Why are you so startled?
Zhou Huai smiled awkwardly and said, "It's nothing, Sister Cheng, Anxi, don't worry, I can handle this."
Cheng Minxin laughed. Even at a time like this, Zhou Heipai was still spouting nonsense. "How do you plan to resolve this?"
"The simplest way to make people forget a news story is to create an even bigger one," Zhou Huaihuai said confidently.
Seeing Zhou Huai's confidence, Ji Anxi couldn't help but ask, "Are you planning to switch careers and become a paparazzi to dig up the latest entertainment news?"
"..." It has to be said that Xiao Heifen is sometimes quite similar to Zhou Heihuai, with the same peculiar way of thinking, although in different directions.
Cheng Minxin was shocked by this, and she asked Zhou Paihuai's question on her behalf: "How could you think that?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ji Anxi realized something was wrong. Seeing the gazes of the two people, her face gradually burned.
After admiring the shy little haters for a while, Zhou Paihuai said, "I definitely can't be a paparazzi, I'm not a professional at that. But I can always create some news."
"What news?" Cheng Minxin and Ji Anxi asked in unison.
Although she had made up her mind, Zhou Paihuai still felt very sorry for Cheng Minxin if she said it directly. But some things had to be said sooner or later, so she looked at Cheng Minxin and said, "Sister Cheng, I'm sorry, but I want to leave this industry."
Although she wore a smile, Cheng Minxin could sense her resolute determination this time. In the past, she could try to persuade her, but now, the storms were getting more and more severe, even Cheng Minxin was beginning to doubt whether Zhou Paihuai was truly unsuitable for this industry. If she weren't in it, she wouldn't be swayed by public opinion and would be much freer. Cheng Minxin had once tried to stop her from leaving the entertainment industry, but now, Cheng Minxin was considering helping her terminate her contract with the company.
"Have you thought it through?" Cheng Minxin's tone was calm, without the expected anger. "If you want to leave the entertainment industry, you'll need to pay the company a penalty for breach of contract..."
"Over the years, I've saved up some money. Now that I'm not famous anymore, the penalty for breach of contract should be within my means." Although she has a bad reputation, she still gets paid for acting, and with the recent sale of the copyright, she should have enough money to regain her freedom.
"Okay, I'll go and apply to the company for you."
Even after Cheng Minxin left, Ji Anxi still couldn't process it. How did something that was just a trending topic escalate to the point of her having to leave the entertainment industry? She could have easily resolved it by making a phone call to her second brother. Why was Zhou Paihuai so reckless?
"Zhou Paihuai, what exactly do you mean?"
Ji Anxi felt wronged. She had plunged headlong into the cutthroat entertainment industry for a chance to get close to her, only to be told by her that she was leaving? Ji Anxi couldn't describe her feelings at that moment; it was as if she had been hit by an inexplicable heavy blow.
Hearing Ji Anxi's tearful voice, Zhou Paihuai felt a pang of heartache. She mustered her courage and pulled her into her arms, saying, "Silly girl, my leaving the entertainment industry doesn't mean I'm cutting ties with you. It's because I'm leaving this industry that we can be together properly, right?"
"What?" Ji Anxi looked up. "You just... ..."
"If I confess my feelings to you, you won't say no, right?"
Chapter 98: Teacher and Friend
Zhou Paihuai's confession came so suddenly that Ji Anxi was momentarily stunned. Why would she suddenly say these things to her? Shouldn't she be the one saying them? Her emotions were too complex, so much so that the little hater didn't respond for a long time.
"...Whether you accept it or not, you should at least say something!" Zhou Paihuai was naturally afraid that the little hater would refuse, but she did not show her anxiety. Instead, she kept it to herself and casually urged the little hater to give an answer.
"You really want to confess your feelings to me?" Ji Anxi still couldn't believe it. "Not because of anything else, not because I was nice to you after your car accident?"
How could he explain this to the hater? After all, the person who woke up after the car accident wasn't him at all; strictly speaking, he hadn't been cared for tenderly by the hater. As for why he had fallen for the hater, Zhou Paihuai himself couldn't explain it. When he first arrived in this world, Cheng Minxin and Tang Xiaole were both very kind to him, but their kindness came through the original owner of the body. So every time he enjoyed this kindness, Zhou Paihuai had to suppress the guilt of having usurped someone else's place.
