MQSP - Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Baiye remembered seeing Auntie Lin before bed yesterday, and she even fell asleep hugging Auntie Lin. But when she opened her eyes, she was only hugging the blanket…
She glanced at the time; she had woken up late. The alarm had gone off, but she hadn't even noticed!
She hurriedly got up to wash.
When she came out of the bathroom, she saw Xia Xiaozi in her room.
"Auntie, morning. I woke up late today."
"It's not late. I turned off your alarm. From now on, don't wake up early to cook. I'll take care of those things. Just get yourself in the right state of mind and prepare for filming. Shooting a drama is very hard work."
"Mm."
"Come here, let me see. Does it still hurt?" She pulled the little one closer, lifted her clothes, and glanced at the injury on her waist.
"It's okay. It still hurts a little if I move too much, but it's much better."
"Okay, be careful." Xia Xiaozi carefully applied the medicine for her.
"Auntie, what time did you get back yesterday?"
"A little after two, I think. It was pretty late. Didn't I tell you not to wait for us and to get some rest?"
"Heh…" Baiye smiled sheepishly. "So yesterday, who carried me back to my room?"
"Do I look like I can carry you?" Xia Xiaozi shot her an annoyed glance. Don't you just want to hear me say it was your Auntie Lin who carried you back! It's written all over your face!
The little one smiled secretly.
"If you want to laugh, then laugh. Stop being so sneaky about it."
"Alright, get changed and come down for breakfast." Xia Xiaozi capped the medicine bottle, placed it on the table, and left the room.
"Okay!"
Lin Yuqing was looking through the script. When she saw Xiao Ye come down, she set the script aside and prepared to eat.
"We'll probably finish very late today. You don't need to wait for me. Get some rest early."
"Mm… okay."
Xiao Ye's tone sounded a little reluctant.
"What's wrong? Are you scared of being home alone?"
Baiye quickly shook her head. "No, I'm not."
"Okay. If you're scared, I'll have Xiao Zi come back to keep you company."
"That's not necessary." Baiye quickly refused. It was better to let Auntie stay with Auntie Lin.
"By the way, Auntie Lin, I saw Teacher Lu yesterday."
"Hm?"
"Teacher Lu asked if I was interested in finding a management agency. I said not yet, so she said she would help me contact one. I don't really want to trouble her, but I didn't know how to refuse." Baiye was a little troubled. She had been thinking about this all yesterday, waiting for Auntie Lin to come back so she could ask for her opinion. But she waited and waited, and Auntie Lin didn't return, which is why she fell asleep on the sofa.
Hearing this, Lin Yuqing felt a small, pleasant surprise in her heart. This girl is finally willing to share her worries with me!
Upon hearing this, Xia Xiaozi secretly glanced at Lin Yuqing. That Lu Qing really knows what she's doing!
"Mm, signing with a management agency, at least you'll have some backing to rely on so you won't be bullied so easily. It's something to consider."
"Mm, but wouldn't that be too much trouble for Teacher Lu?"
"That's why you have to work even harder. That's the only way to be worthy of the effort she's putting into you."
"Okay, I will."
"Alright, Xiao Ye is already working very hard. Stop putting so much pressure on her. It's as if you wouldn't feel bad if she exhausted herself." Xia Xiaozi spread jam on a piece of bread and handed it to Baiye.
Baiye giggled and happily took it. "Thank you, Auntie!"
Lin Yuqing didn't say anything more and focused on eating.
It had to be said, Lu Qing's efficiency was remarkably high. Early in the morning, just as Su Yu arrived at the set, Lu Qing was already blocking the entrance to the makeup room.
"Yo, Teacher Lu, are you on steroids or something! I know I was wrong. I failed to protect your beloved student. It was my negligence. But you don't have to chew me out three times a day! You even chased me to the set to scold me? Can't you leave me a little dignity!" Su Yu sounded so aggrieved she was about to cry.
"Alright, so now you know how to whine. Where were you earlier?" Lu Qing shot her an annoyed glance.
