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Chapter 35 of 100

Chapter 35

6 min read1,503 words

"Studio?" Zheng Xiuyan was taken aback for a moment.

"Yes, a studio." Xia Hou Zhongying nodded.

"Do we need a studio?" Zheng Xiuyan asked in confusion.

Seeing Zheng Xiuyan's bewildered expression, Xia Hou Zhongying's face darkened, and he said irritably, "We need to solve funding, props, personnel, and communicate with the school, find sponsors, scripts, and then there's shooting and promotion afterward. There are so many things to do. Do you want me to do everything alone? Even if I could, it would be too much for me."

Zheng Xiuyan hadn't expected making a short film to be so complicated. Hearing Xia Hou Zhongying list everything, she was already dizzy. How could he handle all of it? Considering his efforts for her, she didn't have the heart to argue with him and forced a smile, "Whatever you say, let's just do it."

"The name of the studio, I thought of one. Let's call it Xin Xia Studio." Xia Hou Zhongying said.

"Why?" Zheng Xiuyan asked.

"Since I'm setting it up, I thought I'd use the first character of my name." Xia Hou Zhongying chuckled. Everyone has a bit of vanity, and Xia Hou Zhongying was no exception. If he was going to set it up, he wanted it to be associated with him. Otherwise, how could he justify all the hard work?

"Why not use Xin Zheng? That sounds better than yours." Hearing about the naming rights, Zheng Xiuyan's eyes lit up. This was a good thing. Imagining the studio being named after her, she felt a surge of pride and almost drooled. She immediately started arguing with Xia Hou Zhongying.

"Hey, girl, you've already taken all the good things. I'm the one doing all the hard work. Is it too much to ask for the naming rights?" Xia Hou Zhongying said unhappily.

"You said it's for us, so the name should use ours." Zheng Xiuyan wouldn't budge.

"Zheng Xiuyan, don't be too greedy. You're even arguing over this." Xia Hou Zhongying was exasperated.

"What's too greedy? Xin Zheng sounds better than Xin Xia." Zheng Xiuyan didn't care, smiling as she imagined the studio being named after her.

"I don't want to argue with you. If you keep insisting, I'll quit, and you can do it yourself." Xia Hou Zhongying acted like a spoiled child.

Zheng Xiuyan was at a loss. Without Xia Hou Zhongying, they couldn't do anything. Who would handle all the tasks? She was torn. This jerk clearly wanted the naming rights. If she didn't give it to him, they wouldn't be able to do anything. What should she do?

Looking up at Xia Hou Zhongying, who was acting like a spoiled child, Zheng Xiuyan wanted to punch him. But she needed his help, so she could only imagine it in her mind and didn't dare to act on it.

"Fine, let's add yours, and call it Xin Zheng Xia Studio." Zheng Xiuyan reluctantly gave in.

"No, Xin Zheng Xia sounds terrible." Xia Hou Zhongying frowned.

"What do you want then?" Zheng Xiuyan glared at Xia Hou Zhongying, angrily shouting, "I've already given in, what more do you want?"

Zheng Xiuyan's sudden outburst startled Xia Hou Zhongying, and his stubborn side came out. He glared back, "If you want to add your name, it has to be Xin Xia Zheng Studio."

"No, it has to be Xin Zheng Xia." Zheng Xiuyan shouted back.

"Why does your name have to come first? This is my studio, so it should be after mine, Xin Xia Zheng." Xia Hou Zhongying raised his voice, not to be outdone.

"Xin Zheng Xia." Zheng Xiuyan glared.

"Xin Xia Zheng." Xia Hou Zhongying glared back.

"Zheng Xia."

"Xia Zheng."

"..."

The two of them argued louder and louder, alarming Zheng Xiuyan's parents outside the room.

Zheng Xiuyan's mother pushed open the door and saw the two of them glaring at each other, arguing about "Zheng Xia" and "Xia Zheng." She couldn't help but hold her head and groan. It seemed impossible for them to get along, even more so than cats and mice.

"What are you arguing about so loudly?" Zheng Xiuyan's mother asked, exasperated.

Seeing that they had alarmed their mother, the two of them stopped arguing and coldly huffed, showing they wouldn't back down.

Their behavior infuriated Zheng Xiuyan's mother, who scolded them and said, "Both of you, come out and explain what's going on. If you don't, neither of you is going anywhere."

The two of them sulked and followed their mother out of the room and sat on the sofa, showing no signs of compromise.

