Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Public Relations (Three)

I’ll Wait for You at the Door

@97Time_Tutor: “The way the older sister looks at our puppy, AHHHH! This is f***ing LOVE! [Video.mp4]”

@Top_Tier_SisDog_Lit_Expert: “Chinese people don’t lie to other Chinese people, this is truly love.”

@Soft_Hearts: “Doesn’t it feel like the older sister is especially proud? It’s like a parent watching their child perform on stage.”

@QiQiLovesQingQing: “I told you, our QiQi was ‘kept’ by the older sister all throughout college. Who agrees, who disagrees?”

@80_Year_Old_Granny_Who_Only_Ships_Soft_Candies: “LOL, what’s with the thought process above? A puppy who was ‘kept’ made it to Best Actress, but the older sister who ‘kept’ her can only get the second female lead? If you ask me, the puppy ‘kept’ the older sister. Seeing that the older sister couldn’t get good scripts on her own, she invested in the project and made the crew cast the older sister as the second female lead, so they could stay together!”

@96_Female_Bisexual_Looking_For_Friends: “The person above said they only ship soft candies, but now they’re starting rumors! Well, I’ll join in! The puppy crossed over from the film industry to TV just to act opposite her older sister. They film on set during the day, and at night, they’re in each other’s arms, lost to the world. The older sister’s red embroidered bra hangs from the puppy’s belt.”

The CP fandom page was a gathering place for a group of sugar-deprived fans who lived for their favorite pairing. They had to extract some sweetness from their CPs every day, or they wouldn’t survive.

And this was just the first on-set video released by Stardust Entertainment.

Ten minutes later, the second video released by Orange Frontline was a bombshell.

Reporter: “I’ve read the original novel and consider myself a fan. I remember a monologue in the book that hinted at Ji Lan having feelings for Jiang Ke, but it was never explicitly stated. I’d like to ask if this emotional arc will be shown in the drama?”

After the question was asked, Wei Jiuzhen and Shi Qing instinctively exchanged glances. It was a silent, furtive communication, a secret look between two people who knew the truth but dared not reveal it, as if they were conspiring with their eyes.

After the eye contact, Wei Jiuzhen seemed to have found her answer and replied, “I don’t think this part is conveyed through the dialogue. It wasn’t shown in the novel’s dialogue either.”

The reporter, a master at digging for scoops, immediately caught on to the hidden meaning in her words. “So you’re saying that while you don’t express it through dialogue, your expressions and actions are designed to show it, is that right?”

Wei Jiuzhen didn’t immediately counter with, “Is this your second question?”

The reporter pushed on. “No, this is an extension of the first question. I’m asking how you plan to portray the princess’s feelings for the empress.”

Wei Jiuzhen glanced at Shi Qing again. Shi Qing subtly shook her head, signaling her not to be too direct. It was one thing for the CP fans to find hints, and another for the actors themselves to confirm it. If they said too much, and the audience didn’t feel it when the show aired, or if the scenes were cut, it would lead to disappointment.

So Wei Jiuzhen turned back to the reporter and asked, “What do you think ‘liking’ someone is?”

The reporter paused to choose her words. “‘Liking’ someone is when you can’t help but think of them. Sometimes thinking of them makes you happy, and other times sad. When something happens to them, you become restless and will do anything to help them clear all obstacles. Even if it hurts you in the process, as long as they’re alright, you feel that everything is fine.”

She was describing Ji Lan’s complicated feelings for Jiang Ke in Empress, but as the past and present intertwined, every word she spoke about the character perfectly described Wei Jiuzhen’s own recent actions, as she had been busy running around for Shi Qing.

To a fan of the book, these words were just about the character.

But to the people involved, every word was a thunderclap.

Shi Qing subtly lowered her gaze to hide the emotions stirring within. Wei Jiuzhen’s fingers tightened around the microphone, but only for a second. With practiced acting skills, she put on a poised and open expression and turned to Shi Qing.

“If that’s the case, I think ‘Ji Lan’ definitely has some feelings for ‘Jiang Ke.’ Shi-laoshi, what do you think?”

