MQSP - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Gu Baiye didn't even know how she had made it through the past two days.

When she went to class, no one would sit within three rows of her. When she went to the cafeteria, someone would always "accidentally" spill soup on her. When she went to do her laundry, someone would "accidentally" splash water all over her. Even when she went to the restroom, the door would be locked from the outside. If Fan Dongdong hadn't happened to go to the restroom yesterday, she might have been trapped in there for an entire night.

She couldn't understand it. Who she liked, whether she was a lesbian—that was her own business. What did it have to do with them? How was it any of their concern? Why did they have to speak so maliciously to her, even resorting to personal attacks?

Those former classmates and friends with whom she used to laugh, chat, eat, skip class, and go shopping, with whom she used to hide under the covers listening to ghost stories all night—even her roommates, whom she had lived with day in and day out for a year—at a time like this, they would unhesitatingly stand against her, kicking her while she was down. It was truly disheartening.

The only person who gave her any comfort was Fan Dongdong. No matter how others tried to win her over, she maintained her own stance, neither fawning over nor attacking anyone, neither hyping nor hating.

In the evening, Gu Baiye left the library. Under the cover of darkness, she walked quickly toward the cafeteria, doing her best to avoid well-lit areas. In the dark, no one recognized her. As she passed groups of students, she could hear that the topic they were discussing most was the gossip about her.

The incident continued to ferment online, growing more intense by the day. She had been painted as a desperate pervert, and even a teacher had spoken to her about it.

Fortunately, the matter was only causing a stir on a small, student-run forum and hadn't blown up on the school's main one. Otherwise, it would have made headlines, given Qin Chuan Film Academy's reputation.

Gu Baiye went to the cafeteria and bought some congee to go. The whole affair had ruined her appetite these past two days. She ate a little mainly because she was worried about her stomach problems acting up. In her current situation, even if she were in agonizing pain, those people probably wouldn't feel an ounce of pity for her. This was the first time she had ever thought the worst of people.

Gu Baiye drank her congee as she walked back to the dorm, silently calculating. Today was already Thursday. She just had to get through tonight and tomorrow morning. After her afternoon class, she could go home. She could see Auntie Lin!

It had only been two short days since they'd last seen each other, but she already missed her so much she felt like she was going crazy. She couldn't wait to throw herself into Auntie Lin's arms for comfort.

She hadn't dared to call Auntie Lin these past two days. She was afraid that the moment she heard Auntie Lin's voice, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from crying. She could only endure it all silently, by herself.

As she passed the small lake, she saw many young couples sitting by the shore, flirting and teasing each other. She couldn't help but pause. Listening to their soft whispers, watching them hug and play, a trace of bitterness rose in her heart. She also wanted, so badly, to be in a relationship that she didn't have to hide.

As she was staring blankly, her phone rang. When she took it out of her pocket, her heart was unconsciously filled with anticipation.

It was her auntie!

Before answering, Gu Baiye took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Hello, Auntie?"

"You little rascal, how did you manage to piss that Old Fellow off again?" On the other end, Xia Xiaozi didn't dare to speak loudly, whispering into the phone.

Gu Baiye froze. Had she made Auntie Lin angry?

"I… I didn't… I didn't do anything."

"When you left, did she tell you to call her every day?"

"Huh? She… she didn't. She said to call her if I needed anything." Gu Baiye thought back carefully. That was indeed what Auntie Lin had said.

"Are you sure she didn't say to call her whenever you missed her?"

"Xia Xiaozi!" A roar came from the other end of the line, startling even Gu Baiye. It was immediately followed by a dial tone. The call had been disconnected.

Gu Baiye stared at her phone in a daze. Was Auntie Lin angry? Because she hadn't called her…?

After a moment's hesitation, she quickly redialed Auntie Lin's number.

It had barely rung once when the other side picked up. "Lin—"

"Hellooo~ Ah, it's Xiao Ye~" Xia Xiaozi said deliberately loudly for Lin Yuqing to hear.

Gu Baiye let out a chuckle. That woman was definitely trying to provoke Auntie Lin again!

"Auntie, what is Auntie Lin doing?"

"Her? She's sitting on the sofa, pretending to hold a book, listening very intently to our call. Ouch…"

"Alright, stop teasing Auntie Lin."

"What do you mean? I tried to give her the phone but she wouldn't take it. Okay, okay, I'll stop. Xiao Ye, how are things at school? Are you busy with your studies?"

"Mm… pretty busy."

"I see. Oh, your Auntie Lin wants me to ask if you've been eating well."

Gu Baiye smiled, pressing her lips together. "Of course I have."

"Auntie, I want to come home this weekend," she said quickly, afraid Xia Xiaozi would continue to ask about her situation at school.

