"I'm relieved that I didn't cause any major trouble." Xu Yan breathed a sigh of relief.
"..." Zhou Paihuai wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't speak. She knew she would tell Sister Cheng when she got back that she didn't want Xu Yan as her assistant anymore. Actually, what happened today wasn't a big deal. The chances of her getting in touch with Director Yun were practically zero, so Xu Yan hadn't really done anything terribly wrong. But Zhou Paihuai was more concerned about her attitude. She had repeatedly warned her, yet Xu Yan still messed up, which only showed that she wasn't attentive and wasn't suitable to be her assistant.
Seeing Zhou's hesitant manner, Xu Yan guessed what she was planning to do. However, she didn't really want to be an assistant, so she pretended to be clueless and acted as if she knew nothing.
"Zhou Zhou!" Suddenly someone called Zhou Paihuai's name.
Zhou Paihuai turned around and realized it was Wu Fei calling her. Today, after leaving the film set, not only was Zhou Paihuai dragged by her assistant to get her hair and makeup done, but Wu Fei and Tan Xue also suffered the same fate, so the group hadn't gathered together. Wu Fei had only just seen her.
Xu Yan's eyes darkened. She was worried that Zhou Paihuai was too wary and that she wouldn't be able to complete the mission. Wu Fei's arrival gave her an opportunity.
"You're here!" Seeing the familiar Wu Fei, Zhou Paihuai was still very happy.
Wu Fei was holding a glass of champagne, and Xu Yan took the opportunity to hand Zhou Paihuai a glass as well. Zhou Paihuai didn't think much of it, took a small sip, and then started talking to Wu Fei.
Not long after, Wu Fei's agent came to her, wanting to take her to meet some directors and producers.
"I'm leaving now."
Seeing Wu Fei leave, Zhou hesitated and looked at Xu Yan, saying, "It's about time, let's go back!"
"Huh? Are we leaving now?" Xu Yan looked at Zhou Paihuai nervously. "Maybe we should wait a little longer!" She had clearly put the medicine in Zhou Paihuai's champagne, and she had drunk quite a bit of it, so why was there still no reaction?
"What are we waiting for? Sister Cheng can't make it today, so there's no point in me staying here. Am I really going to wait until the show ends?"
"No, it's... it's just that it's windy outside, and I'm worried you'll catch a cold. How about I get you a room so you can rest for a while? The company will reimburse you..."
"How do you know it's windy outside? The weather was great when we arrived." Zhou Paihuai found her strange. "Besides, why would I want to rest here?"
"No, I was worried you might be uncomfortable..." Xu Yan stammered, even she herself felt that her statement was untenable.
"Why do you think I'm uncomfortable?" Zhou Paihuai felt that something was wrong. It seemed that Xu Yan had become very strange since they arrived here, and many times her eyes were on the champagne in his hand. Was there something wrong with this glass of wine?
Faced with Zhou Xueyao's relentless pursuit, Xu Yan broke out in a sweat. Didn't Zhou Xueyao say that the medicine would work very quickly? How come she was still so clear-headed?
"You drugged my drink?" Zhou looked at her and suddenly asked with certainty.
"How did you... ..." Xu Yan suddenly looked up, wondering how she had found out.
Zhou Paihuai had only intended to bluff her, but seeing her reaction, he immediately understood. She frowned deeply and said, "Who exactly are you? What is your purpose in becoming my assistant?" To be able to sneak into the company without a sound and even secretly drug her—if Zhou Paihuai hadn't been so disgusted by the smell of the alcohol that he hadn't drunk it, he would definitely be under the influence by now.
Since things had come to this, Xu Yan could only say, "I'm sorry, Zhou Zhou, I'm doing this for your own good. You want to act in Director Yun's film, right? President Yu of Kaixin Group is willing to give you this opportunity."
"Trying to sleep with me?"
Chapter 93 Blood ties do not equate to kinship
Although none of them expected Zhou Paihuai to not be infected, there was always a Plan B besides Plan A. Seeing that Xu Yan hadn't brought Zhou Paihuai to the room at the agreed time, and that the two seemed to be arguing about something, Yu Zisen knew it was time for him to step in.
Zhou Paihuai looked at the man who appeared before her, wearing a suit jacket half-draped over his shoulders and followed by a group of henchmen. She immediately guessed that this was the CEO Yu of Kaixin that Xu Yan had mentioned. She curled her lips into a contemptuous smile: "So, you couldn't drug him, so you resorted to kidnapping?"
