After Filming A Lesbian Movie With The Straight Girl I Like. - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Can’t Sleep Alone

In the early March morning of Mist City, a veil of fog hung in the air, and the cold was biting.

Xu Ling stepped off the car wrapped in a thick down jacket, yawning. She’d been filming night scenes until 2 a.m., and now, before 7 a.m., she was already up for an outdoor shoot.

“How did you sleep?” asked assistant director Liang He.

Xu Ling gave a bitter smile and replied honestly, “Not well. But I’ll give it my best.”

Liang He patted her on the shoulder. “Tough work. It’ll be a tiring day—eat something first.”

“Okay.” Xu Ling stuffed a scallion pork bun into her mouth. The scallion flavor was strong, which she liked. Even if her breath would smell a bit, it didn’t matter—she wouldn’t be seeing Qin Cong’an this morning anyway.

She ate as she rehearsed, walking the route for the shoot with Director Chang Ning and Liang He.

Focused on both eating and listening, she ended up scarfing down three large buns.

Just as she turned to head back, Xu Ling suddenly spotted Qin Cong’an standing nearby, watching them.

“……”
The bun in her hand instantly lost all appeal.

She didn’t even have a scene this morning—what was she doing here? If Xu Ling had known she’d be around, she wouldn’t have eaten something with such a strong smell.

Qin Cong’an wore a black down jacket, her long black hair draped loosely around her shoulders. She looked serene and cool, blending perfectly with the foggy weather. Her face was small and delicate, and despite her calm expression, her presence was powerful.

Xu Ling stifled her desire for a fourth bun, clutching the half-eaten one in her hand as she walked back.

Chang Ning saw Qin Cong’an and narrowed her eyes slightly, curiously asking, “What are you doing here?”

“Just watching you direct,” Qin Cong’an replied flatly.

“Alright.” Chang Ning nodded. They had worked together before—she knew how serious Qin Cong’an was.

Xu Ling kept her lips tightly shut and walked off to have her hair done.

They were filming the movie She, Her, and the Blade. The leads, Wen Xi and Jian Yu, were both assassins living on the fringes of society—conflicted, yet dependent on each other.

Most of the scenes were shot with barely any makeup—just a bit of powder to reduce shine—and hair was typically tied up high to avoid interfering with action scenes.

But today, Xu Ling, playing Jian Yu, hadn’t had time to tie her hair up. Jian Yu had just learned that Wen Xi might have been killed. She rushed out, hair loose, searching every possible place Wen Xi might be.

Xu Ling ran back and forth through old apartment buildings, from rehearsal to actual filming, doing several takes until she was drenched in sweat.

Despite the temperature being only ten degrees, Mist City was humid, and she sweated more than she would on a thirty-degree day.

The fog cleared.

It wasn’t the effect Director Chang wanted, so the morning shoot was called off. But Jian Yu still hadn’t found Wen Xi, so Xu Ling would have to film this segment again tomorrow.

“Good work,” praised Chang Ning. “You’re finally in the zone.”

“Thanks to your guidance,” Xu Ling said humbly, wiping her sweat. “I’ll keep working hard.”

She glanced in Qin Cong’an’s direction—she was quietly eating a boxed meal, not looking her way.

Xu Ling secretly stared.
How could someone eat so elegantly? Like a black swan. But the way her cheeks puffed while chewing was kind of… cute…

“Sis?” said a staff girl in front of her. “Do you want to eat here or take it over there?”

Xu Ling snapped out of her daze and looked at the girl handing out meals. She touched her stomach and said, “I’ll eat over there. Don’t really have an appetite right now.”

After running all morning, the three buns were long digested, but now she just felt a bit nauseous and had no appetite.

She really just wanted a good nap—she was exhausted.

Thankfully, Qin Cong’an wasn’t riding in the same car with her. Otherwise, there’d be no way she could fall asleep.

They all drove to the next filming location for the afternoon shoot.

It was on the rooftop of an old building—the base camp for the two leads. They lived on the roof, exposed to the blazing sun and pouring rain.

In short: freezing in winter, scorching in summer. Totally unfit for living.

But well hidden, with plenty of space to train—even shoot.

