"Alright, hurry up and eat!" Zhou Huaihuai urged her again.
"good!"
Chapter 90 Two Years
The chicken wings looked very appealing, and since Zhou Huapai had made them himself, Ji Anxi's appetite was whetted. However, after taking her first bite, her expression changed drastically.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Paihuai asked, noticing her expression. "Is it bad?"
"No—, it's delicious." However, the taste was so different from what she had eaten before that she would have suspected that someone else had cooked the meal if it weren't just the two of them.
Perhaps the effects of amnesia were too great; now, not only did Zhou Paihuai treat Ji Anxi as a stranger, but Ji Anxi also felt a sense of alienation from this person she had never felt before. She even began to doubt whether the person in front of her was really Zhou Paihuai.
After dinner and tidying up, Ji Anxi took her phone and walked over to Zhou Paihuai, saying, "It's been so long since I've played games, wanna play a couple?"
Zhou Huai looked at her in shock and said, "Didn't Sister Cheng tell you that I'm really bad at playing games?"
"I used to be a noob, but I've become incredibly good. Give it a try!"
At Ji Anxi's enthusiastic invitation, Zhou Paihuai picked up her phone and opened the game. Having not logged in for a long time, the version had been updated, and upon logging in, she was surprised to find that her rank was surprisingly high.
"What's going on?" The game update means a new season has begun, and ranks will drop in the new season, but she's still in the King rank. "Did I hire a boosting service?"
"Of course not!" Ji Anxi was amused by her idea. "You're really good. You'll know once you start playing."
Ji Anxi invited Zhou Paihuai into the game. The two of them were on the fourth or fifth floor and were banning heroes. Ji Anxi banned Lucky, a relatively strong jungler in the current version, while Zhou Paihuai randomly selected a hero to ban.
"You're not playing Jones anymore?" Jones was in Zhou's hero pool, and she really liked him. Besides, in the current version, Jones didn't deserve to be banned at all.
"Huh? Jones?" Zhou looked at his phone in confusion and muttered to himself, "So this is Jones. Why does he look different from the previous one?"
Zhou Paihuai couldn't even recognize the heroes, so it was easy to imagine what happened after he entered the game. He was completely dominated by the opposing team, which led to his teammates angrily berating him. Knowing he was terrible at the game, Zhou Paihuai couldn't argue back and could only mute the other players. After the game, Zhou Paihuai was in a particularly bad mood and said, "This is why I don't like playing games. This game has no tolerance for bad players."
“Yes, no matter where you are, people aren’t very tolerant of noobs.” Ji Anxi turned off her phone and said, “I’m tired, I’m going back to my room to rest. You should go to sleep early too.”
Back in her room, Ji Anxi didn't go to sleep. Instead, she took out her phone and started searching for questions like "Will a second personality appear after amnesia?" This person wasn't the one Ji Anxi knew at all; in fact, many of her views contradicted what she had before. Besides a second personality, Ji Anxi couldn't think of any other explanation.
... ...
Zhou Paihuai felt dizzy. She tried to open her eyes and found that she was not lying in bed, but slumped over the table.
Wait a minute, why does this desk look so familiar? Zhou Paihuai's eyes widened suddenly. This was her desk, with the cushion she'd bought for comfortable typing and her favorite keyboard. Shocked, she glanced at the still-on computer screen; the time was displayed in the lower right corner: July 31st, 21:58.
Her memory flashed back to the days when she had to race against time to meet her perfect attendance record. She, the third-rate writer Zhou Paihuai, was back! Or perhaps it was because the pressure was too much that she fell asleep, and only slept for five minutes, yet had a long and vivid dream. Whether it was a nightmare or a beautiful dream, Zhou Paihuai herself couldn't say.
As Zhou lingered, lost in thought, time quietly slipped away, and the number in the lower right corner of the screen changed from 21:58 to 22:00. Her pre-set phone alarm went off, startling her.
After frantically turning off the alarm clock, Zhou Paihuai suddenly realized that she had lost the perfect attendance bonus she had been longing for. She rubbed her forehead in anguish, feeling an emptiness in her heart. She couldn't explain why, but she just felt very sad.
Can a dream really feel so real? Actually, she used to dream a lot, and because of her rich imagination, she had dreamed about all sorts of strange things. In fact, she never doubted the reality of those bizarre scenes in her dreams... But every time, after leaving the dream, she could quickly distinguish between illusion and reality. Only this time, she couldn't accept that she had lived in that world for more than two years, only to find out that it was all just a dream.
Were all the people she met in her dream—Cheng Minxin, who treated her so well; Tang Xiaole, who was so diligent; and the adorable little black fan—all fake? And why did she dream about these people? Or is this all a dream?
She fell asleep without realizing it, and slept soundly through the night. When she woke up again, Zhou's self-comforting words were very effective. She had just had a very vivid dream; many people probably have similar experiences. What did it matter? Apart from perfect attendance, it had no impact on her life. Her life had to go on. Today was a new day, and she could return to her previous regular routine.
