Mr. Zhou Doesn’t Want to Work Hard Anymore!

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After seeing off all the guests, the night had grown late, and Lu Ji drove Zhou Chenxi back home.

Zhou Chenxi sat in the passenger seat, not saying much, much quieter than before.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Ji chuckled. “Didn’t it scare you at all? Why so quiet all of a sudden?”

Zhou Chenxi came to her senses, deeply doubting her image in Lu Ji’s mind. “I’ve always been quiet, you know!”

Lu Ji paused for a moment and explained, “I did consider that this might be the outcome. I just wanted you to see my true self.”

“This is how I am, right in front of you now.”

“In my eyes, you’ve always been real!” Zhou Chenxi said, bewildered. “Maybe what you see in books and what you see in person are different, and words can’t convey all emotions. But I’ve always felt like I can understand your feelings.”

Lu Ji was slightly taken aback.

Previously, Zhou Chenxi mentioned that he had dreams and had read the book “The Koi Conquers the Entertainment Circle” many times. The plot about Lu Ji varied in each reading, and he empathized strongly with it, even feeling sad for Lu Ji when he woke up.

Lu Ji chuckled. He indeed shouldn’t have underestimated how well Zhou Chenxi understood him.

However, Zhou Chenxi suddenly thought of something. “You said you’ve been reborn twice, and you don’t remember anything from before. But I’ve read about many different ‘yous’ in the book. If these events actually happened, could it be that the ‘us’ from the past in the book were actually different people?”

Lu Ji was momentarily stunned.

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“For instance, if the ‘me’ from the previous life is ‘me,’ then in the life before that, ‘me’ wasn’t ‘me’ anymore. But you’ve been reborn twice, so the ‘you’ from back then would still be ‘you.’ To maintain the stability of the world and even serve the protagonist’s plot, ‘I’ must necessarily exist. So who would ‘I’ be back then? Would it be the ‘me’ that I don’t remember now, or is it actually someone else?”

Zhou Chenxi’s words were quite convoluted, but Lu Ji thought it over and understood.

Indeed, this question is worth pondering. What are those “past lives” that didn’t exist in Lu Ji’s memory or only left vague impressions?

And what about this book?

And what about Luo Xinghe?

Lu Ji drove Zhou Chenxi to a road not far from Zhou’s residence and said, “Let’s stop here. It’s not easy to turn inside.”

In reality, it was possible to turn inside, but entering the surveillance range of Zhou’s residence meant security guards were on constant watch. If they saw him on the security cameras, they would come out to greet him. If they saw that Lu Ji had brought him back, they would surely report it to Zhou’s brother.

For others, that might be acceptable, but as for Lu Ji… Zhou Chenxi really hadn’t thought about how to explain it to his brother.

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While instructing someone to keep their distance from Lu Ji, Zhou Chenxi paradoxically walked closer to him.

Well, he’d better think of a good reason to explain things to his brother first.

Lu Ji lowered the car window and looked outside. “Do you live around here?”

“Yes,” Zhou Chenxi said. “I live with my brother.”

To the left was a wide driveway, and further in, Lu Ji knew it was the villa of the Zhou family’s chairman. This area was very famous, with expensive land prices and top-notch security and protection facilities.

To the right, there was a road that led to a residential area, quite far away. This was a place chosen by ordinary working-class people to live, and the house prices were relatively much cheaper.

In fact, Lu Ji could have driven Zhou Chenxi right to his doorstep, but he was worried that Zhou Chenxi hadn’t explicitly invited him inside, and deep down, he didn’t want him to see where he lived. Perhaps he was afraid that his self-esteem would be damaged if Lu Ji saw where he lived.

Besides, Lu Ji couldn’t think of any other reasons.

Lu Ji was a gentleman. Since Zhou Chenxi didn’t plan to invite him, he respected his choice and said, “Alright, be careful on your way.”

“Sure,” Zhou Chenxi leaned down, resting on the car window, and said to him, “We still need to be careful with Luo Xinghe. Just thinking about it, since we’ve both been reborn, could Luo Xinghe also be reborn? In any case, it’s best to be cautious.”

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Lu Ji fell into deep thought. When he snapped out of it, Zhou Chenxi’s figure had already disappeared by the roadside.

That night, after Lu Ji returned home, he used a pen to jot down the various possibilities Zhou Chenxi had mentioned. Looking at words like “transmigration” and “rebirth” on the paper, Lu Ji thought for a moment, then opened his phone and downloaded a few paid apps. After entering the words “transmigration,” a series of search results popped up.

He scrolled through them and clicked on the one with the highest ratings.

The next day, Zhou Chenxi was lying in bed, about to fall asleep, when his phone suddenly rang.

He startled awake and groggily answered. He heard Zhi Qi’s voice on the other end. “Zhou Chenxi, have you seen the news?”

Why on earth would he be talking about news so early in the morning?

Zhou Chenxi rubbed his eyes. “What news?”

