The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 33

Ran Long ignored Ms. Hu, closed Weibo, and opened an entertainment forum.

She wanted to see how those who had previously ignored her or tried to blacklist her were reacting to the trending topics.

As soon as she refreshed the page, dozens of new posts flooded the homepage. Sure enough, they were all discussing her and Qiu An.

She clicked on the latest thread titled “[Open Mic] Qiu An and Ran Long are starring in a yuri film—what do you guys think?” The original post included several photos from the banquet that night, as well as the group photo from the filming ceremony.

1L: Holy sh1t, Ran Long looks like a ghost. The death vibes are strong.

2L: I don’t care who’s cast, but if they’re supposed to be a couple, at least pick someone who looks like they belong together. Our money doesn’t grow on trees! You can’t just throw two random women together and call them a “couple” to make us pay? What a joke.

3L: LOL, I sent this to my buddy, and he asked if I had the wrong person. Isn’t that just staff?

4L: She was barely tolerable before, but what the hell is this now?

5L: She looks like a vengeful ghost come to collect souls. Aren’t they afraid she’ll have another Super Malevolent Woman episode in public and slap someone twice again? And they’re paying bots on Weibo to call her “free-spirited”? Who are they kidding?

Ran Long ignored the barrage of insults, but the more she looked, the more uneasy she felt. Where had these photos come from? Had she really hired a PR team? Wasn’t Sister Hou supposed to be at DiOney?

Back on Weibo, she saw that the ambiguous photos had been immediately followed by a massive promotional campaign for the film. Though no official account had claimed responsibility, the lack of denial served as tacit confirmation of the marketing strategy.

#QiuAn’s New Film: Dual Female Leads#

#Yuan Chengyin’s New Film: Phase of Filming Completed#

#QiuAnRanLong#

The hashtags surged to the top of trending topics one after another. Ran Long clicked through them, and as expected, they were all paparazzi and entertainment reporters’ photos of their group dinner at the riverside terrace restaurant, featuring shots of them eating roasted whole lamb.

Beyond the ambiguous photo of her feeding Qiu An, there were also numerous shots of their normal interactions and group shots from the meal.

Ran Long finally realized what had happened.

The entire dinner had been a staged event to hype up the film. No wonder they’d chosen the open-air restaurant by the New Fanjiang River. No wonder even the usually unkempt Yuan Chengyin had bothered to put on makeup!

They’d been waiting to be photographed! Why hadn’t anyone told her?!

Fuming, Ran Long slipped past Ms. Hu into her bedroom and immediately called Qiu An.

“Hello? Xiao Ran? What’s up?”

“Qiu An! You did this on purpose, didn’t you? You deliberately told me we were going for some stupid barbecue, knowing full well it was a media stunt last night! Let me tell you, you’re not as clever as you think. If you’d chosen a restaurant downstairs from the hotel, I could have just thrown on a nightgown and slippers and come down! How could you do this to me? I poured my heart out to you, and you just turned around and stabbed me in the heart and lungs…”

Ran Long was in the middle of her tirade when she failed to notice Ms. Hu, who had heard her shout “Qiu An,” open the door and enter the room.

Ran Long wasn’t used to locking her door. Growing up in a privileged environment, people rarely barged in without knocking.

“An’an, is that you, An’an? Can you turn on the video? Auntie hasn’t seen you in ages.”

“Mom, how did you get in here? I’m busy!”

Ran Long tried to shoo Ms. Hu away, but Qiu An spoke first. “Hello, Auntie. I’ll turn on the video right away.”

As Qiu An activated the front-facing camera, the screen showed her sitting by a window. The decor behind her looked staged, more like a hotel room than a home.

Qiu An’s face, still made up, looked stunningly beautiful, a stark contrast to Ran Long, her disheveled daughter who had rushed home travel-worn.

“Oh, hello An’an!” Ms. Hu greeted Qiu An, swiftly tapping Ran Long’s phone to display Ran Long’s large face on the screen.

What did she just call me? Disheveled daughter.

Ran Long’s face was bare, her hair a mess, dark circles under her eyes, and she hadn’t even showered yet. A small smear of yellow, likely mango from dinner, clung to the corner of her mouth, making it look like she’d just eaten something far less appetizing.

So infuriating.

Ran Long considered scolding Ms. Hu for turning on the camera without her consent, then thought about demanding why she hadn’t reminded her to wipe off the stain that had been on her face all evening. The conflicting thoughts coalesced into a robust:

“Maa!”

It sounded rather like a primal scream.

Whatever. I’m just not good enough for your ethereal, otherworldly Qiu An, okay? But do you know what? No matter how celestial, beautiful, or perfect Qiu An is, she still hangs her underwear on the balcony to dry!

“An’an, dear, would you come home for dinner during the Lunar New Year?”

Ms. Hu ignored Ran Long’s primal outburst, smoothly took the phone from her hand, and began chatting warmly with Qiu An.

“Hey! Mom! Give me back my phone!”

“Of course, dear!” Qiu An smiled warmly. “But Auntie, we should ask Xiao Ran if she agrees first.”

“Qiu An, don’t team up with my mom to change the subject! Tell me why you didn’t tell me the media would be here filming yesterday?”

“What’s there to disagree about? Xiao Ran would love it too! Our family feels so empty without you during the holidays,” Ms. Hu said, nudging Ran Long with her elbow to signal her to nod.

Ran Long stiffened her neck in protest. “What do you mean I’d love it? When did I ever say that?”

“Auntie, please don’t pressure her.”

