Chapter Sixteen: The Greatest Scene Between Two Rivals-The Old Godfather Hands Over the Reins to the New

"He had known this part of the plot all along. He just didn't know when it would happen, so he asked you for help. The feelings she had invested in all of you... I'd always been worried about what she would think once this part of the story happened."

Chastisement: "I understand."

"Filming has already started on your end. I've informed Madam Sicily that she'll be acting opposite you, so... get yourself into the right state. Let's all try to get this in one take."

Chastisement hung up Chen Qi's call. Yet she did not seem nearly as calm as her voice had sounded. She still looked somewhat dazed and lost. Though she had recovered considerably, it was still clear that she was having trouble accepting the news.

Don't misunderstand. It was not that Chastisement could not accept the news that Si Ye had "wrapped." Chen Qi was to blame for this. To get Chastisement into the proper emotional state, the first thing he had said over the phone was deliberately, "Si Ye just died."

That one sentence nearly scared Chastisement into fainting. Fortunately, Chen Qi immediately added, "It's the character Si Ye plays who died." Only then did Chastisement break free from her initial disbelief, though she was still shaken.

To Chastisement, Si Ye might have been a member of the family, but he was more like her younger brother. She was a few years older than him and had watched him gradually grow up and become more responsible.

But in the film, their positions had changed. Si Ye had become her elder brother, and for the past few months, she had treated him as one. She suddenly realized that the younger brother who had never seemed grown-up in her eyes had gradually become more and more like a real man in the movie.

He was hot-tempered, lustful... and had so many habits Chastisement looked down on. Yet none of that outweighed the moment when he stepped forward as an elder brother to protect his family.

More importantly, Chastisement had also read the characters' background stories apart from the script. Chen Qi had sent those settings to everyone to help them immerse themselves in their roles, and Chastisement had therefore carefully read the background of "herself."

The character she played, Tom, was merely a tragic product common across this land: a blind mother and an alcoholic father. Her parents died when she was eleven. Sick and wandering the streets, Tom had been brought home by Sonny, played by Si Ye.

The family had not even discussed whether Tom should be allowed to stay. They simply took her in, even though The Godfather and Sonny had not yet achieved what they had now.

—That background made Chastisement understand why, despite all the arguments between Tom and Sonny in the film, their feelings for each other remained so sincere.

At the same time, it had subtly caused Chastisement to feel a little more genuine affection toward the Sonny played by Si Ye during her performance. She felt that it was the affection of a real family.

And it was not just her. Over the past few months, Madam Sicily, Si Ye, Texas... every one of them had felt the emotions between the characters they played.

That was what a family was: something that could only endure when everyone naturally and sincerely devoted their hearts to it... But it was precisely because of that that Chastisement now found herself struggling with how to tell Madam Sicily that Si Ye had wrapped and no longer needed to come to the set.

After all... Chastisement could tell that Madam Sicily had truly enjoyed this period of filming, and had also enjoyed the time when everyone had been her "children."

Chastisement silently poured herself a glass of whiskey. She wanted a drink to calm herself down, when she suddenly heard slightly heavy footsteps behind her.

The newcomer was naturally Madam Sicily. She looked much older than usual... Though Chastisement knew it was the haggard makeup meant to match the aftermath of an assassination, seeing her "father" looking so old still made her heart skip a beat.

"...Give me that."

When Madam Sicily saw Chastisement drinking with a sorrowful expression, she clearly understood what Chastisement was about to tell her. Having long known the plot, she understood that the part she least wanted to accept had finally arrived.

She slowly sat down like an old woman on death's door. Taking Chastisement's drink, she forced herself to finish the remaining half-glass before continuing to ask:

"My wife is crying upstairs... I heard cars arriving at the house." With just a few words, she implied that she already knew something had happened, yet she still wanted Chastisement to tell her herself.

"My good consigliere, tell me what happened. I am the only one who knows nothing."

"...I was just about to go upstairs, wake you, and tell you." Chastisement closed her eyes. She had long forgotten her lines completely. Right now, she was genuinely considering how to tell a father that his beloved eldest son had died.

