Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 69
Chapter 69: Two-Two-Three-Four (Part 2)
◎ A Qing, is that what you meant? ◎
【The leopard gives the cat a ride in the rain, and Fang Fei angrily deletes the solo fan’s comment.】
After Fang Fei deleted the “delete this” comment, the 97Time super topic celebrated like it was the new year. Fans started editing videos, writing fan fiction, and holding giveaways.
【@97TimeClassRep: Fang Fei got involved in this, so what does that tell us? It means the two of them are already sparking on set; even their colleagues are shipping them!】
【@ModernLevenhuk: I’ve been noticing Sister Fang Fei for a while now. She was in the behind-the-scenes footage before, too. I feel like she’s on the front lines of the shipping squad.】
【@EatEverythingAndYou’llBeWellBalanced: Besides that, when the cat was rumored to have AIDS, the leopard was the first to stand up for her, followed by Fang Fei. She’s always been pretty great.】
【@GottaMake90MillionThisYear: Giving away a new LV bag. Just repost and praise 97Time to enter.】
【@365YearsInOneYear: Ahh, I don’t care! At their wedding, if Ms. Fang isn’t there, no one gets to eat!】
The small Polaroid photo caused a ripple effect in a corner of the internet. The ripples spread, reflecting sunlight from different directions. Up close, it was a beautiful scene of blue skies, white clouds, mountains, and pine trees.
Wei Jiuyi spent the entire night in the super topic, mindlessly scrolling through posts one by one. Videos automatically switched to the next one, and none of the words in the fan fiction ever registered in her mind. She just mechanically scrolled all night.
She was completely too ashamed to face Shi Qing.
She had made the same mistake twice, and the second time was after she had sworn to change for the better after the first. She had once again forced herself on Shi Qing. She had no face left to ask for Shi Qing’s forgiveness for such a grievous mistake.
She suddenly thought of Yu Qing, who had appeared at the hospital that day. Yu Qing was just like her, wishing time could rewind so she could go back and slap herself hard.
Yu Qing was better than her, though. At least they could still have a decent conversation when they met again. She still remembered Xiao Jun and hadn’t found a new lover all these years. She even humbled herself to take care of Xiao Jun’s best friend.
And what about her?
She could only flee in a panic, shrinking back into her bedroom comforter, shamelessly scrolling through the CP super topic of her and Shi Qing. She didn’t dare face Shi Qing, couldn’t even manage to say “I’m sorry” on WeChat.
Even when she came back tonight, Dong Ya’s expression looked strange. Despite her unspoken understanding with Dong Ya, she couldn’t fully read the meaning behind that expression, but one thing was certain—surprise.
That’s right.
How could she do the same thing she did last time?
How could she offend Shi Qing again?
How could she be so shameless and morally bankrupt?
She was surprised by her own shamelessness, let alone Dong Ya?
At the same time, Dong Ya, who had already returned to her place, sent a message to Zhang Yulan.
【Ya Jie: I still can’t figure it out. How could she go back?】
Zhang Yulan was eager to know what was happening with Shi Qing and quickly replied—
【Lan: What do you mean?】
【Ya Jie: Do you know what I found?】
【Lan: What?】
【Ya Jie: Sister Qing washed all her clothes, including the outfits they wore during the day and a nightgown.】
【Lan: Then I’ll go get Sister Qi’s clothes tomorrow.】
【Ya Jie: You’re missing the point…】
Zhang Yulan’s brain went on two detours—
【Lan: Ms. Shi’s nightgown was washed. Did she change into another pair of pajamas tonight?】
【Ya Jie: …】
【Lan: Just tell me what happened!】
Dong Ya had no choice but to lay it all out clearly—
【Ya Jie: Sister Qing usually wears pajama sets, but she suddenly washed a nightgown today. I think she definitely wore it on purpose for Wei Jiuyi to see. But that oblivious idiot Wei Jiuyi didn’t get what our Sister Qing meant and just went back home just like that!】
Zhang Yulan was pure-hearted and explained, 【Lan: How could Sister Qi be so dumb? It must be that Ms. Shi’s hint wasn’t clear enough. And wearing a nightgown doesn’t necessarily mean that.】
Dong Ya was furious—
【Ya Jie: Are you a pig brain?! The nightgown was that silky, strappy kind with a deep V-neck in the front! It’s clearly a hint! And she doesn’t usually like to wear such revealing nightgowns. It just so happens that Wei Jiuyi drove her back today, she just so happened to invite Wei Jiuyi to stay and shower, and she just so happened to wear this suggestive dress. It couldn’t be more obvious!】
Zhang Yulan was easily swayed; she believed whatever others told her. Especially since Dong Ya had been working longer than she had and was her senior, her words carried more weight.
