Nangong Quan's approach was quickly acknowledged by his peers in the industry, so he worked hard to sort things out with the Americans.
But, how could Mo Ting let Nangong Quan face something like this on his own?
Hai Rui had evidence in their hands and had full confidence to tell the world that 'The Ant Queen 2' was an original story and that the Americans had lied to everyone.
Soon after, Hollywood stepped forward with a response: they did not acknowledge the film agency in question, nor their productions. They also revealed that the agency had plagiarized many times in the past and had even lost court cases because of it.
The truth was apparent. 'The Ant Queen 2' was indeed an originally-produced Chinese film. This outcome shocked many people. In the past, many people refused to acknowledge Chinese creativity, but after hearing that even Hollywood tried to plagiarize them, it was obvious that this particular film was a success.
So, it didn't take long before 'The Ant Queen 2' confirmed their international copyright and announced their release in theaters across the globe.
The foreigners couldn't wait to see the quality of the sci-fi film produced by the Chinese...
Because of this, Tangning's fame once again rose to a new high!
In fact, many international events ended up requesting for her attendance. But, Tangning rejected them all.
She even stood in front of everyone and said, "I simply want to invest my heart into filming and leave the stage for actors and celebrities to stand on. That's why I hope everyone can give me some privacy and turn your focus to all the talented newcomers instead."
After the entire kidnapping incident, Tangning simply had one wish: she wanted to leave as much time and energy for her husband and children as possible. She knew what her priorities were...
Shortly afterwards, Tangning heard that Elder Nangong was trialed in court and was sentenced to 5 years in prison, with 1 year probation.
Elder Nangong happily accepted the results, because for him, it was a form of release...
Just before the old man headed into prison, he finally accepted a visit from Nangong Quan.
But, the first thing that the old man said was, "My dear grandson can't even compare to the little 3-4 year old from the Mo Family..."
"In the future, if Little Eggsh.e.l.l decides to choose one of them as her husband, let her pick the younger one; he's smart. Don't pick the older one."
"Grandfather..."
"Go ahead, leave. Don't visit again, in case it makes both of us suffer," the old man said calmly. After all, prison was like his home. On the other hand, the short time he spent in the outside world made him very uncomfortable.
In the end, Nangong Quan had no choice but to leave with Su Youran.
And just like the old man requested, he never visited again.
"Although it's cruel, I'll do as grandfather requested because it's the only way to make him feel a little better."
Nangong Quan should have been grateful that the old man didn't murder anyone in cold blood and become a psychopathic killer nor someone sick enough to hurt children. This, at least, left a trace of the Nangong Family's pride intact...
...
Soon, it was once again time to submit the annual Fei Tian Awards nominations.
This year, Hai Rui submitted a list of names and it was predicted that 'The Ant Queen 2' would own the ceremony.
But, Tangning and Mo Ting no longer cared about fame. So, when the awards ceremony arrived, neither of them attended the event. Instead, they spent the night in the study room, discussing 'The Ant Queen 3'.
"We've written about a father-daughter relations.h.i.+p and a student-teacher relations.h.i.+p. What should the third one be about?" Tangning asked as she leaned comfortably against Mo Ting.
"I've already thought about it," Mo Ting replied.
"Huh?" Tangning looked at her husband in surprise.
"Let's talk about an unstable friends.h.i.+p," Mo Ting suggested.
"We can talk about two friends that grow up together; one is smart, while the other is dopey. The smart one always gets the dopey one to do things for him and then rewards him with something that he doesn't want, just so he can maintain his kind and generous image."
"Because of his actions, the dopey man grows up trusting his friend."
"The smart friend decides to do something big, but he needs someone to act as bait. With no other choice, he decides to use his dopey friend."
"The dopey man thinks his friend has been really nice to him, so he does the favor and shows up at the dangerous location."
"But, when the smart man sees his friend approach without hesitation, he begins to reflect on himself and runs out to stop his friend from risking his life."
"However, the dopey man ran into some peers along the way and they revealed what the smart friend was doing. As a result, he developed a hatred towards his friend."
"The story...will start from them."
After hearing Mo Ting's brief synopsis, Tangning smiled, "Although you skimmed through that really quickly, I understand the basis of the story. I think it's very interesting and I like that there's the possibility of countless twists and turns."
"President Mo, I have a feeling that the third film will be even better than the first and second one."
Tangning said this because she knew that Mo Ting never wrote anything superficial or inadequate. His content always had substance to it and it even dove into the depths of human nature.
The previous two films were relatively simple. The father-daughter and student-teacher relations.h.i.+ps were straightforward. But, this time, the relations.h.i.+p between two friends was a lot more complex.
"Thank you, Mrs. Mo, your praise means a lot to me."
Tangning leaned on Mo Ting from behind and wiggled forward to place a kiss on his cheek, "After everything that's happened, I'm a little tired."
"Come to the front," Mo Ting instructed.
Tangning moved to the front and lay her head on Mo Ting's lap. She then closed her eyes.
"President Mo, I think 'The Ant Queen 3' can start filming next spring."
"In that case, does Mrs. Mo plan to give me a part in this film as well?" Mo Ting asked gently as he looked down at his wife. "Do you want me to act as the smart friend or the dopey one?"
"What do you think about getting Bei Chendong to be the dopey friend?" Tangning asked with a smirk.
"He's normally dopey, there's no need to act as one."
Tangning started to feel sleepy, so she said with a soft chuckle, "There are plenty of actors to choose from. I'll select one later."
As Mo Ting watched his wife nod off to sleep, he gently leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips, "I love you. Do you hear me?"
"Huh?" Tangning asked confusedly. It seemed, she didn't hear a thing.