Chapter 33: Eight Yuan and Ninety-One Fen, No Rounding Down

Chapter 33: Eight Yuan and Ninety-One Fen, No Rounding Down

Clearly, Good Neighbor had never helped anyone roll up their sleeves before; his technique was clumsy but meticulous. By the time he reached the wrist, the sleeve was neatly folded.

Pink-haired cast a glance at his own sleeve, finally comprehending what Good Neighbor had in mind.

When the other party asked him to extend his arm, Pink-haired had assumed this person wanted a formal handshake. It turned out to be for this task.

His eyes widened slightly as he raised his thumb with his other hand, saying, "Comrade Little Xu, you're truly kind."

Xu Sinian lifted his eyes slightly, waiting for the continuation.

Chen Bai nodded resolutely and said earnestly, "We have to be best friends for life."

It was a declaration akin to that of a schoolboy, yet it came from the depths of his heart.

Xu Sinian: "…"

Having rolled up both sleeves neatly, he straightened up and said, "Alright."

Pink-haired gazed at her hands emerging from her sleeves in the mirror for a moment longer, feeling quite content. She then turned and nestled into the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window, pulling out her phone.

The moment he fished out his phone, Xu Sinian knew exactly what he had in mind.

Sure enough, the person on the sofa skillfully launched the mini-game and patted the space beside them, inviting company.

"Flight Chess, engage!"

Some people become more courageous as they face more setbacks, and the more they cannot win, the more they want to prove themselves, and they are completely obsessed with this little game that is used to relax.

Xu Sinian took a seat beside the person. The latter glanced at his phone, then at him, as if suddenly remembering something. He mentioned how Xu had mentioned earlier that morning that he was free and could be called directly.

Given the quality of his sleep, messages wouldn't rouse him; only a phone call would likely work.

Yet, his considerate neighbor still sent a message. Fortunately, he woke up early enough not to miss it.

Regarding the two messages sent at six in the morning, Xu Sinian paused for a moment before saying, "I listened to them several times, but I couldn't decipher what you were saying."

"?"

Puzzled as to why the term "decipher" was necessary for his own messages, Chen Bai returned to the chat interface and tapped on the two voice notes he had sent that morning.

"..."

Retracting his previous thoughts.

What he had sent couldn't be described as words, but rather a series of indiscernible sounds with slight modulations, interrupted by a pause—presumably when he dozed off mid-recording.

It was akin to a cryptic alien language, one that required mental effort to decipher.

Indeed, my mind at six in the morning is utterly untrustworthy.

Lacking the courage to endure the mystifying sound of his own voice again, Chen Moubai decisively opts for a pause.

Good Neighbor, put to the test, listens several times over. The Pink-haired leader pats him on the shoulder, solemnly remarking, "You've done well."

Good Neighbor plays along, dutifully responding that it was no trouble at all.

The half-started flying chess game restarts anew.

Indeed, today was another day of headbutting good neighbors. With his pillow in his arms, Chen Moubai transitioned from sitting to leaning to lying down, his pupils dimming from bright to lusterless.

Once again trampled back to his roots, his eyes remained calm and placid as he began to ask in tranquility what they would have for lunch and dinner today.

The good neighbor looked down at him and asked, "Are you staying here all day today?"

Pink-haired opened his eyes. "Do you have other plans?"

He said incredulously, "You want me to leave!"

This person had already started acting it out.

"No other arrangements," Xu Sinian said, "I thought you still had other friends to meet today."

His tone was the same as ever, stating facts as if they were, devoid of any ulterior thoughts.

Sliding endlessly on the sofa, the person who had already given up struggling and lay completely flat lifted his eyes. "Friends?"

Xu Sinian gave an example. "Friends you play games with, like the friend who got drunk last time."

In places unbeknownst to him, there might be other friends.

Xu Sinian didn't expect him to still remember the incident with the God of Wealth. Chen Bai waved his hand and said, "I never said we were going to meet."

He flipped like a salted fish onto his side, propping his face up and said, "Even if we arranged to meet, it would have to be on the back burner."

Xu Sinian lowered his gaze to look at him.

Chen Erbai said, "They are friends, but you're his most important good friend."

He drew a clear line between the two.

One of them was not really a friend, merely a client.

Without pay, no worker would want to see the face of a client during their time off.

The game settlement screen popped up on his phone, once again awarding him the last place. The Pink-haired one put down her phone and died a calm death.

In the end, it was his close friend who played alongside him, his friend rolled the dice while he controlled the plane.

Finally free of his usual last-place standing, he sincerely thanked his good friend for his hard work and changed their chat background from a previous photo together to a screenshot of the game's settlement.

