Ever since Liu Jie began to suspect Xu Zifan, she hadn't been able to sleep for nights on end. She secretly hired a private investigator to look into everything about Xu Zifan from childhood to adulthood, and to her surprise, the results came in just one day. The investigation revealed that Xu Zifan was just an ordinary person who grew up in a middle-class family, always a good student, but he was devastated by the loss of both his parents at 18, failed to get into university, and stayed home. For years, he lived a secluded life, with no relatives, no friends, no girlfriend—just an ordinary recluse. Then, he suddenly appeared in Qiao Zixin's life, sold his assets to speculate in stocks and profited, and even wrote and directed his own film, "A Mother's Strength."
The information was too simplistic, because Xu Zifan hadn't interacted with many people in recent years, staying at home all day, making it impossible to find out what he was doing. The more this was the case, the more suspicious Liu Jie became. If someone was so capable, how could they be content to stay at home like a shut-in? Others thought rebirth and time travel were just fictional things, so they naturally wouldn't think in this direction, simply assuming Xu Zifan was an absolute genius in this field. But she was different; she herself had been reborn. If she could be reborn, others could naturally be reborn too.
Moreover, having used every means to become famous in both her lives, she absolutely refused to believe that a talented person would be content with mediocrity and unwilling to be famous. She felt that Xu Zifan must have something wrong with him!
If she's the only special person, she's the chosen one; if there's another, they're enemies. Liu Jie doesn't care about anything else right now, not even questioning why Lin Yan didn't come home that night. She only wants to find out if Xu Zifan is a genius or a reincarnated person. If he's a reincarnated person, she must kill Xu Zifan so she can regain her former glory and continue being the darling of heaven.
Xu Zifan knew all about Liu Jie's many underhanded actions because the people he had hired to monitor Lin Yan and Liu Jie had been working tirelessly from the very beginning. He was always able to detect Liu Jie's intentions, ensuring she suffered the consequences of her actions. In turn, he had accumulated considerable dirt on Lin Yan and Liu Jie.
Things like diva-like behavior on set, verbally abusing assistants, and having inappropriate relationships with crew members are minor matters. He hadn't released them yet, waiting for a major scoop. He wanted to completely ruin their reputations before releasing all the information at once for the best effect. Regarding Liu Jie's petty actions, Xu Zifan only hired two bodyguards, one for him and one for Qiao Zixin. He's busy again now. His previous Weibo post about filming his next movie wasn't a lie; he's aiming for the Spring Festival release. With four months left, he can only continue making dramas with no special effects and common settings. Considering the festive atmosphere, he plans to make a comedy.
He directly told Lan Gui his requirements: "At the beginning, I want the female lead to suffer a great blow and commit suicide out of despair. Then, a male supporting character appears, a kind and playful angel. He uses magic to show the female lead what kind of butterfly effect would be triggered if she were gone from the world—the pain of loved ones and the joy of enemies. Then, the angel takes the female lead to experience fun and interesting things on earth, and does some good deeds to help people, allowing her to truly experience the beauty of life. Afterward, the male supporting character returns to heaven, the female lead lives a positive life, achieves many successes, meets a rich and handsome man, marries him, and lives a happy and fulfilling life."
Lan Gui looked at him, wanting to say, "Here's the pen, you write it," but because he was the big shot, she could only swallow her complaints and smiled, "No problem, I guarantee I'll complete the task."
Xu Zifan nodded in satisfaction and smiled, "Although you've been writing light novels for the past few years, you were able to write such touching stories back then. I believe you still have the ability to construct stories. I'm looking forward to seeing your scripts."
"Thank you for your trust, boss. I definitely won't let you down." Lan Gui continued to smile, already bidding farewell to the website in her heart. She had a premonition that she might often receive ideas from her boss like this in the future, turning them into scripts. But this was great. Who else could be a fan like her, having the lives of her idols and actresses on screen all captured in her writing? She was completely satisfied; she could even wake up smiling in her sleep!
Xu Zifan hired two screenwriters to assist Lan Gui, and then began contacting investors and looking for various filming locations. Since they wanted to experience the beauty of the world, they naturally had to go to all the popular and fun places, such as diving, skiing, and bungee jumping, so that they could have visual impact and enjoy a thrilling experience.
As soon as the news of his new film was released, his assistant was immediately contacted by a flood of people. Some wanted to invest, some wanted to be his assistant director, some wanted to join the crew, some wanted their own artists to act in the film, and others wanted to collaborate on promotion. In short, there was everyone available. Compared to the last time, it was a hundred times more convenient, and things naturally went much more smoothly.
