The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 21

The morning’s filming location was at the home of Yu Youxuan’s husband. Her husband, a second-generation entrepreneur, lived a life of luxury, with every aspect of his life reflecting the highest standards. To maintain character authenticity, the production team rented a detached villa in Crossing City to serve as his residence.

It was still early, and Ran Long decided to visit the villa to check on the filming progress and, more importantly, to see how Qiu An was doing.

Sister Hou, who had been left at the hotel, asked, puzzled, “You don’t have any scenes there. Why are you going?”

“They said they rented a mansion. I want to go see how the other half lives.”

“Is that all?”

Sister Hou remained skeptical. She knew Ran Long’s family had been quite wealthy in the past. While they might not have lived in a villa, she certainly wouldn’t describe simply seeing a mansion as “seeing how the other half lives.”

Could she be going to check if Qiu An is really sick?

But that seemed even less likely.

“I’m giving you half a day off. What’s wrong with that? Stop being so suspicious. You should use this time to learn how to be a proper manager. Once this movie comes out, I’m going to be huge! Then we’ll be swamped with offers for films, dramas, commercials, variety shows, and red carpets. Are you ready to handle all that?”

To maintain morale, Yuan Chengyin kept the three-day deadline secret from everyone, and he didn’t reveal the uncertainty of passing the review. Naturally, Sister Hou remained unaware that the production team was on the brink of disbanding.

A person’s status before their assistant is determined by the status they themselves claim.

“N-no,” Sister Hou stammered.

“Then go learn it right now!” Ran Long snapped.

After dismissing Sister Hou, Ran Long summoned an idle driver. Assuming she had a shoot, the driver rushed her to the film set without delay.

Presumably to save money, the villa was located in a less desirable area, far from the city center.

The villa’s courtyard was quite grand, but it had been completely taken over by the sweaty, bustling crew members.

The filming location was on the second floor. Ran Long climbed the stairs and found the set in chaos, with staff adjusting the scenery.

She scanned the area but couldn’t spot Qiu An or Yuan Chengyin. However, she did see Yao Ling, the screenwriter she hadn’t seen in ages, supervising the work.

Ran Long approached Yao Ling with a greeting: “Oh, screenwriter-sama! What brings you to the set?”

Yao Ling’s attention was drawn to a high-legged stool at the living room bar. She picked at her ear and casually remarked, “Heard they’re filming at the mansion today. Just came to see what all the fuss is about.”

The words sounded strangely familiar.

“Uh… do you know where Qiu An and Yuan Chengyin are?”

Yao Ling gestured toward the bathroom. “They’re having a private rendezvous in there. Don’t disturb them unless it’s urgent.”

“A rendezvous? In the bathroom?” Ran Long couldn’t believe her ears.

“What else would they be doing? They’re adults, not kids going to the bathroom together. There’s only one stall in there, so take your pick which story you want to believe.”

“…Alright, thanks.”

Ran Long walked toward the bathroom, her mind buzzing with questions. Didn’t Yuan Chengyin have someone he liked? Why is he going back to his ex?

The bathroom door was indeed tightly shut. The hallway here was out of camera range, cluttered with temporarily removed props and equipment.

Ran Long carefully navigated through the piles of clutter and pressed her ear against the crack in the door.

To avoid her reflection appearing on the glass door, Ran Long clung to the bedroom doorframe, only leaning her head forward to listen.

Sure enough, faint voices drifted through the crack, as if deliberately hushed for a secret rendezvous.

If Yao Ling’s suspicions were true—that these two were having a tryst—the sounds emanating from within might well be…indescribable.

But Ran Long didn’t care. Thick-skinned as she was, she was determined to listen.

Unfortunately, reality proved less scandalous. Though the muffled voices were difficult to decipher through the door, Ran Long could discern that their conversation was coherent and articulate.

Amidst the fragmented sounds, she caught the name “Ran Cheng” and realized Qiu An was asking Yuan Chengyin to do something, while Yuan Chengyin seemed hesitant.

Finally, the pair appeared to be wrapping up their conversation and took a few steps toward the door. Ran Long was about to retreat when the footsteps inside abruptly stopped.