"This weekend? I'm afraid this weekend won't work."

Hearing this, Gu Baiye's heart sank. "Why?"

"We have to go out of town for a film festival this weekend. Didn't your Auntie Lin get nominated for Best Actress? We don't know if she'll win the Movie Queen title this time."

"Really? Auntie Lin is amazing!" Gu Baiye smiled, but her smile was tinged with a hint of sadness. She wouldn't be able to see her…

"Yeah, so we won't be home this week. Next weekend is free, how about I come pick you up then?"

"…Mm, okay… that's fine…" Her voice held a slight, choked sob.

"Xiao Ye? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking, Auntie Lin is so amazing, I have to work hard too."

"Mm, but don't push yourself too hard. Your health is what's most important."

"Okay. Auntie, is Auntie Lin still mad at me?"

"Huh? Not at all. When she heard you praise her, she was grinning from ear to ear. I'll give her the phone, you can talk to her."

"Okay."

The phone was passed to someone else, but there was silence from the other end for a long time.

"Auntie Lin?"

"Mm."

"Auntie Lin, I… I missed you."

"You missed me but you didn't call? You had to have me call you—no, you had to have Xia Xiaozi call you before you'd remember a person like me exists, is that it?"

"That's not it at all."

"I really did miss you, so, so much…" Gu Baiye sniffled.

"You missed me that much?" Lin Yuqing seemed to sense that something was off in her tone.

"Mm."

"Then I'll come see you tomorrow. I don't have anything on."

"No, don't come."

"Hm?"

"I… I have classes all day tomorrow, I won't be able to spend time with you. Aren't you going out of town this weekend? You should rest well at home." Gu Baiye was a little flustered. She wanted to see Auntie Lin, but she didn't want Auntie Lin to see her in this despised state. The way she was now—weak and letting others bully her—was what Auntie Lin disliked the most.

Lin Yuqing seemed to be quite talkative today, chatting happily with the little one for about half an hour. Then, Lin Yuqing glanced at the time.

"It's getting late. You should probably be getting some rest too."

"Huh?" Gu Baiye also glanced at the time. It was already ten o'clock. It was time to go back; the dormitory building would be locked soon.

"Okay, I'm heading back now."

"You're still outside?"

"No, no, I'm just by the small lake downstairs."

"Mm, then hurry back. Get some rest."

"Okay, Auntie Lin. Good night."

"Good night."

After hanging up, Gu Baiye found the photos of Auntie Lin on her phone. They were candid shots she had taken while Auntie Lin was filming, showing her in all sorts of armor.

She caressed her phone for a long time before standing up and rubbing her numb legs from squatting. I can't be this weak. I can't let people bully me. Auntie Lin doesn't like this version of me. I have to be strong, I have to protect myself!

She made it back to the dorm building just in time. When she got to her room, the door was already closed. She raised her hand and knocked, but there was no response from inside. Gu Baiye knew they were in there, probably enjoying her predicament. She was a little annoyed at herself for not getting a key made sooner.

It was almost time for lights out, and there weren't many people in the hallway. Gu Baiye knocked again, then dialed Fan Dongdong's number, hoping she could open the door for her. She could faintly hear a phone ringing through the door, but no one answered.

After waiting a little longer, Gu Baiye got annoyed and pounded on the door.

"What's with all the knocking? It's so noisy!" an angry shout came from the room across the hall.

"What's with all the yelling? You think you've got a big voice?"

The voice came from the washroom. Gu Baiye turned to look and saw Fan Dongdong with a toothbrush in her mouth, washing up.

"Hey, you weren't in the room?" Gu Baiye was surprised. No wonder she hadn't answered her phone.

"What's wrong? Is the door locked?" Fan Dongdong spat out the toothpaste foam, quickly rinsed her mouth, and walked over while wiping her lips. She banged on the door. "Open up, it's me."

There was still no response from inside. Fan Dongdong slammed her fist on the door. "Hey, you two, what kind of shady business are you up to in there?"

"You… keep it down, everyone's sleeping…"

"I don't have time to worry about other people."

"Open the door!" Fan Dongdong kicked the door twice.

Lights turned on in many dorm rooms. Some people stuck their heads out to scold them, while others came out to watch.

"Let's go. We'll get the dorm manager."

Huh? That was actually a great idea.

A short while later, the two of them brought the dorm manager over. "Teacher, look. Those two are hiding in the room and won't open the door no matter how much we knock. They're stuck together like conjoined twins every day—eating, going to class, shopping, they even hold hands when they go to the restroom. Now it's even worse, they won't even let us in to sleep. Who knows what they're up to in there, and it's just the two of them." Fan Dongdong pointed at the dorm room door, deliberately speaking loudly for all the onlookers to hear.

