Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
◎ “Teacher Shi, long time no see.” ◎
Flashes of light and confetti are the medals that people in the film and television industry dream of.
Countless individuals spend their entire lives striving for them, only to graze the edge of the awards stage with graying hair, feeling that their life’s work is complete.
But Wei Jiuli achieved this in her first year since her debut.
With a trophy in one hand and a certificate in the other, she stood poised and upright before the microphone stand, accepting the attention and congratulations of the entire venue.
Wei Jiuli had grown up.
Her features and eyes were sharper, and her gaze was determined, no longer like the naive, clingy kitten that used to nuzzle her.
Her thick, loose long hair was tied into a neat bun, a strand of white pearls adorned her neck, and a black feathered strapless dress highlighted her long, sharp-angled shoulders and neck.
She was sharp and polished.
From a distance, she looked like a cover model from a luxury magazine of the last century.
She was no longer the little kitten who used to wear a baggy white shirt and burrow into her neck at home.
Shi Qing felt a sense of novelty, and from deep within her, a long-lost feeling emerged, like a whole bottle of glass beads scattering light in the sun, creating a dappled, indistinct pattern.
A person’s heart has light and shadow, and that relationship she had labeled as “calm” was now a kaleidoscope of light, too hard to make out.
Her seat was in the back, without a special seating card, and was arranged in a large area with hundreds of others.
But since she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, she had a designated seat. It was in the middle of the venue, with her cast and director on the right and another cast on the left.
They weren’t in the front row, so everyone was more relaxed, often whispering and chatting.
The two young actresses on her left seemed to know Wei Jiuli and whispered to each other:
“She’s so lucky. She won an award for her debut and went straight to the top, winning Best Actress.”
“They say you get famous with a push, but a superstar is born with fate. She just graduated, right? She’s so young.”
“Only 23. Didn’t they say the ’00s generation was all about ‘lying flat’? How did we end up with a ‘workaholic’? What are little ants like us supposed to do?”
“Huh? I was born in 2000, and I’m totally ‘lying flat.'”
“That’s why you haven’t won a single award, not even a nomination.”
“Hey! You’re so mean!”
“Haha, it’s fine, I haven’t either.”
The two actresses were chatting excitedly, their laughter making Shi Qing subconsciously smile, too. Or perhaps she was genuinely happy for some reason.
On stage, Wei Jiuli was giving her acceptance speech, but she was incredibly calm, unlike the other winners who were crying and laughing.
When she stepped onto the stage, it wasn’t just to fulfill a dream, but to achieve a different purpose.
She thanked everyone from the director to the producer, the crew, her management company, and her family.
The smooth flow of her speech suddenly stopped there.
Her voice had a slight tremor, like a cicada’s translucent wing that had suddenly been doused with water, causing a crack in its vibration that then became muffled.
“Today, I’d also like to thank one person for this award.”
With that, her intense gaze sharpened into a piercing beam of light, aimed directly at a seat in the middle of the audience.
Shi Qing’s heart skipped a beat in her seat. Her face showed no reaction, but her back tensed up, trying to melt into the chair.
The audience lighting was dim, so Wei Jiuli shouldn’t have been able to see her from the stage.
But a voice in her head whispered, I see you. I see you, making Shi Qing feel a bit guilty.
After all, her conscience was heavy.
The two actresses beside her also noticed Wei Jiuli’s gaze on their section. They straightened up, and in the small space between their smiling lips, they whispered:
“Oh my god, she’s looking over here!”
“What’s going on? Is she looking at me?”
“You know her?”
“How could I?”
“Then why is she looking over here?”
“Doesn’t matter, the cameras will definitely follow her. Pay attention to your expression, smile, smile.”
Thinking that the camera might follow the new Best Actress’s gaze, the two actresses struck their well-rehearsed poses.
The entertainment industry is not short of beautiful faces.
This meant that if you randomly picked someone from the audience, they would have a face that could launch a thousand ships.
The camera indeed followed the light and focused on the three actresses in the most prominent seats. Shi Qing appeared calm and detached, while the two actresses beside her were visibly nervous.
The camera gave them a close-up.
On stage, Wei Jiuli continued, explaining why she was thanking this special person.
“I thank her because she taught me the law of the jungle and helped me earn my first pot of gold in life. Thank you.”
The final “thank you” was spoken with a particular emphasis. Beyond gratitude, there was another emotion, perhaps resentment. Many experienced people in the audience could hear it and understood where the story in Wei Jiuli’s eyes came from.
Wei Jiuli didn’t mention a name or identity, only “her.” In spoken Chinese, the pronoun “tā” is gender-neutral.
For a moment, this “pioneer of the jungle law” became a mystery, like a beautifully made book with a typo in the middle—you couldn’t help but look at it again.