【Lan: Looking at it that way, it does seem like that’s what she meant. And Ms. Shi is usually so reserved; she really did a lot this time.】
【Ya Jie: Right!!!】
【Lan: Then why did Sister Qi come back?】
【Ya Jie: How should I know!!!】
【Lan: But when I went in to give her milk, she looked like she had nothing left to live for. She seemed really sad.】
【Ya Jie: Then let her be sad! She brought it on herself!】
Zhang Yulan put down her phone with a bitter expression and sighed. One person finally mustered the courage to hint, and the other hesitated because of a past mistake. Why were the emotions of city people so complicated?
…
The next day, Shi Qing and Wei Jiuyi went to the set as usual. No one mentioned the previous day’s unpleasantness, as if they were two drunkards who had a simultaneous blackout and lost the memories of the night before.
Fang Fei still came to join them from time to time, saying she would act as Steven in the flesh. Both of them welcomed her and chatted and laughed as they had before. Only when Fang Fei left, and they were in a space with just the two of them, did the stagnant air carry a subtle, suffocating tension.
Wei Jiuyi didn’t speak, and neither did Shi Qing. Although they both had pleasant expressions, anyone who looked at them would think they were a pair of colleagues who were diligently studying their scripts and working hard.
But only they knew that wasn’t the case.
…
At Shengqiao Entertainment, in Dou Qinwen’s office, a recent college graduate stood in front of the desk, holding a canvas bag in her hands, waiting for Dou Qinwen’s final decision.
“There are eight new assistants in this batch. Do you know why I called you in alone?”
Dou Qinwen put down her teacup. The flower petals and tea leaves had settled at the bottom, and only a third of the liquid remained.
Wan Xin smiled respectfully, “Maybe I’m just lucky.”
Dou Qinwen stared at her, her experienced eyes carrying a sense of oppression.
“Because I think you’re the smartest one out of the eight.”
Wan Xin paused, then deftly slung her canvas bag over her back. She stepped forward, picked up Dou Qinwen’s teacup, filled it about eighty percent full with hot water from the dispenser, and placed it back in its original spot on the desk.
“Ms. Dou, I can do whatever you want me to do. I’m not afraid of hard work.”
She was sharp-witted and quick to react. Dou Qinwen’s eyes held a hint of appreciation.
“Not bad. I was right about you.”
She opened Weibo on her phone, found the post Fang Fei made yesterday, and clicked on the Polaroid photo.
“Do you know the people in this picture?”
Wan Xin immediately recognized the two in the front seats.
“Yes, the driver is the newly crowned Best Actress, Ms. Wei Jiuyi, and the passenger is our company’s artist, Ms. Shi Qing.”
Dou Qinwen went straight to the point, “I’m going to assign you to be Shi Qing’s assistant.”
Wan Xin was puzzled, “Okay, but Ms. Shi already has an assistant, doesn’t she?”
Dou Qinwen said, “She does. To be frank, I’ve signed a contract with First Emperor, and she and Wei Jiuyi need to operate as a screen couple for the time being. However, I don’t want them to have any extra private entanglements.”