She quickly pressed her ear closer again, contorting herself into an acrobatic pose against the doorframe.

She heard Yuan Chengyin say, “…I’ll consider it further. But you’ll have to tell Xiao Ran eventually. Why not get it over with sooner? She’s an adult now; she’ll understand.”

“I know, I’m just not ready yet,” Qiu An said.

“Oh, and next time, don’t drag me to places like this. If people see us, the rumors will start again.”

Speaking of rumors, after the slap video went viral, everyone was gossiping not only about the feud between Ran Long and Qiu An but also about Qiu An’s relationship with Yuan Chengyin.

Despite both women openly accepting interviews together and declaring they were just close friends, the rumors persisted, even spawning a dedicated fanbase for their “couple.”

Ran Long had once stumbled upon their CP hashtag on social media and was shocked to find it more active than her own personal hashtag.

It was hard not to feel defeated.

“Do you still care about that? She knows we’re innocent,” Yuan Chengyin said.

“Sigh… if we were truly innocent, we wouldn’t be hiding here to talk, would we?”

Yuan Chengyin’s words struck Ran Long’s heart like a thunderclap. The shock of hearing it firsthand was far more devastating than mere suspicion.

So everything Qiu An had been so adamant about all this time was nothing but a complete and utter lie.

The chat logs and purchase records she had seen were indeed real.

Qiu An had been lying so much that she had even started to believe her own lies.

And from what Ran Long had overheard, even the Ran Cheng incident was a fabrication by Qiu An.

It was fortunate that Qiu An had concocted such an elaborate conspiracy theory to deceive her, acting so convincingly angry and sincere that she almost softened and believed it.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Ran Long quickly covered the pocket and shrank back into the shadows.

The bathroom door handle turned. Ran Long darted into the adjacent bedroom and spotted a built-in wardrobe that occupied an entire wall. Without hesitation, she slipped inside.

Though the wardrobe had shelves, it was thankfully empty. Ran Long settled on the bottom shelf, finding ample space. However, the musty, formaldehyde-tinged air from the long-unventilated wooden cabinet made her uncomfortable.

She silenced the incoming call, listened for a moment to ensure Qiu An and Yuan Chengyin had moved far away, then retrieved her phone.

She checked the missed call—it was from Ms. Hu.

She realized she had missed several WeChat messages from Ms. Hu. Ms. Hu had seen news reports about young actors being kidnapped under the guise of joining film crews and had called to check on Ran Long out of concern.

Seeing Ms. Hu’s worry, Ran Long decided to call her back.

“Hello, Mom?”

“Oh, Xiao Long, you finally answered! Where are you? Are you safe?”

“Mom, I’m still in Crossing City. Don’t worry, I’m working on a film set with people I know.”

“Even familiar faces can betray you, you know.”

Ran Long didn’t want to tell Ms. Hu she was working on Yuan Chengyin’s set. First, she had signed a confidentiality agreement. Second, she didn’t want Ms. Hu to think she had reconciled with those two. Otherwise, she’d start insisting Qiu An come home for New Year’s dinner again.

“Relax, Mom. We’ve been filming for ages, and they’ve invested so much money already. How could it be a scam?”

“Oh, that’s good. Can you video call me so I can see you?”

Ran Long glanced at the pitch-black cabinet and fell silent. It really did feel like she was being held hostage.

“I’m on set right now. It’s not a good time.”

“Oh, okay. Why haven’t you replied to my WeChat messages for so long? Are you busy? Am I bothering you?”

“It’s fine. I was just dealing with something. Here, I’ll send you my assistant’s WeChat ID. If you can’t reach me, just contact her.”

“Okay, okay. By the way, Xiao Long, I heard there’s an app where you can sell your old stuff. When you have time, can you show me how to use it?”

“Sure, Mom, but what exactly are you planning to sell?”

“Those milk cartons and supplements you threw away last time—they all expired by accident. If we can sell them, we shouldn’t waste them.”

Ran Long’s heart clenched painfully.

Ms. Hu, who had lived a life of luxury, was now reduced to selling secondhand milk for money.

At the same time, Ran Long found it strange: how could someone bear to buy these items but not consume them?

