However, Zhou Paihuai didn't care whether she was happy or not. Last time, she was elsewhere and felt insecure, so she could only act like a grandson. But now it's different. Now she's in her house. This old lady is the one who broke into her home. Moreover, she has surveillance cameras installed inside and outside her house, so he's not afraid of her doing anything.
"I'd like to ask you to leave. Would you be willing to go?" She felt more relaxed in her familiar surroundings and could temporarily put aside her hostility towards Old Madam Zhou.
"...I thought you would come to the Zhou family to find me. The Zhou family's doors are always open for you." Looking at Zhou Paihuai sitting opposite her with a relaxed expression, Old Madam Zhou paused in her words. Although no one else noticed, she knew it herself—Zhou Paihuai looked too much like her deceased daughter, especially when she smiled. She was exactly the same as Jiaojiao back then.
"Madam Zhou seems quite energetic, but her memory is really not very good. I've already told you, I don't like going to other people's houses, and I don't like other people coming to my house. So now, please leave!"
Old Madam Zhou looked at her and said, "So what do you like? Do you like acting? And do you like playing some low-class roles?"
"Second-rate?" Zhou Paihuai knew this old woman was definitely investigating him, but how could she dare say the role he was playing was second-rate? Heaven knows how hard he had worked for this role. The villain was frail and sickly; although she wasn't beautiful, she was indeed very weak, so Zhou Paihuai restricted his diet every day, not daring to eat even a bite of staple food after six o'clock. And yet, this woman said the role he was playing was second-rate. To be evaluated like this after all the hard work he had put in for the role—Zhou Paihuai really wanted to laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Zhou Huaihuai actually laughed.
She pursed her lips and said, "I wasn't laughing at anything. I just felt that we shouldn't talk to each other. Are you leaving or not? If you don't, I'm really calling the police. With the power of your Zhou family, you probably won't be arrested for crimes like disturbing the peace or trespassing. But I'm a celebrity, and I might make headlines. If you're not afraid of losing face, then stay here. I'm not afraid!"
"You..." Old Madam Zhou was once again rendered speechless by Zhou Paihuai's words. "Didn't Xueyao tell you about my will when she came to you? Don't you believe me?"
“I believe you. If it weren’t for that will, I doubt you’d be standing here talking to me properly right now. To be honest, you raised a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and it’s an ingrate at that. My existence is completely irrelevant to it. You made this will not for me, but for yourself.” Zhou Paihuai pointed to the door. “Please!”
Old Madam Zhou's expression finally changed. She hadn't expected Zhou Huaihuai to dare say such a thing, to claim that she had done all this for her own sake. If it weren't to save her life, why would she have pushed Xueyao to this point? After all, Xueyao was the heir she had personally groomed. "How dare you say such a thing?"
"I'm just stating the facts!" Zhou Huai didn't want to argue with her anymore. She insisted on her point of view, and judging from her repeated attempts to kill him, it was clear that the old lady's education level was not very good. Therefore, Zhou Xueyao's values were problematic. With such a ruthless personality, she might actually kill the old lady quietly for the sake of the family property and shares.
"Do you really look down on the Zhou family so much that you refuse to go back?" Old Madam Zhou said again. "Do you know that I am your family, and all the people in the Zhou family are your family?"
Zhou Huai shook his head and said, "This is not a matter of whether I look down on you or not. I don't need relatives, and you don't need a relative like me either."
Seeing that she was still stubborn, Old Madam Zhou finally chose to leave. It wasn't that she gave up, but she found that Zhou Paihuai was too obstinate, even more disobedient than her mother. Since she couldn't make a decision herself, she would make the decision for her. She would absolutely not allow Jiaojiao's situation to happen again.
Zhou Paihuai was unaware of what Old Madam Zhou was thinking. She was already pleased to have gotten rid of this troublemaker. Hopefully, after this incident, Old Madam Zhou would learn her lesson and not let anyone from the Zhou family disturb her peaceful life in the future.
The phone suddenly rang. Zhou Paihuai saw it was Cheng Minxin and answered without hesitation: "Hello—"
"There's something I'd like to discuss with you!" Sister Cheng's tone carried a hint of embarrassment, as if she had something to ask of her.
"Huh? What?"
After listening to Sister Cheng's explanation, Zhou Paihuai finally understood what was going on. It turned out that a hater had suddenly approached Cheng Minxin demanding that the company arrange accommodation, specifically requesting to stay in the same neighborhood she currently lived in. However, this neighborhood, while nice, had long been fully occupied, and finding a suitable place to live was extremely difficult.
