Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 54

54 Concern (2)

“I’m treating you guys to dinner.”

“I told Yulan to go first. She’s not as healthy as I am.”

When she saw this message, Shi Qing’s eyebrows furrowed. Wei Jiuyi was often like this, thinking she was young and indestructible. That time she had a fever was because she didn’t shower immediately after being caught in the rain, and her temperature shot up to 39 degrees Celsius, leaving her delirious.

Her worry peaked at that moment, and she had to type with a commanding tone:

You: Then after you shower, drink some ginger soup or take some cold medicine to be safe.

On the other end of the phone, Wei Jiuyi was humming a tune. She savored every word of that sentence.

Ginger soup…

Cold medicine…

Me: It’s okay. I’m healthy. Today’s scenes were all about screaming, and my throat is a little sore. I’ll just eat an orange later.

At this, the crease in Shi Qing’s brow deepened.

You: Wei Jiuyi

Shi Qing never called her by her full name. Even at her most distant, she called her “Teacher Wei.” Calling her by her full name meant that the bloodline suppression from the “older sister/younger dog” kingdom had been activated.

Wei Jiuyi’s fingers flew across the keyboard:

Me: Alright, I’ll drink ginger soup. I promise I won’t delay filming by getting sick.

She even added a period at the end to make it extra formal.

Shi Qing didn’t send any more messages, and “The other person is typing…” no longer appeared at the top. Wei Jiuyi waited for half a minute, afraid that Shi Qing would just let it go. So, she took the initiative and asked:

Me: I’ve been busy filming for the past two days and haven’t visited you. How is your injury recovering?

Even though she had the intern’s WeChat and checked in every day, she still wanted to hear it from Shi Qing herself.

Shi Qing’s thumb trembled as if it had been lightly scratched by a tiny cat’s paw. She couldn’t explain the feeling, but maybe it was because Wei Jiuyi was the one who brought her to the hospital in the first place, so every time Wei Jiuyi asked about her injury, she felt a little more secure.

You: It’s much better. I sat up for an hour today and was fine. The doctor said I can go back to work after I’m discharged the day after tomorrow.

It was only today that the doctor told her she could be discharged the day after tomorrow, and she realized that two weeks had passed in the blink of an eye.

Me: What time are you getting discharged?

You: I don’t know, probably in the afternoon. I still have a physical therapy session that day.

Me: I’ll come pick you up if I’m finished with work by then.

You: You don’t have to. Xiao Ya and I can just take a cab back.

Me: You have a lot of stuff from the hospital. Xiao Ya can’t carry it all by herself. Besides, didn’t your company give you a new place to live? Yulan and I can go with you to help you get settled.

Shi Qing wanted to refuse.

Picking her up from the hospital and helping her move into her new place sounded like something more than what ordinary colleagues would do. But before she could refuse, Wei Jiuyi’s next message came.

Me: My agent told me yesterday that we need to create more opportunities to spend time together so we can get used to it. It’ll be easier to act as a couple in front of the cameras.

Shi Qing felt that the whole “shipping” culture was a bad thing. It blatantly created a gray area for two people who should have stayed separate, forcing them to jump in and do things they shouldn’t do in the name of “business.”

Every one of those things brought back a thousand memories from the past.

You: Okay, I’ll let you know then.

Shi Qing couldn’t find a reason to refuse.

The two days passed quickly, especially since Shi Qing kept her schedule packed.

The day before she was discharged, Wei Jiuyi showed her the next day’s filming schedule. They would be done by 6 p.m., which was the earliest they had finished recently.

Me: It’ll take me about 20 minutes to get to the hospital. If you’re hungry, eat something with Xiao Ya first.

The crew was busy during those days, so Shi Qing knew that Wei Jiuyi had managed to finish early by getting most of her scenes done in a single take. Not wanting to disappoint her, she said:

You: I ordered some food to be delivered at 7 p.m. You and Yulan can stay and eat with me. It’ll be my way of thanking you for taking care of me recently.

Shi Qing was a thoughtful person. If someone helped her, she would return the favor. Even as an ordinary colleague, people were quickly captivated by her charisma.

When Wei Jiuyi saw the message, the corners of her mouth curled up. She tried to hold it back, but she couldn’t. Remembering she was alone in her room, she laughed out loud. Her index finger affectionately caressed the words on the screen as if she were touching Shi Qing’s delicate and gentle face.

