Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 46
Chapter 46: Horses (One)
“Ah Qing!”
“No CP, QiQi is enough on her own!”
That night, this slogan was posted over a million times on Wei Jiuzhen’s personal fandom page. The reason was simple: in the recent on-set videos and behind-the-scenes clips of Empress, there were subtle hints and intentional testing of the chemistry between the 97Time pairing.
It’s said that fans only get upset when a real person is involved. When Wei Jiuzhen “voluntarily helped Shi Qing unscrew a bottle cap,” “held the mic for Shi Qing,” and “personally admitted that the princess had feelings for the empress,” she was undoubtedly helping the production team achieve its “CP hype” goals.
The fans could not tolerate their idol being used as a tool by the production team. They were also unhappy that the CP partner was Shi Qing, who hadn’t hit it big in almost 10 years and whose partnership felt like a charity case. That night, they mobilized their fandom page to launch a coordinated campaign in the comments section of Empress’s official Weibo account, protesting the blatant CP hype. At the same time, they messaged Emperor Entertainment, Wei Jiuzhen’s management company, both in the comments and through private messages, ordering them to “protect our artist and not let her be used by a greedy production team.”
In response, Emperor Entertainment discussed the matter during their morning meeting. Wei Jiuzhen’s manager, Yu Fang, stated, “If they can’t handle their artist interacting with a senior colleague, then Wei Jiuzhen doesn’t need these kinds of fans. Today it’s Shi Qing, tomorrow it could be someone else. If we follow their ‘QiQi is enough on her own’ mantra, who will want to interact with her in the long run? I don’t want my artist to be isolated right after winning an award.”
Emperor Entertainment had over a decade of experience in artist management. Its management team, full of veterans like Yu Fang who had been managers for half their lives, had a sharp eye and a long-term vision. They weren’t going to change an artist’s career path just because of one night of fan backlash.
The director in charge also weighed in, “After winning the award, Wei Jiuzhen hasn’t had any new work come out, and her popularity has slightly declined over the past two months. Using CP hype is a good way to boost her popularity. I know the head of promotions for Empress; she was the one who made Hu Lan a breakout star two years ago. But we need to be careful with the extent of the hype. I’ll leave it to you, Director Yu, to discuss this with her.”
Yu Fang nodded. “No problem.”
…
Wei Jiuzhen didn’t sleep a wink and had been crying for half the night. When she came out of her room the next day, Zhang Yulan was so alarmed that she quickly boiled two eggs to help with the swelling around her eyes.
Staying up all night had drained almost all her energy. She looked awake, but she was like a zombie, without a shred of spirit or passion. She sat at the dining table, looking as though a fox spirit had sucked out her life force, exuding a strange sense of heavy-heartedness.
“Sister Qi, you look really tired. How about we ask Director Fan for a day off and go tomorrow?” Zhang Yulan looked at the dark circles under her eyes, feeling her own spirits sink.
“No need, I’m fine.” Wei Jiuzhen’s voice was surprisingly full of energy, but her brain hadn’t fully recovered yet, as she ate the eggs meant for her eyes in two bites.
Zhang Yulan was a little exasperated but couldn’t quite figure out what was wrong. She said hesitantly, “But you kind of look like… a college student who got dumped and is trying to improve herself by studying English all night.”
Oh my goodness. She had gotten back so late last night and just took a quick shower before going to bed. She had no idea what Wei Jiuzhen had been doing. Could she have been up all night losing game after game, just like she used to do in school?
But Wei Jiuzhen hadn’t seemed obsessed with games lately.
No matter. In any case, they had gone their separate ways last night. She saw Wei Jiuzhen go into her own room. Whether she played games or did a backflip, it had nothing to do with Shi Qing. She was counting on the two actresses getting along so she could continue learning how to play as a marksman with Dong Ya.
“Hehe, I might be overthinking it. Have a seat. I’ll boil two more eggs for you to get rid of that swelling.”
“Okay, thank you.”
On the other side, Shi Qing had also gotten up early to go to the makeup room for her styling. She also looked completely normal, with the exception of slightly darker under-eye circles.
Dong Ya, who had witnessed the entire ordeal, could only pretend she heard nothing. She looked, listened, and asked nothing, being the proper and dutiful assistant she was.