If it were anyone else, Cheng Minxin would have refused outright. She felt it was unnecessary to stay in such a large house and just cause trouble for others. But Ji Anxi and Zhou Paihuai were such good friends, it was obvious what she was thinking. Since she was happy to see their good relationship, and there was no problem fitting another person into Zhou Paihuai's place, she asked on Ji Anxi's behalf.
Zhou Paihuai wasn't stupid; she naturally understood that the "hater" wasn't trying to get the company to fulfill any obligations—she just wanted to move in with her! After all, just a couple of days ago she had complained about her not sleeping at night, and without supervision, she would definitely be even more outrageous. She didn't mind the "hater" moving in, but her reputation in the industry was bad, and the "hater" had only recently debuted. What if she negatively impacted her?
"It's not impossible for her to move in, but we need to make it clear in advance that she needs to be aware of her role as an artist and avoid being photographed to prevent people from attacking her online."
"The way you're saying that puts you at greater risk of being hacked, aren't you?"
"That's different. I'm used to it. She's just starting out, isn't she?"
"Alright, since you've agreed, I'll go tell her now!"
Chapter 81 Differential Treatment
Cheng Minxin is known for her efficiency. Having just received Zhou Paihuai's approval, she immediately informed Ji Anxi of the news after hanging up the phone.
"She agreed?" Ji Anxi was so excited she almost jumped for joy. "She actually agreed so easily?"
"Knowing you two are close, how could she refuse when she heard it was you?" Cheng Minxin was filled with doubt again. Logically speaking, these two people had no interaction other than taking acting classes with the same teacher. Could it be that Ji Anxi was a fan of Zhou Paihuai before? I don't know how Zhou Paihuai could be doing so poorly. He is clearly a very likable person in private, but he just can't attract many fans.
"What's making you so happy?" Ji Anbo had come over at some point and couldn't help but ask when he saw how happy she was.
Today marks one week since the filming of "Mountain and Wind" began. As Ji Anxi's supervisor, Ji Anbo was forced by his family to return home and report on Ji Anxi's recent work progress. Ji Anbo was speechless; he knew his family's hearts were completely elsewhere. Nevertheless, he obediently returned to report on his "work." Unexpectedly, upon arriving home, he saw Ji Anxi practically floating on air.
Ji Anxi glanced at him and said, "Second Brother, why are you back?"
"It's all for you!" Ji Anbo clearly hadn't done any preparation and was about to make something up. "Tell your second brother how you've been doing on set lately. They're worried you've been mistreated, so they called me over to question you! I feel like a little eunuch next to an ancient princess. If anything happens to you, Mom and Dad will chop me up!"
It has to be said that Ji Anbo has a pretty clear self-awareness, but Ji Anxi didn't have time to banter with him and said, "The crew is great, but there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I'm moving out. The company has arranged a house for me!" Ji Anxi said casually, but she didn't expect Ji Anbo's expression to change.
"...Why did the company arrange a house for you? What kind of manager is Cheng Minxin? Does she need to meddle so much?" Ji Anbo was speechless. He had thought his younger sister wouldn't have much to do on set, and while there was nothing much going on, this sudden shock came as a complete shock. Her family didn't even want her to work in the entertainment industry, so how could they possibly agree to her living off-set?
"What do you mean by 'meddling'? I'm an artist under their company, and the company has an obligation to arrange accommodation for me!" Ji Anxi glared at her. "You're not allowed to call my manager, or you'll ruin my plans..."
“Fine, I won’t call, but do you think you can move out while your parents are here?” Ji Anbo didn’t know why she was so insistent on moving out. The company-arranged accommodations were nowhere near as comfortable as home. If it weren’t for Jiang Ye, he would never have been willing to move out of the house.
Ji Anxi was full of confidence. She said, "Even when you go out and mess around, your parents tolerate it. I'm going out to work, so they definitely won't object. When you report on your work later, just say it as usual, and I'll definitely get them to agree!"
"Alright, you have a point, but if you can't find a place to stay later, don't blame me for not helping you!"
"How could that be? Am I the kind of person who takes my anger out on you?" Ji Anxi raised an eyebrow. "But if Mom and Dad don't agree, then our loving family will all have to come back to live here, and my older brother and sister will have to come back too!"
Ji Anbo couldn't help but give her a thumbs up: "When it comes to the tactic of sinking together, it all comes down to you!"