"Miss Zhou, don't be so rude. I just want to be friends with you." Yu Zisen found Zhou Peihuai's calm demeanor amusing and even took off his sunglasses. "Come upstairs with me, I promise I won't do anything!"
"I have absolutely no interest in being friends with you, get out of my way."
When soft tactics failed, Yu Zisen tried a hard approach, and his men stepped forward to take Zhou Paihuai away. Although there were many people at the banquet, the vast majority of them had been contacted by Zhou Xueyao beforehand, and those who hadn't dared not interfere with Yu Zisen's affairs.
"Stop!" At that moment, Zhou Xueyao appeared.
According to Zhou Xueyao and Yu Zisen's original plan, Zhou Xueyao would wait until Zhou Paihuai truly fell into despair before descending like a goddess to save him from danger. In this situation, Zhou Paihuai would definitely develop a stronger liking for Zhou Xueyao and even become dependent on her. At that time, Zhou Xueyao would then take him back to the Zhou family as a friend and stage a tearful reunion with Old Madam Zhou.
However, Zhou Paihuai is indeed in a state of isolation and helplessness. But without the aid of drugs, and in a relatively open environment, Zhou Paihuai is not very afraid, so the effect of this move will be greatly reduced.
But since things had come to this point, Zhou Xueyao had no choice but to proceed according to plan, otherwise things would become even more difficult to handle. However, after she stopped Yu Zisen's men from acting, the suspicion in Zhou Paihuai's eyes made Zhou Xueyao realize how difficult things were.
Thinking of the shares promised by Old Madam Zhou, Zhou Xueyao made up her mind and said directly to Yu Zisen, "Yu Zisen, you'd better take your people and get out of here now, or you'll be sorry."
“Zhou Xueyao, I’m warning you, don’t meddle in other people’s business.” Yu Zisen was deeply into his role, looking at Zhou Xueyao with gritted teeth and said, “If you want to meddle, go meddle in your Zhou family’s little corner of the world.”
"Who said I'm meddling?" Zhou Xueyao was just waiting for him to say that, and she replied smoothly, "She's a member of the Zhou family, and I'm taking her away today."
Zhou Xueyao and Yu Zisen were locked in a fierce battle, neither willing to back down. Eventually, Yu Zisen conceded first, taking a step back and saying, "I certainly won't touch you Zhou family members. But is she one of you Zhou family members?"
“I say so!” Zhou Xueyao said, then looked at Zhou Paihuai, “Come with me, I’ll explain it to you.”
Seeing that someone was willing to help her out of this predicament, Zhou Paihuai, though suspicious, still followed Zhou Xueyao away. Even if it weren't for the help, she still had many questions she wanted to ask Zhou Xueyao.
"What did you mean by what you just said?" Zhou Paihuai asked her directly after getting into the car. She didn't believe that Zhou Xueyao's words were just empty talk; people usually don't bring up their background when helping others out of an awkward situation.
Seeing her calm demeanor, Zhou Xueyao genuinely thought she didn't care about these things, but unexpectedly, she still couldn't help herself.
"Don't worry, I'll take you back to the Zhou family now. Once we get back, you'll understand immediately." Zhou Xueyao tried her best to suppress the malice in her heart.
... ...
He went to the Zhou family's old residence and met with Old Madam Zhou. From their conversation, Zhou Paihuai finally understood that because he looked exactly like Old Madam Zhou's daughter, Zhou Jiaojiao, the Zhou family believed that he and Zhou Xueyao had been switched at birth, and had even arranged for a paternity test beforehand. After the test results came out, Zhou Xueyao immediately went to find Zhou Paihuai, only to find Yu Zisen trying to harm her.
After listening to the story, Zhou Paihuai suddenly asked, "I was in a car accident before, and I heard that the other party at fault was Zhou Chengli, the eldest son of your Zhou family. I want to ask, did you know my identity before the accident, or after the accident?"
The Zhou family is actually not unfamiliar to Zhou Paihuai at all, because the car accident caused her to lose part of her memory, and now she is being cursed by the whole internet. Although she cannot prove her innocence, she knows who is harming her.
One sentence left Old Madam Zhou and Zhou Xueyao speechless. They didn't even know what answer Zhou Paihuai wanted. Whether before or after the car accident, they already knew Zhou Paihuai's identity, yet they let the online rumors escalate, and no one said a word for her.
"I think with your abilities, you should be able to find out that I have amnesia, but my assistant doesn't have amnesia. In her memory, the main responsibility for that car accident wasn't ours. I want to ask, was there any manipulation by the Zhou family behind the fact that I was ultimately found responsible for the accident?" Zhou Paihuai directly stated the question he wanted to ask.
