Now, however, she's always in a rush to leave the set when filming wraps up. Because Zhou Huayou is still waiting for her at the hospital. Actually, she can't help at all by going to the hospital, but she just likes going there, even if it's just to keep Zhou Huayou company.
Sister Cheng negotiated with the "King of Chaos" production team multiple times. The director, out of his appreciation for Zhou Huapai, kept delaying the filming and shot other people's scenes first. However, this delay was definitely not a solution.
“Xiao Cheng, it’s not that I’m not giving you face, but you know the situation of the crew. I really can’t delay any longer, otherwise it will delay the filming schedule. Tan Xue and Wu Fei also have other filming commitments. I can’t delay others for her sake.”
Cheng Minxin completely understood the director. She said, "Of course I understand. Thank you so much for trusting Zhouzhou this time. It's just that she's not meant to be with this production team..." As she was speaking, her phone rang.
In the past, Cheng Minxin would never have allowed herself to make such a basic mistake. But Zhou Paihuai is currently in the hospital, without any family members by her side. If anything were to happen, the hospital wouldn't even have anyone to make decisions for her. And Ji Anxi is on set, filming whatever she might be doing, so she definitely can't carry her phone with her. Therefore, Cheng Minxin hasn't been keeping her phone on silent lately.
Although anyone could have called her during that time, for some reason, Cheng Minxin felt this call was from the hospital. She apologized to the director and answered the phone.
"What? She's awake?" Before answering the phone, Cheng Minxin never expected such good news. "I'll rush back right away!"
The director, who was standing nearby, also heard the voice coming from the phone and asked, "Is Zhouzhou awake?"
Cheng Minxin nodded and said, "Director, I don't know how to tell you right now, but now that Zhouzhou is awake, could you give her another chance? She really wants to do well in this film..."
The director was speechless for a moment. They were supposed to be here today to sign the termination agreement, but Zhou Paihuai had woken up. Was this fate, destined for her to act in this scene? However, the director did not give in immediately. He said, "Go to the hospital first and see how Zhou Zhou is recovering." If Zhou Paihuai had not recovered and could not film for a while, he could not continue to delay.
"I understand, but I'm sure Zhouzhou can get back into filming mode quickly!"
Chapter 88 Amnesia
Ji Anxi arrived at the hospital before Cheng Minxin, but when Cheng Minxin arrived, she found that Ji Anxi was not in the ward, but outside the ward.
Why don't you go inside?
“Zhou Paihuai… …she has forgotten me.” The moment Ji Anxi looked up, her eyes were filled with confusion. She had been hoping for Zhou Paihuai to wake up every day, but she had never imagined that Zhou Paihuai would forget her after waking up.
"What?" Cheng Minxin asked her in disbelief, "How could this be?"
She quickly entered the ward, wanting to ask the doctor for clarification, but as soon as she entered, she heard Zhou Paihuai, lying on the hospital bed, weakly call out "Sister Cheng".
"What did you just call me?" Cheng Minxin asked her, then looked at the doctor with suspicion. Had the doctor just explained something to the child?
"Sister Cheng? Did you change your name?" Zhou Paihuai showed no signs of amnesia at all; instead, her expression made it seem as if Cheng Minxin had lost her memory.
Cheng Minxin looked at the doctor and said, "What exactly happened? I thought she had amnesia, but she recognizes me..."
"The situation is complicated right now. Perhaps because the patient has just woken up, his or her cognitive abilities are relatively weak. As for whether he or she has amnesia, we will have to wait for the results of subsequent tests."
After the doctor left, Cheng Minxin brought Ji Anxi in again, wanting Zhou Paihuai to recognize her again. But strangely, Zhou Paihuai recognized Tang Xiaole, but not Ji Anxi.
“I really don’t know her, but I definitely know you and Xiaole. You’re my manager, and Xiaole is my assistant.” Apart from still feeling a bit weak, Ji Anxi didn’t look like she had been lying in bed for so long.
"..." Ji Anxi had heard of this kind of situation before. It seemed that some people experience selective amnesia, where their brains automatically block out information that is clearly unacceptable. But when Ji Anxi recalled her daily interactions with Zhou Paihuai, at most there were some minor unpleasantnesses while playing games, but most of the time they worked together to dominate the game. She had never done anything to provoke her, so how could Zhou Paihuai have forgotten her?
Seeing Ji Anxi's aggrieved look, Cheng Minxin patted her back and said, "Anxi, don't be sad. Zhouzhou definitely didn't forget you on purpose. The doctor said this situation is temporary. She probably just slept for too long."
