After Filming A Lesbian Movie With The Straight Girl I Like - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: “Don’t stay up too late.”

Xu Ling suspected that Qin Cong’an was implying something.

She hadn’t read Darkroom, but she knew the general plot. Back in middle school, she’d seen excerpts and summaries during extended reading classes. It was about a woman who, disillusioned with her husband’s mediocrity, fell into a passionate affair with a handsome newcomer in town.

But gradually, she grew tired of her lover too. In the end, she gained nothing—or rather, she chose to want nothing.

The day her husband passed away, her affair was exposed. At his funeral, she appeared calm and collected. Afterward, she left alone for another town and began a reclusive life.

The darkroom symbolized the space she lived in afterward, a narrow and deep void where she shut her body and soul away after experiencing everything.

So… which stage was Qin Cong’an in now? Was she still in the phase of being intrigued by her lover, or had she already started growing tired?

There was less than a month left before filming wrapped. Would her curiosity fade slowly throughout the rest of production, or would she detach abruptly the moment the shoot ended?

The more Xu Ling thought about it, the more it felt like all her internal organs had shifted—sharp pain twisting inside her.

She got up and went to the bathroom.

Qin Cong’an looked up from her book and glanced at her. Just reading that dumb novel had her so affected? She couldn’t even walk straight. Seriously? Was it a bad ending? That’d be great.

After they wrapped for the day and returned to the hotel, Xu Ling happened to share the same elevator with Qin Cong’an.

But before they reached their floor, Xu Ling got off with Yi Huai.

Yi Huai looked a little surprised. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” Xu Ling said. “Just felt like chatting with you.”

She followed Yi Huai into her room.

Inside, Yi Huai grabbed a bottle of water from the minibar and handed it to Xu Ling. “Too tired? Filming’s been pretty light these past few days.”

“No.” Xu Ling suppressed her emotions and put on an exaggerated gossipy face, raising an eyebrow mischievously. “I just wanted to ask about something.”

Yi Huai looked at her expression and smiled knowingly. “You heard?”

Huh? Xu Ling blinked in confusion—heard what? But she nodded.

“Oh, yeah, there’s been a lot of talk. What can you do? People get bored.”

Xu Ling grew more and more confused. Were they even talking about the same thing?

Yi Huai sat down, crossing her legs. “Since there’s not much going on lately, I’ll tell you. Apparently, they hit it off on the very first night they joined the crew.”

It did sound like it might be related to what Xu Ling had wanted to ask. She’d just been trying to find an opening, but now her curiosity was piqued.

But still, her own problem mattered more. “So relationships like that… they just end after the shoot?”

“Usually, yeah. Once filming’s done, they stop talking. But then again, Xiao Fang isn’t an actor, and neither of them are tied down. Who knows, maybe they’ll actually get together.”

Xiao Fang? Xu Ling searched her memory—oh, one of the martial arts instructors. So he and some actress?

“There are some who do end up together though, right?” Xu Ling asked, pretending to sigh, though really fishing for hopeful examples.

“Sure,” Yi Huai said, mentioning a couple who had gone from on-screen couple to real-life marriage.

Xu Ling hadn’t expected to dig up that much gossip.

“But those cases are rare. Usually, it just ends after the shoot. Everyone knows what they’re getting into from the start—nobody takes it seriously.”

“Oh…” Xu Ling nodded. Everyone knew. She thought she’d been prepared too. But deep down, she was greedy. “So after wrapping, they even block each other on WeChat?”

“WeChat? They usually don’t even add each other. Why would they? No need.”

Yeah… that made sense. So then why had Qin Cong’an added her? And on a burner account, no less?

“Unless things were really harmonious in bed and they still want to meet up after the shoot. But that’s risky. If you get photographed, how do you explain it? Some are also afraid their real partners will find out.”

Yi Huai kept talking but noticed Xu Ling’s gleeful gossiping had faded, replaced by some mood she couldn’t hide—as if they were discussing her own situation.

Yi Huai narrowed her eyes. “Xu Ling.”

“Hmm?” Xu Ling looked up, eyes wide and innocent.

“I hadn’t noticed you had something going on with someone. You hide it pretty well.”

She said it like a compliment, though it didn’t quite sound like one. “But seeing you like this now, don’t tell me… you’re serious?”

“Huh? What?”

“Don’t play dumb.” Yi Huai had seen it all. “I’ll say it again. I don’t care what’s going on or with whom, but you’d better hide it well.”

“There’s nothing. No one. I was just curious, that’s all.” Xu Ling stood up. “Got my answers. I’ll head back up.”

Yi Huai didn’t stop her, but she stared after her with sharp, probing eyes.

Xu Ling felt like her skull was going to be drilled through—those eyes had so much pressure. She swore Yi Huai could see right through her.

She returned to her room, obediently. She didn’t even dare go to Qin Cong’an’s room, afraid Yi Huai might be watching.

Lying on her bed, Xu Ling opened Darkroom. A 700,000-word epic, and just in the first chapter there were over ten characters with names longer than ten characters… She had no doubt one page in would put her to sleep.

She only wanted to check if the female lead was as she remembered.

So, as a newbie with one foot in the film industry, she sinfully clicked on a video titled: “Darkroom in 10 Minutes – Full Analysis, Rich in Details.”

She watched carefully. Yep, the heroine definitely had affairs. More than one, in fact.

