Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Returning the Jacket (Part 2)
Why aren’t you wearing clothes?
“Hello, may I ask who you are?”
The person who opened the door was Wei Jiuqi’s assistant, Zhang Yulan. With an oversized hoodie, baggy jeans, and a high ponytail, she looked simple yet capable.
Shi Qing stood outside, holding the jacket in one hand. “Hello, I’m Shi Qing. You’re Teacher Wei’s assistant, right?”
Zhang Yulan looked her over. The woman in front of her was tall. While her looks weren’t outstanding in the beauty-filled entertainment industry, her graceful presence was like a magnolia, drawing others in like a magnet.
She must be an actress.
She quickly smiled politely. “Yes, that’s right! Are you Teacher Shi? Are you here to see Sister Qi?”
Shi Qing said, “Yes, she forgot her jacket in the conference room, so I brought it back for her.”
Zhang Yulan took it efficiently. “Haha, that explains it. I was wondering why she came back in just a single layer! She was freezing and went straight to take a hot shower. Thank you, Teacher Shi!”
Shi Qing said, “You’re welcome, it was no trouble.”
The smile on Zhang Yulan’s face stiffened slightly.
The entertainment industry places a high value on fame, and people are very sensitive about others “not knowing who they are.” When Zhang Yulan joined Wei Jiuqi’s agency, her first training session was to recognize the entertainment industry’s 300 familiar faces. “Xinyu” and “Yuxi,” “Yang Yi” and “Yang Yi,” “Director Da Fang” and “Director Xiao Fang”—if you made a mistake and called someone the wrong name, it could make your artist look bad.
What’s more awkward than calling someone the wrong name is not being able to name them at all.
Zhang Yulan hesitated, then apologized openly. “I’m so sorry, Teacher Shi. I haven’t been with Sister Qi for long, so I’m not very familiar with the industry yet.”
It’s not that you’re not famous, it’s that I’m inexperienced!
Shi Qing’s lips curled into a gentle smile, and she offered reassurance. “It’s alright, don’t worry about it. I don’t have much buzz anyway. Even within the same agency, there are people who don’t know me.”
Zhang Yulan let out a long sigh of relief in her heart. Thank goodness this beautiful sister is so kind-hearted and broad-minded and didn’t hold it against me.
“That’s good. Oh no, I mean, Teacher Shi, you’ll definitely become a huge star, and the whole world will know you!”
“I’ll take that as a blessing.” Shi Qing discreetly glanced inside the room, but didn’t see Wei Jiuqi. “I’ll head back now.”
“Wait just a moment, please!”
Zhang Yulan scurried back, tossed the down jacket onto the sofa, and went into her own room to get a small pouch. “Teacher Shi, this is a small sachet with a few traditional herbs inside. The weather is cold lately, so if you carry this, it can help prevent colds.”
She then added, “My family runs a traditional medicine shop, so my parents made a lot of these. I’m just borrowing a flower to present to the Buddha by giving you one.”
Shi Qing took the pink sachet embroidered with small flowers. It was very simple, and the rough feel of the embroidery showed that it had been stitched by hand rather than a machine, giving it a touch of authenticity.
“It’s very beautiful. Thank you, and please thank your parents as well.”
Her parents.
What a refined way to put it.
Zhang Yulan was taken aback. In just two minutes, she had felt Shi Qing’s charm—the gentle charm that came from a scholarly family.
Across the hall, Dong Ya, stuck to the wall, discovered that Wei Jiuqi’s room was right across from theirs. She turned to peek through the peephole.
The more she looked, the more indignant she got.
97 is so rude. Even if she wants to cut ties with us, she shouldn’t be so cold as to send her assistant to handle Sister Qing and not show her face at all. What, is her face made of gold? Does she think a piece of gold dust will fall off if she shows it?
Honestly, that’s just dog hair on her face—utterly ungrateful.
Now that the jacket was returned, Shi Qing didn’t plan to stay. Just as she was about to leave, the bathroom door opened with a click. The sound of slippers padded out, coming closer and turning the corner to appear before the two women.
The good news: Wei Jiuqi had finished her hot shower.
The bad news: She was only wrapped in a single towel.
Her long hair was twisted into a gray hair-drying turban, sitting atop her head like a crown. A gray towel was wrapped around her body, extending from her chest to her thighs. Her skin had the flush of a hot bath, her cheeks were rosy, and she had a look of healthy vitality.
And a sensuality that only a bed partner would understand.
Zhang Yulan panicked and rushed over to cover her.
“Ahhh! Why aren’t you wearing clothes!”
As she spoke, she quickly grabbed the down jacket from the sofa and wrapped it around her, bundling her up like a spring roll.
Wei Jiuqi’s eyes remained fixed on Shi Qing at the door. The muscles in her cheeks and lips smiled a distant smile, but her eyes hid a strong undercurrent.
She said in a clear voice, “It’s fine, Teacher Shi isn’t an outsider.”
