There were so many loopholes in this situation that Zhou Paihuai could think of them herself, but she had absolutely no evidence. The police had clearly believed the shop owner's story and were preparing to let the matter drop. Even if she didn't believe him, she would probably just be seen as mentally unstable, just like last time, so she had no choice but to reach a settlement with the shop owner.
After returning home alone, Zhou Paihuai was still somewhat paranoid, feeling that her house was unclean. To ensure her safety and to give herself peace of mind, she called a cleaning service to do a thorough cleaning, checking every corner and taking away any snakes, insects, or rodents.
The cleaning staff arrived quickly. Zhou wandered around watching them clean the room, but he wasn't interested in supervising. Besides, staying in the room would just be in the way, so he went to the balcony to enjoy the view and relieve his overly tense mood.
Actually, the view from the top of the high-rise building is quite nice. You can see the bustling city of A and the traffic on the streets in the distance... There is a small park not far downstairs, and you can even see which move someone is practicing Tai Chi.
Suddenly, a light flashed past him. Zhou Paihuai didn't pay much attention at first, but subconsciously looked in the direction of the reflection and saw a person sitting upright on a park bench. He seemed to be fiddling with something in his hand, like a camera.
No, even if the camera had a flash, it wouldn't be able to blind me. Unless—unless this person is taking pictures of me. And he couldn't be a paparazzi; paparazzi are elusive, and besides, they wouldn't need to photograph a washed-up actress like me who hasn't been in the news for almost a year. So this person must have been sent by someone to monitor me, and he must be connected to those people in City B.
Zhou Paihuai was filled with fear and quickly closed the window. Who was this person behind all this? Kidnapping her in City B wasn't enough; now they were even sending people to monitor her? She hated people who schemed behind the scenes; they were omnipresent and impossible to guard against.
"Ms. Zhou, we're almost done here. Would you like to go check it out?" The cleaning staff knocked on the balcony door.
"That's fine, you can leave now!"
Chapter 68 A New Acting Contract
When she was alone, her fear seemed to be magnified. Zhou Paihuai thought of the blatant camera outside the window, and the snakes, insects, and rodents that might be hiding in some unknown corner. She felt a chill run down her spine and wished she could crawl under the covers and never come out again.
But hiding like this all the time wasn't a solution, and she couldn't just stay cooped up in bed forever. Let alone staying home all the time, she was afraid she'd become completely useless if she didn't leave the house for three days. Thinking of this, Zhou Paihuai mustered her courage, moved a rocking chair from beside her bed to the balcony, set it up there, and even brought over a table.
Zhou Paihuai had received a pair of binoculars from a fan at his birthday party, and he went to great lengths to find them. He wanted to see what that person was up to and see if he could find any clues about them.
But before she could figure anything out, she received a call from Cheng Minxin.
"Zhou Paihuai, are you crazy? What are you doing right now?" The moment he answered the phone, Sister Cheng's loud voice came through the receiver, almost deafening Zhou Paihuai, who was caught off guard.
"Wh...what's wrong?" Zhou Huaihuai was already a little scared, and now that he was frightened, he became a little stutterer.
"You're asking me what happened? You were upstairs spying with binoculars! Do you even remember you're a public figure?" Cheng Minxin was furious. Just now, a paparazzi she knew well in the industry sent her a stack of photos, all of them showing Zhou Paihuai holding binoculars and seemingly looking at something aimlessly. It's only because she's been relatively quiet lately, practically invisible, that the paparazzi sent them to her, probably wanting her to pay for them. If this were before, it would probably have been trending on social media.
Zhou Paihuai didn't react for a moment. Admittedly, she had used the binoculars at home, but how did Sister Cheng know? Could it be that the people below were sent by her? This thought had just popped into her head when Zhou Paihuai quickly dismissed it. Sister Cheng would never do such a thing; it made no sense and was unnecessary.
"I got photographed by paparazzi?" After eliminating all the impossible answers, the remaining answer became the only correct one: "No way, are there still paparazzi watching me these days? Are they crazy?"
"Rather than saying the paparazzi are crazy, I think you're the one who's crazy! What's wrong with you today? Are you just too bored, or too bored, or too bored?" Hearing Zhou Paihuai's complaints, Cheng Minxin almost laughed in anger. "If you're really that bored, then come and act in a movie."
"Sister Cheng, what... what are you talking about? What movie am I filming now?"
"The matter of you being blacklisted is now in the past thanks to the Second Young Master Ji's intervention. No one will stop you from taking on roles and filming now. By the way, come to the company later and let's pick out some scripts together..." As she spoke, Cheng Minxin clearly forgot the purpose of her call.
