Lady By The Pillow - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Testing the Waters (Part 1)

Don’t Know Each Other

The morning sunlight pierced through the thin mist, a soft glow settling on the gray building’s glass facade in the northwest corner, draping it in a pale golden gauze.

Outside the wall, a single sycamore tree had shed all its leaves, its branches gnarled and bare. The slanting sunlight stretched its long shadow, which was then reflected on the glass wall, mirroring itself to create three trees.

Inside the first-floor conference room, dozens of actors and screenwriters sat around the table in two concentric circles, each holding a script. Some were reading their lines, while others were making notes.

Today’s task was to read through 12 episodes.

The first 12 episodes primarily covered the shifting power dynamics and intrigue of the imperial court and harem. Shi Qing’s character, Jiang Ke, had many scenes, while Wei Jiuqi, who played the Grand Princess Ji Lan, mainly served as an observer.

In Episode 3, Jiang Ke is framed by Consort Liu and demoted to a beauty. Relying on her family’s influence, she returns to the rank of imperial consort but is still not favored by the emperor. Fearing their influence might wane in the harem, the Jiang clan asks for permission for Jiang Ke’s mother, Lady Sun, to enter the palace on the pretext of missing her daughter. Lady Sun makes it clear to Jiang Ke that she must fight for the emperor’s favor once again.

This leads to a fierce argument between mother and daughter.

“Your daughter has no desire to fight for favor! I don’t want to compete with dozens of women for a man in his sixties! I would rather die without an heir and be buried alive when the nation mourns than be someone who sucks up to power and willingly debases herself!”

Shi Qing delivered the lines with a stern and righteous tone.

Director Fan Erhua nodded in approval. “Yes, the emotion is right. When we film, your explosive power can be even stronger. You can hold back a bit for now.”

Shi Qing was slightly stunned. She hadn’t held back. For those two lines, she had already put in the same full-body immersion she used when filming.

Was her explosive power really not enough?

While she was thinking, the actress playing Lady Sun spoke.

That actress was a professional stage performer who had been named a National First-Class Actor last year. Her voice, stage presence, movement, and expression—any one of them alone was a crushing presence.

“What a bold thing for an imperial consort to say.”

As Lu Zhen spoke, an imposing presence filled the room. Her diction was exceptionally clear.

“Do you think the harem is just about trivial matters between men and women? Why was Consort Liu’s father able to rise from a small chief to a prefect? Why was Noblewoman Song’s brother able to rise from a captain to a lieutenant? Throughout every dynasty, the court and the harem have supported each other. The destiny of the entire Jiang clan rests on your shoulders!”

Her lines were delivered at a measured pace, with a controlled rise and fall. She started with a hint of mockery for her daughter’s naive thoughts, then shifted to anger and disappointment, finally emphasizing her words with a powerful, sonorous tone, conveying the weight of her responsibilities.

The entire speech had a cadence and rhythm that, even without being fully in character, gave her an air of authority that surpassed Shi Qing’s.

This was a large-scale period drama. It was filled with talented people, with pros everywhere. It was completely different from the small-budget productions she used to take on, where everyone was on a similar level and could discuss and improve together.

In Empress, especially among the supporting actors who played the ministers and their fathers, there were professional actors who had won prestigious awards.

Even though Shi Qing had a decent voice and practiced every day, there was still a gap when compared to these true acting veterans.

One scene followed another, and in Episode 5, Wei Jiuqi and Lu Zhen had a scene together.

Princess Ji Lan had just beaten Lady Sun, the Marquis’ wife, at a polo match. The two of them were walking their horses on the field and had a conversation about women playing polo.

After delivering her two minutes of lines, Wei Jiuqi also felt the same kind of pressure from the veteran actress.

It was worth noting that in terms of acting skills, she was even less experienced than Shi Qing.

The morning came to an end, and it was finally time for lunch.

Guo Xi stood up and stretched her arms with a carefree gesture, turning to Shi Qing. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

Shi Qing, however, quickly put her bag away and offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Screenwriter Guo, I have something to take care of.”

“Oh, no problem, I can go with Teacher Wei.”

She turned to Wei Jiuqi. “Teacher Wei, shall we go?”

But Wei Jiuqi also seemed to be in a rush, glancing toward the door as she spoke. “Oh, I have something to do as well. See you later.”

Guo Xi’s arms were still raised halfway, like she was surrendering. “What’s going on? You’re all not eating. Are you becoming immortals?”

For lunch, most of the actors went to the studio’s cafeteria, especially the veteran actors who didn’t have to be so strict about maintaining their figures.

Lu Zhen was one of them.

Shi Qing bought a meal at the “low-calorie health-conscious food” counter. With so many crews nearby, there were many people eating low-calorie meals. By the time she found Lu Zhen with her tray, Wei Jiuqi had already gotten there first, having claimed the seat across from Lu Zhen.

