#* scene / jiayi

[mengyan]

#me running away from my problems

the letter from the cloud 云中谁寄锦书来 (2022) | EP 3

[lucielxbe]

scene ♰⸝⸝ starter @bejiayi

another acting workshop, something luciel isn’t unfamiliar with. they mentioned that it’s a more acting intensive workshop than the camp held a few months ago, which caught his interest. he laments a little that he has lesser time to spend on his usual training routine, but honing another skill would be useful, especially on stage.

he gets paired up with a girl that he hasn’t spoken to before, though he remembers seeing her around once or twice. there’s always that initial awkwardness, to be abruptly lumped together with someone you don’t know for groupwork of the sorts. though luciel is used to this kind of thing, since it always happens in university.

“i’m luciel, do you have any acting experience?” he holds out his hand for a handshake with a small smile, to break the ice.

[manganyeh]

A massive LMK art dump because I have been having a massive fandom brainrot

[gwldcnz]

hello everyone!!! for those who may not know me, i'm calie and in the last year i have dedicated myself to making resources for rps whenever i can. i've been unemployed and for over 13 years relying on my meds that currently cost between $190 (R$1,000) and $240 (R$ 1,300) per month, taking in consideration that minimum wage per month here in brazil is $261 (R$1,412) and i rarely get any freelancer job, that won't cover even 15% of my meds. so with a lot of shame, i depend on my parents to keep up my treatment that cannot be discontinued. my city is broken, has no jobs, and i currently have no conditions to move and start over somewhere else. besides, my city had been once of the cities hit by the big flood in brazil for over a month, which made finding a job even more difficult, since establishments are trying to recover from losses. in these last few months, despite needing money, i've been feeling emotionally exhausted and worried with the situation (of expenses and the tragedy in my state), that i simple cannot focus in any project, therefore not being able to take in commissions (that helped me a lot). with all of that being said, i decided to come here, very ashamed, and expose my situation to offer packs of all my sources that i've done in my time as a creator. if you can help me buying any pack, or a ko-fi (source link), that would immensely help in my situation and i'd be really REALLY grateful. under the "read more" are more details about the packs and pricing.

*se você for brasileiro e desejar adquirir algum conteúdo meu separadamente ou pack, me chame na dm!

pack psd templates & graphics: 12 psd character templates; 15 psd dash icons templates; psd graphics (enchanted = 2 promo banners; parker = 4 promo banners; carnival). [ link here ] $18

pack colorings: 22 colorings (corrects reddish, bluish, yellowish, greenish, dark and whitewashing scenes when adjusted). [ link here ] $18

pack gifs (gif icons & gif packs): [ link here ] $26

GIF ICONS FCS

elle fanning (180 gifs) evan lin (110 gifs) hong joshua (302 gifs) jeon somi (183 gifs) jonny beauchamp (410 gifs) kim chungha (222 gifs) kim hyunah (124 gifs) kim woosung (152 gifs) kwon eunbi (142 gifs) lee junho (150 gifs) park heesoon (153 gifs) yeo hwanwoong (156 gifs) zhu zhengting (86 gifs)

GIF PACKS FCS

amanda seyfried (200 gifs) angelina jolie (83 gifs) caterina scorsone (241 gifs) cho hwiseo (136 gifs) courtney ford (220 gifs) faouzia ouihya (63 gifs) freema agyeman (109 gifs) harry potter & the philosopher's stone (just the scenarios, creatures and spells - 136 gifs) hwang yeji (201 gifs) jenna ortega (312 gifs) jessica capshaw (314 gifs) ji changmin / q (325 gifs) j.r. bourne (205 gifs) jun hyoseong (135 gifs) kang daniel (180 gifs) kate winslet (270 gifs) katrina law (118 gifs) kim taehyung (148 gifs) lee sunmi (136 gifs) lim jaebeom / jb / jayb (348 gifs) margot robbie (47 gifs) milla jovovich (280 gifs) nilsu aktas (106 gifs) nina dobrev (135 gifs) paul adelstein (239 gifs) sarah drew (308 gifs) stefania spampinato (112 gifs) vanessa ray #01 (681 gifs) wu jiayi (43 gifs) zee pruk (402 gifs) zhou jieqiong / kyulkyung (166 gifs)

mega pack (all contents of all the packs above - psd templates & graphics, colorings and gifs): [ link here ] $36

thank you very much for your attention. my askbox and dm are open for any questions!

[lizhly-writes]

[11-30-2023]

An incomplete list of things that got added to Transmigrated as the Female Lead's Villain Fiance during this year's nanowrimo:

Survival Plans A-C: Slightly more well-thought out ways for Yang Haoran to avoid the plot and his bad end.

Job Application Process 101: Yang Haoran's attempts to stay away from Chen Lihua by transferring jobs, possibly to another city, hopefully to another country.

New character! Yang Tailong: Yang Haoran's emotionally distant father. Also Yang Haoran's habit of ignoring calls from his parents and hoping that they just text him instead.

New character! Li Jiayi: Yang Haoran's favorite coworker. Otherwise known as Allison Lee, protagonist 1 of a different wip. She was absolutely present in the draft before this, but she was only supposed to make a cameo. She has become vastly more prominent in the plot, thanks to...

