Mo Yushen returned to the hotel, his clothes completely soaked. He hadn't brought any change of clothes, so he had to wait for Mr. Yue's nephew to bring his suitcase before he could change.
Time was short, and there wasn't time to say goodbye to Mr. Yue in person.
Mr. Yue chuckled on the phone, expressing his understanding.
Young people, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
——
On the day she returned to Beijing, Xi Jia forgot what Mo Yushen looked like again.
And that man with the peach blossom eyes whose memory was out of sync, he was also completely forgotten.
However, every cloud has a silver lining. Her script, which she submitted to Xinglan Film and Television, was shortlisted, and Xinglan arranged for her to meet with the director on Friday.
Returning from the mountains to the bustling city, all desires and longings also return.
Standing on the balcony, I saw towering buildings, no longer shrouded in mist.
Her father, Ji Zhenghe, called; she took her mother's surname.
My mother liked girls and dreamed of having a daughter, but she gave birth to two sons in a row. Still not satisfied, she had a third child, and that's her.
Every time, Ji Zhenghe would carefully and patiently explain to Xi Jia how she got sick, when her memory started to decline, when she got married, and who her husband was.
After Ji Zhenghe finished speaking, Xi Jia opened the memo, which contained a lot of things from the past, but she had no recollection of any of them.
"Dad, why can I remember other people but not what Mo Yushen looks like?"
Ji Zhenghe: "You've only known each other for half a year and been married for a few months. You don't have a deep impression of each other, and you can forget about each other in no time."
Xi Jia was worried: "Is there any cure for my illness? Will I forget you and Mom in the future?"
Ji Zhenghe opened his mouth, as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat.
Even with a fortune of hundreds of billions, he still couldn't cure his daughter's illness.
There was silence on the phone for a few seconds, then nothing more.
Xi Jia understood and didn't ask any further questions.
She eased the tension, "Dad, don't worry. So many people want to forget the past but can't. Look at me, I have no worries at all, isn't that great?"
"I'll stop here for now. I need to write this down. It would be a waste not to write down such good script material."
Ji Zhenghe is currently not in China. During this time, he and his wife traveled to several countries and contacted many well-known neurosurgeons to see if they had any research on this condition, but they returned disappointed each time.
Because of this illness, he hasn't been able to focus on company matters for the past six months, basically handing over authority to his two sons. Even so, he still hasn't found a good solution.
Finally, Ji Zhenghe reminded Xi Jia to pick her up from the airport in the evening, "I'll send the flight information to your phone, don't forget."
"Don't worry, I won't forget."
After hanging up the phone, Xi Jia tossed it aside and continued polishing the script.
She had arranged to meet the director at 3 p.m., and she arrived 20 minutes early to wait.
The director finally arrived at 2:59.
Xi Jia stood up, smiled at Zhou Mingqian, and greeted him politely, "Director Zhou."
Zhou Mingqian showed little expression, nodded slightly, raised his chin to indicate that she should sit down, and didn't say a word.
This was Xi Jia's first time meeting Zhou Mingqian, but she had heard that he had a bad temper. She didn't pay attention to his indifferent attitude and handed him the paper script.
Zhou Mingqian seemed listless. He turned to the first page, his gaze lingering there, but Xi Jia couldn't tell whether he actually read it or not.
Zhou Mingqian is a man who is sharp-tongued when he speaks, but also has a sharp edge when he is silent. Once you get to know him, he is quite interesting; if you don't know him well, most people will find it hard to handle his aura.
At 3:10, Xi Jia came out of the conference room.
After touching up her makeup in the restroom, she messaged her best friend Ye Qiu: "It's over."
Ye Qiu called directly, "What do you mean?"
Xi Jia: "I've been rejected. There's absolutely no chance."
Zhou Mingqian only read the first two pages of the script before closing it and returning it to her.
The result is self-evident.
On the other end of the phone, Ye Qiu felt sorry for Xi Jia: "Zhou Mingqian isn't just making grand pronouncements. There are no bad scripts, only directors who can't make good films?"
Xi Jia: "Can't you even brag?"
She walked towards the elevator and comforted Ye Qiu: "It's no big deal. I'll just wait for the day when Zhou Mingqian comes to me begging and crying to film my script."
Before the words were even finished, someone turned the corner at the end of the corridor.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Xi Jia held her phone further away and gave Zhou Mingqian a forced smile. "It's an occupational hazard. I just like to imagine myself as the female lead."
Zhou Mingqian nodded slightly to her without any expression.
