... ...
The Zhou family's old residence.
Old Mrs. Zhou held a yellowed, old photograph in one hand and stroked the person in the photograph with the other, her mouth open as if she were saying something, but no sound came out.
"Madam, Dr. Zhang has arrived!" the official said, knocking on the door.
Today was Madam Zhou's routine check-up, so Dr. Zhang's arrival wasn't unusual. After Dr. Zhang entered the room, Madam Zhou excused herself to get some water and sent the official away.
"Dr. Zhang, you're someone I trust, so I won't say anything else. Do you think there's a possibility that the DNA results are wrong?" After the housekeeper left, Madam Zhou spoke directly to Dr. Zhang.
Dr. Zhang adjusted his glasses and said, "As long as the sample is fine, the comparison results will be virtually error-free, so you can rest assured about that."
"So, it's still possible for the sample to be replaced?"
Although Dr. Zhang handled the entire operation, the time he received the sample and the time of the comparison were different. It was still possible for someone with malicious intent to switch the sample. He frankly admitted, "If the sample left my sight, it was indeed possible for it to be switched intentionally, and the sample was indeed not in my possession for a period of time. Are you suspicious, ma'am?"
If it were just a fleeting glimpse in City B, Old Madam Zhou wouldn't have thought much of it. After all, the child was in City B, while she had suddenly returned to City A for the test. She didn't believe Xueyao had such abilities. But Xueyao had actually discovered the child in City A. If the child had stayed in City A, Xueyao was very likely to have discovered the child's existence, giving her enough time to make her plans.
"It seems you're still not careful enough!" said Madam Zhou. "After today, come to my regular schedule and don't contact me again!"
"Madam, should we test it again? I promise I'll be careful this time and make sure the sample is perfect!" Dr. Zhang wanted to make amends for his mistake.
"No need!" Old Madam Zhou shook her head. She knew her child, whom she had raised herself, very well. If the sample had indeed been switched, she would find a way to handle it no matter how many times the test was conducted. It would only alert the perpetrator and harm the child. "How am I feeling?"
"Madam has been worrying too much lately and hasn't been sleeping well at night. I'll write a prescription and get her some calming medicine. Just take it on time every day, and she'll be fine in a few days," Dr. Zhang said, based on Madam Zhou's pulse.
"good!"
At this moment, the official brought in water and saw Old Madam Zhou lying on the bed with her eyes closed, saying, "Old Madam, the water is here!"
Madam Zhou said, "Go and get some medicine from Doctor Zhang to cure my problem of not sleeping enough!"
Chapter 64 He's your fan!
Ji Anxi eventually found out about Zhou Paihuai's ban. Her assistant, Mumu, noticed that she was often too close to Zhou Paihuai and couldn't help but remind her to stay away from him. He was the first artist to be banned since the establishment of "Chuangshi". She didn't want the artists she worked with to be implicated, or she would end up in the same awkward situation as Tang Xiaole.
"Are you kidding me?" Ji Anxi's first reaction upon hearing this was, of course, disbelief. Zhou Huaihuai was still taking acting classes. If he was really blacklisted, why would she waste her time taking acting classes?
Mu Mu shook her head and said, "I'm not joking. If you pay attention, you'll find that she's completely marginalized in the company. If it weren't for Sister Cheng's strong support and her contract with the company, she wouldn't even be qualified to join Genesis." She was telling the truth, without exaggeration at all.
"Then... why didn't she tell me?"
“It’s because she’s afraid you’ll ignore her. She’s clinging to you now, but when you become famous, you might be able to help her out!” Although Ji Anxi’s voice was very soft, Mu Mu heard it and blurted out what she considered to be the truth. “But if you continue to get involved with her, you might get dragged down by her. Forget about becoming famous, you might not even be able to act in the future.”
"Impossible, she's not that kind of person!" Ji Anxi was still upset that Zhou Peihuai had kept it from her, but when she heard Mu Mu say that about her, she couldn't help but defend her, "Don't talk nonsense, I'm going to find her and ask her clearly!"
After saying that, Ji Anxi was about to go find Zhou Paihuai. She ran out and almost bumped into someone on the way. She didn't even see the person's face clearly. She hurriedly said "sorry" and ran away.
The person who was bumped into was none other than Cheng Minxin. She stumbled from the impact, and when she regained her balance, she only saw Ji Anxi's back. Well, she couldn't tell who was rushing around like that, but the next moment she saw Mu Mu standing not far away.
"Mumu, who just ran out?"
Mu Mu hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward and said, "The person who just went out was Ji Anxi."