But Xiao Heifen is different from them. Xiao Heifen became her friend because of her, stayed up all night playing games with her because of her, and stood up for her when she was wronged because of her... Zhou Paihuai felt that Xiao Heifen was the connection between her and the world, and the reason why God allowed her to come to this world twice.
"Of course not. I confessed to you because I like you. If it were because I was grateful for your kindness, I would make a Buddha statue for you and enshrine it." Zhou Paihuai answered the question without hesitation.
"You're right, you really do like me?" Ji Anxi was very happy. "I... I like you too." It's impossible to say "I like you" against one's will, but if you follow your heart, it's easy to say it. Ji Anxi's feelings for Zhou Paihuai were far deeper than she had imagined.
"Holding you makes me feel at ease." Zhou Paihuai gently embraced Xiao Heifen. From the first time they met until now, she could finally openly hold Xiao Heifen in her arms.
"Did you quit the entertainment industry for my sake?" Ji Anxi couldn't help but ask.
"It's for you, and it's for me. Although no one has the right to judge our relationship, I don't want our relationship to be constantly criticized. Once we step out of this circle, there will always be more people who wish us well than those who curse us."
Ji Anxi buried herself in Zhou Paihuai's arms, her heart filled with感慨 (gan3 kai3, a complex feeling of mixed emotions, including nostalgia and reflection) about their shared destiny. In truth, a large part of her entry into the entertainment industry was due to Zhou Paihuai; she wanted to be closer to his life, but unexpectedly, she fell in love with acting. While Zhou Paihuai ultimately chose to leave the entertainment industry, partly because he disliked it, it was largely for her sake. Perhaps from this day forward, the entertainment industry would no longer have Zhou Paihuai as an artist; she would no longer play any roles. However, she would never be absent from Xiao Heifen's (Zhou Anxi's) daily life again.
… …
On the surface, Cheng Minxin is deeply disgusted by Zhou Paihuai's retirement from the entertainment industry, but to her, Zhou Paihuai is like a younger sister. Everyone feels frustrated and disappointed when a family member fails them, but after the anger subsides, they still consider the other person's feelings. Cheng Minxin is like that now; although she threatens Zhou Paihuai with the hefty penalty for breach of contract, she still tries her best to minimize her losses.
Two years ago, when Zhou Paihuai was at the height of her popularity, the company might not have let her go so easily. However, Zhou Paihuai's resources have clearly been downgraded. Her recently filmed drama, "The King of Chaos," is a promising project, but its release date is uncertain. Furthermore, the character she plays is not only villainous but also ugly, offering virtually no chance of attracting fans. Essentially, she can bring the company almost no profit left. Therefore, when Cheng Minxin requested to terminate her contract with Zhou Paihuai, Chuangshi only symbolically collected a portion of the breach of contract fee and happily released her.
Although she had intended to use the news of her leaving the entertainment industry to suppress the news of her being photographed with her haters, in the end she felt it was unnecessary. Since she had already left the industry, there was no need to make a final push to gain attention. The trending topics would stay on for a day or two... but they would eventually fade away in three to five days.
“Sign this paper, and from now on you will have nothing to do with Genesis.” Cheng Minxin placed the termination agreement in front of Zhou Paihuai.
Zhou Paihuai signed his name with a flourish, then stood up and hugged Cheng Minxin, saying, "Sister Cheng, thank you for tolerating my willfulness all these years..."
"What are you doing?" Cheng Minxin didn't like Zhou Paihuai acting like this, because it made her want to cry. Although she was ruthless and decisive in the industry, earning her the nickname "female demon," she had not only supported Zhou Paihuai to become a popular artist over the years, but also protected her in this chaotic world. The affection she had invested in Zhou Paihuai was no less than that for her own children. Now that her child had grown up, had her own wings, and wanted to fly away from her wing, she was still worried.
