Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: A Sense of Crisis (2)

“Can you choose your own CP?”

The clock on the wall crept past 11 p.m. The two suites at the end of the 18th floor were unnervingly quiet.

In the northern suite, a quiet patient and a quiet hard-worker. In the southern suite, a quiet judge and a quiet thief.

“Qi-jie, didn’t you go to see Fang Fei?”

Wei Jiuyi came out of the bathroom after her shower. Zhang Yulan was still sitting on the sofa, her clothes and hair unchanged, waiting for her. Wei Jiuyi leisurely put her dirty clothes in the washing machine, her movements slow and relaxed, showing no signs of guilt.

“I ran into Shi Qing on the way and went to her room.”

Zhang Yulan was skeptical. “You and Fang Fei both went?”

“Mhm.” Wei Jiuyi lied without blinking.

“Then why didn’t you just go to our room?” Zhang Yulan was still confused.

“Shi Qing was so enthusiastic in her invitation, I couldn’t refuse.”

“Enthusiastic?” Zhang Yulan was shocked by this word. She thought back to her earlier impression of Shi Qing: elegant, poised, and reserved. Could she really be “enthusiastic”?

Wei Jiuyi closed the washing machine door and turned around to see Zhang Yulan’s troubled expression. “What’s wrong? Is she from ‘Four Seasons’ too?”

Zhang Yulan’s attention was diverted. “No, she’s with ‘Sheng Qiao’.”

“What’s the deal with ‘Four Seasons’? Why did the boss tell me to stay away from them?”

“Oh, it’s a long story. A corporate spy found out that the actors ‘Four Seasons’ signed this year haven’t been doing well, so they’re trying to take a shortcut by creating a fake couple to get attention.”

Wei Jiuyi grabbed her now-warm milk from the mug warmer, took a big gulp, and sat down next to Zhang Yulan. “Creating a fake couple isn’t really a shortcut; a lot of people do it now.”

Zhang Yulan quickly corrected her. “That’s when the fake couple already exists in a movie or show. The actors just play up the chemistry for promotion. That’s normal business.”

“So what’s the deal with ‘Four Seasons’?”

“Their agent approached our boss and suggested a partnership to create a fake couple, even without a movie or show to support it.”

“With whom?”

“You.”

“Me?” Wei Jiuyi almost choked on her milk. “I don’t even know them.”

Zhang Yulan spoke quickly. “Exactly! That’s why Fang Fei took the initiative to approach you. I bet the script discussion was just an excuse. The boss already turned them down, but they still bought fake fans and paparazzi. If you had gone out with her, the video would have been all over the news tomorrow. The internet trolls would have said you were having a secret meeting, a possible romantic relationship, or that you were soulmates. It would be hard to get rid of them.”

She got more and more worried as she spoke. “From now on, we need to be more careful. I’ll go with you wherever you go, so there’s no ‘secret meeting,’ and it’ll be easier to explain that it’s just work. I’m so glad Teacher Shi was there today, and you went to her room. If you and Fang Fei had been photographed alone, I don’t know what I would have told the boss.”

Zhang Yulan’s anxiety was understandable. She had joined “One King Entertainment” right out of school, and her first artist had been blacklisted for private life issues. She had only been working with Wei Jiuyi for two months. If anything went wrong again, she would become the “black widow” of assistants.

Wei Jiuyi didn’t say anything else. She drank her milk, lost in thought. After finishing the whole glass, she finally spoke. “Don’t worry, I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Zhang Yulan was relieved. “Good. No matter what, Qi-jie, I’ll always be on your side. Just tell me what you need.”

She went to her room to get her pajamas and take a shower. As she picked up her laundry, Wei Jiuyi, still holding the empty milk glass, suddenly asked, “Can an actor choose who they’re in a fake couple with?”

Zhang Yulan was confused. “No, right? The company usually arranges it. I heard they bring in a professional team to evaluate things like how well the actor’s persona will do on the internet, their market appeal, and their compatibility. They use a special formula.”

“There’s a formula?”

“Yes. Creating a fake couple is expensive, tens of millions of yuan. It’s not that simple. Why are you asking, Jie?”

“No reason. Just curious.”

Wei Jiuyi raised the cup to her mouth, only to realize the milk was gone. She went to the kitchen to wash the cup and then went to her room to rest.

In the shower, Zhang Yulan remembered Wei Jiuyi pretending to drink from an empty glass of milk. The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. She finally concluded, “She must be tired. I’ll buy some foot soak for her tomorrow.”

…

The two days after the table read were for costume fitting and photoshoots. The main characters went first, followed by the supporting cast.

Shi Qing arrived at the studio half an hour early, as was her habit. The director, Fan Erhua, spoke with the stylist before Shi Qing’s first look was ready.

