During this time, Tangning's new post-production team was formed and they were now learning to work together and adapt to their new working environment.
'The Ant Queen 2' was ready to go and Tangning successfully cast the other actors for her film. All that was left was to lock in their schedules and call them in for a rehearsal.
Soon, 'The Ant Queen 2' officially announced its main cast and crew. As with the first film, the team was led by Tangning as the producer. Under her, there was Qiao Man as the director, the addition of a martial arts superstar, Old Long, a new actress, Fei Er, the freshly popular Luo Sheng, and, of course, there was Mo Ting as the villain!
As soon as these names were announced, the public immediately had a huge response; there was so much to look forward to.
The addition of Old Long was already a pleasant surprise, but on top of that, Mo Ting was a part of the cast again - and he was playing the villain!
Meanwhile, the poster for the film clearly indicated that the film would be testing the strength of a teacher-student relationship.
Which meant, the main plot would be focused on a student and a teacher!
Fans immediately left comments online, telling Tangning to quickly start filming.
"One of the reasons why I like Tangning's productions is because she doesn't go down the typical path of a hero rescuing a damsel in distress. She doesn't focus on romantic love, instead, she explores other relationships. Her films are on a deeper level and they make me feel very comfortable watching them."
"Last time, it was the story of a father and daughter. This time, it's a teacher and a student. Just the thought of it sounds interesting. I wonder how the international superstar will hold up against a giant monster!"
"Am I the only one that thinks President Mo's role as a villain is going to be sensational? In the first film, his character was very calm and gentle. I can't wait to see his emotions explode in the sequel!"
"Can't wait +1..."
"Can't wait +2..."
"Now that they've announced the cast and crew, when will they begin filming? This is torture!"
"I'm going to go dig up all of Tangning and Mo Ting's previous films and watch them all. That should last me a bit of time."
"Ever since Tangning entered the film and television industry, I feel like she's brought along a breath of fresh air. I think the entire industry should thank her!"
However, Tangning didn't care about hearing thanks. It didn't matter because her main focus was on doing what she wanted to do. She wanted to fulfill Qiao Sen's dream and stand at the pinnacle of the entertainment industry with Mo Ting. But, right now, had she achieved it yet?
Soon, people began investigating Qiao Man to find out who she was. That's when they realized that she was Qiao Sen's daughter and she was an extremely famous videographer.
To fulfill her father's wishes, she also decided to dedicate the rest of her life to sci-fi. Initially, she expected the public to be doubtful of her because she was new to the industry, but surprisingly, everyone was very accepting. This was because they knew she would put in a lot of effort if she had the intention to become like her father...
In the end, everyone was talking about 'The Ant Queen 2'. This made Nangong Quan feel that Tangning and Mo Ting were truly powerful opponents, worthy of respect.
"President, should we start the second round of promotions for 'Parasite'?"
Nangong Quan shook his head gesturing that the time wasn't right, "There's no need. Let's place our energy on producing 'Parasite'. When the final film gets released, that will be the best piece of promotional material."
"I understand. We are keeping up with the sci-fi trend. Even though I'm unwilling to admit, Tangning has indeed made a huge contribution to the industry," Nangong Quan's assistant said. "Otherwise, we probably wouldn't see a sci-fi film of this quality for another twenty years, let alone now."
"How's Bai Junye doing?"
"There's nothing to say. Bai Junye is indeed talented. We didn't find the wrong person."
"Great," Nangong Quan nodded. He had high hopes for 'Parasite'.
Even though they couldn't compare to Hai Rui's 'The Ant Queen 2', good films deserved recognition.
Afterwards, Nangong Quan grabbed his belongings and drove over to visit Qiu Jin. But, to his surprise, Qiu Jin's subordinate told him, "Uncle Qiu already passed away ten days ago..."
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Nangong Quan roared. "How come no one told me about this huge matter?"
"Because Uncle Qiu left so suddenly. He hung himself to death, but I was sure he initially told me that he wanted to do some traveling overseas. So, no one expected it," Qiu Jin's subordinate replied. "I even saw that he already packed his luggage..."
"Why didn't you call the police, then?"
"The police came by and confirmed that he was strangled to death and he left behind a suicide note, so they did not look any further into it. But, I still feel like something's off."
Why would someone that was about to go overseas suddenly decide to die? And why did he leave such a simple suicide note?
Nangong Quan found it weird, but he couldn't really point out the problem.
Qiu Jin was gone just like that, yet no one notified him about it. He originally thought Qiu Jin was in a bad mood and needed some time to recover, so he didn't bother him. Who would have thought...
"Have you searched through Qiu Jin's room in detail? Was there anything suspicious?"
"No, I've already looked," the bald subordinate said before he pulled out a phone from a set of drawers. "This belongs to Uncle Qiu. I've already looked through the call records. On the night of his death, Uncle Qiu spoke for half an hour with an unfamiliar number."
"Who was it?"
"I tried calling the number. It was a car insurance salesman..."
Nangong Quan received the phone and did not say a word. But, he suddenly suspected there was another person hiding behind-the-scenes.
However, he didn't get the chance to investigate in detail because, at that moment, he received a phone call from Su Youran's mother, "Mr. Nangong, could you marry Youran as soon as possible?"
"Auntie, what happened?"
"Her father's business failed and he's trying to take advantage of her."
Nangong Quan's heart sank. However, it was not because of what Mother Su said, "Your voice sounds very weak..."
"I'm fine...I'm fine."
It did not sound like she was fine. After hanging up the phone, Nangong Quan left Qiu Jin's home and drove straight over to the place where Su Youran undertook her studies. He then dragged her straight out of her classroom.
"Hey mister, are you making a mistake? Did you grab the wrong person?"
"Your mother may be in danger. You should go home and check on her," Nangong Quan said as he showed the phone number on his phone to Su Youran.
After confirming it was her mother's phone number, Su Youran turned to leave. But, Nangong Quan quickly held her back, "I'll take you there. It will be faster."
Although Su Youran had a lot of questions, she didn't have a better option. So, she quickly boarded Nangong Quan's car.
It was strange. She had to find out through a stranger that her mother was in danger...