"..." Zhou Zhou was stunned for a second when he heard the other party's name, then his pupils dilated and he opened his mouth to utter a silent "Holy crap".
[Author's Note: You should be able to guess who Xia Sixi is, right?]
Chapter 85 Prioritizing Career
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Xia Sixi, Zhou Zhou repeatedly confirmed the name in his mind. No wonder he felt that the other person's eyebrows and eyes gave him a sense of familiarity. If Wen Luo had grown up a few more years and become more mature, his eyebrows and eyes would probably look like this.
This is the white moonlight from the original book!
Zhou Zhou stood there dumbfounded, his gaze fixed on Xia Sixi's face. It wasn't until Director Sun called him several times that he came back to his senses.
"What's wrong, Editor Zhou?" Director Sun was a little embarrassed. He had heard before that Zhou Zhou had been entangled with actor Ye Qisheng when he was in the entertainment industry. Although he had tried to clear his name later, his first impression was still of his dark past. Looking at Xia Sixi in front of him, she looked like the kind of person who could debut with a little packaging. It couldn't be that Zhou Zhou would take a fancy to this young and promising investor in the production.
Both of them are rich and powerful. If they really get entangled and bickering, the film crew might be in trouble. Director Sun looked troubled, his gaze shifting between the two.
"Ah, sorry, sorry." Zhou Zhou realized that he might have been staring at Xia Sixi for a bit too long. He didn't know how complicated Director Sun's thoughts were at that moment, but he felt that staring at someone like that was impolite, so he habitually explained, "President Xia is a bit like a friend of mine."
"!" This line has been used to death by those who try to pick up girls, and Director Sun is a little flustered, secretly observing Xia Sixi's reaction.
Xia Sixi's smile remained as refined as ever. She chuckled softly and said, "Then I really do have a connection with Editor Zhou." Her tone was gentle, and she wasn't annoyed by the other person's prolonged scrutiny.
“Yeah.” Zhou Zhou laughed twice, outwardly calm as a breeze, but inwardly his mind was filled with the word “Holy crap”.
Holy crap, my crush is back in China?
Holy crap, does the original plot develop this fast?
Holy crap, does that mean Ye Qisheng and Wen Luo have already reached the stage of "you abandoned me and I cried"?
...
At the dinner table, worldly social etiquette was taken to the extreme. Apart from a few people, everyone at Zhou Zhou's table was eager to cling to Xia Sixi and become her ornaments. They toasted each other more and more frequently, drinking a full glass themselves, while Xia Sixi only took a small sip. After two or three rounds, Zhou Zhou saw that the people around him were drinking with flushed faces and high spirits, while Xia Sixi's glass of wine was only half empty.
He greeted everyone with a polite, slight smile, but his eyes were cold, as if he didn't take these people seriously at all.
Xia Sixi's gaze swept over the various people at the table. She raised her wine glass to cover the corners of her mouth that were curled up. Her gaze paused when it swept over Zhou Zhou, who was one seat away from her. She narrowed her eyes and carefully examined the other person.
Zhou Zhou didn't bring up topics at the dinner table. He would only say a word or two when someone asked him. He didn't seem very interested in Xia Sixi. When she looked over, he would look down at his phone to avoid the awkwardness of eye contact.
This happened several times. If Xia Sixi still couldn't figure out that the other person was deliberately avoiding her thoughts, then something was wrong.
The meal lasted half an hour, and afterwards, we sat at the table chatting for a full two hours until the sky outside was tinged with a rosy glow before we said it was time to leave.
They were all in a semi-drunk state, each trying to help the other and flirting with each other. Several people tried to get close to Zhou Zhou, emboldened by the alcohol, but he blocked them all by using the excuse of going to the bathroom.
Zhou Zhou slowly went to the bathroom, and stood in front of the sink for a long time afterward. He hadn't touched a drop of alcohol during the meal, but now his mind was in a mess.
The entire crew, from investors to actors, was finally present at the opening ceremony the day after tomorrow. However, he was eager to know the current situation, so after thinking for a while, he simply took out his phone to verify.
The phone kept ringing, and just as it was about to hang up automatically because no one answered, a voice said "Hello" from the other end.
"Hello, Wen Luo, it's me." Zhou Zhou held the phone receiver tightly to his ear, trying to capture all the emotions in the other person's voice.
"Brother Zhou, what's up?" Wen Luo's voice was no different from usual, a sweet tone with a hint of laziness, as if he had just woken up. "Is it about the casting for 'Boundless'?"
"...Oh, yes, did you know that you and Meng Zifan were in the audition for the male lead?" Zhou Zhou wasn't surprised that Wen Luo knew he was the screenwriter of "Boundless." He followed the other's lead and started talking about something unrelated to the topic of his phone call, "Do you like the male lead character?"
“Hmm…” Wen Luo pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed brightly, “I like it. I even stayed up all night yesterday to finish reading ‘Boundless.’”
