MQSP - Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Chen Ying chased her to the dressing room. The makeup artists had just gone to do touch-ups for the other actors, so the room was empty.
Baiye sat on a chair, half-slumped over the vanity, her right hand still pressed against her lower back as she tried to endure the pain.
"Are you okay?" Chen Ying took two steps forward, wanting to move her hand to check the injury.
"I'm fine. The harness was just too tight, so it hurts a little," Baiye said, shaking her head and offering her a smile.
"Are you really that naive, or are you just pretending? Can't you tell the difference between the pain of a tight harness and being stabbed?" Chen Ying was exasperated. She held the harness out for her to see.
When Baiye saw the blood-stained thumbtack, she was a little stunned. She opened her right hand and saw a trace of blood on it as well. Her mind couldn't quite process it. "This is…"
"I can't say for sure, but I don't think it was an accident. To call it an accident would be too much of a stretch. So many people have used this harness, so how is it that a thumbtack just happened to appear out of nowhere when it was your turn? Did you… make an enemy of someone on set?"
Baiye shook her head. How could that be? She had been on set for over half a month and got along well with everyone. She hadn't offended anyone.
"I think we should tell the director about this," Chen Ying said, putting the harness down.
"Thank you." Baiye picked up the harness and, after a moment's hesitation, pulled out the thumbtack.
"Hey, you! That's evidence!"
"It was just an accident, nothing serious." Baiye silently considered the situation. She didn't think it was an accident either, but too many people had handled the harness. A tiny thumbtack couldn't be definitively traced to any one person. Even if she reported it, it would be difficult to investigate, and if it caused everyone to become suspicious of each other, it would be making a mountain out of a molehill.
"I can't believe you. You're just enabling that person. What if they think you're an easy target and try to pull some other trick on you next time? What then?"
"I…" Baiye hadn't considered that, nor had her thoughts gone in that direction. But Chen Ying's words served as a reminder, making her recall that there did seem to be one person who had shown obvious hostility toward her!
Baiye frowned and shot to her feet. "Hiss…" A sharp pain from her waist made her flinch.
"Look at you, always trying to act tough. You were stabbed by a pin, it broke the skin. You need a tetanus shot. Go to the hospital, don't put it off."
"I know, thank you!" Baiye was too preoccupied with her thoughts to pay much attention to Chen Ying's words. She was trying hard to recall the moments before and after she received the harness.
If someone had tampered with it, it could only have happened in the interval after the previous person took it off and before it was given to her. Who had handled the harness during that time? And who was the person who wore it before her?
Baiye's brow was tightly furrowed, but her mind was filled with nothing but the fear of being hoisted into the air and the intense pain. It was all a bit of a blur.
"Alright, everyone worked hard today! The little ones worked hard too. That's a wrap!" Su Yu's voice, amplified by a small megaphone outside, startled Baiye from her thoughts. A wrap! It was time to go home and prepare dinner for Auntie Lin!
"We can talk about this tomorrow. I have to go now."
"Hey, you're really something else. How can you still be smiling?" Chen Ying was completely baffled by Baiye's seemingly good mood.
Hehe, Auntie Lin has been especially good to me these past two days. Of course I have to repay her well!
"I'm going to get changed first."
"Ah." Chen Ying picked up the harness and scratched her head. After hesitating for a long time, she decided she should give the director a heads-up anyway. She had been on other sets before, and this kind of thing, if it happens once, it will happen a second time. Besides, if you just ignore it and suffer in silence, you're undoubtedly encouraging the evildoer. Next time, it could be even worse!
Lin Yuqing and Xia Xiaozi had already left, but because they had forgotten to grab the wet clothes they'd changed out of today, Xia Xiaozi returned to the dressing room. Before she could even enter, she heard Su Yu's exclamation from inside. "What? Was someone hurt?"
Xia Xiaozi's hand paused. She had a feeling she was about to overhear a big secret!
"Are you sure?"
"There was still blood on the waist of the costume she changed out of. I watched her clean it. She even took the thumbtack because she didn't want to tell you, afraid of making a scene. But I'm worried that if we ignore it this time, it'll happen again."
"I understand. Don't mention this to anyone for now. I'll investigate. I won't let anyone pull these kinds of petty tricks on my set."
"Okay, I'll be going then."
"Mm."
Xia Xiaozi quickly retreated around the corner, pretending she was just walking up. If she, a top-tier assistant, was caught eavesdropping, it would be so embarrassing!
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Xia Xiaozi entered the dressing room and saw Su Yu frowning at a wire harness.
"Hm? It's nothing. Why are you back?"
"Qing Jie forgot her clothes. I'll be going now."
Seeing that Su Yu was unwilling to bring it up, Xia Xiaozi tactfully refrained from asking more questions, grabbed the clothes, and left.
"Mm."
In the car, the two chatted idly.
"Xiao Ye is such a scaredy-cat. During the wire work, the moment her feet left the ground, she started screaming with her eyes shut," Xia Xiaozi said with a laugh. She had gone to watch when the kids were doing their wire stunts today.
"Is she afraid of heights?"
"No, and they didn't even hoist her that high. It was probably her first time, no experience."
Lin Yuqing also smiled helplessly. Thinking of the little one's easily startled nature, she let it go.