Wei Jiuqi was an energetic person with the enthusiasm and initiative of a college student, which made her very likable. In just two minutes of eating, she and Lu Zhen were already chatting up a storm.

Shi Qing hesitated. She wanted to eat with Lu Zhen and ask for tips on how to improve her acting.

But she didn’t want to sit with Wei Jiuqi.

The graceful figure moved through the crowd, her steps slowing down.

Wei Jiuqi’s peripheral vision had long since caught sight of her. After all, Shi Qing had a remarkable presence and wasn’t hard to find in a crowd. Seeing her slow her steps as if in hesitation, Wei Jiuqi pretended she had just noticed her and generously waved.

“Teacher Shi, we have a seat here. Come join us.”

Lu Zhen looked in her direction and offered a friendly smile, gesturing to the empty seat beside Wei Jiuqi.

So Shi Qing took a deep breath and obediently sat down.

It’s in the past. My career is more important. It’s in the past. My career is more important. It’s in the past. My career is more important.

She repeated the mantra three times to herself, and her heart rate gradually calmed.

“Teacher Shi is eating so plain?”

After sitting down, Wei Jiuqi enthusiastically started a conversation about their food.

It was indeed plain. When they were together, Shi Qing would eat meat with the rest of the crew for lunch.

Lu Zhen also said, “It is a bit plain. Little Shi, controlling your figure is one thing, but don’t neglect your nutrition.”

She had ordered stir-fries, a spicy pepper with pork and garlic eggplant, along with a bowl of vegetable soup. It was practical and filling home-style cooking.

Shi Qing picked up her chopsticks and explained, “There are dance scenes in the show, so I need to control my figure a bit. Once those scenes are filmed, I can eat whatever I want.”

Lu Zhen nodded, her lips pursed in understanding. “That’s a lot of work. The demands on artists are very high now, especially for you younger ones.”

Shi Qing smiled faintly. “You just get used to it. Teacher Wei doesn’t eat so—”

She looked at Wei Jiuqi’s plate, and her words came to an abrupt halt, changing to, “—she eats a lot.”

On Wei Jiuqi’s plate were four thick-cut salmon fillets, a whole steak, 8 salted shrimp, a bowl of boiled broccoli noodles, a single-serving vegetable salad, and two boiled eggs she was in the process of peeling.

Shi Qing remembered that Wei Jiuqi didn’t eat much, with an appetite only slightly better than her own. When had she started eating this much?

Wei Jiuqi took a bite out of half an egg and, catching Shi Qing’s eye, smiled broadly. “I’m bulking up. It’s a task from my fitness coach.”

The one thing their plates had most in common was broccoli, enough to fill two blocks in a match-three game and clear a whole screen of animals.

Shi Qing took a bite of a green vegetable, chewed it, and swallowed. “You have a fitness coach? From the crew or your agency?”

Wei Jiuqi mocked herself. “From the crew, of course. My agency is just letting me be.”

Shi Qing asked, “Letting you be?”

Wei Jiuqi nodded. “Yeah, once I’m on a crew, they don’t bother with me.”

Lu Zhen was surprised. “You won Best Actress for your debut. Your agency wouldn’t just ignore a cash cow like you? Our company’s Little Tang didn’t even win an award, and they gave her three assistants.”

Wei Jiuqi let out a laugh. “I only have one.”

Lu Zhen was even more surprised. “Is that true?”

“It is.”

“Then I’m even more astonished.”

“What’s so surprising? Teacher Shi only has one assistant, too.”

The topic of conversation, steered by Wei Jiuqi, had shifted to Shi Qing. Lu Zhen’s discerning gaze also turned to Shi Qing. A look of confusion appeared in her wise eyes, but it quickly melted like ice, revealing a hint of affection from within.

“You two are a little different.”

Shi Qing was momentarily stunned. Of course, she and Wei Jiuqi were different.

Two independent individuals with no common ground and no similarities.

Lu Zhen continued, “The lead actor in my last show came from a variety show. He had four assistants, a dedicated car service, and a whole entourage that arrived before he did. You two are different from them.”

Shi Qing let out a sigh of relief. It turned out she meant they were different from other people.

She had thought Lu Zhen had figured something out.

Wei Jiuqi was also clearly startled. Hearing what Lu Zhen said, she let out a hearty laugh and nodded. “How can Teacher Shi and I compare to them? At least Teacher Shi has a few years of experience. I’m just a newcomer. Winning that award was a flash in the pan. My combined followers on social media aren’t even a fraction of theirs.”

Shi Qing also chimed in, “It’s me who doesn’t have much of a name. It would be a waste of money for my agency to hire so many assistants.”

After that, the two buried their heads in their food, acting as if they were very busy.

Lu Zhen looked at Wei Jiuqi, then back at Shi Qing, seeing a strange, unspoken bond between the two young women. So she decided to ask, “Did you two know each other before?”

Wei Jiuqi: “No, we don’t.”

Shi Qing: “No, we don’t.”