Qin Cong’an had a training scene that afternoon. During that, Xu Ling was supposed to sit nearby with a watermelon, watching her practice.

After Wen Xi finished, she’d ask Jian Yu to join, but Jian Yu would playfully refuse.

It was a slice-of-life scene—easy to film if you were in character.

The afternoon sun warmed the place up, and the rooftop offered a beautiful view.

Since she’d be eating lots of watermelon during the scene, Xu Ling only nibbled a bit for lunch. She made up her mind—no retakes. She’d stay focused and nail it.

But the second she saw Qin Cong’an approaching, she nearly got a nosebleed.

She wore dark blue cargo pants, a tactical vest on top, revealing toned arms. Her makeup was darker to highlight her wild, fierce vibe, especially the defined muscle lines.

Xu Ling stared, completely stunned.
This look was too much. Her imagination started spinning out of control. She wanted to rip the “fantasy” part of her brain out—why was it so vivid? Why was she picturing Qin Cong’an in this outfit, on top of her, flipping her like stir-fry?

Qin Cong’an glanced over. Xu Ling immediately lowered her head and fiddled with the watermelon.
Wow, such a perfectly round melon.

Xu Ling swallowed hard. No one could find out she had a crush on Qin Cong’an. No one. That secret was going to the grave with her.

Liking a straight girl was a social death sentence. Whether the straight girl knew, or others knew—it was over either way.

The scene went smoothly. Only one cut.

Chang Ning said, “Xu Ling, focus more on the watermelon. Don’t stare at her so much.”

“Oh, okay.”
Xu Ling felt like she was focused on the watermelon… was it that obvious? But when Qin Cong’an was hitting those targets, that arm line, that flying ponytail—how could she not stare?

During a break, Xu Ling—now in just a nightgown—threw on a jacket and went to the bathroom. It wasn’t even watermelon season, but that fruit was hydrating as hell.

As she came out, she heard Qin Cong’an’s voice outside.

Sounded like she was on a call.

Xu Ling stopped in her tracks. She wouldn’t call this eavesdropping—she just happened to pass by and didn’t feel like walking anymore.

“…Mm, I’m not hurt. I’ll be careful… got it. Mind your own business… I’m going back this weekend, but whether we meet—depends. Might be busy.”

Then the call ended.

Xu Ling guessed it was her boyfriend. Then quickly tried to deny it—maybe not. Her tone sounded a little impatient.

But the very next second, she got slapped in the face.

It was her agent’s voice: “Xie Jing?”

“Mm.”

“He really cares about you. Calls every day to check if you’ve been hurt.”

“Yeah.” Qin Cong’an’s tone was flat.

Xu Ling’s heart sank. That wasn’t irritation—it was the kind of petulant tone that only comes when you’re spoiled by love. And knowing Qin Cong’an’s cool personality, she likely wouldn’t act differently even in a relationship.

Sounded more like Xie Jing was the clingy one.

Xu Ling kept listening as they talked more about filming. Only when she heard their footsteps fade away did she come out—mind spinning.

Luckily, she paid less attention to Qin Cong’an during the next shoot. Focused on the watermelon. Just what Chang Ning wanted.

Jian Yu loved Wen Xi deeply, but after years together, it wasn’t realistic to always be staring at her. That wasn’t how real relationships worked.

That week, they had important night shoots every night. Chase scenes in alleys. Big action sequences—time-consuming and exhausting.

Mist City’s geography was tricky, and Chang Ning had chosen the most complicated alleys—twists, turns, stairs…

A challenge for everyone in the crew.

Last night’s shoot took the whole night—and they barely got anything done.

To finish this scene, they’d need to pull multiple all-nighters.

If everything went smoothly.

But today, it didn’t. A sudden downpour hit that night.

The schedule went out the window. Chang Ning discussed with the team and gave the night off. Everyone had been grinding nonstop—they needed the rest.

“I’ll treat everyone to hot pot tonight,” said Chang Ning. “You two leads come too! You can just dip stuff in plain water.”

They had to maintain their on-camera condition. Hot pot was oily, could cause swelling, and might reduce flexibility—not good for action scenes.

