The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 18

Ran Long shook her hand, wiped it half-dry against her hip, then crossed her arms and leaned against the sink, watching Qiu An with leisurely interest.

“I wanted to talk about the kissing scene,” Qiu An said, her voice growing softer.

Here we go again, Ran Long thought, noticing Qiu An’s inexplicable shyness. She couldn’t understand why Qiu An always looked so awkward about this.

Could it be that she’s embarrassed to kiss someone else while her crush is watching?

Well, that’s a problem. We can’t clear the set without getting rid of Yuan Chengyin.

“Just tell me what you think we should do.”

“We could rehearse it more. You’ll get used to it.” Once you’re used to it, you won’t resist kissing me anymore.

“Huh?” Ran Long’s face twisted in distaste.

Get used to what? Having Yuan Chengyin watch us kiss every day?

She understood the logic, but… wouldn’t that be a little too gross?

Seeing Ran Long’s obvious resistance, Qiu An fell silent for a long moment before finally saying, “If it’s too much, we can just drop it. You won’t have to return the advance payment.”

“Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean? Are you replacing me?”

“It’s not a change of cast, it’s project termination,” Qiu An said calmly, her tone betraying no emotion.

During film shoots, it’s common for cast changes or project terminations to occur due to various reasons. But abandoning a project because of a poorly executed kissing scene? That’s so absurd it would become a trending joke online.

Not to mention the sunk costs after so many days of filming. Terminating the project for such a trivial reason would surely require her to pay breach-of-contract penalties, right?

And then there’s the remaining unpaid portion of her salary—she really wanted that. Humans truly become most greedy when they’re on the verge of getting something.

“I never said I didn’t want to rehearse the kissing scene with you. It’s just… this whole situation feels a bit twisted, don’t you think? Can you at least give me some time to mentally prepare?”

“Twisted?”

“Ah… isn’t it?”

While it’s true that people who reach the pinnacle of their industries often have a touch of twisted psychology, surely they hadn’t reached that point yet, right?

Qiu An frowned, pondering for a long moment before conceding, “Perhaps… it is a bit twisted.”

Ran Long blushed with shame. This isn’t just “a little” extreme! What lengths would she go to for the Best Actress award?

“Then come find me when you’re ready,” Ran Long said.

Three days was plenty of time. She wasn’t in a rush to accept this.

She understood a simple truth: sometimes, what seems like the end of the world, after a good night’s sleep, turns out to be not so bad after all.

The next morning, Ran Long woke up thinking about yesterday’s kiss scene and Qiu An’s proposal, and still felt like the sky was about to fall.

Do the three of us really have to be entangled in all this romance and love? Is it so hard to have a pure friendship?

Apparently, it was.

Ran Long realized that ever since she’d seen that lingerie, she could no longer view Qiu An and Yuan Chengyin’s relationship the same way.

Just as after she and Qiu An had kissed, she found it hard to ignore Qiu An’s lips whenever she looked at her.

I’m possessed! It’s like I’m addicted to kissing, wanting to do it again.

That soft feeling on her lips, the tickling in her heart, the numbness in her limbs—it was all so strange and wonderful.

If only Yuan Chengyin weren’t watching, Ran Long thought. If only she didn’t feel this anxiety about her thoughts being exposed, perhaps she could kiss in peace.

Ran Long pursed her lips and gently licked them.

Sister Hou immediately intervened. “Stop licking your lips! You’re wearing lipstick! If you’re thirsty, drink some water. Why keep licking them? Not only is it tiring for the makeup assistant, but I’m worried you’ll poison yourself!”

“Okay,” Ran Long obediently relaxed her lips and let the makeup artist reapply her lipstick.

But before long, she was licking them again.

This time, Sister Hou didn’t rush to interrupt. She had learned to look beyond the surface and understand the root cause of Ran Long’s unusual behavior. To stop her from repeatedly licking her lips, she needed to find the underlying reason.

Following Ran Long’s gaze, she saw Qiu An, who was currently filming a scene.

Blinking to confirm she wasn’t mistaken, Sister Hou asked, “Ran Long, why do you keep staring at Qiu An and licking your lips?”

“Who’s staring at Qiu An? Stop being so annoying! You’re always nagging. Would it kill you to shut up for once?”

Despite Yuan Chengyin’s ultimatum, she continued filming.

It wasn’t that she believed Ran Long and Qiu An would definitely overcome their difficulties; it was simply that the location had been rented, the boxed lunches ordered, and the crew’s time booked. Whether they filmed or not, the costs remained the same.

Since they were idle anyway, waiting around would only amplify the pressure. It was better to pretend nothing had happened and keep filming.

If only we could truly pretend nothing had happened.

Today’s scenes weren’t demanding. Ran Long and Qiu An each nailed their individual shots in just one or two takes. But when it came to their scenes together, they kept stumbling.

Moreover, Yuan Chengyin noticed Ran Long had a habit of staring at her for no apparent reason.

Why isn’t she looking at Qiu An? Why is she staring at me all the time?

After enduring this for most of the day, Yuan Chengyin finally snapped during dinner. She approached Ran Long: “Xiao Ran, why have you been staring at me all day?”

“Can’t I look at you?” Ran Long blinked innocently.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t. I’m just asking why.”

“No reason. I was just wondering if you’d feel uncomfortable being stared at.”

Yuan Chengyin’s face darkened. “What nonsense is that? Speaking of which, how’s the kiss scene with Qiu An coming along?”

“Kiss scenes, huh…” Ran Long picked at her nails, not planning to reveal that there had been no progress at all. “I wanted to ask, how do you stay so focused?”

