The game was getting more and more exciting, and even Zhou Paihuai's support hero had gotten two kills. Just as she was getting excited, she suddenly heard an unfamiliar female voice in her ear. Zhou Paihuai even wondered if she was hallucinating. Was that her little hater talking? Didn't she never use her mic?
"Is it not allowed? Then forget it." She didn't reply for a long time, and Ji Anxi felt bored and was about to take back what she had said.
“It’s not that it’s impossible, but it seems that we only have fans visiting the set, there’s no precedent for haters visiting the set!” Zhou Paihuai, who didn’t want to refuse the little hater, spoke very quickly, she didn’t even know what she was saying.
A soft chuckle seemed to come through the earphones, and Zhou Paihuai heard the little hater say again, "Do you think I'm a hater or a fan?"
--------------------
Author's Note:
We'll meet soon.
Chapter 47 A rare opportunity to participate in a group activity
Are the little haters still considered her haters? If you were to talk about what the little haters do every day, they certainly do resemble haters, but who plays games with their haters every day?
Zhou Paihuai knew in her heart that she had long since stopped considering the little haters as haters. In fact, that was not quite right. When she first entered the body of the original owner, she did not feel any connection with the people, things, and events around the original owner, so she never considered the little haters as her haters from the beginning.
But to call her a fan is an understatement; she never actually considered the original owner of this body a fan. If she had to define "Little Black Fan," she'd prefer to call her a confidant. Zhou Paihuai might seem talkative with acquaintances, but she absolutely wouldn't open her mouth unless someone initiated a conversation; she preferred to immerse herself in her own world. Little Black Fan was the only person she'd want to talk to when she had nothing else to do.
Although he didn't know how to answer Xiao Heifen for a moment, Zhou Huaihuai's gaming movements were still swift and decisive. Working together with Xiao Heifen, they quickly shattered the opponent's crystal and won the game.
Ji Anxi wanted to wait for Zhou Heipai's answer, so she didn't rush to start the next game. The two were in the same game room. Ji Anxi didn't say anything more, but directly typed to ask her: "Are you going to let me visit the set or not? It's been so long and you still haven't figured out an answer?"
Zhou Huai hesitated to speak, so he started typing a reply: "If you want to visit the set, that's fine. But you know I don't have many fans. Other people have so many fans when they visit the set, and if I visit the set, it'll just be you alone. That would be so awkward."
Excuses, these are all excuses! Ji Anxi has attended Zhou Paihuai's birthday party before. Everyone online thought not many fans would attend, but quite a few fans showed up in the end. Although everyone thinks she only has haters and no fans, with such high popularity, how could she really not have any fans?
Did she think I didn't go to her birthday party, so she lied to me? Ji Anxi was torn between telling her that she had gone to her birthday party.
"How could I not have fans? Besides, even if I'm the only fan, it's not like I can't visit the set, right?" After thinking for a moment, Ji Anxi still didn't tell her that she had gone to her birthday party. After all, she had been so sincere in her criticism back then, and she had even secretly gone to attend someone else's birthday party, and even... ...it would only make her laugh if she told her.
There's no minimum requirement for the number of visitors on set, as long as the maximum isn't too high, so that no one can stop filming. According to this logic, only one fan visiting the set is actually what the director would prefer. But she had already told the crew she wouldn't be having any visits, and now going back on her word for one hater feels a bit odd.
"Tell me the truth, do you want to visit the set, or do you simply want to see me?"
"...What's the difference?" Ji Anxi didn't understand why she was separating the two things. Aren't they the same thing?
But for Zhou Paihuai, this wasn't really a problem. If it were a hater visiting the set as a fan, it would be very troublesome. But if the hater was her friend, albeit just an online friend, and wanted to meet her privately, things would become much easier. Anyway, the crew finished work very early every day, and judging from the hater's schedule, she was probably in college, so it shouldn't be difficult for them to meet.
“I think there is a big difference. If you want to visit the set, you have to wait for me to report to higher authorities and for them to apply through all the levels.”
