Chapter 8: Family, dueling, secret hands.

Under the power of the drug, Chi Xiaochi fell asleep, dreaming of the events that happened before he came here.

He is an actor, not a bad mix. 26 years old year won two international A award, a male lead and a male supporting actor, the domestic film of the three gold trophies, he held before the age of 25.

Yet show business is a circle, after all.

Ling Nanguo, one of the top photographers in the industry, is a close friend of Sun Guangren, a famous screenwriter and a valued member of Chi Xiaochi's acting career.

The niece of an acquaintance of Ling Nam-kuo's wanted to make a play, and so she approached Chi Xiaochi in a roundabout way.

Chi Xiaochi took on the task because he wanted to repay Sun's kindness, because the theater was located in his hometown, and because there was a gap in his schedule.

On arriving at the theater, Chi Xiaochi took off her sunglasses, "This theater is still so old and tattered."

Chi Xiaochi's mouth has gotten him into a lot of trouble, and his manager, who has long been conditioned by his unapologetic exclamations, skillfully spoke up to help Chi Xiaochi: "Old and strong, old and strong."

Needless to say, this is the oldest theater in the area, doubling as a drama theater and a movie theater, and Chi Xiaochi's father used to bring her to the movies when she was young.

As for toughness, Chi Xiaochi has the most to say.

During the official show, Chi Xiaochi gave a chandelier into the world thanks to the aging renovation.

Chi Xiaochi woke up from a dream.

Just now, in his dream, he was hit by a chandelier for an infinitely longer period of time.

Lying upside down amidst the wreckage of the crystal chandelier, Chi Xiaochi felt like a carton of soft drinks that had been smashed open, the blood pulsing out of her body.

Good thing it was a dream, it didn't feel like it hurt.

People in the theater, who probably didn't think they'd buy tickets to see such a rare spectacle, rose from their seats, some stepping on stools and pulling out their cell phones to take pictures.

Chi Xiaochi was lying on the ground, thinking, "You guys can take as many pictures as you want, if I die, I will possess myself in the pictures and crawl out in the middle of the night to talk about my life with you guys, and if I don't scare you to death, I'll be counted as a loser.

He lay on the ground and twisted his neck which he could no longer feel.

The layout design of the old theater was not a small problem, there are a few load-bearing columns happen to block the line of sight of the audience in the seats behind the columns, you have to crook your neck to barely see the stage, so the price of the seats behind the columns is much cheaper than the other seats.

He saw that a brother and sister of about ten years of age were peeling themselves against a pillar in the south-east corner, looking at him curiously.

Chi Xiaochi's eyes widened.

The scene in front of him faded and cleared, and the faces of the two watching children changed, becoming two half-grown teenagers, poking their heads behind that column, confused and uneasy at the sudden accident.

Chi Xiaochi moved her fingers and mumbled wordlessly, "...... Lou."

The girl was still trying to look, when the parent behind her drank, and the boy blocked the girl's eyes from behind and took her away.

Chi Xiaochi teeth straight war: "Lou, don't go. Don't go."

He somehow managed to struggle halfway out from under the shattered lamp in a scanty heap, and then woke up.

After waking up Chi Xiaochi took a long thin cigarette in his mouth, didn't light it, took his lips and pursed it.

The system said, "It's three-thirty. You've only been asleep for four hours."

Chi Xiaochi says, "Sleep my ass off, get up and get high."

System: "...... "It's over, not enough awareness, it's gone crazy.

Chi Xiaochi suggested, "Order a movie and watch it together."

The system said helplessly, "It's bedtime."

Chi Xiaochi jumped out of bed, "I wake up at dawn."

System:"...... "Okay.

Cheng Jian thought well of his brother.

Two hundred square feet of apartment with all the amenities and many thoughtful tips added.

For example, there was a post-it note on the liquor cabinet, "It's okay to bring your friends over for a drink, you can drink whatever you want from the lower three compartments, you can drink whatever you want from the middle two compartments, and the upper two compartments are my collection, so if you dare to drink them, I'll break your legs."

