The sound disappeared after he fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up again, it was evening. The room was dimly lit. There was a brand new cell phone box on the bedside table, with a small SIM card on it. The edges of the card were worn and old. Zhou Zhou guessed that Fu Hengzhi had retrieved his old cell phone.
"Awake?" Fu Hengzhi came in carrying a food box, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing a section of smooth and handsome muscle lines.
"Hmm." Zhou Zhou propped himself up with his left hand, and the moment he opened the food box, his stomach let out a timely 'gurgle'.
Fu Hengzhi smiled, set up a small table and arranged the dishes as before, handed him the cutlery, and Zhou Zhou started eating. He peeled shrimp next to him and said casually, "I've already dealt with the people who wanted to kidnap you."
"..." Zhou Zhou almost choked on his food, and tentatively asked the other party, "Um... is it legal?"
"What are you thinking?" Fu Hengzhi was taken aback by his words, then chuckled, "Of course it's legal. Did you think I was involved in organized crime like the other side?"
"Sigh." As long as it's legal, that's fine. Zhou Zhou sniffed. "I'm just worried you'll go astray."
Zhou Zhou's injuries weren't serious this time, and the hospital even had a projector. After dinner, the two grown men squeezed together on the hospital bed and watched a movie.
In suspense thrillers, ghosts don't seem so scary compared to people.
"This guy is terrifying. He installed over a dozen hidden cameras in the woman's house to monitor her, and even attached GPS trackers to her belongings." Zhou Zhou huddled in her husband's arms, watching with one eye open and one eye closed. When she reached the climax, she dared not continue and secretly glanced at Fu Hengzhi. His handsome face was illuminated by the light of the curtain, and he had no expression.
"That kind of person is a monster."
Fu Hengzhi seemed lost in thought. Upon hearing this, he hummed in agreement and said, "Installing a pinhole camera is a violation of someone's privacy. The female lead is perfectly entitled to sue him."
"Hmm..." Zhou Zhou pursed his lips and mumbled, when a string of numbers suddenly flashed into his mind and he immediately read it aloud to the other person.
Do you know what this is?
Fu Hengzhi pondered for a moment, then said, "This is my phone number."
"Huh?" Zhou Zhou blinked, surprised himself. "I dreamt about it. Someone told me that in my dream."
"Dreamed about it?" Fu Hengzhi gently wrapped his arms around the other person's arm, not daring to pull too hard, and pressed his lips to the other person's forehead, whispering, "There's such a good thing? That means you and this phone number are very destined."
"Really?" Zhou Zhou was skeptical, after all, such mysterious things were not uncommon in this world.
"Perhaps," Fu Hengzhi said solemnly. "Aren't there many unsolved mysteries in this world?"
“Hmm…” Zhou Zhou fell into deep thought.
That night, the two still had to sleep in separate beds. Fu Hengzhi looked at the two beds with a worry in his mind, wondering why the hospital didn't provide double beds. What were they, such a loving couple, supposed to do?
“Baby, I’ll move this cabinet so the two beds can be pushed together…” Fu Hengzhi fell silent. The other person was leaning back on the headboard with their eyes closed, seemingly having fallen asleep again without realizing it.
Fu Hengzhi tiptoed to the window, tucked the other person in with a thin blanket, and turned up the air conditioner temperature by two degrees. After making all these preparations, he stared at the other person's peaceful sleeping face, slowly approached, and squatted down.
He whispered in the other person's ear, "159..."
"I didn't sleep."
[Author's Note: Zhou Zhou: Am I dreaming?]
Fu Hengzhi: I sleepwalked...
Zhou Zhou: Fate?
Fu Hengzhi: Even artificial connections can be considered fate...
Chapter 83 You're the Biggest Thing in This Film Crew
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Zhou Zhou spent nearly half a month recovering from his injury in the hospital. As usual, Fu Hengzhi insisted that he stay in the hospital for another week for observation, even though he could have been discharged earlier. During this time, Sheng Yuan learned that he was hospitalized due to his injury and sent Wang Li to visit him. The purpose of the visit was to check on the script's production schedule. After all, the director and investors for the play were already in place, and casting was underway. At such a crucial moment, the original screenwriter could not afford to have any problems.
Fortunately, Zhou Zhou injured his shoulder, not his fingers. After a short recovery, the impact on his work was not too great. The script was also written before he was discharged from the hospital and sent to Sheng Yuan in electronic form. This was the first version, which was also the final version established in the previous life. In theory, there should be no problem, but in the end, it still had to be confirmed by the production team.
Zhou Zhou sat in the passenger seat of Fu Hengzhi and replied to Wang Li's message. He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the script could be used. Revising it would not be difficult, but it would definitely be troublesome. Coincidentally, things had all come together recently.