Holding her phone, Ji Anxi couldn't help but frown. She often saw other fans visiting the set and thought it would be easy, but she didn't expect it to be so troublesome. Just as she was about to type that she should give up, she saw Zhou Paihuai send a new message.
"But if you want to see me, it's much simpler; we can just arrange a time."
Upon seeing the new message, Ji Anxi wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Zhou Paihuai really wasn't joking. This was just some random online friend who had relentlessly smeared her for so long, and she actually wanted to meet him? Given their long-standing friendship built through playing games together, Ji Anxi had completely believed Zhou Paihuai's identity. But now, she couldn't help but suspect that the person she was chatting with might not be Zhou Paihuai himself, but rather a staff member or something.
Having received no response for a long time, Zhou Paihuai was very puzzled. Did the little hater want to visit the set but also wanted her to make arrangements as soon as possible? But this was not something she could decide with a single word, which was a real headache.
"Makes you go bald.jpg ///Makes you have a headache.jpg ///Makes you feel overwhelmed.jpg"
Zhou Huapai sent a few emojis and then a message: "Since you insist, I have no choice but to apply!"
"No need, it's not like I absolutely have to visit the set!"
Let's set a time to meet!
In her haste, Ji Anxi sent the message in two parts. She was becoming increasingly curious about the identity of the person she was chatting and playing games with, and she genuinely wanted to meet Zhou Paihuai. After all, it was broad daylight, and there was no way he could be involved in human trafficking.
The two checked their schedules and went over their times. Finding no problems, they agreed to meet three days later. However, due to Zhou Paihuai's special status, they chose a well-known private restaurant in the city as their meeting place. The restaurant had private rooms, which offered good privacy.
They arranged a time to meet, but the two carefree people... played another game. They'll talk about meeting offline later; building their relationship in the Rift is the best way to go.
… …
"Anxi, let's go shopping for a while. You'll have to take care of dinner by yourself tonight!" After the last class, her roommates, who had dressed up carefully, made plans to go shopping that evening, so they all abandoned Ji Anxi.
It wasn't because they didn't get along with Ji Anxi or wanted to isolate her; it was mainly because Ji Anxi herself didn't like shopping, so she had refused to participate in such group activities since her freshman year. However, with an older sister who was a designer, she didn't have to worry about clothes.
"I'll go too!" For the first time ever, Ji Anxi actually volunteered to join their shopping trip.
Her roommates all looked like they'd seen a ghost, and Qiao Yanyan even reached out to touch her forehead: "Anxi, do you have a fever?"
Ji Anxi dodged her hand and packed her books into her bag, saying, "No, I just want to go shopping and buy some clothes!" As she packed, she felt she should go back to her dorm. She hadn't originally planned to go shopping, so unlike her roommates who were dressed casually for class, she brought four or five books.
"Buy clothes? Didn't you return your wardrobe a few days ago?" Ding Xinran asked.
Although they weren't particularly clear about Ji Anxi's family situation, they knew that the girl was well-off. They had heard that her older sister was a famous fashion designer with so many clothes that they were practically bursting the closet. A few days ago, when she was cleaning out her closet, her roommates and she each took a few pieces.
"..." Ji Anxi didn't know how to explain. These clothes were indeed very nice; her sister had picked them out to best suit her style, and every single one was beautiful. But... but she hadn't chosen them herself. She wanted to pick out a dress herself. "Yeah, the wardrobe was emptied out, wasn't it!"
“... ..."
“... ..."
“... ..."
The three roommates' inner thoughts: You're just talking nonsense. Although we did take a lot of our belongings, your closet is still basically full!
However, since it was a rare opportunity to go shopping together, her three roommates didn't refuse her request. After dropping off their things back at the dorm, the group rushed to the nearest shopping mall to the school. Even if they didn't buy anything, it would be nice to just look around!
I thought Ji Anxi was just going to the mall for fun, but I didn't expect her to be really determined to buy clothes. As soon as she entered the mall, she went straight to the clothing stores and started trying on clothes.