Tourist Quest 20XX: the logical consequence of trying to make friends with Li Jiayi, an American who, when asked what she wants to do together for fun over the weekend, has figured she MIGHT AS WELL visit all of the tourist attractions possible. Has inadvertently cemented the base location of this story as Beijing, China.

Character, Zhao Yuhang, has changed classes: He's officially a med student, aiming for a psychiatry degree!!!

New event! Dinnertime at Chen Lihua's: Exactly what it sounds like on the tin.

New event! Chase scene in Chongqing: ??????

New event! There might be more than one bed, but...: ?????

[seeyal8r]

📝 for my best friend, poupette !

[A BAD NIGHT IN JULY, 2024 🍓 WRITTEN BY JIAYI]

I can’t sleep. Again. My head hurts.

I want to cry, which would only make my headache a lot worse, so I’m holding it together. I can’t sleep because every time I close my eyes I can’t escape the nightmares. My head goes back to that night, over and over and over again. The pov varies from night to night, but the scene always plays out the same way. No matter what I do to try to alter the memory, the outcome is always the same.

Heather says I shouldn’t feel guilty, none of us should. She says it’s all on Eloise. She’s the one who should be feeling guilty, not me. But I can’t help it. I didn’t want any of this to happen. I didn’t want Daisy-Mae’s position. Fuck, I didn’t even want to sign that stupid contract. Sometimes I wonder if things would’ve turn any differently have I not done it. Maybe Daisy-Mae would’ve stayed the group’s leader, and maybe Eloise would’ve taken my spot in the group.

Maybe I’d be asleep at this very moment.

[miracleandplagueau]

Is there any intent to have the romance angle of the original ML present in this rewrite or have an actual big role?

This is actually a very good and important question.

In the original, the romance plots were everywhere and were made out to be integral to the story. For example, Marinette and Adrien, Chat Noir's crush on Ladybug, Marinette's """crush""" on Adrien, Luka and Marinette, Kagami and Adrien, blah blah blah and so on. I get it, they're all teenagers, but at this point in time It's gotten severely out of hand imo. I mean look at the hexagon memes, honestly.

There are going to be romance plots in Miracle and Plague, but they're going to be present for development of side characters or to show their progression while off-screen. Nino and Alya, Rose and Juleka, etc.

But then there's the question - what about Adrinette? You know, the plot that made Marinette the way she is, the one that was finally somewhat resolved after 10 years of production? I was going to say it in a separate post at some point, but might as well answer it right now :)

It will not be happening.

For reasons why I'm removing Jiayi and Adrien's romantic feelings for each other are easy! First of all, I've come to hate the constant romance that got in the way of the heroes PARTNERS' relationship and trust. It was infuriating how Chat kept asking Ladybug about the state of their relationship or Ladybug suddenly doing a switcheroo and attempting to flirt with Chat in the MIDDLE OF THE BATTLE Its been a displeasure watching those awkward ass scenes. Second reason, currently the most leading factor is that Jiayi is an aroace lesbian. This is her coming out.

But then, what is to become of the nuianced story of Marichatadrienbug 🥺 what will replace it?

The answer is simple.

Sibling dynamic.

Or platonic friendship.

No I will not be accepting complaints or returns.

To fully answer your question though, no, the romance plot will not be the main focus of the story. I personally think that If you're writing something, first write the BASE and then think about strong relationships (unless the story is a romance plot or the relationship is crucial to the plot itself. In Miraculous, It is absolutely not.)

Anyway, thanks for asking! 🐞✨🐈‍⬛

[my-own-au-my-way]

Jing yuans child random scene.[SFW]

It was a busy day at the seat of Divine forsight, Jing Yuan had his hands full as it was. Jiayi had to go on a short trip to gather herbs and help the Alchemy commission sort out their chaos. This left the child of Jiayi to be looked after by Jing Yuan her husband, one of the ladies working there at the seat of Divine Forsight were keeping an eye on Mei-Xing until she found her way to her fathers desk.

Jing Yuan felt a tug at his clothing and looks down to see his daughter peering up at him, Instead of been frustrated he just picks her up and places her on his lap. Continuing to work with his daughter now happy on his lap, It wasn't long until she fell asleep there. It was well known by now that the general had a daughter that looked much like his wife, however she can be just as mischievous as she can be well behaved.

[Just a random scene and nothing more. Hope you like it. My OC Jiayi and Mei-Xing belong to me thank you.]

@angelcatlowyn

@androidships007

[hils79]

Hils Watches Cross Fire - Ep 15

I regret it

I was like 'wait, what fortune teller' and then I realised he means Lu Xiaobei

Oh my god are they watching porn again? Is this really what boys do? Obv I am ace so I don't know but watching porn with other people seems kind of awkward and weird. God, this has just reminded me that years ago I was walking home behind a group of teenage boys and they were theorising that one of their friends might be gay because he didn't want to watch porn with them.

Boys are weird!

Come on, after last time surely you know it's best not to ask

I was thinking about this yesterday but I don't ship these two at all and I don't know why. I think I was so invested in Xiao Feng/Xu Wei that I'm not ready to ship him with anyone else yet.

I really wish they'd stop saying he can't walk because of mental illness

That is DEFINITELY not how that works

See I thought he'd cheated, then I thought I'd misunderstood, but now I'm sure he cheated and Xiao Feng is starting to suspect too

Su Jiayi's costumes are always a delight. Is that No-Face?