Zhou Paihuai couldn't help but shed tears. When she first came to this world, she envied the original owner of this body for having a manager like Cheng Minxin, who was both a mentor and an elder. Cheng Minxin had always been exceptionally kind to her, a kind of affection she had never experienced before, a familial bond.
"Don't cry, silly girl. This is just terminating the contract with the company. Your sister is still your sister. If you have any trouble, be sure to come to me!" Cheng Minxin comforted her. "Xiaole, don't worry. I'll arrange for her to stay with Anxi. No one will bully her there."
"I understand." Zhou Paihuai nodded, knowing that Sister Cheng would definitely not wrong Tang Xiaole.
"By the way, I'll be arranging for Anxi to move soon. I estimate it won't be finished in a short time, so you can keep her here for a few more days." Cheng Minxin only recently learned that the apartment had been bought by Zhou Paihuai and become her private property. She had already left the company and no longer needed to help the company's artists with their accommodation problems.
"No, no, no, Anxi doesn't need to move out, she can just live with me!" Zhou Paihuai quickly refused. She and Xiao Heifen had finally confessed their feelings to each other, and now they were in their honeymoon period. How could they be separated during their honeymoon?
Cheng Minxin was puzzled as to why she was so nervous, so she said, "I know you two have a good relationship. I can apply to the company to arrange an apartment for her in that neighborhood, but it's really not appropriate for her to stay at your place any longer."
Zhou Huai was helpless. It just goes to show how resourceful netizens are. Even though the manager didn't realize their relationship, netizens managed to dig it out.
"Anxi and I are dating." Zhou Paihuai suddenly dropped a bombshell, leaving Cheng Minxin speechless for a long time.
"Are you kidding me?" When exactly did these two start dating? "When did you two get together?"
"We just officially became a couple, but we've known each other for a long time." Zhou Paihuai recounted his relationship with Xiao Heifen from beginning to end.
Cheng Minxin was also surprised to hear this. She never imagined that forcing Zhou Paihuai to convert the haters would lead to a relationship between the two of them. She said that even though the second young master of the Ji family clearly ran his own agency, Ji Anxi chose Genesis instead.
Chapter 99 Height Increasing Shoes
Although the news of Zhou Paihuai's retirement from the entertainment industry was not widely publicized, most people in the industry were already aware of it.
However, a year and a half after she retired from the entertainment industry, "The Turbulent Times" premiered. Sheng Huanyan had a significant role, so the director specifically approached Cheng Minxin, hoping that Zhou Paihuai could come and promote "The Turbulent Times" together.
Although the role she most wanted to play at the time was Sheng Huanyan, and Zhou Paihuai also felt that she and the original owner of the body portrayed Sheng Huanyan very well, once she left the entertainment industry, she left. This time she made a comeback for the role, but next time she may appear in front of the public for various other reasons, which would go against her original intention.
Although her role is significant, the male and female leads clearly have more appeal than her. Her few fans would probably find it hard to accept her playing such a vicious character, so it's better for her not to get involved.
"Are you really not going?" Ji Anxi asked, holding Wangcai in her arms.
Wangcai is a snow-white Samoyed, which Zhou Paihuai bought for a huge sum of money half a year ago. It is only ten months old now. Before that, Zhou Paihuai was always a virtual pet owner. Although he felt that he liked cats and dogs, he felt that he did not have enough time and energy to spend with them, nor could he provide them with good living conditions, so he could only enjoy watching them.
But things are different now. Now she is not only richer than before, but also has a lot of free time, and raising a little kid is not a big deal.
More importantly, Ji Anxi really liked the little guy. That day, the two of them passed by a pet store, and the little guy was in a cage. Somehow, he noticed them and got so excited that he wanted to break the cage and jump into their arms.
After the pet shop owner let it out, it ran towards Ji Anxi without turning its head and affectionately licked her fingers.
"I want to buy it!" Ji Anxi squatted on the ground, raised her head, and stared at her expectantly.
The little brat and the little black-haired boy stared at him with their big, wet eyes. Zhou hesitated and couldn't bring himself to refuse. In the end, he had no choice but to take both of them home.
"Hey—" Ji Anxi saw that she had a smile on her face, and clearly didn't know what she was thinking.