Ji Anxi nodded and said, "I understand, and I certainly won't blame her."
Knowing that Ji Anxi had been extremely busy lately and hadn't had much rest, and that she was a stranger to Zhou Paihuai, Cheng Minxin advised her, "Why don't you go back and rest, and come see her again after Zhou Zhou's condition improves?"
Although Ji Anxi didn't want to leave, she knew very well that there was no point in her staying. Fortunately, Zhou Paihuai had woken up, so she finally relented and nodded in agreement to leave. But just a second before leaving the ward, she suddenly rushed up to Zhou Paihuai and asked, "What time do you think it is now?"
"What do you mean?" Zhou Paihuai paused for a moment before uttering those words.
Although Cheng Minxin didn't understand what Ji Anxi was planning to do, she didn't stop her. So Ji Anxi continued, "What I want to say is, do you remember what happened before you fainted?"
Zhou Paihuai closed his eyes, pressed his hand to his forehead, frowned and thought for a long time before saying, "I think... I'm filming a movie."
"Filming?" That doesn't make sense. Although Zhou Paihuai was indeed going to film a movie, her last memory definitely wasn't about filming. "What kind of movie?"
Zhou Paihuai didn't know why, but even though he wasn't familiar with her, he wasn't angry at her aggressive questioning. Instead, he actually started thinking about the answer: "It's that drama 'Su Hai Yuan' that Sister Cheng helped me get before."
"The Legend of Su Hai? How long ago was that?" Back then, Ji Anxi was even Zhou Paihuai's biggest hater. "It's been almost two years since you left the Su Hai drama crew."
"What?" Zhou Paihuai was even more shocked. She remembered that she was still filming "The Legend of Su Hai" on set just a moment ago. How could two years have passed? And, "What do you mean by leaving the 'The Legend of Su Hai' crew?"
These things couldn't be explained to Zhou Paihuai in a short time, but now Ji Anxi understood that Zhou Paihuai might not only have lost her memories of her, but that her memories were stuck in the time when she was on the set of "Su Hai Yuan". Ji Anxi realized that she had officially met Zhou Paihuai after that incident.
"She didn't lose her memory because of me, but she has lost some of her memories. I need to see a doctor!"
Cheng Minxin stopped her and said, "Don't worry, the doctor will come to check on you again in a little while. I'll talk to the doctor then. Don't worry, Zhouzhou is already awake, she'll definitely be fine."
After Cheng Minxin saw Ji Anxi out of the ward, she heard Ji Anxi ask, "How's things going with the film crew? Have they signed the termination agreement yet?"
“The director said he could give Zhou Zhou another chance. I originally thought that she would be able to return to the crew normally after she woke up, but I didn’t expect that she would have amnesia.” Zhou Paihuai was more worried about Zhou Paihuai’s mental state. “In addition, there are so many people on the Internet who are attacking her. I’m afraid she won’t be able to handle it for a while.”
“But she really likes this role, and I think she can handle it. I believe in her. If you don’t know how to tell her, I can talk to her.” Ji Anxi knew what she was worried about, but she felt that Zhou Paihuai’s mental state was very good. Even if she really lost these memories, it wouldn’t affect her at all. She still hoped that she could do what she liked to do.
"No need, I'll tell her!" Cheng Minxin also trusted Zhou Heibai. After all, the director didn't have much time left for her. Forcing her to go to the set now might not be good for her recovery, but if they didn't push her this time, she would definitely regret not being able to stay with the crew until the end after she regained her memory.
Ji Anxi nodded and said, "Then I'll be going now, Sister Cheng. You must take good care of her!"
Don't worry.
... ...
The news of Zhou Paihuai waking up not only reached the film crew, but also Old Madam Zhou, who had been paying close attention to her condition.
Although the Zhou family didn't do anything decent after Zhou Paihuai's car accident, Old Madam Zhou felt that since her reputation in the entertainment industry was ruined, she had no attachment to this circle. It wouldn't be a bad idea for her to change her identity, study abroad for a while, and then come back to inherit the family business.
However, Old Madam Zhou had experienced Zhou Paihuai's temper firsthand, and she was afraid that going there would only cause her distress, so she delayed going to the hospital. Then came the news from the hospital: Zhou Paihuai had suffered amnesia.