"..." Cheng Minxin was speechless. How come each of her subordinates was more and more unreliable than the last? Those who knew her might think she had something urgent to attend to, but those who didn't might think she was here to participate in a 100-meter sprint! "What's wrong with her? Why is she suddenly running so fast?"
"Just now... just now..." Mumu gritted her teeth and told the truth, "I just told her about Zhou Zhou being blacklisted, and she seems to be in a hurry to go find Zhou Zhou."
Cheng Minxin was speechless. She had wanted to tell Ji Anxi about this for a long time so that Ji Anxi could help her, but before she could, Mu Mu let it slip. However, Zhou Paihuai was indeed very tight-lipped. Cheng Minxin thought that Zhou Paihuai would be the first to ask Ji Anxi for help, after all, the two of them had a good relationship. She didn't expect that she could keep it to herself.
"Sister Cheng, I was wrong, I shouldn't have told her..." Mu Mu burst into tears when she saw that Cheng Minxin didn't react. Although she couldn't save Zhou Paihuai, it would be very easy for her to deal with her little assistant.
"Alright, alright, you've already told her. You didn't lie or cheat, and there's no need to hide it from her!" Cheng Minxin waved her hand. "Follow her and see if she needs a ride!"
"I'll go right now!"
Ji Anxi had no intention of using the car. By the time Mu Mu drove the car out, she was almost at Zhou Paihuai's building.
... ...
Because she had been too busy lately, Zhou Huapai, who had very few drafts left, was writing furiously to save up her manuscripts and type. As a result, she didn't hear Ji Anxi knocking on the door several times.
She didn't hear a knock at the door until she finished writing a chapter. She rushed to open it and found that it was Ji Anxi, who looked rather unhappy.
"What's wrong with you?" Did you suffer some mistreatment while filming? "Come in first." Zhou Paihuai, not knowing what had happened, pulled Ji Anxi inside first.
Ji Anxi looked up at her and asked, "I heard you've been blacklisted, why didn't you tell me?"
Zhou Paihuai immediately let go of her hand, but she felt she had overreacted, so she grabbed her hand again and said, "So that's why you suddenly came over. Actually, this kind of thing is quite common in the entertainment industry, you don't need to make a fuss about it."
"How long has it been? Why didn't you tell me? Has it been more than half a year?" So the drama that Zhou had been filming for a long time suddenly changed actors, and after that, we rarely heard from her. "You actually kept this from me for so long."
Seeing Ji Anxi's eyes redden with anger, Zhou Paihuai tried to comfort her, saying, "You know, I'm naturally lazy. I've been taking a vacation, and I'm doing quite well!"
"Are you kidding me?" Ji Anxi immediately retorted. She wasn't unfamiliar with Zhou Paihuai's carefree attitude; back then, she'd practically wanted to quit the entertainment industry altogether. If she'd been blacklisted then, she probably would have immediately posted a retirement announcement on Weibo and gone off to roam the world. But now she was blacklisted, and she was taking acting classes, diligently studying her craft every day. She didn't want a break at all. "Who did this?"
"Cough~~~" Zhou Huai coughed twice but did not speak.
"...What do you mean? You don't know who's behind this?" Ji Anxi thought Zhou Paihuai was incredibly stupid. "You don't even know who you've offended?"
Since Ji Anxi insisted on coming out herself, Zhou Huapai decided to stop hiding it and said, "Actually, the one who blacklisted me was none other than him, and you know him too."
Ji Anxi was almost frantic. How come she never noticed Zhou Paihuai had this kind of wicked sense of humor before? Something that could be explained in a single sentence had kept her in suspense for so long: "Who is it? Stop beating around the bush!"
“Actually, it’s your second brother, Ji Anbo.” Zhou Paihuai showed her the trending topic he and Ji Anbo had made several months ago. “We were photographed back then, and Sister Cheng even said that there were rumors online that Ji Anbo was my sugar daddy, and there was even some kind of evidence. At first, I couldn’t understand it at all, and I thought that signal detection was pure nonsense because I didn’t know him. But recently I finally have the answer. The signal detection at that time was probably our chat history, so it’s real, and I’m not entirely innocent. Your second brother probably thought I was someone trying to ride the wave of popularity, so I got blacklisted.”
At first, Zhou Paihuai did think Ji Anbo was a bit petty; it was just a misunderstanding, yet she made such a fuss. But after learning about the relationship between the "little hater" and Ji Anbo from Sister Cheng, she felt a sense of relief and didn't dislike Ji Anbo as much anymore. It was all a misunderstanding, and she just paid a price for it.
