After Filming A Lesbian Movie With The Straight Girl I Like - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Cool Taste of Grapefruit Mouthwash

Xu Ling thought she had the right grasp of the role, but when it came time to shoot, it proved more difficult than expected.

The first take already hit a snag. Xu Ling entered the house happily, carrying roast duck, and curiously checked out the black bag by the door. When she heard it was Ai-jie, she acted shocked.

Director Chang Ning called cut. “It’s like you already know it’s Ku Ai’s body inside the bag as soon as you hear the name. That’s not how it should be. You need a moment to process—it would never cross your mind that Wen Xi would actually kill her.”

Xu Ling nodded. It wasn’t just a matter of missing the detail—this emotional shift was genuinely hard for her. One moment, she was looking forward to a shared meal, the next she was hit with this devastating blow.

This time, Qin Cong’an didn’t help out. Only Chang Ning worked with Xu Ling patiently, guiding her toward finding that precise emotional transition.

The ceiling in the self-built house was low, making Xu Ling’s tall figure feel cramped. The camera followed her line of sight down to the black bag.

Then the camera returned to her face. Her brows furrowed slightly as a horrible realization dawned, but she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. She shakily reached for the zipper, only to have her wrist stopped by a hand.

Shaking it off, she unzipped the bag. Xu Ling stared at the prop inside with an expression of shock.

“Your expression is off again,” said Chang Ning, calling another cut. “This looks like someone just threw a dead body at your feet on a public street. That’s not how you’d react to seeing Ku Ai’s corpse.”

Xu Ling scratched her head, starting to get a better grasp.

“This is the second time she’s seen a loved one dead. The first was her parents. Seeing a stranger’s body is one thing. Seeing someone familiar is totally different.”

Chang Ning patiently explained to Xu Ling to get the right feeling. She could tell Xu Ling had some emotional intelligence and was trying hard, getting a little better each take.

The more she worked with her, the more Chang Ning realized Xu Ling was the kind of actress who needed a strong scene partner to bring out her best—something common with newcomers.

Her scenes with Qin Cong’an were surprisingly good—even the flirtatious ones had real chemistry.

But when Xu Ling was on her own, the performance often felt thin. It was hard for her to hit the emotional mark.

Sure enough, once the scene transitioned to the conversation between Jian Yu and Wen Xi, Xu Ling’s performance felt much more natural.

With just a few adjustments, she was almost right where Chang Ning wanted her to be.

Watching from the monitor, Chang Ning could feel the emotional struggle between the characters. Wen Xi was hurt by Jian Yu’s words and lashed back, but then feared she’d pushed her away for good—so she distracted herself by picking up the roast duck.

Jian Yu, overwhelmed with confusion and guilt for suggesting Wen Xi was no different from that man, couldn’t believe Ku Ai had really been killed.

Chang Ning gave a few more notes and then resumed filming.

After hours of shooting, the crew was exhausted.

Finally, they wrapped the scene. Chang Ning sighed in relief. “Great work, both of you. Take a break.”

After a short rest, filming resumed.

The roast duck had long gone cold. Condensation clung to the beer bottles, making them look refreshing—but inside, it was just mineral water.

Wen Xi sat first and began eating.

Jian Yu stood for a moment, then joined her at the table, though sitting farther away than usual.

They didn’t speak, just ate in silence, but there was clearly much left unsaid.

A sharp crack from Jian Yu’s teeth made Wen Xi glance over, catching the flash of pain on her face.

“Bit your tooth?” Roast duck often had tiny bones easy to miss.

Jian Yu didn’t reply, but clearly couldn’t keep eating. She spit out what she’d bitten—there was bl00d.

“Let me see,” Wen Xi quickly set her duck down and moved to examine her.

Jian Yu turned away, refusing. She went to the bathroom.

Wen Xi followed, insisting on checking. Jian Yu had no choice but to let her.

“You need to see a doctor,” Wen Xi said.

“No.” Jian Yu hated the old man who treated their injuries—he was creepy, smelly, and unqualified. He didn’t treat them like people, just patched them up carelessly.

“You’ll be in agony.”

“Then so be it. I’m not going.”

Wen Xi knew she hated that man, but her tooth needed care. “Fine. Rinse your mouth. Gently.”

After Jian Yu rinsed, Wen Xi gently pried her mouth open to check, stuffed some cotton inside, and said, “Still bleeding. Bite down to stop it. Does it hurt?”

A little.

Wen Xi handed her a beer bottle to use as a cold compress. “I’ll go buy medicine. And bury Ku Ai.”

“I’m coming too.” Jian Yu still felt emotionally conflicted, but she didn’t want Wen Xi to go alone, afraid something might happen to her on the way.

…

Xu Ling’s face flushed as Qin Cong’an pinched her cheeks and pried open her mouth for the scene.

Thankfully, Chang Ning didn’t call her out for it.

In fact, Chang Ning thought her reaction was great—resistance mixed with shyness, perfectly in character for Jian Yu.

Xu Ling had prepped for this scene by eating a mint earlier—she didn’t want the awkwardness of having duck breath during a close moment.

Standing that close, she caught a whiff of grapefruit. It wasn’t her—so Qin Cong’an must’ve used something too.

After the cut, Xu Ling asked, “Mint?”

“Mouthwash.”

