"Strange auntie, you're really weird!" Yuan Yuan became a child star when she was five or six years old. Zhou Paihuai had seen many people like her, so she was neither afraid nor annoyed, and could even strike up a conversation with her.
Zhou Paihuai laughed when she heard this. She never thought she would be called a weird aunt. She made a face at Yuan Yuan, which finally made the mature-beyond-his-years Yuan Yuan laugh heartily. The two of them played around together.
Tang Xiaole, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore. The director hadn't asked the two to get to know each other beforehand to play around, but to have them rehearse their lines in advance so they could get into character more quickly when they were actually acting.
"Zhou Zhou, Yuan Yuan, you two stop fooling around and start rehearsing your lines."
Although neither actor had many lines in this scene, the young protagonist's initial encounter with the magical beast filled him with terror, and his subsequent meeting with the ethereal Gu Changning ignited his desire for power. He didn't utter a single word, yet this inner struggle and transformation needed to be conveyed through his silent performance. Yuan Yuan's acting was fine, but given his young age, the director was concerned that he might not fully grasp the nuances of this inner conflict.
As for Zhou Paihuai, upon seeing the written script, she immediately conjured up the image of Gu Changning in her mind, even her expressions and movements. However, the problem was that her acting skills were zero, and she couldn't express what she knew, especially when there was another person in front of her. Her instinct made her become expressionless.
"How are you two feeling now? Are you ready to film?"
Author's Note:
There will be another update in a little while.
Chapter 12 Condemning Oneself
“... ..."
“... ..."
Silence. A silence fell between the two of them. This was the first time Yuan Yuan had struggled to get into character; he was so anxious he was on the verge of tears. Zhou Paihuai was certain he was affecting Yuan Yuan's performance; otherwise, even if he couldn't fully grasp the protagonist's inner world, the young actor wouldn't be so uninspired.
"Director, I might need a little more time," Zhou Paihuai said, indirectly helping Yuan Yuan out of the predicament. "Besides, I feel that the requirements for Yuan Yuan's performance in this scene are not quite right."
The director, with a serious expression, quickly walked to Zhou Paihuai's side: "Where?"
Zhou Paihuai pointed to the description of the young male protagonist's inner world and said, "If the male protagonist were three or five years older, this description would definitely be fine, but in fact, at this time the male protagonist is only a six-year-old child. He has always been carefree. When he first saw the berserk monster, he should not have such complicated thoughts except for fear."
The director disagreed with her statement, saying, "If that's really the case, then what's the point of Gu Changning's existence? Is it just to save his life?" Gu Changning is the male lead's ideal woman not only because of her beauty, nor simply because she saved his life, but because she indirectly taught him how to become stronger, making her practically his mentor. "She witnessed the male lead's growth."
As they talked, the director fell silent. Gu Changning's role was meant to facilitate the male lead's growth, but it was clear she only had one episode. She couldn't possibly witness his development, because growth is never instantaneous. Thinking about this, the director realized Zhou Paihuai's words made perfect sense. However, the screenwriter wasn't on set today, and contacting her to revise the script would likely delay the production schedule.
Looking at the director's expression, Zhou knew what he was thinking. So he pointed to the spot he had just pointed to and said, "I don't think it needs to be changed too much. The male lead doesn't need to have such complicated emotions here. Fear is enough. When he grows up and recalls his current self, he will surely be able to realize the power."
The director thought it over and decided it was feasible, so he revised the script on the spot before explaining the scene to Yuan Yuan. Yuan Yuan understood much better this time. His acting skills were there for all to see, and once he understood how to act, he was sure he could express it without any problems. But Zhou Paihuai was different. She understood the content she was supposed to perform better than anyone else. If someone else had acted in this play now, she could definitely analyze it perfectly. But when it came to acting it herself, it wasn't something that could be solved by simply saying, "I can do it, let me do it."
"Help... help me—" Yuan Yuan's face was covered in blood, and the only thing that could be clearly seen on his body was his eyes, which showed fear and sorrow.
The camera pans to Gu Changning, who has just struck down a demonic beast with her sword. A few drops of beast blood have accidentally fallen onto her snow-white dress, like red plum blossoms in the snow, exquisite and beautiful. She gently raises her sword, as if to wipe it away, but her gaze falls on the child in front of her, listening to his hoarse cries for help.
Gu Changning tossed him a silk handkerchief, saying, "Wipe your face." Then she turned and left, her long sword slung behind her back, the dark red bloodstains on it still faintly visible...