“Grandpa’s 80th birthday is in a week. Grandpa and Grandma are living in X City. Tomorrow, Aunt will send the two elders to Mom and Dad’s place.” Fu Hengzhi looked ahead as he drove, his tone firm. After Zhou Zhou put down her new phone, she couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times.
"What's wrong?" The other person didn't seem to be in a good mood. Zhou Zhou wondered if it was because the company contract issue hadn't been resolved yet.
"It's nothing." Fu Heng, belatedly realizing what was happening, coughed twice and said, "I've been quite busy lately."
Zhou Zhou nodded. "By the way, didn't we say last time that we'd treat the girl who saved me to a meal after I was discharged from the hospital? When are you free?" He had a lot of things to do after submitting the script. Last time, Fu Hengzhi kept mentioning his phone number to him late at night, which earned him a good scolding. But in the end, Zhou Zhou couldn't resist the other's resentful gaze and agreed to Fu Hengzhi's suggestion to thank the girl for treating him to a meal. The two of them went together.
“Hmm…” Fu Hengzhi hesitated for a while before slowly saying, “I don’t have time recently, maybe until after Grandpa’s 80th birthday.”
Zhou Zhou had no objections. His phone vibrated, and he hummed in response before continuing to reply to messages.
Returning home and seeing the familiar layout and busy figures in the kitchen, Zhou Zhou felt a sense of peace. It was lunchtime, and he walked to the dining table, looking at the dishes that suited his taste, and felt great.
"Oh, you're back so soon." Aunt Feng put the sweet and sour pork ribs on the table and hurried into the kitchen. Her voice came from inside, "Wash your hands first, I still have a soup to finish."
During his hospitalization, Aunt Feng visited him once, and even Fu Hongjiang and Duan Yun came to the hospital. Zhou Zhou clearly remembered Fu Hongjiang's gloomy face when he saw his right shoulder, which was completely different from the kind and amiable face he usually had. In the end, he said to Fu Hengzhi, "You handle it yourself. Just keep it in mind." Zhou Zhou was completely confused when he heard that.
Zhou Zhou was so engrossed in his thoughts that he ate much slower until Fu Hengzhi picked up a piece of beef and put it in his bowl, which brought him back to his senses.
"I'll be back a little late this afternoon." Fu Hengzhi handed Zhou Zhou the fish fillets that had been deboned from the plate in front of him. Zhou Zhou took them and casually asked, "Is something wrong at the company?"
"Hmm." Fu Hengzhi picked up another piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and handed it over.
Today, Fu Hengzhi seemed to be serving him food more frequently. Zhou Zhou didn't even need to reach out with his chopsticks; he only needed to eat the food that Fu Hengzhi had served him from his own bowl. Although Fu Hengzhi was usually this considerate, Zhou Zhou couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.
After lunch, Fu Hengzhi drove back to the company. Zhou Zhou also had things to do in the afternoon; she was to meet with the crew of "Boundless".
"Boundless" is Zhou Zhou's serious drama novel. Fu Heng had just left when Zhou Zhou went to the garage. The BMW M series that he drove to Shengyuan had already been taken back to the garage by the other party. Even so, Zhou Zhou couldn't help but feel a pang of fear for the car. Fu Heng said that he used to drive this car often, and he was the only one in this residential area who owned this limited model. The kidnappers must have recognized the car and followed it.
Terrified, Zhou Zhou refused to drive that car and instead chose the Mercedes sports car next to her.
It wasn't a formal press conference, just a private gathering of crew members. The location was also quite suitable; Zhou Zhou breathed a sigh of relief after driving there and finding it to be just an ordinary restaurant. He was worried it might be like Li Qingjie's last time, going to some kind of private club; at least this was a respectable place.
Zhou Zhou arrived early, and the producer had already booked a small hall on the third floor of the restaurant. There were three large round tables inside, and the dishes hadn't been served yet. A few people were sitting there scattered around. Zhou Zhou chose a rather inconspicuous spot and sat down. As soon as his bottom touched the chair, he was called back.
"Brother Zhou!" A man who looked very eloquent called out to him. Zhou Zhou habitually wore a mask when he went out, and only took it off when he arrived at his destination.
If she hadn't shouted, no one would have known. But this shout attracted the attention of everyone present, since Zhou Zhou used to be a public figure in the industry.
Knowing that he was being addressed, Zhou Zhou politely stood up. Not knowing who the man in front of him was, he extended his hand in a friendly manner and smiled slightly, saying, "Hello."
"Oh, Brother Zhou, you're so polite." The man reached out and shook Zhou Zhou's hand. Perhaps his initial greeting was just to show that he was getting closer to the other person, but Zhou Zhou's gesture of politeness made the man a little embarrassed. He chuckled awkwardly and said, "You must have a bad memory. Don't you recognize me? I'm Xiao Wang."
