"What did you say?" Ji Anxi didn't understand why Zhou Paihuai would suddenly say something like that.
Once he said it, Zhou Paihuai felt even more certain that his thinking was correct. This matter couldn't be explained in just a few words, and besides, they hadn't even finished visiting the Temple of Marriage.
"Let's talk as we walk."
While admiring the ancient architecture of the Marriage Temple, they discussed Zhou Paihuai's guesses, neither of them neglecting either.
"Should my second brother investigate this matter?"
Zhou Paihuai shook his head and said, "Zhou Chengli is a member of the Zhou family after all. Your family is on good terms with them, so there's no need for you to step forward and be the bad guy. Since he sent someone to try and get information out of me, it's enough to prove that I must have taken some photos."
Ji Anxi hadn't thought of that. She asked, "Won't you be in danger?"
There is definitely danger involved. After all, none of the Zhou family members are normal. Zhou Xueyao and Grandma Zhou have both been involved in illegal kidnapping. Zhou Chengli even committed a hit-and-run and then turned around and accused someone else. Now he is suspected of touching something he shouldn't have. He has committed all sorts of illegal and criminal acts.
However, this world is too similar to the world Zhou wanders in. Other things can still be discussed, but once the drug addiction is exposed, even the Heavenly King himself can't save him.
"Don't worry, I'm confident."
Finding evidence would be a great relief, but if not, it would all have been a waste of time.
The fact that Zhou Chengli didn't take direct action but instead sent someone to test the waters shows that he was wary and didn't dare to act directly, which means I am safe.
"Then you should be careful too!"
"I know, and I promise that I will only act as a righteous citizen in this matter and will not let myself get hurt in the slightest!"
"That's good!" A pebble appeared at Ji Anxi's feet. She kicked it away. "Zhou Paihuai, can you promise me that nothing else will happen?"
First, there was the venomous snake, then the car accident, and then there were other personal restrictions he wasn't aware of... Zhou Paihuai always seemed to be in danger, which worried Ji Anxi a lot.
Hearing her words, Zhou Paihuai felt a pang of heartache.
Ji Anxi has a carefree personality, and her family has protected her very well, so she has never encountered anything that worries her... except for worrying about herself.
"I really won't do it again, don't worry!"
Chapter 106 Foot Injury
Zhou Paihuai and Ji Anxi originally planned to stay in H City for three full days, but as soon as they returned to the hotel from the Temple of Marriage, they received a message from Cheng Minxin.
The movie that was released earlier won an award, and as the undisputed lead actress, Ji Anxi was also nominated for Best Actress, and has a high probability of winning, so she has to rush back.
"Why the rush?" Although he asked, Zhou Paihuai still started packing his luggage. He would miss tonight's flight, and the earliest flight was tomorrow morning. Fortunately, the awards ceremony was in the evening.
Ji Anxi shook her head and said, "I don't know either. Sister Cheng said that the organizers messed up the process, which is why it's so rushed." However, the event is scheduled for the evening, so I think everyone who was invited will be able to get back.
Zhou Paihuai was packing his things when he suddenly looked down and smiled: "Fate is really quite interesting."
"What?"
Zhou hesitated, thinking that the original owner and he himself had played many roles, including movies, TV series and web series. They had played leading roles, supporting roles and even cameo roles in some very popular ones. But after so many years in the industry, they had hardly ever won a Best Actress award, let alone been nominated for one.
Now, the first film starring The Black Powder has not only received a nomination, but also has a high probability of winning an award.
However, her laughter was more of a reflection on fate than an expression of envy for her haters. Her ambitions lay elsewhere; it would be strange if she had become a Best Actress so easily.
"It's nothing!" Zhou Huaihuai pinched Ji Anxi's cheek and teased, "You won't look down on me after you become a movie queen, will you?"
Although she knew she was joking, Ji Anxi still said righteously, "What nonsense are you talking about? In the world of feelings, there is only liking and disliking, not disliking and not disliking."
"Yes, as long as I like you and you like me, no one can dislike us!" Zhou Huaihuai kissed her forehead. "Alright, everything's packed. I've booked the plane tickets for tomorrow morning. We need to get up early, so go to sleep!"