"Cut—" the director finally yelled.
This was already the third take that afternoon. Zhou Paihuai looked at the director nervously, afraid that he would ask for another take. Yuan Yuan had the same expectant look in her eyes. Anyone would be unwilling to continue acting out a scene after three or four takes, let alone Yuan Yuan, who was still a child.
The director stopped teasing them, nodded, and said, "Alright, that take is good. You two can both call it a day!"
Finally, it was over. Zhou Paihuai let out a long sigh of relief. She hadn't expected the day to go so smoothly, especially considering how anxious she had been for so long.
While the makeup artist was removing her makeup and changing clothes, Tang Xiaole saw Cheng Minxin's message and asked, "Zhouzhou, Sister Cheng said you should retweet the Weibo post, why haven't you retweeted it yet? Should I retweet it for you?"
"Oh no!" Zhou Paihuai gasped. She seemed to have never switched her Weibo login account, so she had been using the alternate account that Tang Xiaole had given her to contact her haters. No wonder something felt off when she retweeted the Weibo post today. The official account had clearly tagged her, but her alternate account hadn't received the message.
"What's wrong?" If Tang Xiaole keeps being startled like this, she'll get a heart attack sooner or later.
Zhou Paihuai shook her head and said, "Actually, it's nothing serious. I just logged into the wrong account when I retweeted the Weibo post. I'll repost it in a bit." As she spoke, she opened her phone and found that her long-unresponsive hater had sent her a lot of messages. After reading the messages, she couldn't help but laugh. It turned out that because of the Weibo post she retweeted, the hater was starting to believe that the account was hers again.
"Zhou Zhou, let's go back!" Tang Xiaole said from outside the door.
Before putting away his phone, Zhou typed a reply: "This is my alternate account. You didn't believe me when I said it was me, but now you believe me after I forward a Weibo post?"
"They're here!"
... ...
Ji Anxi received a private message reply and silently rolled her eyes. Retweeting a Weibo post doesn't prove anything, but directly saying "Happy Cooperation" and adding a cheering emoji is strange if it's not the person being tagged who retweeted it.
But is this really Zhou Heping? Has she really fallen so low that she has time to persuade her haters to turn back from their misbehavior, and with such a good attitude at that. She'd be better off using that time and energy to cultivate new fans.
After thinking for a while, Ji Anxi replied again: When are you going to retire from the entertainment industry? Anyway, with your acting skills, you'll never be more famous than you are now. You might as well take advantage of having a sugar daddy and find a way to marry into a wealthy family!
This private message was quite malicious, blatantly telling Zhou Paihuai to get out of the entertainment industry. However, when Zhou Paihuai saw it, she didn't feel the anger Ji Anxi had expected. She even thought this little hater was quite polite; although she was involved in fan circles, her language wasn't as uncouth as that of typical fandom members. Thinking back, based on her ID and her previous posts, she hadn't used any particularly vulgar language, so she seemed to have decent manners.
"Zhou Zhou, what are you laughing about?" Tang Xiaole could still hear her laughter while driving, and she was very curious.
"It's nothing!" Zhou Paihuai nervously put away his phone, actually finding it strange that a hater had such good manners. If he told his assistant, she would definitely laugh at him. "By the way, do I need to go to the company today?"
"You can go or not," Tang Xiaole said. "Sister Cheng said to go over if it ends early. What, do you have something else to do?"
"No, let's go to the company first." Zhou Paihuai just remembered that he did have some personal matters to take care of, but he couldn't let his assistant and Sister Cheng know about it. Anyway, there was still some time before the next workday after today.
... ...
Ji Anxi sent that message, expecting Zhou Paihuai to reply in a fit of rage, hoping it would cheer her up. But there was no response. Her initial anger gradually turned into a question: had she gone too far, causing Zhou Paihuai to ignore her altogether?
But Zhou Paihuai should know very well that she is her hater. With so many haters, her main account must receive countless private messages every day, and those messages must be much harsher than what she said, right? Ji Anxi was about to give herself a way out, but then she thought that not every hater of Zhou Paihuai would respond. It's normal for an artist to be insulted by haters. Recently, Zhou Paihuai has been chatting with her in the most sincere tone, trying to influence her. Maybe... maybe she even considers her a friend. No one would want a friend to talk to them like that.
Zhou Paihuai was unaware that her failure to reply to messages promptly had caused her haters to feel guilty.
