The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Chapter 133 Competent

After the guests left, Zhou Zihang sat at the table, still feeling unsatisfied. He examined the leftovers one by one and said to Zhou Yanruo, who was helping to clear the table, "There's a lot of leftover jade shrimp today. It seems no one enjoyed it. Was the flavor too bland and didn't everyone like it?"

"The broth for the braised dried bean curd wasn't rich enough. I just moved here and didn't have all the seasonings, so I didn't make the broth right. This really affected my performance. I'll definitely make this dish again next time we have a gathering. I can't ruin my reputation in front of my friends."

"Ruo Ruo, your friends are all very unique, and it's fun to be with them. No wonder you don't want to go out again after you came back."

"Is Shang Yibo really a big star? How did you become his manager? Being a manager is more interesting than being an investor, right? Tell me about it another day. This kid is arrogant and aloof, and quite proud. Is he hard to get along with? By the way, you said he's your boss. What's going on? Is he a dual role? But he is really handsome, about the same as me when I was young."

Zhou Yanruo understood Zhou Zihang's temperament; after each demonstration of his culinary skills, he would indulge in self-admiration and then offer his own reflections.

Seeing him sitting there muttering to himself, she was used to it. She would just ignore him or give him a perfunctory reply, and definitely not engage in conversation with him. If she did, the professor would seriously critique everything and demand her evaluation. Right now, she just wanted to finish tidying up the house for him and go home to rest as soon as possible.

Hearing him mention Shang Yibo, he stopped what he was doing and replied, "You're more handsome than him. You're a big star whose talent was wasted on a biology PhD."

Zhou Zihang was embarrassed by what was said, "Hehe, you can't say that, after all, besides being handsome, he also has talents."

Zhou Yanruo pursed her lips and smiled, "You're quite objective. Stop sitting there reminiscing and help me clean up."

Zhou Zihang asked, "Do you have any plans for today?"

Zhou Yanruo said, "Hmm, does going home to sleep count as part of the plan?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zihang quickly stood up and took the bowl that was about to be taken to the kitchen from Zhou Yanruo's hand. "Are you too tired lately? Don't worry about it, I can manage on my own. Go home and rest."

Zhou Yanruo didn't stand on ceremony. She washed her hands and went to the entryway to change her shoes.

Zhou Zihang followed him to the entrance hall. "Let's have something light for dinner. How about I cook some vegetable porridge?"

"Hmm, we'll see. Ask me now, I don't want to eat anything." Zhou Yanruo changed her shoes and went out the door.

Seeing the elevator stopped on the first floor, she decided to take a walk since she had eaten too much at noon. So she opened the security door in the corridor and chose to go upstairs by taking the stairs.

Last week, she asked Qi Qingnan to help her photocopy a set of the script for "The Legend of Huizhou Merchants," intending to study it carefully before officially joining the production team. She kept thinking that since she had become Shang Yibo's agent, it wasn't enough to just take care of him in terms of scheduling and daily life; she should also be able to provide him with substantial assistance in his professional work.

She sat at her desk, reading the script and taking careful notes. Regarding the character of Ling Shaojing, she not only gained a deep understanding of his personality traits but also meticulously marked the psychological changes that led to his growth.

She hopes that after joining the cast, she can follow Shang Yibo's portrayal of the character, offer constructive suggestions during discussions, and provide him with more support and inspiration.

Before she knew it, an afternoon had passed. Her eyelids grew heavy, and the words on the script blurred, causing her vision to double. Lately, due to continuous business trips and the constant switching between group affairs and Shang Yibo's management duties, she was under immense pressure and her physical strength was nearly exhausted. She recalled her early years after graduation, on Wall Street, where she had relied on her indomitable spirit to barely gain a foothold despite her weak foundation. Later, she switched to administration, finally finding a relatively stable work environment. Humans are inherently lazy; once accustomed to comfort, who would willingly step out of their comfort zone? But now, she was willing to face challenges again, even if it meant self-inflicted hardship. This wasn't just because the entertainment industry was her passion; more importantly, she was working for Shang Yibo. As long as she could be by his side, she was willing to do anything, regardless of her role.

It was already getting dark. She stood up, drew the curtains, turned on the light, stretched her stiff shoulders and neck, and went to the kitchen to get a drink of water.

As I passed through the entryway, my phone vibrated on the shoe cabinet.

She picked up her phone; the caller ID showed Ding Jiajia. She answered, "Hello, Jiajia."

"Sister Yanruo, can you answer the phone? Brother Can said he can't find you."

"Jie Can, did he call me? What could he possibly want from me?" Zhou Yanruo glanced at the call log and saw that there were indeed five or six missed calls, two of which were from President Fang. "Jiajia, President Fang called me, but I didn't answer. I'll call him back. I'll hang up now."

Before the other party could answer, Zhou Yanruo hung up the phone.

She quickly dialed Mr. Fang's number. The call rang twice before the other party answered, and a gentle, quiet woman's voice came through unhurriedly: "Mr. Zhou."

Zhou Yanruo explained, "President Fang, you called me earlier. I'm sorry, my phone was on silent and I didn't have it with me, so I couldn't answer."

"Oh, really? That's alright."

"Mr. Fang, is there anything I can help you with?"

"I'm sorry to bother you today since you're resting. As far as I know, Yibo doesn't have any plans for today. I wanted to ask, were you two together the whole time?"

"Mr. Fang, Shang Yibo is also off today. I had arranged to have tea with a friend this morning, and he came too. Later, we went to my friend's house for lunch, and we parted ways after noon," Zhou Yanruo reported to Mr. Fang about her day's itinerary.

“Oh, you have quite a few friends,” Fang Xichen said. “Yibo said he was going home for dinner tonight because his father had something to talk to him about, but he still hasn’t been able to get in touch with him.”

Zhou Yanruo said in surprise, "Is it because we can't reach each other by phone? That shouldn't be the case."

"There's nothing wrong with that. You didn't answer the phone either, did you?"

"Ah? Yes." Zhou Yanruo felt guilty and didn't have the confidence to say more.

Although Fang Xichen's expression couldn't be seen on the other end of the phone, judging from her usual speaking style, her tone was already one of complaint.

Fang Xichen said, "I'll have to trouble President Zhou to contact Yibo as soon as possible. You're his manager, and you've lost contact with your own artist. Isn't that a bit ridiculous? Isn't that dereliction of duty?"

This lukewarm criticism made Zhou Yanruo feel uneasy. "I'm sorry, it was my negligence. I contacted my friend immediately. He left with Shang Yibo this afternoon, so maybe he knows where Shang Yibo went."

"Okay, contact Yibo and have him call me back," Fang Xichen said slowly. "Thank you for your help. I'll hang up now."

"President Fang, I'll try to find Shang Yibo right away and have him call you back." After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yanruo let out a heavy sigh.