Me: What did you order? The doctor said you still can’t have scallions or ginger, and there are a few other things you should avoid.

Shi Qing quickly replied:

You: Don’t worry, they’re all things I can eat.

After a few more messages, they finally went to sleep.

The next day, Shi Qing’s physical therapy was only supposed to be three hours. Including the paperwork and packing, she could have been discharged by 2 p.m.

But considering that Wei Jiuyi wouldn’t finish until 6 p.m., she swapped her physical therapy time with another patient and didn’t finish until 5 p.m.

When she got back to the room, Dong Ya had already packed her clothes and toiletries into two large, bulging bags.

“Hehe. When Yulan gets here, I’ll let her take the small one, and I’ll take the big one. We’ll just toss them in the RV and go home!”

Shi Qing nodded. “Mhm. Yulan has been a great help recently, so it’s okay for her to take the smaller one.”

Dong Ya, however, said, “That’s not it at all. The small one looks small, but it’s actually heavier than the big one. Knowing her, she’ll fight me for the small one, and I’ll just give it to her, hehehe.”

Shi Qing feigned anger. “You little slyboots.”

Dong Ya tilted her head. “Hmph, I’ve been teaching her how to play games for so long. What’s wrong with collecting a little tuition?”

The two of them chatted idly. Seeing that it was still early, Shi Qing picked up a copy of My Altay to read. She had read the book many times, but every time she opened it, she was able to lose herself in the tranquility of northern Xinjiang, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The hands on the clock slowly moved to 6 p.m. The sunlight outside the window changed from a honey color to a golden yellow, casting a long shadow of Shi Qing’s reading figure on the floor.

Dong Ya snapped a picture.

“We have a picture for this week’s ‘business.'”

Shi Qing looked up and smiled at her. “Send it to me.”

Dong Ya wasn’t satisfied. “Wait. I’ll add a filter to bring out the sunset feeling.”

Just as she finished speaking, a woman’s voice came from the doorway.

“Xiao Qing is so beautiful. You don’t need a filter.”

Shi Qing’s first reaction to the voice was surprise. It was just after 6 p.m., and she thought Wei Jiuyi had come early.

But in the second it took to turn her head, she heard a few more words and recognized the voice. When she saw who it was, the surprise on her face vanished instantly.

“Sister Fei.”

She greeted her as she normally would.

Fei Ying was holding a bouquet of lilies. She was wearing a tea-colored coat that reached her knees, and her long hair was held in place with a hairpin. She looked mature and elegant.

“I came straight here after my book signing. How are you? Are you feeling okay?”

Shi Qing nodded. “Much better. I’m getting discharged today.”

Fei Ying said, “I heard you were getting discharged today, so I made sure to come over. I drove here. I’ll take you back later.”

Drove?!

Dong Ya didn’t like the sound of that. She saw Fei Ying reaching for Shi Qing’s hand and quickly jumped forward.

“Teacher Fei, can you give me the flowers, hehehe? You must be tired from the trip. Would you like some water? I’ll get you some.”

Fei Ying handed her the flowers. “Thank you.”

Dong Ya put them on the bedside table. “Oh, it’s nothing. I’ve been taking care of Sister Qing for the past two weeks she’s been in the hospital. Teacher Wei and her assistant also came by often to help. She even said she would come pick us up today!”

Fei Ying’s expression froze for a moment. “Teacher Wei?”

She looked at Shi Qing, her eyes filled with both inquiry and a hint of blame.

Shi Qing’s conscience immediately felt guilty. Fei Ying had already made it clear that she wanted to pursue her, but Shi Qing had neither accepted nor rejected her. The last time they had talked, she could feel that Fei Ying was angry with her. After that, the two of them were in a semi-cold war.

Now, after her dangerous fall from the horse, Fei Ying, while busy with her Asian book tour, had still managed to find the time to come and check on her.

On the other hand, Shi Qing had developed a “business couple” relationship with Wei Jiuyi during that time.

She understood the look in Fei Ying’s eyes. It was the look of a girlfriend who had caught her partner cheating, wanting to blame her but not having the heart to do so.

This created a strange sense of guilt in her.

“Teacher Wei has an RV. I have a lot of luggage, so I just asked her for a favor.”

Dong Ya, however, added fuel to the fire. “That’s right, that’s right. Teacher Wei is very generous. She’s been working so hard filming lately, but she still insisted on coming to pick us up. She should be here any minute now.”