Seeing the guilt on Old Madam Zhou's face, Zhou Xueyao knew she couldn't let things continue like this. If Zhou Peihuai really found out the truth, she definitely wouldn't want to return to the Zhou family, and then her shares would be gone.
"I can give you an explanation for this. Grandma didn't know anything about it."
"I don't need to explain. You can go hold a press conference now and explain this matter clearly."
"That won't do!" Old Madam Zhou spoke up. "I will compensate you for this. If you're willing to leave the entertainment industry, I can give you shares in the Zhou Group and even set up a company specifically for you. You can do whatever you want. If you truly want to stay in this industry, the Zhou family can also help you. But the car accident is over, and it's the best outcome for both Cheng Li and you..."
"The best outcome?" Zhou Huaihuai sneered. "Indeed, the best outcome." The Zhou family's reputation can be preserved, the eldest young master of the Zhou family can be preserved, as for her, what does her reputation matter?
"You..." Old Madam Zhou felt a pang of regret. This child was her daughter's own flesh and blood, and she dreamed of her daughter being recognized by her family, but her daughter was stubborn. This time, the two of them were likely to part on bad terms again.
Seeing Zhou Hei Pai about to leave, Zhou Xueyao quickly stopped her. These were her shares; how could she let her leave like that? "Wait a minute!"
"Let go!"
How could Zhou Xueyao let go? She couldn't help but try to repay the favor: "No matter what, I just helped you. Can't you even stay and have a meal with Grandma? Grandma really wants you to be recognized by your ancestors. As for me..."
Zhou Huai smiled sarcastically and said, "What? Are you planning to hand over everything you have to me? Are you going to leave with nothing and give me your position?"
"you... ..."
"If you can't do it, don't stop me." Logically speaking, Zhou Paihuai shouldn't reject the Zhou family, but ever since she came here, every word she heard from Old Madam Zhou and Zhou Xueyao made her feel uncomfortable. She didn't know why, but she was willing to follow her heart.
One wanted to leave, the other wanted to stop him, and somehow, in the midst of the pushing and shoving, Zhou Paihuai suddenly fell to the ground, hitting the sofa armrest as he fell, and his head lolled to the side as he fainted.
"What's wrong with her?" Old Madam Zhou asked anxiously, looking at the unconscious Zhou Paihuai.
She hadn't used any force, yet Zhou Xueyao still thought she was faking an accident. "I'll call the doctor right away."
Not long after making the phone call, Zhou Paihuai slowly woke up. When she woke up, she was in bed, with Old Madam Zhou beside her, while the doctor and Zhou Xueyao were a little further away. She wanted to laugh, but couldn't at all. She hadn't expected that this fall would give her two years of memories, but these two years of memories weren't what Sister Cheng and the others had said; instead, they were from another world, another life.
As for the people in front of her, she believed they were her family. The Zhou family had no reason to lie to her, the paternity test results were certainly genuine, and she couldn't possibly have sprung from a rock. But the thought of acknowledging them was something Zhou Peihuai deeply resisted. They might genuinely want to acknowledge her, but for them, family ties were far less important than the company's reputation, and her cherished dreams were something they could abandon at any time... More importantly, to protect the Zhou family's reputation, they were willing to act above the law.
"Is there anything wrong with you?" Seeing Zhou's hesitant and wandering gaze, Old Madam Zhou asked.
She gently shook her head and said, "I'm fine. I believe what you said. Zhou Xueyao, no matter what, I still want to thank you for helping me just now."
"We're all family, you don't need to thank me."
"No, no, no, I still have to thank you." Zhou Paihuai got out of bed. "I'm not related to you. Although I may be a member of the Zhou family by blood, I'm already twenty-five years old and have always lived alone. The Zhou family has never raised me for a single day, and I've never entertained them or been their child. So, in reality, we have no relation whatsoever."
"What do you mean?" Old Madam Zhou didn't want Zhou Hei Pai to continue speaking. She knew that if she let her continue, she wouldn't get any satisfactory answers.
"What I mean is, I won't go back to the Zhou family. Since we made a mistake back then, let's just consider it a beautiful mistake and let her continue making mistakes."
Zhou Xueyao opened her mouth to persuade her, but she never expected Zhou Huaihuai to be so ungrateful. If she didn't cooperate, the old lady would never give her the shares.
"Have you made up your mind?" Old Madam Zhou looked at her. "I have given you many chances. If you still choose to leave the Zhou family today, then you will have no relationship with the Zhou family in the future. If you do anything that is detrimental to the Zhou family, I will not be lenient."