Later, even her roommates who often went shopping couldn't keep up, and Ji Anxi still hadn't found any clothes that satisfied her. She couldn't help but feel discouraged. The mall was big, but she had almost tried on all the clothes. She had heard that the clothes in different stores were all pretty much the same. What if she couldn't find anything suitable?
"Anxi, look!" Qiao Yanyan suddenly pointed ahead, "What do you think of that one?"
Ding Xinran was in great distress and said, "I think it's alright. Anxi, promise me, if this one doesn't fit, then forget it. The mall is about to close!"
Zhou Paihuai held up one finger and said, "This is the last store. I'll try it and then leave!"
Although the store staff were already tidying up, they still warmly greeted them as they entered and helped Ji Anxi get the clothes she wanted. Fortunately, Ji Anxi, who has high standards, also thought the dress was nice and finally bought it.
"Anxi, are you in a relationship?" Chen Nuoxi suddenly blurted out on the way back to school.
"How could that be?" Ji Anxi was clearly in a good mood, having bought suitable clothes. "Why would you think that?"
"It's all because..." The way you're holding those clothes right now is like a lovesick young girl, eager to put on her favorite dress and show it to her beloved. The old saying, "A woman dresses up for the one she loves," is truly accurate.
The other two roommates shared the same sentiment and showed expressions of agreement.
"Nothing of the sort, don't overthink it!" Ji Anxi didn't explain much, and went to pay the bill with the clothes she had been longing for.
Chapter 48: It's not that I can't get into the role, it's that I'm afraid of getting too immersed.
It's not that I can't get into a role, but that I'm afraid of getting too involved.
The day of their agreed meeting arrived quickly. Zhou Paihuai belatedly realized she was a little nervous, so she seemed somewhat absent-minded, not hearing Tang Xiaole call her several times. Fortunately, Zhou Paihuai returned to normal as soon as filming began, so no one else noticed anything amiss.
When she had finished filming her scenes, Tang Xiaole brought her some water and asked softly, "Zhouzhou, what's wrong with you today? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Huh? Do I look terrible?" Zhou Paihuai didn't know why she would ask that. Hearing her say that, she thought her complexion was not good, and hurriedly looked around for a mirror. Seeing that her complexion in the mirror was not bad, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"No, I didn't say you looked terrible, but you seemed distracted today. Are you tired from filming?" Tang Xiaole said with some concern. "Your scenes have been a bit heavy these past few days. If you can't handle it, you should tell the director in advance."
"No." She never filmed for more than three hours a day. If she complained about being tired, wouldn't people with a normal eight-hour workday or even more overtime be working themselves to death?
Although she spoke firmly, the assistant was still worried. She said, "Anyway, I don't have anything to do today. Why don't I take you home?" A couple of days ago, Zhou Paihuai suddenly said that she didn't need to be taken home tonight, and she didn't know why.
Zhou Paihuai was going to see Xiao Heifen today, so he didn't dare let her take him home. He quickly said, "No need, no need. I promised to go home by myself tonight. I'm really fine. You can tell I'm okay just by looking at how healthy I look."
Tang Xiaole wanted to say something more, but the director directly called Zhou Paihuai over.
"I'll go first."
This is Zhou Paihuai's last scene this afternoon. If there are no problems filming this scene, she can leave work early. The reason Zhou Paihuai arranged to meet Xiao Heifen on this day is because she had already planned out today's scenes.
The last scene was actually very simple. It mainly involved Cheng Ya having a mental breakdown after her wrongdoing was discovered, and then smashing up her own room. Zhou Paihuai naively thought before filming that this scene would be very enjoyable to shoot.
When filming officially began, Zhou Huahuai found that her emotions were all off. In fact, not everyone could act this scene well. Zhou Huahuai had always been a rather indifferent person, so it was not easy for her to suddenly burst out with her emotions.
So even after several takes, Zhou Paihuai still couldn't portray Cheng Ya's emotional breakdown mixed with anger, because she had never experienced such emotions before.
"How about we wait a while before filming?" Zhou Huaihuai knew that continuing would be a waste of time, so he asked to go and get some time to get into character.