Aww the whole team except Lu Xiaobei is sick from gaming too hard. Well, nothing like a team building trip to the hospital

Journalist: I'm going to write an article about eSports A few moments later: Okay, you fucking losers. Tell me more about your sad, pathetic lives and how you are nothing more than a drain on society

So her boss told her to write about eSports and she's decided to make it their problem. God, she's like those pharmacists that refuse to fill birth control prescriptions because it's allegedly against their religion. If you can't do the job you are being paid to do because you have a moral objection find a new job.

I love him

That's what I said! He's a good boy!

ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THIS BOY

God he's not even sorry

It's also known as killing a guy, fleeing the scene and then cheating at a game.

Totally unrelated to the plot but I have always wanted to do this

"Fortunately for me I don't have a conscience."

Oh no snooty reporter lady accidentally recorded them talking about Xu Xei's cheating. Well, he still won the championship and he's not in jail or anything so presumably he's going to do something to stop her publishing this

Feeling very emotional about the whole team + Chu Ge visiting Wang Kai's grandmother in hospital. They're a family!

Ooh so they beat Wang Kai's nemsis, now it's time for them to beat Su Jiayi's

Oh come on they're not even trying to be subtle

Honestly the boys deserve to get blown up by letting themselves get distracted by a hot girl with a grenade

Okay, that was resolved fast. They had a good, close game and now they're friends again. Sure, I guess.

Oh no! Does he want to leave to take care of his grandma? As if she'll let him

[thestonelady]

Nobody asked for this, but I wanted to do character profiles of my OCs in And We Will Not Fear!

*Of course, these character profiles are inspired by those made by RC themselves 😊

**Also, heads up, spoilers!

Age: 243

Height: 194cm

Zodiac sign: The Goat-Fish - MULSUḪUR.MAŠ2(.KU6) - 𒀯𒋦𒈧(𒄩) (Capricorn)

🎆 Backstory:

Like her father, who was a mercenary, Zakiti was a part of the mercenary group the Spitfires. The Spifires all consisted of fire mages and swore an official oath of loyalty to their leader, Kashshaya. Zakiti and Kashshaya were lovers, but ultimately Zakiti killed her after the death of the Spitfires. Afterwards, Zakiti, now without her fire magic, spent the following century travelling the known world alongside traders and merchants, who hired her as muscle against thieves. It was during this time of travelling when Zakiti started to get interested in explosives, as she learned from various people from different cultures about their usages of numerous chemical compounds like sulfur or potassium nitrate. The most important acquaintance during that time was Jiayi, who became her partner and with whom Zakiti spent seventy years together. After her death, Zakiti returned to her homeland and started a small business in selling fireworks. When the war started, Zakiti was contacted by Enki and recruited into the infiltration squad. Her role in the squad is that of the pyrotechnic.

🎆 Interesting fact: Once the war ends, Zakiti plans to write down all her adventures in an autobiography

Likes:

The smell of smoke

Collecting decorative daggers

Travelling and exploring

Inventing

Rock candy

Dislikes:

Being reminded of Kashshaya

Pompous people

Elulu's jokes

Possible terrible impacts on the world caused by her inventions

Poppy seeds

🎆 Behind the scenes:

Zakiti was one of the first OC's created for this fic. The squad at first played a smaller role, but as the plot developed, they all became more important and became a part of fic!Nikkal's found family. Narrative-wise Zakiti is supposed to be one of the mentors for Nikkal, specifically her ""sword-path"" so to speak, because as Niall supports her in developing magic (""fire path""), Zakiti supports her in being creative with what she has and not completely relying on magic alone. Zakiti was inspired by the character June, a bounty hunter, from Avatar the Last Airbender (Zakiti doesn't look like June, though).

[arktaisch]

Yep, they sure are a circus...

(Chapter 526-527, the context is they're trying to ally with a group of freedom fighter witches (all women) who are suspicious of them.)

How Bai Liu describes Liu Jiayi: The first to cry for me, to heal me, was a witch child. She is one of the friends I treasure the most in this world, for her I'm willing to give her my life, victory, and trust. If she is, according to God's design, evil, wrong, and born in sin to atone for her guilt --- then for her, I will kill God.

Me: Aww! How far they've come since they first met! Not that many more chapters before he kills God, presumably.

Then, the next chapter:

How Bai Liu describes himself: All I care about is my boyfriend and money.

Me: Look at that character development! He added "boyfriend" and even put it before "money"!!!

How Bai Liu describes Tang Erda: He exhausted all his efforts chasing a one-sided romance.

Me: hmm...

How Bai Liu describes Mu Ke: He has heart disease and can't think about doing that...

Me: ...

How Bai Liu describes Mu Sicheng: Transportation or monkey, take your pick!

Me: !?! *falls over laughing*

NPC summary:

一个男同，一个当男同都失败了的半男同，一个无性恋心脏病患者，一个交通工具和猴——你们怎么看都和正常扯不上关系吧？！

[One gay, one half gay who failed at being gay, one asexual heart patient, one transportation tool and monkey --- however you look at it, you guys are nothing like normal ? !]

