After Filming A Lesbian Movie With The Straight Girl I Like - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Let’s Go on a Date

Filming tasks had been light these past few days, so even staying out late wouldn’t be a problem—disappearing for an entire night wouldn’t matter either.

The next day, Xu Ling asked Chang Ning and Yi Huai for a day off, saying she had some personal matters to attend to and wouldn’t be returning to the hotel that night.

Chang Ning agreed without asking further, simply saying, “Then tomorrow morning you can head straight to the rooftop. Just be there by nine.”

Yi Huai, however, asked all sorts of questions. Xu Ling stuck to her story: “I have a distant relative in Wucheng who’s in some trouble. My parents asked me to go visit them if I had time.”

“Which hospital? I’ll go with you.”

“They’re not in the hospital, just recovering at home. I’ll be staying over for the night.”

Yi Huai couldn’t push any further after that, so she agreed and reminded her again to be there on time the next morning.

Xu Ling left the crew and got into a cab—but she didn’t actually know where she wanted to go. So she told the driver, “Take me to your favorite hotpot place, the one you think is the best.”

And so, she got scammed.

Only then did she realize that because tourists often asked that, taxi drivers had partnerships with certain hotpot restaurants.

The meal was mediocre—nowhere near as good as the one near the hotel. Xu Ling felt completely emo.

She took another cab to a shopping mall, making sure to avoid the one where Xie Jing was doing his promo event.

As a former fashion model, Xu Ling loved browsing and trying on clothes, whether expensive or cheap. There was nothing she couldn’t pull off.

Every store clerk got excited seeing her, like warmhearted moms spotting their beloved daughters—desperate to push her into new outfits.

But today, Xu Ling just wasn’t feeling it. As she looked at the clothes, all she could think was this one suits Qin Cong’an, or that one would look good on her.

Qin Cong’an always wore pale-colored outfits in her private life—mostly low-saturation neutrals—but somehow, she could still pull off extravagant red-carpet looks with ease.

Xu Ling realized… she missed her.

Xie Jing had been in Wucheng for the past two days. They hadn’t contacted each other last night. Once Xie Jing finished his work today, they might reconnect. That was just Xu Ling’s guess, but the thought of it made her nervous enough to flee the scene.

She bought a late-night ticket for a horror film. A weekday, late showing, and a horror movie—she ended up being the only person in the theater.

She sat in the center for the best viewing experience, munching on sweet caramel popcorn, expressionless.

Just when the movie started to make her sleepy, Xu Ling felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned—and saw a perfectly standard ghost girl with long, straight, semi-transparent hair in white clothes standing beside her.

The ghost gave a creepy smile and suddenly leaned close to Xu Ling’s face.

Unfazed, Xu Ling pressed down the seat next to her. “Sit and have a chat with me. I’ve been wanting to talk to someone.”

“……”

Seeing the ghost hesitate, Xu Ling gave her a pitiful look. “Please? Come on.”

“……”

The ghost vanished for a second—then reappeared seated next to her.

“So here’s the thing. I’ve fallen for someone I really shouldn’t…”

The ghost gave her a sideways glance. Not even a warm-up? Looked like this girl had been bottling it up for a long time. So she sat and patiently listened.

Xu Ling poured her heart out to this confidential, literally dead, listener—telling everything from the beginning to end. When her throat went dry, she took a big gulp of sugar-free cola. “So what do you think?”

“That’s it?” the ghost said disdainfully. “Wait till you’re dead. None of that crap will matter.”

“…Well, I can’t exactly die now, can I?”

“My point is, don’t blow it out of proportion. Just enjoy it for what it is. Treat it as a short, commitment-free fling—what’s so bad about that?”

“It’s bad. I want something long-term.” She’d had similar thoughts during that concert day—just live in the moment—but she found she just couldn’t do it.

“You want it to last, but can it?” the ghost’s tone was full of sarcasm.

“So it’s all about mindset. I get that your ‘other woman’ status puts you in a passive position by default. But you need to take back the initiative. You were the one who made the first move—so keep that energy going.”

“Instead of overthinking, why not just focus on making great memories together? Things that belong to just the two of you. Who knows, maybe she’ll come to you after the breakup. But don’t assume it’ll happen. Just do what you can, and stop stressing over what’s out of your control.”

Xu Ling nodded thoughtfully. Do what I can, don’t obsess over what I can’t control. Sounded reasonable.

The film’s sound design was creepy, but the ghost and the girl paid no mind.

“Don’t you think all this is… unethical?” Xu Ling asked.

“I’m dead. You think I care about ethics?”

“Oh.” Well, she still had to care a little. But it’s not like she knew for sure. She’d never heard anything about Qin Cong’an having a boyfriend.

Xu Ling said, “Okay, I’ve finished venting. What about you? Got any grudges to share?”

“Me? Nah, I had a pretty smooth life. Nothing worth holding onto. If I did, it doesn’t feel important anymore. I just get bored sometimes and randomly choose someone to scare at night.”

“…What a carefree attitude.”

A staff member nudged her awake—movie’s over. Time to go.

They found her pretty strange. Who the heck falls asleep watching a horror movie alone?

Xu Ling left and went into a 24-hour massage shop. You could even order food there. She only allowed herself a small bowl of noodles. After finishing, she dozed off while someone worked on her shoulder and neck.

The next morning, she saw airport photos of Xie Jing online. She exhaled in relief—finally gone.