Online, people pulled up the seating chart for the section Wei Jiuli was looking at. From the stage, it was a wide area with about two hundred seats. A long list of names was pulled up, including directors, actors, producers, and screenwriters—all well-known names in the industry.
Shi Qing was the first to be ruled out.
[No way it’s Shi Qing. She’s been so calm and gentle all these years, never fighting for anything.]
[Exactly. My impression of her is still the courtesan from “Flower Boat” who drowned herself in the lake. She was an amazing dancer.]
[It’s a shame she never got famous, even though she has looks and talent. If she knew the ‘law of the jungle,’ would she still be where she is today?]
It was true.
How could Shi Qing, a person who always smiled gently, spoke softly, and was as calm as a cup of warm water, have anything to do with the “law of the jungle”?
But it was her.
…
With the title of Best Actress, Wei Jiuli was at the height of her glory.
Overnight, major media platforms reported on this sudden star. Clips of her award-winning performance were shown repeatedly, and even behind-the-scenes footage was leaked.
In one clip, Wei Jiuli was waiting on set when the photographer noticed a worn notebook next to her script.
The notebook looked old, with curled page corners and yellowed pages from frequent use.
“Jiuli, could you tell us a bit about this notebook?” a staff member asked.
Wei Jiuli, who had been looking at her script, looked up. Her beautiful eyes seemed to pause for a moment when she realized she was being filmed for a behind-the-scenes video.
She put down her script, which was filled with notes, and picked up the green notebook.
The camera zoomed in. Each page had a date at the top, followed by a full page of handwritten text. The handwriting was elegant. Although it wasn’t perfectly neat, the free-flowing strokes showed the writer’s skill in calligraphy.
“These are my notes,” she explained.
“Notes on what?” the staff member asked.
“Just, acting notes. When I’m filming, or when I get home, or when I’m watching a movie, I write down any ideas I have.”
Wei Jiuli in the video still had her character’s makeup on. The dirt on her face made her eyes look even brighter.
The staff member flipped through it. Every page was full, and the dates were consecutive, without any gaps.
“That’s a great habit. Did a teacher teach you this?”
A strange look flashed in Wei Jiuli’s eyes. “Not a teacher. It was someone else.”
Someone else who went to acting class every day to improve herself.
Later, it was revealed that Wei Jiuli was the daughter of the internationally renowned director, Wei Shu.
Everyone found their answer: Her mother must have taught her. It made sense that she succeeded, having grown up surrounded by acting.
…
The film festival successfully concluded. Shi Qing watched the curtain fall slowly, mentally drawing a period on the event.
The venue wasn’t in Jiang City, so they had to rent or take a taxi.
The company’s rented cars had already picked up the A-list actor and actress, leaving no room for her. So Shi Qing and Dong Ya went to the west gate to hail a taxi.
The west gate was a bit out of the way and quiet.
Most of the artists had left from the east gate, where a long line of fans, seemingly from a popular idol group, stood with their light sticks and banners, lining both sides of the road. Whenever an artist’s car passed by, they would all shout in unison:
“We wish you a safe trip!”
When their own idols finally appeared, the fans became a chaotic mess, some screaming the members’ names, some screaming the group’s name, some giving blessings, some yelling “Mommy loves you,” and some just screaming, with not a single word being clear.
The noise carried across the entire venue to the west gate, and Dong Ya found it hilarious.
“Haha! You’d think they were fighting!”
She turned and wrapped her coat around Shi Qing.
“Sister, here, put this on. It’s getting cold.”
Shi Qing put her arms through the sleeves.
“Okay, thank you.”
Her dress for the night was strapless, leaving her shoulders and arms exposed. The temperature was only a little over 10°C, and her skin was turning a bit purple from the cold.
Dong Ya pulled out a hand warmer from her bag, ripped open the packaging, rubbed it hard, and handed the warm pad to Shi Qing. She then checked her phone.
“Oh no, it’s still 13 minutes away.”
Shi Qing looked at her screen. The road leading to the venue was a solid red line of traffic.
“There are a lot of people taking taxis right now. It’s clogged.”
Dong Ya suggested, “Let’s wait inside. We can come out when it gets here. I don’t want you to catch a cold.”
But Shi Qing refused. “The venue is being cleaned now. We’ll just get in the way of the janitors finishing their shift.”
“We can just stand to the side and avoid the wind. We won’t get in their way.”
“No, let’s not. If we scratch the dress again, we’ll have to pay for it.”
Earlier, as they were leaving, Shi Qing’s dress had snagged on a rusty part of the railing, tearing a small rip. The dress was a loaner. She wasn’t a big enough star to borrow a high-fashion gown, so she usually borrowed dresses from domestic designers’ studios. If the tear could be repaired, she’d only have to pay a repair fee. If not, she would have to buy the dress herself.
When it came to money, Dong Ya became more sensible.
“Okay, let’s just wait here. I’ll rub another hand warmer for you.”