Since Ji Anxi had already resorted to such a ruthless tactic, when Ji Anbo told his parents that his younger sister was going to move out, he deliberately added a touch of linguistic artistry, explaining the reasons why she had to move out.
"Mom, look how hard Anxi works filming every day. Our house is too far from the film set, so she has to get up so early in the morning. Now that the company has arranged a place for her to stay, it's definitely closer to the film set. How about I help her move in a couple of days?" Ji Anbo spoke very quickly and fluently, and even handed over a segment of orange, hoping that his mother hadn't heard him clearly and would just agree.
"Move out? Where to?" Lin Shuya's ears were still very sharp, especially when she heard the key words. "What do you mean? Explain yourself clearly."
"... ...It's just that Anxi is going to stay somewhere else for work these two days, and I'm taking her there."
"You're going to take her? Did your dad and I agree to that before you took her? Anxi, come here!" Lin Shuya called Ji Anxi over directly. "You want to move out?"
Seeing her brother looking so pathetic and timid in front of their mother, Ji Anxi hesitated a little as she walked over. She said, "It's all for work. After all, I've entered this industry, and I'm filming now. I definitely need to be in the best possible condition for the set..."
"Stand up straight and speak properly!" Lin Shuya was speechless. Her precious daughter, whom she had raised with great care since childhood, had impeccable manners and temperament. But she had only been in the entertainment industry for a few days, and she was already being assimilated by her second brother.
Startled, Ji Anxi immediately stood up straight and said, "Mom, don't scare me. I really do want to move out. I've already told the company, and I'll be moving in the next couple of days. Please agree!"
"Is it really for work?"
"Of course... it's for work!" Ji Anxi wasn't so firm at first, but then she thought, how could moving in with her colleagues not be for work? So she became more and more determined as she spoke, "I really want to develop my career in this industry. I'm filming my first drama right now, and I don't want to be distracted by anything else..."
"Okay!" Ji Anxi was still going on and on about why she had to move out, but Lin Shuya agreed immediately.
"Huh?" Ji Anxi was stunned. Although she thought there would be a fierce battle, her mother actually agreed so easily.
Ji Anbo, who was watching the scene unfold, was also shocked. The difference in treatment was too obvious! He had been forced to move out, and even received a scolding from his eldest and second eldest sons before finally gaining his freedom. But now, after just a few words from Ji Anxi, his family had actually agreed? They agreed!
After Lin Shuya left, Ji Anxi helped her second brother close his chin: "Alright, although you weren't much of a help, we've already succeeded."
"Very good, very good, come with me to get a DNA test!" After regaining her senses, Ji Amber made a decision.
"Stop messing around, I'm preparing to move, I don't have time to argue with you!" Ji Anxi didn't really want to respond to him, after all, she had heard this sentence countless times since she was a child, but she had never seen him actually go and get it checked.
"Second brother will take care of this, you don't need to prepare anything!"
“You don’t need to worry about me, I can manage on my own!” Ji Anxi smiled at him.
"Fine, then I'm done with it. That's all for today. I'm leaving!"
Chapter 82 Don't Leave Tonight
The original owner of this body didn't have many belongings, and Zhou Paihuai also pursued a more minimalist lifestyle, so although the apartment was large, she didn't have much stuff. However, her things were scattered throughout the two rooms, making it look messy. Knowing that Xiao Heifen was moving in, she began to tidy up her things whenever she had free time.
The main task now is to clear out the guest room, since the original owner didn't have any relatives or friends staying there, and it had always been used as a storage room. Now she plans to empty the guest room completely, so it will be easier to tidy up when the little black fan moves in.
It wasn't easy to tidy up such a small room. There were so many things, and Zhou Paihuai wasn't particularly familiar with them. She could only check each item one by one to see if they had any special meaning to the original owner. She had already taken over someone else's body and even turned someone else's haters into her own true fans. If she accidentally lost someone else's things, Zhou Paihuai would feel like she wasn't even human anymore.
There weren't many things out in the open. After Zhou Paihuai moved everything out bit by bit, only a large bed remained in the room. Zhou Paihuai thought the bed looked pretty good and could be kept, but he still needed to move it first and clean under the bed thoroughly. Without further ado, Zhou Paihuai used all his strength and finally managed to push the bed a few centimeters away.
After moving the bed, Zhou Paihuai collapsed onto it, taking a while to regain some strength. The bed hadn't actually been completely moved, but that didn't affect her cleaning anymore, so she grabbed a rag and started wiping under the bed. As she wiped, her hand seemed to touch something. At first, she didn't pay much attention, thinking it was a bedpost or something, and changed direction to continue wiping. But this time, she touched that thing again after a short while.