"You have to give me some time to investigate. Who hounds someone for their life like you do!"
"I didn't come for you. I'm waiting for Baiye. I've contacted a manager for her, and I'm taking her to meet them in a bit. Hurry up and open the door so I can sit down. I've been standing here for ages."
"A manager? That's good. Hey, but you're so attentive to her. Aren't you afraid your Lao Jiang will get jealous? Haha~" Su Yu would die if she couldn't be cheeky, always poking at Lu Qing's sore spots.
"That's enough. Don't mention her to me."
"What's wrong, fighting again? I'm telling you, you two have been breaking up, getting back together, and being difficult for over a decade. Are you ever going to end up together? I'll have white hair by the time I get to your wedding banquet."
"Tsk, the more I say, the more you get into it, huh? It seems I was right to find Fang Yi this time. Someone needs to put you in your place!"
"Who, who, who? Fang Yi!?"
"No, no, no, absolutely not! I don't agree, I don't agree!"
"Do I need your agreement?" Lu Qing gave her a sidelong glance, finding her panicked expression amusing. Back when they all used to hang out, those two were mortal enemies who would clash every time they met.
"Don't worry. Ever since Xinran's incident, Fang Yi has been quiet for a long time. Her temper has mellowed a lot, like she's a different person. She's no longer the Snarky Fang of the past. She's rarely been involved in the entertainment industry these years and hasn't taken on any new talent. You should know that. I just want to see if Baiye can reignite her fighting spirit. Actually, when I first met Baiye, I thought about introducing her to Fang Yi, but I was afraid Baiye had no intention of entering the industry. With what happened this time, it's a good opportunity to push things along."
Su Yu had a moment of realization. To be honest, she hadn't been in much contact with her old friends over the years. Back then, she, Lu Qing, Fang Yi, Jiang Boyan, Lin Yuqing, and Gu Xinran had been the closest of friends, able to talk about anything. In this chaotic industry, it was rare to find confidantes you could truly open your heart to.
Among them, Gu Xinran was slightly older and was already a red-hot superstar at the time. The rest of them were basically newcomers to the industry, a group of unknowns—playing bit parts or working as stand-ins. But Gu Xinran didn't mind at all and even helped everyone out as much as she could.
Fang Yi was also just starting out back then, working as Gu Xinran's assistant. At first, she was clumsy and often made mistakes, but Gu Xinran never scolded her. On the contrary, she took good care of her. Fang Yi was determined enough to succeed, climbing step by step to the position of a manager. After that, she dedicated herself to promoting Gu Xinran, and the two were as close as sisters.
That's why Gu Xinran's incident that year was a huge blow to her. She stopped having anything to do with the industry and never managed another artist again.
Once the floodgates of memory opened, Su Yu found it hard to stop. She remembered that the reason she'd had the chance to befriend Gu Xinran was entirely due to their shared interests. In an era where homosexuality was viewed as a terrifying monster, Gu Xinran had dared to openly discuss the girls she liked with her. Su Yu was immediately captivated by Gu Xinran's forthright personality. The two of them felt like they had met too late.
But among all of them, the one closest to Gu Xinran was probably Lin Yuqing.
At the time, she was just a stagehand doing odd jobs on set, completely unknown. Gu Xinran discovered that she would pick up discarded scripts and secretly study them alone. She would also carefully observe how every actor performed to learn from them. Initially, she just thought Lin Yuqing was very hardworking and motivated, so she taught her a few acting techniques. But she never expected the girl to be so sharp. She was smart, hardworking, motivated, and could endure hardship—exactly Gu Xinran's type of person.
So Gu Xinran used her resources to pull Lin Yuqing into the industry. Unfortunately, Lin Yuqing had a somewhat cold personality and didn't seem very likable to outsiders. Having spent more time with her, Gu Xinran knew she was actually warm on the inside and fiercely loyal—a person who knew how to repay kindness.
Gu Xinran couldn't bear to see such talent go to waste, so she took Lin Yuqing with her everywhere. When there were truly no acting opportunities, she let Lin Yuqing be her stand-in. Although she couldn't show her face, she could at least participate directly in the filming and gain some experience.