Soon, the two brushed past each other.
Ye Qiu, ever the gossip, asked, "Hey, who are you talking to?"
The next second, Ye Qiu belatedly realized, "Could it be... Zhou Mingqian?"
Xi Jia: "Mm."
She made a decision: "After I retire, I will switch to Xinglan Film and Television."
Only after she went to Xinglan would there be a greater chance that her scripts would be adapted into films and television series.
Going to Xinglan has another advantage: you might be able to collaborate with Zhou Mingqian someday.
Although Zhou Mingqian has a high opinion of himself, it does not affect his talent as a director.
If given the chance, she would put an end to his arrogance.
Ye Qiu advised her to think it over carefully and not to act impulsively.
Xinglan is the largest film and television company in the industry, and its female artists are fiercely competing for resources.
There's also a rather difficult celebrity in the group, Jiang Qin.
Jiang Qin only entered the entertainment industry last year, and her first TV series made her an instant hit. She is beautiful, has good acting skills, and has a powerful background.
Xi Jia: "Who is Jiang Qin?"
Ye Qiu: "..."
Given Xi Jia's current memory, it's not surprising that she forgot who Jiang Qin was.
Today, Xi Jia's script was rejected, and her self-esteem must have been hurt. Ye Qiu didn't want to add insult to injury, so he just said, "She's a woman, and she's quite pretty."
He added, "But not as pretty as you."
What Xi Jia is most satisfied with, and what she can find some comfort in now, is her own face.
Ye Qiu once joked with her: "Jiajia, if you could trade half of your beauty for your health and normal memory, would you be willing?"
She looked at herself in the makeup mirror and said without hesitation: No, I still want this face.
Xi Jia had already reached the elevator. "I'm not going to chat anymore. I'm going into the elevator right now. I'll find you for dinner this weekend."
Ye Qiu was worried that she might be upset about losing the script, so he invited her out that evening to cheer her up.
Xi Jia said calmly, "Am I the kind of person who can't think straight?" She was rushing to the airport and didn't know how late it would take. "I really don't have time today. I'm going to the airport to pick someone up."
The elevator doors have closed, go down.
Xi Jia pressed the button again, waiting for the next one.
Ye Qiu couldn't believe it: "Your young lady is going to pick her up at the airport personally? Who has such a big face?"
Xi Jia: "My man." Then she sighed, "Mo Yushen complained to my dad that I didn't remember him and left him alone in the hotel."
Ye Qiu was stunned.
Xi Jia: "When I was in the mountains, he came to visit me, but I didn't remember him the next day and thought he was my one-night stand."
"Then what?"
"So I just ran away. Lying in bed with a strange man first thing in the morning, and not being able to remember anything, wouldn't you be scared?"
Ye Qiu asked in confusion, "Then you still remember me, and you even know about submitting scripts and horse racing?"
Xi Jia hummed in agreement, offering only one explanation: "Perhaps my feelings for Mo Yushen were purely physical, not emotional."
The elevator doors on the other side opened, revealing a number of people inside. "Let's chat sometime," Xi Jia said, hanging up the phone.
Ye Qiu turned off his phone screen, completely baffled. Xi Jia had clearly fallen in love with Mo Yushen after their marriage, so how could she have forgotten about him?
Chapter Five
After leaving Xinglan Film and Television, Xi Jia instructed the driver to go directly to the airport.
Bored on the way, Xi Jia scrolled through her phone. There wasn't any particularly interesting gossip today. Just as she was about to log off, she remembered Jiang Qin, whom her best friend had mentioned.
Driven by curiosity, she searched for Jiang Qin.
Jiang Qin is a few years older than her. She is not a professionally trained actress and was a dancer before her official debut. Now she is a signed artist under Xinglan. Her first TV series was directed by Zhou Mingqian.
Jiang Qin played the second female lead in the drama, and after the drama aired, the popularity of the female lead was overshadowed by the second female lead.
With this TV series, Jiang Qin won numerous awards and became a household name overnight.
Xi Jia can only be considered a semi-insider in the industry, but her goal has always been clear: to one day have her own screenplay broadcast on a major television network, and for film and television works, to have a box office of over one billion yuan.
I also have a small wish: to collaborate with Zhou Mingqian.
Zhou Mingqian, the youngest and most talented director, is also very handsome.
Of course, he also has a bad temper.
I heard she also has a rich father.
...
Not long after Xi Jia arrived at the airport arrival hall, Mo Yushen's flight landed.
While waiting for someone, Xi Jia took out her marriage certificate.