At noon, the two ordered room service from the hotel.

Chen Moubai thought that perhaps it was because the dessert at lunch was so delicious that his good neighbor seemed to be in an even better mood than before. When talking to him, she would occasionally smile.

Some people, while still planning their afternoon schedule during lunch, would end up lying on the sofa after eating, directly entering sleep mode.

For the entire afternoon, Pink-haired had shifted her base of operations to the bed, sleeping soundly and deeply, oblivious to the world around her.

When he woke up again, the sky, which hadn't been very bright to begin with, had grown even darker. Checking the time, it was exactly six in the evening.

The man in bed, nursing his slightly aching old back, got up and left his room, finding his good neighbor quietly reading in the living room.

The book was one from the collection already in the living room. Sensing that he had emerged from his room, the good neighbor returned the book to the shelf, urging him to put his coat on first.

His afternoon nap had lasted longer than his usual night's sleep, leaving Chen Erbai rejuvenated. He donned his cool, stylish windbreaker once more, the sleeves still rolled up, negating the need to roll them again.

It was still raining outside, but the living room lights illuminated the space, their warm yellow glow piercing through the glass.

Heading to the film set tomorrow morning, Good Neighbor had to leave tonight.

The heavy rain showed no sign of abating. Before Good Neighbor departed, Chen Bai took off his jacket, intending to return it, and said, "It's probably quite cold outside."

Halfway through unzipping his jacket, someone zipped it back up for him. Good Neighbor insisted he wasn't cold and said, "Keep wearing it; you don't have to return it for now."

Putting his cap and mask back on, he glanced at the hands on his watch. Xu Sinian helped adjust his windbreaker's hood, and looking down, he said, "Let's go down together."

At this hour, there weren't many people in the hotel. The elevator was empty.

The elevator descended, stopping at the floor where Pink-haired had been.

Despite the rain today, there might still be dedicated fans of artists lurking outside, enduring the cold. The cool guy in his windbreaker ultimately stopped at the floor he was on.

Perhaps due to his long nap in the afternoon and the cold-fighting remedies brought by his good neighbor, Chen Erbai felt like he was coming down with a cold this morning. But by evening, he was brimming with energy and vitality.

When he returned to his room that night, it coincided with the crew's knock-off time, and he ran into his scene partner. Thus, he began learning in an odd yet swift manner.

Some people's good moods are evident even without them saying a word.

Between scribbling notes, Zhou Jing turned to ask, "Are you in a good mood today?"

Pink-haired smiled and said, "A friend came to play with me today."

And I won a game of flying chess, naturally my mood is good.

His study partner remarked, "So that's how it is."

With the need to rise at five in the morning the next day, their study session ended at midnight.

The following day on set, brimming with energy, Chen Moubai once again sat side by side with his fellow supporting actor. The ever-informed companion leaned over, whispering, "I heard that Xu Sinian was apparently here yesterday."

This piece of gossip had circulated within several production teams, not yet reaching the internet. It was rumored that someone caught a glimpse of his car.

Those outside the industry only knew of the commercial vehicle he typically used for work. Among those who had collaborated with him, some had seen his private car and had an impression of it. Yesterday, coincidentally, it was spotted in the parking lot, leading to the spread of this news.

Chen Bai nodded and said, "He came for something."

His companion agreed, but after asking around, no one had heard of any event inviting him here.

He heard someone speculate that it might involve confidentiality and found the guess quite reasonable.

Chen Erbai agreed, finding it plausible as well. Brother Neighbor, who had come all the way to the film and television city, must have had some business to attend to, which he had likely completed before meeting him. He hadn't mentioned it since then, probably because it was work that required secrecy from everyone.

His buddy leaned in closer and whispered, "There's another piece of gossip."

The more cautious the attitude, the juicier the gossip. Chen Bai perked up his ears to listen intently.

The gossip his buddy shared was about the crew next door. Their own production was relatively peaceful; the most common occurrences were the director yelling at people and the screenwriter angrily berating the director. The happenings next door were far more dramatic.

The incident had surfaced yesterday afternoon. It was said that the director had gotten involved with Actor A and, for Actor A's sake, asked the producer to add more scenes. However, the producer refused point-blank. Later, it was revealed that the producer opposed adding scenes because they would be taken from Actor B's original script.

The director had been involved with Actor A, while the producer had a history with Actor B. Their paths had crossed in an unfortunate manner, making for a spectacularly awkward scene.

Chen Bai exclaimed, "Whoa."

He had no idea so much drama had unfolded while he was sound asleep yesterday afternoon.