Shi Qing remained calm and nonchalant. “Mmm,” she hummed. “We have a lot of scenes together in this show, so we’ll get to know each other. I look forward to working with you.”
Zhang Yulan quickly smiled apologetically. “Hehe, it’ll be a pleasure, definitely a pleasure!”
Wei Jiuqi put her arms through the jacket sleeves, leaving the front wide open. It looked for a moment like she was wearing a strapless minidress.
She leaned lazily against the door frame. The scent of her shower, carried by her elevated body temperature, quickly filled Shi Qing’s nostrils.
Wei Jiuqi asked, “Teacher Shi, is your back feeling better?”
Shi Qing said, “Much better.”
Wei Jiuqi suggested, “You should go back and use a hot water bottle for a compress.”
Shi Qing nodded. “I will. You should drink some ginger tea tonight. Don’t catch a cold.”
Wei Jiuqi felt her mood improve, and she said happily, “It’s fine, I’ll be okay after I sleep. It’s not like your back, which is an old problem.”
The atmosphere grew a little ambiguous.
But only for a second.
Zhang Yulan jumped in. “—Teacher Shi, your back isn’t feeling well? My family has a home remedy. I’ll ask my dad to send it to me.”
Wei Jiuqi: “…”
Shi Qing: “Oh, that’s great. Thank you.”
Wei Jiuqi spoke again. “It’s best if you bring a cushion tomorrow.”
Shi Qing nodded. “I will.”
“You can also choose a spot that’s not so warm, so no one else will switch with you.” The remark was clearly pointed.
“It was no trouble at all.”
“Then she should just go early and get a warm spot for herself.”
Zhang Yulan came in with a perfectly timed assist. “—Warmth is very important, it helps with bl00d flow to the brain.”
Wei Jiuqi: “…”
Zhang Yulan, following the company’s assistant training manual, was demonstrating her skills as a competent, friendly assistant to a fellow artist. However, she was not giving Wei Jiuqi the outcome she wanted.
The scene grew awkward for a moment. On the surface, it seemed cheerful, but a deeper look revealed the embarrassment.
As for why it was embarrassing…
A long time later, after the two assistants had become close, Zhang Yulan talked about the first time she met Shi Qing, when the three of them were standing in the doorway. She had been forcing a smile, feeling uncomfortable no matter how she stood.
Dong Ya asked her why she was uncomfortable. After a long moment, Zhang Yulan described it.
“Well, they’re both 173 cm tall, and I’m 156. It made me look really out of place, you know? It’s like… you know the saying about a crane standing out in a flock of chickens? I was the chicken in a flock of cranes.”
…
When Shi Qing returned, Dong Ya teleported to the sofa and pretended to be playing a game on her phone, but her eyes were glued to Shi Qing the moment she walked in.
If Shi Qing looked sad, it meant she was nostalgic and felt pained by having to pretend to be a stranger. This would mean she wanted to start over with 97 but was defeated by reality.
If she looked happy, it meant she still had some interest in 97 and at least found their conversation pleasant. This would be a good sign, and a potential for further development.
After all, 97 had even used her body as a lure.
But Shi Qing had no expression.
Just like usual, her expression was calm, and her eyes were serene. She seemed to see everything, but nothing registered in her heart.
She used her phone to order a vegetarian salad, and Dong Ya ordered one too.
Dong Ya could have gone to the dining hall. There were many film crews in the area, and a lot of hotels and guesthouses, so someone had opened a large mess hall. For about ten yuan, you could get one meat and two vegetable dishes, with free soup. It was a better deal than ordering delivery.
But Dong Ya had an ulterior motive.
The two of them sat in the living room of the suite. Dong Ya took a bite of broccoli and asked tentatively, “97 is in this show too, right?”
Shi Qing hummed. “She’s playing the female lead.”
Dong Ya was impressed. “Wow, that’s amazing. This is only her second project, right, and she’s already the female lead of a big costume drama.”
“Exactly,” Shi Qing said, slowing her words. “So, Little Ya, from now on, you can’t call her ’97.’ You have to call her ‘Teacher Wei.'”
A rock fell into Dong Ya’s heart. She puffed out her cheeks and said, “I know, so people don’t find out about your relationship. Don’t worry, I haven’t even told anyone at the company.”
Shi Qing’s public persona was no different from her real self: aloof and reserved, like a magnolia or a chrysanthemum, even a little unworldly.
If it were to be discovered that a woman like her, a “flower on a high mountain ridge,” had once taken a female college student as a lover, her image would be ruined.
But Shi Qing was thinking about something else.
“Everyone says she’s a star from heaven, that she became an instant hit. The film industry, the fashion world, all the resources are pouring in for her. So, there will be a lot of eyes on her. If someone with bad intentions finds out she was once another person’s lover, it’s very likely her career will be over.”
Dong Ya stirred her salad dressing with force and grumbled, “You think about her, but she doesn’t necessarily think about you.”