“…Okay!” Zhou hesitated for a moment, then said, “Sister Cheng, can Xiaole pick me up? I…” Although the apartment wasn’t far from the company, the series of accidents these past few days made Zhou reluctant to take any risks.
"Okay!" Cheng Minxin didn't listen to her explanation and readily agreed. This was the first time Zhou Paihuai had asked Xiaole to pick her up, so she had no reason to refuse.
When arranging for Tang Xiaole to pick up Zhou Paihuai, Cheng Minxin also said, "Zhou Zhou is acting a bit strange today. Remember to check on her later to see if she's alright."
"good!"
Tang Xiaole quickly brought Zhou Paihuai back. Cheng Minxin glanced at her, seemingly asking with her eyes if Zhou Paihuai was acting strangely.
While Zhou Paihuai turned to look at the script on the table, Tang Xiaole shook her head at Cheng Minxin, telling her that she hadn't noticed anything. Because when Tang Xiaole went over, she saw Zhou Paihuai looking refreshed and perfectly normal; she had even put on her own makeup.
Since she found nothing, Cheng Minxin waved to her, signaling her to leave. After Tang Xiaole left, Cheng Minxin noticed that all the scripts had been put back in their original places, which meant she had finished reading them all.
"Great, that's pretty fast!" Cheng Minxin said with a smile. "Do you have a script in mind?"
"..." Zhou Paihuai didn't speak, but only looked up at her.
Cheng Minxin felt a little guilty under that gaze and said, "I know these roles are supporting roles, but you haven't had any work for so long..."
“Sister Cheng, I don’t want to walk the same path a second time, otherwise I would have no reason to learn acting from Teacher Chen.” She has already repeated this path once. The popularity can come back quickly, but it is of no use to her. “I don’t necessarily have to be the lead, but I want to play a person with flesh and blood and feelings, not a tool that appears in the play.”
This was the first time Zhou Paihuai had so seriously questioned the work Cheng Minxin had assigned her.
Surprisingly, Cheng Minxin wasn't angry. She chuckled and said, "You're right. I do have other scripts, but they're all for thankless roles. The characters are flesh and blood, but the character designs aren't very good, and these roles are hard to play."
"Not easy to act?" Zhou Huaihuai frowned slightly. In fact, for her, what was easy or difficult to act? In any case, neither was easy to act.
"The other scripts are here too, I'll go get them and you can take a look!"
As Cheng Minxin turned to leave, Zhou Paihuai suddenly called out to her, "Sister Cheng, I'm sorry!" She had just lost her composure. In fact, she didn't know why, but she couldn't control herself and said some very impolite things to her close friend.
Upon hearing Zhou Paihuai's words, Cheng Minxin paused, but did not speak. Instead, she went to get the script.
Cheng Minxin didn't ask, which relieved Zhou Paihuai. She didn't want to tell anyone about what happened to her. It was something that couldn't be explained in a few words, and she had no way to solve it right now. The company couldn't solve it either. Unless she found the person behind it, the fewer people who knew about it, the better.
Sister Cheng brought over the new script, intending to read through all the scripts with her and then help her choose a suitable one. But just as they sat down, Tang Xiaole rushed in, shouting, "Sister Cheng, come with me quickly, something's happened!"
As soon as they entered, they took Cheng Minxin out. Zhou Paihuai was left completely bewildered. What could have happened at the company? Should she go after them to check?
Chapter 69 Why can't you do well?
Why can't I succeed?
Curiosity piqued, Zhou Paihuai could no longer look at the scripts on the table. She couldn't help but take out her phone and send a message to Tang Xiaole, wanting to ask what was going on and why she was in such a hurry.
Tang Xiaole saw her message immediately and replied: It's just that two of Sister Cheng's artists got into a fight, and I just asked her to come over to break it up.
The fact that two artists were fighting in the company really shocked Zhou Paihuai. Did they think he was a primary school student who would start a fight at the slightest disagreement? Despite his growing urge to complain, Zhou Paihuai continued to ask: Who fought with whom?
She knows a lot of big stars now, so she's definitely not like before when she couldn't even understand the gossip.
Tang Xiaole: Nobody else, just Lin Nian and Ji Anxi.
Little hater? This time, Zhou Paihuai was truly shocked. Little hater looks so well-behaved, how could he possibly fight with someone?
Where are you?
When Tang Xiaole sent the address, Zhou Paihuai rushed to the scene of the incident. By this time, the two parties involved had stopped fighting. After all, with such a big manager as Cheng Minxin standing there, it would be disrespectful to Sister Cheng if they continued to fight.
