Tang Xiaole's main reason for coming was to prevent Zhou Paihuai from getting into trouble, so she didn't stay long after seeing that Zhou Paihuai was alright. After the assistant left, Zhou Paihuai couldn't sleep, so she took a picture of the Jones figurine and sent it to her hater.
"What?" The hater received the photo and quickly replied.
"My Jones figurine proves I'm great at playing Jones!"
Even through the screen, Ji Anxi could imagine Zhou Paihuai's smug expression. She wondered who it was that looked so helpless and pitiful at yesterday's birthday party.
"There are tons of people in the world who own Jones figurines, but how many are truly skilled at collecting them?"
Little Black Fan was always arrogant, and getting her to praise him was harder than climbing to heaven. Zhou Paihuai decided to take Little Black Fan's words as jealousy, since Jones wasn't good enough at the game. "Anyway, better than yours."
"...So, you're looking for me now because you want to play games?"
"Although I want to, life is more important. I just wanted to show you that I have Jones and you don't."
Ji Anxi almost choked on her breath. What did this guy mean? He just came online to show off the gifts she received. That was too much. She must be crazy to do that... Oh well, it's not like she just found out about his behavior today.
"Zhou Paihuai, it seems you've really faded into obscurity. Are you really that free?" Ji Anxi didn't hold back and directly mocked her.
"Flop? I'm still trending on social media and you call me flop? Are you trying to kill other people?" Zhou Paihuai didn't take her words seriously. "Actually, I don't know why I wanted to send you the photos after taking them. I even felt like the fan who helped me out yesterday was you."
"How is that possible!" Ji Anxi typed the four words many times before finally sending them out correctly. It really scared her to death. Is Zhou Paihuai's mouth blessed?
"I know, the road ahead is long and arduous." Zhou Paihuai was a little disappointed, but he didn't show it in the words he typed.
"Good to know. I have something to do, so I'll stop chatting now." For some reason, Ji Anxi felt a little guilty when she saw this message, so she quickly typed another message and left.
"They ran so fast!" Zhou Paihuai sent some more unanswered emojis to the hater before giving up and focusing on posting his thank-you Weibo post. He placed the photo of the figurine in the center of the nine-grid post, which was basically a way of explicitly thanking the fan who sent him the figurine.
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Author's Note:
I've started updating weekly now; I'm just so lazy.
Chapter 34 Script
Since standing up the director last time, Zhou Huaipai has been out of work for four consecutive months. Not only has she not been filming, but she hasn't even had a single gig. Even though she's known for generating buzz, without new projects, she's gradually fading from the public eye.
Without acting opportunities and exposure, she lost her value to the company. Although she had Cheng Minxin, a top agent, protecting her, the boss was not a philanthropist and directly cut Zhou Paihuai's treatment by one level. Although she was still allowed to live in the apartment, the assistant herself was transferred to work with other artists.
When Tang Xiaole was leaving for another artist, she even cried because she was reluctant to part with Zhou Huahuai. Although Zhou Huahuai was a bit irresponsible and might have a better future with other artists, after spending so much time together, the two of them genuinely considered each other friends.
"Zhou Zhou, you can't forget me when you get a new assistant!"
"Don't worry, I definitely won't forget you." Although Zhou Paihuai was also reluctant, she was much calmer. She was not someone who was too burdened by emotions and always believed that when the music ends, people must part ways, and there was no need to be too sad about it.
"How was it like not having a job for several months?" Cheng Minxin suddenly asked Tang Xiaole after she left.
Zhou Paihuai has been without work for the past few months, and this is partly thanks to Cheng Minxin, the top agent. Cheng Minxin manages countless artists and has a network of connections that most agents can't match. If she wanted to, she might not be able to provide Zhou Paihuai with the best resources, but at least she wouldn't be completely without work.