After a quick breakfast, Zhou Paihuai sat back down at his computer. He hadn't updated the chapter yesterday, but he would finish writing it today and publish it. Then he would need to save up some drafts. He couldn't afford to lose his perfect attendance record this month.
But after opening the manuscript, Zhou Paihuai was dumbfounded. The document was already filled with words, every single one of which she recognized, but the story wasn't hers. Although it felt like she hadn't touched this novel in two years, she still vaguely remembered the plot. She had written a modern urban romance novel, and she was stuck on writer's block at the point where the male and female leads confessed their feelings. But the document now clearly read a sweet romance novel set in the entertainment industry. Had she been sleepwalking and recording her dream?
After doubting herself for a long time, Zhou belatedly realized that although today is August 1st, it is not August 1st, 2020, but August 1st, 2022, a full two years apart from the time she remembered.
"Holy crap!" Zhou Paihuai couldn't help but swear. A dream that lasted two years? Forget two years, she would have starved to death in two days. What on earth is going on?
Chapter 91 Yu Zisen
Recently, Cheng Minxin has been picking up Zhou Paihuai to go to the film set, but she is very busy with work and there are times when she can't manage it all. Even so, she doesn't dare to let Ji Anxi's assistant, Mumu, take her to the film set, for fear that something else might happen.
“Xiao Le hasn’t fully recovered yet, and the rest of the company is too busy. But we recently got a new intern, so I’ll call her over!” Cheng Minxin said.
Zhou Paihuai nodded and said, "I have no objection. Just have her come over then!"
The next morning, Zhou Paihuai and Ji Anxi were still washing up when the doorbell rang.
After Mu Mu arrived, she waited downstairs for Ji Anxi to come down. Unless Ji Anxi was going to be late, she wouldn't come up to bother them, so this person must be the new assistant.
After opening the door, Zhou Paihuai indeed found an unfamiliar face. However, the girl opposite him didn't seem shy at all. She smiled sweetly and spoke very generously: "Zhou Zhou, I'm the new assistant Xu Yan. You can call me Xiao Xu."
"Hello, please come in!" Zhou Huaihuai nodded to her. "Please sit down for a while, I'll get ready right away."
"It's alright, no need to rush, there's still plenty of time."
Even so, the thought that someone was waiting for him, and in his own home, made Zhou wander around much faster without him even realizing it.
Let's go!
Xu Yan looked petite and lovely, but her driving skills were quite impressive; she sped all the way to the film set.
After getting out of the car, Zhou Paihuai let out a long sigh of relief and said to Xu Yan in a seemingly calm manner, "You don't need to drive so fast in the future. You won't be late at all if you go at that time."
Xu Yan said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I forgot you were in a car accident just now. Are you traumatized?"
"..." Zhou Paihuai finally understood why Sister Cheng had hesitated when talking about the new assistant yesterday. She really was straightforward and dared to say anything! "I guess so. I don't want to go to the hospital again." Although she could still live a normal life now, she always felt that the missing memory was very important to her, and she didn't want to lose anything more.
Xu Yan shrugged and said, "Okay, I'll definitely pay attention next time!"
"Okay, that's settled then!" Zhou wandered towards the film set. Although she arrived early today, the other crew members had arrived even earlier, so she could get her makeup done early.
Watching Zhou Paihuai walk further and further away, Xu Yan took out her phone and made a call: "She has already gone to the film set and will be able to resume filming soon."
"Okay, stay close to her and don't reveal yourself."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Yan quickly took out several bottles of sugar-free drinks from the car and hurried into the film set. Once inside, she discovered the director was already giving Zhou Paihuai acting instructions, so her action of grabbing the drinks was completely unnecessary. Fortunately, no one noticed her, so Xu Yan didn't feel embarrassed.
After filming for today was almost finished, the director suddenly received a phone call. We don't know what he said, but after hanging up, he clapped his hands to signal everyone to wrap up.
"What's going on?" Wu Fei walked over to Zhou Paihuai's side.
Zhou Huai shook his head and said, "I don't know either. Maybe something came up. I'll go check it out."
The director received a call from the investor, who said there was a banquet that night and asked him and the other lead actors to attend to promote "King of Chaos." But even a fool could tell it was just an excuse; the show wasn't even finished filming yet, what was there to promote?
"Director, I think I'd better not go." This kind of thing had happened in other film crews before, and everyone tacitly agreed, but Zhou Paihuai always refused. Fortunately, Cheng Minxin protected her and never let her participate in such occasions.
Tan Xue and Wu Fei are also very down-to-earth actors. After Zhou Huai declined, they also expressed that they only wanted to focus on filming and did not want to attend any promotional banquets.
"What do you take me for? I'm just a good actor, I don't do pimping. This banquet isn't something you can just casually attend. The invitations should have already been sent to your company. You can ask around; it's definitely not some shady place."
As they were talking, Wu Fei received a call from her agent, and Tan Xue's assistant also came over to Tan Xue and said a few words. The two of them immediately changed their tone.
"Director, let's go!"
All eyes immediately fell on Zhou Paihuai. She thought for a moment and said, "Let me make a call and ask."