After a night, Zhou Paihuai and Ji Anxi packed their luggage and boarded a plane from H City to A City.
Two hours later, Ji Anxi and Zhou Paihuai were already sitting in the nanny car sent by Cheng Minxin.
"Not bad, you came back pretty early!" Cheng Minxin was very satisfied; the two of them hadn't missed any work.
Ji Anxi straightened her back and said, "Of course, work is more important. As for travel, there will be many more opportunities in the future."
Zhou lingered to the side, secretly amused. Don't think she didn't know that Ji Anxi could be so righteous because she had been to all the places she wanted to go.
"Are you going back to the office to memorize your lines, or... ..."
"I'm going home first!" Ji Anxi definitely wanted to go home. Memorizing lines at the company sounded miserable, while at home she could at least lie down and memorize them.
Since the event starts in the evening and there's no rush to do her hair and makeup, Cheng Minxin naturally agreed.
"Then I'll take you home first, and I'll have Xiaolin come pick you up when it's time."
"no problem!"
... ...
The evening event proceeded as scheduled. Ji Anxi was indeed nominated, but did not win an award.
The actress who ultimately won the Best Actress award certainly possessed excellent acting skills, but it's debatable whether she was significantly better than Ji Anxi. Moreover, Ji Anxi had a substantial role in the film, firmly establishing herself as the lead actress, while the Best Actress winner, despite having the most screen time among the female characters, was overshadowed by the male lead.
Once the results were released, the internet naturally erupted into a war between haters.
Ji Anxi's fans believed that the organizers had rigged the event, while another fan felt that Ji Anxi was a newcomer whose acting skills were not outstanding, so what right did she have to think she would win an award and put down her seniors... In short, fans, haters, and casual observers alike argued fiercely on Weibo.
Although it was her first film, Ji Anxi, who had hoped to win an award, was a little disappointed. However, she was not as bad as some people online speculated, that she would lose confidence in the industry or give up on herself because of an award.
She did look unhappy during the group photo, but that was because she was wearing 10-centimeter high heels. She's not some seasoned veteran in the entertainment industry; this was her first time attending such a formal event, and therefore, her first time wearing such high heels.
Even with all her caution, Ji Anxi still twisted her ankle. When she went up to take a photo, her foot was in excruciating pain. Under such circumstances, how could she possibly have a pleasant expression in front of the camera?
So while the internet was abuzz with talk of divine inspiration, the person in question was tragically in the hospital getting their bones set and medicine applied.
It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, and Ji Anxi really did sprain her ankle. Moreover, for the sake of her so-called face, she went onto the filming stage herself and then walked off on her own. It wasn't a big deal at first, but now it's become quite serious.
Zhou looked at her swollen ankle, feeling both amused and exasperated: "It's not like you're the one receiving the award, so why are you in such a hurry to go on stage?"
"How could I have imagined that I wouldn't be able to lift my feet after wearing these shoes?" She almost cried when the medicine was applied, but Zhou Paihuai not only didn't comfort her, but also blamed her.
"I told you to practice more often..." Thinking back to when she first transmigrated into the original body, she was also very uncomfortable wearing these shoes, but she never sprained her ankle. This little black fan really doesn't know how to take care of herself.
"Hmph, I'd rather die from the pain!" Ji Anxi was in pain and still got criticized. Although she knew it was for her own good, she still threw a little tantrum. "Leave me alone!"
"I can't bear to." Zhou Paihuai gently touched the area where the medicine had been applied, and finding it dry, he walked over and squatted down in front of her. "Come on up!"
The doctor said she could go home once the medicine dried, but she was in so much pain that she couldn't even put her feet on the ground, so she couldn't just jump back.
Where Zhou could not see, Ji Anxi's face was full of smiles as she lay on top of her, pressing her entire body weight onto her.
Am I heavy?
"You're so thin, I can't even feel your presence!"
Are you lying to me?
Why would I lie to you? Look at me, I haven't even been out of breath after carrying you for so long!
“... ..."
