The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 23

The delivery robot arrived at the door with Ran Long’s takeout. The doorbell rang, and Ran Long heard it from her room. She stepped out just as Qiu An was heating up her own bento box.

“Why do you have a bento box? Did you steal mine?” Ran Long leaned closer to inspect it. The pork belly was intact, the tomatoes still had their skins—it wasn’t the one Sister Hou had prepared.

Damn, I spoke too quickly. I accidentally accused her of something she didn’t do.

“Didn’t you get any food? I can share mine. It’s late, and I can’t finish all this anyway.”

“Could you not be so generous?” Ran Long opened the door to retrieve her takeout. “You should act more like, you know, a nemesis or something.”

For some reason, the word “nemesis” triggered a bizarre mental loop in Ran Long’s head, like a tongue-twister echoing endlessly: “A nemesis is a nemesis, a nemesis can never become a wife, become a wife…”

Crap, I’ve been cooped up at home too long. This internet garbage has seeped into my brain.

“Why do you call me your nemesis? ‘Nemesis’ means someone you’ve been entangled with for a long time…”

Ran Long sat beside Qiu An, unwrapped her takeout, and placed the oden next to Qiu An’s bento box.

She had originally planned to take it to her room to eat alone, but now there was something she absolutely had to do.

“Want some boiled radish?”

Without waiting for an answer, Ran Long picked out a soft, thoroughly cooked piece of white radish from the oden and stuffed it into Qiu An’s mouth.

“Mmm… Mmm… A long-standing enemy or rival. You haven’t contacted me in years, and we never had such a prolonged conflict. Besides, there’s no rivalry between us. How can you call me your ‘arch-nemesis’?”

I miscalculated. This radish melted in her mouth, barely buying me a few seconds of silence.

“Qiu An, do you even realize how much I hate you?”

“I do,” Qiu An said, looking somewhat dejected. “What can I do to make you stop hating me?”

So, an arch-nemesis can only be a wife, and a wife can only be an arch-nemesis…

Stop it. Enough already…

“Enough with this nonsense. It’s late. Hurry up and finish eating and go to bed.”

Qiu An asked, “Can I sleep with you tonight?”

“What are you, some kind of cockroach that won’t die? Are you homesick for your bed… or for me?”

“You can sleep in my bed.”

Ran Long fell silent for a moment, then retorted, “Are you pretending to be dense? Do your fans know that their goddess is actually a clingy leech in private? Hmm? ‘Goddess the Clingy Leech’?”

Ran Long nearly burst out laughing at her own joke, but Qiu An remained unmoved, leaving her feeling foolish.

If you don’t get the joke, fine.

Just as Ran Long finished the last fish ball in her bowl, a soft chuckle reached her ears.

Ran Long turned her head stiffly. “What’s so funny?”

“Clingy leech… Goddess.”

“What’s this? Your new persona? Super-long reaction time? Didn’t I tell you not to put on an act in front of me? Huh? Didn’t I?”

“I… I’m not acting. I just thought about it and found it really funny.”

Sincerity might not always be a guaranteed knockout, but playing dumb to the end certainly is. Ran Long had been defeated. She resolved not to speak to Qiu An again until she woke up the next morning.

Typically, such resolutions are made only to be broken.

Just as she finished brushing her teeth, ready to turn off the lights and go to bed, Qiu An came knocking at the door again.

She won’t give me a single moment of peace.

Ran Long opened the door, launching a preemptive strike. “All this talk about sleeping together and kissing—what’s the point? We’ve been all over each other, but it’s all been for nothing. Maybe we should try a different approach? Like getting Teacher Yaoyao to supervise our acting?”

To her surprise, Qiu An replied, “Your suggestion could work, but we don’t need to bother Teacher Yaoyao. We can film tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Seriously?”

Ran Long was stunned. The deadline with Yuan Chengyin was the day after tomorrow, and Qiu An had just been struggling with the kissing scene. How could she suddenly guarantee they’d be ready to film tomorrow?

“Yes, seriously. Trust me.”

“Do I have any choice but to trust you? But let me warn you, if you don’t shoot The Sound of Falling Leaves, you can still walk the Roman Road. I’ll just go back to being that unpopular streamer.”

Qiu An replied, “I know. But there’s one condition.”

Ran Long sensed a trap. Cautiously, she asked, “What condition? Don’t try to trick me.”

“It’s simple. You have to agree to sleep with me tonight.”

“What? What kind of logic is that? What if I refuse?”

“Then we’ll shoot the scene the day after tomorrow.”

“…Qiu An, you’re not planning to sneak kisses all night while I’m asleep, are you? I’m a light sleeper. If you mess with me, I’ll wake up.”

“I’ll be as careful as possible.”

Ran Long was exasperated. After a long pause, she finally managed to sputter out two words: “That’s sexual harassment! Even if you’re… even if you’re you, you can’t do that!”

“I’m sorry, I was just joking.”

“Ahahaha, so funny,” Ran Long said flatly.

“Was it funny?”

“Funny as hell. Good joke, but don’t ever make it again.”

“Was it really that good?”

Ran Long was speechless. In her mind, she replayed the memory of slapping Qiu An.

Ah, satisfying.

It was a satisfying memory she could savor whenever she felt angry.

As Ran Long’s anger gradually morphed into a silly grin, Qiu An could guess what she was daydreaming about.