“Luo Xinghe is being boycotted by several insiders,” Zhi Qi said. “They say he’s scheming and not focusing on his career. There were even paparazzi photos of him going in and out of a high-end club yesterday, hanging out with who knows who. And there’s a director named Cui Yuan, right? I don’t know what got into him, but he posted a Weibo this morning, launching a scathing attack on Luo Xinghe, accusing him of being promiscuous and attempting to climb the ladder using unconventional means. In short, the words he used were pretty harsh, and now all the major marketing accounts are reposting it.”

Zhou Chenxi instantly woke up and sat up.

Wherever there’s gossip about Luo Xinghe, there’s him! Seeing Luo Xinghe in trouble is the happiest thing in his life!

Zhou Chenxi said, “Wait for me, I’m going to check it out!”

He hung up the phone.

And indeed, Zhou Chenxi found it. He found Director Cui Yuan’s Weibo, and the most recent post was made just an hour ago. Director Cui was an early riser; he was already berating someone on Weibo:

“Advice for some young people: mind your own business and don’t resort to shady tactics before you even make it big. Improving your professional skills is more important than anything.”

Director Cui didn’t have many followers on Weibo, and he usually posted about his daily life and random thoughts, so the number of comments and likes on his posts was usually low. But today, all the people who followed him had suddenly appeared, asking what had happened.

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Director Cui replied to one of them in the comments: “I’m talking about that actor who’s about to star in a certain game-based movie.”

The power of gossip was immense.

On a Sunday morning, when most young people who had been working hard all week were enjoying their well-deserved rest, Zhou Mingxuan, a workaholic who never took a day off, was on his way to work.

But that didn’t stop everyone’s enthusiasm for gossip. Smartphones could be used anywhere, and soon, people began discussing who Director Cui was referring to in his Weibo post.

It didn’t take long for them to conclude that it was Luo Xinghe.

There were very few game-based movies in production recently, and the most attention-grabbing one was “Dreams of Destiny.” Three young male actors had been officially announced as the male leads, with Luo Xinghe being one of them. Unlike the other two actors, Luo Xinghe had been embroiled in negative news recently, and everyone hadn’t forgotten the news that Lu Ji had revealed earlier. Naturally, they focused their attention on him.

Plus, someone asked Director Cui if he was referring to a female actress, but he quickly denied it.

Then people noticed that Director Cui had only recently started following Luo Xinghe and had even posted a Weibo that seemed to praise him.

Luo Xinghe had acted in a campus drama called “Walking Through Spring and Summer,” which was the director’s experimental work in transitioning from art films to TV dramas.

Director Cui admired this director and had never paid attention to TV dramas before. Recently, he had the idea to watch this drama and thought it was quite artistic. It captured the youthful atmosphere of a school setting and depicted the contradictions in parent-child relationships in contemporary society. The way the young Luo Xinghe appeared in the director’s lens was like poetry.

So, Director Cui immediately wrote a review after watching it.

He often posted long essays on Weibo like this. Those who followed him knew he was obsessed with the art of filmmaking. Everyone was used to it, and it wasn’t until later that his fans realized he had deleted that post along with unfollowing Luo Xinghe.

The internet has a memory. What someone has said and who they’ve followed can be easily checked by anyone who cares enough to look

….

Once this news broke, the PR teams of the other two male leads in “Dreams of Destiny” were in a frenzy. They quickly prepared public relations statements to clarify the situation before it escalated. Only Luo Xinghe and his team remained quiet.

Today, Zhou Chenxi had nothing else to do except lying in bed watching movies and occasionally accepting snacks from the housemaid and the housekeeper. Now, he had another task: checking Weibo.

As noon approached, young people who had been sleeping in began to wake up. Director Cui’s Weibo post was gaining more and more attention, and curious people started gathering under Luo Xinghe’s Weibo, seeking confirmation of the incident.

Zhou Chenxi found the comments quite interesting.

There were those who criticized him:

【Why is it always you? Haven’t you left the entertainment industry yet?”】
【”I’m going to like every comment that criticizes Luo Xinghe [smile emoji] (This comment received 3,381 likes).】
【”Can’t you stop playing the role of Third Hua? Please, leave me some beautiful fantasies about Third Hua crying emoji] (4,568 likes).”】
【 “Now that this has happened to Luo Xinghe, can there be any surprises? Heh, does the accident Lu Ji had before have anything to do with you? Is the injury Zhou Chenxi suffered on the show also related to you? Are you brave enough to answer these questions directly? (2,310 likes).”】

And there were those who defended him:

【”Is there any evidence to prove that he did it? Are you all private detectives? Or do you just believe whatever someone says?”】

any comments below were condemning him

【”I don’t believe Xinghe would do such a thing. I remember when I first met Luo Xinghe, I was a sophomore. I clicked on the drama he acted in during an English class, ‘Walking Through Youth with You,’ and became addicted to it, unable to extricate myself. That youth, resembling a starry river, has been deeply imprinted in my mind…】

Zhou Chenxi shivered, his skin covered in goosebumps. He muttered, ‘Too long, didn’t read,’ as he swiftly scrolled past. He then saw the most upvoted reply below:

【Classmate, focus on your studies at school. Have you passed the English CET-4 and CET-6 exams?】

Zhou Chenxi: ‘Hahaha!’