However, when Zhang Yulan stupidly sent her a message that read, “Sister Qi looks so tired this morning. I checked, and there was a solar flare last night. Are you and Shi-laoshi okay?” she finally couldn’t hold back.
“I wish I could be as stupid as you.”
Zhang Yulan stared at the message for a long time. Her first thought was that the solar flare was a rumor, so she quickly went online to search. Indeed, there was a solar flare. That made Dong Ya’s words even more confusing.
After deciding to keep her distance, Wei Jiuzhen actually felt much more relaxed. She didn’t have to wonder if Shi Qing missed her (she definitely didn’t). She didn’t have to think about what to buy to make Shi Qing happy (because Shi Qing wouldn’t be happy to receive her gifts). And she didn’t have to fantasize about a future together (the answer was no).
A living person, but half-dead. That probably described her perfectly.
“The interview yesterday was great.” Her manager’s call came in just as Wei Jiuzhen was finishing her styling and waiting on set.
After drinking coffee, she was more energetic, and her complexion looked much more normal.
“I just answered the questions, but I think I caused some trouble for the company. Sorry, Sister Yu.”
Yu Fang’s goal was clear. “You don’t need to apologize. Just keep going with this trend.”
Wei Jiuzhen paused. “What trend?”
Yu Fang was direct. “Actually, the production team reached out to me before, asking if we could hype up a CP between you and Shi Qing. I didn’t say yes or no, just told them to wait and see what the chemistry was like. After yesterday’s interview, it seems you two have a good connection.”
Wei Jiuzhen was silent. We slept together for a whole year. Of course, we have chemistry.
“But I went back and thought about it yesterday. Empress is a serious drama, so maybe hyping a CP isn’t a good idea. I think I’ll just focus on acting and let the work speak for itself.”
The subtext was: I’m not doing it anymore.
But Yu Fang didn’t agree. “The quality of a show is important, of course, but promotions are just as important. Jiuzhen, I’ve managed so many artists, and you’re the most intuitive one. I don’t need you to divert your energy from acting. Just interact a little more with Shi Qing, based on what you’ve already done.”
This meant they were determined to make the 97Time CP happen.
Wei Jiuzhen’s head ached. The company’s decision was based on a comprehensive evaluation, and as a small artist, all she could do was obey. But why hadn’t they called her yesterday? They had to call her after she had already decided to shut her heart down and stay away from Shi Qing, to remind her that it was time to put on a show.
As if it was just up to her.
“Sister Yu, I understand what you’re saying, but this kind of thing doesn’t just depend on one side. Shi-laoshi has been in the industry for so many years and has never had a CP. It’ll probably be hard to communicate with Flourishing Art Entertainment.” Wei Jiuzhen tried to distance herself from her personal feelings.
But Yu Fang was prepared. “I’ll handle the discussion with her company. Once both sides have confirmed the collaboration plan, I’ll contact you again.”
She didn’t ask Wei Jiuzhen if she was willing. A blind person could see from the eagerness she showed in the interview that she was subtly hinting to the company that it was time to hype the CP.
The call ended, and Wei Jiuzhen was once again in a state of conflicted misery. She felt like a giant joke. It was as if she had been trying to dig a window in a crumbling house, and just as she was exhausted and about to give up, God blew open a door for her. But after she walked out the door, fell into a mud pit, and crawled back, vowing to stay in the crumbling house for the rest of her life, the window that she couldn’t open suddenly opened on its own.
This conflicting existence continued for a week. The company’s plan still hadn’t come out. She hoped they would forget about it and let her and Shi Qing be the most unfamiliar of strangers, only interacting on set.
Fortunately, Shi Qing was very busy during those days.
She had to film during the day and go to the horse stables at night to practice riding for the upcoming scene where she would be galloping with Wei Jiuzhen.
Learning to ride was both a good and a bad thing. It was good because it was a new skill that would broaden her acting opportunities.
It was bad because of Shi Qing’s old back injury. Bouncing up and down on a horse would definitely cause her a lot of pain if the old injury flared up.
But this was no longer her concern.