Finally, his buddy gestured for him to look over at Zhou Jing, who was sitting on the other side watching the lead actress and the second female lead filming. He said, "Do you think Zhou Jing has a thing for Sister Lin?"

Chen Moubai: "What do you mean?"

His companion reasoned, "When Zhou Jing takes breaks, doesn't he just sit there reading the script? Lately, it seems like he's been watching Sister Lin quite often, taking every chance he gets. Maybe he's developed feelings for her through their work together."

"Huh?"

Chen Bai waved his hand. "I doubt that."

If it were Learning Partner, he would have been observing and learning, with a notebook hidden under the script.

His companion looked at him. "How do you know?"

Remembering how Learning Partner only wanted to secretly improve himself, Chen Moubai replied with a profound tone, "Just a guess."

His companion responded with a questioning look.

During the day, they chatted while working; in the evenings, they studied or streamed live. Every day on the set was pretty much the same.

After some time, which felt like only a few days had passed, Chen Bai met his brand new assistant.

Last time he reviewed their resumes during an outdoor shoot, and now the two of them were directly joining the team – their efficiency was remarkably high.

Engaging in friendly conversation with these new faces, he casually added both of them on WeChat. The male assistant was considerably older than him and went by Brother Liu, while the female assistant was Little Meng, petite but strong.

Gao Qian had mentioned that upon hiring assistants, he intended to sleep for three days straight, but that didn’t happen. Instead, he needed to first acquaint the two assistants, particularly the newcomer, with the environment here, the usual operations of the production crew, as well as Pink-haired’s daily habits.

Compared to other artists, Pink-haired indeed had fewer demands. Aside from the routine tasks like carrying water and scripts, the one thing they absolutely must remember and never forget was to bring breakfast in the morning.

In short, Pink-haired was easy to take care of.

Brother Liu had already spent some time in the industry. His return to work was due to the previous celebrity he followed having a scandal, which led to the collapse of the company. In short, he had seen quite a lot. Little Meng was new to the field but had already gained preliminary insights into the industry through various platforms. Both of them knew that many actors and celebrities were different inside and out, and they were mentally prepared for it.

The person they were following this time was indeed different inside and out, but in another way.

Some people don’t need to speak or move; just standing there, they are a scenic view, a slender and aloof young man.

But once they open their mouth, the style instantly veers off course.

Their agent had informed them right at the beginning to remember to bring a couple more bottles of water when going to the set. They initially assumed it was because the actors drank a lot of water, but later realized that the extra water was actually for themselves.

--- This person really knows how to chat.

Major actors with substantial roles often have heavy workloads for the day. Typically, during their breaks, they would rest quietly or glance through their scripts, too tired to talk much.

But this individual is different. Even when exhausted, he still chats away, discussing things while flipping through his script, and even ropes in the third male lead to join in. The chatter leads to all four of them downing water in unison, as if to quench the thirst generated by their non-stop talking.

It's a case of inconsistency between appearance and reality, at least physically speaking.

Aside from the need for late nights and early mornings, coupled with a multitude of production team matters and the extensive use of one's voice, this job is surprisingly decent.

The only regret is that there hasn't been any particularly spicy gossip recently, leaving them to merely chat about daily life.

The third male lead's buddy usually relies on gossip to inject some excitement into his otherwise monotonous work routine. When there's no fresh news, his most frequent action is to sigh, wishing for some juicy gossip to lift his spirits.

Chen Moubai, propping up his face, chuckled slightly, "Where would so much gossip come from for you to hear?"

As they sit in a row, chatting, Zhou Jing, who had just finished a take, passes by. His gaze sweeps over them, and he gives a slight nod.

Chen Bai raises his hand and waves it in a small arc, acknowledging the greeting.

The buddy asked, "Are you pretty close with Zhou Jing?"

Just like Lin Jie, who played the female lead, Zhou Jing didn't interact much with other actors in his daily life. It wasn't because he was aloof, but probably due to his status where every move had to be cautious. It was hard to tell who he was close to privately.

If studying together at night could be considered as being close, Chen Bai nodded and said it was so.

The buddy made a surprised sound. The two assistants, hearing this for the first time, stole a couple more glances at the person who had already left.

After the play ended in the evening, it was once again a good time to open up the books.

Back in his room after a shower, Pink-haired, with a towel on his head, turned on his computer. Then he heard a knock on the door and turned to answer it.

As the knocking sounded, at the other end of the corridor, the elevator doors opened, revealing two figures stepping out.

"I told you not to bring so many things today... Wait, did you press the wrong floor just now? I knew your mind wasn't clear after sleeping too long yesterday..."

