Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 52
52 The Old Acquaintance (2)
…
“You’re not Xiao Jun, and I’m not Yu Qing.”
The uninvited woman interrupted the hard-won peace in the hospital room. Wei Jiuyi didn’t recognize the woman in the white suit, but she recognized the expression on Shi Qing’s face—
The calm face only said two words: “See her out.”
Putting her lunch box on the bedside table, Wei Jiuyi stood up. At 173 cm, she still had a slight height advantage over the woman wearing high heels. Her brows furrowed and her narrowed eyes flashed with a cold light.
“Excuse me, Teacher Shi needs to rest right now. Your boss has come at a bad time.”
The woman met Wei Jiuyi’s motion to leave. She seemed to know that this visit wouldn’t be easy, and her face showed no signs of embarrassment. She calmly said,
“Teacher Wei, this is a private matter between President Yu and Teacher Shi. I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to interfere.”
Wei Jiuyi shrugged and didn’t back down.
“I’m sorry, but Teacher Shi’s assistant specifically told me to take good care of her before she left. Besides, she just had surgery. If I let the wrong person in and something happens, who will be responsible?”
She hadn’t removed her makeup, and it just so happened that she was filming a scene of Ji Lan’s villain arc today. The dark eyeshadow made her eyes look especially sharp, like a scalpel cutting through white gauze. One look was enough to make someone feel like they were bleeding.
The woman opposite her had a powerful presence and even looked like a high-level executive at a public company, yet she was still intimidated by Wei Jiuyi’s demeanor. She took a small step back, straightened her body, and put on a polite smile.
“Teacher Wei, what do you want?”
Wei Jiuyi spread her hands. “As you can see, it’s not a good time for Teacher Shi. Why don’t I meet with your President Yu and convey her message?”
She wanted to see who this President Yu was, someone who didn’t even dare show her face and sent an assistant to act all high and mighty.
Shi Qing, however, rejected the idea. “There’s no need. An Li, tell Yu Qing that I don’t need her kindness.”
The name “Yu Qing” sounded familiar to Wei Jiuyi. The new heir to the Yu Group was said to have that name.
The Yu Group was one of the top film production companies in the country. Wei Jiuyi’s agent, Yu Fang, was also a member of the family. It was because she had the Yu Group’s connections that Yu Fang was second in command at Yihuang Entertainment.
So where did this Yu Qing come from?
Why was she pursuing Shi Qing?
Why did Shi Qing hate her so much?
As she was pondering, the woman named Yu Qing walked through the door. Her voice arrived before she did. It was a cold voice with an indescribable hoarseness, reminding Wei Jiuyi of the sound of broken ice being crushed by a shovel’s blade on a street in Harbin, the first time she went there as a child.
“You can’t afford any more accidents with your back. This physical therapy is very important. I’ve already contacted the best orthopedic doctor in the country for you.”
Wei Jiuyi looked in the direction of the voice. The person matched her voice—her appearance and demeanor were both cold and chilling. Her expression was such that she looked at everyone as if they were corpses.
Wei Jiuyi’s internal thought was crude—she looks like a widow who’s lost her lover.
“You must be President Yu, right?”
Wei Jiuyi stood in front of the hospital bed, cutting off Yu Qing’s line of sight to Shi Qing.
“Teacher Shi doesn’t want to see you right now. You’re a businesswoman. Why are you making things so difficult?”
Yu Qing was about the same height as Wei Jiuyi, but her suit gave her a more aggressive aura.
She looked at Wei Jiuyi, her sharp eyebrows raised slightly.
“Wei Jiuyi.”
Wei Jiuyi answered crisply, “Yes.”
Yu Qing sneered. “I know who you are.”
Wei Jiuyi nodded. “Of course. I won Best Actress in my debut. It’s normal for you to know me since you’re in the film industry.”
Yu Qing’s eyes narrowed as she spoke slowly.