Before returning to set, she stopped at a popular pastry shop and bought freshly made salted egg yolk puffs, pineapple cakes, sesame cookies, and more to share with the crew as breakfast. Then she went to another bakery to buy a savory cheese and ham bun just for Qin Cong’an.

So thoughtful. She’d leave an impression—Qin Cong’an would come to associate her with savory buns and pastries. Any time she saw or ate one in the future, she’d think of her… probably.

The set filled with the sound of wrappers being torn and voices of gratitude. The smell of milk and butter hung in the air.

Xu Ling held the one distinctively packaged bun and walked over to Qin Cong’an. “You don’t like sweets, so I got this specially for you. Should be your taste.”

Qin Cong’an glanced at it and said, “Yeah, I like this. Thanks.”

“No need to thank me.” Xu Ling sat down next to her. Seeing crumbs fall as she ate, she reached out to catch them, not letting them soil her clothes.

Qin Cong’an felt a bit puzzled. “You’re not eating?”

“I already did.”

“Oh. What’s with the good mood today?”

Xu Ling nodded, gazing at the bridge and the sky. “Yeah… the weather’s just so nice today.” Then she turned and gave her a sweet smile. It’s so great to enjoy this view with you.

Qin Cong’an didn’t follow her gaze—instead, she just kept looking at Xu Ling’s face. “Looks like your relative’s recovery is going well.”

“Mm… pretty well.” Xu Ling asked, “Did you ask Huai-jie?”

“Well, when someone your size vanishes, of course I’d be concerned.”

Oh. Xu Ling had assumed she was busy with her boyfriend and hadn’t even noticed her absence. No need to show it. She just smiled. “That makes me happy. Is the bun good?”

“It’s good.” Qin Cong’an found her cheerful mood inexplicable. Was she really visiting a relative last night? It didn’t seem like it. More like she’d seen someone who made her very happy—and now everything felt joyful.

With some downtime, Qin Cong’an opened IG and checked out Li Yan’s account. She’d just posted from Madrid last night. So… Xu Ling didn’t meet her. Wait—was there another ex? Or maybe someone she met at that bar last time?

Xu Ling walked up and asked, “Director Chang said we’ve got an hour to kill. Want to go out for a bit? I found a bakery nearby, the coffee reviews look great.” Let’s go on a date. There’s bread I love and coffee you like.

Qin Cong’an turned off her phone and stared at her, trying to see through her. But all she saw were clear, puppy-like eyes.

“Coming or not?”

“Let’s go.” Qin Cong’an put on a hat, threw on a light shirt, and followed her downstairs.

Their outfits from the film were casual, so going out wouldn’t attract attention or spoil the movie. With some free time, it was fine to step out.

Still, it was the first time they’d done something like this.

Even though they had permission, Xu Ling felt like she was sneaking out during school—there was this giddy little thrill in her chest.

Downstairs, Xu Ling opened her map app. It said the bakery was 500 meters away. “Just 500 meters. Wanna walk?”

“Mm.”

She tapped for walking directions. Estimated time: 20 minutes. Huh? How did 500 meters take 20 minutes? A closer look at the map showed that the terrain was complicated, and though the straight-line distance was short, the walking route zigzagged and came to 1.3 kilometers.

“Uh…” Xu Ling showed her the screen apologetically. “It’s a 40-minute round trip. Might not be worth it. Taxis could be delayed too with traffic.”

“We’re already down here. Let’s just wander nearby.”

Xu Ling nodded, kept an eye on the time, and picked a random direction.

Qin Cong’an walked beside her. “Watch the route—don’t get lost.”

“Got it.” Xu Ling shelved her romantic fantasies and focused on practical navigation.

The two of them strolled through Wucheng’s distinct streets under the early summer breeze, enjoying stolen moments of peace like a real date.

Well—in her imagination. It wasn’t really a date. She did nearly get bird poop on her arm though.

Eventually, they stumbled into a coffee shop. It sold some simple desserts—clearly pre-made, which Xu Ling found disappointing. But the coffee was great. The beans were roasted in-house, very aromatic. Qin Cong’an seemed pleased.

Xu Ling took a bite of a lemon mint Basque cheesecake and made a weird face. “Hmm… how to put it? It’s okay. Want a taste?”

Qin Cong’an shook her head. “You really like baking?”

“Yeah. I love freshly baked stuff. Too bad I’m all thumbs and can’t make it myself.” Xu Ling suddenly remembered something, pulled out her phone, and slyly moved from across the table to sit next to Qin Cong’an.

The lemon scent in her breath drifted over. Qin Cong’an didn’t like sweets, but she loved the smell of citrus.

It was a weekday afternoon. No one else was in the shop. The staff kept glancing over—maybe they recognized them, maybe not.

Qin Cong’an couldn’t find an excuse to kiss her.

Xu Ling lowered her head and scrolled through her photo album, showing her pictures of Li Yan and her baked goods. “I had a roommate who was really good at baking—both Chinese and Western desserts. Her stuff had just the right level of sweetness. Way better than the stuff sold abroad.”

“…Roommate?”

“Yeah, my first roommate in London. She was my senior in college. She got me into modeling. But she later moved to Munich to study architecture. Stopped modeling. We barely keep in touch now.”

Whether Qin Cong’an cared or not, Xu Ling kept sharing—wanting to leave a deeper, more vivid impression of herself in her mind.

But Qin Cong’an clearly didn’t care.

Because even after she went on about her college days and modeling gigs, Qin Cong’an stayed silent. After a long pause, she finally said, “Oh. Roommate.”