She genuinely treated and cared for Lin Yuqing like her own sister.
Back then, whenever they had free time, everyone would gather and chat about everything under the sun.
She remembered Gu Xinran once saying that when she stopped acting, she would find a beautiful place nestled by the mountains and sea. She would build a manor with her own hands and plant a sea of flowers, because the woman she loved adored orchids. She wanted to watch her lover standing in the middle of that sea of flowers; while her lover admired the flowers, she would embrace her…
At the time, this group of people, as bent as mosquito coils, all yearned for such a beautiful scene and even declared they wanted to rent with her! Gu Xinran readily agreed, even saying that in her future manor, she would save a room for each of them, so that whenever they were tired, they could go find her.
But such a warm person, a person who had given them infinite hope, who had illuminated each of their lives, had left them in such a tragic way. She had yet to plant a sea of flowers for her lover, had yet to see Lin Yuqing make her mark, had yet to win all the awards with Fang Yi, had yet to help Su Yu find a girlfriend, had yet to set up Lu Qing and Jiang Boyan, and she just left, so resolutely.
"What's wrong with you?" Lu Qing asked curiously, seeing Su Yu with her head down, silent.
"Hm? It's nothing." Su Yu pressed her lips together, turned away, and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. She rarely thought back on Gu Xinran; it was just too heartbreaking. She was only twenty-eight, with such a bright future ahead of her.
"By the way, Lin Yuqing hasn't been causing trouble for Baiye recently, has she? Hey, could Lin Yuqing have been the one behind this!" Lu Qing couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.
"…" Su Yu rolled her eyes so hard she almost burst out laughing.
"Impossible. For one thing, we've been swamped with filming these past few days, constantly rushing to stay on schedule. Where would she find the time? Don't you know what kind of person she is? If she likes you, she likes you. If she doesn't, she'll confront you directly. She wouldn't resort to such tactics. Besides…"
"Besides what?"
"Besides, they've been cultivating their feelings for each other recently. Yuqing doesn't have that same hostility toward Baiye anymore. The two of them are getting along more and more harmoniously."
"What!? Are you crazy! You're actually letting them cultivate feelings for each other!?" Lu Qing's hair stood on end.
"What's wrong? They're playing a couple in the drama. If they don't cultivate their feelings, how are they supposed to act?"
Lu Qing slapped her forehead. How could she have forgotten about that! If she had known, she would have done everything in her power to stop Baiye from taking this role!
"Alright, stop looking at people through colored glasses. Yuqing isn't as… as you think."
"Is that what I think? Isn't it a fact? The facts are right there. If she was capable of doing it, why should she be afraid of people talking about it?"
Seeing Lu Qing's aggressive posture, Su Yu started to back down. "I still think you have some misunderstanding about her."
Lu Qing didn't speak. She took out her phone, glanced at the time, and then dialed a number. The phone rang seven or eight times before the other end picked up, a lazy voice coming through. "Mmm…" The owner of the voice was clearly not fully awake.
"You're still sleeping? Didn't we agree to meet at the Qin Chuan Film Studio at ten!"
"Who agreed to that with you…"
Hearing Fang Yi's tone, which sounded like she was trying to back out of it, Lu Qing got angry. Ever since Gu Xinran passed away, Fang Yi had become completely listless, not caring about anything. On the surface, she seemed to be living a glamorous life, flying here and there, traveling everywhere, but her heart had never settled down. She was unwilling to face it all.
"I'm really not kidding. This kid really does resemble Xinran a bit. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you. Just come and take a look. It's not like you'll lose a piece of flesh!"
"Aiyo, I wish she could make me lose a piece of flesh. I just flew back yesterday and I'm exhausted. Let's talk after I've recovered." Fang Yi yawned.
"Hey, then I'm bringing her to your house to find you!"
"Whatever, whatever." She hung up the phone directly.
"I'm telling you, just stop forcing her," Su Yu couldn't help but say.