Ji Anxi hesitated for a long time before sending another private message: The styling for the new drama is good, but can your acting skills support it?
Not long after sending it, Ji Anxi regretted it. If she was going to mock her acting, she should have just mocked her acting. Why did she have to add "not bad styling"? Now, the words sounded arrogant. Damn it, she wanted to retract them but the timeout was too long.
How embarrassing! Ji Anxi quickly logged out of Weibo, pretending that she hadn't posted those words at all.
Chapter 13 Above the Elevator
When Zhou Paihuai saw the private message from the little hater, her first reaction was that she was arrogant, but in Zhou Paihuai's eyes she was still very cute. She thought that the little hater must be very young.
She typed back: Thank you for the compliment, but I have no plans to retire from the entertainment industry right now, so I can't fulfill your wish.
After replying to the messages, Zhou Paihuai put her phone away, a lingering smile on her face as she looked up. Just then, Tang Xiaole parked her car and came looking for her, just in time to see her like this.
"Let's go," Zhou Huaihuai gestured for her to come upstairs together. "What are you daydreaming about?"
Tang Xiaole shook her head, took two steps forward, and suddenly asked, "Zhou Zhou, are you in a relationship?" She had seen that sweet smile on Zhou Zhou's lips more than once when she replied to messages, which was clearly a sign that she was in a relationship.
Zhou Paihuai rolled her eyes at her. She didn't even have anyone to date, so who could she date? Air? "Your imagination is really rich. I feel like you could be an entertainment reporter!" Even more imaginative than a paparazzi.
"No?" Tang Xiaole saw Zhou Paihuai's honest reaction and began to doubt herself. Could it be that she was overthinking things? But Zhou Paihuai's behavior was exactly the same as when her college classmate was dating.
"Of course, besides, I wouldn't choose to date now unless I'm crazy. How old am I!" Zhou said as he walked faster and faster, further and further away.
Tang Xiaole hurriedly caught up and pressed the elevator button before Zhou could linger. Slightly out of breath, she said, "Why are you walking so fast? You should have at least waited for me!"
"Isn't this because I was afraid Sister Cheng would get impatient waiting!" Zhou Huaihuai chuckled.
... ...
The elevator stopped on the first floor, and after the doors opened, someone got on.
Coincidentally, Zhou Paihuai recognized the person who came up. It was none other than Lin Nian, who had replaced him as the female lead in "The Legend of Su Hai Yuan". Logically speaking, since they were both artists under Cheng Minxin, they should have greeted each other in this situation. However, Zhou Paihuai disliked dealing with people the most, so he didn't know how to start the conversation.
However, seeing Lin Nian rushing to the company, perhaps Sister Cheng wanted to see her. It shouldn't be a problem to start a conversation with her about that, right? Zhou Paihuai slightly turned to the side, about to speak, when Lin Nian suddenly took a large step back, her seven- or eight-centimeter heels slamming heavily on the ground with a piercing sound. She then huddled in the corner of the elevator, as if Zhou Paihuai was about to hit her.
"..." Awkward, extremely awkward. Zhou Paihuai even wondered if he looked too fierce, which was why this delicate and beautiful girl was so afraid. Well, there was no need to greet her now; she might as well just take the elevator quietly.
Tang Xiaole was also extremely embarrassed. Why did Lin Nian go up the elevator alone without an assistant? If there had been a fourth person, she could have struck up a conversation to ease the tension. Now, it was even inappropriate for her to talk to Zhou Zhou. But Lin Nian was also acting strangely. They were both artists under Sister Cheng, and Zhou Zhou had even helped her out. It was one thing for her not to greet Zhou Zhou, but why was she trying so hard to avoid her?
Lin Nian stared at the elevator floor numbers: 16, 17, 18... ... As soon as the 20th floor arrived, she rushed out as if some abyssal monster was chasing her.
Zhou Paihuai and Tang Xiaole stared in disbelief at Lin Nian, who moved like the wind, and hurriedly got off the elevator just as the doors were about to close.
After leaving, Zhou Paihuai said in a serious tone, "I think it was really dangerous for her to go down the elevator like that. Maybe I should talk to Sister Cheng about it when I see her. We need to strengthen the safety awareness of artists."
Upon hearing this, Tang Xiaole glanced at Zhou Paihuai in surprise. She felt that Zhou Paihuai had become much smarter recently, and his words and actions were much more composed than before. For example, right now, he was probably still holding a grudge against Lin Nian for not greeting him, but instead of rushing to Sister Cheng to get himself killed, he had come up with a set of excuses that no one could find fault with.
