was smoother than any time before. Clearly, after such a long period of immersing herself in the role, Texas had successfully become accustomed to this identity.

"Come, come closer, let me get a good look at you."

Madam Sicily cupped Texas's cheeks in her hands at this moment. She keenly sensed the change in Texas after returning from filming.

Her eyes had become colder, with a hint of ruthlessness and hatred within the icy gaze... Madam Sicily understood that this was because of the scene in the Sicilian countryside where the "wife" Texas had "married" there had died in an assassination.

This scene must have had a significant impact and shock on Texas. Talulah had continued Chen Qi's filming style and hadn't told Texas about the explosion scene. Therefore, in Texas's eyes, the car carrying her "wife" had suddenly exploded.

But in reality, the person inside had long been phased out and picked up by Ethan, who had accompanied them. However, the scene still affected Texas.

But Madam Sicily greatly appreciated the ruthlessness in Texas's eyes at this moment... This was the demeanor a future family head must possess.

However, a family head needed not only ruthlessness but also the means to win people's hearts... Madam Sicily thought, adding, "Child, don't get too immersed in the role."

"...I know."

As expected, with Madam Sicily's reminder, the coldness in Texas's eyes dissipated slightly, and she regained some of her former demeanor.