The dorm manager glanced at her. "What could two young girls possibly be doing? They probably just fell asleep."

"They must be dead asleep, then. Look at all these people, my knocking woke them up. Even the rooms at the end of the hall heard it, but those two didn't?"

Watching Fan Dongdong's righteous and stern defense, Gu Baiye didn't know whether to praise her acting skills. She was an acting student, after all!

"Please, hurry and open the door to see. We can't have them doing something out of line."

The dorm manager was skeptical, but just as she was looking for the key, the door opened.

"See, Teacher? I told you they weren't asleep. They were deliberately not opening the door. Something must be going on!"

"What are you two doing?" the dorm manager asked suspiciously.

"We were… sleeping…"

"Why didn't you open the door for them?"

"We… we didn't hear any knocking."

"Didn't hear it? The entire floor heard it, but you two didn't?"

"We… we… just didn't hear it."

"Teacher, I don't want to live in the same dorm as people with such filthy minds and dirty bodies. I want to move into that empty dorm room."

"What nonsense are you spouting? You can't talk about your classmates like that." The teacher scolded her briefly. "Everyone, go back to bed."

After the teacher left, Fan Dongdong shot Gu Baiye a triumphant look, raising her eyebrows.

"You're despicable!" one of the roommates pointed at Fan Dongdong and cursed.

"Me, despicable? Isn't it despicable when you ruin someone's reputation? All you talk about is 'lesbian, lesbian.' Just because she's in a gay movie, she's a lesbian? I think you're just jealous of her! You're roommates, and she's already co-starring with a huge celebrity before even graduating, while you two are nothing. So you twist things and slander her!"

"And you said she slept with the director? Which eye did you see that with? I don't know if she slept with the director or not, but I saw with my own two eyes that you two were locked in the room doing who-knows-what kind of filthy business. Rather than believe what you say, why shouldn't I believe the facts right in front of me?"

"You think I can't hear your disgusting words just because I wear headphones all day? Gossiping every day about how she slept with the director. You seem to know all the positions, huh? A lot of them I've never even heard of. Which website did you learn them from? Care to share?"

"Aren't you homophobic? If you're really that scared, you should apply to the teacher to move into the men's dorm. Don't you think every woman is in love with you? It's too dangerous for you here, really."

The people around them started whispering. The roommate was so angry she was trembling all over, pointing at Fan Dongdong, too furious to speak.

"Move aside. Living with someone with a persecution complex like you scares me." Fan Dongdong went back into the room, rolled up her bedding, and, grabbing her quilt, headed straight for the unoccupied, dirty, and damp dorm room.

Seeing this, Gu Baiye also packed up her bedding and followed.

The two of them almost choked on the musty smell when they entered the room. They quickly opened the window to air it out. The room got no sunlight at all; it was cold, dark, and damp, and had been empty for a long time. They tidied up their respective beds as best they could.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

"I've really never met anyone as foolish as you. People say those things about you, and you just take it? You don't even know how to defend yourself?"

"Actually, the two of them…"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't tell me you feel sorry for them. How come I never realized you were such a bleeding heart before!"

"No, it's just…" Gu Baiye really wanted to tell her that the two of them were just insignificant lackeys. After all, the person who had truly orchestrated all of this was Ye Jingwen. So no matter how badly they were tormented now, it wouldn't solve the root problem. At most, it was just a way to vent some anger and feel good for a moment.

But why did Ye Jingwen hate her so much? Was it just because of this role? Did… did that make sense?

"What are you doing?" Gu Baiye asked, puzzled, as she watched Fan Dongdong typing on her laptop with a mischievous grin.

"Starting rumors."

"Huh?" Gu Baiye froze, then leaned over curiously to take a look. She saw Fan Dongdong copying and pasting account usernames and passwords from a notepad, using different accounts to leave comments on a forum thread.

The general content was…

【643 is a fucking magical dorm. Just saw two girls from that room lock the door from the inside, who knows what they were doing, but it must have been something shady. They wouldn't open the door no matter how much we called.】

【Who, who? Was it GBY! WOC, so blatant!】

【No, she was the one locked out. It was L and Z. The dorm manager caught them red-handed. Fucking disgusting!】

【L? Wasn't she the one who locked GBY in the bathroom last time? Holy shit, she's the one who curses G the most! Isn't she homophobic?】

【I don't think it's homophobia, it's being deep in the closet. She's probably scared of her orientation being discovered, so she found a pushover to be her scapegoat!】

【There's something I don't know if I should say, but when I chatted with her, I got the feeling she was really jealous of GBY getting to be in a movie… The more I think about it, the scarier it gets…】

…

"You…" Looking at her masterpiece, Gu Baiye was a little lost for words.