Lin Nian was crying with Cheng Minxin, while the little hater stood to the side, looking utterly miserable. Although no one was there to comfort her, Zhou Paihuai's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. Judging from her expression, he knew she hadn't suffered any losses. In a fight, not suffering any losses is always the best outcome.
"What are you doing here?" Cheng Minxin noticed Zhou Paihuai approaching immediately. "Have you finished reading the scripts I gave you?" She thought Zhou was just here for fun, but knowing that Tang Xiaole must have told her, she glared at Tang Xiaole.
The assistant, caught in the crossfire, silently lowered her head and even took a step back. She had no idea Zhou Paihuai had arrived so quickly. He wasn't usually one to enjoy watching the drama unfold, and yet he showed up just minutes after asking for the address. What incredible curiosity could drive her to do something like this!
Zhou Paihuai glanced at Ji Anxi before saying, "Sister Cheng, I was just worried something serious might happen, so I came over out of curiosity. It seems like nothing's wrong now. Why don't you go back and give me some advice on the script?" Zhou Paihuai tried his best to help the little hater out of the predicament. If Lin Nian kept crying like this, Sister Cheng would definitely start bringing her water, and then she would inevitably nag the little hater.
Cheng Minxin rolled her eyes at her, then glanced at Lin Nian, who was clinging to her arm and crying, and asked her with her eyes, "Are you sure you can leave if you're going to go see the script with me now?" "You've never been this enthusiastic before, now you're just causing me trouble!"
“If you’re busy, how about I take Xiao Anxi with me to see it, so she can give me some feedback?” Zhou Paihuai almost slipped out the words “little hater”.
Since Zhou Paihuai had already said that, Cheng Minxin couldn't keep Ji Anxi here any longer. Otherwise, given her personality, even if it was out of consideration for Ji Anxi's status, she would have given her a good talking-to. No matter whose family she was from, if she wanted to enter the entertainment industry, she had to abide by its rules. She didn't want another artist who was constantly trending on social media because of scandals.
"Alright, you go with her to look at the script first. Remember to choose carefully. This is your first film after your comeback, so you have to be cautious."
Zhou Paihuai nodded, took Ji Anxi's hand, and led her out of the room. After leaving the room, Zhou Paihuai looked around to make sure no one else was there before quietly asking her, "Are you alright? Why did you suddenly fight with Lin Nian?"
"I hate it when people are sarcastic and mean." There was no one else around except Zhou Paihuai, and Ji Anxi felt wronged. She wrinkled her nose and said, "She was sarcastic and mean to me in front of me today, as if she thought I was stupid and couldn't understand."
Zhou Paihuai naturally believed the hater, after all, the hater had often spoken sarcastically to her before, so she couldn't be wrong. However, she had acted too impulsively this time. In this industry, there would be many more similar incidents in the future, and if she always got involved herself, she would only give others ammunition to criticize her.
"You're not incapable of being sarcastic, so next time you can be sarcastic back. Stop getting into fights all the time. Look at your small frame, you'll only get hurt if you go out like this!"
"Me? Small-statured?" Ji Anxi deliberately straightened her back. "I'm so tall, taller than you, and you actually call me small-statured?"
Zhou Paihuai patted her waist and said, "Stop fooling around. You're tall, I shouldn't have said you were small. Nonsense, what did she say about you?"
Ji Anxi was silent for a moment before asking, "Was 'Mountain and Wind' originally your play? Cheng Minxin has now given me the script. Am I stealing your resources?"
"Huh?" Zhou Paihuai was completely bewildered by her words. Why was she bringing up mountains and wind? Mountains and wind together make up "Lan" (岚), was she trying to solve a word puzzle? She—no, what drama did the original owner of this body star in that was related to "Lan"? "I don't understand what you mean?"
Seeing that her reaction didn't seem fake, Ji Anxi's expression softened, and she began to recount her fight with Lin Nian: "After I left your place today, before I even got home, I received a call from Cheng Minxin, who asked me to come and look at the script, this one called 'Mountain and Wind'..."
After listening to Ji Anxi's explanation, Zhou Paihuai finally understood what she meant. "Mountain and Wind" sounded like a very good script. Sister Cheng had given her the lead role, while Lin Nian, who was also an artist under Sister Cheng, had gotten the third female lead role in the same drama. Although the character was good, Lin Nian felt that Ji Anxi, a newcomer, could get the lead role, while she, who had been acting for so many years, could only play a supporting role. She was unhappy and her words were inevitably a bit harsh.