“Mom, we don’t need the money. Just drink the milk and take the supplements. After I finish filming this movie, I’ll take you… out for a trip to relax, okay?”

Ran Long had initially wanted to take Ms. Hu to the cinema to see how popular she had become, but remembering the film’s explicit content, she quickly changed her suggestion to something more appropriate.

“Alright, just stay safe.”

After hanging up, Ran Long let out a deep sigh.

Forget it.

Let Qiu An use her however she wants. She’s already hit rock bottom—no money, just her life to spare.

Whether Qiu An wants to torment her or atone for past wrongs, the money deposited into her account is real.

I’ll just keep playing along with her. Ran Cheng’s mountain of debt is still chasing after us, mother and daughter. Now’s not the time to make a choice.

I should have done this sooner. Sigh. I should have bowed my head and apologized to Qiu An and Yuan Chengyin long ago.

Ran Long crept out of the closet, making sure no one was outside before leaving the room.

She ran to the staircase, thinking she could sneak back to the hotel, but Yao Ling called out to her.

“Ran Long! You’re here! Qiu An and Yuan Chengyin said they couldn’t find you. I thought you’d vanished into thin air!”

Ran Long reluctantly turned around and saw Qiu An standing beside Yao Ling. There was no escape now.

“Xiao Ran,” Qiu An called out.

“Ah, is there something you need?” Ran Long walked back, resigned.

Before Qiu An could speak, Yao Ling tactfully excused herself, leaving the two alone.

“Xiao Ran, what are you doing here?”

“Xi Xi wouldn’t tell me how you were feeling, so I came to check on you. After I splashed you with water yesterday and the living room AC was set so low, I was worried you’d catch a cold.”

“Is that so?”

“What else would it be? Sightseeing in a mansion?”

Qiu An tilted her head slightly, scrutinizing Ran Long with suspicion. After a long pause, she asked, “What were you doing in the bedroom just now?”

“My mom suddenly called, and I figured I’d find a quiet place to talk. What’s it to you what I was doing in there?”

No lies there—that was the truth.

“Did you happen to overhear anything Director Yuan and I were discussing earlier?”

“What? No, I didn’t. Were you two whispering secrets?” Ran Long’s eyes darted around, her palms sweating slightly behind her back. Unlike Qiu An, she wasn’t good at lying.

“Really?”

Qiu An’s scrutinizing gaze made Ran Long feel like needles were pricking her back. She quickly changed the subject: “How much longer until you’re done filming? We still need to rehearse the kissing scene.”

Her trump card worked. Qiu An’s expression turned bashful, her cheeks flushing as she averted her gaze.

What a strange reaction, Ran Long thought. She’s acting, right?

She understood acting for other scenes, but why this?

Come to think of it… can you even fake blushing? Could this guy actually have a pure side?

“Or… are you free right now?”

Ran Long took a half-step forward, boldly reaching out to wrap her arm around Qiu An’s waist.

As expected, Qiu An’s breathing deepened noticeably. She took a half-step back, but showed no intention of evading Ran Long.

Numerous crew members bustled around the set, and despite the tight schedule and heavy workload, they couldn’t resist stealing glances and whispering among themselves.

Xi Xi stood in a corner with her arms crossed, her face cold as she watched the two women’s intimate exchange. She silently moved to stand by the window, using her body as a shield to prevent any paparazzi with telescopic lenses from sniping photos from afar.

Ran Long realized that as long as she wasn’t shy and didn’t care about appearances, she was invincible.

The more people watched, the more Ran Long thrilled.

Whether it was an act or genuine, seeing Qiu An so bashful was a rare sight, making her want to tease her even more.

Leaning forward, Ran Long gradually closed the distance to Qiu An’s lips. But just as their mouths were about to meet, she shifted direction, pressing her lips against Qiu An’s ear:

“Never mind. Let’s wait until we finish filming today’s scenes. Otherwise, we’ll fall behind schedule, and Yuan Chengyin will scold us again.”

With that, Ran Long pinched the flesh at Qiu An’s waist, eliciting the expected slight tremor. Satisfied, she withdrew.