"What, you feel sorry for her?" Fan Dongdong said nonchalantly, a lollipop in her mouth.

"It's not pity."

"Then you must think my methods are too vicious."

Gu Baiye didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Just what kind of person was this woman?

"Can't be helped. Starting rumors is the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way."

"But you could ruin someone's life like this."

"I don't care. I don't bother people who don't bother me. But if someone messes with me, I'll eradicate them, root and stem!" Fan Dongdong even made a throat-slitting gesture.

Watching her, Gu Baiye felt a little panicked. Before long, the thread Fan Dongdong had started, aside from the first few replies she had orchestrated herself, had dozens of new replies. Apart from a few questioning or speculative comments, most of them were insults directed at Roommate L.

"See? It's not me who's ruining her now. It's these replies. It's these people who pretend they saw it with their own eyes but are actually just malicious fantasists who are ruining her. After all, when you're speaking from behind a screen, you don't have to take responsibility. No one knows who I am, so of course they'll say whatever they want."

Looking at those replies, Gu Baiye finally felt fear. No matter how many rumors had been spread about her, how isolated or even attacked she had been before, she had never felt such intense fear. She had only felt anger and helplessness. But now, watching how Fan Dongdong had guided the direction of public opinion with just a few words, painting L as a despicable lesbian who used others to hide her own orientation… those people spoke as if they had really seen it, making it sound so convincing. The sheer disgust practically overflowed from the screen, sending a chill through her from the bottom of her heart.

"Alrighty, time for bed. The real show starts tomorrow." Fan Dongdong stretched contentedly.

Gu Baiye lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

It felt good to get some revenge today, but what if this really ruined L…?

Gu Baiye was conflicted. She felt that a little bit of revenge would have been enough. Had this gone a bit too far?

Besides, if she used the same methods against L that L had used against her, what made her any different?

And L didn't seem like the type to let things go. Wouldn't this just deepen the grudge? And now Dongdong was involved.

God, this is so complicated…

At that moment, she wanted to escape. To run away to a place with no internet, no rumors, a place isolated from the world. To not participate in all these schemes and calculations, to just live a happy and peaceful life would be enough.

---

In Lu Qing's staff dormitory, watching the person who had taken over her seat, was playing on her computer, and was even making her brew coffee, Lu Qing was furious. She slammed the coffee cup down on the desk.

"I really can't figure out what you're trying to do. Your artist is being bullied and ostracized, and you're just sitting back and watching the show, enjoying yourself."

Fang Yi glanced at her, picking up the coffee and stirring it.

"What are you really thinking?" Lu Qing really couldn't figure her out.

When the school term had just started, Lu Qing had noticed people slandering Gu Baiye on that small forum and had told Fang Yi about it early on. But Fang Yi, despite knowing, did nothing. She watched as the posts on the forum got more and more outrageous, yet she didn't warn Gu Baiye or offer her any help. The only thing she seemed to do was secretly follow and observe Gu Baiye's movements.

"I want to see how many days she can last. I want to see if she'll fight back, or if she'll just collapse and let people trample all over her."

"She can be gentle, but she can't be a coward. In the future, there will always be times when I can't protect her. When there's no one to protect her, is she just going to let people bully her, with no ability to defend herself, without even the thought of resisting?"

Seeing Fang Yi's serious expression, Lu Qing pouted. "That's no way to train someone."

Because the path she had chosen was incredibly difficult.

Besides, what she was experiencing now was a mere scratch, nothing compared to what Xinran and Yilan went through. If she couldn't even overcome this small difficulty, then she really had to consider crushing her ambitions.

Fang Yi held the coffee cup to her lips but didn't drink, staring at the computer screen with a deep frown.

"Who is this Ye Jingwen?" She had already gotten a general understanding of the situation over this period. A group of people led by Ye Jingwen was stirring things up on the forum, guiding public opinion. But if you looked closely, you could see it was always the same few people causing trouble, including those spreading the news everywhere and even bullying Gu Baiye in the cafeteria. It was all the same group.

Their methods were actually quite amateurish. There was probably no expert pulling the strings behind the scenes. It was just childish games.

At first, everyone was incited by them, but once the novelty wore off and there was no new gossip, the hype died down. Those people were still on the forum, repeating the same old things, chewing over the same old gossip. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before not many people paid attention to them anymore. Then the rumors would collapse on their own and fade with time.

"She usually seems like a pretty decent person. Oh, right, she's with MG Entertainment, one of Xue Yuexian's artists."

"Xue Yuexian?"

Fang Yi frowned. Could this have something to do with Xue Yuexian? Had she still not given up on Xiao Ye…??

Get instant access to all chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next