Although the hater didn't say it aloud, Zhou Paihuai, considering what Lin Nian said and the question she asked him, probably felt that Lin Nian's sarcastic remarks had also affected him. He wondered who the hater was fighting for today.
"Why are you still laughing after you finished listening? Do you think I did something wrong?" After explaining, she still didn't get a response, and Ji Anxi was a little unhappy.
She was clearly glaring at him, looking very angry, but Zhou Paihuai still saw a hint of disappointment in her eyes. If he said she was wrong today, that disappointment would probably spread, and how wronged would her little haters feel?
"I didn't say you did anything wrong. Since someone was being sarcastic and upset you, it's only right that you talk back. What I mean is, don't resort to violence so easily next time. You'll only get hurt if you do it!" Zhou Paihuai comforted her. "If you can always beat someone without getting hurt, like you did today, then that's great!"
"Huh? You actually think I'm right?" Ji Anxi's eyes were big, and people's eyes can't hide their thoughts at all. When she heard Zhou Paihuai say this, her eyes brightened up a bit. "But Cheng Minxin said that someone with my personality won't do well in the entertainment industry."
"What kind of twisted logic is this? The entertainment industry is also a circle. As long as you have good acting skills, have works, and don't do anything illegal or violate the law, why shouldn't you do well?" Zhou Paihuai raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. "Besides, my Miss Ji, you don't have to worry about resources!"
--------------------
Author's Note:
The lack of recent updates is my fault. I've been obsessed with a washed-up couple, and I spend all my time watching videos when I get home, so I haven't been writing anything.
Chapter 70 A Bunch of Fools
As her birthday drew closer, Zhou Xueyao, who should have been overjoyed, felt uneasy. The source of her unease was Zhou Paihuai. She couldn't understand how Zhou Paihuai had suddenly become connected with the Ji family, and how he had even alarmed Ji Anbo into investigating her.
Could it be that the trending topic wasn't a misunderstanding at all, and that Zhou Paihuai and Ji Anbo really had a close relationship? But if that were the case, why did Zhou Paihuai disappear for more than half a year? Seeing that these things were slipping out of her control, Zhou Xueyao was in a very bad mood. She picked up her phone and made a call.
"Send me all her recent activities!"
Although she had sent people to monitor Zhou Paihuai, Zhou Xueyao was worried they wouldn't notice anything amiss, so she decided to check herself to be on the safe side. If Zhou Paihuai really did have some kind of relationship with Ji Anbo, then she couldn't afford to take any action against her lightly.
The person sent to monitor Zhou Xueyao quickly sent over the videos and photos they had taken during this period. Zhou Xueyao even deliberately locked the door from the inside to ensure that the office was secure before she began to receive the documents.
After being unable to continue filming, Zhou Huapai became a homebody. Apart from going to the company for acting classes and going to the supermarket to buy things, she basically didn't go out at all.
Looking at the many repetitive photos, Zhou Xueyao's patience gradually ran out. She spent a lot of money to hire someone to monitor Zhou Paihuai, and all they took were these photos? What's the use of these things? But just when Zhou Xueyao didn't want to continue looking, she suddenly noticed that Ji Anxi was with Zhou Paihuai.
Zhou Xueyao glanced at the time Ji Anxi appeared in the photo. No wonder someone investigated Zhou Paihuai's blacklisting; it turned out he hadn't gotten involved with Ji Anbo, but with Ji Anxi. She knew Ji Anbo doted on his younger sister Ji Anxi the most, so if Ji Anxi had asked him to investigate, he would definitely take it very seriously.
But why did Zhou Paihuai know Ji Anxi? Zhou Xueyao felt she needed to investigate. Just as she was thinking about how to subtly probe their relationship, Zhou Xueyao saw another photo—a recently taken one.
In the photo, Zhou is holding a pair of binoculars, the lens pointed directly at the camera lens, clearly indicating that she has discovered someone is watching her!
"A bunch of idiots!" Zhou Xueyao slammed her hand on the keyboard. She truly hadn't expected these people to be so stupid, managing to be discovered while spying on someone. Even now, all the accidents she'd orchestrated hadn't affected Zhou Huaihuai much; now that she'd been discovered, Zhou Huaihuai would definitely be more vigilant, making it much harder for her to succeed in the future.
"Mr. Zhou, what's wrong?" The sound of Zhou Xueyao slamming her keyboard reached the store, and her secretary, somewhat worried, came over to knock on the door.
Zhou Xueyao let out a long breath, forcing herself to calm down before saying calmly, "It's nothing, I just accidentally dropped the documents. You go back to work!"
"yes!"