The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 13

Sister Hou was too short. Even in her sky-high heels, Ran Long still towered over her. Under Ran Long’s furious gaze, Sister Hou’s legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to her knees.

“I, I…” Sister Hou stammered, knowing that people in a rage wouldn’t listen to explanations. She quickly changed her tune. “I’m sorry, Sister Ran!”

“A sincere apology?” Ran Long leaned against the tree trunk, striking a nonchalant, rebellious pose.

“Of course! I’ll never speak ill of you again!”

“Does that include what you say in your heart?”

“Uh… of course!”

“Tsk, no sincerity at all. Who doesn’t curse people in their heart? Fine, I’ll let it slide for now. Come with me to check out the hotel.”

Sister Hou nodded vigorously, nearly blurting out a “Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Sister Hou was easy to bully; her reckoning could wait. Ran Long was now plotting how to exploit Qiu An’s secret crush to torment her, making her pay for her past transgressions.

Since it was a confidential project, the production team had booked an entire business hotel for all staff members.

Qiu An didn’t request to stay in a more luxurious hotel. On the contrary, Sister Hou had heard rumors that Qiu An had personally requested to stay with everyone else.

Ran Long’s attitude was, “Let’s check it out first. If it’s not good enough, we’ll switch.”

Sister Hou had already looked up photos of the hotel online. The facilities both inside and out seemed quite good. The rooms were spacious and well-equipped, and a small garden separated the residential buildings from the main road. When the production manager handed her the room key, he mentioned that Ran Long had been assigned the most luxurious suite.

Anything would be better than Ran Long’s current doghouse. The only worry was that she might pull another stunt and try to act tough without the credentials to back it up.

As they arrived at the hotel entrance, a bellhop reached for Sister Hou’s luggage, but Ran Long stopped him. “No need, my assistant can handle it.”

Karma struck swiftly.

Sister Hou had always said Ran Long was incredibly petty. No wonder she’d held a grudge against Qiu An for so many years.

This was Sister Hou’s first time working on a long-term film shoot, and she had packed a bit too much, filling an entire suitcase to the brim. She stared at the three large suitcases before her, feeling quite worried.

Despite her concerns, the baggage handler kindly helped her load the suitcases onto the luggage cart.

The elevator whisked them straight to the top floor, where they arrived at Ran Long’s room.

“Give me the room key,” Ran Long said. “I’ll take a quick look inside first. If I’m not satisfied, we’ll move.”

Though she said this, Ran Long had no intention of actually moving. The nearest five-star hotel was quite a distance away, and she was already feeling tired. Any more running around would only exhaust her further.

Sister Hou panted as she rummaged through her bag. The friction between the luggage cart and the carpet made pushing it surprisingly strenuous, and her uncomfortable shoes added to the physical exertion. She had just completed a proper workout.

Sister Hou handed the room key to Ran Long, and as Ran Long turned away, she quietly slipped off her high heels and began unloading the suitcases from the cart.

Click-whirr! The door unlocked. Ran Long pressed the handle, but before she could push it open, the door swung inward as if sensing her presence.

Her body lurched forward as the hand on the doorknob pulled her, stumbling slightly. Her gaze followed her unsteady steps downward, catching sight of the billowing black skirt.

Ran Long’s heart jolted. She raised her eyes and met Qiu An’s gaze.

Bang.

Reacting instinctively, Ran Long retreated and slammed the door shut.

Hearing the commotion, Sister Hou set down her luggage and straightened up. “What’s wrong now?” she asked. “The ancestors?”

“Wrong room,” Ran Long said.

“No, you swiped the card and opened it, didn’t you?”

“Did I?” Ran Long glanced at the room card in her hand, then at the room number. “Looks like it’s the right one.”

Sister Hou barely suppressed a curse.

She swiped the card again, opened the door, and found Qiu An still standing there.

“Xiao Ran…” Qiu An began.

Before she could finish the name, Ran Long slammed the door shut again.

The gust of wind from the closing door lifted Qiu An’s long hair and skirt, causing her eyes to flutter shut briefly. For some reason, her eyes began to sting again.

Outside the room, Ran Long and Sister Hou exchanged bewildered glances.

“You saw it too, right? I’m not hallucinating, am I? How did she end up in my room?” Ran Long asked Sister Hou.

“I… I don’t know either?”

“Maybe she got the wrong room?”

Sister Hou remembered seeing some suites with multiple bedrooms when she was browsing hotel room types online. A different idea immediately formed in her mind, but she didn’t dare voice it, only cautiously saying, “Maybe…?”

“No, that’s not right!” Ran Long seemed to realize something too. “Quick, find someone to ask if there’s been a mistake!”

Sister Hou hastily pulled out her phone, found the production manager’s chat window, and started typing furiously.

“Why are you typing? This is an emergency! Call them immediately!”

Just as she said that, Qiu An opened the door.

Qiu An and Ran Long stared at each other. Sister Hou kept her eyes down, focused on waiting for her call to connect.

“Sister Hou, no need to call. You haven’t made a mistake. This suite has two bedrooms—one for me and one for Xiao Ran.”

Sister Hou hung up immediately, and Ran Long, seeing her disregard her instructions and listen to Qiu An instead, cried out anxiously, “No, wait!”

