"I just want justice. If this place can't satisfy me, can't I go somewhere else?"
"This is the A City General Bureau!" Pei Lin didn't answer her question directly, but instead gave her another answer.
Zhou Paihuai immediately understood. No matter how many police stations there were, they all still had to listen to headquarters. Since they had already pinned a crime on her here, the outcome elsewhere wouldn't be much better. Zhou Paihuai smirked coldly and said, "Fine, then I'll just obediently go home. Let's just pretend—let's just pretend it was all a dream!"
Watching Zhou wander away so gracefully, leaving only his back view, Pei Lin suddenly looked at the police officer beside her and asked, "She's so persistent, isn't there any other possibility?"
"How could that be? She's definitely just trying to get attention..."
After leaving the police station, Zhou Paihuai immediately called Cheng Minxin, only to learn from her that it wasn't the company that bailed her out, but she didn't know anyone else. Who could be so kind? She ran through the possible people in her mind, but before she could finish, she felt a headache coming on. No, she really couldn't take it anymore. She had to go back and get a good night's sleep.
Ji Anxi waited and lingered outside the police station for a long time, hoping that Zhou would call her so she could appear before her like a god. But instead of calling, Zhou called someone else first. What did she mean?
"Miss, she seems a little off. Should we go check on her?"
Ji Anxi was still angry, but upon hearing the driver's words, she nervously looked in the direction where Zhou Paihuai was—"Uncle Zhang, let's go!"
Just as the car was about to approach Zhou, she jogged a few steps and got directly into the taxi she had just hailed.
“... ..."
“... ..."
The driver and Ji Anxi both fell silent. She had just looked like she was about to faint on the roadside, so how could she run so fast? Was she faking it?
"Young Miss, shall we continue following them?"
"Who wants to be with her? Go home!" Ji Anxi tried to give herself a mental pep talk: I'm not angry, I'm not angry, I'm not angry. She said it three times, but she was still so angry!
... ...
Dragging her luggage home, Zhou Paihuai went straight to the bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror for a long time. Apart from being pale and looking a little weak, there was nothing wrong with her. Was the hallucinogen really just a lie made up by the police? She was now hoping to have some kind of hallucination, but did she? Not at all.
Although she really wanted to lie down in bed, after traveling by train and spending so much time at the police station, she couldn't just go straight to bed. She could only take a shower first. But after showering, Zhou Paihuai, who had been very sleepy, suddenly felt refreshed and had no sleepiness at all.
Alright, she doesn't need to sleep this time. She can now search for what exactly this hallucinogen is.
Zhou Paihuai, her hair still damp, grabbed a towel and went into the study. She then turned on her computer and began researching things she hadn't discovered before. Although her trip to the police station hadn't yielded the results she wanted, at least she now knew she had hallucinogens in her system. She was determined to thoroughly investigate hallucinogens in this world.
Netizens have all sorts of wild ideas. When she searched for hallucinogens, a bunch of results came up. Some even claimed that they had lost a period of their memory and that they were actually abducted by aliens to be experimented on during that time. Each one of them was more outrageous than the last.
Suddenly, someone mentioned a banned drug that could cause someone to lose several hours of memory. After the effects wore off, it was as if they had injected an overdose of hallucinogens, and no one could regain that memory. Zhou Paihuai looked at the message about the banned drug and found that everything except for the memory loss part matched up. She immediately became very interested in this reply, wiped her hands, and prepared to click to see more detailed information.
But in the short time she was wiping her hands, the reply disappeared. She refreshed the page several times, but it wouldn't reappear. "Truly, it lives up to its reputation as a banned substance," she thought, "it's gone so quickly." She gave up on the message and started searching for banned substances again. This time, however, besides finding information about banned substances in encyclopedia entries and some novel chapters, she found no trace of the message she had seen before.
... ...
Zhou Xueyao received a phone call before she even arrived at the company. She had been smiling, but the smile vanished completely after the call. She coldly said into the phone, "Do I need to ask you about something so trivial? Since the police have already reached a conclusion, you should know better than I what to do."
“... ..."
