Chapter 138: Turning Pressure into Motivation (Subscription Requested)

Twice-cooked pork, stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork slices, Mapo tofu, stir-fried green beans, and a bowl of egg drop soup. Before long, Yang Qing had finished cooking the meal.

As Qin Hao caught the mouth-watering aroma, he couldn't help but smack his lips. He looked at Yang Qing in disbelief and asked, "Are you... are you really a restaurant owner? Has my sister been captured by your cooking?!"

"Not a restaurant, just a breakfast shop," Yang Qing corrected with a smile, shaking his head. "My little shop only sells scallion pancakes and soup dumplings."

"Scallion pancakes... soup dumplings... wait... I think... I seem to..."

Qin Hao seemed to have his memory jogged by Yang Qing’s words. He frowned and muttered to himself for a moment before his eyes suddenly widened in shock. "You’re Yang Qing!"

Yang Qing: "..."
Does this kid have a screw loose? Didn't I already introduce myself to you?

"Yes," Yang Qing nodded helplessly. "I am Yang Qing. Now, go call your sister and my little sister down for dinner."

"That can wait!" Qin Hao looked at Yang Qing with excitement. "You really are Yang Qing! The one who wrote 'Mohe Ballroom,' performed 'Horse Racing' and 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,' and wrote 'Acacia' for the Heavenly Queen Ying!"

Yang Qing sighed. "Yes."

"Holy crap!" Qin Hao exclaimed. "I was wondering how my sister could fall for someone who isn't even as handsome as her own brother. Turns out, big brother, you're the hidden heavyweight!"

Yang Qing felt a bit depressed by this comment. He subconsciously touched his face and said wordlessly, "Go call your sister down for dinner."

"You got it!"

Qin Hao nodded and turned to leave, but after one step, he paused. "Brother-in-law, you're here in Jinghua for the Musical Instrument Exchange Conference, right?"

"Yes."

"Haha... awesome! Go for it, brother-in-law! Beat those foreigners!" Qin Hao gave him a mysterious smile. "I’ll have a surprise for you when the time comes!"

Yang Qing gave a noncommittal smile. A surprise—he just hoped it wouldn't be a shock.

***

"Brother, give me your phone. I want to video call Xiao Bai and Xi'er."

After dinner, little Qiu'er bounced over to Yang Qing, tugging at his hand with a cute plea. Qin Hao, watching from the side, felt a mix of envy and affection. The little girl was so adorable, so sensible, and so well-behaved that it stirred in him a desire to have a daughter of his own.

"Sister," Qin Hao said, "after the conference ends, I'll go to Yangcheng with you."

Qin Xue glanced at him coolly. "Aren't you supposed to be filming a movie? What, you're quitting?"

"How could I?" Qin Hao said with a ingratiating smile. "I can film in Yangcheng too, and I can run errands for you while I'm at it."

"Heh..." Qin Xue sneered. "I think you just want to run errands for Xiao Rou."

"Gah!" Qin Hao’s face turned awkward instantly.

***

"Sister Qin!"

Just then, little Qiu'er, who was video chatting with the two little ones back in Yangcheng, ran over. She called out in her milky voice, "Xi'er and Xiao Bai want to see your home, is that okay?"

"Of course," Qin Xue smiled. "Come on, I'll take you on a tour to show them."

"Yay!"

Little Qiu'er hopped with joy. The tiny, milky voices of Xi'er and Xiao Bai came through the phone: "Thank you, Sister Qin! We love you, hiahia..."

As Qin Xue showed little Qiu'er around the rooms, Qin Hao looked at Yang Qing with curiosity. "Brother-in-law, who are the two kids in the video..."

"Xi'er and Xiao Bai. They are Qiu'er's best friends and live with us," Yang Qing laughed. "I have three other little sisters—two are in elementary school, and one is only two years old."

"Uh..." Qin Hao blinked. "Biological?"

"No," Yang Qing shook his head, offering no further explanation.

"Oh." Seeing that Yang Qing didn't intend to elaborate, Qin Hao didn't press the matter. Instead, he changed the subject. "Brother-in-law, you wrote songs for the Heavenly Queen Ying—are you two close?"