Xu Zifan didn't add many people to his team. He valued quality over quantity, and unwavering loyalty was paramount. He only added a doctor, four professional cameramen, and a stylist. This time, he distributed 40% of the investment to several investors to help with large-scale promotion. Some people wondered why he didn't invest himself since he had the money, but actually, sharing a portion with industry insiders would make things much smoother in terms of censorship and theatrical release, earning significantly more than keeping it all to himself—it wasn't a loss for him.
With the team assembled, Xu Zifan simply established a company, bringing the entire team in as full-time employees. They were all veterans, and their compensation was generous. Their company was called "Zifan Entertainment Company," a name he had always used for his companies, reflecting his passion for running the business surpassing everything else.
Once Lan Gui finished writing the script, Zi Fan Entertainment Company's first film officially began shooting, and the title was "Life is Beautiful".
If Xu Zifan hadn't been the director and Qiao Zixin the lead actress, probably no one would have been interested in this film. But Xu Zifan felt that the name perfectly matched the concept of the film and insisted on it despite opposition.
During casting, Qiao Zixin raised objections. She told Xu Zifan, "I hope you can play that angel. I think it's very similar to us. Although I've never thought about suicide, if..."
"If it weren't for you, I might really have become depressed like the female lead. You're the most suitable person to play the role of the angel."
Xu Zifan thought for a moment and replied, "Okay, actually this is the life I wanted to give you too. We are indeed the most suitable actors to play this role."
Qiao Zixin's expression changed slightly, but she quickly covered it up with a smile. However, her eyes were no longer as bright as before. She had suppressed the budding feeling in her heart, and replaced it with a little unease. If Xu Zifan disappeared one day, could she accept it? She really couldn't bear to part with him.
With filming starting, Qiao Zixin could perfectly portray the feeling of being attacked online and betrayed by someone important to her, whenever she recalled it. However, she had to reshoot the suicide scene several times. She's not that kind of person; even in her most desperate moments, she never considered suicide. She doesn't know what it's like for someone to decide to end their life.
Xu Zifan took several photos but felt they didn't achieve the desired effect, so he took her to the emergency rooms and intensive care units of several hospitals to see the tragic lives of the people there, their desperate cries, and their agonizing wish for death. Finally, he took Qiao Zixin to a psychologist to learn about cases of suicide caused by depression.
Before taking Qiao Zixin there, Xu Zifan hesitated for three whole days. Because in the original world, Qiao Zixin's suicide wasn't of her own volition, but rather due to severe depression and an inability to control her thoughts. Depression is a terrible illness; it causes a persistent low mood, leaving one trapped in a state of utter despair, feeling that life has no meaning, and that death is no different from living. It can lead to involuntary thoughts of all negative things, even causing physical pain, and ultimately, it can very likely result in a sudden suicide.
That's how Qiao Zixin originally died. Although she was strong enough, she couldn't resist the erosion of depression. Xu Zifan thought about it and still felt that Qiao Zixin should learn about depression so that she could regulate her emotions in time no matter what happened in the future, instead of unknowingly contracting depression and getting stuck in it.
Qiao Zixin shows no signs of depression. She diligently consulted a psychologist to understand the psychology of depression, and upon returning to the set, she passed the audition on the first take, even portraying the character better than before. After filming, she looked at Xu Zifan, who smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. Qiao Zixin smiled back.
The subsequent filming focused primarily on having a great time and capturing the genuine joy of the two actors. They went to amusement parks, rode carousels and roller coasters, and challenged the scariest haunted houses... They tried almost every classic thrill ride. The female lead cried freely when she was scared, laughed freely when she was happy, and screamed wildly when she was excited! In post-production, clips of each of these moments were edited into a compilation, and their smiles were the best representation of their feelings.
Then they went skydiving, bungee jumping, diving, skiing, watching the aurora, singing, dancing and laughing on the streets of the romantic city, and helping animals give birth in the wildlife park... They did so many things, and also volunteered in several countries. Whenever they received genuine gratitude from others, their faces were filled with bright smiles.
This journey of experience is full of hilarious mishaps due to the angels' lack of understanding of humankind. But in the end, the female protagonist completely lets go of the past, opens her heart to embrace the beauty of life, and truly realizes that life has many surprises, and that a lifetime is not enough to give up on life.
The angel had completed its mission and led her to the highest peak. The heroine, thinking it was yet another extraordinary experience, cheered and hugged the angel upon reaching the summit, laughing joyfully and shouting into the distance, "I love you—I love everything—my life is the most beautiful—"
The angel stroked her hair, smiled gently and quietly at her for the first time, and whispered, "That's right, everyone's life is beautiful. As long as you cherish it, it will become more and more beautiful. My mission is complete, lovely girl... goodbye."