Honestly, Zhou Paihuai didn't think about all that nonsense. She genuinely felt that going down the elevator like that was unsafe, especially on such a high floor. If nothing happened, it would be fine, but if something did happen, it wouldn't be a minor accident.
"Sister Cheng, we're here!" Zhou Paihuai went straight into Cheng Minxin's office.
Cheng Minxin asked the two of them to sit down and said, "The director called me not long ago and said that you performed well today and hoped that we could work together again in the future."
"Huh?" Zhou Huaihuai felt like she had heard a joke. If her performance today was mediocre, it would be somewhat understandable for the director to say that, but didn't her performance scare the director away? He actually wants to work with her again? "Actually, she didn't perform very well. The director was probably just being polite."
"Not bad. You're not the type to get carried away by praise anymore. You need to always remember that humility leads to progress." Cheng Minxin was quite satisfied with her response. "But the director called today, which means he's fairly satisfied with you. As for the collaboration, we'll talk about it later." In fact, given Zhou Paihuai's status, she really shouldn't have taken on a cameo role in such a small web series. Even the lead role seemed somewhat mismatched. If it weren't for all the trouble Zhou Paihuai has been in lately, as her agent, she definitely wouldn't have arranged for her to take this role.
"Sister Cheng can arrange it."
"By the way, did you just run into Lin Nian?" Cheng Minxin suddenly asked.
Oh no! Tang Xiaole immediately realized that Lin Nian had come to Sister Cheng's place early and might have said something beforehand. If Zhou Zhou complained again, it would inevitably leave a bad impression on Sister Cheng. She was about to say something when Zhou Zhou had already spoken.
“Yes, we bumped into each other at the elevator entrance.” Zhou Paihuai nodded. “No wonder she was in such a hurry. Turns out you needed to talk to her, Sister Cheng.” He made no mention of Lin Nian’s lack of greeting and disrespect towards her senior.
It seems she has really changed a lot. Cheng Minxin was very satisfied and explained for Lin Nian: "She just told me what she did in the elevator. She still respects you, she just didn't dare to greet you."
"Dare not?" Zhou Paihuai was shocked. She knew Lin Nian looked scared in the elevator. How could she be so afraid in broad daylight when she was supposed to beat her up? "Could it be... because of that trending topic before?" She couldn't think of any other reason why Lin Nian was afraid of her.
Cheng Minxin nodded and said, "You don't know, Lin Nian is even more timid than a sparrow."
"It seems so." Zhou Paihuai said, both amused and exasperated. "But Sister Cheng, has my image at the company already been that of a violent maniac?"
"No, at least not in my and Xiaole's hearts."
Chapter 14 Call the Police When in Trouble
"I'll take you home!" After leaving Sister Cheng's place, the assistant offered to take her home.
Zhou Paihuai waved her hand without thinking and said no, it was already so late. She knew very well that her assistant lived in a completely different direction from her own place, and it wouldn't be safe for a young girl like her to be alone at night.
Tang Xiaole knew why she refused, but it was so late, not only would it be difficult to hail a taxi, but even if she did, it wouldn't be appropriate for Zhou Paihuai, as a public figure, to get in. "No, you're not wearing a mask or sunglasses. It would be dangerous if you encountered a driver who was either a fan or a hater of yours when you got a taxi."
“I’m not taking a taxi. The company is so close to my apartment, it’s just a short walk back.” Zhou Paihuai said, pointing behind Tang Xiaole, “Look, if you’re really worried, I’ll go to the convenience store and buy a mask to wear before I go back?”
Seeing that Zhou Huahuai insisted on going home by herself, Tang Xiaole had no choice but to agree. However, before the two parted, she went to the convenience store to buy Zhou Huahuai a mask and a certain fancy hat.
Zhou hesitated, staring at the indescribable hat, and began to suspect that her assistant was actually sent by a rival company to smear her. Being photographed by paparazzi wasn't exactly cute, but if she were photographed wearing a hat like this, she'd probably be on the front page again tomorrow. However, she couldn't let her assistant's good intentions go to waste, so she put the hat on in front of her assistant, only to take it off after her assistant drove away.
The distance from Genesis to the apartment wasn't too far. Zhou Paihuai had even checked the map beforehand; taking the shortcut would be shorter. The shortcut would pass through a small park, but late at night, the park was mostly frequented by elderly people, who probably wouldn't recognize her.