Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 31
Chapter 31: The Truth Behind (Part 1)
“And she says she likes you.”
Thanks to the help of a “divine intervention,” Shi Qing and Dong Ya successfully made it to the hospital for bl00d work.
The results were available that same afternoon. Shi Qing took a screenshot of the electronic report, blurred out her ID number and QR code, and posted it on Weibo to clarify the situation.
“@ShiQing: Regarding the recent rumors, I didn’t want to respond at first, but the stories have become so outlandish. Therefore, I am clarifying: My bl00d test results are normal for all indicators. I am not infected with HIV, HPV, or any other bl00d-borne diseases.”
Attached was a screenshot of the electronic bl00d test report.
This message was coordinated with Dou Qinwen’s public relations team. The moment it was sent, Shengqiao Entertainment immediately reposted it:
“@ShengqiaoEntertainment: Our artist, Shi Qing, has always maintained a low profile, focusing on her acting and abiding by the law. We urge all rumor-mongers to immediately delete their false claims, or we will take legal action.”
The release of the bl00d report dealt a heavy blow to the accounts spreading the AIDS rumors. It also showed Shi Qing’s stance—though she’s not one to fight for attention, she won’t let baseless rumors spread unchecked.
At the company, Dou Qinwen had always intended to cultivate Shi Qing as a new force. For this crisis, she enlisted the most experienced PR team.
The current public opinion crisis had two parts: “sugar baby” allegations and the rumor of contracting AIDS.
AIDS is a transmissible disease. Besides sexual contact, it can also be transmitted through mother-to-child contact and bl00d. Some patients are also victims who were infected through deceit or at shady clinics. Those who truly understand the HIV virus don’t equate it with a promiscuous lifestyle. However, long-standing prejudice and societal stereotypes lead people to associate the word HIV with casual s3x, especially for female artists who are constantly scrutinized for their private lives.
At this point, trying to clear the name of AIDS patients was not a good PR strategy, as it would only strengthen the public’s association between Shi Qing and the disease.
The AIDS rumor was actually an offshoot of the “sugar baby” allegation. The complex logic of sufficient and necessary conditions doesn’t matter to the average netizen. They generally follow one simple logic: if two rumors are causally linked, they are either both true or both false.
In other words, by disproving the AIDS rumor, they could, in the eyes of the majority of netizens, also effectively discredit the “sugar baby” rumor.
After two PR meetings, Dou Qinwen finalized the plan: first, tackle the HIV rumor by using the bl00d report to prove Shi Qing’s health. Then, send out cease and desist letters, suing the main accounts that started the rumors.
With these two steps, the public opinion could be largely corrected.
[@PekingUniversityFlower: I saw Shi Qing’s bl00d test report. It’s from a top-tier hospital. Looks like there’s no problem. Those who said she had AIDS should apologize now.]
[@CarInsuranceForLess: This is a weird wave of rumors. I’d never heard of Shi Qing before. She seems pretty low-key. It’s like she suddenly kicked a hornet’s nest. Someone must be targeting her.]
[@TheGreatPerformer: I’m not sure. But Shi Qing’s face doesn’t seem like the type to do that. She looks so quiet.]
[@IsItMe: I’m staying on the sidelines. Her statement was only reposted by her agency. No one else has come out to support her. I wonder if they’re all trying to avoid association.]
[@UncleofLiangshan: Of course! If they stand up for her now, it’s easy to be suspected of having an affair with her, right? Celebrities have a lot of endorsements. If there’s a PR scandal that affects product sales, they have to pay for it.]
As netizens analyzed, almost no one came out to speak up for Shi Qing. First, they were avoiding association. Second, Shi Qing had always kept her distance from people in the industry. She had good relationships with everyone, but wasn’t close friends with anyone. The entertainment industry is full of twists and turns, and no one would take a stand before the dust had settled.
After a morning passed, public opinion slightly improved. However, because the statement hadn’t spread widely, a subtle atmosphere lingered. The bl00d test report seemed genuine, but there still seemed to be something missing to make people believe the whole story.
Shi Qing remained unaffected by the rumors and arrived at the set on time for filming. The screenwriter, Guo Xi, came over to comfort her, sharing her own past experience of being falsely accused of plagiarism. She also bought two cups of milk tea, one for Shi Qing and one for Dong Ya, acknowledging that the assistant must have had a tough time as well.
Fang Fei also came specifically to comfort her and shared some strawberries she had bought.
“I’m so sorry, Shi-laoshi. I wanted to repost your statement, but my company wouldn’t let me.”
Shi Qing understood her predicament. “It’s alright. I understand. Your company’s choice is correct. It’s best not to get involved in other people’s scandals to avoid trouble.”
Fang Fei still felt guilty. “But don’t worry, Shi-laoshi. I, personally, believe you 100%. You’re such a good person.”
“Thank you.”
The filming progressed smoothly. After work in the evening, Shi Qing returned to the hotel to eat the medicinal meal Dong Ya had prepared for her. Just as she took a few bites, Fei Ying called from faraway Jiangcheng to offer her support.
“Xiao Qing, I saw your statement. You did a great job,” Fei Ying praised sincerely.
This was the first time she had contacted Shi Qing since the incident. When the rumors broke out last night, Shi Qing’s phone hadn’t rung at all, either with messages or calls.
Fei Ying had her reasons: editing manuscripts, submitting drafts, a new book launch, setting up an author’s studio… there was always a mountain of things to do.
So, by the time she contacted Shi Qing, Shi Qing had already posted her clean bl00d report online.
Whether she was truly busy or only felt at ease after seeing the bl00d report, after initially believing the rumors, was impossible to know.
“If you need me to do anything, just let me know,” Fei Ying’s voice was as gentle as ever.
“Thanks, Fei-jie. I’m okay for now. I don’t need anything,” Shi Qing replied.
“How are things there? Should I come to be with you?”
“No need. I’m still on set. The filming schedule is pretty tight, and I need to catch up on what I missed.”
“Okay, then take good care of yourself. I’m preparing for a book signing soon, so I’ll be busy for a while. But if you ever need me, just give me a call.”
“Okay, I wish you all the best with your book signing.”
“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later? Bye.”
“Bye.”
After hanging up, Dong Ya was refreshing Fei Ying’s Weibo page with a pained expression, muttering,
“She has time to call and comfort you, but not to repost your statement. She has hundreds of thousands of followers, after all.”
Shi Qing had already come up with an excuse for Fei Ying:
“She has a new book signing coming up and can’t have any negative publicity.”
Dong Ya didn’t like this. “What ‘negative publicity’? Standing up for someone you supposedly like to prove they’re innocent—how is that negative? Unless she thinks you’re negative, why would she avoid any connection with you on social media?”
She then muttered to herself, “And she says she likes you…”
Shi Qing put a piece of beef from her bowl into Dong Ya’s. “It’s okay. A public figure’s actions can’t be judged by a normal person’s standards. Even if Fei-jie wanted to clarify for me, her publisher might not agree. It’s just like with Fang Fei—willing but unable. This is very common in this industry, isn’t it?”
Dong Ya chewed on the beef fiercely. “Hmph, I still don’t think she loves you that much. I think she loves herself more.”
Shi Qing accepted it calmly. “Isn’t that normal? Who loves someone else more than they love themselves?”
Just then, Dong Ya’s phone chimed with a notification from a special-followed Weibo account.
“@WeiJiuqiIsWorkingHard: Shi-laoshi is a very dedicated actress. After so many days of working together, she has shown herself to be sincere and professional. She is an excellent senior. Rumors end with the wise. Please do not believe or spread false claims.”
Wei Jiuqi had reposted Shi Qing’s bl00d test report.
Even within Shi Qing’s own agency, only Dong Ya and two third-tier actors who had previously received help from Shi Qing had reposted it. Wen Yi, of course, hadn’t. She didn’t launch a new wave of smear campaigns only out of respect for Dou Qinwen, let alone speak up for Shi Qing.
Wei Jiuqi was the first.
From the outside, the two had only recently met through the drama Empress. Wei Jiuqi was a new award-winning actress, on a completely different level from Shi Qing.
If Wei Jiuqi were the one in trouble today, it would be natural for Shi Qing to speak up.
After all, it’s good to seek shelter under a big tree, and currying favor with an award-winning actress might open doors later.
But with Wei Jiuqi’s current status, whose favor was she trying to win?
What if Shi Qing’s scandal turned out to be true, and she was proven to be a sugar baby? Wouldn’t Wei Jiuqi be a laughingstock?
The internet exploded instantly. New industry insiders began reposting, and the hashtag #ShiQingBloodReport quickly topped the trending charts.
And the super topic #97Time was celebrating like it was New Year’s.
[@Juliette’sMom: Aaaah! What am I seeing? When everyone else didn’t believe the cat, the leopard stood up! Aaaah, the best leopard and cat in the world!]
[@77LovesQingqing: Our 77 just won the award and hasn’t even established her footing yet, but she was willing to stand up for her sister in the eye of the storm. She really loves her too much, I’m just saying.]
[@TheCivilAffairsBureauIsHere: To be honest, it’s obvious someone is targeting her. I’ve had hives too; they’re just super itchy. It’s a completely different concept from AIDS. The rumor-mongers deserve to be cursed!]
[@MyCPAreAlwaysKissing: LOL, they said Shi Qing was a sugar mommy to a young man. Where’s the man in the picture, I ask? A tall, skinny figure from the back is a man? I’d say that’s Wei Jiuqi! Spread the word: Shi Qing is Wei Jiuqi’s sugar mommy!]
[@Top-TierDreamer: The person above is a master of shipping. How did I not think of that angle!]
[@MeToo: Right, right! At that time, 77 hadn’t even graduated yet! I’m starting a rumor: Shi Qing was going to pick up Wei Jiuqi, hahaha.]
A group of CP fans thought they had found a new angle to ship, and some even paid writers to write a fanfiction about a “young actress as a sugar mommy to a female college student.”
Dong Ya, who was peeking, said nothing and just went on liking their posts with her alt account.
After showering, Shi Qing was supposed to have her acting class, but she couldn’t focus at all. Her eyes were fixed on the tablet screen. The teacher’s words went in one ear and out the other.
Her phone lay in her palm, the screen turning on and off. Every time she unlocked it, she saw the Weibo comment section.
She had to reply to Wei Jiuqi’s repost.
It couldn’t be too distant, but not too intimate either. It seemed like any casual sentence would do, but every word felt wrong. She would type something and then delete it.
She was stuck like this for ten minutes.
Finally, she decided on something. She turned off the tablet, put a long down jacket over her pajamas, and zipped it up to her chin.
“Are you going out, sis?” Dong Ya looked up from her liking spree.
“Yeah,” Shi Qing said absently.
Dong Ya noticed she hadn’t changed out of her pajamas and knew where she was going.
“Wei-laoshi and her team took some time off.”
“Time off?”
Shi Qing didn’t ask how Dong Ya knew she was going to find Wei Jiuqi. Instead, she asked why Wei Jiuqi had taken time off. Without her knowing, Wei Jiuqi’s presence had already surpassed her own.
Dong Ya bit on a cookie stick, which bobbed as she spoke:
“Yeah. Yu Lan told me this afternoon that Wei-laoshi was going to shoot two commercials and would be off for three days. She left after we finished work this afternoon.”
“Oh…”
Shi Qing lowered her gaze. Strands of hair slid down, obscuring half of her face, and her beautiful features looked momentarily crestfallen.
Wei Jiuqi had indeed left, taking Zhang Yu Lan with her. When she made the repost, she had just gotten off the plane. Zhang Yu Lan had gone to get the checked luggage, and in that short moment of inattention, Wei Jiuqi had found the time to post her message.
Now, two hours had passed.
Wen Yi came out of a KTV, wearing a mask and a baseball cap. She was followed by a few other people: two marketing bloggers with millions of followers and the owner of a professional PR firm.
At the pickup point, Wen Yi smiled and saw them off:
“Boss Luo, Boss Tang, I’ll be counting on you.”
The men waved their hands.
“Ah, it’s nothing. Wen-jie, you entrusted Shi Qing to us, which shows you trust us. We’ll definitely handle it for you!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find two intermediaries to make sure Dou Qinwen’s team can’t trace anything back to you.”
“Wen-jie, you’re so generous; we have to do a good job for you! We’ll be heading off now. You be careful on your way back too, Wen-jie!”
Wen Yi waved to them. “Okay, let me know when you get home. Drive safe.”
After saying goodbye, Wen Yi finally dropped her fawning smile and waved to her assistant on the other side of the road to bring the car over.
Unbeknownst to her, before the assistant could turn the car around, another car pulled up and stopped slowly in front of her.
The passenger window rolled down, revealing an empty seat. Wen Yi, fueled by alcohol, looked over to the driver’s seat, where a woman wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses was sitting.
Beneath the shadow of the cap, away from the streetlights, her defiant eyes were as sharp as ice blades, piercing through the hazy urban night.
Wen Yi paused. The smile she had worn all night faded, replaced by pure hostility.
“Wei-laoshi, I’ve heard so much about you.”