Xu Ling opened Qin Cong’an’s WeChat, scrolling through their meager chat history—mostly her asking if Xu Ling was in her room.

Then she opened Qin Cong’an’s Weibo. She rarely posted—only for promotional periods, and obviously managed by her team. No signs of personal life.

Then she checked Qin Cong’an’s following list. Mostly other actors she’d worked with. No Xie Jing.

Xu Ling didn’t know what she was even looking for, but it had become a habit. Just… checking.

Finally, she clicked into the CP fan forum [Quietly Doing Big Things], to see if there was any new “sugar” (fan content).

[Jing-ge arrived in Wucheng today! Everyone knows your An An is filming there right now—will the lovebirds meet? /excited]

Bad news! Terrible news!

Xie Jing was in Wucheng?! Xu Ling quickly searched—he was touring the country to promote his new drama. Tomorrow was the Wucheng stop.

These fans had such sharp eyes. They thought it was sweet coincidence, but those who knew the truth were dying inside.

What if Xie Jing was staying in their hotel?!

Xu Ling wanted to know if Qin Cong’an was in her room. She jumped out of bed and opened her door—

Only to find Yi Huai standing there.

The sight almost made Xu Ling lose her soul. She couldn’t even scream—her voice stuck in her throat. She looked at her with a pounding heart. “Wh-what’s up?”

“Nothing. Just passing by,” Yi Huai said with a smile. “It’s late. Not going to bed yet?”

“Going. Yep.” Xu Ling retreated into her room. “You too, sleep well. Good night.”

“Night~” Yi Huai smiled creepily. That “Night” (An An) nearly gave Xu Ling a stroke. She can’t possibly know… right? That An An must mean something else!

Xu Ling dove back under her covers like she’d seen a ghost. Thank goodness Yi Huai hadn’t caught her sneaking into Qin Cong’an’s room.

Xu Ling messaged Qin Cong’an’s burner account:
[Are you in your room?]

The orange emoji replied instantly:
[Coming over?]

[Can I? Is anyone else there?]

This time, she waited a long while. Long enough that her heart went cold—someone was there?

Then finally, a photo arrived. It showed Qin Cong’an’s lower face, her elegant neck and collarbone, with a book obscuring everything else. The book had no jacket—just a hardback with beautiful handwriting: Darkroom.

[Reading alone. Come over.]

Xu Ling didn’t dare go. She just wanted confirmation.

[Never mind. I’m a bit sleepy. You keep reading. Goodnight.]

There was no reply. Xu Ling burrowed under her blankets, hiding like she’d done something naughty, secretly savoring the photo Qin Cong’an had sent.

Why take a reading photo on her chest? Why not just hold the book up and snap a pic?

Was she trying to seduce her? Xu Ling zoomed in on that deep, shadowed curve—it looked like it was calling her to fall in.

If that wasn’t seduction, what was it?! She was begging to be licked!

Xu Ling threw her phone aside. I’m seriously going to be turned into a perv by her!

Just as she did, she heard that familiar knock. Xu Ling opened the door. There she was—and Yi Huai too. Yi Huai STILL hadn’t left?!

Xu Ling did her best to control her expression—at least she thought she did.

“Don’t stay up too late,” Yi Huai said, glancing at the two of them before turning and walking away.

Xu Ling was stunned. Don’t stay up too late—doing what???

Qin Cong’an stepped inside, holding her thick book in one hand and closing the door with the other.

“I said I came to discuss the book with you,” she said calmly. “There are two characters very similar to Wen Xi and Jian Yu. It could help us understand the roles better.”

Her tone was steady and composed, but Xu Ling felt like she was being enchanted.

Like a puppy, Xu Ling followed her in. “Really?”

“In a literary classic of this level, you can always find characters that resonate. It’s not wrong,” Qin Cong’an said, walking to the bedroom, climbing onto the bed with the book, flipping to the bookmarked page.

Xu Ling followed her, took the book, and was about to toss it aside—then glanced at her expression and quickly marked the page properly and set it safely on her side of the bed. Then she turned and asked, “You came to my room to read?”

“Yeah. Weren’t you going to sleep?”

“Not that sleepy.” Xu Ling leaned close, her breath brushing against Qin Cong’an’s collarbone. She stuck out her tongue and—yes! She actually licked it. It felt hot.

Qin Cong’an stroked her head gently, like petting an overly excited puppy. “What did you go talk to Huai-jie about just now?”

“Mm…” Xu Ling’s brain whirled. “Just some follow-up work stuff.”

“Oh.” Qin Cong’an applied slight pressure to her head. “Stop licking there. It’s visible.”

Xu Ling looked up. “That photo you sent… what was that about?”

“What?”

She ran her finger down Qin Cong’an’s collarbone. “Why’d you take it like that?”

“I’ll take it however I want. Got a problem?” Qin Cong’an smiled slightly. “Do you think there’s a reason?”

Xu Ling pouted.

“But seeing you now, I can tell—you liked it,” Qin Cong’an said, cupping her face, her thumb brushing Xu Ling’s lips. As they parted slightly, she slipped her thumb in. It wasn’t clear who was teasing whom.

Xu Ling’s voice came out soft and slurred. “Yeah, I liked it.”

“What did you like?”

“Here—where you wouldn’t let me kiss. And here…” Xu Ling looked up innocently, asking with her eyes, Can I kiss here now?

Qin Cong’an responded coolly.

So it really is just my body she likes.

“Don’t stay up too late.”