“There are many secrets in this industry, but to me, they’re all transparent. When you were still a drama student, you were Shi Qing’s bed partner for a year. Miss Wei, what do you think would happen if I were to ‘accidentally’ leak that news?”
Wei Jiuyi’s heart skipped a beat, but she quickly hid it with her practiced acting skills and countered.
“Thanks for your attention. The CP fans say that all the time. I never thought a busy CEO like you would read our fan fiction. Since you’ve brought it up, what do you think would happen if I were to ‘accidentally’ leak the news that the new owner of the top film production company in the country came to a female actress’s hospital room and verbally harassed her?”
Yu Qing stared at her for a moment, then let out a cold laugh. “Wei Jiuyi, you’re very young. When you’re young, it’s forgivable to make mistakes and say the wrong things. But my patience has its limits.”
The word “fear” was not in Wei Jiuyi’s dictionary. If her agent were there, she would probably be whacking her with a broom. But right now, Shi Qing didn’t want to see this person, so it was her job to get rid of the trash for her.
She imitated Yu Qing’s sneer, but before she could speak, Shi Qing beat her to it.
“Not all mistakes can be forgiven.”
Shi Qing had always been gentle. Even when others made a mistake, she would only gently remind them, never getting angry or making a scene. As she had said before, living in this world was all about social grace. Why ruin a relationship and cut off a source of income?
But all her gentleness and virtue were gone in front of Yu Qing. This unusual behavior made Wei Jiuyi, who didn’t know the truth, a little jealous—Yu Qing was the only person who could make Shi Qing lose control of her emotions.
When she heard Shi Qing’s words, Yu Qing’s “widow-like” appearance intensified, and a hint of pain flashed in her eyes.
“That incident was five years ago. I just want to take good care of her friend.”
Her.
Even if Wei Jiuyi didn’t know the full story, she knew that “her” was the key to their conflict.
She looked at Shi Qing and saw her close her eyes tightly. Thinking of some sad memory, the corners of her eyes were already moist.
She slowly opened her eyes again. The rims were red, and her voice trembled as she spoke.
“I don’t need it. If Xiao Jun were still here, the only thing she would want me to do is stay away from you.”
The name “Xiao Jun” landed, and Yu Qing seemed to be shattered by it.
“Do you have to talk like that? I just want to make amends with her. I hope you won’t reject my good intentions.”
Shi Qing’s voice grew stronger. “I said, I don’t need it. I’ll tell you one more thing. The last message Xiao Jun sent me before she left was that she was going to a place without you. I hope you don’t come back and bother my life again. Otherwise, I don’t mind telling the media the truth about her death.”
Shi Qing had never been so harsh, nor had she ever been so merciless to a person.
Never.
Yu Qing stood by the window, so thin that the outline of her bones could be seen through her suit. She just stood there as Shi Qing’s words and the light from the window became knives piercing her body.
Scattered.
For a long, long time, she seemed to come back to life. She turned her head, looked at the brilliant light outside the window, and found a bit of life in the sun’s warmth. Her thin lips moved slightly, and she spoke in a dream-like, hoarse voice.
“She’s gone. She’s been gone for a long time.”
The tense atmosphere in the hospital room ended with Yu Qing’s departure. The white-painted door closed again, cutting off the memories, but the pain continued to spread in the silence. The sunlight from the checkered window cast two large and small square shadows on the floor that looked eerily like skulls.
Shi Qing lay on the hospital bed, her breathing short and labored. She clutched the sheets, her slender hands showing three bony ridges. The bruises from the IV needle looked like a birthmark placed by a witch’s curse, haunting her forever.
Wei Jiuyi watched, her heart being tossed around in a blender. She took Shi Qing’s hand, holding it and the sheets she was clutching, using the warmth of her palm to ease the cramps.
“A-Qing, it’s okay.”
She rested her forehead against Shi Qing’s, her arm wrapped around the back of her neck. She leaned down without putting any weight on Shi Qing, comforting her with her own body heat.
“They’ve left. They won’t come back again. It’s okay.”