She pulled out another one from her “treasure box,” tore off the packaging, threw it into a trash bag in her purse, and quickly rubbed the warmer until it was hot, handing it to Shi Qing.
It was indeed cold at night.
Even with the thin fleece coat, it was no match for the chilling gusts of wind.
A black Bentley drove out of the underground garage. As it passed the gate, the driver saw the two figures waiting for a car in the night.
The windows were closed and covered with privacy film, making it clear it was an artist’s car.
Shi Qing, wrapped in an apricot-colored trench coat, stood gracefully under the streetlights. Her dress fluttered in the breeze, and her figure was captivating. No one could ignore such a sight.
The car slowed down.
In the back seat, the woman holding the trophy stiffened. She subconsciously sat up and leaned towards the window, her eyelashes trembling as she stared through the tinted glass at the apricot-colored figure.
Shi Qing didn’t notice the car. She was looking up at the small insects flying around the streetlights, chatting idly with Dong Ya, her expression deep in thought.
What was she thinking about?
Maybe she was wondering why the taxi was taking so long, or perhaps she was recalling a brilliant performance in a movie, or even just thinking about how cold autumn in the city was.
It was impossible that she was thinking about the little kitten she once kept, who was now, in a flash, an award-winning actress.
“Xiaoqi, do you know them?” the driver asked, noticing her strange behavior. “Want to give them a ride? It’s pretty cold out there.”
Wei Jiuli turned her head, her hand on the window slowly lowering.
“No, I don’t know them. I must have seen wrong.”
What kind of person was Shi Qing?
Calm, elegant, and imperturbable.
She would never be left without a ride home.
Why should a stray cat like her worry?
The black Bentley sped away, going up a hill and around a corner, merging into the vast river of traffic on the main road.
…
Two months later, Shi Qing’s film still hadn’t been released.
But the good news was that she had received a great script.
“It’s a historical drama. The empress role is perfect for you. The director and I talked, and I think it’s a great opportunity.”
Her agent, Dou Qinwen, handed her a paper script.
“If you think you can do it, write a character biography for the audition.”
Shi Qing opened the first page. It had a list of characters, with the empress in second place.
In other words, it was the second female lead, with the most screen time after the protagonist.
This was a female-led story, as the highest-ranked male character was in fifth place.
The show was a political drama. The empress takes control of the court after the king’s death and secretly assassinates several princes. Finally, the princess rises up, overthrows the empress’s rule, and becomes the empress herself.
It seemed the empress and the princess would have a lot of thrilling scenes together.
“Has the role of the princess been cast?” Shi Qing asked.
Dou Qinwen waved her hand. “Not yet, but it won’t be given to us.”
She poured two cups of coffee, pushing one towards Shi Qing.
“This show is produced by Chenxiao, a huge production. The female lead will be chosen from a few A-listers. We were only able to get you the second female lead because of General Manager Zhu. Go home and study it carefully. This is a great script and a solid production team. It’s your best opportunity in years. You have to grab it.”
When she said, “You have to grab it,” her voice slowed, her words were emphasized, and her eyes were fixed on Shi Qing. The subtext was clear.
Shi Qing was a smart person and understood the look. She glanced at the office area through the frosted glass wall and joked, “Sister Wen, you’re giving me such a great script. What about our A-list star?”
Dou Qinwen shrugged and said in a familiar tone, “She wouldn’t be interested in a supporting role. Do you think everyone can sit down and write a character biography like you?”
The tedious audition and selection process was a hassle, but it often filtered out the people who were truly serious about acting.
Shi Qing smiled faintly, put the script into her bag, zipped it up, and stood.
“Then I’ll take it.”
She took the script.
And she also got the role.
There was no reason for her to refuse such a good opportunity that had fallen into her lap.
As for the actress playing the princess, her most important scene partner, it didn’t matter if she was a respected veteran or a flighty young star.
All that mattered was that she nailed the role of the empress.
The character biography and the audition went smoothly.
It took less than a week for her to land the role.
She would join the crew a month later.
Shi Qing remembered that day. She had lost her contact lenses and had to wear her regular glasses. On the way to the script reading, a ginkgo leaf drifted onto her. Dong Ya snapped a picture. The sunlight hit the lens just right, creating a rainbow halo in the top right corner.
Everything was just perfect.
She arrived half an hour early.
It was her habit.
The area outside the conference room was empty. She tried the door. It wasn’t locked.
Could someone have arrived even earlier than her?
She pushed the door open. There was indeed someone sitting in the large conference room.
The person’s long hair fell over her shoulders, and she was wearing a gray T-shirt, with a down jacket hanging on the back of the chair.
The room’s heating was on full blast, and the warmth hit her face, fogging up her glasses.
Shi Qing took off her glasses. In her blurry vision, a hazy figure slowly approached her.
The person stopped in front of Shi Qing, her voice slow and deep.
“Teacher Shi, long time no see.”