Before she could finish, the elevator dinged around the corner, signaling its arrival.

Someone was coming. Ran Long didn’t want anyone to overhear their argument, mainly because she didn’t want anyone to discover she was living with Qiu An.

It would make it seem like they were too close.

Reacting swiftly, Ran Long shoved past Qiu An, rushed into the room, and dragged in the three suitcases and Sister Hou one by one. Finally, she picked up the pair of high heels lying by the door, tossed them into Sister Hou’s arms, and slammed the door shut, creating a sealed space.

“Why do I have to share a suite with you, huh? This hotel is huge—we booked the whole place, right? I refuse to believe there aren’t any other rooms available.”

“All the other rooms are occupied,” Qiu An replied calmly.

“Are you even listening to me? I said I don’t believe you!” The calmer Qiu An remained, the more agitated Ran Long became.

“The production team has been very considerate, arranging single rooms for everyone whenever possible. This hotel doesn’t have many rooms.”

“Tch! You’re impossible to talk to. This has Yuan Chengyin’s fingerprints all over it!”

With that, Ran Long dialed Yuan Chengyin’s number and unleashed a torrent of complaints into the phone.

“Uh… um…” Yuan Chengyin stammered, completely overwhelmed by Ran Long’s tirade.

Seeing Yuan Chengyin’s hesitation, Qiu An interjected, “Xiao Ran, we’re playing rivals who secretly harbor feelings for each other. Sharing a room will help us develop that chemistry beforehand.”

“Exactly!” Yuan Chengyin chimed in. “You have a scene together tomorrow, so you need to make the most of your time! Ideally, you should even… sleep in the same bed tonight…”

“Sleep in the same bed? Yuan Chengyin, are you out of your mind?”

“No, no, this kind of thing isn’t uncommon, you know. When I directed romantic dramas before, I often made similar requests of the actors…”

“Are you lying to me?”

“I’m definitely not lying to you. After all, you two have slept together before, right? It’s only natural to reconnect for the sake of collaboration… isn’t it?”

Sister Hou’s gaze remained fixed on the carpet, but her ears perked up involuntarily. Is this gossip I’m actually hearing? she wondered. What does “slept together before” mean? Is it what I think it is? Please, no…

Ran Long flipped the middle finger at her phone before hanging up. She turned to Sister Hou. “Did the producer reply to you?”

“Y-yes, she did.”

“Tell her I want to change hotels.”

“…The producer said the accommodation budget has already been allocated, and there’s no extra funding available.”

Ran Long glared fiercely at Qiu An, who blinked innocently, unfazed by the hostility.

“Fine. So you’re all ganging up on me, huh? Well, I won’t fall into your trap! Sister Hou, give me your room key. I’ll switch rooms with you.”

Upon hearing this, Sister Hou’s legs went weak, and she collapsed to her knees on the carpet with a thud.

She scrambled forward on all fours, clutching Ran Long’s leg and wailing dramatically, “Sister Ran, please spare me! Please, I beg you! I have a critically ill grandmother and a baby sister to feed…”

Sister Hou had two reasons for refusing to stay with Qiu An: first, she lacked the courage to live with her, and second, she wanted no part in their messy, melodramatic drama.

She couldn’t even begin to understand the relationship between these two women. Ran Long was acting like a madwoman, and Qiu An was utterly inscrutable. If things went south, she wouldn’t even know how or where she’d end up dead.

What is this nonsense? she thought.

She just wanted to earn a decent living, not die young or end up dismembered.

As Sister Hou wailed, tears began to flow uncontrollably, making her look exactly like a recent graduate driven to a mental breakdown by workplace bullying. Even as she sobbed, a part of her wondered if she might have a hidden talent for acting.

Ran Long, startled by Sister Hou’s sudden tears, panicked momentarily. She crouched down to comfort her, but Sister Hou clung to her knees, preventing her from bending them.

Left with no other choice, Ran Long forcefully lifted Sister Hou’s face and clumsily wiped away her tears with the palm of her hand.

As she wiped away the tears, Ran Long said, “Alright, alright, what’s with all the crying over such a trivial matter? Didn’t you aspire to be a badass manager? Isn’t this a perfect opportunity to climb the ladder by associating with the Best Actress? Enough, enough, we won’t switch rooms. Stop crying now and hurry back to your own room.”

Hearing that Ran Long had relented, Sister Hou scrambled to her feet, wiped her tears, grabbed her high heels, and pushed her luggage out without looking back. She didn’t want to stay in that room for another second, fearing Ran Long might change her mind and drag her back into their bloody feud.

After Sister Hou’s outburst, Ran Long, though still wanting to cause trouble, simply didn’t have the energy left. Watching Sister Hou sob her way out the door, Ran Long wiped the sweat from her brow.

Before she could even catch her breath, she noticed Qiu An, who had been standing silently by the side, suddenly turn cold. Without a word, Qiu An strode back to her own room, slamming the door shut and locking it behind her.

Ran Long: Huh?

What had she done to upset Qiu An now?

What is going on with everyone today?

This is utterly baffling.

Wait a minute… Qiu An just unilaterally claimed the room without consulting me? Without my consent?

Ugh…