The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 29

Sister Hou looked cheerful as she stepped into the elevator, humming a tuneless melody.

Though Xi Xi didn’t want to dampen her spirits, she couldn’t help but ask, “You’re going to work overtime, yet you’re so happy?”

“Don’t you think Qiu An is just like an emperor?” Sister Hou shared her latest, delightful discovery with unabashed enthusiasm.

“An emperor?” Xi Xi asked, puzzled.

“Exactly! Qiu An is the emperor, Ran Long is the spoiled concubine, and I’m the wicked concubine’s maid! We should be grateful we’re summoned before midnight. Heh heh heh…”

As Xi Xi listened to Sister Hou’s words, she grew increasingly uneasy. After a moment’s hesitation, she cautiously asked, “Then… who am I?”

“You?” Sister Hou replied with a grin. “Of course you’re Su Peisheng! Who else could you be?”

Sigh. Xi Xi knew Sister Hou would cast her as a eunuch. She shouldn’t have asked.

Xi Xi pondered Sister Hou’s words for a long while, but her curiosity finally got the better of her. “If Qiu An is the emperor and Ran Long is the concubine, then who’s the empress?”

“Hmm… let me think.”

Xi Xi chuckled. “I thought you had already decided who the Empress would be. So you just haven’t officially named Ran Long as Empress yet? Why not? Do you think she’s not qualified?”

“Exactly! Look at her—can you imagine her as Empress? She’s so petty and only bullies her servants. If she were born in ancient times, she’d be dead within days of entering the palace!”

Xi Xi laughed again. “But what if the Emperor happens to favor her?”

“That won’t do!”

“Why not?”

“Then she’d die even faster! If the Emperor favors her, he’d order people to be buried with her! I’m still so young—I don’t want to die with her!”

Xi Xi listened to Sister Hou’s drunken ramblings, clutching her stomach with laughter. She reminded her, “When we get to their room, make sure you say everything you’ve said here. Otherwise, Ran Long will make your life miserable again.”

“I’m not afraid of her! She’s just a paper tiger!”

Laughing and joking, they arrived at the presidential suite. The once-quiet room instantly buzzed with lively chatter.

“Sister Qiu’an, what do you need me for?” Xi Xi asked.

Qiu An, already changed into clean clothes, held up the soiled gown. “This dress has a few stains. Please give it a quick clean and contact the brand to have them take it back for proper treatment.”

“Understood.”

Xi Xi took the gown from Qiu An. The visible stains had already been cleaned, but the lingering foul odor made Xi Xi realize it was vomit—likely Ran Long’s. She tried to suppress her nausea, but couldn’t help turning away to gag quietly.

“What about me? What should I do?” Sister Hou, ignoring her own mistress, chimed in with Xi Xi’s question.

“Go to the bathroom and keep an eye on Ran Long while she showers. Make sure she doesn’t slip.”

The moment Qiu An finished speaking, Xi Xi froze in shock. Normally, even glancing at Ran Long’s cringeworthy live streams would earn her a withering glare. Now Sister Hou was being ordered to watch Ran Long shower?

Xi Xi had every reason to believe that after Sister Hou completed this absurd task, she would be quietly assassinated.

Xi Xi regretted not being honest with Sister Hou about Qiu An’s feelings for Ran Long. If she had, she wouldn’t need to beat around the bush; Sister Hou would have known what to do.

Unfortunately, Sister Hou was lost in her fantasies of palace maids and imperial concubines. She convinced herself that it was perfectly normal for a personal attendant to assist a noble lady with her bath, and she eagerly agreed to the task.

Xi Xi, still brainstorming how to subtly warn Sister Hou, thought: Can I struggle a little longer?

Ran Long entered the bathroom with a towel and robe, only to find Xi Xi sitting on a stool, cupping her face with both hands, and staring at her with an innocent, wide-eyed expression. It was then that Ran Long suddenly remembered what she had agreed to for Qiu An.

Seeing Qiu An’s resolute expression, Ran Long knew there was no room for negotiation.

Left with no choice, Ran Long was about to close the door when Qiu An’s hand shot out to stop her. Ran Long quickly yanked the door back to avoid pinching Qiu An’s hand.

“The door can’t be closed,” Qiu An said sternly.

“Why not?”

“Leave a small crack open. Sister Hou will watch you, and I’ll watch Sister Hou. That way, I can make sure she doesn’t fall asleep halfway through.”

Ran Long was momentarily speechless. “It’s just a bath! Why all this fuss? I’m not a helpless three-year-old!”

Ran Long’s words echoed Xi Xi’s own thoughts.

Xi Xi had cleaned the gown and called the brand to arrange for pickup. With nothing else to do, she leaned against the balcony railing, arms crossed, watching the farce unfold with a cold detachment.

Ran Long’s question was pointless; the only answer she received was a curt “Because.”

As she undressed behind the glass door, Ran Long felt deeply uncomfortable. Sister Hou was staring intently at her body with wide eyes, never looking away for a moment.

How could anyone concentrate on bathing with that kind of scrutiny?!

“No, no! Sister Hou, turn around and face Qiu An.”

“Then how will I watch you?”

“Just listen! If I fall, you’ll hear the splash, right?!”

Sister Hou pondered this seriously for a moment before agreeing. “Alright.”

Good heavens, she actually considered it!

Qiu An hesitated before nodding in agreement as well.

And so, Ran Long began her bath under the watchful eyes of Sister Hou, who was focused on Qiu An, while Qiu An kept her gaze fixed on Sister Hou, and Xi Xi observed the entire scene from afar.

Xi Xi stared at the scene, dazed. Is my mind playing tricks on me, or is Qiu An the one who’s lost it? she wondered. What’s Sister Hou’s role in all this? She can’t see anything, and she’s not hearing any more than Qiu An is.