This news brought great relief to Old Madam Zhou, who immediately sent people to investigate and verify its veracity. Once it was confirmed that Zhou Paihuai had amnesia, she then sought out Zhou Xueyao.
Their relationship had reached its coldest point, with no room for reconciliation. However, Old Madam Zhou was well aware that Zhou Xueyao was the heir she had personally groomed, and it was virtually impossible to kick her out of the Zhou family's board of directors. Moreover, Zhou Xueyao was unlikely to obtain the Zhou family's shares anytime soon, so the two were still in a stalemate, and thus maintained a facade of harmony.
"Why did Grandma call me over?"
Looking at Zhou Xueyao's obedient expression, Old Madam Zhou sneered inwardly. It was one thing to act normally, but now that there were only the two of them here, Zhou Xueyao could still maintain this demeanor. Actually, she should be the one entering the entertainment industry.
"I called you here today to discuss a deal," Old Madam Zhou said bluntly, throwing out her bargaining chip. "Now that Zhou Paihuai has lost her memory, if you can help her return to the Zhou family legitimately, I will consider giving you five percent of the shares."
Five percent of the shares may not sound like much, but Zhou Xueyao already owns about five percent of the Zhou family's shares. In addition, she previously acquired the original shares of Zhou's Group. If this five percent of shares is added, her status in the Zhou family will definitely be incomparable.
But can we really trust what Madam Zhou said? Once she has successfully arranged for Zhou Paihuai to return to the Zhou family, how could she possibly still have a place to stay here?
“Grandma, Zhou Paihuai is your own granddaughter, so asking her to return to the Zhou family shouldn’t be difficult. My identity is rather special, so it’s really inappropriate for me to do it myself.” Zhou Xueyao began to play dumb, taking these words as a test of her, and not wanting to shoot herself in the foot.
Madam Zhou knew she wouldn't agree so easily, so she said, "If you're not comfortable with that, we can get it notarized right now. I won't shortchange you a single penny of what's due. After all, Zhou Paihuai is different from you. If the entire Zhou family were truly handed over to her, she simply wouldn't be able to shoulder such a heavy burden."
"What does Grandma mean?" This was the first time that Old Madam Zhou had given her a definite answer. Zhou Xueyao needed a positive response before she could wholeheartedly "work hard" for her, right?
Madam Zhou said, "After Zhou Paihuai is recognized as a member of the family, I will arrange for her to study abroad. The Zhou family business is so large, I believe you wouldn't mind giving Zhou Paihuai a few small companies to test the waters, right?"
That's true. Zhou Xueyao has always only thought about being the head of the Zhou family, never about not feeding the other members. If Zhou Huaihuai could truly behave himself and not compete for anything, supporting another person wouldn't be difficult for her.
"By the way, Zhou Huaihuai has amnesia. I don't want her to know about what happened before."
Chapter 89 is completely different.
Zhou Paihuai's health has recovered quite well, and Cheng Minxin, after obtaining the doctor's permission, told Zhou Paihuai about the "King of Chaos" crew.
Zhou Paihuai is an actress, and no matter how much of her memory she has lost, she will never lose her professional ethics as an actress. So she has no objection to joining the crew, but after reading the script, she has a huge self-doubt: "I really played such a complicated character as Sheng Huanyan very well, so that the director is reluctant to replace me after so long?"
"Of course! Your acting has improved a lot recently. Teacher Chen has been praising you!" Cheng Minxin was taking her to the film set today, so she was helping her tidy up her clothes. "Teacher Chen is the Chen Siku teacher I told you about before, the one you studied acting with. You'll be going to continue your acting classes in a few days."
Zhou Paihuai nodded; she had no objections to the company's arrangements. Besides, Sister Cheng wouldn't lie to her; she said she could play Sheng Huanyan well, so she should have some confidence in herself.
Cheng Minxin had already informed the director in advance, so everyone else in the crew knew that Zhou Paihuai had suffered from short-term amnesia. The first scene after returning to work would be simpler, making it easier for Zhou Paihuai to get back into the role of Sheng Huanyan.
Although Tang Xiaole woke up earlier than Zhou Paihuai, her injuries were more severe, so on the first day of filming, Cheng Minxin personally came to the set to pick her up.
"Zhou Zhou, how was filming today?"
"I feel pretty good. I think I'm okay now. Can I go home today? Or should I go to the hospital again?" She came directly from the hospital to the film set today. The doctor said she could be observed first, and if there were no problems, she could go home directly.