Called out by name, Shi Qing had no choice but to lift her eyes. When she looked at Wei Jiuzhen, her eyes were as calm as still water, showing not a single ripple of emotion.

“Is that so? Maybe. But Ji Lan is a person who prioritizes the bigger picture. She wouldn’t let her feelings, which shouldn’t exist, influence the power struggle for the throne. And in this drama, Jiang Ke stabs Ji Lan herself, and ultimately, when she is defeated, she jumps from a nine-story tower in front of Ji Lan. Their relationship is very complicated; ‘liking’ is not enough to summarize it.”

Ji Lan’s bigger picture was seizing the throne, and Wei Jiuzhen’s bigger picture was successfully completing Empress. Whether it was a genuine “liking” or a self-perceived “liking” contaminated by certain experiences and emotions, it shouldn’t interfere with the progress of the bigger picture.

On a large scale, this response was professional and dignified. On a smaller scale, Wei Jiuzhen understood the subtext. Communication has always been a profound art. Shi Qing might not enjoy socializing or being worldly, but she was never lacking in the art of speaking.

The reporter didn’t stop at the topic of “liking” because their company, Orange Frontline, specialized in covering celebrities’ romantic lives. Following the company’s mission, she continued to ask, “So, do you two have anyone you like right now?”

Shi Qing’s answer was straightforward: “No, I’m focused on my career right now.” After all, it had been nine years since her debut and she was finally in a major production like Empress. This was likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and she had to seize it.

Wei Jiuzhen, however, thought for a moment. “Not anymore.”

The reporter quickly followed up. “So you used to?”

Wei Jiuzhen nodded. “Of course. I was young, just a teenager. I fell head over heels the moment I saw them. Don’t they say you shouldn’t meet someone too amazing when you’re young? I still remember it.”

Beside her, Shi Qing’s eyes shifted slightly. A teenager… so before she met me.

It wasn’t strange that she had liked someone else. Given Wei Jiuzhen’s personality, she was likely pursued often throughout her life. She must have been in a relationship before meeting Shi Qing.

But she said, “I still remember it,” suggesting it was a beautiful love story unique to her youth—a time when relationships were purely about feelings, unburdened by worldly affairs and money. Wei Jiuzhen described it as “head over heels” and “amazing,” but in their year together, she had never mentioned it to Shi Qing.

Shi Qing knew that in Wei Jiuzhen’s world, she was just a fleeting passerby, someone with whom she had a purely physical relationship, without any emotional connection. A person like her, even in a few years, when this experience would be called a “memory,” would not be described by Wei Jiuzhen as “amazing” or “remembered to this day.”

How would Wei Jiuzhen describe her?

Probably as “cold,” “heartless,” “calculating,” and “arrogant.”

Her pensive expression didn’t go unnoticed. It fell under the microscope of netizens, leading to a new wave of fan fiction.

@Little_Wei_Cake: “Did you see it?! The older sister’s expression suddenly fell when she heard the puppy talk about someone she used to like! It’s totally like a girlfriend getting secretly jealous when her partner praises their ex!”

@97Time_Firstborn: “I thought the older sister didn’t like the puppy! She said, ‘I don’t have anyone I like.’ If you don’t, why are you getting jealous, older sister? Are you just born to be jealous?”

@Only_Love_My_Sis: “QiQi, seriously, why are you talking about your ex in front of your older sister? You’re banned from kissing your older sister’s lips today!”

@Iron_T_of_Daughter_Country: “Did anyone else notice? When QiQi was talking about the princess liking the empress, she was looking at the older sister! It’s like, in this public arena of fame and fortune, I want to confess to you in the most high-profile yet subtle way.”

@Battle_of_Red_Cliffs_300_Rounds: “Someone finally said it! I noticed too! She’s always secretly trying to send signals to the older sister. I’ve done this before. I used to test my crush, trying to see if she liked girls, by constantly borrowing lines from novels and asking her, ‘What if I like you?'”