Yang Qing nodded. "We are. Your sister is also close to her; we flew here together."

"Haha, that’s fantastic!" Qin Hao exclaimed excitedly. "Could you introduce me to her?"

"Uh..." Yang Qing was stunned. "You want to..."

"Don't get the wrong idea," Qin Hao laughed. "My movie is still missing a heavyweight lead actress, so... heh heh..."

"You..." Yang Qing was speechless. "Ying is a Heavenly Queen, that's true, but she's a singer. Is she really suitable for your movie?"

"She’s perfect!" Qin Hao said. "This first movie of mine is just to test the waters and gain some experience. Whether it's a hit or not doesn't matter. As long as you, brother-in-law, crush those foreigners at the conference and become famous overnight, and then join my movie along with the Heavenly Queen, we’ll definitely be able to draw an audience. I think breaking even is guaranteed!"

Yang Qing shook his head helplessly, then asked out of curiosity, "How much does it cost to make this movie?"

"Five million," Qin Hao shrugged helplessly. "The old man won't give me any more. If I had tens of millions, I wouldn't be struggling like this."

Five... five million!!

Yang Qing was shocked. He opened his mouth, unable to speak for a long time. The mindset of the wealthy was truly beyond the comprehension of an ordinary person like him. Five million just to "gain experience"! That was truly... extravagant!

But... the "old man" he referred to, could it be his and Qin Xue’s... father?

Yang Qing felt immense pressure in an instant. Recalling his promise to Qin Xue, he let out a long, melancholy sigh. He had to give it his all. He had to "bring glory to the country" at this conference no matter what! Once he completed the system mission and upgraded, he could unlock the direct purchase interface.

At that point, as long as he had achievement points, he could selectively plan his actions rather than relying on luck and wasting points on unnecessary draws.

***

Twenty minutes later, Qin Xue finished showing little Qiu'er around and walked over to Yang Qing. "I'm taking Qiu'er out to look around and buy her some daily necessities. Do you want to come?"

"Sure, let's go together," Yang Qing smiled. "It's my first time in Jinghua, too; I'd like to look around."

"Heh, sister, I'm coming too," Qin Hao grinned. "I’ll carry your bags!"

Qin Xue nodded. "Alright, let's go."

"We're off!" little Qiu'er chirped, then turned to the two little ones on the screen. "Xi'er, Xiao Bai, we're going out to play! Do you want to watch?"

"Yes!" little Xi'er's loud laugh came through. "Hiahia... my sister is holding Dong'er and watching too!"

"Hoho... my aunt, Sister Chun'er, and Sister Xia'er are here too!" Xiao Bai added with a laugh.

"Mm-hmm!"

Little Qiu'er nodded happily and turned to grab Qin Xue's hand, only to run face-first into Qin Hao, who was leaning in to look.

"Ah! Brother Hao!"

"Heh heh... little baby Qiu'er, introduce your little friends to Brother Hao."

"Okay!"

***

The next morning, while Qin Xue was still fast asleep, little Qiu'er, nestled in her arms, opened her eyes. She crawled carefully out of bed and made her way down the spiral staircase to the first floor, where she found Yang Qing cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

"Brother..."

"Oh, sweetheart, why are you up so early? Shouldn't you get more sleep?"

"Heehee... Qiu'er is wide awake."

The little one walked into the kitchen in her pajamas, looking at Yang Qing with a smile. "Brother, what are you making? Qiu'er will help you."

"Making soup dumplings and some porridge," Yang Qing said lovingly. "Go wash your face and brush your teeth, and then you can help me wrap the dumplings, okay?"

"Okay!"

Little Qiu'er trotted off to wash up. A little later, she ran back, climbed onto a small stool, and began wrapping dumplings with Yang Qing, chatting and laughing.

Just then, Qin Hao, hearing the commotion, quietly slipped out of his room. He secretly snapped a photo of the brother and sister working in the kitchen, grinning to himself as he muttered:

"I'll send this to Mom. I wonder if she'll be pleasantly surprised, shocked, or if she'll come charging over here... heh heh..."