"Hold on, don't speak yet."

The two walked out of the elevator and continued forward without paying attention to the floor number. Only after they had walked out did they realize that their surroundings seemed different from their usual floor. One of them started to speak while thinking about turning back, but was silenced by the other, who held him back, pulling him to stay and ducking behind the wall.

Caught off guard by the actions of those around him, the man who had just been about to turn back didn't react immediately but indeed fell silent without making a sound.

One of the people there directed his gaze towards the corridor, and he looked over as well.

There was someone in the corridor, very familiar. He often saw this person online; it was Zhou Jing.

He hadn't expected that coming to the wrong floor by accident would lead him to encounter someone he rarely got to see in real life.

Just as one of them was about to speak, a soft breath escaped his lips, followed by a "click." The room door opened, revealing a pink-haired individual with a towel on their head within their line of sight.

The pink-haired individual was also familiar. He had heard others discuss them before.

Then they heard the pink-haired individual say as they closed the door behind them, "I have to get up early tomorrow, so let's finish earlier today. Let's call it quits at one."

Zhou Jing responded with an affirmative "okay," walked into the room, and the door shut.

"..."

Beside the elevator in the corridor, a person put away their phone, which they had unconsciously taken out, and exchanged a glance with the person next to them. In each other's eyes, they saw the same shock.

Continuing to linger would only draw the attention of hotel security; the two men, each with their phones in hand, reboarded the elevator.

At one o'clock in the morning, after the video ended and the last word was written, Zhou Jing rose to leave.

Pink-haired merely yawned while sitting on the bed, waving him off without any intention of getting up herself.

Zhou Jing was accustomed to this.

From initially being politely escorted to the door, things had evolved to the point where a simple goodbye was now considered courteous.

With his partner gone, Chen Moubai intended to tidy up the somewhat scattered notes he had transcribed hastily.

Hardly had he moved his pen a few strokes when Gray-haired reappeared, looking less than pleased, saying,

"We probably won't be sleeping early tonight."

The movement of Pink-haired's hand stilled as she held her pen, lifting her head slightly.

When Zhou Jing opened the door, he noticed someone down the corridor filming him with their phone. Upon realizing they'd been spotted, the person quickly fled, and given the distance and their speed, there was no chance of pursuit.

The individual—or rather, individuals—had been ready to snap photos at this precise moment, indicating they knew he would be exiting his room at this time. It was possible that they had been captured on camera long before this.

Spending hours together in a room late at night would be hard to explain even if nothing untoward occurred, given the current online sentiment leaning against him. The other person was also a newcomer, having only recently entered the industry and not yet established a solid fan base—a far from ideal situation.

Listening quietly as the person finished speaking, Chen Bai's first thought was that his buddy would have some juicy gossip to share tomorrow.

He set aside his notebook, casually placed the pen behind his ear, and began dismantling the live-streaming equipment on the table. He didn't seem particularly flustered, turning to ask, "Wouldn't it be fine if there's evidence to clear things up?"

Zhou Jing's eyebrows twitched as he agreed.

This person was unexpectedly calm, much to his surprise.

If his memory served him right, this should have been the first time the other party encountered such a situation.

"Well, then there's no problem," Pink-haired said with a smile, opening a drawer and placing the dismantled equipment horizontally inside. "But it seems you won't be able to learn secretly without others finding out."

Fifteen minutes later, the agents of both parties convened for an amicable meeting.

In a tiny room crowded with many people, Pink-haired sat in front of the computer, switching from the study interface back to the homepage. Finding the option to contact the administrator, she typed out an instruction. Within half a minute, all learning information associated with this account on this device for the current period - including the times she watched course videos, their durations, and any pauses in between - was sent over, leaving everything crystal clear.

Combined with their notes, it amounted to irrefutable evidence.

When the call came in, the two agents' hearts skipped a beat, fearing another insider scandal, complete with pictures and proof, that the industry dreads. They never expected it to be about two individuals secretly studying late into the night and getting caught red-handed, a difficult situation to manage.

The truth was merely studying; both parties were innocent, and the evidence was there. The two agents had never fought such a well-endowed battle.

At 1 AM, when the night owls were still highly active, a video was quietly released.

The one who posted the video was a blogger who had been chasing celebrities around for years, amassing a considerable number of followers and carrying a certain amount of traffic by themselves.

The video was released abruptly, and to avoid being discovered by related insiders immediately, this time, there were no keywords, only a brief caption: "Breaking news."

