The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 20

“Shall we continue tonight?”

Qiu An’s words made Ran Long’s newly calmed heart pound again. Even after so many kisses, why did the thought of kissing still make her so nervous?

“Maybe… tomorrow? Tonight, let’s just… review the footage?”

“Alright. Then… will we still sleep together tonight?”

Qiu An’s straightforwardness made Ran Long feel like she was lacking ambition.

“Hey, Qiu An, how much is Yuan Chengyin paying you? Is it really worth working this hard? Isn’t this basically pulling an all-nighter?”

“It’s less than the market rate. And Yuan Chengyin isn’t the one paying me.”

“Then what’s in it for you? Trying to get closer to me?”

“Mm,” Qiu An replied, unusually honest.

Ran Long raised an eyebrow, feeling a strange mix of emotions. “Too bad, I’m not useful to you anymore. Yuan Chengyin is closer to you, my family has no money or resources, and we’re facing a ban and mounting debts. I think you’d be better off finding someone else to bond with.”

“I don’t want to use you.”

“Spare me the act. You can fool others, but not me. You didn’t want to use me? Ha! Back then, you not only used me, but you discarded me the moment you were done. Were you involved in Ran Cheng’s scandal being exposed? Do you have the face—or the courage—to admit it to me?”

Qiu An listened quietly until Ran Long finished, the dazed look in her eyes completely fading, replaced by a cold, serious expression.

She said, each word deliberate, “Ran Cheng’s exposure was inevitable; it merely coincided with the casting for Half a Lifetime. As for me, I’ve used many people, but I’ve never used you.”

Ran Long refused to believe that last statement.

And she had the audacity to say it so shamelessly.

As soon as Qiu An finished speaking, Ran Long grabbed the water glass from the coffee table and splashed the remaining water in Qiu An’s face.

The cold water drenched Qiu An’s face, soaking her collar and the nearby cushion as well.

The water streamed down Qiu An’s face and neck, trickling into her chest. After a moment of stunned silence, she said, “Xiao Ran, you’ve gone too far.”

This was the first time since they’d met that Qiu An showed any anger, though her tone remained cold and lacked genuine fury.

Ran Long refused to back down. “You know perfectly well who’s being unreasonable.”

The atmosphere grew tense, like a drawn bowstring. Ran Long desperately wanted Qiu An to argue with her, or even better, to fight. She couldn’t bear to have all her hatred dissipate into thin air, making her look like a petulant child throwing a tantrum.

But Qiu An refused to play along.

Faced with Ran Long’s relentless pressure—her passive-aggressive remarks, her emotional outbursts—Qiu An repeatedly yielded, again and again.

This time would be no different.

Qiu An suppressed her anger and asked, her voice tinged with helplessness, “Xiao Ran, why do you never trust me?”

Ran Long narrowed her eyes, her head throbbing. “Qiu An, how can I trust you? You claim you didn’t use me, but where’s the proof? Who leaked the information about Ran Cheng? And what was your relationship with Yuan Chengyin back then? Tell me the truth.”

“I’m still investigating the Ran Cheng incident, including the secret filming and dissemination of that video, and your subsequent blacklisting. This series of events is far more than just a coincidence.”

“Why are you getting into conspiracy theories? I have no grudges against anyone. Even Ran Cheng’s issues with others were just about unpaid debts. Now that I’m famous and making money, I can cover those debts for him. Isn’t that a good thing?”

“So these incidents are likely targeting you, not Ran Cheng. Think carefully: have you really never clashed with anyone? Even when you were a child star? Did you ever take someone else’s role and anger the wrong person?”

“Do you think I’m some kind of prodigy? How am I supposed to remember every single incident from my entire life? Even if I did clash with someone, it wouldn’t escalate to this level, would it? No matter how I look at it, the only one benefiting from this situation is you.”

“Xiao Ran…”

Ran Long had heard similar arguments countless times. She didn’t want to hear Qiu An defend herself again, so she interrupted:

“Let’s put Ran Cheng aside for now. What about your chat logs with Yuan Chengyin? Are you going to avoid that topic too?”