However, Zhou Paihuai was also well aware that Cheng Minxin treated her extremely well and wouldn't really want to harm her. The reason Cheng Minxin did this was probably just to encourage her to strive for excellence and not waste her life like this.
Zhou Heilai appreciated Cheng Minxin's good intentions, but she could never love this industry as much as the original owner did. The only thing she could force herself to do was to not be so resistant to it. She was absolutely unwilling to fight for anything herself.
"If Sister Cheng hears the truth, she will definitely be unhappy, so I'd better not say anything."
"..." It has to be said that Zhou Paihuai is quite capable. He left Cheng Minxin speechless with just one sentence. "It seems that the lessons learned in the past few months have not been enough. Now the company has only downgraded your salary by one level. You are still living in the apartment. Aren't you afraid of being homeless in the future?"
This is too exaggerated. Zhou Paihuai would never allow herself to fall to this state. Besides, although she hasn't taken on any roles in the past few months, she has had more free time to do her old profession and earn some money. In addition, her money management skills are much better than the original owner's.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Cheng Minxin thought she didn't believe her, so she gave her an example: "Don't think I'm exaggerating. The company never keeps idle people."
Zhou Paihuai suddenly hugged Cheng Minxin's arm and said, "I know, but I have you as my backer, Sister Cheng, right? You definitely won't let me starve to death, right?" She may not be good at anything else, but she is very good at acting cute.
"You're so virtuous!" Although Cheng Minxin said this, the corners of her mouth that involuntarily curled up betrayed her true feelings. She was quite pleased with this approach. "I have indeed helped you look at a few dramas recently. There are two that are quite suitable for you. You can choose one yourself."
Having been content to be a couch potato for several months, Zhou Paihuai was already satisfied, so when she heard Cheng Minxin's words this time, she didn't show any impatience: "What type of movies are these two?"
"Xiao Le should have sent them all to you when she handed over her work. Take a look and choose what you want to act in these next few days. Tell me what you want to act in and I'll make the arrangements."
"good!"
... ...
Zhou Paihuai opened his email and started reading the script while munching on bread. The production team wouldn't send the complete script; they would only send a synopsis, so he could read it quickly.
"Lin An" is a serious drama, and the role given to Zhou Paihuai is the tragic heroine Lin An. She lost her parents at birth and was a pitiful little girl who could be bullied by everyone during her growth. However, she always maintained her kind and innocent qualities and finally gained a "happy" life.
Zhou Paihuai ruled out this option after reading it. After all, the incomplete script provided was full of scenes where the female lead, Lin An, was bullied. Although she was socially anxious, it didn't mean she liked being bullied. She definitely couldn't act that well.
Since she couldn't act in the first one, she could only try the second one. The second script had an interesting title: "Intoxicating Afternoon Sunshine." As soon as Zhou Paihuai saw the title, she thought it was definitely a melodramatic plot. She opened the script and glanced at it briefly, and it was indeed as she had guessed—extremely melodramatic, comparable to the domineering CEO running away with a child she had written before.
After reading it, Zhou Paihuai decided to choose the second script. It wasn't that she liked melodramatic plots, but mainly because she wouldn't be playing the lead or second lead in "Intoxicating Afternoon Sunshine." In Zhou Paihuai's view, the second lead's character was much more normal than the two female leads' characters. She considered herself a normal person, and playing a normal role shouldn't be a problem for her.
After thinking it through, Zhou Paihuai told Cheng Minxin his decision directly.
"You chose the second female lead when there's a female lead? Tell me what you're thinking." Cheng Minxin replied quickly.
If Zhou Huahuai told Cheng Minxin his true thoughts, he would inevitably be scolded, so he replied tactfully: "I think Bu Mian in 'Afternoon Sunshine is Intoxicating' is more challenging and may help improve my acting skills."
Cheng Minxin was fairly satisfied with the answer: "As long as it's not because the second female lead has few scenes, it's fine. Since you want to improve your acting skills, I'll help you get this role. Be prepared. However, the company recently dismissed your assistant, so I don't think they'll assign you one anytime soon. Can you manage to join the crew on your own?"
