Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Once More (Part 3)

◎ “Shouldn’t you be responsible?” ◎

“Director Fan, you’re underestimating me. I can drink, too.”

The gentle voice was like a snowflake drifting into a bustling city, minuscule but so out of place with the crowded, muggy streets that it instantly captured everyone’s attention.

She poured a glass for herself. Although it was a small cup meant for liquor, one full cup was no joke.

Fan Erhua stopped her.

“Xiao Shi, the alcohol content in this is too high. You’ve just recovered, and your intention is enough.”

Wei Jiuyi also said, “Exactly. Who will take you back if you get drunk?”

Shi Qing raised an eyebrow and the corner of her eye, a playful smirk forming on her lips. “Ms. Wei, if I get drunk on your alcohol, shouldn’t you be responsible?”

Fan Erhua burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Right, Jiu Yi, you’re responsible for taking care of Xiao Shi later. If anything happens to her, I’m coming for you.”

Because of the relationship between “Ji Lan” and “Jiang Ke,” the crew almost saw the two as a single unit. Their daily jokes even defined them as having a relationship beyond ordinary sisterhood. Wei Jiuyi always played along, and Shi Qing never objected, treating it as if these people were helping them get into character.

But taking care of someone on a daily basis and taking care of a drunk person seemed to be two different things.

As the saying goes, tea is a wise mediator, but alcohol is a matchmaker.

“Listen to Director Fan,” Shi Qing said, holding her glass and glancing at the silent Wei Jiuyi, just for a moment. “I’m so much older than Ms. Wei. How can I let her take care of me? It should be the other way around.”

Fan Erhua immediately said, “Who takes care of who isn’t about age, it’s about alcohol tolerance. Right, Jiu Yi? Hahaha!”

Wei Jiuyi raised the glass in her hand. “Of course. My alcohol tolerance was trained through real-life experience. Ms. Shi, do you want to compare and see?”

In the year she was away from Shi Qing, she had only filmed for three months. Other than that, her days and nights were free, and especially right after the breakup, she could only fall asleep with the help of a large amount of alcohol every day.

She was decadent, fallen, and self-destructive. Every time she got drunk, she’d clutch her phone, mumbling Shi Qing’s name to an unsent call, wondering if Shi Qing would come to see her if she died there.

Once, she was so blackout drunk that she accidentally called Shi Qing. There was no sound from the other end of the line, which heartbroken her. She drunkenly accused her of being heartless.

“Shi Qing, do you feel a sense of accomplishment seeing me like this? Do you think you’re so great for throwing me away without a second thought? Are you hoping I’ll come back like a dog and beg you, beg you not to abandon me, not to leave me?”

“I’m telling you, the day will come when you’ll be the one begging me. I want you to beg me the way I begged you, on your knees!”

“A Qing, can you really not give me another chance? We were so close, weren’t we?”

“Please, just one more chance, okay? This time I don’t want money. I’ll give you all my pay, okay?”

She received no response from Shi Qing. She knew that Shi Qing was like the cloud she saw the first time she went to Ruoergai, gently shielding her from the plateau’s harsh sun, but it dispersed with a gust of wind.

Once it was gone, it was gone forever.

The next day, she woke up in a clean room.

As her eyes opened, she saw her manager, Yu Fang. It seemed she had come to take care of her last night. Either she had cleaned up the mess in the hotel suite, or she had moved her to a new one.

She was scolded miserably and then checked her phone, only to realize that the call last night had actually gone through. The call log showed a full hour, but Shi Qing had remained silent and hadn’t even come to see her.

Sure enough, the clouds in Ruoergai would scatter.

The carousel of memories passed through Wei Jiuyi’s mind, stirring a ripple in her heart.

Shi Qing’s smile, however, remained unchanged. Hearing Wei Jiuyi’s “trained through real-life experience,” her eyes simply lowered for a moment, then lifted again, polite, warm, and poised.

“Ms. Wei, if you want to compare our alcohol tolerance, we can find time to do that another day. Today is Director Fan’s birthday. I’ll toast to Director Fan with this glass. Happy birthday, and I wish you smooth directing, happiness, and health, and a life free of worries.”

The spicy brandy rolled down her throat, igniting a ten-foot fire.

Shi Qing rarely drank strong alcohol. The burning sensation in her throat rushed up to her windpipe, causing a shiver. She forced down the quiver in her voice and looked up, her expression as bright as a spring day.

“It is a good liquor.”

Wei Jiuyi also finished her drink. The spice was so intense it made her want to crush the glass. Of the three, only Fan Erhua made a normal “hissing” sound after drinking liquor, sighing in relief and questioning, “Seriously? I thought this wasn’t harsh since you two didn’t react, but it’s so potent!”