Empress was set in the Han Dynasty. The empress’s formal wear was based on ancient paintings and historical records: a deep red robe with a dark, woven silk cloak, embroidered with gold-thread clouds. The heavy fabric and majestic colors gave off a sense of power and grace. As she walked, the clouds seemed to float, embodying the dignity of a woman who ruled the world.

“Mmm, good,” Fan Erhua said, nodding repeatedly. “I was worried you couldn’t pull off this outfit, but it looks like I was overthinking it.”

Shi Qing’s previous roles were mostly beautiful but fragile. She either gave up her life for love or died young, becoming a “white moonlight” in everyone’s memories. Her cold demeanor made her seem delicate and lacking in substance. But now, in the formal wear with her hair and makeup done, Fan Erhua was finally at ease.

“You go shoot. I’ll check on Wei Jiuyi; she’s almost ready,” Fan Erhua said, waving a photographer over.

“Okay,” Shi Qing nodded.

“Oh, and don’t take your makeup off after you finish. You and Jiuyi will take some shots together.”

“Together?” Shi Qing was surprised.

“Yes. You have a lot of scenes together, so we’ll get some couple shots for the cast announcement,” Fan Erhua said, his reason sound.

However, this meant Shi Qing had to wait for Wei Jiuyi.

The awkwardness from last night was still fresh. After Wei Jiuyi left, Dong Ya had complained about how hard it was to pretend to be strangers. Dong Ya only knew Wei Jiuyi, but Shi Qing and Wei Jiuyi had been intimate countless times. How could it not be hard for her?

“Teacher Shi, good morning.”

The photographer was a familiar face, Song Lixue. He was the one who had pleaded with the client when Shi Qing’s magazine photoshoot was canceled.

“Teacher Song? What a coincidence!” Seeing a familiar face eased Shi Qing’s nerves.

Song Lixue gave a hearty laugh. “Yes, Director Fan hired us for the photoshoots. I had a scheduling conflict, but when I heard you were in it, I made it work.”

“That’s too kind,” Shi Qing said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Song Lixue waved his hand. “Don’t mention it. I’ve always felt bad about the magazine shoot. Come on, stand here. I’ll take some beautiful shots of you and make sure you outshine everyone else!”

Song Lixue was an expert in Chinese aesthetics. With the help of the lights and reflectors, he took a series of perfect shots of Shi Qing. From standing to sitting to leaning gracefully on a chaise lounge, she exuded the effortless authority of Empress Jiang Ke.

After the shoot, they chatted for a while until the next actress arrived—Wei Jiuyi.

Wei Jiuyi’s first look was that of a warrior. Her long hair was down, a three-finger-wide woven headband on her forehead. Her skin was a healthy, wild tan. Her golden armor, which looked like crocodile scales, clanged as she walked, like a crocodile dragging itself across a gravel path. This look was difficult to pull off; it could either be too feminine or too aggressive and out of place. But Wei Jiuyi had a pair of wild eyes. They were defiant and ambitious, and when you looked into them, you didn’t see a caged animal but a cunning snow leopard.

“She looks so good…”

“That’s so badass and heroic!”

“I can’t wait to see the fight scenes.”

The praise in the studio was endless.

Shi Qing nodded. Wei Jiuyi’s rebellious nature was rare in the entertainment industry. She gathered her robe to make room for Wei Jiuyi. But the heavy cloak was hard to handle.

“Teacher Shi, let me help you.”

Fang Fei ran up to help Shi Qing with the hem of her cloak, and together they moved to the waiting area.

“Thank you,” Shi Qing said, nodding.

“Oh, don’t be silly,” Fang Fei smiled openly. “Teacher Shi, are you done with your shoot?”

“I’m done with my solo shots. I’m waiting to do a couple’s shoot.”

“A couple’s shoot? Oh, that’s good. You two have a lot of scenes together anyway. By the way, where’s your assistant? Why didn’t she come with you? It must be a pain to manage this long outfit without her.”

“She’s still not well, so I told her to rest for a couple of days.”

“Oh… she’s really sick? I thought…” Fang Fei’s eyes blinked rapidly. She kept her lips pressed together, as if she had a million things to say but was too scared to say them.

Shi Qing noticed she was worried and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Fang Fei’s confidence faltered, and her voice dropped. “I just… I thought you stopped our car yesterday because you didn’t want me to go out with Teacher Wei.” She hadn’t expected it to be because of the assistant’s illness.

Shi Qing’s ears twitched. “Why would you think that?”

Fang Fei took a deep breath, fighting a mental battle for a moment. But when she saw Shi Qing’s kind eyes, she couldn’t hold it in. She pulled Shi Qing to the edge of the studio’s resting area. “Come with me for a second.”

The two of them disappeared from the shooting area. Under the bright lights, a pair of rebellious eyes took in their retreating backs, and their pupils turned dark.

“Teacher Wei, look here. Yes, give me a more fierce look. Good, good, now rein it in a bit. No need to be so aggressive.”