"Director, is there a continuity error here?"
"Here, Consort Qi's watch is showing, but I think we can leave it in. Consider it a bonus for the audience."
"Huh?"
"Look, isn't the watch showing here very subtle? Most viewers won't notice it unless they rewatch it multiple times, unless they're already intimately familiar with the plot. Then they'll discover, 'Hey, there's a continuity error here!' It's like a reward mechanism."
"Miss Liu... but if you say so, viewers who haven't watched it three or four times won't notice. Besides, who would be so bored as to rewatch such a long TV series repeatedly?"
Hearing this, Liu Chen thought of the later "The Legend of Zhen Huan" research groups and fell silent, pursing her lips and nodding. "Director, I have faith in our drama."
Her words almost brought tears to the director's eyes. In the end, he adopted Liu Chen's suggestion to keep minor continuity errors as easter eggs.
After staying for about a week, Liu Chen had helped the director 'advise' on uncertain points in "The Legend of Zhen Huan" based on her memories from her previous life. This greatly accelerated the shooting progress, earning the admiration of the cast and crew.
"This Miss Liu is quite capable. No wonder she could start such a large company at such a young age!"
"Oh? She started a company? Miss Liu has a company?"
"Oh, you don't know that? The campus beauty and academic star on Weibo? You see the Meimei Niu we have every day on set? That's provided by Miss Liu's company."
Indeed, on her second day at the set, Liu Chen had already arranged for a hundred boxes of Meimei Niu to be delivered to the crew's warehouse. Since Meimei Niu was only sold in major cities and Taobao was still a relatively new thing for most people, many in Hengdian were drinking it for the first time. They quickly discovered that with this drink, they wouldn't have to retake scenes due to grogginess from late-night shoots. The word spread quickly, and even extras would recommend it to other crews. By August 27th, the day Liu Chen left, Meimei Niu was already being sold in shops on Hengdian's commercial street, though at nearly double the online price.
Liu Chen stood at the door of the RV. The director of "The Legend of Zhen Huan" looked at her tearfully, holding her hands and saying with a choked voice, "Miss Liu, please come back and visit whenever you have time. Our crew always welcomes you!"
Liu Chen smiled and nodded, then subtly withdrew her hands. "I will. Don't worry, maybe I'll come visit again during the National Day holiday."
Her words made the director's eyes light up. "Great! Great! Great! Then it's settled! We'll await your good news during the National Day holiday!"
Liu Chen nodded a little sheepishly. She hadn't expected that using the director's own ideas from her past life to 'advise' him would make him consider her a kindred spirit, but in retrospect, it made sense. After all, her suggestions were his own original ideas.
Standing at the RV door, Liu Chen spent a full ten minutes saying goodbye to the director. Seeing that he might start asking about Zhen Huan's entry into the palace, Ren Yu stepped in. "Let's go. We need to allow time to get to the airport this afternoon."
Hearing this, Liu Chen quickly waved goodbye and got into the RV. "Goodbye! I wish you smooth filming!"
The director stood by the RV, waving enthusiastically through the window at Liu Chen inside. "Goodbye!"
The RV smoothly set off, and Liu Chen collapsed onto the double bed. "Phew... I came to visit, but it feels more tiring than working."
Seeing Liu Chen's exhaustion, Ren Yu quietly sat by her head, resting Liu Chen's head on her lap and gently massaging her head and shoulders. "Rest if you're tired. You don't need to worry so much about the investment project. You're an investor; you put in the money. You don't need to be involved in the progress." Although her words were critical, Ren Yu's actions were as gentle as ever.
"Ren Yu, if I said I really just wanted this drama to come out quickly because I wanted to watch it, would that sound strange?"
"No," Ren Yu replied decisively, without hesitation.
Hearing this, Liu Chen smiled faintly. "I think you'd think I was right even if I committed murder and arson."
Ren Yu paused as if thinking, then replied after a few seconds, "I think so."
The four of them drove the RV to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, then took a two-hour flight, landing in Beijing around 3 PM. As the plane taxied on the runway, Liu Chen looked out the window, her mind wandering to the scenery of the West Lake. Perhaps, as Ren Yu had said, she could keep an eye on properties for sale by the West Lake. However, after a long day of travel and with the real estate professional, Sister Yu Li, to meet tomorrow, Liu Chen put the thought aside.
