Picking the stars

Chapter 1:

Stars

Text/Ashu

This day started like any day in the past.

Pei Ji left home at seven o'clock, and her car drove into the academy at half past seven. Four minutes later she opened the door of the office.

At this time, there were only a few people in the entire research institute. With the looming smell of disinfectant water, the corridor of the laboratory building showed a special kind of desertedness.

The official working time is 8:30, but Pei Ji’s schedule has long been fixed. She is used to arrive at the office one hour earlier every day to determine today’s schedule, and then either read new papers in top academic journals, or organize experimental reports and make adjustments. Research progress.

By half past eight, she will change her lab coat and go to the laboratory. At that time, the other members of the team were there, and the day's work began.

Pei Ji sat down behind the desk, opened the calendar according to his habit, scanned it from top to bottom, and finally focused on the four words of the recorded program following 13:30.

She was obviously a little resistant, but she did not let her emotions spread too much, and soon calmed down, closed the schedule, and opened the record of yesterday's experiment.

At 8:30, I started to work. At 11:30, I went to the cafeteria of the research institute for lunch. At 12:10, she drove away from the institute and went to the recording site.

The program team negotiated with her a week in advance to record the time and location of the program, so that Professor Pei could arrange the time.

The recording location is an hour’s drive from the research institute. Pei Ji is not used to being late, so he set off 20 minutes earlier to allow enough time to deal with possible traffic jams or other emergencies.

When he arrived, Pei Ji glanced at his watch, one twenty-three.

The director was talking to the host in the backstage of the studio. When he saw Pei Ji, his eyes lit up and he quickly greeted him: "Professor Pei, lucky meeting, lucky meeting!"

The background is messy, and many staff members are busy coming and going. This atmosphere is very different from the clean and quiet laboratory where Pei Ji usually stays. She wasn't quite used to it, so she focused on the person in front of her, shook his hand, and said, "Hello."

The director was very enthusiastic. After chatting with her for a while, he said politely: "The makeup artist has been waiting, you put on makeup first. During the makeup process, I will tell you some points that need attention."

Pei Ji naturally cooperated.

This is a variety show. The name of the show is "Those Mountains", and Gaoshan takes the meaning of high mountains and Yangzhi.

Every issue of this variety show invites people who have made outstanding contributions in society to participate, sometimes it is a doctor, sometimes an athlete who set a world record, sometimes a famous writer, and sometimes it is a descendant of a folk art that is about to be lost.

No matter what occupation or status, the invited guests are satisfied with excellence, standing at the top of their industry, exerting their enthusiasm, and adding all kinds of wonderful possibilities to human society.

Pei Ji recorded the first issue of the second season.

With the perfect ending of the first season ahead, the audience has given infinite expectations for the second season, so the selection of the guests in the first period has become the key to a good fight.

It just so happens that Pei Ji won an international biomedical award more than three months ago and is the youngest winner since the establishment of this heavyweight award. Some netizens uploaded a group photo after the award ceremony.

In the group photo, Pei Ji stood in the middle of several male scientists wearing black formal wear. These male scientists were more than a round older than her, and two of them even had gray hair.

Among them, the twenty-five-year-old young female scientist seemed a little out of place, but also so gorgeous.

The three words of young, female, and scientist are enough to make people admire and admire. If there is more honor, countless flowers and applause will follow.

When Pei Ji became popular on the Internet through a group photo, she was being invited to give academic reports at several foreign universities. When she came back, the heat had subsided.

She doesn't have the habit of paying attention to social software, nor can she search for her name on the Internet, so she doesn't know that she has been sought after on the virtual network a lot, and even wondered when she received invitations to variety shows.

"That's what you need to pay attention to." When the director finished, he looked at Pei Ji with a warm smile, "Professor Pei is the first time to participate in this kind of show? Don't be nervous, just be bold. We have enough time. In the afternoon, the speech and rehearsal will be held, and the official recording will be made at nine in the evening.

Pei Ji is not too nervous, she is just not comfortable with this unfamiliar environment. Hearing this, she replied: "Okay."

The director did not leave immediately, but stood on the side and watched for a while.

He had seen that picture. Professor Pei’s temperament was a bit colder than in the photo, but fortunately, her speech speed was not fast and her voice was relatively slow, so she was not aggressive, but had a right sense of distance.

I hope that Professor Pei can relax a little while filming, otherwise I am afraid it will appear dull and affect the effect of the program.

Pei Ji got the table book two days ago, and he memorized it, checked the table book with the host, and determined the process, then began the field rehearsal.

Pei Ji glanced at her watch, at 3:12, calculated the remaining time, and thought it was more than enough, but she did not slack off. After all, this was something she had never tried before, and it would be hard to avoid twists and turns when she really did it.

Her concerns are right.

The rehearsal didn't go smoothly at the beginning, from the position to the expression, even the head was raised a little bit high.

"Professor Pei, your eyes should be slightly to the left, because the light is coming from the right, and to the left, the effect will be better, yes, yes, let's do it again."

"Wait! Professor Pei, it's better to have an expression in this place. When it comes to your youth, whether you miss it or other emotions should be shown on your face."

"The tone, the tone! Can't be straightforward, please bring a little emotion!"

The director stomped his feet in a hurry and kept looking at the time, his expression getting more and more irritable.

Professor Pei remembers the Taiwanese very well, and strictly follows the above, but she is really not suitable for the camera, her expressions are too few, like a humanoid AI that has not learned to simulate human expressions, and the effect of the program is very boring and boring. of.

