At that time, Jiang BaiYan was only seventeen years old. Shooting for Hide and Seek had just wrapped up, and through connections made by the company, he took on a role in a costume drama, playing the fourth male lead.
There was a scene where he sat in a carriage, and Du Qi, playing a peasant girl, walked past the carriage.
He poked his head out to look at the female lead.
Coincidentally, Du Qi was just then at a stall behind the female lead, pretending to buy things. When she turned her head, she unexpectedly met his beautiful face.
Love at first sight.
She became Jiang BaiYan's fan, and often looked for opportunities to see him.
At that time, he hadn't become famous yet. His agent didn't manage him strictly, so he often chatted with her (and other fans), and bought them milk tea to drink when he saw they were cold in the winter.
Du Qi had an indescribable infatuation for him.
She was decadent and insecure, her life dark. But he was hardworking and sunny, and following in his footsteps, it was as if his light had illuminated her own life.
"You are the fireworks of daylight, shining with your own brilliance even as the sun comes out. I am the moth drawn to the flames, struggling to break out of my cocoon only to die for you."
She wrote this in her diary, deciding it would be the plan for her life.
In order to get closer to him, she picked up her old hobbies again, started learning makeup, and worked hard to get to know people in the industry so they could bring her in.
Her life now had a goal, she had a plan for her future career, and everything was developing in a positive direction. If the story had ended here, it would no doubt be a positive case of an idol inspiring his fan.
When did things change?
Probably after he became famous.
There were more and more fans, but she looked down on them.
What use were those online fans, just shouting a few words like "Brother/Sister, you're so great, I like you so much"? The entertainment industry was a realistic place, only fans who understood the rules could become useful fans.
She and a few "big fans" who understood the rules would sometimes pretend to be other people's fans to stir up trouble, or act as bystanders to splash dirt on his competitors, genuinely helping the person they liked.
But this wasn't enough.
She hoped to be the most special, most useful fan out of all his fans.
During a certain magazine shoot, a 28th-tier male celebrity spoke badly of Jiang BaiYan behind his back. She secretly added something to the eyelash glue, immediately causing an allergic reaction that swelled his eyelids to the size of walnuts.
Just like that, he lost his photoshoot opportunity, and Jiang BaiYan unsurprisingly made the cover.
I will always protect you, Du Qi silently swore.
But there were occasionally times when she was dissatisfied with Jiang BaiYan. She felt he shouldn't have accepted certain shows, but did anyway. There were also people who were two-faced, who he shouldn't have worked with, but did anyway.
At the start, Du Qi comforted herself thinking it was all the agency's fault, they forced him!
He was so young, how could he resist even if he wanted to, he could only obey. She tore the company apart several times, and in the end tolerated it, thinking they held him "hostage".
Getting into Jiang BaiYan's crew this time was half luck and half maneuvering. Du Qi was incredibly happy. She even thought about how she would greet him, and tell him she had been his fan for many years.
But who knew Cai Tonger would join the cast?
Du Qi had followed Cai Tonger's crew before, and had an extremely negative impression of her. She had even been scolded terribly by Cai Tonger once, with very mean words. The crew lead even forced Du Qi to apologize to Cai Tonger, humph, as if she deserved it?
It was a pity she couldn't do Cai Tonger's makeup, otherwise she'd fix her up nicely.
Du Qi made a mental note of this, and hadn't expected to run into Cai Tonger again only a year later, instantly ruining her good mood. Especially since, as some in the crew intentionally or unintentionally mentioned, the original female lead was completely different.
"She probably just wants to keep hyping up the Red/White CP with Jiang BaiYan," everyone whispered privately. "Cai Tonger's acting skills are nothing special, she needs the hype from being paired with him to gain popularity."
Hearing this, Du Qi immediately flared up with anger, resentfully grinding her teeth.
No, she had to warn him.
Du Qi found an opportunity to chat with Jiang BaiYan, insinuating that Cai Tonger had ulterior motives.
He just smiled at her.
Du Qi thought he had listened, but Cai Tonger still joined the cast as planned. They often chatted and seemed to get along well, even celebrating his birthday together.
Why won't you listen to me? Were all your promises just perfunctory? I'm doing this for your own good, yet you disappoint my expectations like this.
Du Qi grew resentful.
One day, having accidentally picked up a master keycard dropped by a cleaner, she suddenly had a bold idea.
Du Qi snuck into Jiang BaiYan's room and left a threatening message on the mirror, fully expecting that this time, he would finally keep some distance from that insincere, crafty woman.