Zhou Paihuai guessed what kind of box it was. If it was a box, it must contain something. Without thinking, she crouched down to take a look. Yes, it was a box, but she couldn't get it out right now. To get it out, the bed either had to be moved further out or put back in its original position. Zhou Paihuai was truly exasperated with her own stupidity. If she had just glanced down before moving the bed, she would have gotten the box out long ago. Why did she have to move it unnecessarily?
Regardless, Zhou Paihuai was exhausted today trying to find out what was in the box hidden under the bed. Fortunately, the box wasn't empty; there was indeed something inside, which gave Zhou Paihuai a slight sense of security. Her hard work hadn't been in vain.
Upon opening the box, Zhou Paihuai found a longevity lock inside, and it looked quite old. She picked it up and examined it closely; she could still vaguely make out the words on it. Besides a blessing, it seemed to contain the name "Zhou Paihuai." Undoubtedly, this longevity lock belonged to the original owner of this body. The original owner had always been an orphan; she hadn't expected to have such a clear keepsake. Had she really never tried to find her family?
Furthermore, given that such a thing exists, how did the Zhou family manage to find the wrong child in the first place? Although they were in different cities, given the Zhou family's reputation, how could they have gone to another city to find a missing child, especially one with a keepsake, and still managed to find the wrong one?
Just as Zhou was lost in thought, the doorbell rang.
She closed the box, put the contents in her bedroom closet, and then hurriedly opened the door.
"You've arrived!" The door opened, and sure enough, Ji Anxi was there.
"How did you know it was me?" Ji Anxi asked in a light tone, as if she were in a very good mood. "My family agreed to let me move out!"
Zhou Paihuai had guessed that Ji Anxi would come over in the next couple of days, and given how late it was, there probably wouldn't be anyone else coming. She smiled and said, "No one else would ring the doorbell a second time if they came to see me, except for you. But why did you come today? I haven't finished tidying up here yet!"
Ji Anxi knew she had misunderstood and said, "Don't worry, I'm not moving in today. I heard from Sister Cheng that you've been helping me tidy up my room these past few days, so I came to see if there's anything I can help with."
"There really is one. There's only one bed left in your room that hasn't been tidied up yet. Come with me and see if that bed is okay."
"good!"
Seeing the empty guest room, Ji Anxi was completely shocked. She remembered that the last time she came, the room was quite full of things, but now there was nothing left. She gestured around the room and said, "You packed away all that stuff?"
"Of course!" Zhou Huaihuai raised an eyebrow. "Am I not amazing?"
"That's really amazing!" Ji Anxi, who has never been a very good planner since childhood, was very impressed. "But won't it be very tiring for you?"
Zhou Paihuai shook his head. It was the truth. Aside from the initial fatigue from moving the bed, tidying up the rest of the things was a piece of cake—a good workout and a way to pass the time. Besides, Xiao Heifen's timing was perfect. If she had arrived any earlier, the box and its contents would likely have been discovered by both of them. While the longevity lock didn't prove anything, given Xiao Heifen's personality, she might have overthought things. "Take a look at this bed and see if it suits you. If you don't like it, we can buy a new one when we have time."
"I can sleep here, I can sleep here!" Ji Anxi said as she lay down on the bed.
"Don't—"
"ah!"
Zhou Paihuai couldn't stop her in time, and Ji Anxi fell directly onto the bed. The bed board was... quite hard, so it must have hurt quite a bit for someone her size to fall on it. After Zhou Paihuai came to his senses, he quickly helped her up: "Are you alright? I prefer sleeping on a firmer bed, it's better for my back, but I didn't expect you to just lie down like that." As he spoke, he reached out and touched her head.
Ji Anxi hugged her head with both hands, slowly lowered her head, and said, "I'm fine." She felt ashamed and wanted to escape from this place.
Seeing Xiao Hei's pink ears, Zhou Huai smiled and knew she was embarrassed, so he gave her a way out: "Alright, there's nothing left to clean up here, let's go outside and I'll make you some fruit tea!"
"Okay!" Ji Anxi immediately revived on the spot.
Zhou Paihuai smiled again. She found that seeing Xiao Heifen really made her feel better. She thought how happy she would be every day after Xiao Heifen moved in.
"Watch TV for a while, the fruit tea won't be ready for a bit."
"Um!"
After settling Ji Anxi in, Zhou Paihuai went to the kitchen and started working. It took him a while to bring out two cups of fruit tea.