After hearing her explanation, Ji Anxi was momentarily speechless. She hadn't expected it to be her second brother. After a long silence, Ji Anxi suddenly said, "No, it couldn't be my second brother!"
"Why?"
The matter of Zhou Paihuai being sent to the detention center was only resolved by Ji Anxi asking her second brother for help. At the time, Ji Anbo treated Zhou Paihuai with a degree of unfamiliarity. If Ji Anbo had really blacklisted her, how could things have been so calm? However, Ji Anxi kept that matter a secret from Zhou Paihuai, and she couldn't say it directly. She racked her brains and finally came up with an explanation: "I said it's impossible, and that's final. Because my second brother is your fan. How could your fan possibly find someone to blacklist you? He didn't have unrequited love or turn love into hate."
"Huh?" Zhou Paihuai didn't quite believe it. "Isn't your second brother a business elite? He's a fan of celebrities?" She wouldn't write such a plot in her novels, which would obviously be criticized.
“Of course it’s true!” Ji Anxi presented compelling evidence. “I’ve seen your autographed photo in his room. Why would someone who isn’t a fan collect your autographed photo?” She thought of the photo she had found in the drawer before, and spoke with more confidence.
"If it weren't for your brother, who would be so idle?" Zhou Paihuai began to doubt herself. She must have believed what the haters said, but that made it impossible for her to be blacklisted. She had offended some people in the entertainment industry, but those people didn't have the power to blacklist her through Sister Cheng.
Chapter 65 A Dilemma
After delivering the black powder, Zhou Paihuai received another call from Sister Cheng. Cheng Minxin called mainly to check if Ji Anxi had arrived and if she could help.
“Sister Cheng, the person who blacklisted me wasn’t Second Young Master Ji.” Zhou Paihuai couldn’t help but interrupt her. “We were wrong from the very beginning.”
"Huh? What? Say that again!"
The truth is the truth, no matter how many times it is said. However, in order to satisfy Sister Cheng's request, Zhou Paihuai said it again: the person who blacklisted her was not Young Master Ji at all. However, Sister Cheng investigated many times, and each time it pointed to Young Master Ji. It seems that the person behind the blacklisting her is a bit shady.
Zhou Paihuai had already gotten rid of her hater to help her investigate the mastermind behind this. With the hater's abilities, finding out who was behind it shouldn't be too difficult. She just felt very strange. Logically speaking, she and the original owner of this body hadn't made any irreconcilable enemies with anyone, so who would go to such lengths to blacklist her?
Lately, Zhou Paihuai has been struggling with too many things. To avoid overthinking and getting a headache, she decided to go back to stockpiling drafts. Having time now doesn't mean she'll be as free in the future; if she doesn't stockpile drafts quickly, she won't even have enough money for retirement. Once her train of thought is interrupted, it's really hard to pick it up again. Zhou Paihuai isn't good at writing outlines, so even though she's racking her brains, she can't write anything, and she's itching to play a game.
If he were to confront the hater now, would she think he was neglecting his work? To avoid upsetting his career's haters, Zhou Paihuai abandoned the idea.
But if he didn't play with her and started his own account, it wouldn't be good if she found out. Zhou Paihuai hated this world that hadn't yet developed the "online stealth" function. He registered a new account, but it was all against newbie bots, so playing against them wasn't very interesting.
Just as Zhou was hesitating and debating whether to try a different game, she suddenly received a message from her editor. Upon opening it, she discovered that someone had taken a liking to her novel and was planning to buy the rights.
In her own world, Zhou Paihuai dreamed of one day selling the copyright to her novel, but she never expected that the dream she could never realize in that world would actually come true in this one! Overwhelmed with excitement, she felt like jumping up and spinning around on the spot.
No, don't get carried away! Zhou Huaipai tried to give himself a mental pep talk, temporarily suppressing his excited thoughts, and started replying to the editor.
In fact, the website "Fantasy World Literature Network" that Zhou Paihuai signed with was quite reliable. If the editors could discuss copyright matters with their authors, things would generally go smoothly. The main reason for communicating with the authors was to confirm some details, and also to allow the editors to negotiate a relatively satisfactory price for the authors' copyrights.
However, as they chatted, Zhou Paihuai discovered a rather troublesome problem: if the copyright were to be sold, the author would have to be present at the signing ceremony. What if she were recognized? That would be incredibly embarrassing. She started to plead with the editor, suggesting that since she had signed contracts with the website online before, perhaps they could do it online again, saving her the trouble.
