New Life on Set

Back at the hotel, Qin Qingyan washed up quickly, but instead of feeling sleepy, she found the drowsiness she’d been carrying vanish. She went over to draw the curtains, then sat back down on the bed, staring blankly at the faded, aging fabric.

The so-called window was really just decoration. Once the curtain was pulled aside, all that showed was a thick wall outside, pitted and rough, with irregular stones visible in the concrete.

The hotel room was small, barely ten square meters.

Qin Qingyan knew full well that the conditions here were poor; there was no air conditioning, no ventilation, and the room carried a strong damp, moldy smell. But in an unfamiliar place like Nanjing City, this tiny corner still gave her a rare sense of peace.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, or how she’d ended up lying down and falling asleep. When she reached for her phone, it was already past two in the morning.

Forcing her tired body up, she went to the door, hung up the lock she’d bought herself, completing the whole action in a daze, then crawled back into bed and slept deeply.

The next morning, the alarm jolted her awake, and a splash of cold water on her face brought her fully to her senses. After washing up and getting everything ready, she rushed out the door while putting on her mask and the hood of her sweatshirt.

She would never forget the first time she came here; in the elevator, a strange man had repeatedly sized her up with his eyes.

Whether he meant what she thought he meant or not, she had to stay on guard.

She had also observed that around seven-thirty in the morning was when the most people took the elevator, and therefore the safest time, so she had to make sure she caught that slot.

She took the subway into the city center, then continued on to another day of her part-time work.

And so the days repeated themselves, one after another; the weather slowly grew warmer, then colder again, and after the heavy snow came another year, while time kept marching forward without end...

July in Nanjing City was clear and bright, the sunlight dazzling and brilliant; everything seemed full of freshness and hope.

Three or four heavily made-up actresses were washing their hands and chatting.

“So what if she’s got a pretty face? Who likes that kind of personality? With no background, and still acting all high and mighty,” one of them said.

“Maybe she thinks those little bosses are beneath her and plans to hook a bigger fish instead,” another teased.

“A big fish? Probably old and fat too.”

The group burst into laughter.

By the time Qin Qingyan reached the doorway, she had already heard them speaking. She listened quietly until they finished, only to find it was the same tired old line of talk. She used to have a pretty good temper, but not anymore; in this circle, having a good temper just meant anyone could step on you.

Knock, knock.

The women startled and turned at once, their faces going from red to white in an instant.

Qin Qingyan withdrew her hand from the knock and said coolly, “The door wasn’t locked. If you’re going to talk, watch your words. Big fish usually don’t like people who have no filter.”

“Qin Qingyan, who are you trying to smear?” the woman in purple snapped. “What do you mean no filter? You’ve got a trash reputation yourself, and now you’re lecturing other people. Really have no shame, do you?”

“Is that so?” Qin Qingyan took a step forward.

The women retreated in a fluster. All of them moved in the same circle, so of course they knew Qin Qingyan could handle herself.

Three or four months ago, a male actor had publicly insulted her, using filthy language to curse at her. Unfortunately for him, he had an uncle who was a deputy general manager at Huanfeng Century, and even the director had been powerless to do anything.

Everyone thought she would swallow the insult, but who would have guessed she would walk right up to him, smile, and slap him across the face. The crack of it was so loud the entire film crew froze.

When that actor’s assistant rushed up cursing, Qin Qingyan kicked him down too.

Of course, that role was gone after that.

But from then on, everyone knew she knew how to fight and that she didn’t care about saving face. At the very least, half the people who tried to provoke her stopped.

So when they saw her come closer, even by one step, they lost their nerve.

“Q-Qin Qingyan, there are cameras here. Don’t do anything rash. If you do, I, I...” The actress in green grabbed the sink for support.

“Why be afraid of her? She thinks she can strut around because she hooked some old man. What a joke!” the woman in purple said. The two actresses beside her hurriedly pulled her back, afraid she’d say something even more provocative.

Qin Qingyan reached out; the sensor faucet turned on automatically. She took a tissue from the side to dry her hands, then turned to leave. Before going, she deliberately left them with a parting shot: “There won’t be any of my scenes in *The Query Into the Mists*, and the female lead has been changed to... one of you.”

Her footsteps faded away, leaving the three women staring at one another. They kept saying it was Qin Qingyan trying to drive a wedge between them, but though their smiles were still friendly, suspicion and doubt were growing wildly inside them.

The film crew was shooting a Qing imperial palace drama, directed by Nie Cong. Every show he directed won major domestic and international awards; countless actors dreamed of working with him, but his standards were extremely strict.

If someone fit the role, he would boldly cast even a newcomer in the lead. If they didn’t, he’d reject them outright no matter how powerful their background was.

So this production had gathered, without question, one of the most outstanding lineups of veteran, mid-career, and young actors. Qin Qingyan and her assistant Su Yan were standing in a corner, quietly observing their polished performances.

“Qingyan, I think one day you’ll be just like them. No, you should be even better than them,” Su Yan said earnestly.

Of all the celebrities she’d ever seen, none of them measured up to Qin Qingyan in her eyes. As long as Qin Qingyan kept going, becoming an overnight sensation was only a matter of time.

