Actresses

Chapter 34 Moving

After saying that, Shi Jiahe paused for a moment, thinking that she might have gone a bit too far... They weren't even that familiar with each other yet. But a word spoken is a word that can't be taken back, so she decided to let it go and not try to make amends.

The girl on the other end of the phone paused, her voice visibly choked with emotion. "Sister, we've only just met, why are you helping me?"

"Ha!" Shi Jiahe laughed. "You sent the message in the group to ask for help anyway, so let's not talk about that now. Wait for me at home."

Zhao Cai sniffed and said, "Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Shi Jiahe was about to rush to the elevator when she suddenly remembered she still had to go back and say hello to He Yuran. Actually, she was a little reluctant, but leaving directly would only worsen He Yuran's temper. So she reluctantly dragged herself back to the conference room, where, sure enough, Sister Ran was still sitting there like a statue.

"Boss, we've found the lucky charm, but there's been some unexpected situation, so I have to go check it out." Shi Jiahe thought, this reason is strong enough, right?

But He Yuran still didn't say anything.

"Sis, after we're done, I'll come to your house, okay? You should go home and get some rest first."

She knew that no matter the reason, if He Yuran lost her temper at the company, it would be impossible to control her. It was relatively easier to resolve things at He Yuran's home when she was angry. There was no one else around, and when Sister Ran got tired of arguing, she could just collapse on the sofa. But at the company, even the smallest disagreement could easily escalate into a businesslike situation or grow into a difficult-to-resolve conflict that usually took several days to resolve. So she came up with this idea of ​​changing the setting.

However, He Yuran understood what she was thinking better than she did, and simply said coldly, "I'll wait for you at the company. Come back and we'll talk once you've resolved your issue."

Shi Jiahe suppressed the urge to ask questions, replied "okay," and turned to walk out resolutely.

Now, she can't stop for anything, because the immediate priority is to solve a girl's real survival problem.

In the industry, this was an extremely unprofessional moment for a top agent, completely ignoring the artist's boss's feelings. However, the reality was that a young person was carrying the weight of real life, enough to shatter the so-called rules that had somehow been established in the industry. If there was even a one percent chance that Zhao Cai would leave Beijing because of this, she would find it hard to forgive herself.

She took a taxi and quickly went to the address Zhao Cai had given her.

Shi Jiahe was quite familiar with the housing options in that area. Although it was a convenient location in Chaoyang District, the surrounding buildings were all very old. She had looked at apartments there many years ago, and the renovations were all very outdated. Landlords almost never put any effort into renovating their rental properties, and you needed a lot of luck to find a passable place. But working people often had limited budgets and were in a hurry to find a place to live, so such luck was rare. Most of Shi Jiahe's colleagues who came out of school at the same time had experienced renting extremely bad apartments when they were young. For example, the black grout in the floor tiles that could never be cleaned properly, the toilet that was always yellowed, the walls with mold, and these things could even leave a deep-rooted impression in one's memory. Once you've lived in such an apartment, seeing similar visual renovations years later would trigger a reaction in her, which is why she would rather spend a little more each month to rent an apartment that was significantly different from what she remembered.

After getting off the bus, she searched for the place.

The hallway was still the same as she remembered, covered in little "GG" stickers, dark and gloomy. The elevator creaked open and slowly ascended. Shi Jiahe watched the floor numbers change at a snail's pace, grimacing, "Why can't it just zoom up like a sightseeing elevator?!" Oh well, you can't expect too much from an old building.

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she rushed out, but after running a few steps, she realized she was going the wrong way and headed in the other direction.

There were about seven or eight households on this floor, so the occupancy was quite dense. Finally, she saw the door number and promptly knocked.

"Zhao Cai?" Shi Jiahe called out softly, glancing furtively to the side as if she were a thief, afraid that some irritable middle-aged man might suddenly rush out from next door and yell at her for shouting!

The door was probably quite thin; you could hear a distinct set of footsteps before the door opened.

The girl inside looked exactly the same as when I met her that day; she was even wearing the same clothes. Only her complexion was more haggard, and she had noticeable dark circles under her eyes.

"Teacher Shi! Please come in..." Zhao Cai said in a low voice, a little excited.

Shi Jiahe entered the living room and, seeing the mess inside as if the place had just been robbed, hesitated before asking, "Do I need to change my shoes?"

"No need, no need!" Zhao Cai said, then scratched his head and looked around. He probably didn't know what to say or do.

Shi Jiahe realized that she had to take charge of the situation herself.

"Let's make a long story short. You still haven't found a place to live by the time I walked in, right?"

Zhao Cai nodded first, then shook his head vigorously. "No."

"What items do you need to move from this room? Do any of your roommate's belongings belong to you?"

"My roommate lives in the room with the door closed. She's already moved out; what's left are mine and things she doesn't want anymore..."

"Don't tell me what she doesn't want. Show me what you have. Also, do you have any furniture?"

Then Zhao Cai led Shi Jiahe on a tour of all the rooms.

Looking at it this way, the bedroom bedding really takes up a lot of space, and there are also quite a few books—several hundred in total. A quick glance reveals that they're mostly textbooks for drama studies, along with many film and literature reference books. Back in the living room, there are already some packed clothes and miscellaneous items. Fortunately, there aren't many pots and pans in the kitchen, and the refrigerator is almost empty. Luckily, Zhao Cai hasn't been out of school for many years and doesn't have much stuff. Based on Shi Jiahe's extensive moving experience, one truck should be enough to haul it all.