See, now that scene at the end of chapter 527 was actually hilarious. Unlike the cross-dressing jokes they have in these novels, which I personally have to (mostly) grit my teeth through and the "ha ha, they think he's a she, wants to date 'her', ha ha ha ha" plots. (I'm so glad the narrative doesn't treat Hearts as a joke!)

[mengyan]

zhou yue + calling her wife “阿鱼” <3

fu jing as zhou yue & wu jiayi as shen yu | gu yi the letter from the cloud 云中谁寄锦书来 (2022)

[bexstevie]

NEXT GEN EPISODE 4 -- CONCEPT CHALLENGE!

< TEEN CRUSH! w. @bejiayi, @inhobe, @bejaeyoung, @bekaito. feat: @renxbe, @sarangbe > ( adrenaline / intro dance break video inspiration - outfit + w beret, line distribution. )

compared to last time, stevie feels the slightest bit more confident about nailing the concept for this. last time, he was dipping his toes into something new– this time around, he feels like a warm hug after coming home. well, kinda he guesses. teen crush is their concept, which stevie can understand enough to get a grip on things– but they shake it up a bit by making them all nerds. chasing after jiayi who’s going to be their crush. it’s cute in theory, and it fits the sort of teenage love kinda vibe they have going. stevie can see the appeal and see where they wanna go with it. especially with how long they spent going over ideas. 

a mini-skit followed by a dance break intro– then right into the song. that’s the plan– and the prep goes…well. all things considered! things started off tense since they all stepped off stage last episode and back into the practice rooms. stevie knows he’s not the only one who feels it at every mistake, something brittle waiting to snap. 

(and it does– in a rush of anger as stevie and the others sit on the sidelines, watching ren and jaeyoung duke it out during practice.) 

things smooth-over. at least on the outside– stevie knows they don’t have time or the energy to be getting upset with each other. it gets better enough– teamwork coming back together, and stevie puts all his energy in trying to be an energizer for everyone else, especially as the days dwindle closer and closer to performance day. 

he’s not as nervous the day of. the nerves are still there, twitchy and tugging at his insides– but they’re easier to ignore, easier to handle. stevie settles himself by bouncing around to his teammates, hyping them up with praise and reassurances when he can. if there’s something that stevie is good at, is his never-ending attempts at keeping the morale of everyone up. 

when it’s their turn to step up, stevie gives himself a pep talk the entire way up, fixing his outfit idly as he goes through their makeshift screenplay in his head. he flexes his fingers around the wheels of his skateboard. he settles into place with the rest of the guys, falling into his role easily– kicking his feet and ducking his head. stevie still isn’t sure how to act nerdy, but he can at least play shy and demure, at the very least. 

and then jiayi steps on scene, passes by– and they play the part of love smitten fools. for a moment, stevie feels like he’s in high school again, playing an npc role in the background of his school’s drama club production. one by one, they all play the part to impress. a guitar is whipped out, then another follows, then another. stevie himself plays it easy by doing a little trick on his skateboard. he lands it safely, because he’s stevie, of course he does! but he looks up at jiayi and makes a motion of fake ‘stumbling’ off his board, catching himself easily but ducking behind one of the first people he can in embarrassment. they continue on, the skit ending once the music begins.

the intro choreography starts off simple, then progresses with the melody change– building and building until it drops into adrenaline. and from them on– muscle memory takes it’s hold. 

“it’s time to get that adrenaline goin’,” stevie starts, sliding easily in place. “baby gimme one shot.” 

he grooves. lets his body move him from place to place. he smiles as easily as it calls for, cocks his head to the side when the smile turns cheeky, more boyish. his limbs feel looser, able to pin down the exact vibe of the song with much more ease than the last time he was on this stage. 

come on give me one shot, come on give me one shot, shot, shot “I'm getting goosebumps, give it to me one shot of adrenaline,” his eye bats in a wink before he moves out of the way, jiayi sliding smoothly in front. his heart is pounding, his blood is thrumming. he’s having fun, and it’s showing on his face– expression beaming and bright. he keeps the energy all the way until the end, and during the outro– he follows through with sarang’s advice.

oh adrenaline, oh adrenaline~ his grin is cheeky, body moving in time with the beat– all the way until the closing notes. as they go to pose, keeping their form for a moment as the song comes to a close. stevie’s chest is heaving, but he keeps his gaze focused and forward, holding contact with the judges– before it moves to jiayi. their outro– every one of his team’s eyes catching onto jiayi to see her pick her ‘chosen’, so to speak. stevie’s hand shoves into his pocket, gathering the little bit of confetti he was able to convince to get. he's going to wait until jiayi has decided-- but she surprises everyone by choosing no one. they make a show of watching her walk off, and stevie belatedly throws a bit of the confetti in the air, just as the rest of the boys begin running after her. he follows after them a few moments belated, laughing all the way he does as they 'chase' after her-- until they're returning back to their spot in front of the judges for the critique.

[duhdumb89]

A Forbidden Happiness | Chapter 26

The cold hand of fright wrapped tightly around Jiayi's neck, making spots dance in the corner of her eyes. His woman? The Emperor was going to make Jiayi his woman? The thought of it stole the air from her lungs. The acrid taste of bile lingered in the back of her throat.

"A servant like–" Jiayi's tongue was limp and heavy, "A servant like me could never be worthy,"

"So modest," said De gui fei, "I suppose that's why The Empress Dowager is so eager to have you be by His Majesty's side,"

Jiayi's chest tightened as the pieces fell into place. The fawning, the gifts, all the mentions of Wei Jiayi's family.