"Explain what's going on, both of you." Zheng Xiuyan's mother asked after sitting down.

Xia Hou Zhongying and Zheng Xiuyan glanced at each other, neither of them answering. It was hard to explain. Should they tell their mother they were arguing over the order of the names? They would probably get a beating with a broom.

"What? No one wants to speak?" Zheng Xiuyan's mother glared, about to lose her temper.

"It's normal for children to argue sometimes. Don't make a big deal out of it." Zheng Xiuyan's father, seeing the situation, quickly calmed his wife and then looked at Zheng Xiuyan, "Xiuyan, you're a girl. Being so temperamental isn't good. You need to change, or you won't find a good husband."

"Whatever, if you can't stand it, go. I don't want to get married anyway." Zheng Xiuyan, who usually respected her father, couldn't stay silent but refused to back down, muttering.

Zheng Xiuyan's words almost made her father choke. He couldn't help but laugh bitterly, thinking about how difficult his daughter would be in the future.

"Xiuyan..." Zheng Xiuyan's father awkwardly coughed, trying to soften his tone.

"Okay, Dad, I know I'm wrong. I'll try to change." Zheng Xiuyan interrupted her father, making him feel uncomfortable and frustrated.

"Zhongying, you two are siblings. Is there anything you can't...?" Zheng Xiuyan's father, feeling frustrated, wanted to shift the focus to Xia Hou Zhongying.

"I know I'm wrong, Uncle. As the older brother, I should be more understanding and not argue with my sister. I won't do it again." Xia Hou Zhongying interrupted, making Zheng Xiuyan's father even more frustrated.

"Can you let me finish?" Zheng Xiuyan's father, feeling the heat, lost his composure and roared.

"Go ahead, Uncle." Xia Hou Zhongying and Zheng Xiuyan, seeing their usually calm father angry, felt nervous and quickly smiled apologetically.

"You two..." Zheng Xiuyan's father, feeling his anger dissipate at their apologetic smiles, couldn't find the words to scold them. He sighed and waved his hand, "Think about what you did wrong."

"Ha ha." Seeing her husband's frustration, Zheng Xiuyan's mother couldn't help but laugh, and Zheng Xiuyan's sister, Zheng Xiujing, also laughed, making Zheng Xiuyan's father's face turn red.

After laughing, Zheng Xiuyan's mother looked at the two of them, who were still apologetic, and felt a headache. She sighed, "You two, really. You're family. Can't you talk things out instead of arguing?"

"Yes, Auntie, I know I'm wrong." Xia Hou Zhongying, feeling guilty for making his aunt angry, regretted his stubbornness. It was just a naming right, why did he have to argue with Zheng Xiuyan?

"Mom, I know I'm wrong." Zheng Xiuyan moved closer to her mother, pouting, "I won't do it again. I'll change, I'll change. Please don't be angry."

"That's better. Family should be understanding." Seeing the two of them willing to change, Zheng Xiuyan's mother felt satisfied and asked, "Now, tell me what you were arguing about."

"You tell her." Xia Hou Zhongying chuckled, feeling embarrassed to explain.

"You tell her." Zheng Xiuyan also felt embarrassed and didn't want to be the first to speak.

Their polite and respectful behavior made Zheng Xiuyan's mother feel even more frustrated. This wasn't a sign of reconciliation but a way to avoid responsibility.

"Stop it. You tell her." Zheng Xiuyan's mother, favoring her daughter but also considering Xia Hou Zhongying's feelings, glared at her daughter and asked her to explain.

Feeling her mother was favoring the outsider, Zheng Xiuyan felt unfair but had no choice. She hesitantly explained the situation to her parents.

After listening to Zheng Xiuyan, Zheng Xiuyan's parents looked at each other, feeling both amused and exasperated. They had argued over such a trivial matter? Looking at the two of them, blushing and looking down, Zheng Xiuyan's mother sighed, feeling the task of getting them to get along would be challenging.

"Uncle, I think we should call it Zheng Xia." Xia Hou Zhongying chuckled, "It sounds better, ZX is better than XZ."

"You decide." Zheng Xiuyan's mother smiled bitterly.

"How about Xia Zheng?" Xia Hou Zhongying offered, and Zheng Xiuyan, not wanting to insist, also suggested following Xia Hou Zhongying's idea.

"Enough. You argued before, and now you're giving in. What's this?" Zheng Xiuyan's father, feeling the need to assert his authority, said, "Zhongying is right. ZX sounds better. Let's use ZX."

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