Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

◎ “Let’s congratulate—Wei Jiuli!” ◎

After waiting in full makeup for three and a half hours, Shi Qing opened the balcony door and found the photographer on the phone.

“Sister Guo, you can’t just send her back without giving me a reason. She’s been in the industry for so long, she’s not a newcomer. How can we possibly work together in the future if we do this?”

Shi Qing’s slender index finger tapped lightly on the door frame.

Knock, knock.

The photographer turned around and flinched when he saw Shi Qing. On the phone, Sister Guo’s voice became sharper.

“I already told you, this is what Mr. He wants. He’s determined to promote his ‘canary.’ Do you get it? Today, let alone Shi Qing, even if it were a king, they’d have to give up the main cover!”

The photographer quickly interrupted, “I’ll talk to you later, I have to go!”

He then flipped his phone face down on the table and forced an awkward, polite smile at Shi Qing.

“Oh, Teacher Shi, can I help you?”

Shi Qing exchanged pleasantries, her face gentle and calm. “I heard the equipment was broken, so I came to check.”

Dong Ya, unable to stand her artist being stood up, peeked her head in through the door. “Teacher Song, Sister Qing has been waiting a long time in her full makeup. Please just give us a straight answer!”

Song Lixue’s mouth twisted into an embarrassed grimace. “Well, Teacher Shi, there’s been a sudden change. Could we speak privately?”

The phone call was already a clear give-away. The call was on speaker, and Shi Qing had heard every word.

It wasn’t that she needed to fight for anything, but there had to be a conclusion on whether to stay or go.

So she said frankly, “No need. We can talk here. Teacher Song, I debuted when I was 22, and it’s been eight years. I’m well aware of how the industry works.”

Song Lixue, having recently returned to the country, was still unfamiliar with the rules of the entertainment industry. It was common for people to be replaced, not just for a magazine cover, but even for film and TV roles after a contract had been signed.

He walked forward a couple of steps with his hands in his pockets, stopping in front of Shi Qing.

“Teacher Shi, I’m sorry. I was just notified myself.”

This excuse angered Dong Ya. She had only been peeking in, but after hearing that, she stepped into the room.

“What do you mean, ‘just notified’? We’ve been waiting for three and a half hours! I came in here countless times, and you never had any intention of starting the shoot! If you weren’t going to shoot, why did you make us wait? What a waste of time!”

Song Lixue tried to explain, but with Dong Ya’s scolding, he didn’t know what to say. The assistants behind him were unhappy that their boss was being berated and immediately rushed over.

“You think we wanted to? We waited too!”

“Exactly, we spent the whole day here for no pay. Who do we complain to?”

“It’s not our fault your artist isn’t good enough and got kicked out! Why blame us?”

That last remark was a bit much. Song Lixue quickly turned around and scolded them.

“Enough! Get out, go do what you’re supposed to be doing!”

The three assistants left reluctantly, giving Dong Ya a dirty look and a dismissive “hmpf” as they walked past.

Dong Ya wasn’t one to back down. Taking advantage of her big eyes, she rolled them even harder and let out three defiant “Hmph! Hmph! Hmph!”s.

Shi Qing shook her head and gestured for Dong Ya to leave as well.

Dong Ya clung to the door, giving Song Lixue a worried glare before finally closing it, but she left a small crack. She didn’t leave, though, pressing her ear to the wall to make sure the well-dressed photographer wouldn’t bully her artist.

Facing Shi Qing, Song Lixue’s guilt deepened.

“I’m truly sorry, Teacher Shi.”

Shi Qing smiled faintly. “It’s fine.”

Song Lixue gestured to his phone. “I was just about to ask if we could at least put you on the secondary cover if we couldn’t get you on the main one, but they wouldn’t allow that either.”

Shi Qing’s voice remained calm. “That’s normal. Magazine work is always changing. No one is safe until the magazine is published. This is the second time this month for me, so I’m quite used to it.”

Song Lixue took off his cap and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Sigh, honestly, I don’t know what to do.”

Shi Qing’s tone was relaxed.

“Just do your job and start the shoot. That’s how it is for us, isn’t it?”

Song Lixue smiled and put his cap back on.

“You’re right. Teacher Shi, I really admire your attitude. I was so worried about how to tell you. I never expected you to be so understanding.”

Shi Qing gave a slight smile. “It’s just experience.”

She then took a business card from her bag. “Well, Teacher Song, we’re acquainted now. This is my card. If you have a future project, you can contact me. Or my agent.”

She knew that given Song Lixue’s personality, he would feel guilty about this and would likely consider her for future opportunities.

Just as she predicted, Song Lixue took the card with both hands.

“Okay, Teacher Shi. Don’t worry, once my studio gets bigger and I have more say, I’ll definitely invite you back for a shoot!”