The video consisted of two clips shot on a phone, spliced together, with the phone's built-in timestamp visible. The first clip started at 10 PM, showing Pink-haired opening the door for someone in the hallway. Thanks to the phone's good audio pickup and the quiet hallway, it was possible to make out what Pink-haired said faintly.

The second clip was filmed at 1 AM, as the door to the room opened, and the person who had previously entered walked out. Just as they turned around to close the door, they spotted the camera lens.

Then came a dizzying rush, as the person filming began to run for their life, and the video ended.

The phone's camera resolution was high, capturing both figures clearly. It was evident that the two individuals were none other than Zhou Jing, who had recently been embroiled in a public controversy, and Chen Bai, the newcomer who had trended twice on the hot search lists.

The blogger refrained from using any keywords or making an explicit statement in their post but added in the comments section, "Those who understand, do so without needing explanation."

The first wave of night owls reacted with exclamations of "Holy moly, impressive," as the video was rapidly shared and forwarded in large numbers within a short span of time.

"First row, gotta say, impressive."

"Where are Zhou Jing's fans? When he was being criticized, you defended him passionately, saying he was working hard. Is this what 'working hard' looks like?"

"Don't! I visited the filming site earlier and just started liking Chen Bai!"

"Holding my breath, waiting to see how Zhou Jing's company will explain this one. They probably won't respond until morning, after all, they need time to come up with an excuse."

"A male lead entering another man's room late at night, the director must be beside himself with anger. Also, feeling sorry for my dear Lin."

"The only way to describe it is an unexpected pairing. The director must be having sleepless nights now."

"@Zhou Jing, if you can't sleep tonight, might as well stay awake and explain what this is all about?"

In less than an hour, the video spread like wildfire, surging to the top of the trending topics.

Such situations are tricky; a deluge of people flooded the comment sections of both individuals featured in the video, incessantly tagging others and demanding explanations.

They sought explanations, yet they knew full well that such matters couldn't be addressed immediately. Tagging others was merely a fleeting pleasure, their true aim to mock those who dared not own up to their actions.

The comment sections overflowed with comments, the number of account followers fluctuating wildly before bizarrely beginning to rise.

At this juncture, most new followers harbored no benevolent intentions.

The buzz grew louder by the minute, rumors morphing into something uglier, increasingly exaggerated. Those claiming insider knowledge waded into the fray, muddying the waters further until they turned pitch black.

Amidst the swirling chaos of flying rumors, when everyone presumed a response was unlikely, the two accounts updated their statuses one after another, defying the tempest.

Zhou Jing led the charge, logging on personally. His update contained text, images, and videos, his timeline and evidence laid out clearly and meticulously.

He refuted the false relationship suggested by the video blogger, asserting that their connection was purely academic. He then detailed the events leading up to the situation. The images included screenshots of learning materials and photos of notes.

The final entry of the learning information was dated today, the time coinciding perfectly with the timestamp on the video posted by the whistleblower blogger.

The notes were of the two individuals' studies, with so many photos that they had to be pieced together in large collages. Upon closer inspection, one could see dates on them, and the content matched perfectly with the previously studied information. There were even reflections and insights added later, based on practical application after learning.

These weren't things that could have been fabricated by someone else, nor could they have been produced in just an hour or so.

The video depicted a person with pink hair researching study information. The camera angle was slightly high, obscuring the hands typing on the keyboard, but the tapping sounds could be heard clearly.

As he searched, he kindly explained, "This information is tied to an account and specific devices, which also logs the device's IP address. I'm using the hotel-assigned IP for this room; it should be traceable."

The person standing beside him asked, "How do you know all this?"

The Pink-haired individual modestly waved his hand with a smile, "I infiltrated a student group at this school before..."

He turned around, about to launch into another monologue, when his agent swiftly spun his chair back around, forcing him to face the computer screen again, effectively interrupting his spiel.

While the agent and the Pink-haired engaged in a literal version of 'two-person tango', Zhou Jing's agent examined the notebook more closely, asking where it came from, noting its surprisingly good quality.

Zhou Jing looked calmly at the Pink-haired and said, "He sold it to me, for eight dollars and ninety-one cents per book, no rounding off."

Others around, including the Pink-haired's agent, stared in disbelief. The videographer whispered that they were still filming, as the Pink-haired tried to stand up from his chair to speak, only to be pushed back down by his agent. The scene descended into chaos momentarily.

The video ended amidst the chaos.

The viewers, "..."

Among all the critical points, the netizens were left with only one thought in their heads—the exact amount of eight kuai and ninety-one fen, not a single fen less.

Author's note:

Chen Erbai, who never leaves a single cent on the table (√)