"Of course, no problem."
An assistant can't really help much during filming, so what difference does it make whether she has one or not? Anyway, she doesn't have many scenes, so it's good that she doesn't have an assistant and no one is monitoring her in real time.
Knowing that Cheng Minxin was very efficient, Zhou Paihuai quickly opened his QQ account after their conversation ended and started frantically attacking the haters.
Ji Anxi had just arrived at the library, barely had time to warm up her seat, when her phone started buzzing incessantly, which was incredibly annoying. She opened it and, sure enough, it was Zhou Paihuai.
"You're always so idle, do you think I'm as idle as you?" Ji Anxi typed and sent the message immediately.
For the past few months, weekends have usually been the time for the two of them to play games together. Now that they are about to start filming again, there won't be much time for them to get together and have fun. So Zhou Huapai thought of asking Xiao Heifen to play for a while, but he didn't expect Xiao Heifen to be busy.
It would be a lie to say Zhou Paihuai wasn't upset by the attitude of his haters, but as uncomfortable as he was, he couldn't let a game interfere with other people's important business.
"Then you go ahead with your work, I'll head out now."
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Author's Note:
I was wrong. I'm uninstalling the game now. I'll try to update every other day, if there are no problems.
Chapter 35 Assistant Director
Cheng Minxin was indeed very efficient. Zhou Paihuai was notified to join the crew just three days after choosing the script. Without an assistant, the very busy Cheng Minxin even squeezed out half a day to take her to the set.
"Is the production crew in such a hurry?" Zhou Huaihuai asked sleepily, her eyes looking quite different from her exquisite makeup.
"Cheer up!" Cheng Minxin couldn't stand her like this. "The crew started filming a few days ago, but the originally cast second female lead couldn't act due to scheduling conflicts, so we asked you to fill in." As she said this, she glanced at Zhou Paihuai through the rearview mirror, hoping to see some dissatisfaction on her face.
To her disappointment, Zhou Huapai remained calm, as if he didn't care at all that the role was unwanted by others.
"Aren't you curious about who was originally chosen?" Cheng Minxin couldn't help but ask her first.
"I'm not curious. Regardless of who was originally cast, this role is mine now, and all I have to do is play it well."
"..." Zhou Paihuai's reply wasn't wrong, it's just a pity that her acting skills haven't improved much lately, otherwise, with her insightful observations and positive, sunny disposition, she would definitely attract a lot of fans. "Zhou Zhou, Sister Cheng has high hopes for you, she's waiting for the day you become a Best Actress!"
Zhou Paihuai felt a pang of shame; with her acting skills, she'd probably have to wait several lifetimes to become a Best Actress. But winning the Best Actress award wasn't just Cheng Minxin's wish, it was also the original owner's unfulfilled dream, so she couldn't ignore it.
"Sister Cheng, after this filming is over, could you help me get into an acting class?" The original owner of this body gained Cheng Minxin's favor because of her looks, making her a self-taught actress. She herself had never studied acting, so if she wanted to improve, attending an acting class was essential.
Rarely seeing Zhou Paihuai's ambition, Cheng Minxin immediately pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to look at her: "Are you serious?"
"Is that not allowed?" Zhou Huaihuai hadn't expected her to be so agitated. "If there are difficulties, you shouldn't refuse..."
"Of course we should report it! What difficulties could there be?" Cheng Minxin interrupted her. "But weren't you the most averse to this kind of thing before?"
"Huh? I used to be... ..." Was I really that stupid? My skills were clearly lacking, yet I had the opportunity to learn but didn't take it? And how could such a strict manager like Cheng Minxin tolerate me? This person was treated way too well!