@Marriage_Bureau_Is_Here: “Why be so cryptic? I’m sentencing you two to a Battle of Red Cliffs tonight to properly communicate your feelings.”

@April_in_Human_World: “I’ve already commissioned a fanfiction titled ‘Small Starlet Kept by a College Student,’ but this new direction feels wrong. I’ll go commission another one: ‘Powerful Best Actress Puppy vs. Gentle Actor Older Sister.’ This is it.”

As soon as the on-set videos were released, the CP fandom was in a celebratory frenzy. Fan fiction writers, fan artists, meme creators, and jokesters all came out, determined to produce enough content to last for the next three years.

Naturally, CP fans were a niche group. In the comments section of the official on-set video accounts, besides comments like “Both actors are very professional,” the most discussed topic was the presence of “Director Wei Shu, who came to visit the set today, to scout actors for her comeback film.”

To this, Wei Shu herself replied in the comments:

@Wei_Wei_Wei: “I did see some very good actors, but the comeback won’t be that soon. I’m still polishing the script.”

This statement had three key points:

1. 1. Wei Shu had indeed found an actor she liked.

1. 1. Wei Shu was indeed planning a comeback.

1. 1. Once the script was polished, filming would begin.

The CP fans, immersed in their sugar-fueled world, once again flocked to the news, taking screenshots and hurrying back to their fandom page to analyze it.

@Chasing_Stars_Till_I’m_100: “Could the actress Mommie saw be our kitty? Didn’t they say she was visiting the set today?”

@Whoever_Wants_To_Work_Can_Go: “I can confirm, it was the kitty. I was a production assistant on set.”

@I_Ship_All_Subjects: “Dreaming of Mommie’s first comeback film starring our leopard and kitty again, hehehe.”

@Only_Love_Taurus_Women: “Sisters, let’s just focus on the first show airing, okay? At the rate Empress is going, it might not even air this year. I just hope the promotions team works harder and arranges more of these on-set videos and dual-actor events, or I’ll starve to death.”

With five media outlets releasing their on-set videos, the Orange Frontline on-set video was the last to be released, but the Empress promotional team finally released a video of the two-person mini-games at eleven o’clock that night, bringing the day-long feast to a close.

Thanks to Wei Jiuzhen’s efforts, the CP fandom celebrated early, and Shi Qing also gained a new wave of fans.

“No wonder they say hyping up a CP is the way to go.”

When Dong Ya came to pick up Shi Qing, she was refreshing Shi Qing’s Weibo homepage every second on her phone. “The follower count is growing so fast. You haven’t even officially started promoting the CP yet, and you already have 3 million followers. I thought it would take at least two weeks to get there.”

Shi Qing had just removed her makeup and changed out of her heavy costume into her own sweater. Her bare face showed a natural beauty, and her eyes seemed much more approachable.

“So, should I prepare a fan benefit for 3 million followers?” she asked Dong Ya.

“Yes, you should.” Dong Ya helped her put on her down jacket and pondered, “How about a dance? You’re a professional at that, and the fans love to watch it.”

Shi Qing hadn’t thought much about fan benefits, but she felt she shouldn’t let down the fans who had supported her. So, she could only offer what she was best at—classical dance.

“Okay, I’ll contact the dance teacher from last time to choreograph a piece. I’ll film it once it’s ready.”

“Great! I’ll contact them. You’ve worked hard enough today.”

The two of them walked out of the dressing room side by side. As soon as they exited the building, Zhang Yulan waved at them from the front.

“Shi-laoshi, Xiao Ya, over here!”

“Huh?” Shi Qing was surprised. Shouldn’t Zhang Yulan have already driven Wei Jiuzhen back? Why is she still waiting for them at the entrance?

She turned to look at Dong Ya, who was using all her acting skills to feign a surprised expression, even covering her mouth as if to hide a secret.

“Oh, Yulan, why are you here? What a surprise!”

Zhang Yulan looked at her with a confused expression. “Didn’t I tell you I’d wait here for you?”