Yesterday, Zhou Xueyao went back to the old house for dinner. Grandma Zhou had decided to transfer a portion of her shares to her on her birthday, so Zhou Xueyao was in a good mood. However, her good mood this morning was completely ruined by a phone call. These people are getting more and more foolish; don't they even know what time it is? How dare they risk calling her?
Now is a critical moment. Hopefully, these idiots can learn their lesson and not do anything irreparable.
"General manager!"
"Good morning, General Manager!"
After greeting the company's employees along the way, Zhou Xueyao walked into her office.
"General Manager, this is today's meeting schedule. Please take a look and see if there's anything you need to add?" The secretary placed a meeting record in front of her.
As Zhou Xueyao was looking around, she suddenly noticed a record of going to the Ji family for dinner. She thought about it and realized that it seemed to have been arranged a long time ago. Today was the birthday of Ji Anbo, the second young master of the Ji family, and as Ji Anbo's fiancée, this was an important day.
Cancel all your appointments after 3 PM and go prepare a gift for me!
"OK!"
Actually, there are ways to get the shares sooner. Her grandmother promised her that if she could successfully get engaged to Ji Anbo, she could directly transfer 60% of the shares to her own name, so Ji Anbo really couldn't afford to be careless about this.
Chapter 60 It takes ten stars to appease him
She didn't feel anything while researching, but after giving up, Zhou Paihuai felt like she had forgotten something. She thought she might have been given some kind of hallucinogen, which was making her brain not work properly.
What exactly is it? After muttering to herself for a long time, Zhou Paihuai suddenly slapped her forehead, "Ah! I remember now!" She promised Xiao Heifen that she would contact her as soon as she returned to City A, but today had been too chaotic, so she hadn't had time to contact Xiao Heifen yet, and Xiao Heifen was also very sure that she had bought a ticket for today.
Zhou Paihuai frantically pulled out his phone and started sending messages to Xiaohaifen, one after another. He sent twenty or thirty messages, but received no reply. This shouldn't be happening; it's lunchtime, Xiaohaifen couldn't possibly be studying instead of eating, could she? But what if she's angry? Should he try to appease her?
Just as Zhou Paihuai was about to call Xiao Heifen, she hesitated. Xiao Heifen was still a student, after all; what if she was in class or at the library? It wouldn't be appropriate to call her so abruptly. But what if Xiao Heifen was just waiting for this call to appease her?
Ji Anxi had already seen Zhou Paihuai's message. Considering that it had taken her so long to remember her, Ji Anxi didn't intend to respond so easily. At least... well, she hadn't decided yet. In short, she didn't want to deal with her right now. If Zhou Paihuai was sincere, she should at least call.
Whether it was a telepathic connection between the two, just as Ji Anxi was thinking this, Zhou Paihuai suddenly made up his mind and dialed the phone.
"You big liar, didn't you say you would contact me as soon as you arrived in City A?" Ji Anxi questioned him immediately.
"I ran into a problem today and I can't explain it to you right away, but it's my fault for not contacting you immediately."
"Then explain it briefly!" Although she had bailed herself out and had a basic understanding of the situation, the policeman hadn't explained things clearly, so she still had no idea why Zhou Paihuai could experience both being kidnapped and overdosing on hallucinogens at the same time. In fact, she thought both of these things were fake.
"This is not something that can be explained in just a few words. Never mind, let's do it another day. I'm still a bit confused myself! I called you because I was afraid you would worry if you couldn't reach me, and I wanted to let you know I'm safe!"
"Wait a minute!" Hearing that she was speaking too fast and seemed about to hang up, Ji Anxi quickly said what she had just thought of, "Although you have your reasons, it took you so long to remember me today, so you have to give me ten stars before this matter can be over." She was mainly angry because she hadn't called her after leaving the police station, and she hadn't even taken the car home with her afterwards.
Ten stars are nothing to Zhou Huaihuai, and besides, there's nothing else to do right now, so he can easily agree to it.
Hearing Zhou Huaihuai's quick agreement, Ji Anxi felt a little better. Finally remembering that it was her second brother's birthday, she reluctantly hung up the phone.
Ji Anxi didn't notice that there was a blind spot where she was, and a figure had appeared there at some point, listening to her make the whole phone call.