“Oh,” Xu Ling’s face stiffened slightly. “Smells nice. Let me try it too.”

Qin Cong’an paced a bit, looking awkward. “Come to my room tonight. I’ll give you a bottle.”

“Oh. So I’m allowed in your room again, huh.”

Chang Ning reviewed the footage and said, “That was good. Let’s get a different angle. Keep the same feeling.”

In the next take, Xu Ling resisted as Qin Cong’an’s hand came up. But Qin Cong’an forcefully pinched her cheeks, making her open her mouth.

Xu Ling’s gaze kept flicking between her sharp brow and serious lips, her eyes filled with infatuation.

When Qin Cong’an finally looked into her eyes, Xu Ling quickly looked away, the complex emotions returning.

“Cut!” Chang Ning called. “Xu Ling’s state is perfect—move on to the next part.”

Xu Ling cupped water in her hands to rinse her mouth. The pain twisted her expression slightly, but she tried to hide it.

Qin Cong’an stuffed in the cotton prop. “Still bleeding. Bite down. Does it hurt?”

As her finger entered Xu Ling’s mouth, Xu Ling’s heart pounded. She wanted to suck on it—but could only swallow dryly.

“Cut! Okay, perfect. Let’s change to Wen Xi’s close-up.” Chang Ning was thrilled.

In this new shot, Qin Cong’an didn’t have to put her hand in again. But as she raised it, Xu Ling instinctively opened her mouth—and Qin Cong’an inserted her hand again.

Can I lick it?

Xu Ling stuck out her tongue, touching her finger.

The take worked. Qin Cong’an’s expression was perfect—concerned, yet slightly tender.

Later, the outdoor scene where Jian Yu and Wen Xi leave was quickly completed.

After changing outfits, they moved on to the final scene of the day inside the house.

Compared to the earlier emotional rollercoaster, this part was simple.

Jian Yu clumsily reheated food in the kitchen. Wen Xi came up behind and nuzzled against her back.

Just a three-second moment for the final cut.

But they couldn’t get it right.

“Still stiff from the last scene?” Chang Ning called out. “Wen Xi, press in tighter!”

Xu Ling turned to Qin Cong’an and whispered, “Come on, press on me. Let’s not delay wrap time.” She still wanted her mouthwash.

Qin Cong’an looked at her, then said to the director, “Let’s do one more. I’ll make it count.”

This time, she pressed in close, her chest flush against Xu Ling’s back, pushing her into the counter.

Xu Ling felt the heat where they touched and the cold surface ahead.

Chang Ning thought, Well, this isn’t exactly what I meant, but… it works. She let them do another take, but ended up wanting to keep the tighter one.

…

Xu Ling took a shower in Qin Cong’an’s room.

When she stepped out, she saw the mouthwash on the counter. She opened it and rinsed—already falling in love with anything citrus-scented.

As she walked out, Qin Cong’an was at the tea station, checking her phone.

Xu Ling passed her, but Qin Cong’an didn’t even look.

Xu Ling didn’t buy it. No way she didn’t notice her coming out.

She snatched the phone and glanced at it—Weibo. She tossed it toward the sofa and lifted Qin Cong’an onto the counter.

Xu Ling planted both hands beside her, looking up. “Is this because I kissed your hand that day?”

Qin Cong’an didn’t respond.

Xu Ling kissed her hand twice, apologetically. “I was just teasing. No one saw. I even scoured Weibo—nothing.”

“Teasing me?”

“Well, not exactly. I mean… I did kiss you.” Xu Ling mumbled, “But ignoring me was too much. I thought you’d come to me that night.”

Qin Cong’an frowned. “You and her were messaging in the elevator. How could I interrupt that?”

Xu Ling froze. Right—she must’ve seen it. There were only three people there, and their little secretive gestures must’ve been obvious. But if she saw… why didn’t she watch everything?

“She was asking about the concert. I told her I was tired and wanted to sleep.”

“Oh, so you didn’t talk after that?”

“…We did.”

Qin Cong’an rolled her eyes.

“That’s only because I waited for you for so long and you didn’t come…”

“Why didn’t you come to me?”

Xu Ling paused. Why didn’t she? Oh, right—she’d been feeling down about the concert, about the inevitable separation. She was emotional and just wanted to feel like she mattered, even a little.

But if she said that out loud, wouldn’t Qin Cong’an think she was crazy? This was just a fling during the shoot, and here she was acting like it was some serious relationship.

“Feels pointless talking about it now.” Xu Ling said, pulling up her hand again—this time, not to kiss it, but to suck on her thumb. “We haven’t done this in so long. You wasted so many takes today.”

She could feel Qin Cong’an trying to push her away—but she didn’t let her. She bit her finger, then moved closer, slipping between her legs.

Soon, Qin Cong’an’s fingers were moving, twining with her tongue.

Xu Ling’s hands quickly removed the annoying layers of clothing. Qin Cong’an even helped, lifting her hips to let them slide off.

Xu Ling lowered herself. Their lips met—one tongue probing, the other shrinking back, wetness mixing with grapefruit-mint flavor.

Cool, yet burning hot—Qin Cong’an bit her lip.

Another hand slid upward, and this time, Qin Cong’an gripped Xu Ling’s fingers, no longer able to suppress the sounds escaping her lips.