“I’m not sure…” Qiu An trailed off, her voice fading into silence.

“Not sure about what?”

Qiu An didn’t answer, remaining stubbornly silent. Her usually articulate mouth had vanished into thin air.

It was always like this. Qiu An and Yuan Chengyin insisted they were innocent, yet they always stammered and avoided the topic at crucial moments.

I might as well believe she’s the reincarnation of Qin Shi Huang who simply forgot her past life. At least then I’d get my money.

Ran Long, watching Qiu An’s slightly disheveled appearance from being drenched, lost her patience.

Looking down at Qiu An, she taunted, “Should I throw another glass of water on you to help you sober up and remember what happened?”

Qiu An frowned at Ran Long’s arrogant gaze but remained stubbornly silent.

“You think I wouldn’t dare?” Ran Long said, walking to the kitchen island to fill a glass with water before returning.

She raised the glass as if to throw it. Qiu An instinctively closed her eyes, turned her head, and tightened her grip on the pillow, but made no move to block or resist.

“Heh, you were so bold when you were trying to get close to me and use me. Now that you have money and power, you’ve become such a coward.”

Ran Long’s words were harsh, but her heart felt utterly helpless. Even when pushed this far, Qiu An refused to speak.

Realizing Qiu An wouldn’t open up tonight, Ran Long drained the glass, left Qiu An squirming on the sofa, and went to take a shower.

The consequence of drinking too much water was frequent, urgent, and incomplete urination throughout the night.

Ran Long slept fitfully, half-awake. Each time she got up to use the bathroom, she thought she saw someone on the balcony and planned to check it out later. But after relieving herself, the cold would seize her consciousness, erasing all thoughts except the warmth of her bed.

The next morning, finally fully awake, Ran Long walked into the ice-cold living room and sneezed several times in a row.

She realized she had forgotten to turn the air conditioner back up after lowering it the night before, leaving it running on full blast all night. Forgetting herself was one thing, but how could Qiu An have forgotten too?

Ran Long’s filming schedule didn’t start until the afternoon, so she woke up later than usual. Seeing Qiu An’s door tightly shut, she walked over and knocked twice.

As expected, there was no answer. Qiu An had already left for the set.

Ran Long twisted the doorknob and found it unlocked. She opened the door and stepped inside.

She didn’t know why she was doing this, but an irresistible impulse drove her. It felt as if entering Qiu An’s room would somehow allow her to enter her heart.

Qiu An’s repeated attempts to defend herself hadn’t been entirely in vain.

Ran Long wavered once more.

If I just forgive Qiu An, could the three of us be as close as we used to be? she wondered.

The past two years of being abandoned by everyone had left her feeling utterly alone.

The curtains were half-drawn, casting the room in a mix of light and shadow.

Qiu An was meticulous about cleanliness, keeping her space impeccably organized. She even made her bed, something Ran Long could never understand.

“You’re just going to mess it up again when you sleep,” Ran Long had once asked. “Why bother?”

She remembered asking the question, but not Qiu An’s answer.

Probably something about liking things neat, Ran Long guessed.

But who makes their bed in a hotel? It’s not like there’s no housekeeping service. Is making the bed some kind of addiction?

Suddenly, Ran Long’s gaze swept the room, and she noticed there were no undergarments drying anywhere.

Are they using disposable ones?

The cleaning staff hadn’t come yet. Even Qiu An, with her obsession with cleanliness, wouldn’t take out the trash herself in a hotel.

Should I look for them?

What am I thinking? Ran Long chided herself. After just a few kisses, I’m already acting strange. How could such a perverted thought even cross my mind? We used to hang our laundry together all the time. I should be used to this by now.

By the time breakfast service was nearing its end, Ran Long finally sauntered downstairs to the dining hall.