"Finished reading?" Zhou Zhou sensed that the other person seemed to be in a good mood during their phone conversation. In the original story, as soon as Xia Sixi returned to the country, Ye Qisheng immediately distanced himself from Wen Luo, and no matter how Wen Luo tried to win back the relationship, Ye Qisheng remained unmoved.
“Yes, Brother Zhou, actually, compared to the character Jun Xiaobei, I think Lou Le is also quite good.” As he spoke, Wen Luo began to analyze in detail, “Jun Xiaobei is the kind of character who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He has great love in his heart and cares about everything around him, but he only expresses it silently. Lou Le is different. He is the female lead’s junior brother and the sect leader’s darling. He is simple-minded and can distinguish right from wrong. In the end, he grows up for his senior sister and stands up to vouch for Jun Xiaobei when he is condemned by everyone. Although the ending is very sad, I like this character.”
"If you like him, then he's yours." The casting announcement was supposed to be released that evening, so Zhou Zhou simply told them the casting results now. But liking someone and working are two different things. The second male lead's screen time and exposure would definitely not be as much as the male lead's. Zhou Zhou asked, "Luo Luo, can you accept that?"
“Sure.” Wen Luo didn’t seem disappointed when she found out she was playing the second male lead, Lou Le. Instead, she felt relieved and let out a long sigh on the other end of the phone. “When I went for the audition, I met Meng Zifan and immediately felt that he was quite suitable for the role of Jun Xiaobei. Sure enough, the directors thought so too.”
"Really?" Zhou Zhou smiled. "The opening ceremony is the day after tomorrow. I'll have to see him then. By the way, Luo Luo, how are you and Actor Ye doing lately?"
"..."
The moment Wen Luo responded with a smile, the moment he heard Ye Qisheng's name, the other end of the phone went silent. Zhou Zhou's smile froze on his face, wondering if the plot had already begun.
"We've broken up." Wen Luo's tone was calm, but Zhou Zhou could still sense the sadness hidden deep within his emotions.
As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Luo chuckled twice, which sounded to Zhou Zhou like a forced smile.
“Brother Zhou, I think what you said before was quite right. At my age, I shouldn’t think about dating yet; I should focus on my career.”
[Author's Note: Surprisingly, nobody guessed that Xia Sixi was the white moonlight? OO]
Chapter 86 Rejecting the "deeply affectionate" persona, starting with Actor Ye
===============================================
"Don't even think about dating, focus on your career!" Zhou Zhou slapped her thigh helplessly. This guy was clearly a complete jerk. Ye Qisheng, you're a scumbag!
Zhou Zhou's back teeth were grinding together so hard they were making a creaking sound. If Ye Qisheng were standing in front of him right now, Zhou Zhou would have spoken up without hesitation, "That's great news, Luo Luo! Breaking up is a good thing for you." Zhou Zhou comforted Wen Luo, "You're a rising star in the entertainment industry. In two or three years, you'll definitely be just as good as Ye Qisheng. Right now he ignores you, but in the future, you'll make him regret it!"
Then Zhou Zhou heard a crisp laugh coming from the other end of the phone.
Wen Luo was amused by the other party's remarks. Holding her phone, she kept nodding and said, "That's exactly what I think. Brother Yan has high hopes for me, and the company is focusing on cultivating me. In the future, I will definitely reach the position you mentioned!"
"Yes! Cheer up!" Zhou Zhou was so focused on clapping and cheering because of the other person's positive attitude that he completely overlooked something until he hung up the phone and belatedly realized it.
In the original novel, Wen Luo's condition couldn't be worse after being abandoned by Ye Qisheng. He was so depressed that he almost developed depression, let alone acting. Why is Wen Luo so calm now, as if breaking up with Ye Qisheng doesn't affect him much?
Zhou Zhou pondered for a while and then stopped thinking about it. It was a good thing that Wen Luo didn't wallow in self-pity after the breakup. Why was he so hung up on why she didn't try to kill herself? Maybe it was just because he, like a butterfly flapping its wings, caused a butterfly effect, making the plot point happen earlier. The white moonlight returned to China earlier than described in the original novel, so the time when Ye Qisheng and Wen Luo separated was also moved forward. At this point, perhaps Wen Luo and Ye Qisheng's feelings for each other hadn't deepened yet?
Zhou Zhou felt his analysis made a lot of sense. Humming a song, he dangled the keys to his Mercedes-Benz as he walked out. As he approached the restaurant's entrance, he suddenly stopped. To avoid causing any trouble that was irrelevant to him, Zhou Zhou quickly turned around.
Unfortunately, the person standing at the door had already noticed him and called out before the two had grown too far apart: "Editor Zhou."
"..." Zhou Zhou gave a forced smile and turned to greet the person at the door, "What a coincidence, President Xia, you haven't left yet?"
“You are too.” Xia Sixi smiled at him. He was standing under the eaves at the entrance of the restaurant. Zhou Zhou walked around him and saw the large raindrops falling.
"Oh, it's raining. That explains why it suddenly felt chilly."