She didn’t ask who Yu Qing was, and she didn’t ask what had happened to Xiao Jun, because those things weren’t important to her. What was truly important was that the incident from “five years ago” was still tormenting Shi Qing.
“Take a deep breath. It’s okay. I’m here. It’s okay.”
At the door, Dong Ya, who had returned with the candy, opened the door and then immediately jumped back out.
Oh my God, in less than an hour, they’re already kissing?!
So, Sister Qing has accepted 97? Or is 97 taking advantage of Sister Qing being bedridden and unable to move?!
She opened the door a crack, squinted, and adjusted the focus of her 100-degree nearsighted eyes, finally landing on Shi Qing’s arm resting on Wei Jiuyi’s back.
Oh… Sister Qing is okay with it.
Then it’s fine.
The door closed again. Outside, a security guard was now standing sentry.
That day, Shi Qing finally told Wei Jiuyi about Xiao Jun. Her emotions had calmed down, but they still wavered when she mentioned the name “Xiao Jun.”
“We were college roommates. We practiced dancing together and ate meals together. After graduation, I was signed to the Oriental Song and Dance Ensemble, and she went to the National Dance Theater. Everything was fine at first.
Later, I reported to the ensemble, and there was a new dancer’s gala. I had an accident during my performance, and the wire broke. At the time… it hurt a lot. But what I couldn’t accept was when the doctor told me I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.
Xiao Jun was the one who saved me. She quit her job at the theater and became a stunt double for actors in the film studio, saying it was a quick way to make money. She earned a lot of money, and all of it went to my surgery. That day… when I woke up and saw you, I called out her name. It’s because for the six months I was in bed, she was the one who took care of me.”
A young girl who had just graduated, penniless and without anyone to rely on, was willing to give up a bright future to become a stunt double at a film studio, all to save Shi Qing.
Wei Jiuyi felt humbled. She couldn’t describe that kind of emotion, which went beyond an ordinary relationship.
If she were asked if she would be willing to give up her current job to save Shi Qing, she would definitely say yes.
But that was because she loved Shi Qing, even more than her own life.
Xiao Jun wasn’t like that. There was no love between her and Shi Qing. It was just four years of friendship from college, and yet she was willing to do so much for her.
“Having a friend like that is incredibly rare,” Wei Jiuyi said from the bottom of her heart. She finally understood why Shi Qing was so bothered by Xiao Jun being “gone.”
“If I were you, I would miss her a lot. But A-Qing, I think you’re dwelling on her leaving too much. It’s been five years. Maybe she would want you to look forward. After all, it’s in the past.”
Shi Qing tilted her head, staring blankly at the sunlight outside the window, as if she could see Jun Wanshan in another world through that beam of light.
“I can’t get over it,” she said.
“If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have become a stunt double, and she wouldn’t have met Yu Qing.”
Wei Jiuyi’s ears rang, and a giant stone seemed to have dropped from the sky.
Sure enough, Xiao Jun’s death was directly related to Yu Qing.
“Do you know how happy she looked when she told me she was in love? I advised her, telling her that Yu Qing was not from our world and that she had a lot of people around her. But she said she was willing to be brave for love.”
At this, a look of tragic grief appeared in her eyes, and her voice was like a cleaver slicing through cloth.
“Love, ha… love…”
She laughed bitterly, as if she had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.
“Love that’s like a moth to a flame will only end in ashes.”
The tears in her eyes stung Wei Jiuyi. At that moment, she came to a painful realization, as if she had finally found a path through a fog that had confused her for days.
Why did Shi Qing not get into relationships? Why did she always avoid topics of love with her? Why, even after Fei Ying, whom she had once liked, came back and said she loved her, did they still not end up together?
Shi Qing didn’t not believe in love; she was terrified of it.
“But…”
Her thin lips mumbled twice. She took Shi Qing’s cold hand, and the depths of her eyes were filled with rampant, blossoming love.
“You’re not Xiao Jun, and I’m not Yu Qing.”