Cheng Minxin had already spoken with the director on the way here and knew that Zhou Huaihuai was in pretty good condition today, so she said, "There's no need to go to the hospital. I've packed everything for you. Just go home."
"Yes, I can finally be discharged." Zhou Huai could hardly contain his joy at the thought of being discharged. "Although I've only been awake for a few days, I still feel like I'm disconnected from the world. I need to go back and get some rest."
Speaking of going home, Cheng Minxin immediately thought of something: "Oh right, I haven't had a chance to tell you yet, during the time you lost your memory, you became quite close to Ji Anxi, a new artist at the company, so she moved into your apartment. She's been there these past few days, you..."
"Is the new artist Ji Anxi who comes to see me every day?" Zhou Paihuai immediately thought of Ji Anxi. "How come we suddenly have such a good relationship?" Zhou Paihuai knew very well that the company would not just assign people to her place. Ji Anxi was able to move into her apartment, which must have been with her consent. And she had never thought that she could accept others invading her territory.
Cheng Minxin only knew that the two of them had a good relationship, but she wasn't entirely sure why. She said, "We'll have to wait until you regain your memory to find out. I don't know what kind of connection you two had before, but you two are definitely close. Otherwise, Anxi wouldn't have stayed by your side while you were unconscious. If you're really not used to having someone else around, the company can make some arrangements."
"Although I've never shared an apartment with anyone before, since you all say we get along well, I might as well give it a try."
... ...
Zhou Xueyao was in her office, sipping coffee while pondering the dilemma that Old Madam Zhou had presented her with. She had already learned that Old Madam Zhou hadn't gained anything from her previous visits to Zhou Paihuai. This time, with Zhou Paihuai suffering from amnesia, Old Madam Zhou appeared worried, but secretly she was probably relieved, as she could conveniently pass this problem on to her.
After several encounters, Zhou Xueyao discovered that Zhou Paihuai was completely unyielding, seemingly having no intention of acknowledging her ancestry from the start. However, now that she had amnesia, although she didn't know she was a long-lost child of the Zhou family, her hostility towards the Zhou family should have disappeared. A child like her, raised alone, would inevitably crave family affection deep down. What Zhou Xueyao needed to do now was find a way to rekindle that longing within her.
"Xiao Qi, come in here for a moment." Zhou Xueyao called her assistant directly into the office.
"Mr. Zhou, what are your plans?"
Zhou Xueyao said, "Go and check someone for me. There's an artist named Zhou Paihuai under 'Genesis' Entertainment. Go and check her recent schedule."
"yes!"
After watching Xiao Qi leave the office, Zhou Xueyao rested her chin on her hands. She already had a plan in mind; once Xiao Qi obtained Zhou Paihuai's recent schedule, she could put it into action. However, she needed a villain, someone who could drive Zhou Paihuai to the brink of despair. Now, Zhou Xueyao had someone in mind.
... ...
Although she had mentally prepared herself, seeing the drastically changed apartment still brought a wave of unfamiliarity to Zhou's heart. What exactly had she been doing during the time she had lost her memory?
"You're back!" Ji Anxi suddenly emerged from the kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a spatula.
Speaking of which, Ji Anxi used to visit her at the hospital every day, but she didn't go today. It turns out she went back to her apartment early and was preparing dinner.
"You can actually cook?" Zhou Paihuai looked at her; she was clearly very inexperienced.
"..." Ji Anxi wasn't really good at it, but she wanted to show off in front of Zhou Paihuai, so she bought the ingredients and followed the recipe. However, lack of talent is just lack of talent. Before Zhou Paihuai returned, she had already ruined three dishes. Wasting food is really shameful, so she lowered her head in embarrassment.
“I’ll do it!” Zhou Huaihuai smiled at her. “You go watch TV for a while, I’ll call you when the food is ready.”
That smile was so gentle. Zhou Paihuai had often smiled at her before, but never like this. Ji Anxi should have been happy, but she lowered her head, lost in thought.
Soon, Zhou Paihuai had prepared the meal.
Sitting opposite Zhou Paihuai, Ji Anxi felt utterly useless. She'd been taken care of by Zhou Paihuai before, but now, this woman, recovering from a serious illness, was cooking for her, and she couldn't help at all. In a bad mood, even her chopsticks seemed unresponsive; she tried to pick up food but couldn't manage it for ages.
Zhou Paihuai picked up a chicken wing and put it in her bowl, saying, "Haven't I cooked for you before?" Why does she look so nervous?
"Of course not, I just... I just..."