Others were also puzzled about why Luo Xinghe would do these things:

【Wasn’t his career developing well before? He was doing great in acting, with a promising future. Why is he causing trouble out of nowhere? I don’t understand. (1453 likes)】

Zhou Chenxi also used an alternate account to like one of the comments.

Until the evening, the official account of the game ‘Dream Destiny’ posted a message:

【In order to maintain the character image in the game ‘Dream Destiny,’ it has been decided to terminate the contract with Luo Xinghe, the actor originally cast as Sanhua’er. Regarding the losses caused by this decision, the official team of ‘Dream Destiny’ retains the right to pursue accountability.】

Under the official post, there was an outpouring of applause and praise. Many game fans had originally disagreed with Luo Xinghe playing Sanhua’er and now commended the official team for realizing their mistake. Some fans who had uninstalled the game reinstalled it to show their support.

Some fans secretly messaged the official account, asking if Zhou Chenxi could be cast as Sanhua’er. The official account replied: 【We have already contacted his agent. The agent mentioned that Zhou already has new work arrangements. We wish him a successful career.】

Fans who heard the news were quite disappointed.

In the evening, the director Luo Jitian’s team released a big piece of news again. Luo Jitian’s new movie ‘The Tale of the Cat Demon’ was about to start filming in the film and television city, starring Zhou Chenxi, Ren Qian, and Xie Xueyu.

Most people were taken aback.

Many didn’t know who Zhou Chenxi was, yet he was going to lead in a movie directed by Luo Jitian!

After the news came out, Luo Jitian also posted on Weibo to capitalize on the buzz:

【Come and see whose cat is this? [Photos][Photos][Photos]】

All three pictures were of Zhou Chenxi, showing their strong affection for him.

These three pictures were found online, some were specially requested from Luo Jitian’s assistant, Zhi Qi. Zhi Qi was initially puzzled about why Luo Jitian wanted Zhou Chenxi’s pictures, but now it made sense.

Luo Jitian was also quite skilled at navigating the internet, but much more fashionable than Zhou Mingxuan. Even Zhou Chenxi hadn’t seen that particular photo found online.

The first picture showed Zhou Chenxi on the set of ‘Journey of the Immortals,’ dressed in a costume. Because it was too hot, he had a towel draped over his head. He was sitting on a gaming chair, playing the in-game character Sanhua’er on his phone. The photo was taken from the side, capturing the moment when the actor playing the flute zither intentionally raised both hands to mimic ears, positioning them on Zhou Chenxi’s head.

The second picture was taken by a passerby during the filming of ‘Carp.’ It showed Zhou Chenxi and Lu Ji selling cosmetics in a shopping mall.

After their task, they went behind the mall to change clothes. Zhou Chenxi, dressed as Sanhua’er, and Lu Ji, dressed as a prince, walked side by side. Zhou Chenxi had cat ears on his head, and the person taking the photo added a cat tail to his back, both of them turning away from the camera.

This was the picture Zhou Chenxi had never seen.

The third magical picture was taken by Zhi Qi’s team when Zhou Chenxi had just entered the entertainment industry.

Nobody knew where Luo Jitian got it from.

The photo was a set of images meant for various forms of commercial promotion. One of the photos from that set was even used as Zhou Chenxi’s profile picture on his official Weibo.

When Zhou Chenxi first entered the industry, he had few opportunities, and these promotional photos didn’t find much use. After Tianwang Entertainment’s official account posted a few of these pictures, they were mostly ignored.

Tianwang Entertainment’s official account occasionally posted news about their artists or shared relevant articles. However, since they had very few artists, and none of them were popular, their Weibo posts hardly got any attention, and hardly anyone saw this particular photo.

In that photo, Zhou Chenxi was sitting in the corner of a photo studio against a white wall and wooden floor. Sunlight was streaming in from outside, providing just the right lighting. Following the photographer’s request, Zhou Chenxi extended both hands, lightly forming fists to imitate cat paws, and made a ‘meow meow’ gesture.

Luo Jitian’s Weibo post was soon flooded with shares and comments like ‘so adorable’ and ‘where did this kitty come from?’

“Ding ding,” Zhou Chenxi received messages from his older brother and Lu Ji.

Zhou Chenxi hurriedly opened the messages.

Brother: 【Hehe, it looks great. [Image]】

It was a screenshot of Luo Jitian’s Weibo post.

Lu Ji’s message read: 【It’s my home’s kitty.】

Lu Ji didn’t send a picture, but Zhou Chenxi understood instantly. He hastily replied to his brother: 【’Hehe’ is a term of sarcasm. Next time, you can use ‘hehe,’ ‘haha,’ or ‘hey hey’ instead!】

For Lu Ji, he had to think for a while about his response. After some contemplation, he replied: 【Meow meow meow?】

Author’s Note: Brother: Huh? Did our cat run away and join humans?

Thanks to “某琥,” “八月,” and “半务.” for their “landmines” (hidden surprises)!

Thanks to “简隋英对象,” “团子饭,” “无名,” “星柒,” “神秘路人,” and “南瓜一只帅炸天” for the nourishment!

1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ”

1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ”