Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Honesty (Part 1)

“Good morning, Wei-laoshi.”

The unsubstantiated voice recording was ultimately killed in Shengqiao Entertainment’s general manager’s office. Tang Bin’s self-assured backup recording, which he thought was leverage, became the last nail in his coffin. The partners who were waiting for the storm to pass to sign with him withdrew their offers when they heard the news.

In the fashion, film, and entertainment industries, a risk assessment is the number one priority, even above market research. There’s an abundance of directors for commercials. Why would anyone put their eggs in a basket with a seemingly blacklisted and mediocre director like Tang Bin? Not to mention, the reason for Shi Qing’s collapse had already spread through the grapevine. No one would hire a director who, out of personal animosity, uses a client’s commercial shoot to make things difficult for an actor.

Wen Yi also saw Tang Bin’s true colors. Initially, Tang Bin’s explanation seemed sincere, and he even promised to start divorce proceedings this month, which made her soften a bit. Besides love, Tang Bin’s connections might still be useful to her, and she might be able to get into the film industry if she made a comeback.

But now, it was clear that Tang Bin’s impulsiveness and lack of emotional intelligence would eventually drag her down to hell. Since she had already suffered a loss once, there was no need to continue.

Soon, Wen Yi publicly admitted online that she “used to be in a relationship with Tang Bin, but we have already broken up.” Tang Bin, belatedly, posted private photos and short videos of them together, trying to prove that Wen Yi was the active party in the relationship and was now heartlessly abandoning him.

Wen Yi then released a voice recording:

—”You were the one who targeted Shi Qing and sent her to the hospital.” —”Who was it that came back crying after not getting the Empress role? If you didn’t whisper in my ear all day, would I have stuck my neck out for you?” —”But that depends on the situation. After I calmed down that day, didn’t I tell you that Shi Qing had a tough journey and if she could make a name for herself with this drama, it meant she had talent? Why didn’t you listen to that?”

She edited out the part where Wei Jiuqi was mentioned, keeping only the parts where she spoke up for Shi Qing and scolded Tang Bin’s rashness. The situation took a sudden turn.

[@Qingqing’sHug: Damn, so it was him who made our Qing-jie sick that time? He’s so disgusting!]

[@WorkerSister: I can finally say it! I was there that day. Tang Bin was obviously trying to make Shi Qing suffer. He made her eat over a dozen ice creams under the guise of various retakes. Then he disgustingly said the first take was the best one. He was truly awful.]

[@BenefactorOnlyEatsMeat: I feel like Wen Yi isn’t completely innocent either. Shi Qing’s been getting so much bad publicity these past few days. It must be these two who are behind it.]

[@LoopyIsEating: Not necessarily. I feel like Wen Yi has some sense. She didn’t forcefully steal Shi Qing’s role, and she even said that it wasn’t easy for her either. But that Tang Bin, he seems like a complete man-child from beginning to end.]

[@TskTskSaysUgly: Next time, find a man with a good eye. This time’s a big lesson for you; you should take a good break. In the future, stay away from men and focus on your career. Be smarter about things when they happen.]

[@Eagle-Eyed: The person who got the short end of the stick here is Shi Qing, okay? She took a job and was targeted by a colleague and her boyfriend for revenge. As if getting hospitalized wasn’t enough, she had to deal with more rumors.]

[@TragicHeroPro: I went through all of Shi Qing’s Weibo posts, and she’s never complained about anyone. And this sister is so beautiful, how did I not notice her before!]

Overnight, Wen Yi and Tang Bin, who were on the same side, turned against each other, and the public opinion shifted. It was an entertaining show.

Even Dou Qinwen called, saying that Wen Yi would back off and the company would launch a new PR campaign, telling Shi Qing not to worry.

Shi Qing was always the same—she wouldn’t get angry, nervous, or excited.

But Dong Ya was different. She went back to her room, refreshed the trending topics, and scratched her head.

“Did 97 orchestrate all of this? Is she that powerful?”

Wei Jiuqi, who saw the trending topics, was equally confused. She just went to give Wen Yi a warning. Was the effect really that significant?

Some people online speculated that Wen Yi’s downfall was due to the powerful backer behind Shi Qing. As for who this backer was, some said it was the director of Empress, some said it was a high-level executive at Shengqiao Entertainment, and others said it was Shi Qing’s anonymous sugar daddy.

A thousand theories, none of them pointing to Wei Jiuqi.

[Xiao Ya: Did you orchestrate all of A-jie’s problems?]

When Wei Jiuqi received this message, she wanted to deny it. But then she remembered that Dong Ya knew almost everything she did, so telling her wouldn’t be a big deal.

[Wei: She brought it on herself.]

After sending that, she immediately asked another question.

[Wei: What does she think?]

“She” naturally referred to Shi Qing.

Shi Qing had been angry with her last time after she bought the information on Wen Yi and Tang Bin from the paparazzi. If Shi Qing found out she hadn’t learned her lesson and had gone to warn Wen Yi, their relationship might be completely over.

[Xiao Ya: How should I know? Qing-jie keeps her thoughts to herself. She rarely talks to me about them. So, was it really you?]

[Wei: Did she have any reaction?]

[Xiao Ya: No reaction. She came back from work today and was either taking her acting class or practicing her lines. I don’t think she even saw the trending topics. It was Wen-jie who called and said that A-jie had backed off and that we shouldn’t worry.]

[Wei: What did she say?]

[Xiao Ya: What else could she say? Just, “Okay,” “Thank you, Wen-jie,” “You guys worked hard,” and that kind of stuff. You still haven’t told me, was it really you? When did you get so powerful? That was A-jie we’re talking about.]

[Wei: Don’t worry about it. If she asks, just say you don’t know.]

Dong Ya stared at her phone for a full five seconds. She honestly didn’t know!

[Xiao Ya: You’re learning bad habits. You’re just like Qing-jie, keeping everything to yourself and not being honest! I was going to tell you something, but never mind now!]

[Wei: What is it?]

[Xiao Ya: You won’t tell me the truth, so why should I tell you?]

[Wei: Then don’t tell me. Let’s see you try to hold it in.]

Dong Ya was so angry she sent a hundred pounding fist emojis.

Then she furiously typed with her thumb.

[Xiao Ya: I’m telling you, just to piss you off!]

[Wei: [ear.jpg]]

[Xiao Ya: The day you took time off for your commercial shoot, Qing-jie wanted to find you, but you had already left.]

Wei Jiuqi’s eyes widened. She shot up from her bed, staring at the text message, analyzing every word.

Her reply was exceptionally calm.

[Wei: What did she want to see me for?]

The biggest advantage of WeChat is that it helps people hide their emotions. A storm could be raging inside, but the output was still the same standard font.

[Xiao Ya: How should I know? But I’m guessing it had to do with you posting on Weibo in support of her. You have no idea, that Fei-jie was so afraid of being associated with our Qing-jie that she’d rather post 10 messages promoting her new book than repost our Qing-jie’s clarification statement. Besides our own company people, you were the first one to stand up for her.]

[Wei: It was just a statement. I believe her, so of course I’d repost it.]

[Wei: Fei Ying hasn’t come to bother her again since she returned to Jiangcheng, right?]

[Wei: So, she came to find me because she was moved?]

[Xiao Ya: It’s possible, but I think it’s more likely she wanted to warn you.]

[Wei: Warn me about what?]

[Xiao Ya: To not be impulsive. Last time Qing-jie was angry with you, it was because she was worried you’d get involved and make enemies. The fact that you were the first to stand up for her that day was a bit risky. I’m sure your agency gave you a talking to, right? And now, who would have thought you would go big and completely shut down Wen Yi and him.]

Wei Jiuqi started to feel uneasy.

The last argument was still vivid in her mind. The nasty things she had said, like “I wouldn’t care about you even if you knelt down and begged me,” had left a deep wound in Shi Qing. Their relationship hadn’t gotten any better.

If Shi Qing found out she had gone to see Wen Yi again, it would only make things worse.

In the upcoming period, Empress would be filming the mid-story arc where the relationship between “Jiang Ke” and “Ji Lan” changes.

In other words, they would have a lot of scenes together.

Early the next morning, Wei Jiuqi arrived at the makeup room early. Shi Qing was her usual self, arriving 15 minutes before the scheduled time.

The temperature had risen a few degrees, so even with the air conditioning on, the room was warm. Shi Qing was wearing a light white top. She had just taken off her eye masks, but there were still faint traces of puffiness.

Wei Jiuqi’s heart sank.

Shi Qing’s eyes would get puffy if she didn’t sleep well at night. Why didn’t she sleep well? Was something on her mind? Or… after so many days, was she still losing sleep because she was angry at her?

Taking a deep breath, she mustered the courage to say hello.

“Good morning, Shi-laoshi.”

Shi Qing turned her head at the sound. Her gaze lingered on her for a moment, but only for a moment, before she put on that polite expression she used for a colleague’s small talk.

“Good morning, Wei-laoshi.”

Wei Jiuqi felt guilty.

First, because of their last fight, where she had said those terrible things.

Second, the last time they spoke, she had offered Shi Qing a ride back to the hotel, and Shi Qing had refused.

Third, she had repeated her mistake and secretly gone to see Wen Yi, completely going against Shi Qing’s wishes.

All three added up, and she felt like she was on death row with Shi Qing.

But she missed Shi Qing so much and wanted to sit next to her, look at her, and talk to her.

When she didn’t know what to talk about, she talked about the weather.

“It’s gotten warmer these past couple of days, huh? Pretty mild.” As she said this, she brazenly sat down in the makeup chair next to Shi Qing.

“Yeah, it’s a few degrees warmer,” Shi Qing went along with her clumsy attempt at conversation.

“Are you used to the herbal medicine Yu Lan gave you?”

“Pretty much. Xiao Ya makes the soup for me every day, and I drink it when I get back at night. Yu Lan is very thoughtful. Please thank her for me.”

“It’s nothing. We’re colleagues; we help each other out.”

The small talk was like a leader’s speech at a school sports day—lacking in substance but a necessary formality.

This way, the next question seemed more natural.

“Oh, right, Wei-laoshi.”

Wei Jiuqi’s throat tightened. As an adult, she knew what the “oh, right” meant.

“What is it?” she tried to sound calm.

Shi Qing rested her hand on the armrest of the makeup chair, turned her head, and asked with a relaxed and gentle expression:

“When you went to Jiangcheng for the commercial shoot, did you happen to run into Wen Yi?”