Zhou Paihuai did not respond to her directly, but instead walked out of the Zhou family home step by step with firm strides.
--------------------
Author's Note:
I didn't originally intend to write about this life-swapping. Since their lives have already intersected, there's no need to turn back. They would both have a better life in another world. However, the original owner of this body is different from Zhou Paihuai. She had expectations for family ties, and the Zhou family were her blood relatives. Even if this blood relationship had to be severed, it should be the original owner's decision; Zhou Paihuai couldn't make that decision for her. They will switch back later, because the "little hater" likes Zhou Paihuai, and only Zhou Paihuai can like Ji Anxi.
Chapter 94 Accompanying You to the Film Set
It took Zhou Paihuai a long time to realize that she and the original owner of this body had indeed swapped identities over the past two years. She had created a lot of messes in that world and even got into a car accident before returning. She didn't know if the original owner of this body would wake up after returning.
Although the time and space have changed, life must go on. Zhou Paihuai originally thought she could return to her original life, but when she started writing, her mind just couldn't settle down. Little Blackie hadn't even been here a day, and the two of them hadn't even had dinner together yet. Was she going to never see her again?
Zhou's reason told her to treat the events of that other time and space as a dream, but her emotions were beyond her control. She couldn't help but think of Xiao Heifen, and when she came to her senses, she couldn't write a single useful sentence in the document she had opened. Instead, she filled the entire screen with Ji Anxi's name. She laughed self-deprecatingly, wondering when Xiao Heifen had become so important to her.
Although Zhou Paihuai had never eaten pork, she had raised pigs. After writing romance novels for so many years, if she still didn't understand her feelings for Xiao Heifen, then all those years of her life would have been wasted. She felt that there was no one more tragic than herself in the world. She had just realized that she had someone she liked, but she and that person lived in different times and spaces. Even if she died and entered reincarnation, they probably would never have the chance to meet again.
Heaven won't grant two miracles to one person. Just as Zhou Paihuai thought this, she was slapped in the face. A bright white light flashed, and her head lolled to the side, and she lost consciousness again.
"You're awake?"
Zhou Paihuai rubbed her eyes: "Oh my god, am I dreaming again?" If she wasn't dreaming, how could she possibly see the little black fan?
"What kind of dream are you having? You drank yourself into a stupor and didn't even drink any hangover tea." Ji Anxi poured her a cup of tea. "Have some!"
Zhou Paihuai then noticed an unpleasant smell of alcohol on her. How much alcohol must she have drunk to smell so strong? She took a small sip of hangover tea before asking, "How could I have drunk so much?"
"I don't know either. Yesterday was your wrap party. Sister Cheng just wanted us to have a small get-together, but who knew you would drink one glass after another and drink so much alcohol," Ji Anxi said.
"I've already finished filming!" Zhou Paihuai muttered to herself. She clearly remembered that she had only been on set for a short time. Could it be that her acting skills were so bad that even the heavens couldn't stand it and found an excuse to send the original owner back so that she could finish the play?
"What did you say?" Ji Anxi didn't hear what she said at all, and handed her another warm towel.
"It's nothing." Seeing how attentively Xiao Heifen was taking care of him, Zhou Paihuai couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. During the time he returned to another time and space, was Xiao Heifen also this kind to the original owner?
But Zhou Paihuai was actually wronging Ji Anxi. Even if she felt something was wrong with the original owner, she wouldn't really think it was a different person and therefore treat the original owner badly. Moreover, since the original owner had no memory of Xiao Heifen when she woke up, the two were far less intimate than before. The reason Xiao Heifen was taking care of her today was entirely because Sister Cheng was busy.
Ji Anxi said, "By the way, the Zhou family is bothering us again."
"The Zhou family has already come looking for us?" Zhou Paihuai originally intended to keep this a secret, but he didn't expect that even his haters would find out.
"But it's alright. Since you don't want to acknowledge your ancestors, no one can stop you." The original owner had already explained things to the Zhou family, but they still wouldn't let it go. So, the original owner filed a lawsuit against the Zhou family. A paternity test can only be done with the consent of the parties involved; otherwise, it has no legal effect. "They're just a bit annoying!" These people are like flies, constantly stalking Zhou.
When a popular actress is embroiled in a lawsuit, and the other party is suspected to be a family member of the actress, the paparazzi naturally won't let this kind of news pass by, and it was quickly dug up. It was also at this time that Ji Anxi and the others learned about Zhou Paihuai's background, and they unanimously agreed that having such a family member was worse than not having one at all.