“Excuse me? Is anyone listening to me?” Ran Long’s heart ached with exhaustion. Her throat was hoarse from shouting, yet no one seemed to hear a word she said.

“Xiao Long, just agree to let An’an come home for New Year’s dinner. It’s just one extra pair of chopsticks! Don’t be so stingy!”

“Just one extra pair of chopsticks? And then you’ll insist she stay overnight! That’s an extra bed too!”

“Ai! What’s the big deal? You used to refuse to sleep apart! Now you’re complaining about an extra bed? So much fuss!”

“No, Mom, things are different now!” Ran Long insisted.

Determined to take a different approach, Ran Long resolved to push Qiu An away and bring her mother back to her side.

“Qiu An is a lesbian,” she declared. “Don’t let her come back and eat or sleep with us. We’re both single women—it’s dangerous.”

The atmosphere froze. Ms. Hu and Qiu An’s smiles visibly stiffened on their faces.

Ran Long smirked inwardly, eager to see how Ms. Hu would react to this “dangerous lesbian” and how Qiu An would weasel her way out of this with her silver tongue.

After a long silence, Ms. Hu turned to her phone and said to Qiu An, “An’an, don’t listen to Xiao Long’s nonsense. She has no respect for her elders. Remember to come home for New Year’s dinner, even if you’re working late.”

Ran Long was beyond exasperated.

“Of course, Auntie. I’ll be there.”

Auntie, Auntie, Auntie! Ran Long thought bitterly. Why not just call her Mom? It’s not like Ms. Hu hasn’t been trying to adopt her for ages.

Ran Long sighed. Given Ms. Hu’s unconditional doting, even if she threw Qiu An’s lingerie and those chat logs about hooking up in hotels in her face, she’d probably just say, “That’s not my An’an. You must be playing a prank.”

Ha! Ran Long scoffed inwardly. Does Ms. Hu even know the real Qiu An? She’s the Best Actress—playing the role of the perfect daughter is child’s play for her.

If that’s the case, Qiu An should be locked up in prison. After all, she’s deceived at least a million people. What a terrible person!

Exhausted, Ran Long took the phone Ms. Hu handed her. The screen clearly showed the call had ended.

What was I even calling for? To connect Ms. Hu with Qiu An? That doesn’t seem right.

Fortunately, Qiu An remembered and sent Ran Long a message:

Qiu An: I’m sorry, Xiao Ran. I thought Sister Wang had already explained everything to you.

Explained? Explained what? The small gathering? The barbecue? Or the informal dinner?

Fine, even if Sister Wang hinted at something, how could she expect someone who’s never been in the industry to understand? Or Sister Hou, who’s just a regular person?

Sister Hou is probably still riding her flying car on some mountain right now!

Super Malevolent Woman: Then why didn’t you say anything when you saw me dressed so messily?

Qiu An: I did.

Liar!

Wait…

— Do you want to change? I can have Xi Xi bring you something.

Qiu An had warned her. Ran Long had just refused.

Super Malevolent Woman: Why are you acting like some riddle-master? Would it kill you to just tell me straight?

Qiu An: I’m sorry. I thought that was the persona you wanted to project.

Persona my ass!

If Qiu An were here, Ran Long would have thrown her phone down and beaten her senseless. But Qiu An wasn’t here, so she could only hug her pillow and violently pummel it.

Forget it. Once the photos are out there, there’s no taking them back. Let you all tear me down for now. But when the movie officially premieres, I’ll dazzle your dog eyes!

Halfway through pummeling her pillow, Ran Long suddenly remembered something and pulled up the forums and Weibo again, scrutinizing every post and comment. From the supertopic comments to the discussion threads, she breathed a sigh of relief: the mass exodus and backlash she’d feared hadn’t materialized. Qiu An’s fans were surprisingly tolerant of her.

Though she couldn’t know what the fans truly thought in private, their restraint suggested she hadn’t crossed any real lines yet.

Honestly, these fans should be thanking me, right?

That video of me slapping Qiu An went viral, bringing your darling sister a tidal wave of attention. Without it, how else would she have skyrocketed to fame so quickly?

Speaking of attention, Ran Long refused to let the insults go unanswered.

She’d endured enough abuse in the past; now she was a thick-skinned, super-tank. These petty comments about her appearance couldn’t even scratch her.

After all, anyone who puts on a full face of makeup and wears that mermaid-tail gown would look at least decent, right?

Right? Let’s just assume that’s the case for now!

Ran Long still had photos of Qiu An from when she couldn’t afford nice clothes—a plain, awkward girl. If you compared those photos to Qiu An’s child star days, it would be enough to fuel a massive online thread.

Why did Ran Long keep those photos? Because they were rare, firsthand dirt—duh!

After a hot shower, Ran Long blow-dried and styled her hair, making herself look stunning.

Perfume? Nah, what’s the point? The scent won’t carry through the screen anyway. Just imagine it.

Speaking of perfume, haha, did you know your girl hasn’t endorsed any other brands all these years? It’s because she’s still obsessed with that body lotion she used back then!

Bet you never saw that coming, huh? The perfume your girl wears? It’s the same one she used to steal and copy from me! If I leaked that, it would definitely go viral, right?

Actually, Ran Long did leak this once. She posted about it on a forum under an anonymous account, but no one believed her. Qiu An’s fans even reported the thread for spreading false rumors, and it got taken down.

Fine, don’t believe me! But that doesn’t change the fact that Qiu An used to mooch off my body lotion.

Ran Long finished her makeup, set up simple lighting, and slipped into her streamer outfit, ready to go live.

Hate all you want, iron bros, but don’t forget to tap that donate button~