Zhou Paihuai never expected that Yang Anqi and her agent would have such a huge disagreement because of him, and that the two would even part ways in the near future. But that's a story for another time.
Zhou Paihuai's small apartment was quite lively at the moment, because Cheng Minxin, after finishing her work at the company, brought her assistant to keep Zhou Paihuai company, afraid that she might have some psychological trauma. Seeing that Zhou Paihuai seemed to have plenty of energy, the two of them knew that she had no intention of getting a proper rest.
Cheng Minxin ordered, "Go and rest now, don't waste time!"
Zhou Paihuai pointed to the clock on the wall and said, "Sister Cheng, open your eyes and look carefully. It's not even six o'clock yet!" How crazy must she be to start sleeping at six in the afternoon? Usually, she hasn't even eaten dinner by this time.
"..." Cheng Minxin was taken aback by her words and said, "It's not like you can't sleep at six o'clock. Didn't we give you a few days off? That's so you can get some rest."
Zhou lingered with a slight smile, shook his head, and said, "Sister Cheng, I'm really fine. Look at me, I don't look like someone who's been scared. I'm not that timid."
Hearing this, Cheng Minxin was stunned for a moment. Yes, Zhou Paihuai wasn't that timid; she was very strong. But when Cheng Minxin first met Zhou Paihuai, she was still a timid minor. How timid Zhou Paihuai was back then! She didn't dare to speak loudly in front of people, and her hand trembled when she wrote on a contract. Now, the words on her first contract are all crooked and messy.
"Yes, you're getting stronger and stronger!" Cheng Minxin's tone was gratified, but there was also a sense of regret that she hadn't been able to protect Zhou Paihuai. Although she was his manager, she had always treated Zhou Paihuai like a younger sister for many years, and she felt that she hadn't been a good enough older sister.
"Yeah, I was so scared of a cockroach that I hid in the bathroom and didn't dare to go out. It's really funny when I think about it!" Zhou Paihuai suddenly recalled the "funny" things the original owner had written in her diary and couldn't help but laugh. "But don't worry, Sister Cheng, I'm really not scared. It's not like someone threw sulfuric acid at me. Right now, I'm just angry and have no other thoughts."
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey—!" Tang Xiaole quickly said, "Zhouzhou, don't talk nonsense. How can you curse yourself? You have no idea how scared I was when I saw this on the news. If someone really threw sulfuric acid at you, would Sister Cheng and I even survive?"
"Pfft~" Zhou Paihuai was amused by Tang Xiaole's expression. She could tell that Tang Xiaole was really scared. She straightened her expression and said, "Don't worry, I will protect myself. This kind of thing will only happen once, and it will never happen a second time."
... ...
After three hours of continuous classes, Ji Anxi finally breathed a sigh of relief and tidied up her notes before putting them away.
"Which cafeteria should we eat at today?" There are three cafeterias next to Building 9, and every time after class in Building 9, the roommates would argue about which one to eat at. Ji Anxi usually didn't participate in the arguments because she was fine with eating anywhere.
"Café C?"
"F Cafeteria!"
"E Cafeteria".
Once again, the three people gave three different answers.
"..." Ji Anxi glanced at her watch and said, "Forget it, by the time you finish arguing, there won't be any food left in the cafeteria. Let's go to Cafeteria A for stir-fries, it's on me!"
"Really?" This time, the three roommates exclaimed in unison, "Anxi, you're so great!"
Cafeteria A is also very close to Building 9; it only takes about ten minutes for a group of people to stroll there at a leisurely pace.
On the way, Ji Anxi's roommate Ding Xinran asked, "Anxi, you seem to be in a good mood today. Did something good happen?"
“You didn’t know that? Didn’t it break yesterday that the celebrity Zhou Paihuai was attacked? Anxi is a hater of Zhou Paihuai. She couldn’t do it herself, but someone helped her teach her a lesson. How could she not be in a good mood?” said another roommate, Qiao Yanyan.
"..." Ji Anxi was silent for a while, then suddenly cleared her throat and said, "Actually, I'm no longer her hater."
"Huh?" Even Chen Nuoxi, who was usually quite calm, unconsciously added a tone to her voice, "You're not a hater anymore? It seems like you can see everything after a while. So, have you gone from hater to fan or from hater to neutral?"