Chi Xiaochi laughed, tore off all the sticky notes, folded them into a pile, opened Cheng Yuan's wallet, organized them one by one, and deposited them in it, as if he wanted to keep them as a souvenir.

The system noticed his movements and moved slightly in his mind.

In the real world, "The Cape Murder Case" made Chi Xiaochi an overnight sensation, but within two months, Chi Xiaochi was mired in scandal overnight.

-- In an interview, Chi Xiaochi's parents accused him of not supporting them.

Chi Xiaochi's rise to fame came at a time when the internet was only just beginning to take hold, when people were just beginning to realize the benefits of anonymity, but were not yet aware of the true nature of the information they were receiving.

Chi Xiaochi because of unfiliality, in various BBS and forums were scolded to the skin, and even because of this matter once became a regular guest of various entertainment media, during which a variety of verbal attacks, spittle flying, can be described as a bloody storm.

At the time, everyone thought Chi Xiaochi was finished.

Ten months later, however, Chi Xiaochi starred in the movie "72 Hours", which became the biggest hit of the year.

Knocked off his pedestal, Chi Xiaochi has quickly risen to the top, and his otherwise broken endorsements are coming back to haunt him.

In an interview after 72 Hours became a hit, the host asked Chi Xiaochi about the scandalous incident some time ago.

Chi Xiaochi, who had previously refused to speak publicly about the matter on any program, made an exception and said, "Since I started earning money, I have been paying my parents every month. I still have the bank statement here."

The host was surprised, "So they ......"

"My dad gambles." Chi Xiaochi says, "He gambled away almost all the money I got for The Cape. I helped him plug the hole, but he was still gambling and asking me how much money I would get for 72 Hours. I turned them down and said I would pay them monthly in the future, but they ...... didn't seem too happy about it."

At this point, Chi Xiaochi paused, leaving the presenter and the audience time for reflection and rumination.

The host was just casually asking, simply did not expect to get Chi Xiaochi's reply, not to mention that the truth is actually like this, "Then why didn't ...... explain it some time ago?"

"I was filming during that time." Chi Xiaochi gave a smile, his expression was the cold and calm that he shouldn't have been at that age, "Besides, everyone seems to be happy to see negative news about celebrities. Explaining at that time, would anyone listen to me?"

No wonder Chi Xiaochi haters are hacking him for having a heart of gold.

Not everyone can endure ten months of insulting abuse and press themselves to their lowest ebb before lightly hitting this one-hit wonder.

Not everyone can be like this, dare to glibly in the public eye, the parents who gave birth to raise their own old bottom lifted to the bottom. Do not talk about the bitterness, do not talk about the birth of grace, just the facts.

Even Chi Xiaochi's parents didn't expect their son to go so far.

If you don't move, you move like a thunderbolt, and when you make a move, there is no more room for maneuver.

Overnight, public opinion completely reversed itself, and the sharp-tongued pen took a different direction, attacking Chi Xiaochi's parents.

There was no guidance from anyone as to how 19-year-old Chi Xiaochi should handle this.

It took him ten months, however, to successfully sever the connection with his bloodsucker family, and since then, his parents haven't had the face or the guts to pester him.

But there are still many questions hanging over this encounter.

Six years later, Chi Xiaochi is back on the same talk show with the same host.

She asked him, "July, have you ever thought about that incident with your parents back then, and if there was no '72 Hours of Fright', what would be your future path in film and television? Would it have gone silent?"

July is Chi Xiaochi's English name.

Chi Xiaochi, wearing a turtleneck sweater and leaning on one elbow on the side of a soft sofa, sniffs and laughs, "No, it won't. There's no 72 Hours, there's 36 Hours, 24 Hours."

After six years, Chi Xiaochi is just like this fine sweater he wears with a slightly old color, detached, cold, but with an indelible precious texture.

The hostess eyed him admiringly, "Just that confident?"

Chi Xiaochi replied, "Because it's me, so there."

061 just patched his interview program here before the two sleeping pills Chi Xiaochi was on wore off.

Through Chi Xiaochi's smiling, easy-going demeanor, 061 sees Cheng Yuan, who a few days ago was sitting in a congee store, wrapped in an old down jacket, quietly biting the side of a bun.