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

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

"Then you have already had one."

"...They killed Sonny at the tollbooth. He's dead."

"..."

The moment Chastisement said those words, Madam Sicily, who had long anticipated the news, let out a weary sigh. The wrinkles on her forehead deepened.

Her eyes were immediately veiled by misty moisture. Her face was hidden in the darkness, making her expression impossible to see, but she tilted her head back slightly and fought to keep her tears from falling.

An old woman, upon hearing that her son had died, became utterly colorless.

It was a fleeting moment of vulnerability. For that single instant, Chastisement felt as though she had aged ten years. With tremendous difficulty, Madam Sicily swiftly concealed her emotions and spoke in the calm yet strained tone of a family head:

"...No reprisals. No revenge."

"I want you to arrange a meeting with the heads of the Five Families. This war must end."

She could not lose another child. She could not bear it. All she could do was force herself to accept the meaningless death of the son she loved and cut her losses in time.

Even if the decision was difficult, she had to make it. That was the correct judgment a qualified family head ought to make.

Madam Sicily struggled to stand, then shuffled to Chastisement's side. She reached out to comfort the sister Sonny had brought home, a girl as close as family... Chastisement did not resist. Cooperatively, she rested her head against Madam Sicily's abdomen, and for a brief moment, they vented their shared grief.

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

After speaking, Madam Sicily silently walked toward the door. She was going to change clothes. Though this was cruel to her, she still had to face it.

And this time, none of the filming crew hidden nearby, nor Chen Qi and FrostNova monitoring from backstage, dared to disrupt the atmosphere. They allowed Madam Sicily to remain immersed in the scene.

An hour later, Madam Sicily, Chastisement, and several family members pushed a cart covered with a white sheet through the elevator to the underground level.

There, Bonacera, who had sought The Godfather's aid at the very beginning of the film, stood waiting in formal attire.

As several assistants pushed the cart out, Bonacera glanced at it instinctively. Thinking that he was being asked to dispose of a body in repayment, he grew even more nervous.

Madam Sicily, now dressed formally, stepped forward. Though haggard and aged, she still possessed an unmistakable, sovereign dignity as she calmly said to Bonacera:

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

"Yes... but what do you want me to do?"

Madam Sicily did not immediately answer. She walked step by step to the cart beneath the white sheet. After a long moment, she continued, concealing her grief:

"I want you to use all your skill and make him look presentable."

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

As she spoke, Madam Sicily reached out and slowly, painfully lifted the white sheet. At that moment, the horrific condition of Si Ye's "corpse" was finally revealed before everyone for the first time.

Before Chastisement and Madam Sicily lay Si Ye's "body." His face alone was riddled with bullet holes. Thanks to the makeup effects, his face looked horribly mangled. In several places, organs appeared to have been pierced clean through. His death could only be described as utterly gruesome.

Chastisement looked only once before turning her head away, unable to accept it. Even knowing that Si Ye was merely unconscious, seeing such a miserable death inflicted upon him still left her profoundly shocked and saddened.

Even Bonacera, the funeral home owner, swallowed when he saw Si Ye in that state and cautiously looked at Madam Sicily...

"...Look what they did to my boy."

Before the invisible camera, Madam Sicily's sunken eyes were obscured by the dim surroundings, making her gaze impossible to discern... Yet her trembling brows, deepening wrinkles, and twitching lips... every minute expression allowed everyone to feel the old woman's sorrow and pain at that moment.

She was an old woman witnessing her son's horrific death with her own eyes. It was one of her few moments of weakness and collapse. All she could do was keep her tears from falling and accept a reality she could not accept.

At that moment, the filming site fell completely silent. Every so often, a few quiet sobs could be heard.

There was no wailing, no exaggerated screaming, rage, or roar. The expression of a mother forcibly holding back her grief was enough to infect everyone both within and beyond the camera's view, allowing them to personally feel that sorrow.

Especially the Art Troupe members who were already fathers. They could all put themselves in Madam Sicily's place and feel the immense agony hidden beneath her restrained emotions, sharing the same grief.

"...I think I understand a little why you insist on everyone's genuine reactions, Chen Qi."

Backstage, FrostNova discreetly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, froze them, and flicked them onto the ground. Then she calmly said to Chen Qi, who had been staring at the screen beside her:

"Was this the last family member they lost?"

"No..." Even Chen Qi, who had revisited this classic countless times, could not help but be moved by Madam Sicily's masterful and heartfelt performance. He wiped away a few tears and calmly said:

"Precisely because I know, I haven't immediately given that part of the script to Texas... We have to wait until Talulah finishes filming Texas's scenes before we tell her."

"...You're cruel." FrostNova lightly reproached Chen Qi. She was not criticizing his filming methods, but rather the heaviness of the script he had written.

"What a wonderful family, yet you could bear to tear them apart. As a screenwriter, you really are cruel."

"That's the essence of tragedy, FrostNova... You reveal something beautiful, then destroy it bit by bit with your own hands right before people's eyes. Nothing stays with people more than a perfect tragedy."

Chen Qi shook his head. Then he turned to comfort the saddened FrostNova, gently rubbing her ears and hair as he softly said:

"...Go call Talulah. We need to speed things up during this period. This masterpiece is nearing its final ending."

"Next, we have several of the most important scenes. Tell everyone to get ready. In a few days, we'll begin the final work."

The Finest Rival Scene, the Passing of the Old and New Godfathers

After Si Ye's scenes came to an end, Chen Qi did not immediately prepare a wrap party for him. He did not intend to ruin the perfectly timed atmosphere. Such an atmosphere would help with filming Madam Sicily's final segment.

After Si Ye's storyline ended, Chen Qi intended to strike while the iron was hot and formally conclude Madam Sicily's scenes here. Then, without any obstacles, he could film the final sequence of The Godfather—the montage editing sequence that could be called a textbook-level lesson in filmmaking.

It was time to give the people of this land a little shock from Earth, and let a world where most people lacked spiritual entertainment experience the textbook-level artistry of a classic masterpiece.

Chen Qi had watched some Terra films as well, including quite a few popular films here in Syracuse—but strangely, compared to movies, people of status in Syracuse actually preferred theater plays.

It was not simply because theater tickets cost more and better displayed one's status. It was because film production in Terra was still largely in its exploratory stage. In Chen Qi's view, most directors' editing techniques were not particularly sophisticated and were even somewhat immature.

If Chen Qi had to evaluate them... they had a sort of early twentieth-century retro feel.

But that was not merely due to technological limitations. On this land, the pursuit of spiritual entertainment was generally still in its infancy. Chen Qi also knew that once his The Godfather was released, its textbook editing techniques would sweep across the land and become instructional material imitated by countless people.

Yet Chen Qi had no intention of keeping such things to himself. He wanted to display the finest aspects of cinema—he wanted to do everything as perfectly as possible. He hoped his film would become the object of countless cinematic "tributes," something "always imitated, never surpassed."

It could also help enrich the spiritual world of audiences across this land and indirectly encourage Terra's entertainment industry to grow. That way, his films and television dramas could earn more reputation points too...

A few days after Si Ye wrapped, Talulah and Texas returned to the crew from the Syracuse countryside. The moment Talulah returned, having been separated from Chen Qi for so long, she impatiently stepped forward and gave him a hug.

"How was it? Did you have a good time in the Syracuse countryside lately? Have you been eating properly?" Chen Qi looked at Talulah, who had spent the past month filming Texas's scenes in rural Syracuse. He returned her welcoming embrace and asked with concern:

"Judging from how you look, this trip to the Syracuse countryside went pretty well?"

"Mm. The food in the Syracuse countryside was delicious too. When we heard that your scenes here were nearly finished, we sped up the schedule and quickly completed the final work."

"I wanted to enjoy my vacation, but I wanted even less to become your burden." As Talulah spoke, she gently rested her head on Chen Qi's shoulder and tightened her arms around him.

Talulah and Chen Qi lingered together for a while, completely ignoring the looks from the rest of the crew. Bone Shatter and Ethan, who had just gotten out of the car and been assigned to assist Talulah with filming, almost instinctively looked up at the sky, pretending they knew nothing.