But no.
He still didn't.
The next day, he was still chatting and passing coffee to her.
Du Qi sorrowfully realized that little brother had grown up, and was no longer as obedient as before.
But she couldn't give up on him. The company people all had ill intentions, only knowing how to exploit him for money. Not a single one truly cared about his well-being.
Little brother only had her left.
I must save him.
Du Qi was a girlfriend fan, and also a mom fan. Gentle girlfriend-style reminders didn't work, so the next time she changed her methods.
When he was rebellious, how did her mother discipline her?
A beating would set him straight.
When it hurt, he would know he was wrong.
Bearing the heartache, and filled with excitement, she slipped some laundry detergent into his cup.
That night, she left another note, satisfied that this time, he would surely realize his mistake.
But the result disappointed her yet again.
Du Qi felt awful.
He wasn't like this before.
Back then, he would personally read all the letters from fans, care about their school and work, patiently listen to them confide their troubles. When they nagged him like a mother, saying "wear more clothes, be careful of catching a cold" or "don't diet, health is most important", he would seriously promise every time.
He really wasn't like this before.
He had learned bad habits.
But how could she just say she would give up on someone she had liked for so many years? Let alone the fact that Du Qi's feelings for him were far more than just liking - he was the "resting place for her soul", their meeting was "predestined by fate".
From the schedule she saw at the office, she found out which props would be used, then under the pretense of helping the props team, tidied up their things.
Makeup assistants would often suck up to the lighting crew, location managers or photographers, in order to network. No one suspected she had ulterior motives. So when the accident happened, everyone assumed the props manager had accidentally brought out real glass, said a few words about it, and let it slide.
Du Qi was very satisfied.
She thought, the shattered glass is just like my shattered heart. Can you understand my intent?
It seemed like he understood.
He didn't interact with Cai Tonger at all yesterday, and talked endlessly to that writer instead. Du Qi knew her - a currently popular mystery novelist, and also the author of Hide and Seek.
The "Fireflies" (Jiang BaiYan's fan club name) all agreed that he had filmed many shows, but Hide and Seek had the most gravitas, and that novelist had indirectly given Jiang BaiYan's career a boost.
Du Qi didn't take the writer seriously, but this did slightly quell her anger.
Yet it changed again after one night!!
The night rain scene had so many NGs, yet he still smiled at Cai Tonger and comforted her.
In that moment, Du Qi couldn't say whether it was anger or jealousy consuming her, the raging fire swallowing her rationality. Her heart felt like it was being roasted on an iron plate, the living flesh sizzling and crackling, hurting so much she couldn't breathe.
This couldn't continue. He was about to slide into the abyss, falling into hell.
He had to know that only she truly wished the best for him.
Stop him, punish him, make him see your dedication, know that you are right!
These thoughts echoed repeatedly in her mind like a spell, tormenting her, urging her on. Du Qi's breathing gradually grew hurried, the irritation churning within her, as if an invisible steam engine was "putt-putt" burning coal.
Finally, unable to withstand the confusion, she slowly, silently sat up.
In the darkness of night, her eyes shone as bright as a wolf's.
*
The door was silently pushed open.
Jian Jing was in the bathroom. She slowly opened her eyes, held her breath, and walked step by step to the doorway wearing only her socks.
The room was extremely, extremely dark. She had turned off all light-emitting devices, and tightly shut the thick curtains, not letting in a single moonbeam. The whole room was pitch black, she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Only a sliver of light from the corridor came through the door, dimly falling into the room.
The shadow cautiously moved inward.
She walked very slowly, every step taken extremely carefully, afraid to step on anything. After squeezing into the room, she wedged a soft cloth into the door crack, soundlessly closing it.
Jian Jing turned on her night vision goggles.
Sister Chen had fallen asleep. She had been tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, but the fatigue from work betrayed her mind and pulled her into slumber. She had her hair in a bun and used a pillow to block the side of the bed closest to the door. From this vantage point, it was hard to discern the identity of the person lying in bed.
The intruder was fooled by the illusion, assuming it to be Jiang BaiYan, and approached excitedly.
Du Qi's entire body grew hot, her heart pounding chaotically. An indescribable force seemed to control her body. She hadn't even dreamed that there would come a day in her life when she would be this close to him.
This close.
This close!
Her palms grew sweaty, soaking the note crumpled in her fist.