Shi Qing gracefully placed her glass back on the tray.

“I told you, I can drink.”

Fan Erhua first affirmed, “Looks like I underestimated you, Xiao Shi.”

Then she glanced at Shi Qing’s reddening cheeks. “Xiao Shi, does it go to your head that fast?”

Shi Qing shrugged. “Yes, a little.”

Fan Erhua said, “Then you should go get something to eat first. Don’t drink anymore. If you want to drink more, eat something first, or you’ll get drunk easily.”

Wei Jiuyi followed Fan Erhua’s advice. “Director Fan is right. There are some snacks over there. Let’s go eat something.”

Just then, two other actors from the crew came over to toast. Wei Jiuyi took the opportunity to lead Shi Qing to the dessert section.

Dong Ya and the others had already secured the best table.

“Sister Qing, over here! This spot is close to both the desserts and hot food. What do you want to eat? I’ll go get it for you!”

Wan Xin didn’t speak, her eyes fixed on Wei Jiuyi’s hand holding Shi Qing.

It was blinding.

She went to take Wei Jiuyi’s place and said enthusiastically, “Ms. Wei, I’ll take over. You should rest for a bit!”

She helped Shi Qing to a seat at the table.

Shi Qing had a low alcohol tolerance. That night, a single glass of low-proof medicinal wine had made her tipsy. Now, with a glass of brandy, the effects began to set in within two minutes, her mind becoming slightly hazy.

After she sat down, she leaned crookedly against the back of the chair, looked at the people surrounding her, and let out a light laugh.

“You guys go eat something. Why are you all standing around me?”

Dong Ya chuckled. “Aren’t we asking what you want to eat? I’ll get it for you.”

Shi Qing thought for a moment. “Do they have plain noodles?”

Dong Ya glanced at the kitchen. “I think so. I’ll go get a bowl. Anything else?”

Wan Xin suggested, “Sister Ya, can you also grab a yogurt? It helps with alcohol.”

Dong Ya immediately said, “Sure. You come with me. You can grab some food for us while you’re at it.”

Wan Xin looked hesitant. “I…”

Dong Ya smiled. “What? You don’t want Sister Ya to order you around?”

Wan Xin quickly said, “No, no, of course not! I’ll go with you.”

Zhang Yulan didn’t want to be the third wheel, so she also followed the two of them.

“I’ll go too!”

Thus, even in the crowded dining area, it was just Shi Qing and Wei Jiuyi.

One sat on a white chair, leaning against the back, and the other sat in the adjacent seat. Both were looking in opposite directions, as if they had a million things to say but didn’t know where to begin.

Fang Fei came over with Li Shushu and Zhang Yu to say hello.

“Ms. Shi, Ms. Wei, you two are here! We’ve been looking for you forever!”

With company arriving, the two of them adopted their practiced social routine. Their deep thoughts were hidden away, replaced by seamless smiles.

Shi Qing said, “You guys are here? There are some seats here. Want to join us?”

Fang Fei was the social butterfly of the trio. She shook her wine glass. “Oh, we’re just making the rounds. Don’t mind us.”

Li Shushu chimed in, “Yeah, we mainly wanted to come and toast you both. It was raining that day, and thank you for driving us back to the hotel. Otherwise, we would have gotten sick.”

Zhang Yu nodded. “Yes, yes.”

Shi Qing graciously stood up. “Wait a second, I don’t have a glass here.”

Wei Jiuyi also stood up. “I have one here. Ms. Shi doesn’t hold her liquor well, so I’ll drink her share. I’ll drink two glasses. How about that?”

Fang Fei looked at Shi Qing. Her bare face already had a rosy flush, extending from her cheeks to her neck. She quickly agreed.

“That’s fine, that’s fine. You two are a pair anyway, hehehe!”

Li Shushu said, “And Ms. Shi just got out of the hospital. She really needs to take care of herself. Getting drunk is bad for your health.”

Zhang Yu nodded. “Yes, yes.”

Shi Qing laughed out loud and asked Zhang Yu, “Why do you keep saying ‘yes, yes’?”

Fang Fei explained for her. “Ms. Shi, you don’t know, Zhang Yu is very introverted.”

Li Shushu added, “But her acting is amazing.”

Zhang Yu hesitated for a while, wanting to add something else, but couldn’t find the words. She could only force out another, “Yes.”

Which made Shi Qing’s smile blossom.

“Hehehe…”

She was genuinely happy. She unconsciously covered her mouth as she laughed, her slender shoulders trembling. Wei Jiuyi felt her own mood lighten because of it.