Even Fei Ying, the legitimate suitor, didn’t say anything, so what right did she, the discarded ex-bedmate, have to ask?
Yes, it was none of her business.
She struggled with this for two days, and in the end, she couldn’t help but buy back pillows for all the main cast members.
“Thank you, Wei-laoshi!” Fang Fei was always the one to offer emotional value. “I’ve been practicing riding with Shi-laoshi recently, and my back is killing me!”
Wei Jiuzhen put on the polite smile that all colleagues had. “You’re welcome. We’re all in the same crew. We should look out for each other.”
She couldn’t help but glance at Shi Qing, who was looking at her from the corner. It was just a glance, but it almost made her want to force the pillow into her back and tell her, “Take care of yourself.”
Thankfully, she held back, her expression nothing but distant.
Fang Fei looked at the distracted Wei Jiuzhen and then at the pensive Shi Qing, raising her voice. “Especially Shi-laoshi. You used to be a professional dancer, so you must have some old injuries on your back. You need to be extra careful.”
Shi Qing held the soft yet firm back pillow, her eyes curving into a smile. “Yes, thank you, Wei-laoshi.”
Wei Jiuzhen’s frown softened slightly. “You’re welcome.”
She felt like she should say something else, but her throat tightened, and she couldn’t think of anything. So, she just swallowed the words.
The horse scene was filmed on the third day after Wei Jiuzhen gave out the back pillows.
The scene was about a royal hunt, where the emperor took all the princes into the forest to hunt, while Princess Ji Lan took Empress Jiang Ke to the stables. They each chose a horse and galloped across the grassland.
It was the first time Jiang Ke had felt a sense of freedom since she had been living in the palace, and it was at that moment that she realized the thought, “Only power can bring freedom.”
Since it was a scene of galloping horses, the speed would be relatively fast. To ensure the actors’ safety, Director Fan Erhua personally met with the horse team’s owner and selected two gentle, long-legged horses. They looked great but couldn’t run too fast. The cameras would be positioned overhead, and the speed could be adjusted in post-production to make it look faster.
After filming several close-up shots from the side and front, Fan Erhua was very satisfied and planned to change the camera angle.
“Alright, let’s switch to the overhead camera. Jiang Ke and Ji Lan, go back to the starting point. When I give the signal, try to run side by side, as if you’re racing together.”
Wei Jiuzhen had filmed dozens of horse scenes and was already familiar with the feeling of galloping.
Shi Qing, however, was on her first day and had never played a warrior role before, so she was a little nervous.
“Don’t be nervous.” Wei Jiuzhen coolly and indifferently stopped her horse next to Shi Qing’s. “I’ll match your speed. Whether you go fast or slow, I can keep up with you.”
Shi Qing took a deep breath, her expression relaxing slightly. She joked, “Then I’ll go full speed ahead. Let’s see if you can keep up.”
Wei Jiuzhen raised an eyebrow, accepting the challenge. “Alright. I never lose a race.”
Later, thinking back to this moment, Wei Jiuzhen would always regret it. She regretted not telling Shi Qing to slow down when she said she would go “full speed ahead.”
Fifteen minutes later, all the cameras and crew were in position. Fan Erhua’s voice came through the speaker.
“Scene 211, Shot 19, Take 1—Action!”
Shi Qing nudged her horse’s belly and, following the coach’s instructions, started at a steady trot. Within a few steps, the long-legged horse was running.
Wei Jiuzhen followed suit. With her skilled riding, she quickly caught up to Shi Qing and rode side-by-side once they were in the shot.
Their tacit understanding seemed to affect the horses they were riding. The rhythm and frequency of their hooves were almost identical. Their long hair flew behind them, their palace robes fluttered like clouds, and the lush green grass and vast rainbow of colors instantly transported people to that elegant era of heroes born in times of chaos a thousand years ago.
Just when everyone thought the shot would end smoothly, Shi Qing’s horse suddenly let out a sharp neigh.
“Neigh—”
Its right hoof got stuck in a hole in the grass. Both front hooves knelt down, and Shi Qing was thrown off by the inertia, rolling several times on the ground.
Wei Jiuzhen watched her fall from the horse, her mind a blank. She reined in her horse and jumped down, running towards her.
“Ah Qing!”