The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 35

Ran Long recognized the name “Yu Le.”

Seeing Yu Le’s donation animation, she sweetly said, “Thank you, Boss Yu Le~” and began to recall who this person was.

Ran Long and Yu Le had met at a bar near their school. It had been two or three years ago. After a heated argument, Ran Long had stopped contacting him.

When she first met Yu Le, Ran Cheng hadn’t yet gone missing, but her conflicts with Ms. Hu were escalating. Filming for The Sound of Falling Leaves was still underway, and the idea of the slap scene remained a half-formed fantasy.

During holidays, when friends scattered and she couldn’t return home, Ran Long had nowhere to go and would end up drowning her sorrows at the bar.

She always ordered the strongest drinks, yet never worried about being harassed when she was too drunk to remember anything. That’s because Song Song, a hardworking classmate who worked at the bar, was a kind and responsible girl.

No matter how blackout drunk Ran Long got, Song Song always managed to get her back to her rented apartment safe and sound.

The bar next to the university was mostly frequented by students. Occasionally, someone would recognize Ran Long, but thankfully, Ji Ying was teeming with celebrities, many far more famous than her. People had grown accustomed to seeing stars and rarely bothered her.

Yu Le was the exception. Whenever he spotted Ran Long at the bar, he would latch onto her and strike up a conversation.

Song Song had warned Ran Long about Yu Le, calling him a “snake in the grass” and “no good.” She said he flaunted his wealth, spending his days flirting with and harassing young women. He constantly claimed to work for Chiye Entertainment and boasted about his access to vast resources. With so many students at their school eager to make it big, many girls had fallen for his tricks.

Whenever Song Song tried to warn them, the girls would accuse her of meddling.

Ran Long listened to Song Song’s advice, but at that time, she hadn’t yet ventured into the real world alone. She didn’t understand how crucial resources were for an aspiring actress. She believed that since she didn’t care about Yu Le’s so-called resources, she couldn’t be deceived by him.

As time passed, Ran Long grew accustomed to Yu Le’s presence and stopped bothering to chase him away.

Unfortunately for her, Yu Le’s methods were far more sophisticated than Ran Long could have imagined.

Eventually, Ran Long became the “naive little white rabbit” Song Song had warned her about—the one who “knowingly jumps into a trap.”

The whole situation stemmed from Ran Cheng. Ran Cheng had been an artist under Chiye Entertainment. After a barrage of negative publicity, the company invoked the moral clause in his contract to hold him accountable.

Yu Le, the man standing before her, accurately stated the exact amount of the compensation owed.

Therefore, Ran Long concluded that even if Yu Le wasn’t the “Manager of the Artist Management Department at Chiye Entertainment” as he claimed, he was certainly an insider with relevant knowledge.

Ran Long wanted to know if there was any room for negotiation regarding the breach of contract penalty, so she didn’t reject Yu Le’s advances. Moreover, he spoke with restraint, kept his hands to himself, and exuded an air of refined nobility, resembling a true gentleman. They quickly became acquainted and exchanged WeChat contacts.

Shortly after Yu Le sent out the donation banner, Ran Long received a WeChat message from her.

Smiling sweetly, Ran Long greeted her viewers, thanked them for their support of her life and career, and then ended the livestream.

She completely ignored Boss Huan, who had supported her for two whole years. Clutching her phone, Boss Huan gritted her teeth so hard she nearly cracked a silver filling.

Yu Le had sent two messages. The first asked, “Ranran, darling, are you free?”

The second, seeing Ran Long’s offline notification, said, “Oh dear, did I interrupt your money-making? You can reply later, I’ll wait for you forever~”

Seeing Yu Le’s messages again after so many years still made Ran Long feel nauseous.

It wasn’t quite the same kind of disgust as Qiu An’s. Qiu An’s was a special kind of disgusting, while Yu Le’s was just particularly disgusting.

Upon receiving Ran Long’s reply, Yu Le immediately called her—a video call.

Ran Long kept her camera off, seeing only Yu Le’s side of the call. Yu Le was in a lavish, gold-dusted entertainment venue, her face heavily made up with a garishly bright red lipstick.

“Ranran, darling~ Are you still filming?”

“No, I’m on a break.”

“Are you in Beiji right now? I’ve been missing you.”

Yu Le’s appearance was that of a mature, alluring woman, the kind that would captivate young girls. But when she put on airs, her affectations felt forced and unnatural. Perhaps she was trying to create a sense of contrast, but the result was simply nauseating.

Ran Long disliked this affectation. She preferred Qiu An’s approach, who meticulously crafted a persona and committed to it wholeheartedly. While that was also somewhat off-putting, at least it maintained a consistent style and felt relatively normal.

Why am I always being compared to Qiu An? Ran Long wondered. Every time I meet someone new, they drag her into the conversation.