In fact, Cheng Minxin could understand the original owner's mindset very well. Before the original owner filmed her first drama, there was a non-professional actress who had just debuted, and the two of them would naturally be compared frequently. And coincidentally, that actress had a bit more natural talent for acting than the original owner, and she also had more fans. In order to prove that she also had acting talent, the original owner was unwilling to take acting classes, preferring to work hard on scripts in private.
Zhou Paihuai scoffed at this. There are millions of people in this world, and it would be good if one in ten thousand were truly talented. If everyone gave up the opportunity to become excellent because of the excellence of others, then what would be the point of having schools?
"In short, it's good that you're willing to learn. After filming this movie, I'll help you find a highly respected teacher to teach you acting."
"good!"
After arriving at the film set, Cheng Minxin arranged Zhou Paihuai's affairs and then hurriedly drove away. Besides Zhou Paihuai, she had many other things to do. It was already a great honor for her to personally drive her to the film set today.
"Remember to film well on set and don't cause me any trouble!" Cheng Minxin reminded Zhou Paihuai before leaving.
Zhou waved to her and mouthed something to reassure her that she wasn't the type to cause trouble and was just there to film a movie.
After transmigrating into the body of an actor, this wasn't Zhou Huaihuai's first time acting in a film crew, but it was the first time he had come to an unfamiliar film crew on his own, without Tang Xiaole or any familiar faces.
Although the film crew had only just started shooting, the schedule was very tight. The male and female leads were filming scenes together, and everyone was extremely busy. It was the assistant director who found someone to help Zhou Paihuai change into her costume and get her makeup done.
"It'll be your turn soon. Have you memorized your lines?"
Memorizing lines was a very simple thing for Zhou Huaihuai. She nodded and said, "I've memorized them all, but I'll still need your help during filming."
"Of course, Minxin and I have a very good relationship. She gave me a heads-up beforehand, so I'll definitely take good care of you." The assistant director said nicely, but his greasy gaze as he looked Zhou Paihuai up and down made her feel offended and very uncomfortable.
Zhou Paihuai's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a stern face. He didn't respond to the assistant director's comment, and the atmosphere became tense.
"Old Yuan, get ready for the next scene." Fortunately, at this moment, a scene was finished, and the director called the assistant director over.
Watching the assistant director leave, Zhou Paihuai curled her lips again—Sister Cheng told her to focus on filming and not to cause trouble, but she didn't say that she couldn't fight back if trouble came knocking.
"Zhou Paihuai, have you really fallen this far? You don't even have an assistant, and you're being sexually harassed by greasy old men on set?" The speaker was Zheng Xinyu, the second male lead in the crew. He had joined the crew a few days earlier than Zhou Paihuai. Right now, the male and female leads were filming, so he was relatively relaxed.
Zhou Paihuai had done his homework beforehand. The second male lead in this drama, Zheng Xinyu, was also an artist under Sister Cheng's management. However, he had a grudge against the original owner of this body; before he was as famous as the original owner, he had been mocked by her. This was discussed online, mentioned by Cheng Minxin, and even in the original owner's diary. Now that Zheng Xinyu was more famous than Zhou Paihuai, it was normal for him to say a few sarcastic remarks. However, since they were both artists under the same manager, and Sister Cheng had arranged for them to be in the same production, he probably wouldn't make things too difficult for him.
Sister Cheng has a famous saying: "You can't just say things carelessly."
"Are you trying to intimidate me with Sister Cheng?" Zheng Xinyu was somewhat exasperated, a far cry from the aloof male god in the eyes of his fans.
Zhou Huai smiled and said, "How could that be? We're practically family. I was just worried you'd forgotten what Sister Cheng said, so I was giving you a little refresher. I see the director's almost finished filming, so I'll have to wait for his instructions."
Zheng Xinyu never expected that he would be mocked by Zhou Paihuai again. Moreover, Zhou Paihuai had already fallen to such a state, yet she still dared to mock him? He was determined to make her pay!
Chapter 36 Fortunately, everyone's acting skills weren't very good.