"By the way, Qing Jie, it seems like someone's causing trouble on set. I don't know who it's aimed at, but we should give Xiao Ye a heads-up." Xia Xiaozi couldn't resist telling her what she'd overheard outside the dressing room.
"What is it?"
"I don't know the specifics. I just heard Chen Ying telling Su Yu that someone was making trouble, and it seems someone got hurt, but that person didn't say anything."
"Who got hurt?" Lin Yuqing frowned, a bad feeling creeping over her.
"I didn't hear clearly. Anyway, it couldn't have been Xiao Ye. The little one was just cheerfully asking me what I wanted for dinner a little while ago."
"Mm." Lin Yuqing nodded, her heart settling for the moment.
"I've noticed Xiao Ye has been smiling a lot more these past two days. She laughs more easily," Xia Xiaozi said, smiling with the contentment of a proud mother.
Lin Yuqing had noticed this too and, naturally, credited it all to herself. It was after she had that talk with her the other night that the kid had clearly relaxed and wasn't so reserved anymore. Just as Lin Yuqing was feeling smug, she suddenly frowned. "You just said she asked you what you wanted for dinner?" Why didn't she ask me!
"Yeah~" Xia Xiaozi was about to laugh when she realized her mistake. "Uh, no, that's not it. She asked me what her Auntie Lin wanted to eat tonight~~~" Xia Xiaozi deliberately put on a cloying voice, trying to imitate the little one's tone, a fawning smile on her face. The sight gave Lin Yuqing the chills, and she shot her a glare. The impression was terrible!
When they got home, the first thing they saw was a fruit platter on the coffee table with watermelon cut into small cubes.
"Ooh, coming home to fruit, what a wonderful life~" Xia Xiaozi rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen, where she saw the little one bent over, watching the stove. It looked like she was making soup.
"Auntie, hiss… you're back." Baiye turned, saw Xia Xiaozi, and let out an involuntary gasp as she moved.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. By the way, Auntie, I bought some mung beans. I'll make mung bean soup tomorrow morning. You can bring some for Auntie Lin; it'll help with the summer heat."
"Okay, but you're working so hard now. You should let me do these things."
"It's okay. I like making things for you and Auntie Lin to eat. Seeing you eat happily makes me feel very content~"
"You're just fated to worry about others. A certain someone is so lucky, destined to be pampered~" Xia Xiaozi had just finished speaking when she noticed said certain someone leaning against the kitchen doorway, looking at her with ill intent. She stuck out her tongue sheepishly. I'll shut up now!
Xia Xiaozi helped bring the food to the table.
"By the way, Xiao Ye, do you know if anything happened on set today?" Xia Xiaozi was still curious. "I think the wire harness malfunctioned? It must have been with you kids, right? I heard someone even got hurt?"
"Hm?" Baiye's hand, which was ladling soup, paused. She hesitated for a moment. If she told her auntie, she would definitely raise it with Director Su and try to get justice for her. What if Director Su then realized her connection to her…
"I'm not really sure." Baiye didn't dare look at Xia Xiaozi. She lowered her head, staring at the soup bowl in her hands, and passed it to Lin Yuqing. "Let's eat."
Lin Yuqing frowned again. She had seen the little one's unnatural expression very clearly.
"Well, you be careful then. If anyone bullies you, tell me. We'll see how your auntie deals with them!"
"Okay, I know. I'll be careful, don't you worry!"
"Auntie Lin, try this fish soup. See if you like it."
"Mm," Lin Yuqing replied. Under Baiye's expectant gaze, she brought a spoonful of soup to her lips and took a sip. "It's very fresh. You've improved."
"My, you finally learned how to praise someone?"
"You talk too much." Lin Yuqing shot her a look, and Xia Xiaozi immediately shut her mouth.
After dinner, Baiye didn't stay in the living room to read with Lin Yuqing. Instead, she went to her bedroom to rest early.
Lin Yuqing flipped through the pages of her book, feeling inexplicably unsettled. Her mind kept replaying the little one's unnatural expression at the dinner table. She had a feeling the kid was hiding something from her.
With that thought, Lin Yuqing closed her book, stood up, and headed straight for Baiye's bedroom.
In the room, Baiye was using a small mirror to check the wound on her lower back. It was just a small puncture, the area around it a little red and swollen. It didn't look like a big deal, but for some reason, it was aching persistently and was very uncomfortable. She had already disinfected and cleaned the wound when she got back. As for the thumbtack, there was no rust on it or anything, so it probably wouldn't get infected.
Just as Baiye was worrying, the door was pushed open. It startled her so much her hand trembled, and the mirror almost fell to the floor.
"What are you doing?" Lin Yuqing frowned. As she opened the door, she only saw the little one whirl around abruptly.
"Hm? I… I wasn't doing anything…" Baiye gave an awkward smile. "Is something wrong, Auntie Lin?"
Lin Yuqing studied Baiye's expression closely, becoming even more certain that something was wrong. She entered the room and closed the door behind her.
As the door clicked shut, Baiye's heart skipped a beat.
"Are you hiding something from me?"
Watching Auntie Lin gradually approach, Baiye instinctively backed away, accidentally bumping into the desk behind her. "Hiss…"
Crap…
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