"I've come to call the moving company. Do you have any extra boxes? Also, please give me the scissors, tape, and markers." Shi Jiahe said as she started rolling up her sleeves.

"Teacher Shi, you..."

Seeing that Zhao Cai was standing still, Shi Jiahe frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be kicked out by your landlord tomorrow?"

"But I still don't know where I can go..."

"Come to my house first, if you trust me."

Zhao Cai's eyes widened. "I trust you, of course I trust you! But... wouldn't this be too much trouble for you?... We're... we don't even know each other."

"There's no time to talk about that now. Since Wei Ning introduced you to me, I think we're acquainted. You wouldn't just pack up my whole house and steal it, would you? I trust you to that extent."

"Of course not! Teacher! I don't have the guts..." Zhao Cai said.

As Shi Jiahe was speaking, she suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear! Wait, does Wei Ning know about your situation? Why didn't she help you find a solution?"

"President Ning is very busy. I... don't want to trouble her with my affairs."

Seeing Zhao Cai's apprehension, Shi Jiahe smacked her lips. "Do you know what she's been busy with lately? She seems particularly anxious."

"I...can't talk about President Ning's affairs," Zhao Cai stammered.

Shi Jiahe actually gets angry when others dawdle, but she can't lose her temper now, so she can only say, "Then forget it, let's deal with the immediate problem first. Hurry up and pack it, I see the order says the driver will arrive in about an hour."

"Okay...where should we start organizing?"

"Okay, you pack your personal valuables, and I'll pack the odds and ends for the living room and kitchen." Seeing that Zhao Cai was still looking down, Shi Jiahe became impatient and shouted, "Get to work! You could have packed a whole box by now."

Zhao Cai suddenly sprang to life, turning around to grab the tape and the box.

There's always more people, which makes things easier, especially for Shi Jiahe. She's even more efficient at packing her own things, since unpacking and organizing won't be her responsibility later. The two of them finished packing up the remaining items in no time.

When the movers arrived, they started loading the items into the van downstairs. The two of them simply put the loose items into bags and carried them by hand.

After checking the room one last time, Shi Jiahe muttered to herself, "Are you still going to have him cleaned? Forget it, let the landlord pay for it himself."

Before Zhao Cai could even speak, Shi Jiahe dragged him outside.

Zhao Cai originally wanted to ride along to save money, but Shi Jiahe stopped him, saying we should take another taxi.

Once in the car, Shi Jiahe slapped her forehead, "Did you get your deposit back?"

Zhao Cai was taken aback. "Uh... we haven't discussed it yet."

"We haven't even discussed the deposit, and you're already rushing to kick me out? What kind of scoundrel are you, landlord?"

He said he'd decide how much to refund after the inspection...

"Damn it, it would be a miracle if the landlord was a good landlord," Shi Jiahe couldn't help but curse. "Call the landlord now and arrange a time; I'll go with you."

"Sis, I've already troubled you enough..."

"If you keep dawdling, I'm really going to get angry! I'm here to talk about serious business, and the sooner these trivial matters are resolved, the better."

Seeing Shi Jiahe's extremely serious expression, Zhao Cai finally took out his phone.

Shi Jiahe listened from the side while observing the girl's words and actions.

She realized that Zhao Cai's nervousness might not stem from meeting the celebrity He Yu Ran yesterday, but rather from her naturally shy personality. She spoke slowly and always seemed timid, as if she had done something wrong, and was extremely cautious. No wonder she was bullied by the landlord.

Some people have a strange mentality—Shi Jiahe has seen this kind of person especially often in the entertainment industry—the more weak you appear, the easier it is for them to bully you. When your aura is visibly weak, you might be inexplicably trampled on, even if you have no grudge against them. The landlord who brings good fortune is probably this kind of person. Shi Jiahe felt a pang of pity and anger at his lack of assertiveness, but for such a naive young woman, perhaps this was a hardship she had to endure.

Shi Jiahe sighed. If it weren't for the urgent need to finish the script, she really wouldn't want to get involved in this kind of thing at all.

After listening to Zhao Cai's clumsy communication with the landlord for a while, Shi Jiahe couldn't help but grab the phone and put it on speakerphone. "Tell me what you want to say next."

The man on the other end of the phone asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm her sister. Stop beating around the bush. I don't care if you're selling the house or what, kicking out the tenant before the contract expires is your problem; you broke the contract first. We've already cooperated with you by vacating the house so quickly. Now that the house is vacant, you should inspect and take possession of the house in person as soon as possible, and then return the deposit to us. It'll save us all trouble. Stop pulling open drawers on the phone!" Shi Jiahe used the same tone she used when tearing down contract clauses, making no attempt to hide the aggression in her words.

The man's tone softened. "Well, then wait until I get off work today."

"Please specify a few times and a clear timeframe. It's not just your time that matters."

"Then, seven o'clock."

Shi Jiahe glanced at her watch; it was just the right time to take Zhaocai out for a meal.

"Okay, then it'll be seven o'clock. Please be on time."

She hung up the phone, turned to look at Zhao Cai, and said sternly, "No matter what the landlord says tonight, you mustn't say a word. I'll handle every single one of the negotiations."