The director naturally agreed. After Zhou Paihuai took the script, he went into his dressing room. The room wasn't particularly small, but because it was cluttered with things, the space felt very cramped and oppressive. This kind of environment was perfect for cultivating emotions. Zhou Paihuai sat in the corner, completely immersing himself in the role of Cheng Ya.
To outsiders, Cheng Ya was utterly wicked, but initially, she was just a child craving attention. Because she wasn't good enough, no one saw her efforts. Meanwhile, her equally unsuccessful "older sister" easily gained everyone's trust. Things Cheng Ya couldn't have, Cheng Xin could easily obtain. Jealousy fueled her madness, leading her to commit many wrongdoings. Each time, she buried the evidence, never imagining that one day her actions would be exposed.
Now, everyone—her family and friends, and even those Cheng Ya likes—is siding with Cheng Xin and starting to criticize her...
Ten minutes later, Zhou Paihuai came out of the dressing room, gave the director an "OK" sign, and stood in front of the camera.
"Action!"
The director yelled "Action!" but Zhou Paihuai didn't move at first. She just sat in one place, staring intently at one spot. Suddenly, she seemed to hear something. She first glanced towards the door, then suddenly stood up, turned around, and started smashing things in the room, starting with the table, and later even pushed the things on the bed to the ground.
Zhou remained completely silent throughout the entire performance, but the director was so satisfied with her that he forgot to call "cut" until the assistant director reminded him.
"Card--"
With a "cut," Zhou Paihuai's smashing motions gradually stopped. Perhaps she had immersed herself in the role too much, because even after the scene ended, Zhou Paihuai still had a fierce look on her face. Every time she glanced at someone, it felt like she was about to kill someone with a knife, which scared her assistant so much that she didn't dare to talk to her.
"Zhou Zhou—" Tang Xiaole finally mustered the courage to approach Zhou Paihuai after she had removed her makeup and changed her clothes. But before she could even begin to speak, Zhou Paihuai said, "You should go back first, I'm going back too!"
“...Alright then!” Tang Xiaole didn’t dare to refuse Zhou Paihuai’s words at this moment.
After the assistant left, Zhou Paihuai, who was in a hurry to keep her appointment, did not go to the private restaurant immediately. She had been too immersed in Cheng Ya's emotions and had not yet come out of it.
Zhou Paihuai's acting has always been poor, largely because she rarely truly immerses herself in a role to experience the emotions expressed. This doesn't mean she lacks the ability; she previously made a living writing novels. If she lacked even the basic ability to empathize, her novels wouldn't resonate with readers. The reason she's always been reluctant to use this ability in acting is because she fears that, like now, completely becoming immersed in a role would allow the character's joys and sorrows to control her own emotions.
If she were alone, Zhou Paihuai wouldn't worry about losing her composure, but this was on set with many people, and she didn't want others to see this side of her.
Zhou hesitated for a while, hiding in the restroom. Only after her emotions had gradually calmed down did she put on a mask and hat and hurriedly leave the film set. She had only chosen this unavoidable method to keep her appointment on time, and she couldn't afford to be late; that would truly be a loss.
When she arrived at the agreed-upon place, Zhou Paihuai had already returned to her usual self. When the receptionist questioned her with a suspicious look because of her attire, she was still in the mood to joke with her.
"Don't worry, little sister, I booked the room a long time ago. I'm really not a bad person!"
The receptionist looked at her reservation information over and over again before saying, "I'm sorry, the private room you reserved is not occupied yet. Shall I take you there first, or would you like to wait a little while?"
It seems that Xiao Heifan will only come after class, and there might be traffic on the way, so it's uncertain what time she will arrive. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I can go in by myself!" Since coming to this world, she has eaten at this restaurant several times, so she is quite familiar with the place.
... ...
Ji Anxi's situation was going smoothly until she unexpectedly ran into her second brother at the store entrance.
"Anxi—" Ji Anxi couldn't avoid her second brother's gaze at first and was stopped by him.