"Xiao Wang?" Zhou Zhou blinked, indicating that he really didn't know him and didn't know which distant memory the other person was.
“Wang Xiaoxun, I was the production assistant for your first film.” Wang Xiaoxun blinked and leaned closer to whisper, “Have you forgotten? You couldn’t eat the food on set, so I went out to buy you food.”
“…Uh.” Zhou Zhou’s eyes were still confused, but in order to avoid embarrassment for both of them, he pretended to realize something. “I’ve been too busy lately and didn’t remember for a moment.”
"You're such a busy person, you've done enough acting and then you went on to write books," Wang Xiaoxun said casually, patting his horse. "Most people don't have your achievements."
As he spoke, he half-pushed Zhou Zhou to the round table at the front, pressed his shoulder to make him sit down. To outsiders, the two seemed to have a good relationship. Feeling the doubtful and envious glances from those around them, Wang Xiaoxun said smugly in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "This show is produced by Yuedong Film and Television. President Liu specifically emphasized you to us. Don't worry, everyone from the director to the producer is family. You are the most important person in this crew."
[Author's Note:]
】
Chapter 84 This sugar daddy seems familiar...
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Wang Xiaoxun considered himself to be the kind of person who could read people's expressions. He was in charge of the actors' food and drink when he worked as a production assistant. At that time, there was a new actor in the crew who had a face that was blessed by God. If he had just honed his acting skills, he would have been on the verge of becoming a top actor. Unfortunately, Wang Xiaoxun had observed one of the actor's scenes. How should I put it? His acting skills were so bad that even a dog would shake its head.
But these people are rich! Wang Xiaoxun secretly observed the new actor's spending habits. Searching for similar items from those brands revealed that a single garment cost several thousand to tens of thousands of yuan, and there were also designer watches. Clearly, he was someone who didn't care about money. No matter how bad the filming was, or what the director said, he ignored it completely; his mind wasn't on it at all. According to his assistant, this new actor entered the industry for the sake of Actor Ye.
This newcomer actress was Zhou Zhou. At the time, Zhou Zhou was a hopeless case, her mind entirely on Ye Qisheng, and she was lukewarm towards those around her, so she wasn't well-liked. Wang Xiaoxun was one of the rare types who would fawn over her, firmly believing that cultivating a good relationship with Zhou Zhou wouldn't do any harm. Later, after Liu Zong's incident, Zhou Zhou continued to appear in the public eye as if nothing had happened, which further solidified Wang Xiaoxun's belief. It was said that Liu Zong later went to Zhou Zhou specifically to apologize, a rumor that Wang Xiaoxun considered highly likely to be true.
Wang Xiaoxun's words were based on rumors. He knew a few inside stories based on hearsay. In recent years, there have been so many film and television adaptations, and Yuedong has bought a lot of copyrights. But none of them have been adapted yet. Why did they target "Wuya"? It's because the author of "Wuya" is Zhou Zhou, and Liu Zong wanted to curry favor with him.
Wang Xiaoxun hadn't read the book "Boundless". He was only responsible for flattering people and didn't care about the book. He also didn't think that Zhou Zhou, a rich kid, could have any literary talent to write a good book. He subconsciously believed that those readers were drawn by the author's popularity.
"Brother Zhou, your book is so well-written! Director Sun and the others applauded it when they read it. They didn't even need the scriptwriting team and wanted you to be the sole editor, but you're such a busy person with so many works under your belt..." From the moment Wang Xiaoxun recognized Zhou Zhou, he kept praising him. The people around him looked disgusted at his sycophancy, but he seemed not to notice and continued to talk vividly to Zhou Zhou. At first, Zhou Zhou could still greet him with a smile, but later he couldn't stand it anymore. Fortunately, Wang Xiaoxun stopped before he could speak.
"Director Sun." Wang Xiaoxun stood up from the seat next to Zhou Zhou and nodded to a man who walked in.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhou also stood up and looked at Director Sun, "Hello, Director Sun."
Director Sun didn't look as old as he had in mind when he thought directors were, probably around forty. He was wearing a baseball cap and black-rimmed glasses, dressed conservatively, and of medium build. He recognized Zhou Zhou at first glance, extended his hand to Zhou Zhou, and greeted him with a smile, "Editor Zhou, how are you feeling?"
It seems the crew also knew about his hospitalization. Zhou Zhou smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Director Sun. I have already recovered."
Upon hearing this, Director Sun laughed and said to the people behind him, "Young people, they're physically fit."
A group of people behind him laughed and then took their seats. Wang Xiaoxun, a stagehand, couldn't sit in the front, and Zhou Zhou, a screenwriter, wasn't comfortable sitting next to the director. They wanted to move two seats, but Director Sun pressed him down and began introducing the people at the table to him one by one.