However, the editor flatly rejected her because this time the other party clearly stated that they planned to make a film directly after purchasing the copyright. In order to avoid copyright disputes such as plagiarism and borrowing ideas, it was necessary to identify the primary responsible party, namely the author. If Zhou Paihuai did not go to the scene, then the signing of the contract would be out of the question.
Torn between her burgeoning dream and her precarious online persona, Zhou was caught in a dilemma, unable to make a decision. Finally, she could only send a message to her editor: "Let me think about it some more!"
On the other end of the internet cable, Zhou Paihuai's editor, Qingri, stared at the computer screen. She could feel Xunxiang's (Xunxiang is Zhou Paihuai's pen name) initial joy and excitement, but when she was told to sign the contract on the spot, she immediately hesitated. Could there be something wrong with her identity? Good heavens, could she be some kind of fugitive who is afraid to appear in public? Thinking of this, Qingri immediately deleted her personal contract information.
At this moment, Zhou Paihuai was unaware that her imaginative editor had already given her the persona of a "fugitive criminal." She was still struggling with the decision; the editor had only given her three days to consider it. If she couldn't make a decision after three days, it would be equivalent to automatically giving up this opportunity, and it was uncertain whether she would have a similar opportunity in the future.
Zhou hesitated for a few deep breaths, then opened the computer document again. This time, he forced himself to write even if he couldn't. Only when he was typing could he calm down and think about some issues better.
... ...
As Zhou Paihuai's editor, Qingri naturally had access to her contract information. Editors generally focus more on an author's work than their identity; ID photos and similar documents are merely routine procedures for entering author information. Therefore, she didn't notice that Xunxiang's real name was "Zhou Paihuai," nor did she notice her appearance.
Now that she had deliberately found the signing information for Xunxiang, Qingri naturally recognized Zhou Paihuai's identity immediately. She thought she roughly understood the reason for Zhou Paihuai's hesitation. If she were Zhou Paihuai, she definitely wouldn't want to attend the signing ceremony either, but this was something only she could figure out; what others said was useless.
"Qingri, I heard that another author under your management wants to buy the copyright. You must be making a lot of commission this time, right?" Another editor who sat in the same office as Qingri suddenly asked as it was time to leave work.
This colleague was new, so the editor-in-chief specially arranged for the two of them to share an office. However, Qingri didn't like her very much because her mind wasn't on the authors under her supervision; instead, she was always competing with her and constantly inquiring about the situation of the authors under her supervision.
She had been discussing the matter of finding her hometown with the person in charge of the company that wanted to buy the copyright for several days, but she had been very cautious. She didn't know how this guy had found out, and he was now pestering her with questions. Qingri originally didn't want to pay attention to her, but since the girl had such a playful and smiling face, Qingri couldn't just stay silent.
"It's not decided yet. How can things be settled so easily?" Qingri said dismissively.
"Hey, why are you hiding this from me? I'm not asking you to treat me!" the man said, pursing his lips. "We're all colleagues, don't be so stingy. I also want to learn some experience from you so I can guide my authors and sell their copyrights."
"It's all because others wrote it well. If I could guide them, why would I be doing this exhausting work?" Qingri was speechless. "I'm leaving now, there's an emergency at home!"
Unbeknownst to Qingri, after she left, the colleague who was supposed to leave with her didn't; instead, he returned to the office and even tried to access her computer. However, she had set a personal password on her work computer, preventing him from succeeding!
"Damn, they're really wary!"
Chapter 66 Have you offended anyone?
In order to find out as soon as possible who was behind Zhou Huapai's blacklisting, Ji Anxi directly handed the matter over to Ji Anbo. After all, this matter was also somewhat related to him. He had been taking the blame for the mastermind for more than half a year, so it was good for him to investigate.
She initially thought the results would be out quickly, but a day passed, then two... and there was still no word from her second brother. Impatient as ever, Ji Anxi went directly to his door.
"Second brother, it's been so long, have you found out who this person is yet?"
Ji Anbo shook his head with a serious expression and said, "So far, the results of my investigation have indeed led back to me." If he wasn't certain that he hadn't lost his memory, he would have doubted whether he had really given such an order casually.
Ji Anxi suddenly stared at Ji Anbo and said, "Second brother, tell me the truth, is it because you're taking revenge on Zhou Huaihuai because she didn't accept your advances that you blacklisted her?"
"What unspoken rules?" Jiang Ye came in from outside and happened to hear what Ji Anxi said.
"What unspoken rules? My sister is just talking nonsense!" As soon as Ji Anbo saw Jiang Ye return, he immediately flashed to Jiang Ye's side. "Why are you back so early today?"