"Second brother, look, this is a gift I gave you!" Ji Anxi didn't even realize that Zhou Paihuai's phone call had made her so happy that her previous gloom had vanished.
Seeing that she was happy, Ji Anbo was also happy to joke with her: "Oh, I dare not accept your gift. You gave me a lot of attitude today, and now you remember your second brother!"
Ji Anxi was in a good mood and started to act coquettishly, hugging Ji Anbo's arm: "How could that be, Second Brother? I just encountered a little trouble today and thought of my dear brother. I know you love me the most!"
Ji Anbo, who was very fond of his sister, enjoyed the moment, but he didn't forget to ask her, "What's your relationship with that little star? Why did you decide to bail her out of the police station? She's injecting hallucinogens, which is not a good thing. You have to stay away from her, and don't you dare learn bad things from her!" Ji Anxi had just entered the entertainment industry, and if she were corrupted by the bad influences in the industry, he, as her second brother, would probably be beaten to death.
"Oh, she's my friend. I know her. She would never do something like this. Just relax!" Ji Anxi defended Zhou Paihuai. She knew exactly what kind of person Zhou Paihuai was. You could say she was irresponsible and incompetent, but her character was impeccable. She trusted her judgment and would always trust Zhou Paihuai.
... ...
Ji Anbo is a junior member of the Ji family, so his birthday celebration doesn't require much fanfare; it's mainly a family dinner. If there's anyone who seems out of place among the attendees, it's Zhou Xueyao, who currently has no connection to the Ji family. However, she was invited because she's the daughter-in-law favored by Ji's parents.
"Second brother, good luck!" Ji Anxi only then noticed Zhou Xueyao's arrival and gave her second brother a helpless look. It has to be said that Zhou Xueyao is quite stubborn. Her second brother has rejected her countless times, but she still seizes every opportunity to make her presence known to the two elders.
Ji Anbo rolled her eyes at her and said, "What am I afraid of? Anyway, my parents aren't going to drag me to the civil affairs bureau if I don't want to marry someone."
That's what they say, but every time Zhou Xueyao comes to the house, her second brother gets a scolding afterwards. Putting everything else aside, she, as the younger sister, really feels sorry for her second brother.
"The Zhou family's social standing isn't any worse than our Ji family's, and I don't think she likes you that much, so why is she clinging to you like this?" Ji Anxi was completely baffled. Even if she wanted to find someone of equal social standing, with her qualifications, she could easily find someone better than her second brother. Of course, Ji Anbo was good too, after all, he was her own brother, but Ji Anbo was a bit too unreliable, and he was completely incompatible with a career-oriented woman like Zhou Xueyao.
“There’s no way around it!” Ji Amber raised an eyebrow. “That’s probably just your second brother’s charm!”
"Tch—!" Ji Anxi glanced at him speechlessly and said, "Why have you been looking at your phone all day? Who are you waiting for a message from?"
Ji Anbo was indeed waiting for news, especially news from Jiang Ye. Today was his birthday, so he had been confined to his home. But Jiang Ye knew this, and not only did he not give him a gift, he didn't even send a birthday greeting. His mind was completely on his phone, and when Ji Anxi asked him, he blurted out, "It's Jiang Ye again!"
"You're not serious about playing the role of Attorney Jiang, are you?" Ji Anxi was shocked. Ji Anbo was known for his playful nature, and it was astonishing that he hadn't changed partners for so long. It was like the sun had risen in the west.
"What, do you have a problem with this?" Only Ji Anxi in the family knew about his relationship with Jiang Ye. It wasn't him who told her; this clever girl figured it out herself. He had decided that Jiang Ye was the one for him, so he didn't deliberately hide it from her.
"How could I possibly have a problem with that? I'd love for you to settle down with someone soon, so that Miss Zhou won't have to come to our house anymore. To be honest, I get the creeps every time I see Zhou Xueyao." It's not that she's afraid, it's just that Zhou Xueyao's every smile and gesture is too deliberate, like a programmed robot. She doesn't understand how her parents could like someone like that. "Since you and Lawyer Jiang are already like this, why didn't you invite him to your birthday party today?"
