Qiao Sixiao smiled strangely.
Ever since she went out for lunch six hours ago, she had been restless.
Her irritable mood even affected her roommate who was assembling Lego blocks in the living room. Seeing Qiao Sixiao pacing back and forth, she couldn't help but remind her:
"There's a treadmill in the gym. Can you stop wandering around here? It's making me dizzy."
Qiao Sixiao stopped and pointed at the door:
"If you don't like it then get out! This is my home. You are just a..."
"A freeloader who's eating and living here for free, I know. But you're really annoying. Do you know how long you've been walking around?"
When relying on someone's charity, one should be conscious of their position. When the landlord says unpleasant things, just ignore them automatically. Retaliating every time is meaningless.
After Qin Wei said that, she went back to following the manual to assemble her blocks.
Qiao Sixiao happened to be in a bad mood. She snapped at Qin Wei while Qin Wei remained calm, simply balling up some tissue and stuffing it in Ju An's ears.
"You can't learn what she just said. We're kids. Kids can't say dirty words."
After patting Ju An's head, she went back to her business.
By now the castle was halfway built, initially taking shape, giving her a sense of accomplishment.
She must strive to finish assembling it before filming starts!
"Qin Wei, what do you think of Chen Xinya as a person?"
After scolding, Qiao Sixiao suddenly asked her this question.
"In what aspect?"
Qin Wei looked at the manual, checking the parts in her hand against it. Chatting with her didn't affect her handicraft at all.
"She worked quite diligently. If I remember correctly, she transitioned from being a model to an actress. We acted together in a TV series before, in the same crew, eating and living together for a few days... No, that's ambiguous. To clarify, eating together means the whole crew ate together; living together means staying at the same hotel, in different rooms..."
Qiao Sixiao impatiently interrupted her words:
"Who asked about that? I'm asking about her as a person."
Qin Wei glanced at her and sighed:
"But I'm telling you that! She kept hovering around me back then, always asking this and that. You also know I have severe social anxiety. So I avoided her, but the more I avoided her, the more she chased me. It was endless.
And she always liked to say nonsense to the media. I was so angry but I couldn't hit her. Later whenever she talked to me I would snap at her, sometimes even getting fierce with her. Then she would tactfully keep her distance from me."
Speaking to this point, Qin Wei got angry recalling it. With nowhere to vent, she simply put down the manual and sat on the sofa, pulling Qiao Sixiao to sit down and take a break:
"And then I met her twice, no, three times this year. She's so annoying! I avoided her but still kept running into her! Whenever we met she would chatter away nonsense!"
She grabbed her roommate's arm, eyes brimming red and lips pouting,
"Next time we meet her, will you deal with her for me? I'm scared..."
"Ew..."
Qiao Sixiao shook her off, suddenly realizing something,
"...Didn't you lose your memory? How do you still remember these things?"
"Yes, but strangely, sometimes when I don't try to recall, these trivial matters occasionally come to mind..."
Saying this, Qin Wei frowned, biting her lips with both hands holding her head, looking very anguished,
"My head hurts, it hurts so much... wah..."
"Then stop thinking about it. I shouldn't have brought it up. Don't think, don't think about anything..."
The roommate hugged her, softly comforting her, then massaged her brow, trying to alleviate her pain,
"Don't think about it anymore. Knowing she's annoying is enough. I shouldn't have asked you so much. In the future when we see her, I'll make sure she stays far away from you, okay..."
"Okay!"
Qin Wei let go and blinked at her,
"My friend, you have to keep your word..."
"..."
Sometimes getting hit is purely deserved.
...
The audition was still ongoing. Director Yuan sat in the hotel conference room earnestly looking through each artist's resume, but was also a bit restless.
It had almost been twenty-four hours and there was no movement from Huanyi's side at all.
She didn't expect that with her fame, there would still be actors she couldn't get!
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but pound the table fiercely.
"Director Yuan...do I have some problem?"
The artist who was self-introducing looked at her nervously.
Director Yuan shook her head and said "wait" before leaving the hotel.
She drove directly to Huanyi Entertainment's company, showed He Hong's business card to the receptionist, and said she wanted to talk to He Hong face to face.
Seeing CEO He's business card, the receptionist knew CEO He wouldn't casually give her card to others. So she didn't dare to be negligent and contacted CEO He. She then personally led Director Yuan to the office.
He Hong was busy working in her office. Seeing Director Yuan show up in person, she quickly came over to greet her and had her assistant Xiao Liu make coffee.
Director Yuan said:
"CEO He, I'm impolite for disturbing your work, but I attach great importance to this casting. I hope we can collaborate.
I'm the kind of person who, once determined about something, needs sufficient reason to change my mind. Miss Qiao's wrist happens to fit the role. I understand your care and protection toward your artists. I can also wait, delaying filming by a month or two. As long as you nod from your side, it’s pressure I can withstand.
We movie-makers tend to be a bit obsessive. Unless someone more suitable turns up, I’m set on her now!"
He Hong kept nodding:
"Director Yuan, working in this industry for so many years, I've come across all kinds of people, met with flattery and scheming. It's truly rare for me to meet someone as sincere as you.
To be candid, I can decide on her jobs and she has to unconditionally obey, but recently I've been thinking of making some changes.
I've always treated her like a child, always overlooking the fact that she has grown up. She doesn't seem to be as immature as I thought. For such an important job arrangement, I want to wait for her to tell me her thoughts."
Director Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. This at least proved the company CEO had no intention of hindering their cooperation. So if she could persuade Qiao Sixiao herself to act, it would work.
"CEO He, I feel you are a strong-willed and overbearing person who also has a strong desire to control. I'm not attacking you, please hear me out. I know you need this kind of attitide in this industry as a woman, sometimes having to bring it out. I once even fought with producers...but that's too much.
When judging people, I like looking at their eyes. Their eyes often give away what they really think. CEO He, when you talk about your artists, your eyes are gentle. Working at your company, they're probably secretly loved and protected by you, right?"
Saying this, Director Yuan lowered her eyes and fell silent for a moment,
"I'm not flattering..."
"You are flattering me."
He Hong maintained a polite smile, narrowing her eyes at Yuan Xintong,
"Don't use your bit of psychological knowledge to speculate about others. Don't be so self-righteous spreading this around. After struggling for decades, I've seen black and white, good and bad. I just ensure I abide by laws and regulations, but can't count myself as a good person either.
My artists, first have to be able to earn me money before qualifying for my care and protection.
Take it as a bit of advice from your industry senior, Director Yuan."
...
"What should we have for dinner?"
Qin Wei looked at the fresh ingredients in the fridge and started feeling conflicted. It had to be nutritious, low in calories, and delicious...
"Qin Wei, your Teacher Yuan called you."
Her roommate walked over from the living room holding her phone.
The phone was ringing with the ID showing:
[Teacher Yuan]
Qin Wei thought for a moment and told her:
"You answer it. I guess the call is for you."