From hater to fan or from hater to neutral? Ji Anxi herself wasn't quite sure. She could only be sure that she was no longer a hater. As for whether she was a fan or a neutral observer, it didn't feel quite right. She was probably more like... more like Zhou Paihuai's friend, a friend who was always on Zhou Paihuai's QQ account. She could basically get a response whenever she spoke to Zhou Paihuai.
"Why aren't you being so mean all of a sudden?" Qiao Yanyan asked again before Ji Anxi could answer. After all, Ji Anxi's criticism of Zhou Paihuai was so genuine and heartfelt. Wasn't she furious and depressed for a long time after hearing about Zhou Paihuai's birthday party last time?
Ji Anxi is proud and aloof, and always says one thing but means another. Although she could come up with a whole bunch of reasons not to criticize Zhou Paihuai, she found it hard to actually praise him. Finally, she reluctantly said, "Well, didn't I see a variety show episode before? She's pretty good at games!" Not only is she good, but she also helps me rank up every day!
“Yeah, our sweet Anxi has recently become obsessed with playing games. We watch her play every day, but there are no game records,” Ding Xinran said. “Anxi, have you blocked us from playing games?”
"No!" I didn't block them, but I've never logged into WeChat to use it.
Chen Nuoxi said, "Speaking of which, Zhou Paihuai is very good at the game. I watched her live stream a few times before and learned a few tips from her, which made it much easier for me to rank up. Moreover, the heroes she likes to play overlap quite a bit with the heroes I like to play."
"Yeah, putting everything else aside, I feel like even most professional players can't beat her Jones!"
"Of course it can't compare. Jones is a hero that can only be picked by specific players and specific team compositions, so it's too useless for the game. Most professional players won't practice this hero!"
“... ..."
Seeing her roommates start discussing Zhou Paihuai's gaming habits, Ji Anxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least she didn't have to deal with them about why she didn't criticize Zhou Paihuai anymore. If there were any more scandals about Zhou Paihuai in the future, they probably wouldn't excitedly tell her about them anymore.
"Anxi, shall we rank up together later?" Ding Xinran still called out to Ji Anxi.
While eating, Ji Anxi declined, saying, "I'd better not. I've had several classes today, and the professor assigned a lot of homework. I'd better finish my homework first!" She realized that she probably just enjoyed playing games with Zhou Paihuai, and decided to skip playing with her roommates.
--------------------
Author's Note:
The first time I didn't send the whole thing.
Chapter 44 Screenwriter Qin was just in the parking lot
Three days passed quickly. After resting for a few days, Zhou had to return to the film crew for shooting. To ensure she could arrive on set on time for her return, Cheng Minxin specifically asked Tang Xiaole to stay at the apartment with her overnight.
It was certainly a good thing that someone prepared breakfast for her the next day, but seeing Tang Xiaole, who was countless times more nervous than herself, Zhou Paihuai couldn't be happy at all. Looking at Tang Xiaole, who was all dressed up and ready to go, and didn't even plan to sleep that night, she finally couldn't help but say, "Xiaole, although I like to sleep in, I've really been late a handful of times. You're not really planning to stay up all night, are you?"
“I’ve been having this dream for the past few days. You were late for the film set, and as a result, the director and the others ganged up on you.” Tang Xiaole did have this plan. “I think this dream is a premonition, so I can’t sleep. Besides, it’s okay to stay up for one night.”
"...I'm not a child anymore, I'm not so easily bullied. You're really overthinking it! I'm telling you, go to sleep now, I can't sleep either if you don't. If you go to the set with dark circles under your eyes tomorrow, that will really upset the director." After all, as a traffic star with little acting skill, Zhou Paihuai's only redeeming quality is his face.
"But..." Tang Xiaole was caught in a dilemma.
"I promise you, I'll be on set on time tomorrow!" Zhou Huaihuai made a promise and guarantee in front of her, and set several alarms in a row, finally dispelling her doubts with his actions.
"Oh well!"
... ...
The next morning, Tang Xiaole jumped out of bed the moment her alarm rang. She glanced at her phone; thankfully, it was only seven o'clock, not too late. After washing up and preparing breakfast, it would take her about twenty minutes, and Zhouzhou could sleep for another fifteen minutes.