Qiu An interrupted her reverie. “So, do you want to film tomorrow or the day after?”

“Maybe… the day after?”

“If we film the day after, we’ll have to sleep together tomorrow night too.”

Wait, hold on. Did she just say that?

“Then let’s just do it tomorrow,” Ran Long said. Enduring another day would be too much. “But let’s make one thing clear: you can’t sneak kisses while I’m sleeping.”

After a pause, she added, “And no getting handsy either.”

“No problem,” Qiu An replied with a radiant smile that sent shivers down Ran Long’s spine.

As Ran Long lay in bed, she was still racking her brain, trying to figure out where things had gone wrong. She had initiated the kiss, and Qiu An had even looked like she was being taken advantage of. So why did she feel like she was the one being led by the nose?

Qiu An is a perfectly normal woman. Could she have… developed some kind of masochistic fetish?

Despite Qiu An’s assurances that she wouldn’t touch her tonight, Ran Long remained apprehensive.

This manifested in her decision not to wear her flimsy, revealing nightgown, but instead opting for the long-sleeved pajamas she had packed in case the weather turned cold.

And that wasn’t all. She was also wearing…

“Xiao Ran, why are you sleeping in your bra?”

“Qiu An, have you ever heard the saying, ‘See through it but don’t say it’?”

“Aren’t you uncomfortable sleeping like this?”

“But if I don’t sleep like this, I’ll feel uneasy.”

Qiu An pondered for a moment, then asked, “Are you worried I’ll sneak a kiss while you’re asleep?”

Ran Long raised her voice. “What else would it be?”

“But you’re the one who said it.”

Ran Long was on the verge of losing it. “Then you too! You said! You clearly admitted…”

“I said I was joking. Don’t take it seriously. I have boundaries. I wouldn’t… act indecently toward you.”

Hearing the words “act indecently” come from the mouth of such a beautiful woman almost made them sound harmless.

No, Ran Long shook her head. I can’t let her beauty cloud my judgment. Lustful thoughts and intentions are a sin in themselves.

No one would believe it if I told them Qiu An had lustful thoughts about me… Not only would they not believe it, they’d probably laugh at me.

Ran Long could already imagine it. If she complained to Sister Hou about this, Sister Hou would give her that smug, constipated grin.

Damn it! If Qiu An ever lays a hand on me, Sister Hou will be an accomplice!

Sister Hou, half-asleep downstairs, was jolted awake by a thunderous sneeze. She opened her eyes to realize she was the one who had sneezed. Strange, she thought. Could Ran Long still be thinking about that takeout I gave to the cat, even at this hour?

Petty.

“If you’re really worried, you can wait until I’m asleep to take it off,” Qiu An said.

Ran Long’s sleep quality was decent, far better than Qiu An’s. Even when they used to share a bed, she rarely saw Qiu An asleep.

Yet moments later, even breaths filled the air beside her.

Ran Long was speechless. “…Are you putting on another act?”

“Hehe.” Exposed, Qiu An couldn’t help but chuckle.

In a daze, Ran Long inexplicably reached out and pinched Qiu An’s cheek, then joined in her laughter.

After this series of actions, Ran Long awkwardly withdrew her hand and silently turned her back to Qiu An.

Having someone to share meals and sleep with felt like something from a past life. She felt like those elderly people who, despite knowing they were being coaxed and tricked into buying overpriced health products, willingly indulged in the meticulous companionship offered.

Relationships built on money may be contemptible, but they are undeniably stable. As long as the money lasts, the people will stay.

Now that she had no money, Qiu An was still willing to do these things with her. What more could she ask for?

Wait… was that really the right way to think about it?

Her thoughts, already detached from logic, drifted into sleep.

The bedside lamp remained on. Qiu An listened to Ran Long’s breathing, mimicking it a few times.

It sounded remarkably similar.

Qiu An quietly reached out and touched Ran Long’s back, feeling through her pajamas for the bra clasp. She unhooked it, one by one.

Ran Long let out a soft hum, sighing in relief as the restrictive garment came undone.

Only another girl could truly understand how uncomfortable and unhealthy it was to sleep in a bra.

University was always the perfect time for romance, even for those like them who were about to enter the entertainment industry.

Qiu An was always waiting, knowing that one day Ran Long would confide in her, telling her about someone she had fallen for.

She had never dared to dream that person could be her, feeling even the fantasy would be a sacrilege.

But when Ran Long confessed her feelings for Yuan Chengyin, Qiu An’s heart quietly ached. After the pain subsided, she began to wonder.

Since Ran Long likes girls too, could she ever consider me?

Qiu An got out of bed and walked to Ran Long’s side.

The soft bedside lamp bathed Ran Long’s face in a gentle glow, making her look warm and tender. The usual sharpness and wildness in her expression had vanished, leaving her looking almost… childlike.

Qiu An smiled. If she ever used that word to Ran Long’s face, Ran Long would probably go berserk again.

Actually, even when she’s berserk, she’s kind of cute.

It’s a lie to say I don’t want to kiss her.

But Qiu An restrained herself, merely bringing her index and middle fingers together and lightly touching Ran Long’s rosy lips like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Qiu An had broken her promise. She had touched Ran Long.

But her promise had already been broken when she unhooked Ran Long’s bra earlier. This gentle touch couldn’t be considered too excessive, right?

Yet after the first touch, she wanted a second.