Chapter 107 She Owes Her Fans a Goodbye
Ji Anxi initially thought her foot injury was nothing serious and would heal in a few days, but she insisted on taking a bath by herself and ended up bumping into the bathtub, almost ending up in the hospital again.
"you... ..."
Ji Anxi's face turned pale with pain, but she still bravely said, "I'm fine, but you have to help me ask for leave." She was supposed to attend an event in a couple of days, but it seemed unlikely she would be able to go now.
After Zhou Paihuai helped her to bed, he handed her his phone again: "You'll have to bear Sister Cheng's anger yourself."
It wasn't for any other reason than that Zhou's credibility with Cheng Minxin wasn't high, and if she made this call, she might be accused of being cunning. It would be easier for Sister Cheng to believe Ji Anxi if she called herself.
Cheng Minxin was speechless when she received the call, but fortunately the event was not important and it wouldn't matter whether Ji Anxi went or not. However, she had recently been negotiating a movie contract with Ji Anxi, which was almost finalized, but Ji Anxi still needed to meet the director.
"You just stay home and rest to recover from your injury. Don't do anything else."
"I know, I can't do anything like this!" She was in so much pain, and if she did anything else, she would become a cripple.
Zhou Paihuai rarely goes out, and now that Ji Anxi is injured, it's even less likely that she will.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of you at home these next few days and make you pig's feet soup every day."
"... ... " Although you can treat the symptoms by eating certain foods, she injured her ankle, not her toes.
However, Zhou Paihuai's stewed pig's feet soup was exceptional. Ji Anxi thought for a moment and swallowed her rebuttal. She obediently waited for the soup to finish.
... ...
After lunch, Ji Anxi was put to bed.
Heaven knows how long it's been since she last took a nap, how could she possibly fall asleep? She tossed and turned in bed for a long time, but couldn't wake Zhou Paihuai. Annoyed, she started to get mischievous, sometimes flicking her nose, sometimes tickling her with her hair...
"What are you doing?" Zhou Huaihuai finally woke up from the torment, and the first thing he did before even opening his eyes was to grab her mischievous hand.
"I can't sleep!" Ji Anxi not only didn't think she was wrong, but her voice also carried a hint of barely perceptible grievance. "I'm bored!"
Seeing Ji Anxi's deliberately wide-eyed expression, Zhou Paihuai was certain she wasn't sleepy, so he got up and grabbed his phone: "If you're not sleepy, help me look at the photos and videos!"
It all comes down to Zhou Chengli's affair. I don't know if she really didn't get any footage, or if she subconsciously thought there wasn't any and therefore couldn't tell... Since the haters are so bored, they might as well do the hard work.
During that period, Zhou Huaihuai liked to go outside and shoot videos whenever he had free time in order to collect materials, so he made a lot of videos, which have now all been imported into his phone.
"You're watching too?" Ji Anxi's eyes lit up.
But to everyone's surprise, Zhou Huai shook his head and said, "I won't look. You stay here by yourself. I'm going to the study. Call me if you need anything."
Her writing time begins after her afternoon nap every day, without fail, unless she's not home. After all, she has a group of eager readers, and she's often busy, so having a stockpile of drafts is essential.
“Okay.” Ji Anxi actually had no idea what she was doing in the study, but everyone should have their own secrets.
I was scrolling through videos out of sheer boredom. They were mostly landscape photos and videos. I have to say, Zhou Paihuai's photography skills were really not good. Not only was the material itself uninteresting, but one of the photos was also blurry, as if a cat had pounced on her lens.
She saw another video. Ji Anxi had initially watched it at double speed, but when an important part flashed by, she switched it to full speed to watch it again.
"Zhou Paihuai, come here quickly!"
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Zhou Paihuai ran over, thinking that something had happened to Ji Anxi again.
Unexpectedly, when she arrived, Ji Anxi indeed held up her phone and showed it to her: "Look, I found the evidence you wanted!"
Zhou Paihuai took the phone and saw that he had actually filmed Zhou Chengli taking money and making a deal with someone else. Although the video was a bit blurry and the voices were not clear, he could not hear the people in the video.
But Zhou Chengli took a packet of white powder from the person opposite him and gave him a stack of money. Anyone with a brain would know what was going on.