It was so clear.

"This servant is not worthy,"

The ferocious bubbling in her stomach reached a fever pitch. Jiayi felt the world tilt before she retched on the floor. Jiayi stumbled away from the puddle of sick onto her knees. She couldn't pinpoint when she'd started crying, but her face was slick with tears.

"Mistress, I know I don't have the right to ask you for anything more than I already have, but if–if you can do this one thing for me, I'll do whatever you ask for the rest of my life. Please, please don't do this to me. I don't want to be his, I don't,"

Through the haze of her tears, Jiayi waited for Xiang gui ren to say anything. As the moment stretched on, Jiayi remembered an important fact.

She was just a maid.

Who cared what she wanted? Who cared how she felt? Xiang gui ren treated her well because an abused servant was easily stolen away. Xiang gui ren wasn't her friend. She was Jiayi's master. How could she be so tactless and make such an awkward scene for her mistress in front of De gui fei?

Jiayi wiped her face and took a deep breath, "This servant is too wordy. Please forgive me for the mess. I'll clean it up at once,"

Xiang gui ren didn't stop her. The room is empty when she returns with a pail of warm water to clean up the mess.

A quick splash of water and a few deep breaths was all it took to convince Molan that nothing was amiss. They waited on Xiang gui ren during dinner and then dressed her for bed. The reality of it all settled on Jiayi's shoulders like a lead cape. If The Emperor decided to make her a concubine, she could do nothing. If The Emperor wanted to shackle her to these walls, she could do nothing. Jiayi would be married to the man who killed her entire family, and she could do nothing.

Maybe a better person would take this opportunity and run with it. Slither into The Emperor's bed and spend what was left of her life poisoning the world around her and using misery and chaos to avenge the anger that had sunk into the marrow of her bones. But Jiayi didn't want that. She just wanted to be happy.

Was even something like that set aside for heaven's favorites? If that was the truth, why did the Gods continue to taunt her? She was happy enough with her family, and that was snatched away. She was happy enough in the Hard Labor camp, ignored and alone until Su gonggong noticed her. And now, when she was the happiest she'd been in years, it was going up in flames.

That night, Jiayi slipped away from her place at Xiang gui ren's side. Through the darkness, she walked to the empty western courtyard. There was a pond there that Sixth Prince had almost fallen into. De gui fei warned him that the pond was deeper than it looked and not very well looked after. If he fell in, it would take some time to find him.

With the new year coming soon, the odds of someone finding her in the pond were low. By the time any of her bits rose to the surface, Xiang gui ren would've moved on, maybe would've already been promoted to an Imperial Concubine. She, Molan, and everyone else would be gone, and Jiayi would become one of the many bodies that The Forbidden City had eaten alive. It felt both like an eternity and not when her foot finally hit the rocks edging the pond. There was no babbling water or croaking frogs or tittering dragonflies. Only nothingness. She crouched down and stuck her hand in the water. It wouldn't hurt. It would be like a deep sleep.

"Jiayi!"

Jaiyi twisted around at the sound of her name. The slick rocks gave way under her feet, and she tumbled into the pond. The frigid water wrenched her mouth open, and the mucky waters gushed in. Her chest tightened as hell's jaws pulled her deeper into the abyss. Panic lanced through her. How long was this going to take? Would she be awake the entire time? Would her last thoughts be about how bad it hurt?

As the thoughts in her head quieted to a murmur, Jiayi saw a warm light glowing in the black water above her before Xiang gui ren's face appeared. Once again, Jiayi felt lucky to have met Xiang gui ren. Now, the dark wasn't so scary. Xiang gui ren's visage drifted closer and closer until her face was only a breath apart. Xiang gui ren's face was swallowed up by the water, and suddenly Jiayi felt herself floating up rather than down, the light becoming brighter and brighter. Was this it? Was she dead?

The white-hot burn of vomiting pond water told her that, no, she wasn't dead. Jiayi gulped the winter air and lifted her head. It hadn't been her imagination at all. It was really Xiang gui ren!

"Mistress?"

Xiang gui ren turned to her, face illuminated by the light of a paper lantern. Water-logged as she was, she was still beautiful.

"You're okay then?" She spat, "Then find some sense and pick up the pace!"

As her head became less fuzzy, Jiayi realized what was happening. Xiang gui ren had dove in after her and pulled her out of the water, and now she was dragging them back to dry land. Jiayi did her best to cosplay with Xiang gui ren's orders, but her limbs were heavy. Fortunately, it only took a few more strokes through the water until Xiang gui ren threw her on the bank.

Xiang gui ren crawled out after her, chest heaving. Jiayi struggled to get a hold of herself.

"Mistress, are you alright?" She gasped.

"How could I be alright?" Xiang gui ren replied, crawling to her knees, "Jiejie ended up being right after all,"

"What?"

"I told her that it wouldn't be so bad. That you weren't like these other maids, dying to climb to heaven in a single step. But I was wrong. You're just like everyone else,"

Jiayi's throat closed. Xiang gui ren had never used that tone of voice with her. It was as if speaking to Jiayi turned her stomach. It chilled Jiayi far more than her soaked clothes ever could. Jiayi wanted to defend herself and say it wasn't true, but the fire in Xiang gui ren's eyes sealed her mouth shut. Xiang gui ren's words chilled her far worse than the water soaking her.