As a rookie, Wan Xin tried to speculate using her own logic and asked tentatively, “Ms. Dou, are you worried about them falling for each other because of the show?”
Dou Qinwen nodded, “Exactly. So I need you to help me keep an eye on her, but don’t let her find out. Got it?”
Wan Xin instantly understood—she was to be an undercover agent investigating a relationship and the stick to break up a couple.
“Got it. If I find any actions between Ms. Shi and Ms. Wei that are more than just normal colleagues, I’ll report it to you immediately.”
…
Meanwhile, a dejected Wei Jiuyi, drained of all energy from two days of filming, retreated to her trailer as soon as they wrapped up, cutting off all contact with the outside world.
Back at the hotel, she either sat on the living room sofa and zoned out or lay in bed and zoned out after her shower, like a woman waiting for her husband to return from the sea.
Zhang Yulan used the excuse of putting away clean clothes to enter the bedroom. She opened the closet door, placed the neatly folded clothes inside, and didn’t close the door.
After taking five deep breaths, she finally mustered the courage to speak.
“Sister Qi, I went to Ms. Shi’s place today to get your clothes. I saw that nightgown of hers; it’s so pretty. Do you know what brand it is?”
Pulled from her world of white noise, Wei Jiuyi’s brain took two laps to process Dong Ya’s words before she said, “Which one?”
“The purple strappy one. It felt like a light luxury brand. Do you know it?” Zhang Yulan showed her a photo.
“I don’t know. You want to buy the same one?”
Zhang Yulan pressed on, “Yeah, it’s so pretty.”
Wei Jiuyi honestly replied, “That style doesn’t suit you.”
Zhang Yulan stubbornly continued, “I’m buying it as a gift.”
Wei Jiuyi scrutinized her, “Giving… a nightgown? To whom?”
Zhang Yulan had dug herself into a hole and almost slapped herself right in front of Wei Jiuyi. Luckily, she had received emergency training from Dong Ya that afternoon, so her crisis management skills had improved.
“Uh, it’s a secret. Anyway, I just want to buy the same one. Do you know what brand it is?”
Wei Jiuyi, not getting any gossip, shrugged disappointedly.
“I don’t know either. Why don’t you ask Xiao Ya?”
The conversation finally followed Zhang Yulan’s plan, and she quickly said, “I already asked Sister Ya, and she said Ms. Shi doesn’t usually wear that nightgown, so she doesn’t know the brand either.”
Wei Jiuyi, still unaware of the underlying meaning of this sentence, corrected her, “It was raining that day. I drove her back, and she was wearing that one.”
After living for more than 20 years, Zhang Yulan finally experienced the futility of a top student trying to explain a concept to a struggling one.
“But Sister Ya said Ms. Shi usually wears pajama sets. And the day she went back, Ms. Shi had already washed the nightgown.”
Wei Jiuyi finally got a hint of the correct answer. “Why would she wash the nightgown?”
Zhang Yulan tried her best to act like an innocent bystander, “I don’t know. Maybe she accidentally got it dirty, or she spilled something on it?”
Wei Jiuyi tuned into the right channel, recalling Zhang Yulan’s words one by one.
“Wait, you just said… she doesn’t usually wear that nightgown, but she wore it the day I drove her back, right?”
Zhang Yulan was roaring like a dragon in her heart, but her face showed only forced calm.
“Yeah, heh heh.”
Those two short words were a dagger to Wei Jiuyi’s heart—
That’s not right. That’s not right.
A Qing’s nightgown that day was very sexy. If she usually wore it, it could be explained as a personal preference. But she only wore it on the day Wei Jiuyi stayed to shower. And before she came out of the bathroom, A Qing had drunk the medicated wine, making her skin flushed all over. Did this mean something?
That glistening, watery look in her eyes, the loosened strap that had slipped off her shoulder, and that phrase “You want to leave?” which seemed to have a hidden meaning…
A Qing, is that what you meant?