The other members of the Integrated Cultural Troupe also tacitly turned away. Nobody wanted to watch their director and assistant director being so lovey-dovey—everyone had seen enough of this back on the snowfields and in Lungmen. Please take it elsewhere.

Only FrostNova, who had temporarily taken over Talulah's duties during her absence, stood behind Chen Qi and watched the pair with a chilly expression. When FrostNova's eyes met Talulah's, she could clearly see a hint of smugness in Talulah's gaze.

"Tch." FrostNova felt a little irritated, but there was nothing she could do... Talulah had been the first to meet that guy, after all. Back when they were still the Reunion Movement, everyone had vaguely noticed the nature of her relationship with Chen Qi.

Back then, Talulah had gone through a period of drastic personality change. The formerly strong yet somewhat reckless Talulah had become cold and seductive overnight, as though she had suffered some immense shock...

FrostNova still remembered that Chen Qi had walked up and slapped Talulah across the face. After that, FrostNova had never seen Talulah undergo such a drastic change again...

It was also then that Talulah's relationship with Chen Qi began to change. As for FrostNova's feelings toward Chen Qi, those had changed later.

Talulah seemed to notice FrostNova's mood. She had realized long ago that after Chen Qi had somehow produced an Oripathy suppressant and saved FrostNova's life, FrostNova's attitude toward him had changed greatly...

But now that FrostNova seemed to be genuinely challenging her position... Talulah felt that perhaps she ought to teach this girl what she was not allowed to take.

So Talulah leaned close to Chen Qi's ear and, seemingly speaking softly but deliberately letting a trace of her shyness show, said:

"Tonight... my room?"

"—I wouldn't say no, but are you sure about tonight?" Chen Qi raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding what Talulah meant. But he was surprised. Talulah had never taken the initiative to bring this up before; at most, she would hint when she wanted it...

"There's a saying in Yan: absence makes the heart grow fonder..." Talulah continued whispering by Chen Qi's ear, suppressing her shyness, though her eyes kept deliberately and seemingly casually provoking FrostNova.

"And it's been a long time since last time. Or... should I come to your room?"

"—Let's wait until the movie is done. Everyone's exhausted right now, so let's not affect their rest."

Chen Qi considered it, then still resisted the impulse and did not immediately accept the tempting invitation... But he would not leave Talulah disappointed for long. He immediately added in a low voice:

"Once the movie is released and becomes a huge success... you can have as long as you want."

"It's a promise, then?"

Talulah's cheeks reddened slightly. She shyly thumped Chen Qi's chest with a small fist, but silently remembered that promise.

After Talulah and Chen Qi lingered together for a while, Texas, who had returned from filming in the Syracuse countryside, quickly fixed her attention on Madam Sicily in the distance. Without even thinking, she immediately walked over.

"Dad." Texas said it more smoothly than ever before. Clearly, after spending so much time immersing herself in the role, she had successfully grown accustomed to that identity.

"Come. Get closer and let me have a good look at you."

Madam Sicily held Texas's cheeks in both hands. She keenly sensed the changes in Texas after her return from filming.

Her eyes had become colder, carrying a trace of ruthlessness and hatred beneath that coldness... Madam Sicily understood. It was because, during Texas's scenes in the Syracuse countryside, the "wife" she had "married" there had died in an assassination.

That scene must have had a powerful impact on Texas. Talulah had continued Chen Qi's filming style and had not told Texas about the explosion scene beforehand. So from Texas's perspective, the car carrying her "wife" had probably suddenly exploded.

But in truth, Ethan, who had gone along with them, had long since turned the person inside invisible and taken her away. Even so, the scene had still affected Texas.

Still, Madam Sicily admired the ruthlessness in Texas's eyes... It was a quality a future family head had to possess.

However, a family head needed more than ruthlessness. They also needed the means to win people over... Thinking so, Madam Sicily added:

"Child, don't lose yourself in the role."

"...I know."

Sure enough, after Madam Sicily's reminder, some of the coldness in Texas's eyes faded, and she regained a little of her former self.