Upon exiting the airport, Liu Chen didn't go home first. Instead, she took Ren Yu to a mall to pick out a wedding gift for Sister Yu Li. Because she hoped Sister Yu Li would help her with the West Lake properties, Liu Chen subconsciously gravitated towards expensive gifts. She settled on a pure gold couple's ornament. It wasn't large, but the price was striking: eighty-eight thousand eight hundred. Ren Yu accompanied her through the selection, purchase, and packaging.
Carrying the not-so-light gold item, Liu Chen didn't linger. The four of them found a hot pot restaurant and enjoyed some lamb hot pot. Returning to their apartment, Ren Yu, perhaps out of habit, followed Liu Chen into her room with her suitcase. Liu Chen didn't find it odd. She tossed her change of clothes into the washing machine, opting for the wash-and-dry cycle. After a long day of travel, she was indeed tired.
After showering and stepping out of the bathroom, Ren Yu went in with her change of clothes. Liu Chen only then vaguely sensed that something was not quite right. While pondering this, she got into bed, but before she could figure out what was amiss, she had already fallen asleep. She had forgotten that the pillows at home were the sleep-enhancing ones from the system.
Liu Chen stood in a vast expanse of white mist. She distinctly remembered falling asleep, so she thought, "Am I dreaming now?" As soon as she spoke, the white mist thinned, and a familiar yet strange person appeared: Mi Zhuzhu, but from her past life. Liu Chen thought she was missing Zhuzhu and had dreamt of her past self. However, she then noticed the white mist instantly transforming into a foreign street.
Liu Chen's heart leaped. She instinctively tried to greet Mi Zhuzhu. As she reached out, her hand passed through Mi Zhuzhu's body, causing her to stumble and almost fall. Fortunately, her eight brocades practice had paid off, and she quickly regained her balance. Suddenly, the quiet world filled with sound. If not for the earlier incident, Liu Chen would have believed she was truly in a foreign country. Mi Zhuzhu's voice reached her ears from behind.
"Dad, I want to go back to China." Mi Zhuzhu's voice was hoarse but firm. Liu Chen calmed down and carefully observed Mi Zhuzhu. The Mi Zhuzhu before her seemed more tired than the last time she'd seen her in her previous life. The fine lines under her eyes, the crow's feet, and the small sunspots on her cheeks all indicated that Mi Zhuzhu was older than Liu Chen remembered.
The Mi Uncle on the phone seemed to say something. Zhuzhu slowly closed her eyes, her voice filled with exhaustion. "David, David cheated. He brought that woman to sleep in our bed. I went to take Xiao Bao to kindergarten and forgot his backpack. When I went back to get it, I found out."
"Dad, I was wrong. I should have come back to China earlier." After saying this, tears streamed uncontrollably down Mi Zhuzhu's closed eyes.
Even though she realized Mi Zhuzhu and the people around her couldn't see her, Liu Chen instinctively stepped forward and made a hugging motion with her arms, pretending to embrace Zhuzhu. "Zhuzhu, don't cry."
Liu Chen's hand passed through Mi Zhuzhu's shoulder. Although she couldn't touch Mi Zhuzhu, Liu Chen felt as if she could feel the hot tears on Zhuzhu's cheeks. Before Liu Chen could comprehend what was happening, the scene instantly changed again.
The room before her was familiar to Liu Chen. It was the home of Mi Zhuzhu and her father in her previous life. However, compared to the opulent decor of her memory, this house, though still large, now had yellowed wallpaper, peeling in places. Dust coated the beautiful crystal chandelier. The living room sofa had distinct indentations from long-term use. The coffee table was piled with test papers. Liu Chen leaned in and saw it was a third-year junior high math exam, scoring 39 points.
As Liu Chen wondered whose test paper it was, the anti-theft door opened. A voice very much like Mi Zhuzhu's sounded: "I told you not to fight! I've been taking leave all day to deal with your matters. My bonus this month is probably gone."