"It's not a bad plan. I'd believe that a former whore would get jealous enough of her maid to drown her. What did she promise you, huh? Money? A promotion for your father? Ah, I know! She just promised to get rid of me?" She said, rising to her feet, "Maybe you couldn't stand the shame of kneeling before a whore?

"That's not true! I did it for you!" Jiayi sobbed, "I did it because if she found out the truth, there was I could do to stop her,"

Xiang gui ren barked out a laugh, "Are you hiding some big secret then?"

After all these months of running, Jiayi finally hit a dead end. She told Xiang gui ren everything. When all was said and done, Jiayi closed her eyes. She didn't want Xiang gui ren to become even more disgusted with her.

Jiayi flinched when a frozen knuckle rapped her forehead.

"Stupid,"

Xiang gui ren braced herself on Jiayi's shoulder and dropped to the ground next to her, "I thought it was something serious,"

"Whuh?" Was there water frozen in Jiayi's ears? Was Xiang gui ren not fazed at all?

"Bring the lantern,"

Jiayi did as she was told. Xiang gui ren held the lantern to her face. She stroked the faint scar on her cheek.

"Remember this?" She asked.

How could Jiayi forget? The sight of Jiang pin's bloody fingers was seared into her brain.

Xiang gui ren smiled, "I did it to myself,"

"What?"

"Do you need me to knock you in the head again? I did it to myself,"

"Why would you do that?"

"Why would you do such a thing to First Princess?" Replied Xiang gui ren.

"Because..."

Because Jiayi had been boxed in.

Because she needed something Su gonggong couldn't talk his way out of.

Because she thought it wouldn't go so far.

Because no matter how sick it made her, the end justified the means.

Xiang gui ren grabbed her hand, "Because you needed to survive, right?"

"It was evil," Jiayi whispered, "It ruined her life,"

"Rather be evil and survive than in a coffin with a good conscience," said Xiang gui ren, "There is no good and evil here, Jiayi. You must take what little opportunity you have to keep yourself alive, or it will be taken from you,"

It was the painful, bitter truth, but it was tiring.

"What if I don't want to keep doing that? What if I just want to be?" Asked Jiayi.

"Then you have to let me help you," said Xiang gui ren, squeezing Jiayi's fingers, "No more secrets between us, okay?"

Jiayi nodded, a warmth spreading through her chest. She then shivered, her wet clothes growing even icier.

"Mistress, how are we going to explain ourselves?"

"Just follow my lead,"

---

Prince Han sighed as the ministers filed out of Yanxindian. The Emperor stood without a word and stalked away to change his court attire, Zhang Wei following him. Alone, he turned to Sang'er.

"How is she?" He asked.

"Fine. The eunuchs at the Imperial Hospital say Wei guniang is recovering in bed,"

Prince Han nodded. Just last night, Xiang gui ren's dog ran off into the night and fell into a nearby pond. Xiang gui ren dived in after, and Jiayi jumped in to rescue her mistress. Prince Han heard that The Emperor had rushed to Chengqiangong in only his sleeping clothes. Prince Han was eager to visit Jiayi and confirm her health in person.

"Zhishi!" The Emperor's voice echoed out into the hall.

"His Majesty seems angry today, my lord," said Sang'er.

"Hwang taiyi said Xiang gui ren could pass along her sickness to His Majesty so he can't visit her as often as he likes,"

"Zhishi!"

Prince Han followed The Emperor's voice. Zhang Wei was kneeling in the warming room, massaging The Emperor's legs.

"What did you think of court today?" He asked when Prince Han sat.

"Marquis Fu's report was alarming. To be funding so many rebels so secretly would take more money than the average nobleman has on hand,"

"Do you agree with Minister Tsun's investigation?"

Prince Han shook his head, "If the rebels are as well connected as we think, the ringleader would have no trouble going into hiding if we investigate aggressively,"

The Emperor nodded, "Perhaps if we–"

"Your Majesty," a servant announced, "Huang gui fei is here,"

"Send her in," said The Emperor. He turned to Prince Han, "We'll continue later,"

Many years ago, Prince Han conspired to kill Shen huang gui fei. He wasn't stupid. He saw the way her eyes glinted meanly when she saw The Empress, no matter how soft the smile on her face was. After Mu pin had been buried, the tension between The Empress and The Emperor was more than apparent. He couldn't stand to be in the same room as them and took long walks across The Forbidden City to get away.

"My lord, let's go back. Her Highness will worry for you," pleaded Sang'er, holding a small lantern.

Prince Han shook his head. He couldn't go back there. Seeing how His Majesty spoke to The Empress made him think unfilial thoughts.

Prince Han paused at the sounds of whispers.

"Wha–"

Covering Sang'er's mouth, Prince Han crept closer. It was too dark to see, but he could hear well enough.

"You haven't done it yet?" A woman hissed.

"I'm sorry," said a man, "The imperial hospital's been locked down since Mu pin's death. I can't get in there to top off the herbs. Listen, jiejie, can't we go without? His Majesty already blames Her Highness,"

There was a slap and a hoarse cry.