Tang Xiaole thought to herself that she would wake Zhou Zhou up in fifteen minutes, but when she opened the door, she was shocked to see Zhou Huaihuai busy in the kitchen. She stared wide-eyed in fright and glanced at the clock on the wall in disbelief.
"Zhou Zhou, why are you up?"
Zhou Paihuai cut the eggs and placed them on a plate before saying unhurriedly, "I told you there was no need to rush. I've been getting up quite early lately. Go wash up and have breakfast!"
After washing up, Tang Xiaole sat down to eat breakfast, still unable to believe it. But the fact was right in front of her, and she could only believe that Zhou Zhou had been traumatized. She felt even more sorry for Zhou Zhou and even wanted to give her a hug.
Seeing his assistant about to cause trouble again, Zhou Paihuai picked up a glass of hot milk and held it in front of him, saying, "Eat quickly, stop dawdling. I said I wouldn't be late today, and I won't be. I'm fine, I don't need your comfort!" He was quite indifferent.
Tang Xiaole's words were immediately swallowed back. After she finished eating and went to the kitchen to clean up, she couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Actually, what I wanted to say was not to make promises lightly!"
... ...
Whether it was Tang Xiaole's bad luck or Zhou Paihuai's bad luck, they managed to leave home before 8 o'clock without any problems, avoiding the morning rush hour. However, when they were less than 3 kilometers away from the film set, they were completely stuck on the road and couldn't move forward a single step for ten minutes.
“... ..."
Both Zhou Paihuai, who was in the car, and Tang Xiaole, who was driving, were speechless. The road ahead had been smooth, so where did all these cars stuck in traffic come from? Normally, Zhou Paihuai might have simply disguised herself and gotten out of the car to go to the film set, but today, because Tang Xiaole was there, she didn't wear a hat or mask at all.
"Wait in the car, I'll go down and ask?"
"Roll down your window, the traffic cop is standing next to you, just ask him!" Zhou Paihuai glanced at the driver's side window. Tang Xiaole had been driving and probably hadn't noticed, but even this traffic cop on a motorcycle had been stuck here for more than five minutes.
The two of them were in the car, watching the time tick by. Finally, Zhou Paihuai couldn't stand it anymore. She put her phone in her pocket and said, "Anyway, you're not cold in the car with the air conditioning on. Give me your coat."
"What are you doing? You're not really going to walk over there, are you?" Tang Xiaole felt this was inappropriate. After all, with a coat over her head, she looked like she was going to rob a bank. Zhou Paihuai was a public figure; what if she was recognized? Would she still be able to work in this industry? There might even be headlines like "Famous Actress Suspected of Mental Instability Due to Fan Attacks." Seeing Zhou Paihuai's determined gaze, the assistant couldn't help but say, "Why don't you ask Sister Cheng for permission?"
"What's there to ask for permission for?" Zhou Paihuai was utterly speechless. He pulled his clothes over his head and tried to open the car door, but the door wouldn't open. Undeterred, Zhou Paihuai tried again, nearly cutting his hand in the process, but the door still wouldn't open.
"By the way, the door over there is broken and can't be opened!" Tang Xiaole saw her action in the rearview mirror and kindly reminded her.
The right-side door was broken and couldn't be opened, and the left-side door was right next to another car. Even if it could be opened with difficulty, Zhou Paihuai wasn't thin enough to squeeze through a crack.
"..." Zhou Paihuai pulled the clothes off his head in frustration, helplessly took out his phone, and handed it to Tang Xiaole. "I feel that recording a video to prove my innocence is not enough. Why don't you call Sister Cheng and explain to her with your dream that I didn't mean to be late!"
Who would believe it if I told them? She got up before six o'clock today, got ready and left before seven-thirty, and now it's nine-thirty and she's still stuck in traffic.
Tang Xiaole was certainly not stupid enough to answer the phone. In fact, she was even more afraid of Sister Cheng than Zhou Paihuai, so she said, "Why don't you call the director first? We don't know how long we'll be stuck in traffic here!" This was the first time in Tang Xiaole's life that she had been stuck in traffic for so long.
"I've already contacted the director." Zhou Paihuai hadn't forgotten this. The crew's budget was burning through every day, and every camera position was arranged in advance. She would feel bad if they waited for her for nothing. "It looks like this road is blocked. I'll take a nap first!" Getting up too early still makes me sleepy.