His eyes were gentle then, mixed with a bit of soft, bemused bewilderment.

061 Thinking of that look, his heart was vaguely tingling a little.

Why would he go that far in running his own family when he clearly cares about family?

Chi Xiaochi is certainly not responsible for answering his questions.

He pounded the big projector in the living room on, went back to squeezing a glass of vegetable juice, and hunkered down in the couch, fiddling with the remote as he drank.

He said, "It's been a long time since I've had someone to watch a movie with."

Before 061 could speak, Chi Xiaochi said, "Oh, you're not human."

061: "......" is also right.

Chi Xiaochi : "That's okay. What do you want to see?"

061: "Listen to you."

Chi Xiaochi laughed: "Aigoo, quite considerate. You sound like you're pampering your girlfriend. You must be quite popular with your AI."

061: "It was okay."

There's nothing wrong with 061 saying that. He's mild-mannered, always used as a spitting emotional garbage can by the other AIs, and is indeed quite popular.

He quickly added, "But the total system doesn't have an intimacy mode for the AI. There is only pure friendship between us AIs."

Chi Xiaochi taps the remote control buttons to select a movie: "It's really no pursuit. If you don't have conditions, you can still create them. Don't you have zeroes and ones?"

061: "......"

He reacted for a moment, then felt his ears and mind defiled.

Chi Xiaochi chose a horror movie and dimmed the living room light by hand.

At first 061 reminded him, "You turn down the sound, it's still bedtime, don't disturb the neighbors."

"It's soundproofed as hell." Chi Xiaochi was insensitive, "Unless I move an underground drill here to drill for oil right now, no one will complain."

He talks a good game, but as soon as the scary music in the opening credits starts, Chi Xiaochi immediately drops the volume from 40 all the way down to 20.

After two minutes of watching, Chi Xiaochi's teeth begin to chatter.

061: "...... you scared?"

Chi Xiaochi: "Crap."

061: "...... Don't read it if you're afraid."

Chi Xiaochi held a cup over her eyes, "I only watch it when I have company."

The system sighed, not quite understanding the mentality that the more you fear, the more you see.

Still, he had fine-tuned the thermostat system inside Chi Xiaochi's body, regulating the amount of cold sweat so that he wouldn't get uncomfortable.

For the next hour and a half, he became Chi Xiaochi's real-time announcer.

"The ghost didn't come out, don't worry, open your eyes. ...... I won't lie to you."

"At this pace, the heroine will be fine when she turns around, and the ghost is going to come out when she turns around again, eyes closed."

With eyes open and closed, Chi Xiaochi fell asleep on the couch.

061 whispered, "Wake up, go back to bed, it's easy to catch a cold sleeping on the couch."

Chi Xiaochi grunted lowly and rolled over, pulling the thin blanket around her and curling up in a ball.

061: "...... ugh."

A few moments later, a dark shadow floated out in front of the couch.

The tall young man in white and black pants leaned down and took Chi Xiaochi into his arms, blanket and all.

Chi Xiaochi stiffened and quickly opened his eyes.

061 was a little embarrassed, but Chi Xiaochi closed her eyes again after looking at him fixedly for a moment.

Chi Xiaochi thought, dreaming again, this time a good dream.

...... Can t tell Lou to find out that he found him, or he s going to go away again.

061 waited for a while, realizing that Chi Xiaochi seemed to be asleep again, before slowly carrying him into the bedroom.

Chi Xiaochi's side of the world is having a good time, but Yang Baihua's side of the world is very upset.

Returning home exhausted, but no hot soup and hot food, only cold pots and cold stoves, Yang Baihua's heart became more and more unhappy.

He's moving in with his childhood friend? He couldn't wait? He didn't even have time to tell me?

Yang Baihua is very tired, he feels that his passion for Cheng Yuan has gradually decreased lately, even the bed thing is also lack of interest, often still washing up sleepy and weak, how can he still have time to be good with him?

He's so busy with his work, but young Master Cheng Yuan never learns to be understanding.

Yang Baihua is not looking for Cheng Yuan.

According to his experience, Cheng Yuan was often the most indolent one, and would soon call to make up with him anyway.