Shi Qing didn’t say anything, silently agreeing to everything Dong Ya said.

Fei Ying saw it all. She kept her eyes on Shi Qing, who wouldn’t look up, and an unknown sourness swelled in her heart. She forced a professional smile, a smile an adult would use to deal with a situation.

“She’s not here yet, is she? Since she’s so busy with filming, I’ll take you back today. That way, she won’t have to make the trip. Xiao Ya, do you have her number? Tell her.”

Dong Ya laughed awkwardly. “Hehe, I don’t. I’m just a little assistant. How would I have a superstar’s number?”

She said that, but in her mind, she had already decided that if Fei Ying asked to see her phone, she would immediately delete Wei Jiuyi’s number.

Just as she finished speaking, the sound of footsteps came from the doorway. Shi Qing couldn’t tell who it was, but Dong Ya could. The person was walking with a bouncy gait, and the keys in their pocket clinked rhythmically, a sound only Zhang Yulan made.

“Teacher Shi, Xiao Ya, I’m he—”

She stopped mid-sentence when she saw a completely unfamiliar woman. She quickly dropped her relaxed demeanor and stood at attention, her voice dropping by eight octaves.

“Haha, I’m here to pick you guys up from the hospital.”

Fei Ying turned around. Her eyes met Zhang Yulan’s, and she looked at the door, confirming that only Zhang Yulan was there and not Wei Jiuyi. Her expression softened slightly.

Zhang Yulan put her skills as an ace assistant to work and said politely,

“Teacher Shi, is this your friend? She’s so pretty. Is she an actress too?”

Shi Qing smiled faintly and introduced her. “This is my senior from school, Fei Ying. She’s a novelist now.”

Zhang Yulan laughed. “A novelist. That’s great! You have a degree and you’re educated, hehehe…”

Dong Ya couldn’t stand her treating Fei Ying so nicely and quickly stepped forward. “Alright, Six-gourd, didn’t you say you’d be here at 6:30? Why are you so early?”

An outsider would have thought the focus of the question was the “time.”

But Dong Ya and Zhang Yulan had a secret code.

The “Six-gourd” referred to the sixth brother of the Hulu brothers, the only one with the ability to turn invisible.

A few days ago, Dong Ya couldn’t help but complain to Zhang Yulan that there was someone pursuing Sister Qing who would mysteriously disappear whenever Sister Qing was in trouble, just like the “Six-gourd.”

Zhang Yulan suddenly understood. “Oh, oh…”

To avoid being found out, she quickly replied, “Oh, no, a piece of equipment on set broke, so it’s going to be delayed by half an hour. Sister Qi was afraid you’d have to wait too long, so she told me to come pick you up first. She’ll go straight to your place after she finishes.”

After she said that, Dong Ya wanted to hit her with a stick. Can’t you be less honest? Can’t you just say that Wei Jiuyi is already downstairs waiting for Shi Qing?!

As expected, Fei Ying found an opening.

“In that case, Xiao Ya, you and this assistant can take the luggage to her car. Xiao Qing can ride with me. Her back just got better, so she’ll be more comfortable in a sedan.”

Zhang Yulan finally realized what was happening and quickly said, “Oh, this, this isn’t good. This is, well, how do I put it, hehehe…”

Dong Ya was a little quicker to respond. “No, no. The RV has a sofa, so Sister Qing can lie down. The doctor said her back can’t be strained too much and she needs to lie down more.”

Even if Fei Ying was slow, she understood Dong Ya’s hidden meaning. She didn’t argue and just turned to Shi Qing. The advantage of being the older one was clear at that moment.

“You decide, Xiao Qing. Are you riding in her car or mine?”

Shi Qing thought for a moment, silently controlling the emotions in her eyes. She quickly made a decision.

“Xiao Ya, Yulan, I’ll have to ask you to help me with my luggage. I have some things to talk about with Sister Fei. You guys can go back and wait for me.”

So, the four-person reunion became a silent glaring contest between Dong Ya and Zhang Yulan. After Fei Ying impatiently led Shi Qing downstairs, Zhang Yulan stomped her foot in a panic.

“What do we do? Sister Qi is going to kill me!”

Dong Ya also jumped up in a hurry. “You’re so stupid! Call her right now! If Sister Qing gets taken away, I don’t know what you’re going to tell her when you get back!”