Once this farce is over, Xi Xi vowed to tell Sister Hou everything about Qiu An’s secret crush on Ran Long. She’d also teach her some persuasive tactics, so that if she ever got caught in such a mess again, she could at least squeeze a few more red envelopes out of Ran Long.

This was the most humiliating shower Ran Long had ever taken.

Naked under the rushing water, she scrubbed frantically, the door unlocked and ajar. Three people—two inside and one outside—listened intently to the sound of her bathing.

Even though no one could actually see her, she felt mortified as she lathered up with body wash and shampoo. She barely dared to touch her most private areas, rushing through those parts with a quick swipe and rinse.

Her shame reached new heights when the doorbell rang.

How could the dress brand’s people have arrived so quickly? she thought. Were they just waiting for something to go wrong with the gown tonight?

Ran Long didn’t dare make a sound, desperately hoping Qiu An would show some mercy and close the door. Even though the bathroom was quite a distance from the room’s entrance and hidden behind a wall, there was no way she could be seen.

But she was truly begging Qiu An. She was, after all, a female celebrity. Living with dignity was the bare minimum, wasn’t it?

The sound of a door closing came from nearby—the bathroom door. Ran Long let out a long sigh of relief.

Before she could fully exhale, she rinsed the shampoo from her eyes and opened them to find Qiu An standing right there in the bathroom!

Ran Long’s limbs went numb with shock. Thankfully, the showerhead was fixed overhead, not in her hand, or she would have had to pay for another broken item.

Even with Qiu An’s back turned, Ran Long instinctively covered her private areas. She stood frozen, afraid to move or make any noise that might draw Qiu An’s attention.

Fortunately, Qiu An showed no intention of turning around.

Once the hotel staff retrieved the dress, Qiu An finally left the bathroom. It seemed she simply didn’t want to be seen.

Only then did Ran Long finally exhale the last bit of air she’d been holding.

The hot water gradually cleared Ran Long’s mind. She suddenly realized that Qiu An was actually more drunk than she was, just better at hiding it.

Realizing she had fallen into Qiu An’s trap, Ran Long turned off the shower and stepped out of the glass enclosure. She saw Sister Hou instinctively turn her head at the sound and quickly warned, “Don’t—don’t turn around! I’m about to get dressed!”

“Oh, okay,” Sister Hou replied.

Still feeling exposed in the air, Ran Long felt uneasy. With so many people in the room, any unexpected incident could ruin her reputation. She quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself.

When her sixth sense screamed, she knew she had to trust it.

And sure enough, something unexpected happened.

“It’s Director Yuan!” Sister Hou suddenly shouted. “Your Majesty, it’s Director Yuan!”

The door slammed open with a bang as Qiu An pushed it inward, nearly scraping half the bl00d from Sister Hou, who was sitting behind it.

Fortunately, Ran Long had already wrapped herself in the towel. Otherwise, she would have personally scraped away the remaining bl00d Sister Hou had narrowly escaped losing.

In the bathroom, the three women stared at each other in awkward silence.

Xi Xi, barely suppressing a laugh, sauntered over and asked Sister Hou, “Xiao Hou, did you just call Director Yuan ‘Your Majesty’?”

“Yes, yes!” Sister Hou exclaimed, her excitement returning as she recognized a more familiar face.

Before Qiu An and Ran Long could react, Xi Xi waved Sister Hou over and pulled her out from between them.

“Why Director Yuan?” Xi Xi asked, looping an arm around Sister Hou’s shoulder and guiding her out of the room. Ran Long and Qiu An, bewildered by the conversation, couldn’t resist their curiosity and followed them out.

“Because Director Yuan always plays peacemaker whenever the silly concubine throws a tantrum and the benevolent emperor wants to indulge her, maintaining peace in the palace,” Sister Hou explained. “He seems mild-mannered normally, but when he’s in charge, he can be quite fierce.”

She glanced at the two women beside her and leaned in to whisper in Xi Xi’s ear, “Online, the CP fans shipping Director Yuan and Qiu An say the one who isn’t loved is the real third wheel. They call Ran Long the third wheel.”

Xi Xi mentally reviewed every hardship she’d ever endured, but she still couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“What are you mumbling about?” Ran Long understood perfectly, but she wished she hadn’t. “Explain yourself! Who’s the silly concubine, and who’s the benevolent emperor?”

Though Sister Hou was clearly intoxicated, her subconscious still prompted her to offer some futile resistance. “Heh heh, I won’t tell you! Otherwise, you’ll scold this servant again.”

Ran Long was speechless. She wanted to lose her temper, but seeing Sister Hou in such a drunken state, she knew it would be pointless.

“I’m the Emperor, Xiao Ran is a concubine, and Director Yuan is the Empress?” Qiu An abruptly concluded.

Xi Xi nodded for Sister Hou.

“If Sister Hou is a maid, then who are you?”

Qiu An really knows how to cut to the chase, Xi Xi thought to herself. With an exaggerated bow, she addressed Qiu An: “Your Majesty, this humble servant, Su Peisheng.”

Sister Hou doubled over with laughter at Xi Xi’s antics. Even Ran Long, who had been on the verge of anger moments before, couldn’t help but chuckle.

Qiu An remained serious, mimicking the Emperor’s demeanor as she said to Xi Xi, “Very well, withdraw with your ‘dining partner.'”

“This humble servant obeys.”

As Xi Xi led Sister Hou out of the room, the absurdity of the situation struck her.

What had Qiu An just said? “Dining partner”??

This is workplace bullying, isn’t it? This is workplace sexual harassment, isn’t it?

Ha! Serves her right for chasing after a concubine for so long, only to end up with her hot face pressed against a cold ass.