"Idiot! The only reason Mu pin is dead is because you tripled her medications for the last three months. It won't just be your head if they check and notice how much is missing. Get it done quickly for the sake of your family,"

Prince Han spent an entire night tossing and turning, desperate to find the couple's identities. The next evening, he, The Emperor, and The Empress were having a stilted dinner. His Majesty invited Shen huang gui fei, only for her dowry maid, Jingse, to announce in a very familiar voice that her mistress was too exhausted from grieving to leave her bed. What little planning he did was foiled by The Empress, who made Prince Han swear to abandon the idea, claiming The Emperor would never forgive him if things went too far. It was the first and last time The Empress had slapped him.

Prince Han was so deep in thought that by the time he snapped out of it, Shen huang gui fei had already settled herself next to The Emperor.

"...You delivered the ginseng to Huifen?" The Emperor finished asking.

"Yes, Your Majesty, poor Yiqiang looks so worried for Xiang meimei," replied Shen huang gui fei.

The Emperor nodded, "De gui fei will look after him well in Huifen's stead,"

"Speaking of that, Your Majesty, I have something to report, but I worry it'll upset you,"

"Speak," said The Emperor.

"Recently, I've had to punish some servants for gossiping about Xiang meimei raising Yiqiang,"

Prince Han didn't like what Shen huang gui fei implied, "Did you inform The Empress?"

"The Empress is so busy preparing the palace for The New Year, so I didn't wish to burden her with something I could help her with. But unfortunately, rumors have left the city,"

"What rumors?" Asked The Emperor.

Shen huang gui fei sighed, "It's about Xiang meimei raising Yiqiang. People are starting to say that she'll teach him immoral things and that the only reason she was allowed to take care of him is because she bewitched His Majesty,"

"They dare...!" The Emperor hissed.

"I punished as many of the servants as possible and told them there would be dire consequences for spreading such rumors, but the damage is done. If only meimei came from a more noble background or was a higher rank. Then things would be different,"

Shen huang gui fei put on a good face. But Prince Han could tell from the curl of her lip and the flare of her nose that she was enjoying this.

"Maybe," she said, putting a hand on The Emperor's arm, "It would be best if Yiqiang returned to the A Ge Sou. Just until the rumors were put to rest,"

"Your Majesty, wouldn't promoting Xiang gui ren solve this problem?" said Prince Han. 

Shen huang gui fei's gentle and warm facade cracked at the suggestion, her eyes narrowing in rage before her mask returned.

She smiled, "Little brother-in-law Xiang meimei has only been a Noble Lady for seven months. She hasn't given birth, and her family won't be able to make any great merits for His Majesty. A promotion like that would be very unorthodox,"

"Xiang gui ren sacrificed her health to nurse Yiqiang back to full form when His Majesty and Her Highness were in Mulan. Is saving the life of an imperial heir not merit enough?" Replied Prince Han.

Shen huang gui fei clenched her fists, "You–"

Wang gugu stepped inside the room, sweat beading her brow, "Your Majesty, a report. Chengqiangong's medication was poisoned,"

"What?!" The Emperor exploded to his feet, "Why are you standing here then?"

Prince Han's heart skipped a beat. What did Wang gugu mean by that? Surely Xiang gui ren and Jiayi weren't given the same brew? But Xiang gui ren was kind. Jiayi mentioned that her mistress liberally shared food and treats with her. Why wouldn't she share such good medicine?

Wang gugu bowed her head, "Hwang taiyi was informed at once, Your Majesty's seated chair is ready to leave at any moment,"

Shen huang gui fei tied The Emperor's furred cape around his shoulders, "Don't rush, Your Majesty. The roads are slick from this morning's snow,"

Prince Han followed The Emperor and waited for his eunuchs to lift him away.

"C'mon," he said, tugging at Sang'er's arm, "We can run there faster,"

"My lord, you–"

"Hurry up!"

Prince Han ran through the streets, dodging and pushing through the servants in his way, his mind racing as fast as his legs. Perhaps the medication hadn't been brewed yet? Maybe the maids were clumsy and brewed it wrong. Maybe Hwang taiyi already arrived, and everything was fine.

The servants bowed to him, but he paid them no mind and burst into Xiang gui ren's side of the palace. Molan startled at the sight of him.

"Did the Imperial Hospital deliver Xiang gui ren's medication yet?" He asked.

"Ye-yes. It was delivered after breakfast,"

"Has she drank any?"

"Um-I–" she stuttered, her eyes wide.

"Answer me!" He barked.

"Zhishi," De gui fei said, emerging from Xiang gui ren's bedroom, "What is the meaning of this?"

"De niangniang," Prince Han said, "Did Xiang gui ren take any medicine today?"

De gui fei cradled his sweaty face, "What? No. Hwang taiyi said she should only drink on a full stomach and hasn't eaten. We gave her breakfast and the medicine to her maid,"

"When?" Prince Han asked, heart stuttering.

"Only a moment ago,"

Prince Han tore away and rushed to the maids' room. He ran through the doors in enough time to snatch the still-steaming bowl out of Jiayi's hands.

"My lord," Jiayi said, "What are you doing here?"

Prince Han grasped her shoulders, "How much did you drink?"

"I didn't drink any of it," she replied, "Prince Han, what's wrong?"

Before he could explain, Sang'er pulled him away just in time for De gui fei and the servants to rush in.