"So I should just let her continue being so listless? Back when she was with Xinran, she was like she was on steroids every day. But look at her now! And that other one is even worse! I think she's about to enter her twilight years early, just sunbathing, reading novels, and drinking tea all day. I really can't stand seeing them like this!" The more Lu Qing spoke, the angrier she got.
"Jiang Boyan? Her family is rich and her business is huge. She makes money just by lying down. If I could sunbathe and drink tea without worrying about food and drink, I'd go enjoy that life too!"
"Go on, get out of here. Look at you, so unambitious!"
"Hey, don't come vent your anger on me after fighting with her." Su Yu felt like she had become someone's punching bag.
Lu Qing gave a helpless smile.
"Hey, they're here." Su Yu looked into the distance and saw Baiye, Lin Yuqing, and Xia Xiaozi walking over together. "Yoyoyo, look at them, cultivating their feelings so well. They're even coming to work together~" Su Yu was very pleased. When Lu Qing saw this, she was filled with irritation and walked straight toward them.
"Huh, Teacher Lu?" Baiye saw Lu Qing approaching from a distance and was surprised. What was she doing here so early in the morning?
Lu Qing smiled and walked toward Baiye, selectively ignoring Lin Yuqing and Xia Xiaozi. Fortunately, Lin Yuqing had no intention of acknowledging her either and led Xia Xiaozi around her.
Baiye noticed their tit-for-tat behavior and found it very strange. This morning at home, when she mentioned Teacher Lu, Auntie Lin hadn't shown any hostility. She had even told her to work hard and not let Teacher Lu down. So what was with this display right now?
"Teacher Lu, what are you doing here so early?"
"I'm taking you to meet someone," Lu Qing said mysteriously.
"But I still have to practice my moves. Filming is about to start…"
"We'll go now and be back soon. At most, it'll take up your morning. I've already spoken to Su Yu."
"Alright, thank you for the trouble."
Lu Qing led Baiye toward the parking lot. "How did you end up coming with Lin Yuqing?"
"Hm? I didn't. We just happened to run into each other at the studio entrance. We were going the same way, so we came in together." Baiye fiddled with her hair. She wasn't very good at lying. Luckily, Lu Qing wasn't looking at her, or she would have definitely seen how guilty she looked.
"Um… where are we going?" Baiye got in the car and fastened her seatbelt.
"We're going to visit a senior at her home!"
Baiye was completely bewildered, letting Lu Qing lead her away in a daze.
After driving for about an hour and a half, during which Lu Qing even got lost, they finally found Fang Yi's place after driving around in circles for ages.
"Teacher Lu, who are you taking me to see? I should at least know a little something first." Baiye was completely at a loss. Lu Qing wouldn't say who they were meeting. How awkward would it be when they met them in a bit?
"No need. See that? That building, twenty-second floor, room 2203. Go up by yourself and tell the person inside to come to the coffee shop downstairs." Lu Qing parked the car and pointed at a high-rise building directly in front of them.
"Huh?" Baiye was a bit stunned. Wasn't this something you could do with a phone call…
"If I call her, she definitely won't come down. But if you go, it might work. Go on, I'll wait for you here."
Looking at Lu Qing's confident expression, Baiye was skeptical. What kind of bizarre errand was this? Making her knock on a stranger's door and ask them to a coffee shop downstairs… it didn't sound like something a good person would do…
Filled with apprehension, she got on the elevator. She found room 2203 without much trouble. Baiye took a deep breath to steel her nerves, thinking, Teacher Lu wouldn't set me up, right? She raised her hand and rang the doorbell.
No one answered from inside. Baiye rang it again and pressed her ear to the door to listen. Still no sound. After waiting a moment, she figured no one was home. Just as Baiye turned to leave, there was a click behind her. The door had opened.
Baiye glanced back and let out a cry of alarm, nearly jumping out of her skin!