Liu Chen followed the sound towards the entrance. When she could see the entryway, she froze. Mi Zhuzhu seemed to have aged even more than before. Her curly hair was dyed a wine red and tightly pulled back. The slightly plump figure Liu Chen remembered now seemed to have gained significant weight. And her usually well-dressed self was now wearing a loose-necked t-shirt and casual shorts, with yellow plastic slippers on her feet – the kind that cost 9.9 yuan from the night market, which she disliked the most. When Mi Zhuzhu looked up, Liu Chen saw a woman who looked even older than her own mother in her previous life, perhaps even older than forty.
"They deserved it! Mom, you shouldn't have brought me back. Math is so hard in China. My brother was so happy in Australia." Hearing this, Liu Chen saw a mixed-race boy nearly six feet tall standing behind Zhuzhu. From his words, he seemed to be Zhuzhu's son. After divorcing her husband, Zhuzhu took their eldest son with her, only for him to complain about being brought back to China.
Mi Zhuzhu paused her shoe-putting-on action for a long time after hearing her son's words. She then stood up and, after a long pause, looked in Liu Chen's direction, her eyes vacant, and slowly said, "Qiao, your father asked me to take you."
Zhuzhu's words instantly ignited the mixed-race boy's anger. "Then you shouldn't have divorced! You're incapable of raising me! With your abilities and looks, you should have stayed by Dad's side!" After saying this, Qiao, wearing sneakers, rushed towards the apartment door behind Liu Chen.
"Bang!" The loud slam of the door echoed. Liu Chen watched as Mi Zhuzhu quietly and slowly squatted down, as if all her strength had drained away. After a long time, perhaps a minute, perhaps ten minutes, Mi Zhuzhu stood up. She walked into a bedroom. Liu Chen followed her and realized it must be Mi Uncle's bedroom. A photo of Mi Uncle was on the nightstand, and on the desk not far from the foot of the bed, a black and white memorial portrait of Mi Uncle was displayed.
Seeing the photograph, Liu Chen finally understood what had felt illogical. Mi Uncle, who loved Zhuzhu so dearly, should have rushed out to beat up the grandson for speaking to Zhuzhu like that. Now, seeing Mi Uncle's memorial tablet, Liu Chen understood. Mi Zhuzhu silently took three incense sticks from a drawer, lit them, and inserted them into the censer in front of Mi Uncle. After lighting the incense, Zhuzhu's eyes opened like a faucet, and tears poured down, yet strangely, she made no sound of sobbing.
Once her tears had subsided, Mi Zhuzhu stood before Mi Uncle's photo and simply curled her lips upwards. "Dad, you were right. Qiao has been raised improperly. Bringing him back was a mistake too. Perhaps it was wrong from the beginning. I should have studied hard and gotten into a good university. Even when dating, I shouldn't have given up my career."
After Mi Zhuzhu said this, the scene before her changed again. This time, Mi Zhuzhu was lying in a hospital bed. She was very, very old. Her face was gaunt, her skin hanging loosely. Soon, a middle-aged man with blonde hair, about forty years old, entered the room.
"Mom." The man stepped forward, bending over and holding the withered hand of Mi Zhuzhu lying on the hospital bed. "Mom." The man repeatedly whispered her name.
Mi Zhuzhu on the bed slowly opened her eyes. Seeing the man, she weakly smiled. "Xiao Bao, you're here." The man, now middle-aged but called Xiao Bao by Zhuzhu, rubbed his cheek against the back of Mi Zhuzhu's withered hand. "Mom, I'm late."
Mi Zhuzhu weakly shook her head. "It's not late. Mom is leaving. Mom is going to meet Aunt Liu Chen."
"No, Mom... I'm sorry, Mom. If... if I hadn't insisted you go back for the backpack... If I had been more capable and earned money earlier, so you wouldn't have to work so hard... Perhaps, perhaps if you hadn't given birth to me and my older brother, your life would have been more perfect."
Mi Zhuzhu looked at the middle-aged man she called Xiao Bao with loving eyes. "Xiao Bao, be good. Mom has never regretted giving birth to you. It's just that if I could do it again, Mom would hope to study well and have a career she loved."
The middle-aged Xiao Bao, weeping uncontrollably, watched his mother close her eyes and collapsed to his knees. "I will, Mom, I will. In the next life, you will surely..."