So when she learned Qin Qingyan had no company, no manager, and no assistant, she decisively said she wanted to join her and storm the entertainment industry together.

Qin Qingyan said nothing; she just watched without blinking. This was a rare chance to learn.

Su Yan stopped talking too.

She had long since lost the original impulse she’d had for acting, and had also realized she simply wasn’t cut out for it.

At fourteen, she’d come alone to Nanjing City and spent months running background roles, only to be scolded over and over again. After also seeing through the scheming and betrayal in the entertainment industry, she had been ready to pack up and try another line of work when she met the newly debuted Qin Qingyan.

It was in that moment that the dead hope in her heart flared back to life. Who said she absolutely had to be an actress? Settling for second best was fine too.

So she sat beside Qin Qingyan, idly thinking about all sorts of things.

When a scene ended and the director finished talking with the actors, he stretched his limbs and, almost unconsciously, glanced toward that corner. Sure enough, they were here again.

He sighed. That girl was exactly the kind of female lead he liked, and she had talent too. But ever since the day he started directing, he had set one rule for himself: anyone without artistic integrity could not be used.

Zheng Chong had reminded him before, saying her intentions were crooked and that she had even beaten a co-star. He had gone to verify it and found that it was indeed true. He couldn’t help sighing again; allowing her to stay and watch was already the greatest concession he could make.

The crowd suddenly stirred. Zheng Chong greeted everyone with a smile, shook hands with Nie Cong, then began chatting warmly with him.

His gaze, whether intentional or not, flicked toward Qin Qingyan. Nie Cong noticed and said, “If you want to learn, let her stay and watch. But I will never use her in my production.”

Zheng Chong nodded to show he understood. “What a pity. If her mind weren’t so crooked, she’d still be good material. Let her listen, then.”

The moment Su Yan saw Zheng Chong, undisguised disgust filled her eyes.

“Two-faced hypocrite. Just looking at that fake smile makes me sick.”

Seeing that it was nearly noon and the shoot was almost over, Qin Qingyan naturally didn’t want to stay and see Zheng Chong either, so the two of them quietly left together.

Outside, the sun was still bright, lifting people’s mood without them even realizing it.

Su Yan spread her arms wide and faced the light, closing her eyes. “O revered sun god, let me gaze directly upon you and burn away the darkness and filth behind me!”

Then she opened her eyes with great satisfaction.

“Ah, damn, it’s blinding!”

She quickly turned her back on the sun.

Qin Qingyan laughed softly. Ever since Su Yan had come to stay with her, life seemed a lot more interesting.

“Su Su,” she asked curiously, “I keep forgetting to ask; why do you hate Zheng Chong so much?”

She disliked Zheng Chong because he abused his power, spread rumors recklessly, and even had designs on her. But Su Yan’s reaction seemed far more intense.

“Isn’t it because of how he treated you? One face in front of people and another behind their backs. He’s disgustingly fake,” Su Yan said.

“Anything else?”

Su Yan was silent for a moment. She glanced at Qin Qingyan, then after a long pause, said hesitantly, “Actually...”

Seeing how troubled she looked, Qin Qingyan said, “If you don’t want to say it, you don’t have to.”

“It’s fine...” Su Yan’s mood darkened noticeably. “When I first entered the entertainment industry, I met a female actress. She was really kind. At the time, she was dating Zheng Chong, and he used to pick her up and drop her off every day. He was so attentive. But later, I accidentally found out Zheng Chong already had a wife and family...”

“And then?”

“And then...” Su Yan’s eyes turned slightly red. “Do you remember the buzzing scandal online about Cen Qingqing?”

Cen Qingqing? Qin Qingyan remembered some of it. Back then, reporters somehow got the news and swarmed into the hotel where Cen Qingqing was staying, frantically taking photos. In the pictures, Cen Qingqing lay on the bed in disheveled clothes, her gaze empty, with three or four naked strangers beside her.

When the news broke, the whole internet was shocked.

The next day, Cen Qingqing jumped from the hospital and died by suicide.

The Cen family considered her a disgrace and no one came to collect her body. Later reports said a stranger girl took her away.

“After I took her away, I used my own money to buy her a clean set of clothes and sent her for cremation. Her ashes... I scattered them into the sea,” Su Yan said, her voice trembling with tears. “Doesn’t the sea embrace everything? Out there, fish and shrimp and whatever else won’t look down on her.”

Qin Qingyan’s heart sank.

“I secretly followed Zheng Chong and his wife afterward and found the truth. It was him. He got people to get Qingqing drunk, and he was the one who leaked the information to the media. But I was too stupid back then and didn’t know to record it, so now I don’t even have the chance to clear Qingqing’s name.” She gave a bitter smile.

A hand settled gently on her shoulder. She looked up at Qin Qingyan.

“Zheng Chong couldn’t have only done this to one Cen Qingqing. There’s no such thing as a wall that doesn’t have ears; one day, everything will come out into the open.”

“Mm!” Su Yan nodded. “By then, I’ll definitely tell her the good news so the whole world can hear it; no, the whole uni—verse—”

Yes, there would always be that day.