"Prince Han," said De gui fei, her voice stern, "What is the meaning of this?"

Sang'er bowed his head, "Replying to Your Highness, Wang gugu informed His Majesty that the medicine sent over by the Imperial Hospital was poisoned, so my lord rushed here to make sure no one was hurt,"

The Emperor's arrival drowned out whatever De gui fei wanted to say. Prince Han and Jiayi locked eyes again before Sang'er led him back to the warming room.

---

"A maid?" Xiang gui ren said, lying in The Emperor's arms, "A maid tried to poison me?"

The Emperor nodded, "Wang gugu caught her stealing and sent her to the Hard Labor camp before you arrived. She seduced a junior eunuch to slip something into your prescription. You were blessed not to have drunk it,"

"What do you mean?"

"Wang gugu sent Hwang taiyi to you, but Fan gui ren complained of stomach pain and bleeding. He attended to her first. By the time he finished, it would've been too late,"

Xiang gui ren flinched, "Was she alright?"

"The child is safe for now. She'll be confined to her rooms until the birth,"

"Where's that maid now?" She asked.

"Dead," replied The Emperor, "Yiqiang was clear that she couldn't live another day with how close she came to killing you. The Empress Dowager agreed wholeheartedly,"

The Empress Dowager? This had her written all over it. Had Yiqiang not ordered the maids' execution, the girl would probably still be dead but under more mysterious circumstances. If anyone thought too hard, they'd question how a maid from the Hard Labor could even come close to having something lethal enough to poison with.

The Emperor stroked her cheek, "You're disappointed,"

She covered his hand with her own, "I'm grateful for Yiqiang, but for him to order an execution at such a young age on my behalf is troubling,"

"When it comes to mother and son, his flesh and your flesh are one and the same. A slight against you is a slight against him. It's only right,"

"Mother?" Said Xiang gui ren, ignoring how her heart fluttered at the word, "I'm his nanny at best. How could a Noble Lady raise the son of an Imperial Concubine? I've been waiting for Her Highness to tell me to return Yiqiang since she returned from Mulan,"

The Emperor gathered her close so he could whisper in her ear, "You won't be a Noble Lady for much longer,"

Xiang gui ren's mouth parted in surprise, "You're crazy," she whispered back, "That's against the rules,"

"I'm the Son of God," he replied, "I make the rules,"

Xiang gui ren drew her sheet between them and kissed him, mindful of her cold. The Emperor tugged the sheet down and tried to kiss her, but she wiggled away. They wrestled playfully for a few moments before Xiang gui ren was the victor, sitting happily in his lap.

"Jiejie will be so excited!" She said. Just then, an idea formed in her head. She frowned, making sure The Emperor couldn't miss it.

"What?" Said The Emperor, thumbing her jutting lower lip, "You can stay in Chengqiangong as long as you like, even as an Imperial Concubine,"

"The Empress Dowager has been so kind to my maid, so I've been thinking of her lately. Don't you think she's lonely? There aren't any other dowagers here,"

"Royal Mother said she was too busy serving the Late Emperor and raising children to make close friends,"

Xiang gui ren feigned that she was deep in thought, "The Empress mentioned someone named Dowager Noble Consort Ling?"

The Emperor nodded, "Dowager Noble Consort Ling was well favored by The Late Emperor and treated me well all those years ago. She lives in the Summer Palace,"

"Can I meet her?"

"Court is more time-consuming than usual, and the roads are treacherous during the winter," said The Emperor.

"Well, couldn't she come here? I'm sure she would love to spend the New Year with you. The more the merrier, right?"

[beseira]

bejiayi

jiayi listens quietly as seira continues to speak, sipping on her drink here and there. is there really anything to reminisce about? next gen isn’t so far in the rearview mirror that she can’t remember it anymore - even though it feels like the experience was so long ago. “oh my god the drama,” she winces thinking back on it. “there was definitely some things going on behind the scenes in my teams too,” jiayi takes another sip of her drink. “i remember standing in the practice room with my face all like,” she pauses to show seira how expression at the time. “i’m pretty sure they got that on camera, it was so awkward. i was trying not to look like i was listening but …” she trails off laughing. “no guarantee. i’m not an actress, you know?” “being a trainee has been interesting, for the most part at least,” she’s not sure how much she’s legally allowed to say, the details of her training surely jiayi has to keep under wraps. “like, they threw us in to this workshop as soon as we walked through the door! a little annoying, honestly,” she rolls her eyes. “i was expecting … something different? i’m not sure,” she laughs, shaking her head. “but i’ve been easing into it, it’s definitely a change from my old company.”

“it was actually surprising how many people knew each other, i guess the world isn’t very big” she takes a sip of her drink “but i get it, it’s nice having friends chasing the same dream”. “some of these people really seemed to really dislike each other, i wondered if they knew each other before the show began or if they began disliking each other at they met the first time during the show” she runs a hand through her hair. “it was so bizarre… i was trying my best to show off my best side, and these people would just pick on each other”. “guess everybody can’t get along with everybody” she shrugs.

“i’ve been a trainee before, so i suppose i know some of it, but i also think being a trainee at a big company like studio delta would be completely different than being a trainee at the small company i was at”. “i guess sometimes it’s difficult to expect and assume what something will be like” she bites her lip.

[wooyoungbby]