Shi Qing comforted her. “It’s good to think about someone, whoever it is. In any case, no one can know about this.”
Dong Ya agreed. “Okay, okay, I won’t say anything. I didn’t want to in the first place. It’s all in the past.”
Shi Qing was stunned for a moment. “Mmm, it’s in the past.”
After finishing her salad, Dong Ya went back to her room to play a game. Shi Qing connected her tablet to the TV’s Bluetooth and played the day’s acting class.
She placed the tablet on the left and her notebook of reflections on the right. She arranged three mirrors on the table. When the teacher gave an exercise, she would perform it for the mirrors. She wrote down the key lines, facial expressions, and body movements in her notebook, so she could review them when filming began.
When she finished, she put away her notebook and mirrors.
Then she opened her script and got familiar with the content for the next day’s script reading. She designed her lines, expressions, and physical movements from an acting perspective, jotting everything down in her script for future reference.
When she was done, it was almost 9:30 PM. She opened an Italian movie she had never seen and took the tablet into the bathroom to watch while she showered.
She didn’t fast-forward or skip any scenes, simply watching it unfold second by second at the creator’s pace.
When she finished showering, the movie wasn’t over, so she continued watching it.
She paused to blow-dry her hair, then washed her underwear and put it in the in-room underwear dryer and sterilizer. Finally, she put on her lower back massager and set a 20-minute cycle.
11:00 PM.
She studied English for 20 minutes, then ended her day, turned off the light, and went to sleep.
The next day, Shi Qing arrived at the office half an hour early as usual.
8:30 AM.
The staff at the venue had already started working, setting out teacups on the conference table.
Shi Qing glanced at her seat from yesterday. One was right in front of the air conditioner, and the other was a world away.
She hesitated, then chose a spot that was neither too far nor too close to the air conditioner.
“Sister, morning!”
Guo Xi arrived right after her.
She was in a tracksuit, a cotton hairband in her hair. Her cheeks were flushed from her morning workout. She must have gone for a run and then headed straight to the conference room.
“Morning,” Shi Qing said, nodding at her. She placed the sofa cushion she had brought behind her back and sat down.
“Have you had breakfast?” Guo Xi sat next to her and took two buns out of her pocket. “If not, have one.”
“I’ve eaten already. You eat them.”
“Alright. I need to eat fast anyway. Director Fan doesn’t like people eating in the office.”
With that, she quickly devoured the two buns. She then pulled two eggs out of her other pocket. She ate them in two bites, washing them down with the tea on the table.
Just as Shi Qing thought she was done, Guo Xi turned to the water dispenser for a glass of water, then took out a siu mai and two small buns.
Her pockets could hold a lot.
“I brought these buns for you. Take them,” Guo Xi said, placing them on her table.
“Thank you, but I had a very filling breakfast,” Shi Qing said, her manner showing a hint of distance.
“Oh, come on, we don’t finish until noon. What’s a little breakfast going to do?”
Just as the two were talking, Wei Jiuqi stepped through the door.
“Morning, Teacher Shi, Screenwriter Guo.”
She was wearing a dark blue coat today with a black mock turtleneck underneath. Her long hair was tied high in a bun, making her neck appear long and slender.
But her eyes were sharp and fierce. Even without makeup, they conveyed a sense of arrogance from within.
Before speaking, she had clearly seen Guo Xi offering the buns to Shi Qing and the two of them laughing.
It was blinding.
Guo Xi immediately greeted her with enthusiasm. “Hey, Teacher Wei, morning! Have you had breakfast? I have some buns here.”
Wei Jiuqi didn’t hesitate. “I haven’t eaten yet. Thank you.”
Guo Xi immediately stood up and tossed one of the buns to her from a few feet away.
“No problem! Here’s one for you. If you like it, I’ll bring you two tomorrow. I’m saving this one for Teacher Shi.”
Wei Jiuqi raised an eyebrow. “Teacher Shi hasn’t eaten either?”
Shi Qing, still seated, said, “I have.”
Wei Jiuqi took the opportunity to get what she wanted. “That’s great. Can I have both of them, then? I’ll bring you some squid jerky my assistant buys me tomorrow. It’s pretty good.”
With that, Guo Xi had no choice but to agree.
When it comes to snacks, you give and you take. Today Shi Qing ate hers, and tomorrow Shi Qing would bring her some. Over time, people become friends.
She had originally planned to give one bun to each of the female leads, but it turned out Wei Jiuqi really hadn’t eaten breakfast.
But it was fine, they were both her female leads.
“Alright, I’ll look forward to being fed tomorrow.”
She then saw Wei Jiuqi walking toward the opposite side of the table and called out to her.
“Why are you sitting over there? It’s cold over there. Come sit next to us. You two have a lot of scenes together, so it’ll be easier to discuss.”
Wei Jiuqi had just pulled out a chair. When she heard that, her rear didn’t even touch the seat before she got up.
“Okay.”