Shi Qing nodded, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and left.

It was a long drive from the studio back to the company, about 40 minutes on the highway.

In her eight years since debuting, Shi Qing’s career had never taken off. She had hovered in the second and third tiers, acting in films and TV shows, consistently releasing one project a year.

She came from a classical dance background, so her demeanor was exceptional, but she had never taken acting classes in college, putting her at a disadvantage compared to her peers.

Early on, she was only cast as a “cold beauty” type, but over the years, she had been teaching herself to act and was now able to play more complex roles.

Her most famous work was a historical drama. She played a courtesan who helps her lover escape a manhunt, only to see him killed and then drown herself in a lake out of despair. Her dance background enhanced her performance, boosting her popularity and securing several endorsements. Her Weibo followers also surpassed two million.

However, her subsequent projects were not as impactful. Although the ratings were good, they didn’t make a splash.

The entertainment industry has no shortage of beautiful people or good projects.

As a new generation of actors emerged, she was gradually pushed out.

Just this month, she had already been replaced twice for magazine shoots.

“They’re just bullies!”

On the way back, Dong Ya complained while driving. “If they really felt bad, they wouldn’t have made us wait for so long! Then you went in and they acted all nice. They just didn’t want to take responsibility!”

Shi Qing, sitting in the passenger seat, patted her shoulder. “It’s fine. They couldn’t control it either, so don’t worry about it.”

Dong Ya was still indignant. “I just hate seeing you get the short end of the stick all the time!”

Shi Qing was used to it. She knew that if you weren’t an A-lister, you couldn’t expect A-list treatment. This wasn’t just a rule of the entertainment industry, but a rule of life.

She explained, “If you’re going to lose, you have two choices: either accept it gracefully, or throw a tantrum. If you can’t handle the consequences of a public fight, you choose the first option. Otherwise, you’ll not only be taken advantage of but also offend others.”

Just like when she gave Song Lixue her business card. Instead of getting into a fight and burning all bridges, it was better to be tactful and leave a little room for a future opportunity.

Her management company hadn’t provided her with a chauffeur-driven car, so she bought her own, a car just over 200,000 RMB, which was convenient for commuting.

Dong Ya was a good driver, so she always drove.

After dropping off their things at the office, Dong Ya took Shi Qing home and bought her two vegan salads from a convenience store before leaving.

Eating salad for dinner was a habit from her time at the dance academy. If she ate too much, she couldn’t perform her moves gracefully.

After entering the entertainment industry, she found that most actresses were the same. Some even ate less than she did, with two chicken br3asts often making up their entire day’s food.

The house felt a little empty when she was alone.

Without the person who used to wait for her every day, she had to turn on the lights herself.

Fortunately, she had been alone for years before, so she wasn’t lonely.

She laid out her dance mat and started re-doing the routine she performed for her graduation project in college. It was to maintain the flexibility and strength she had back then, so she would be ready if she ever got a dancing role.

After she finished, she was drenched in sweat.

While stretching against the wall, she turned on an acting class video. She followed the teacher’s instructions, opened her phone camera, and practiced a scene from a classic TV show. She recorded everything, from her expressions to her lines and her movements. Then she would watch the recording back, scrutinizing herself from an audience’s perspective to see what looked unnatural.

Finally, she opened her laptop and wrote down her thoughts on the performance.

It was always good to be prepared.

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, a year had gone by.

Shi Qing was cast as the lead in an art-house film, playing a bus driver in a seaside city.

It was her first lead role, and she had done extensive preparation. Even the director said her acting had improved greatly since her debut.

But her luck was not so great. The film ran into funding issues during post-production. The producers couldn’t find investors, and the release was delayed for four or five months.

It’s fine, she thought. Good things take time.

She still kept her schedule full, either taking classes or studying at home. When she was tired, she would re-watch classic films. As she watched, she would get new ideas and jot them down in her notebook.

As for who was blacklisted or who became famous in the industry, she didn’t have time to pay attention.

In September, she was invited to attend a film festival.

Her work from the previous year had been nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

She didn’t win; another veteran actress did.

It was well-deserved, and she joined the audience in applauding.

Only Dong Ya was indignant, her text messages sounding sulky.

“Those judges have no taste! You acted so well!”

Shi Qing was helpless and replied, “That’s the most prestigious award on the mainland. Teacher Qu’s win was well-deserved.”

The awards for Best Actor and Best Actress were still to come, but they had nothing to do with her, so she dimmed her phone and opened her notes from a film she had watched the night before.

Her notes were a way for her to better understand a character and to think more deeply so she could accurately portray their complexity.

But on that day, she wasn’t able to think.

Because when they announced Best Actress, she heard a name that was all too familiar:

“Let’s congratulate—Wei Jiuli!”