Xu Yan, who was standing by, immediately handed over the phone, and Zhou Paihuai called Cheng Minxin.
Cheng Minxin did receive the news, but she never liked Zhou Paihuai attending these kinds of banquets, and besides, she had something to do today and couldn't get away, so she didn't tell her. "Where did you hear about this? Did the director tell you you could go?"
"Uh-huh."
"Give the phone to Xu Yan, I'll talk to her."
Since it was the director's suggestion, it wouldn't be right not to give him face. Besides, Tan Xue and Wu Fei are also going, so there shouldn't be any problems. Cheng Minxin asked Xu Yan to answer the phone, mainly to remind her to take Zhou Huai Pai to get a proper makeover. She couldn't decide how the character would look in the play, but she had to show her best side to the public off-screen.
"Then I'll go too!"
... ...
"Xu Yan called, she'll be there soon!"
The speaker was Zhou Xueyao, and the listener was Yu Zisen, Zhou Xueyao's ardent pursuer and the head of the Yu family in City A.
Yu Zisen had a faint smile on his face, but his hands were restless, constantly turning the black chain coiled around his wrist: "Zhou Xueyao, I'm doing all this for you, so don't forget what you promised me."
"Don't worry, once Zhou Paihuai's matter is settled, we can announce our engagement as promised." For Zhou Xueyao, whether her fiancé was Ji Anbo or Yu Zisen made no real difference. She needed a powerful marriage partner who could support her in acquiring the Zhou family. Yu Zisen's pursuit of her wasn't out of genuine affection; their relationship was purely one of mutual exploitation. However, this simple and pure relationship made him a more desirable marriage partner than Ji Anbo.
"Great! I love your personality!" Yu Zisen opened his arms to Zhou Xueyao. "How about a pre-holiday hug to celebrate our success?"
"certainly!"
The two embraced without any emotion. As they parted, Zhou Xueyao said, "Don't go too far later. If you ruin my plans, I will definitely not let you off the hook."
"Of course not, I'm very chivalrous."
Chapter 92 Want to sleep with me?
Trying to seduce me?
While Zhou Paihuai was getting her hair and makeup done, Xu Yan took a break to go back to the company to pick up the invitation. Seeing the large gold lettering on the invitation, Zhou Paihuai thought to herself, "It's quite formal." The invitation number was 98, meaning that even though she was the last person invited, there were still 97 people ahead of her.
Zhou Paihuai had initially been somewhat skeptical about this impromptu event, but after seeing the number, his doubts finally dissipated.
Xu Yan had just graduated and had never worked as an artist's assistant before, so she certainly had never been to such an event. So before entering, Zhou Paihuai instructed her: "There should be quite a few people inside now. Besides the artists, they are all either rich or powerful. So once we're inside, let's both behave ourselves and not talk as much as possible. We can just endure it for a few hours."
"Don't worry, I won't cause you any trouble." Xu Yan said, urging her to take out the invitation and hand it to the security guard at the door.
"The invitations are fine, you can come in!"
After Zhou Paihuai entered the hotel, she indeed found many senior figures in the industry, some more famous than her, and some less so. Besides some artists, there were also quite a few directors and producers. It seemed that this banquet was indeed a social gathering within the industry. However, why was such an important occasion announced at the last minute? The person who organized this banquet was really acting on a whim.
"Zhou Zhou, Director Yun is over there!" Xu Yan suddenly pointed to a man in a suit and leather shoes not far away.
The venue was crowded, but most people were chatting quietly in groups of two or three, so it was relatively quiet. Xu Yan suddenly shouted, which immediately drew everyone's attention to Zhou Paihuai.
"..." Zhou Paihuai glared at Xu Yan, signaling her to lower her voice. Of course, she recognized Director Yun, because that was the reason she came to this banquet today.
Director Yun, whose real name is Yun Ye, is only in his early thirties but is already a well-known director in the industry. He has directed several critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, which has also boosted his acting career. However, Director Yun only makes one film a year, and the roles he plays in each film are very limited, so everyone is desperate to get in touch with him.
Zhou Paihuai entered the entertainment industry at a young age, not only to make a living and pursue fame and fortune, but also because she genuinely loved acting and wanted to leave her mark on the film and television industry. If she had the opportunity to film Director Yun's movie, she would definitely be one step closer to her goal. However, she absolutely did not want to talk to Director Yun in front of everyone, because she knew very well that it would not achieve any results.
After moving to a corner of the banquet hall with Xu Yan, Zhou Paihuai finally felt that fewer people were looking at him. It was only then that Xu Yan realized her mistake and said apologetically to Zhou Paihuai, "Did I...do I do something wrong?"
"What do you think?" Zhou Huai glanced at her.
What should we do now?
"It's alright!" Zhou Huaihuai was also optimistic. Even without this farce, he probably wouldn't have been able to get on Director Yun's good side today. "Sister Cheng didn't have high hopes anyway." Director Yun has very high standards, and his acting skills probably wouldn't have caught his eye.