However, his parents have been here for three or four days, and he has not yet waited for Cheng Yuan's explanation.

When he took his mom and dad out to dinner, he talked extraordinarily little and couldn't stop rubbing his fingers over the leather cover of the steering wheel.

Yang's father, Yang's mother, sat in the backseat, with his cousin, Yang Xiaoyan, on the passenger side.

After sitting in the car for a few days, the two old men were still not over the freshness of the car. Yang's mom was studying the film on the windows, "Nancy, with this on, you can't really see the inside from the outside."

Yang Baihua returned to his senses, nodded and smiled, "Yes."

Yang Xiaoyan is wearing big red nail polish, and her makeup and clothes are very fashionable.

Her cell phone ran out of battery and she borrowed Yang Baihua's cell phone to play with, sniffing wordlessly and skimming her lips.

...... turd.

She swiped through her Twitter feed for a while, replied to a few fans' messages, and then tapped in and out of Yang Baihua's various mobile apps.

Out of a sense of gossip, she secretly poked open the chat logs between Yang Baihua and Cheng Yuan, flipping through a few pages, only to see that a few days ago, Cheng Yuan had sent over three songs, labeled demo 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

Yang Xiaoyan, who also writes the occasional ditty, was certainly interested in her brother Cheng's work, and with a click of her fingertips, clicked play.

Yang Baihua's scalp nearly exploded when the sound of the music echoed through the carriage without warning.

He wanted to snatch the phone off, but he was driving, and was afraid that too much action would cause mom and dad to be suspicious, so he had to do nothing but dry and anxious, with a steady stream of cold sweat seeping out of his palms.

On the other hand, Yang Xiaoyan listened with great joy.

She could hear that it wasn't the finished demo, it was only in its infancy, but the melody was quite creative and skillful, accompanied by small vocal hums that tantalized the heartstrings to no end.

Yang Baihua said with a cold face, "Don't play music indiscriminately, it costs traffic."

Yang Xiaoyan's eyes twinkled and an idea came up, "Did Xiao Cheng write this?"

Yang Baihua's face changed and he winked at Yang Xiaoyan.

Yang Xiaoyan looked at him with bright eyes, pretending not to understand.

Yang Baihua cursed.

The question really caught the attention of the Youngs' mom and dad.

Yang's dad asked, "Cheng? Your brother's friend?"

Yang Xiaoyan replied, "Yes, didn't I tell you? It's my brother's good friend, he's in music."

Yang Baihua's palms were sweating so badly that his grip on the steering wheel slipped a little.

When she heard the words "good friend", Yang's mom still had some expectations, but when she heard the words "musician", Yang's mom's drooping mouth turned downward and made a disdainful expression, which was similar to Yang Xiaoyan's earlier expression.

"Sonny, listen to my mom, don't hang out with those who don't have a serious job, you are different from these people, you are a college student who took the university entrance exams well, step by step, the pride of the sky, this kind of art students, many of them are punks, they study art only when there is no way to go, they have no future."

Yang Baihua didn't say anything, but Yang Xiaoyan said, "Xiao Cheng's family is rich, so it doesn't matter if they love to learn." She then turned to Yang Baihua and pouted, "Brother, isn't it?" She then turned to Yang Baihua and pouted, "Brother, isn't it?"

Yang Ma was embarrassed and looked at Yang Baihua.

Yang Baihua said along with his mother, "It's just writing and singing, it's not much of a career."

Yang's mother regained some face, gave a "ho" and turned to Xiaoyan: "Hear that? Only rich people do these things."

Xiaoyan pretended not to hear and fiddled with Yang Baihua's cell phone, getting more and more excited.

She tentatively asked Yang Baihua, "Did Xiao Cheng write this too? Like before, he didn't plan to sell it?"

Eager to end this topic, Yang Baihua honked the horn and replied in a deep voice, "His family has money, so he doesn't care about this income from selling songs. Besides, he's not happy to let music have anything to do with money."

Yang Xiaoyan was relieved.

She quietly picked out two of those three demos and forwarded them to her WeChat, then moved her finger to quickly and silently delete the forwarding record on Yang Baihua's phone.