“Are you three a comedy trio?”

However, with Shi Qing’s next sentence, she couldn’t smile anymore.

“You’re all so cute, of course, I have to drink with you. What are we drinking? Red or white?”

Fang Fei was taken aback, timidly raising her glass.

“The three of us… we’re drinking fruit wine.”

The sparkling kind, which was sweet but also had the stimulating fizz of soda. The alcohol content was only 7%.

The fruit wine was within Shi Qing’s tolerance—if she stopped there.

After drinking with the trio, the three people who went to get the noodles hadn’t returned. Shi Qing took her empty glass and walked toward Fan Erhua’s sister, Fan Qin.

Before she left, she steadied herself by putting a hand on the table and asked the person with a furrowed brow, “Ms. Wei, I’m going to toast with Director Fan with red wine. Do you want to come?”

All expression had faded from Wei Jiuyi’s face, leaving only a dark mist in her eyes.

“You can’t drink any more.”

Shi Qing didn’t get an answer, so she didn’t push it.

“Then I’ll go alone.”

Strands of dark hair slid over the fabric of her shirt dress, making a rustling sound. Wei Jiuyi clenched her back molars so hard that the veins in her cheeks bulged. Finally, she gave in and followed her.

Fan Erhua’s birthday had rarely been this lively. Her outgoing personality made her more excited, and she started to compete in drinking with a few people from the directing team.

Shi Qing arrived at the perfect time. The red wine had just been aerated. Fan Erhua was happy and personally poured two glasses. Seeing Wei Jiuyi following behind, she poured an extra glass.

“Come, I sincerely want to tell you two. I’m so happy, lucky, and grateful that you agreed to be the leads in Empress. I won’t say anything more. It’s all in the wine!”

Shi Qing didn’t have a prepared toast. It was all from her heart.

“Director Fan, I should be the one thanking you. I’ve been in the industry for so long, and this is the first time such a big crew has been willing to cast me. There was a time when I felt like I was completely unsuitable for acting and wanted to quit, but I wasn’t ready to give up. I thought, what if I could succeed? Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

This heartfelt confession was more touching than any flashy toast. Fan Erhua also had her moments of unfulfilled ambitions. Hearing this, her eyes welled up, and she patted Shi Qing’s shoulder with empathy.

“Everything will be better in the future. Come on, enough talk, it’s all in the wine!”

Wei Jiuyi’s mood was complicated. Staring at Shi Qing’s glass of red wine, she wished she could go up and smash it. In the end, with everyone watching, she could only add, “It’s all in the wine,” and the three crystal glasses clinked under the light of the chandelier.

She thought that was the end of it. But who knew what memory Shi Qing had brought up, or for what reason she wanted to torment herself, because after drinking with Fan Erhua, she went on to find the screenwriter Guo Xi, actress Lu Zhen, and a series of people who had helped her on set, toasting them in various justified ways.

By the fourth person, Wei Jiuyi finally couldn’t take it anymore and half-dragged, half-pulled Shi Qing to the restroom.

“That’s enough.” Wei Jiuyi’s anger was at its boiling point.

Shi Qing leaned against the sink, splashed two handfuls of cold water on her face, and turned around, her back against the basin. Water dripped from her chin, and her eyes, with their upturned corners, held a hook.

“Ms. Wei, I didn’t ask you to follow me.”

Wei Jiuyi closed her eyes tightly, her chest rising and falling dramatically.

“With you like this, how can I not follow you?”

Shi Qing enjoyed the stubbornness on her face and deliberately asked, “Like what?”

Wei Jiuyi spoke candidly. “By drinking like this, do you think you’re tormenting me? You’re tormenting yourself. If you resent what I did to you that day and want to punish me, you don’t have to do it this way. Yes, you win. Seeing you like this is more painful than you just scolding me or hitting me. I apologize to you. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. So, can you please stop tormenting yourself like this?”

The scent of incense in the restroom masked the smell of alcohol on her body. The light from above shone down, reflecting a diamond-like sparkle deep in her eyes, all of which fell on Wei Jiuyi, deepening the lines between her brows.

Shi Qing gazed at the beautiful face in front of her. It was the same as before, yet time had chiseled it with the power and sharpness of an adult.

Misunderstanding was a necessary lesson in a relationship. Shi Qing was surprised to find that Wei Jiuyi’s misunderstanding of her right now was even more enchanting than her submissive, tail-wagging demeanor.

The teasing curve of her lips slowly fell away. Her eyes became sober for a moment, then fell into a deeper, intoxicated net.

“Take me back.”

She commanded.