Having worked for so many years, I've only managed to upgrade my family to a luxury apartment worth over two million yuan and a car worth hundreds of thousands.
However, my own house pales in comparison to others.
This makes it understandable why Liu Yifeng has no interest in the entertainment industry. He earns just as much, if not more, without being a celebrity, so why go through the trouble of acting to make money!
Liu Yifeng led them to his villa. After opening the gate, he parked his car in the garage, which could accommodate four vehicles simultaneously.
As they got out of the car, the photographer didn't rest, immediately starting to film the yard.
Director Wang originally intended to build a persona for Tongtong, letting the audience know he came from a poor family.
But looking at the house and cars, none of it suggested poverty.
"Yifeng, your house is truly magnificent. Do you rarely live here?" Director Wang asked.
Liu Yifeng nodded. "I haven't owned this house for long. I mainly bought it here for the convenience of picking up and dropping off Tongtong from kindergarten, which is why I chose to buy a house here."
People buy houses for their families to live in, but he bought this one just for his child to attend kindergarten. Truly, money makes people willful!
Da Hei and Da Bai were here for the first time. Seeing the lush green lawn and the rock garden with flowing water, they immediately started chasing each other playfully as soon as they got out of the car.
Director Wang planned to film an episode today showcasing Tongtong's various talents, with entertainment as the main focus.
"Yifeng, do you have a piano at home?"
"Yes, this house came furnished. It has a gym and a music room with many common musical instruments. I've never used them before, though, so I'm not sure about the piano's sound quality."
"That's fine, as long as you have one. Tongtong mentioned he can play the piano and guitar, right? I was thinking he could demonstrate his talents. Xiaoqian also graduated from a music program. Tongtong can play the accompaniment, and she can sing. We'll just be the audience, what do you say?" Director Wang asked.
"Tongtong, can you do that?" Liu Yifeng didn't immediately agree, instead turning to look at Tongtong.
Tongtong nodded without hesitation. "Yes!"
"Xiaoqian, are you okay with singing? Do you mind?"
Xia Qianqian also nodded. "Yes, I can. It's been a while since I've sung seriously. If it's not good, please don't laugh."
Liu Yifeng smiled slightly. "You're too modest. I've heard you sing before."
After agreeing, Liu Yifeng directly led them to the music room, which was filled with many instruments.
There were a drum set, a grand piano, an electronic keyboard, and also a piano, a guitar, and some less common instruments whose names Liu Yifeng couldn't recall.
"This is amazing! You have so many instruments, you could open a concert." Xia Qianqian, being from a music background, felt like she had found her own children among the instruments. She eagerly picked up a guitar and started playing.
Melodious music filled the room, instantly relaxing everyone's mood.
Liu Yifeng, not understanding music, simply felt it sounded very good.
Director Wang, with some musical knowledge, could offer a more objective critique.
In simple terms, while the technique was present, the emotion was lacking, preventing listeners from truly immersing themselves in the music.
"I apologize for my amateur performance. I rarely play the guitar these days, and I focus more on the piano." Xia Qianqian put down the guitar, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Director Wang, fearing she might be offended, quickly explained, "You've already played very well. I was just giving some off-the-cuff remarks. If a professional were to critique you, they would surely point out many more strengths."
"Director Wang, you don't need to console me. I'm not upset and I'm aware of my shortcomings.
Let's hear the little prodigy Tongtong play the piano. I'm sure he'll surprise us." Xia Qianqian shifted the topic to Tongtong.
Tongtong was already seated at the piano, testing the notes. Once ready, he looked at Director Wang and Xia Qianqian and asked,
"What would you like me to play?"
"There's a very popular song recently called 'The Sound of Wind,' have you heard of it?" Director Wang asked.
Xia Qianqian hadn't expected Director Wang to think of this song first. She hadn't just heard it; she was its original composer.
However, lacking any evidence to prove her authorship, she could only pretend to have heard it and said nothing more.
Tongtong also knew this song was the theme song of his mother's new drama. But the singer wasn't his mother; it was Aunt Xia. He could deduce all of this.
So, he instinctively glanced at Aunt Xia. Seeing her acting as if nothing was wrong, he felt a pang of guilt.
After all, his mother had made a mistake, but as her son, there was nothing he could do to reveal her actions in public.
He couldn't interfere in this matter; everything had to proceed according to the original course to avoid a butterfly effect.
"Tongtong, have you heard this song? Do you know how to play it?" Xia Qianqian saw Tongtong looking at her and thought the song might be too difficult for him.
As it was the theme song for a spy drama, the music was relatively passionate and fast-paced, with several notes rising consecutively, which greatly tested the pianist's finger dexterity and their understanding of the song.
And Tongtong, being so young, likely hadn't grasped the song's meaning or the touching story behind the drama.
This meant Tongtong couldn't comprehend patriotism, nor the brutality of war, and thus couldn't convey the emotions the song was meant to express through the piano notes.
Tongtong didn't speak. Instead, he demonstrated whether he could play.
The moment the notes began, both she and Director Wang were stunned.
If they hadn't been standing there, witnessing Tongtong's fingers glide across the piano keys one by one,
they would never have believed such beautiful music could come from a child of his age.
They truly felt the emotions the song was meant to convey through the music.
Especially during the climax, the intense battle scenes, the indomitable spirit, and the determination to win infected everyone.
Listening to it made their blood boil, and they even wished they had been born in that era, bravely fighting for their country.
Xia Qianqian was so engrossed in listening that she forgot to sing, feeling that her voice might tarnish the melody.
She truly hadn't expected Tongtong to be so outstanding. With just a piano, he had interpreted the song's emotions so perfectly, even more profoundly than the original composition.
But Tongtong was only a little over three years old. How could such a strong sense of patriotism come from such a young child?
It was as if he had lived through that era himself, transporting them all back in time.
Liu Yifeng watched Tongtong's hands dance across the keys, feeling an indescribable sense of emotion.
The music was incredibly beautiful, with an unusually strong sense of immersion.
When he had heard Yun Duo'er sing this song before, he had only thought it was passionate and couldn't find any fault with it, but he just couldn't resonate with it.
But after hearing Tongtong's piano playing, he finally understood what true piano playing was.
His son was exceptionally talented, and as a father, he felt immensely proud.
As the song ended, everyone was still lost in the music, not having yet emerged.
Seeing no one speak, Tongtong asked softly, "Did I play poorly?"
Liu Yifeng was the first to snap back to reality. He walked over to Tongtong, picked him up, and planted a firm kiss on his cheek.
"Tongtong, you were amazing! You breathed soul into this piece. I felt so moved listening to it that I even felt like going to war.
At the same time, I'm very fortunate to live in a peaceful era, free from the suffering of separation and the loss of loved ones.
But I'm very curious, how, at such a young age, do you understand these things?"
This was also a question Director Wang and the others desperately wanted to know. Tongtong was a child prodigy, so it was understandable that he played the piano well.
But this incredibly strong sense of patriotism was something they couldn't comprehend how Tongtong had developed.
Generally, only those who have experienced great ups and downs can interpret such emotions.