Qin Cong’an agreed.

Xu Ling was surprised. She thought Qin Cong’an would skip the group meal and head back to nap or video call her boyfriend.

But if she was going, of course Xu Ling would too.

They went to a nearby hot pot restaurant—filled every table.

Everyone was chatting, drinking, and eating.

Xu Ling and Qin Cong’an sat at the same table, side by side. But they didn’t seem close.

Neither had dipping sauces—just bowls of plain water. They mainly picked items boiled in the non-spicy broth.

Xu Ling had once been a model—she was used to “healthy” eating. She’d gone a whole month eating nothing but tomatoes and cucumbers.

That was during her modeling days. Now that she wasn’t modeling anymore, she craved strong flavors daily. But during filming, she had to hold back again.

And sitting beside Qin Cong’an, she felt too shy to eat—especially anything garlicky.

Qin Cong’an ate a lot. That afternoon’s training scene had burned serious calories.

Xu Ling, meanwhile, barely touched her food—but drank quite a bit.

Liang He tried to stop her. “Don’t drink too much.”

“I’m fine,” she smiled. “Alcohol doesn’t make me swell up.”

“You should worry about your stomach.”

“I have a steel stomach.” Xu Ling grinned. She just wanted to drink. Thinking about Qin Cong’an’s boyfriend frustrated her. And what was worse—she had no right to feel frustrated.

She didn’t expect that after a few drinks, Qin Cong’an would lean over and say:
“Don’t drink so much.”

Xu Ling glanced at her. The alcohol was kicking in. She wanted to say, Who are you to tell me that?
But instead she just replied, “Mm,” and stopped drinking.

Qin Cong’an wasn’t being caring, Xu Ling told herself.

She was just reminding a fellow actor not to ruin tomorrow’s shoot.

But Xu Ling let herself believe—just for a second—that it meant she cared.

The rain outside hadn’t let up.

“What is up with this weird weather?” grumbled Chang Ning after a few drinks. “It was so clear during the day. The forecast didn’t even mention rain, and now it’s pouring.”

Liang He comforted her. “Nothing we can do.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s not like this hasn’t happened before… I just can’t get used to it. Every time we lose time, it gets me down.”

Surprisingly, Qin Cong’an joined in. “Yeah, it’s pretty annoying.”

After dinner, they returned to the hotel.

The alcohol had Xu Ling a little tipsy. She should’ve been ready to pass out, but she was wide awake—wired.

She opened her phone—and the first thing she saw was a fan post about Qin Cong’an and Xie Jing’s “CP” (couple pairing).

Photos of them interacting at an event. Xie Jing was always attentive. Even the usually indifferent Qin Cong’an responded in her own way.

People shipped them because Qin Cong’an treated Xie Jing differently. Subtly—but enough for sharp-eyed fans to notice.

Xu Ling nearly used her alt account to comment:

—YES! Congrats! You really are a couple!

Frustrated, she tossed her phone aside, stormed out of her room, and knocked on the door next to hers—hard.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.” Xu Ling didn’t even know if her voice was recognizable. But whatever—so what if it was? That random “me” made it sound like they were close. She added, “Xu—”

Before she could finish, the door opened.

There stood Qin Cong’an. Freshly showered, in a bathrobe, damp hair brushing her shoulders—just a little past them.

Xu Ling loved that length on her. It was the most perfect style—at least, in Xu Ling’s eyes.

Her hair smelled amazing. A mix of citrus and mint.

So fragrant… Xu Ling had no idea where her courage came from, but she reached out and gently, boldly touched a lock of that damp hair resting on her shoulder.

Qin Cong’an instantly stepped back, frowning. “Do you need something?”

Xu Ling didn’t answer. She walked inside and shut the door behind her.

She walked to the window and looked out at the rain still pouring down.

“It’s really coming down,” she said.

Qin Cong’an came up behind her, arms crossed. “So what? You afraid of storms? Can’t sleep alone?”

Not really afraid of the storm.
But… sleeping alone really was the problem.

Xu Ling turned around, leaned back against the window, and looked at her.

She licked her lips.

“Mm,” she said. “Can’t sleep.”