The person who opened the door was a woman in a loose-fitting robe, her hair a mess and her face unwashed, a complete wreck. Her expression was terrifyingly gloomy, no less so than Auntie Lin's when she was angry. The woman's face was full of dejection, and her eyes were lifeless. It made Baiye's skin crawl. She felt like at any second, the woman might pounce and take a vicious bite out of her neck.
"H-hello, I'm Teacher Lu Qing's student. She… asked me to invite you to meet at the coffee shop downstairs…" Baiye forced herself to finish, surprised to find that the woman's gaze was now incredibly focused on her, no longer lifeless like before.
"You're Lu Qing's student?" Fang Yi's voice was a little hoarse. She stared at Baiye's face, studying it carefully, then looked her up and down a couple of times.
"What's your name?"
"Hello, my name is Gu Baiye."
Fang Yi seemed to freeze for a moment. "How old are you?"
"Hm? I'm nineteen." Baiye gave a polite smile. She kept her eyes fixed on Fang Yi's face, not daring to look away, because just now Fang Yi had brushed her hair back, and with the movement, her loose robe had slipped halfway off, revealing a very prominent cleavage…
"Um… would you like to change your clothes and wash up first?" Baiye really couldn't stand being stared at so intently by a woman who was a complete mess. The feeling was too bizarre.
"Huh?" Fang Yi didn't react at first. After Baiye's reminder, she finally looked down. Oh my god, this first impression was completely ruined!
"Wait for me a moment. Five minutes."
Seeing Fang Yi leave the door ajar, Baiye secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This person felt so strange…
She thought she would have to wait a long time, but in less than five minutes, the door opened.
Baiye heard the sound, turned to look, and was stunned again. The woman before her was wearing a tasteful, dark red blazer over a black camisole, paired with patent leather high heels. She looked incredibly fashionable! With light makeup, her features were exquisite. Her fluffy, chestnut-brown hair was slightly curled and fell around her ears. The woman also gave off a faint, woody fragrance.
My god, the dark arts of Asia are no joke… A little makeup, and it's a complete transformation!
Baiye found it a little unbelievable and honestly peeked into the room.
"I'm the only one in the room." Fang Yi saw through her little thoughts at a glance. This kid probably thought she was a different person from the one who opened the door just now, huh~
"Uh, um, sorry, I…" Baiye scratched her head, quite embarrassed.
"It's fine. Isn't Lu Qing still waiting downstairs? Let's go."
"Okay."
In the coffee shop, Lu Qing was leisurely flipping through the menu, occasionally looking up at the street outside. She happened to see Baiye and Fang Yi walking over together. Sizing up Fang Yi's outfit, she couldn't help but feel secretly pleased. It had been a long time since she'd seen her in formal attire.
Just as she was about to look away, she paused. Watching the two of them walk in side by side, for a fleeting moment, even she mistook Baiye for Gu Xinran.
"Yoyoyo, Great Manager Fang, putting on such airs." Lu Qing said with a grin, having Baiye sit next to her.
Fang Yi gave a light cough, her gaze repeatedly sweeping over Baiye. "Is this the kid you were talking about?"
"Mhm."
"She does look a bit like her…" Fang Yi smiled, a trace of gratification on her face. She never thought she would see the shadow of an old friend again.
Like her? Like who?
Baiye was a little confused but still sat obediently to the side, listening.
"So, what do you think? Interested in taking her on?"
"To be honest, I'm not interested in this line of work anymore."
"Then why did you dress so formally? Who are you trying to impress?"
"Tsk, can't I just not want to lose my composure in front of a kid?"
…orz, have you forgotten what a mess you were when you opened the door just now…
"So there's no room for discussion?" Lu Qing stirred her coffee, secretly observing Fang Yi's expression. The woman had only taken a few extra glances at Baiye.
"Sorry, I can't help." After a brief hesitation, Fang Yi shook her head. While she was happy to see a shadow of Gu Xinran in Baiye, it also added a touch of bitterness to her heart. Remembering that Gu Xinran had died so young at twenty-eight, how could she bear to pull this girl, in the flower of her youth, into such a quagmire?
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