Zhou Paihuai fell asleep shortly after lying down. When he was woken up, the car was already parked in the film set's parking lot. Zhou Paihuai opened his eyes and saw the dark side of the road, exclaiming in surprise, "Were we stuck in traffic all night?"
"No, it's just past noon!" Tang Xiaole handed her the phone. "Are you hungry? If you are, I'll take you to eat first."
"Forget it, let's just go up!" Zhou Paihuai wasn't physically tired or hungry, but she was mentally exhausted. She hadn't wanted to be the center of attention, but she'd made a huge fuss over nothing. Going up now would at least save her from being noticed by a few people. Fortunately, although she had just taken a nap, her makeup hadn't been ruined.
"Zhouzhou, do you have a lot of scenes to film today?" Tang Xiaole asked her as they walked to the set. "Are you tired?"
"How tiring can filming a sitcom be?" Zhou Huai glanced at her in surprise. There was no need to ride horses or fly; if there was anything uncomfortable about it, it was that reciting the lines was genuinely embarrassing. As for today's scenes, the director's mind kept changing, and there was never a day when filming was completely on schedule, so she had no idea how many scenes she would have.
"Keep your voice down, walls have ears." Tang Xiaole was really tired. Zhou Zhou dared to talk nonsense on set, wasn't she afraid of being overheard?
Zhou Huaihuai said confidently, "Don't worry, there's hardly anyone on set right now."
When she arrived at the film set, everyone had almost finished eating. When Zhou Peihuai arrived, the director immediately beckoned her over, seemingly not caring that she hadn't come that morning.
"Zhou Zhou, come shoot this scene this afternoon. You haven't been here for a few days. How are your lines? Do you need some time to familiarize yourself with them?"
Zhou Huaihuai gave the director an "OK" sign. The lines in this scene were few and brief, so there were no problems.
While the crew was preparing, the director chatted with Zhou Paihuai: "Zhou Zhou, your film will be wrapped up soon. If there's a chance, we can continue to work together."
"I am honored that the director thinks so highly of me!" Zhou Huai smiled, but he didn't take it too seriously. He usually negotiates all his acting contracts directly with his agent, so this was just casual conversation.
But the director didn't seem to be joking. He even said, "That's perfect. Screenwriter Qin is here today too. You can chat with her later. If you have a good chat, she might even be able to tailor a role just for you!"
"Screenwriter Qin?" Zhou Paihuai tried hard to recall. It seemed to be the screenwriter of this drama. She really couldn't imagine what kind of role this screenwriter Qin would tailor-make for her. Fortunately, she was expressionless, so she didn't show any strange expression. "That's great! When will screenwriter Qin arrive?"
"He should be here soon. He arrived at the parking lot just as you came. He should go grab a bite to eat first!"
“... ..."
Chapter 45: I'm afraid she'll change the script.
The director only spoke a few words to her before telling her to find someone to rehearse her lines with. Zhou Paihuai, at that moment, was in no mood to think about finding someone to rehearse with. She walked dejectedly to Tang Xiaole and said, "I'm finished!"
"What's wrong?" Tang Xiaole asked anxiously. "Did the director say something to you?" Although it was wrong of them to be late, wasn't the director going a bit too far by talking about them like that?
"Don't get agitated, the director didn't say anything to me!" Seeing Tang Xiaole looking like she was about to start a fight, Zhou Paihuai shook his head and said, "But I have some bad news for you."
"What bad news?" Since the director is so magnanimous, what bad news could there be? Besides, Tang Xiaole just glanced at him from afar, and the smile on his face was very kind. Even if he said something to her, it must be good news.
Zhou Paihuai complained to her in a low voice, "I've been having a lot of bad luck lately. When we were in the underground parking lot, that famous screenwriter Qin was there too. I said that her domineering CEO idol drama was like a sitcom, and she probably heard me."
After hearing this, Tang Xiaole's expression suddenly became very strange. She remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying, "Zhouzhou, when you're not busy anymore, ask Sister Cheng if I can go with you to pray to Buddha!"
"No way!" Zhou Huaihuai's attitude was very firm. If Buddha were to appear, he might destroy her, a soul of unknown origin, first. For safety's sake, she would have to avoid Buddhist temples and Taoist temples from now on.
"You don't believe in metaphysics?" Tang Xiaole advised her, "Actually, it can be quite useful sometimes."