It got dark faster than usual today, and the wind was chilly. Zhou Zhou glanced at the weather forecast on his phone. It said that there would be moderate rain in two hours, but the rain had already started. Sure enough, weather forecasts should only be used as a reference.
“I just returned to China and I don’t know much about the weather here. The weather forecast clearly said today would be sunny.” Xia Sixi looked distressed. “My car is a convertible, and I can’t drive it now. Besides, I’ve been drinking. It seems like there’s zero tolerance for drunk driving in China.”
Zhou Zhou: "..." I don't want to hear this.
The other person's words were practically a veiled threat, as if they were about to grab him by the collar and whisper in his ear, "Give me a ride."
Can Zhou Zhou pretend not to understand?
Can.
Zhou Zhou views her "white moonlight" through the lens of her fondness for the adorable Wen Luo, expressing that she doesn't want to have anything to do with him.
“Mr. Xia has a large and successful family and a driver to pick him up. You can wait a little longer,” Zhou Zhou politely declined.
"The driver just called and said the car broke down on the way."
"..."
"Thank you, Editor Zhou. I'd also like to ask you to give me a ride."
"...It's alright, the fragrance of roses lingers on the hand that gives them away."
Things had somehow gotten to this point. Zhou Zhou and Xia Sixi took an umbrella from the restaurant and shared it with each other as they walked to the parking lot.
Fortunately, the Mercedes sports car with its roof was not damaged in the rain. Zhou Zhou sat in the driver's seat, and Xia Sixi was in the passenger seat.
"Mr. Xia, where are you going? Let me take you there first."
"Let's go to this place, thank you, Editor Zhou." Xia Sixi showed him the coordinates, and Zhou Zhou entered them into the navigation exactly as shown.
"You're too kind." The address given by the other party was a residential area, so Zhou Zhou drove there and went straight to the villa.
Perhaps it was because the sports car engine was too loud, but the villa door was opened from the inside as soon as the car came to a stop.
"Qi Sheng".
"..." Zhou Zhou felt really annoyed. Watching Ye Qisheng hold an umbrella to shield Xia Sixi from the rain, she simply rolled her eyes at Ye Qisheng from an angle where Xia Sixi couldn't see her.
Ye Qisheng: "..."
Ye Qisheng was also surprised to see that Xia Sixi had been brought by Zhou Zhou. He was about to speak when he remembered that Xia Sixi was with him, so he had no choice but to shut his mouth.
Seeing his hesitant expression, Zhou Zhou curled her lips in a mocking smile, but her tone remained polite. "Hello, Teacher Ye. Now that President Xia has arrived home safely, I'll be leaving now."
"Thank you for today, Editor Zhou. I'll treat you to dinner another day."
"……etc."
The two spoke at the same time, and Xia Sixi was slightly taken aback when she heard Ye Qisheng call to stop.
"Sisi, it's windy outside. You should go back inside, or you'll get sick again like you did when you first returned to China a couple of days ago." Ye Qisheng stuffed the umbrella into Xia Sisi's hand, and then got into the passenger seat of the car without Zhou Zhou's permission.
"?" Zhou Zhou really had the urge to kick him off the stage.
“You two know each other? Then you two chat, I’ll go in first.” Xia Sisi was very easy to talk to.
If Zhou Zhou hadn't seen the meaningful look the other person gave her before turning around.
Hehe. "Teacher Ye, is there something you need?" Zhou Zhou tried to control her tone, looking straight ahead and not wanting to glance at anyone beside her. "Please hurry, I'm a married woman. If we get photographed like this, my husband and I will have to explain ourselves again."
"...Can you contact Wen Luo?" Ye Qisheng hesitated for a long time before asking, "Can you help me contact Wen Luo?"
"!" Zhou Zhou's pupils dilated in shock. At this moment, he really wanted to swing the steering wheel and smash the other person's skull to see what was inside.
What kind of person are you? You started something and then abandoned it, you played the role of a substitute lover, you hurt that child's heart and you still have the nerve to contact me?
Bah, I'm not going to be your pawn.
“Luo Luo is great. We talked, and he said he wants to focus on developing his career in the future.” Zhou Zhou looked at Ye Qisheng with a smile and said politely, “So, Teacher Ye, since you’ve separated, you should be carefree and not waste time on both sides.”
After saying that, Zhou Zhou gestured with his eyes towards the villa behind him, making it clear that there was someone waiting for him inside.
The other party's words seemed to shut Ye Qisheng up. He didn't expect the other party to be so decisive, blocking all the words he originally wanted to say. His lips trembled for a long time, but in the end he couldn't utter a sound.
The passenger door opened and closed, and Zhou Zhou watched Ye Qisheng walk into the villa. Although his posture was still as upright as usual, he exuded a silent sadness and frustration.
“…” Zhou Zhou frowned, started the car, and snorted coldly. He thought to himself, “As expected of an actor, he can act affectionate even though he’s a scumbag. Anyone who doesn’t know better would think he’s the one who got dumped.”
[Author's Note: Ye Qisheng: ~%%3F…%2C%23+*'☆%26℃%24︿★%3F (Having no words to express his suffering)]