"Of course I'm not going!" Zhou Paihuai shook his head. "If I go, what will happen to Wangcai?" Bringing Wangcai back in the first place had many benefits, at least it can be used as an excuse at this time.
“If you don’t want to go, then don’t go. You can come with me to the premiere of my new movie!” Ji Anxi didn’t expose her. Anyway, those days were the premiere of her first movie. Being able to go to the premiere of her first movie with Zhou Paihuai should be a very romantic thing.
"Aren't you afraid of being photographed?" Zhou Paihuai raised an eyebrow. He knew that every time a new movie premiered, countless reporters and entertainment reporters would be lurking in the dark movie theater. Ji Anxi was currently very popular, and if they were photographed going to the premiere together, it would definitely dominate the trending searches again.
"What's there to be afraid of?" Ji Anxi retorted. "You used to be photographed every day and trending on social media all the time. Were you scared?" Ji Anxi didn't believe she was scared at all. After all, she had criticized her so harshly before, practically scrutinizing her with a magnifying glass, and yet she still wanted to be friends with her. Could someone who was scared be like this?
"That's different!" She had a do-or-die attitude, while Ji Anxi was really determined to make a name for herself in this industry. She had only been in the entertainment industry for a short time and had no shortage of resources. She would slowly hone her acting skills and one day stand at the top of this industry.
Although he couldn't quite put his finger on what he was thinking, Zhou Paihuai simply hoped that Ji Anxi would always have a smooth life, without any setbacks or bad news from the outside world, even if it was because of him.
Seeing Zhou hesitating and making excuses, Ji Anxi naturally assumed that Zhou didn't want to go with her, and immediately became a little annoyed: "If you don't want to go, then forget it."
"Are you angry?" Zhou Huaihuai felt he was becoming increasingly childish, as if he had suddenly regressed to the level of a primary school student, deliberately provoking her to attract her attention. Even though his little hater was already angry, he felt quite pleased with himself.
"Yeah, she's angry!" Little Blackie has one great quality: no matter how angry she is, she'll always respond to Zhou Huapai and never give him the silent treatment. Actually, there's no shortage of affectionate people in the world, but some people are stubborn and will often give the silent treatment to the person they like. Over time, even the deepest feelings will slowly fade away.
Zhou Paihuai pulled Ji Anxi and Wangcai into her arms and said, "I'll go, I'll definitely go!"
She didn't agree immediately because she was thinking about how to disguise herself when going to the premiere of a movie so as to avoid being spotted by entertainment reporters.
"Then what you just did... ..."
"I was just joking. It's your first time making a movie, how could I not go? Not just this time, I'll go to the premiere of every one of your movies from now on."
With just one sentence, Zhou Huaihuai managed to appease Ji Anxi. Ji Anxi said, "One day, we can openly go to the movies together."
"Of course, I believe that day will come soon!"
... ...
On the day of the premiere of "Carrying Wind and Rain", Zhou Paihuai prepared the wigs and masks he had bought online, and even put on makeup under the masks that would make it hard for even a ghost to recognize him.
Ji Anxi looked at Zhou Paihuai with a face full of doubt, not understanding her various actions, because she even bought herself a pair of 10-centimeter height-increasing shoes.
"Take my hand!"
Ji Anxi was very puzzled: "You think that if the paparazzi take pictures of me going to the movies with you, they'll smear me, but if they take pictures of me going to the movies with a punk rocker, they won't smear me?"
Is she too insecure about the name Zhou Paihuai, or too confident about her current appearance?
"Isn't this great?" Zhou looked at herself in the mirror and was very satisfied, especially after getting the height-increasing shoes. She was finally taller than Xiao Heifen, and she had always felt that it was unreasonable for her to be shorter than Xiao Heifen.
Ji Anxi rolled her eyes at her. It's been so long, and she's still fussing over height. So what if she's a little shorter than her?
"The height gained from height-increasing shoes is only temporary."
Are you implying that I should buy more pairs?
"Fine, whatever makes you happy!"
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Author's Note:
I haven't been feeling well lately, so I haven't been updating. It's not finished yet, although it'll be soon.
Chapter 100 You guys really have no prestige