Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Soundtrack... Let's Ask Qing

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"hiahiahia... Sis!"

After feeding the little penguins, the caretakers led the children out. With laughter and boundless energy, Little Xi’er bounced up to Tan Jiner, her face aglow with excitement as she asked,

"Sis, did you see me feeding the baby penguins? Wasn’t I amazing?"

"You were indeed amazing," Tan Jiner replied, eyes twinkling with amusement, teasing the little one: "But I saw you dropping all the krill on the ground."

"Waaahhh~~"

Little Xi’er instantly turned on her charm, pouting and whining in protest. She insisted, with rapid little words, that it was Xiao Bai who dropped the krill, not her. She was very capable.

Xiao Bai: ...

"Silly child, have some water. Look at you, sweating all over."

Mama Bai handed a small water bottle to Xiao Bai, who clutched it and began to gulp down the water.

Meanwhile, Little Qiu’er ran over to Qin Xue and looked up at the baby in her arms, her voice crisp and sweet as she said,

"Sister Qin, are you tired from holding Dong’er? Let me carry her for a while."

"Yes, Sister Qin, let’s hold Dong’er’s hands and walk together," added Little Chun’er, nodding by her side.

She reached out her small hand and called to Dong’er, "Dong’er, come down, Sis will take you to play!"

"Mm, Sis~~"

Little Dong’er, nestled in Qin Xue’s arms, flailed her tiny arms eagerly toward Chun’er.

Qin Xue laughed and set the squirming little one down. Truth be told, holding this little bundle was indeed a bit tiring.

After putting Dong’er down, she gently stretched her slightly sore arms. Just then, Little Xia’er came running over with a bottle of water.

"Sis, have some water!"

"Thank you, Xia’er."

"Hee hee..."

Little Xia’er grinned with delight, then looked at Dong’er, who was waddling off with her little bottom swaying, and called out in her clear, bright voice, "Dong’er, come here, Sis has water for you!"

Thump, thump, thump...

The little one waddled over and dove into her sister’s arms. After taking a sip of water, her little brows furrowed slightly.

"Mm, Sis, no~ I want the little bear cup~~"

Dong’er pulled her mouth away from the bottle, her tiny hands flailing, babbling almost unintelligibly.

"No, it’s not the bear cup," Xia’er replied sternly. "Are you going to drink or not?"

Dong’er: "Mmm… I’ll drink..."

Obediently, Little Dong’er pressed her mouth to the cup once more.

Qin Xue burst out laughing at the child’s adorable mix of aggrieved reluctance and timidity, bending down to kiss her on the cheek.

A little while later, after everyone had drunk water and rested, Qiu’er and Xi’er took Dong’er by the hand, ready to set off again—they were going to see the dolphins.

"hiahiahia... Dong’er, don’t wiggle your bottom when you walk! You have to walk like Sis does!"

Little Xi’er laughed as she tried to correct Dong’er’s walk, swinging her arms and marching her legs to demonstrate.

But as she demonstrated and walked, Xi’er suddenly grew confused; somehow, she was now walking with both hand and foot on the same side, like a little clown.

"Ah! What do I do? I can’t walk anymore!" Xi’er cried out in a panic.

"You really are a silly goose!" Xiao Bai, watching his muddled little sister, shook his head in exasperation.

Qin Xue, following behind the little ones, laughed so hard she bent at the waist. Xi’er was just too funny and adorable.

Every moment, she managed to conjure some unexpected bit of mischief.

Jiner, the little cook, also laughed, covering her face—she simply couldn’t watch anymore...

…

After seeing the dolphins and several other sea creatures, noon arrived.

Qin Xue and her friends took the children to a kids’ themed restaurant for lunch, then reserved two children’s nap rooms so the little ones could rest.

"Xue, have things quieted down at work for you these days?"

Mama Bai had gone to watch over the napping children, leaving Qin Xue and Tan Jiner to chat as they waited.

"Yes," Qin Xue replied with a smile. "Thanks to Qingzi, the video he edited passed review. All that’s left is the voiceover and the soundtrack—Fang Du is overseeing it now."

"Fang Du... will he manage?" Tan Jiner frowned slightly in thought. "I heard from Brother Qing that Fang Du even argued with one of your leaders."

Qin Xue chuckled, glancing at Jiner with a meaningful look. "Qingzi told you that? Honestly, you can’t blame Fang Du. The video failed review three times in a row. Of course he was anxious—I was anxious too. He acted on impulse, and what the leader said was truly unpleasant."

"Of course, it’s not just the editing team’s fault. We share the blame. The footage we shot was lacking, so the theme wasn’t clear. Now that we have a successful case, the filming crew understands what to reshoot and how to improve."

"Oh..." Jiner nodded thoughtfully, then smiled. "So, this means the food documentary will air soon! I can’t wait—I’m so curious to see what kind of show Brother Qing has planned."

"It’ll definitely surprise you," Qin Xue said with a smile. "The station has tentatively scheduled the premiere for July first."

"July first? That’s still a month away!"

"It’s not that long," Qin Xue explained. "The final cut isn’t ready, and there’s still voiceover, music, and promotion to do. A month is actually a tight schedule."

As she spoke, she frowned slightly. "Finding the right music is tricky too. We have to scout for suitable tracks, negotiate with composers about authorization, or even buy out the rights. It’s a lot of work."

She suddenly burst out laughing. "Fang Du has been listening to so many tracks lately, he says he’s about to be sick. Every day he complains to me that he hasn’t had your pancakes in days."

At this, Jiner’s cheeks flushed. She quickly changed the subject. "Can’t you just hire someone to compose the soundtrack?"

"You could, but it’s a hassle and takes even longer," Qin Xue shook her head. "You have no idea—if a composer is inspired, writing an original piece for a film might take a week, but without inspiration, it could take who knows how long..."

"Is composing really that hard?" Jiner, a complete novice in this field, blinked in surprise. "Then how did Brother Qing manage that erhu piece? I never saw him write anything, or ever even pick up a pen..."

Qin Xue paused, then sighed helplessly. "That... I don’t know. Sometimes, the things he does are just uncanny!"

"Right?" Jiner laughed in agreement. "Brother Qing is definitely something else. When his erhu piece started playing, I was completely stunned."

"Hee hee... Back home we have a saying: ‘There’s no soul that a suona can’t send off, and no one the erhu can’t move to tears.’ I really cried—it was pure excitement. At that moment, Brother Qing on stage was like a superstar. I felt so proud as his sister."

She paused, her eyes shining as she looked at Qin Xue, whose face bore a hint of regret.

"Xue, why don’t you ask Brother Qing if he could compose for your documentary?"

"Uh..." Qin Xue was taken aback. "Compose... Do you think he could?"

"It’s worth asking! You never know—he’s so talented, after all!"

"You’re right. I’ll ask him when we get back this afternoon."

"Mhm! If Brother Qing can do it, that would be incredible."

"It would," Qin Xue said with a sigh and a smile. "In that case, we’d have to credit him as the planner, cinematographer, editor, and composer for our debut film."

"Tsk tsk, seems like the whole project is his handiwork. Makes the rest of us look useless!"

"Hee hee..." Jiner winked at her. "With Brother Qing so outstanding, shouldn’t you be even happier?"

Qin Xue’s cheeks flushed as she laughed, "I am happy, but I’m also a little worried..."

"Worried? Worried about what? Worried that someone will steal Brother Qing away?"

"Ha ha..."

The two women chatted idly, the little ones napping with smiles on their faces. Meanwhile, Yang Qing, at that very moment, was left bewildered and at a loss.