The buffet breakfast was quite lavish, but Ran Long, mindful of her weight, dared not indulge. She planned to take only a croissant, a glass of milk, and a few pieces of fruit.

“Morning, Ran Long!”

As she was selecting fruit, Sister Hou’s boisterous greeting startled her so badly that her plate nearly slipped from her hands.

Ever since Ran Long forbade Sister Hou from calling her “Sister Ran,” the latter had grown increasingly accustomed to addressing her by her full name.

It sounded rather disrespectful, but Ran Long hadn’t come up with a better alternative.

“Oh, you’re here. Perfect.” Ran Long carried her plate over and sat down beside Sister Hou. “Could you ask Xi Xi to find out how Qiu An is feeling today? See if she’s sick—like a cold or something.”

“Sick? What did you two get up to last night?” Sister Hou asked casually, remembering that Qiu An had seemed perfectly fine when she left the previous evening.

Her question struck right at the heart of the matter.

Ran Long’s face flushed crimson. She stammered for a long moment before realizing Sister Hou wasn’t paying any attention.

“Xi Xi, Ran Long wants to know if Qiu An is sick,” Sister Hou blurted out, releasing her grip on her phone. The voice message immediately showed as delivered.

Ran Long shrieked in panic, “Hey! Hey! Who told you to say I asked?!”

“Huh?”

Before she could process what was happening, Xi Xi’s reply arrived as a voice message.

Sister Hou transcribed the message into text and glanced timidly at Ran Long.

Ran Long asked, “What did she say?”

“…Maybe you should read it yourself?”

“What is it?”

Ran Long took the phone and saw the transcribed message: “None of her business.”

She glanced at Sister Hou, tapped the play button, and held the phone to her ear.

Xi Xi’s voice came through, impatient and slightly angry. The words matched the transcribed text exactly, leaving Ran Long wondering for a moment what she had been expecting.

“Did you make Sister Qiu’an angry?” Sister Hou asked, though her thoughts were: She’s only getting angry now? Sister Qiu’an must have raised a badly behaved dog that tears up the house. She’s so patient.

“We had a fight.”

“How did you two end up fighting?”

“None of your business.”

Ran Long glared fiercely at the gossiping Sister Hou, forcing her to silently shift her gaze back to the millet porridge in her hands.

Qiu An was known for her gentle temperament, rarely losing her temper over personal matters.

Occasionally, Qiu An would get angry at Yuan Chengyin.

Because he hadn’t kept an eye on his cigarettes, allowing Ran Long to steal them; because he was too lazy to pick up Ran Long when she forgot her umbrella; and because he would lash out at Ran Long during rehearsals.

Qiu An had never been angry at Ran Long.

Not even when Ran Long pushed her driving duties onto Qiu An, who had just gotten her license; not even when Ran Long slapped her and hurled harsh insults; not even when Ran Long forgot things that were deeply important to Qiu An.

Halfway through breakfast, Ran Long asked Sister Hou, “What kind of person do you think Qiu An is?”

“Sister Qiu’an… she’s a wonderful person. She’s down-to-earth, never makes things difficult for others, has a gentle temper and a kind voice, and is incredibly caring and considerate. She treats everyone well, even her assistants.”

“Heh, so you’re just going to do the opposite of everything I say? You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Sister Hou had already prepared her escape route: “But I think working with you is great too! Sister Qiu’an is a wonderful person, but she always has this mysterious, unfathomable aura about her. Unlike you…”

Though Ran Long had a terrible temper, her emotions were written all over her face. She was straightforward, guileless, and endearingly naive.

Ran Long nodded in agreement. “You feel that way too, huh?”

She knew it. Qiu An was hiding something deep inside—even Sister Hou could sense it.

That woman was full of tricks. If Sister Hou ever crossed paths with her, she’d be sold down the river and would probably even help count the money afterward.

Unlike Ran Long, who was at least honest and upright, a person of justice and kindness.

“Exactly, exactly!”

Sister Hou suddenly realized: Ran Long might be naive, but at least she was self-aware about it!