TW: Abusive language and attempted acid attack (I decided to add this warning as I am aware of the psychological repercussions victims might experience and want to err on the side of caution, I apologise for taking the element of surprise away).
Either Director Ma or Mo Chen must have made successful headway in the negotiations with Yun Zhou because he showed up on set by the end of the week, looking slightly younger than he did in that movie poster of his four years later, which he would go on to win the film emperor award for. He was very suited to playing historical roles, his looks fitting that of a traditional scholar except that he had an aura of cold nobility that was rather intimidating.
Su Qiao wasn't sure how well he would fit the role of Xi Cheng, Yuan Siqi's chauvinistic ex. But this wasn't her problem to worry about, if Director Ma gave the green light, then he would become her new colleague.
The question was how to keep him away from the effects of Bai Meixin's all-encompassing charms. Su Qiao didn't want a repeat of the fiasco with Xue Junxie. And she wasn't sure how much of a propensity to fall for Bai Meixin Yun Zhou had but the rumours between the both of them had been more than abundant last time around.
There was no smoke without fire. Su Qiao decided that if he became a member of the cast, she was going to have to watch out for him. He might be Mo Chen's acquaintance but that wasn't enough to confer immunity upon him. She wasn't even sure why Mo Chen didn't seem to be affected and didn't know whether this would extend to his friends or not.
Today, apart from filming, Su Qiao had a couple of photoshoots that she had to complete for the promotional posters. Filming had been delayed thanks to the change in actors and the advertising team had insisted that it would be good publicity to detract fans' attention away from Xue Junxie's scandal and focus them back on the production anew.
The makeup section of the hub was already crowded with other actors and actresses but as the female lead, Su Qiao had a spot reserved for her. She smiled in return to the chorus of polite greetings she received from other members of the supporting cast and took a seat.
The stylist that came up to help her wasn't one that she recognised. He was a reedy young man with a nervous tick that made him stand out. She watched him in the mirror as he busied himself with unpacking his professional makeup kit and she contemplated.
It was common for the stylists on the roster to change on a day-to-day basis. This was because the production often had to hire them for long periods but that didn't mean that they didn't have other engagements. As long as there was enough of them to go around on any given day such that filming wouldn't be impacted, it didn't matter that they swapped schedules around.
But Su Qiao couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right. The stylist didn't once look at her. His back was turned away from where she was seated and she could see him tinkering with the items in his makeup pouch. She squinted to get a closer look at it and finally realised what it was that seemed odd.
Without thinking, she leapt up, shoving the bewildered actress in the chair next to her. She shouted, "Everyone, move away!", just as the stylist whipped around and tossed clear liquid in the direction that she had originally been in and it splashed all over the seat and the dressing table with an ominous hissing sound.
Su Qiao sucked in a sharp breath as she felt a burning sensation on her right forearm. Although she had dodged in the nick of time, a couple of droplets had landed on her arm nonetheless and she could already see it turning an angry red.
"Qiao Jie!!!" The terrified actress that Su Qiao had dragged along with her clutched hard enough at her uninjured arm to leave fresh nail marks. "Who is he?!"
Su Qiao had no answer that she could provide without sounding like a gimmicky roadside fortune-teller but she would bet her father's entire fortune that this 'stylist' had to do with Bai Meixin too.
As though he was out to confirm her theory, the 'stylist' made a mad lunge for Su Qiao, snarling out an aggravated, "You ugly bitch, how dare you hog the role of the female lead and use it to bully my poor goddess!"
[There we go. The cult of the White Lotus.] She was surprised she still had the presence of mind to feel wry when her heart was already racing at a hundred km per hour.
Screams had long since broken out but only became worse when more and more people started catching on that something was wrong. The makeup team was always busy with too much happening all at once and no one paid anyone else too much heed because they had to deal with their own tight schedules. This sudden attack caught everyone blinded-sided, dissolving the room into dizzying chaos as Su Qiao pushed the actress attached to her side like a limpet towards the door before sending a couple of hairdressing trays crashing into her impending assaulter.
The 'stylist' let out an 'oof' as a selection of curling tongs rammed him mercilessly in the ribs. Seeing that he was distracted, Su Qiao slipped out of her heels and seized the opportunity to make a beeline for the exist. The stinging pain on her arm was quickly becoming unbearable and she needed to wash off the chemicals that were eating into her skin as soon as possible.
She supposed she should count herself lucky that she had been observant enough to protect herself. If she had still been seated in the chair, she did not doubt that he would her doused her liberally in the acid, perhaps from head to toe, resulting in scars, blindness, and maybe even death.
Her blood ran cold just at the idea. After being reborn, she knew better than ever just how precious life was.
Security came rushing in as she made it through the doors and she hid behind them, clammy from the cold sweat that had broken out all over her body. "Careful, he's unstable!" she called out to them. She'd noticed a funny smell around him earlier that she hadn't been able to place when the adrenaline was coursing through her but now that she was calmer, she could pinpoint where she'd come across it before.
In the dingy toilets of the old bars that she used to work at. She wasn't sure but she had an inkling that he was high on something.
How the 'stylist' obtained access to the set and his motivations for trying to harm her were a job for the police. Su Qiao wanted answers but she had to take care of herself first. She hurried over to the washroom and slammed the tap on, rinsing her skin beneath the running water as she fumbled with her phone using her free hand to try and Baidu a comprehensive first aid guide for caustic burns.
[Rinse for 10 to 20 minutes, go to the hospital if the burn is larger than 5 to 8 cm…what does that mean? What if it's 6.5 cm? What if it's 8.1 cm? Who wrote these stupid instructions?] Now that she was no longer facing an immediate threat, she was starting to come down from the excitement and a feeling of being aggrieved slowly replaced her frantic emotions from before.
She pressed her lips tightly against each other to stop a shuddery sigh from escaping. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat back down, placed her phone back in her pocket so that she could press the heel of her palm against the mild burning in her eyes that had nothing to do with acid.
Nothing directly, anyway.
If Peng Lili were here, she would have been stunned to see Su Qiao like this. Su Qiao had been picture-perfect even as an ignorant young mistress who had wrongly thought the world doted on her. She'd never felt the urge to cry in front of anyone, let alone over something as paltry as what she suspected was an act committed by an anti-fan. He would be going to jail and she would have her justice. No biggie.
Except she was human too. She could feel, she could hurt, she could die. She wanted to go out there, grab her assaulter by the hair, and scream in his face, "Don't you know that I'm human, just like you? Just like your idol, your princess, your fucking goddess?"
She didn't deserve this.
[But novels,] she thought with a bitter smile, [don't have to be realistic.] She was living in Bai Meixin's story and she had to deal.
She didn't know how long she stayed in there but it was enough for her to regain her composure and soothe her wounds, both visible and invisible. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and patted the rest of her arm dry, gingerly avoiding the tender red parts. At least the skin hadn't started peeling. She must have only gotten a little bit on herself. Checking her reflection in the wide mirror, her earlier emotional turbulence was undetectable except for the slight ruddiness on the tip of her nose.
Once again, no biggie.
With a deep, fortifying breath, she pushed the door open, and—
"Right on time, Ms Su. Any later and I would have risked my reputation to barge in there after you."