“What distractions do I need to worry about?”

Ran Long’s eyes darted around mischievously. “Do you know someone has a secret crush on you?”

“What? Who? It’s not…?”

Yuan Chengyin gently raised a hand and pointed at Ran Long. Ran Long’s past crush on him was no secret; though never explicitly stated, it was an unspoken understanding between them.

Ran Long slapped away his hand, scoffing, “Tch! Not me! Do you think you’re some rare, tender white cabbage that someone would covet for so long?”

“Then who else has a crush on me?” Yuan Chengyin wondered.

Qiu An’s name danced on Ran Long’s tongue, but she swallowed it back.

Ran Long realized her heart was still too soft. Even when it came to her enemies, she couldn’t bring herself to reveal such a secret.

“I was just teasing you.”

“……”

Ran Long glanced around—no one was nearby. Good. Even if there were, it wouldn’t matter; she had already publicly explained what she was about to say in her viral video.

“Tell me, how can you still be friends with Qiu An after sleeping with her?”

Yuan Chengyin felt his entire body go numb.

This couldn’t be a good sign. Rumor had it that these were the symptoms people experienced right before sudden death.

He clutched his chest for a long moment, trying to regain his composure. Finally, he said, “You’re really… I’m really… How many times have I told you? I never slept with her! It never happened! Okay?”

“Do you think I believe that?” Ran Long asked, her face twisted with disdain.

Yuan Chengyin felt utterly exhausted. After all this time spent pursuing their separate careers, they were back to this same impossible-to-prove argument, like being trapped in a maze.

“I don’t care whether you believe me or not. I’m telling you the truth.”

Ran Long pressed on relentlessly. “What about kissing? You must have kissed her, right? I kissed her myself—just admit it!”

“No kissing either.”

“Do you think I believe—”

Yuan Chengyin cut her off. “Xiao Ran, this is a film set. Whatever grudges you have, save them for after we wrap. Don’t bring your personal drama here.”

“If it weren’t for a grudge, would you have cast a washed-up nobody like me—with no acting skills or connections—as the lead? Signing the contract before a second audition? That’s going to make you a laughingstock, you know?”

Yuan Chengyin had wanted to continue arguing with Ran Long, but when he saw the redness around her eyes, his heart softened.

“Fine, let them laugh if they want to,” he said with a sigh, patting her head before turning to leave.

Ran Long didn’t chase after him. She sniffled, forcing back the tears she’d accidentally let slip.

On one side was the evidence she’d seen with her own eyes; on the other were her friends of many years. Ran Long had indeed wavered.

But Qiu An and Yuan Chengyin’s words had been evasive. Whenever she pressed them about the matter, their emotions flared up, as if they were desperately trying to force her to believe them so she’d stop asking questions.

It was hard not to suspect they’d coordinated their stories beforehand. It was hard not to wonder what unspeakable secrets lay hidden beneath the surface.

After a grueling day of filming, Ran Long collapsed onto her bed, utterly exhausted.

If only people didn’t stink when they didn’t shower, she thought. Someone as beautiful as me shouldn’t smell bad.

Leaving aside the matter between Yuan Chengyin and Qiu An, what should she do about her kiss scene with Qiu An?

She’d originally planned to carry out Qiu An’s suggestion tonight, but she’d just gotten into another argument with Yuan Chengyin.

Sigh.

The entire cast had already been assembled, and Ran Long had promised Ms. Hu that she would resume acting after this project. For the production team, the project’s cancellation would merely mean a financial loss. But for Ran Long, it would mean losing the courage she had painstakingly built up.

Was she supposed to go back to her unprofitable livestreaming channel? Or should she switch to working behind the scenes? Maybe she should just change careers altogether…

Knock, knock, knock. A series of knocks echoed through the room.

At this hour, the only person who would knock on her door was Qiu An.

Ran Long struggled to sit up, swung her legs off the bed, and listlessly opened the door.

Qiu An had just showered, radiating warmth like a freshly steamed xiaolongbao.

This time, she wasn’t wearing a bathrobe. Instead, she had changed into a harmless-looking two-piece pajama set, buttoned all the way up. Through the thin fabric, the faint outline of her bra was visible—a rather elaborate choice for someone about to sleep.

“Still awake?”

“Sleep? It’s not even ten yet.”

“Have you thought about my suggestion?”

“Ugh…”

Ran Long couldn’t tell if Yuan Chengyin was still angry. Even the most patient person would complain if she rushed over now, demanding he watch them kiss.

“Still no luck? Then I’ll think of another way,” Qiu An said, turning to leave.

Ran Long gently tugged her arm. “It’s not entirely impossible…”

After a moment of hesitation, realizing that dragging this out wouldn’t help, she reluctantly agreed.

“Wait a second. You’re a public figure, you know. Is it really okay to go out in your pajamas? There are security cameras in the hallway and elevator. Who knows if someone might pull the footage and leak it? Go change first.”

Qiu An looked puzzled. “Go out? Why would we need to go out?”

“True, we don’t have to go out. We could just have her come here.”

Ran Long pulled out her phone, unlocked it, and prepared to call someone.

Qiu An pressed her hand against the screen, stopping her. “Who are you calling?” she asked, confused.

“Yuan Chengyin, of course. Who else would I call? We haven’t changed directors yet, have we?”

“Why would we need Yuan Chengyin here just to kiss?”

Ha ha, I guess I never actually said I’d bring Yuan Chengyin along. I must have jumped to conclusions.

But… still… could you not phrase it so creepily?