She moved towards him, stretching out her hand then pulling it back, as if regretting it for a moment. But the hidden thirst drove away the unease of overstepping bounds. Blood flowed faster through her veins, into her limbs, giving her mind a slightly dizzy, oxygen-deprived feeling.
In this moment, reason had been completely excluded from her thoughts.
She couldn't think, scarcely even remembering what her original intention had been - to drug him, or to smear some ointment on his face? She couldn't recall.
Usually, she was a fan, infatuated with him, admiring and worshipping him. Even if she was just a step away, in her mind they were separated by thousands of miles of mountains and rivers. But now, they were breathing the same air in this enclosed, dark space. The distance between two people had been infinitely reduced.
As a fan, Du Qi's inhibitions disappeared, replaced by the malice of an ordinary person.
She reached out her hand.
And then...it was over.
The lurid dream ended before it even began.
Her wrist was caught in an iron grip, the fingertips pressing down forcefully on the muscles. Even the bones hidden beneath felt the pressure. The surging, turbulent blood flow was cut off, and her palm felt like it would explode from the heat and swelling.
"Let me go!" Du Qi's voice cracked from fear and anger.
The person in bed was immediately jolted awake and turned on the light swiftly.
The piercing brightness exploded forth, indiscriminately attacking everyone's retinas.
Du Qi's eyes stung painfully, forcing her to squeeze them shut. But it had been enough for her to see the person on the bed clearly. It wasn't the beautiful boy she had imagined at all.
She didn't get to see his panicked, flustered expression.
"Disappointed?" Someone behind her asked, like a demon's whisper, "No need, you had no chance of success."
Du Qi whipped her head around furiously, but what she saw was a beautifully elegant side profile, with ash gray locks cascading down like blades reflecting light.
"It's you?" She was both shocked and furious, with an indescribable resentment.
Jian Jing deftly seized her joints and twisted Du Qi's arms behind her back, binding them with tape. Naturally, Du Qi refused to surrender so easily, writhing and struggling violently.
With her weight and strength, an average woman was no match for her. Sister Chen had wanted to help hold her down but was kicked away.
Jian Jing pressed her knee into Du Qi's waist as warning. "Keep struggling and I won't be nice."
Bloodshot, Du Qi opened her mouth wanting to bite her.
Jian Jing held her down with one hand, while grabbing a pillowcase with the other, rolling it into a long strip to tie around Du Qi's mouth. She added calmly, "Now that we've caught her, have you thought about what to do next?"
Sister Chen hesitated instead, pondering who she should call, who could handle this cleanly.
In the stillness, soft footsteps sounded.
Jiang BaiYan walked in, closing the door behind him steadily.
"It's her?" he asked.
Seeing him, Du Qi's struggles instantly ceased, strength soundlessly slipping away.
Tears rolled down her cheeks endlessly, immense grievance.
"Mmph mmph," she tried to speak.
Jiang BaiYan only glanced at her once, instructing, "Sister Chen, you and Xiao Li take her to the police station, then contact ZhenGe."
ZhenGe was the on-site producer, responsible for handling all kinds of emergencies.
Sister Chen considered for a moment, then nodded, calling Xiao Li the assistant over. With his 1.8 meter height and nearly 200 pounds, Xiao Li easily subdued Du Qi and dragged her into the elevator.
Right at the door, Du Qi violently struggled again, making muffled whimpers through her nose.
Jiang BaiYan watched her for a moment, telling Xiao Li, "Don't wake anyone up."
Xiao Li nodded and tightened his grip.
But he had underestimated the madness of a crazed fan, or rather, a crazed person's madness. Du Qi erupted with a strength far exceeding her norm, actually breaking free of the burly man's restraint. Like a monster, she lunged at Jiang BaiYan.
Jian Jing heaved a deep sigh, raising her arm to spray Du Qi with anti-wolf repellent.
At the same time, Xiao Li and Sister Chen each grabbed an arm and waist, seizing control of her again.
Jiang BaiYan said clearly and calmly, "You don't need to say it, I don't want to hear."
Jian Jing couldn't help looking over. As always, he was clever to get the words out first. But only this time, it wasn't thoughtful.
For an instant, Du Qi's eyes widened, then the flames dancing within them vanished.
The propellent Jian Jing used took effect. Du Qi collapsed limply to the ground and was dragged out by Xiao Li.
Sister Chen accompanied them as they left. At the door, she glanced back.
Jiang BaiYan met her gaze for a moment, then gently closed the door.
The room sank into silence again.
"Teacher Jian," he started, "Do you think I'm cruel?"