Ji Anbo gave her a fake smile and said, "Do you think I dare? Do you think Mom and Dad are like you, able to agree to anything? I'm more afraid I'll get my legs broken!"
"How cowardly!"
"If you're not a coward, then bring a girlfriend back to see!" Ji Anbo felt that she was just talking without understanding the situation, as if she wouldn't be the one getting beaten up later.
"... " Ji Anxi was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "That's not necessarily true!"
"Huh?" Seeing Ji Anxi about to leave, Ji Anbo became anxious. "Explain yourself clearly. What do you mean by this?"
"What do you mean?" Ji Anxi stopped and turned to look at him.
Ji Anbo felt a headache coming on. Ji Anxi was much wilder than him; if she dared to say that now, she would dare to do it in the future. He swallowed hard: "So you're bringing a girlfriend home? You really want to bring a girlfriend home?"
"Second brother, the future holds infinite possibilities, and I can't predict what will happen in the future. But if I meet the right person in the future, I don't care if she's a man or a woman, I will definitely bring her back."
"You scared me to death! I thought you were really going to do that!" Ji Anbo breathed a sigh of relief, almost scared to death by her.
"Making such a fuss every day, you're such a coward!" Ji Anxi just smiled and didn't say anything. She felt her phone vibrate slightly, took it out and saw it was a message from Zhou Paihuai: "Come on, pay back your debt, I'll help you rank up right now! With our teamwork, ten stars will be a piece of cake!"
After reading the message, her smile widened, and she replied: "I have something to do today, I can't call."
Zhou Paihuai quickly replied: "Huh? Then we can't play today. Maybe I won't have time to help you climb the ranks in the future."
"It's okay, you can pay in installments!" There's plenty of time, after all.
Chapter 61 The Vengeful Black Fan
After a few days of self-adjustment, Zhou's hesitant state returned to normal. Having missed almost half a month of acting classes, she felt that her acting skills might have returned to what they were before, or even worse, so she contacted her teacher to prepare for further training.
When Chen Siku received the call, she was teaching Ji Anxi. The two were now considered "fellow students" under the same teacher, so it wouldn't hurt for them to meet. With that in mind, Chen Siku immediately asked Zhou Paihuai to come to the company.
Zhou Paihuai didn't think much about it. Although it was a bit inappropriate for her to go to the company now, the contract was still there. As long as Genesis didn't terminate the contract, she would be a Genesis employee. It wasn't a big deal for an employee to go to the company.
"Teacher—" Upon seeing Chen Siku for the first time, Zhou Paihuai sweetly called out "Teacher."
Chen Si looked at her with a pained expression and said, "It's only been a few days since we last met, how come you look so haggard?" Although Zhou Paihuai's face didn't look as pale as when she first returned from City B, it was an undeniable fact that she had lost several pounds.
Zhou Huahuai didn't want to tell Chen Siku about that bizarre experience, lest he frighten her, so he just smiled awkwardly and said, "I've been eating a little less lately!"
Chen Siku didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she said, "Didn't we have to practice your lines last time? I've found you a partner today. You two can go over your lines together in a bit."
“Look, she’s here!” Before Zhou Huai could even begin to feel curious, Chen Siku pointed behind her.
Zhou Paihuai's gaze followed Chen Siku's arm and then she saw—Little Black Pink. Her eyes widened in a few seconds. How could Little Black Pink suddenly appear in Creation World? Was she really not dreaming?
Ji Anxi was clearly stunned when she saw Zhou Paixing, but when she noticed Zhou Paihuai's dumbfounded look, she quickly recovered, gave a slight smile, and did not speak to her, as if she did not know her. She walked to Chen Siku's side and said, "Teacher, is she another student of yours?"
Chen Siku nodded and said, "You two have been working on your lines lately, and you're both at about the same pace. If you want to improve, it would be best if you practiced together."
While Zhou Huahuai had his back to Chen Siku, he frantically winked at Ji Anxi, as if asking her why she was there.
Ji Anxi glanced at her, then turned her head in another direction. Although she roughly understood what she meant, the way she was making faces looked too ugly, and she didn't want to reply to her like that.
Zhou hesitated, speechless, but he couldn't bring himself to whisper in her ear and ask her for an explanation, so he gave up.