When the director thought that the first issue of the second season would see a sharp drop in ratings, he suffered countless negative reviews and was so anxious that he could not stand still. But he still had to control his tone and didn't dare to speak too harshly.

People who are young and famous are inevitably arrogant. If the rehearsal is not good today, at most, the official shooting time will be postponed for two or three days. If the guest is scolded away, it will not end.

Wait until seven, if it doesn't get better, arrange to postpone the shooting. The director made an emergency plan in his heart.

But the situation began to change after an hour.

Pei Ji gradually adapted. She listened to the director's instructions, and, by analogy, she adjusted her expression, tone and behavior precisely in accordance with the director's requirements.

At seven o'clock, the second rehearsal was very smooth, Pei Ji even remembered all the positions of the lights on the court and all the lines of other people.

The performance before and after the rehearsal is quite different. The director heaved a sigh of relief and cancelled the plan to postpone the filming.

By nine o'clock in the evening, the official recording began, and Pei Ji has fully mastered the skills of performing on stage. The director is outside, staring at the monitor intently.

The host told a joke, laughter came from the audience, Pei Ji's eyes filled with a smile, not too deep, but the whole person was alive.

If you just look at the present, no one will think that something is wrong, but the director compares the scenes of the first rehearsal in the afternoon and feels shocked.

He still feels that Pei Ji is like a human-shaped AI, and it is the kind with extremely high learning ability and imitating ability. In human society, learning is like a normal human being, simulating the words and deeds of normal humans.

Thinking about it this way, he suddenly felt very emotional, and even some wanted to cross the line to become a film and television drama director.

It was late at night when work was closed.

Pei Ji said goodbye to the staff of the program group and left alone.

When I got home, it was 12:07.

Feeling a little tired, Pei Ji took a quick shower. It was 12:30 when she lay on the bed, ten minutes later than her usual bedtime.

Pei Ji has a habit of lying in bed and closing her eyes, she will make a brief review of what she has done this day.

The same is true today.

When looking back at what happened in the afternoon, Pei Ji felt both at a loss and unfamiliar, like a person who was thrown into a dangerous and noisy environment, coping with instinct, trying to get out of the predicament.

In the end, he got out of danger and looked back, but didn't know what he had done in the chaos.

Today is a special day, Pei Ji thought about it, and crossed out the word special in his mind and replaced it with waste.

Today is a wasted day.

She has always believed that the time of human life is limited and very precious, and must be dedicated to the things that you love, and cannot be used to squander.

Variety shows are obviously not in the range of things she loves, and she is even very repulsive.

Fortunately, it will be back to normal tomorrow.

Pei Ji was grateful for a moment, his consciousness gradually blurred, and he fell asleep with peace of mind.

Unfortunately, the peaceful sleep did not last long.

In the dark bedroom, the screen of the mobile phone on the bedside suddenly turned on, and at the same time, the phone rang. Pei Ji was awakened. She sat up and was stunned for two seconds before picking up the phone. When she saw the word "Pei Yi" displayed on the screen, Pei Ji became sober.

She pressed the answer button and clicked the speaker, but did not speak.

"Pei Ji." In the earpiece, Pei Yi's voice was a little weak, and there was a two-point smile in the end, echoing in the dark bedroom.

Pei Ji felt a little uncomfortable in his ears. He stretched out his hand to turn on the light and asked, "What's the matter?"

"There is one person, I want you to take care of me." Pei Yi's voice is high and low, and there are noisy voices in the background.

The ominous meaning in these words was too obvious, and Pei Ji's heart suddenly tightened and asked: "What happened? What happened to you?"

Pei Yi didn't seem to hear it, and said to herself: "She's Song Er. I like her very much. I have never liked someone like this. I can't worry about her..."

She paused abruptly, gasped, followed by a few low coughs.

There are more noisy voices. This time Pei Ji faintly heard someone shouting: "Ambulance, hurry up! Let Team Pei get in the car first, don't move around, let the doctor come, the doctor!"

The last three words are roaring out.

Pei Ji was shocked by the roar and her shoulders trembled. She hurriedly took the phone to her ear and yelled twice: "Pei Yi, Pei Yi!"

Pei Yi laughed lowly, and his smile made Pei Ji's heart fall uncontrollably.

"Unexpectedly, my last words were for you."

Pei Ji wanted to scold her for talking nonsense, but couldn't say anything, his tongue was dry, and his heart was beating violently in his chest.

"Sister." Pei Yi called.

Pei Ji closed his eyes.

"Please, you must take care of her, she is at my house, you go find her. You promise me, promise me..." Pei Yi's voice became lower and lower, like a last breath, forcing Pei Ji to nod.

Pei Ji buzzed in his head and blurted out: "I promise you."

She had just finished speaking when the voice on the phone was suddenly cut off.

The noisy voice is gone, Pei Yi's plea is gone, nothing is gone.

Calling back in the past, it is no longer able to connect.

Pei Jigan sat on the bed, his brain blank.

The empty bedroom was alarmingly quiet. She was suddenly in a daze, wondering if the call just now was real.

Pei Ji held the phone, something in his eyes, which kept falling.

Suddenly, she woke up, opened the lock screen, and wanted to ask where Pei Yi was and what happened.

She opened the address book and stopped when she wanted to make a call.

She didn't know Pei Yi's colleagues or friends, and there was no place to ask.

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New pit! very exciting!