Everyone greeted him with smiles, making Zhou Zhou feel rather uncomfortable. After being introduced to everyone, he remembered most of what they said. The dishes started with appetizers, and all the other tables were full, except for the empty seat next to Director Sun.
This piqued Zhou Zhou's curiosity, and he couldn't help but glance at that spot a couple more times.
His glance caught Director Sun's attention, and Director Sun kindly leaned closer to explain, "An investor hasn't arrived yet."
"I see." Zhou Zhou smiled slightly. Investors are indeed important. Sometimes, whether a film can be made depends not only on the crew members, but also on whether the investors are there. If you look closely, the investors can also be considered half of his financial backers as the original author.
"By the way, Editor Zhou, the casting for the male and female leads has been roughly finalized." Director Sun briefly explained the casting to Zhou Zhou. "For the female lead, we've finally decided on the popular young actress Qin Yue."
Qin Yue? Zhou Zhou blinked, recalling Qin Yue, who had acted alongside him when he first transmigrated into the book. Qin Yue was beautiful and had a good temperament. From their last meeting, he could tell that she was a lively person. The female lead of "Boundless" was Si Ling, who was a lively and cheerful character.
Zhou Zhou nodded in agreement, then asked, "Where's the male lead?"
"We have two candidates for the male lead, and tonight is the final deadline. We're taking this opportunity during dinner to ask for your opinion, as the original author," Director Sun said. "One candidate is Meng Zifan, and the other is Wen Luo. Both of them are actors who have been gaining momentum recently. The casting director thinks they are both suitable, so they recommended them to me. We were thinking that if one of them is not chosen, we can fill the second male lead position. What do you think, Editor Zhou?"
"Hmm." Zhou Zhou was almost confused by Director Sun's words, and smiled, "Director Sun, you guys actually already had your eye on the male lead, right?"
The incident where Zhou Zhou visited Wen Luo on set and shielded him from falling objects is well-known in the industry, though not universally acknowledged. Director Sun and others are certainly aware of it to some extent. Also, regarding the paparazzi photos and the subsequent clarification of the rumors surrounding Zhou Zhou and Ye Qisheng, Wen Luo was almost always present wherever Zhou Zhou was. To outsiders, their relationship, while not exactly close, is certainly not bad. If they were indeed both male lead candidates, and considering Zhou Zhou's connection, Wen Luo playing the male lead Jun Xiaobei in "Boundless" would be a certainty; there would be no need to even bother asking him.
The fact that Director Sun came to him meant that they felt another actor was more suitable for the male lead role than Wen Luo, and that they specifically chose the second male lead to fill the role, in order to avoid making Wen Luo, who was not selected, feel too embarrassed.
These days, there are tons of people who bring their own investment to join a production. If this were any other production, the deal would probably be finalized immediately. The fact that Director Sun even came to ask shows how much he cares about this project. After all, it's a character he created himself, so Zhou Zhou naturally hopes that the actors can be as faithful to the original work as possible.
"Actually, you don't need to ask me. Director Sun, you can decide on the casting." Zhou Zhou picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled. "In the book, Junior Brother Lou Le is sunny, cheerful, and clever. He seems quite similar to Luo Luo."
This was tantamount to making it clear, "Hahahaha, good." Director Sun finished his tea instead of wine, and seemed to be in a good mood.
Ten minutes after the appetizers were served, Director Sun pulled Zhou Zhou aside to chat about other topics. Everyone in the crew had to stay with him until he started eating. During this time, Zhou Zhou noticed that Director Sun kept glancing towards the door, seemingly waiting for the 'sugar daddy' who was late.
"You're here." A person walked in through the door. Director Sun slapped his thigh, stood up, and reached out to shake hands with the person to greet him. "President Xia, are you settling back into the country?"
Zhou Zhou stood behind Director Sun, secretly observing this 'sugar daddy'. He thought it was another CEO, but the CEO in front of him, Mr. Xia, gave off a very different feeling. His eyes were gentle, his temperament was refined, and his light-colored clothes and gold-rimmed glasses exuded an aura that made people want to get close to him.
Zhou Zhou blinked at him, feeling a sense of familiarity with President Xia in front of him.
"Editor Zhou, this is Director Xia," Director Sun introduced.
"Hello, Mr. Xia, I'm Zhou Zhou, Zhou as in weekend and Zhou as in flat boat, the original author and screenwriter of 'Boundless'." Considering that Director Sun said the other party had just returned to China, Zhou Zhou explained a little more.
"Hello." Upon hearing this, President Xia chuckled softly and introduced herself in the same tone as the other person, "I am Xia Sixi, Xia as in summer, Si as in longing, and hope as in hope."