“I’m here. Are you asking me out?”

“Aww, our Ranran can see the future? But that takes all the fun out of it! Take back what you just said and let me ask you out properly, okay~?”

“No.” Ran Long had no interest in playing coy. “I’ll go on a date with you, but if it’s just about your sugar daddy, save your breath.”

After getting to know Yu Le better, Ran Long had indeed learned a way to negotiate the breach of contract penalty.

When the slap video went viral and Ran Long found herself in a public relations crisis, Yu Le, representing Chiye Entertainment, extended an olive branch, setting aside past grievances with Ran Cheng to offer her a contract.

To demonstrate their sincerity, Chiye Entertainment proposed that upon signing the contract, Ran Cheng’s past actions would be completely forgiven, with no further repercussions. The company would also provide her with vast resources, ensuring a smooth and successful career.

The terms sounded incredibly tempting.

That is, if one ignored the obligations Ran Long would have to fulfill as the contracting party:

– At the client’s request, the contracting party must attend social and private events at the specified times. At the client’s request, the contracting party must travel to the designated residence and stay overnight. At the client’s request, the contracting party must engage in emotional interactions as required by the client.

– If the contracting party is unable to fulfill their obligations due to personal matters, they must provide a written explanation at least 24 hours in advance and obtain the client’s consent.

– The contracting party has the right to add personal boundaries, but these must be approved by the client.

Ran Long had never imagined that a sugar baby contract could be written so bluntly and explicitly.

What disgusted her even more was that Yu Le, knowing she preferred women, had told her, “Your sugar daddy is your type—a woman. You won’t be at too much of a disadvantage.”

After returning home, Ran Long was so repulsed that she couldn’t eat all day.

Ever since learning that Yu Le was a pimp, Ran Long had cut all ties with him. Even when he persistently came to her door multiple times, she refused to see him.

Because of that experience, when Boss Huan first gave her a large donation, Ran Long privately messaged him several times, asking if he wanted to keep her as his mistress and whether he would take back the donation if she refused.

Fortunately, Boss Huan reassured her.

He told her, “Just focus on your streams. You don’t need to contact me privately.”

That’s when Ran Long realized there really were people in the world who had so much money they couldn’t spend it all and were incredibly generous.

Yu Le’s voice came through the phone: “Of course not! That sugar daddy thing was ages ago! Let me tell you, a young girl got to him early, and he’s already settled down and stopped playing around! You missed out on a golden opportunity!”

“Tsk!” Ran Long’s face darkened with displeasure.

“Alright, alright, you know I’m just being my usual mischievous self, joking around. Don’t hold it against me, come out and catch up with me! It’s been ages, and I really miss you~”

After a moment’s hesitation, Ran Long agreed. “Fine. The holiday’s long anyway, and I’ve got nothing better to do.”

When the agreed-upon time arrived, Ran Long quickly tidied up and prepared to leave. Suddenly, a notification pinged on her phone. She checked it and saw a transfer of 200,000 yuan from Ms. Hu’s account.

Ran Long had been staying with Ms. Hu for the past few days. When she saw the transfer, she panicked, rushing out of her room and shouting, “Mom! What’s this money for?”

“It’s the money you sent me earlier, saying it was your acting fee. I’m giving some back to you—keep it for yourself.”

“Huh? Didn’t you use all of that to pay off the debt?”

“Sigh, the debt… it’s been there so long, there’s no rush. We can pay it off slowly. What’s important is that we have enough for ourselves.”

Ran Long remained suspicious. Ms. Hu had said similar things before—telling her not to focus so much on the debt and to keep some of her earnings for herself.

But Ms. Hu had never transferred money back to her before, let alone such a large sum all at once.

“Mom, are you sure you’re not going to do anything impulsive or foolish?”

“Silly child! What nonsense are you talking about? How could I…?”

“Are you… absolutely sure?” Ran Long still felt something was off.

“Of course! I’m waiting for An’an to come home for New Year’s dinner! I wouldn’t do anything rash.”

Ran Long rolled her eyes.

Alright, for An’an’s sake, I’ll believe you this time.

Ran Long went to meet Yu Le for their appointment. Yu Le, always generous, had invited her to a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Ran Long had checked the restaurant’s prices beforehand and knew it was exceptionally expensive, even by high-end dining standards. Typically, such exorbitant prices reflect exceptional quality in ambiance, culinary artistry, and service—all top-tier.

The problem was, Ran Long didn’t get enough to eat.

It was partly her fault. During her vacation, she’d fallen into the habit of staying up late and sleeping in. Ms. Hu, trying to save money, had moved to a place far from the city center. By the time Ran Long woke up, she realized that after accounting for makeup and commuting time, there was no time for lunch.

She really shouldn’t have walked into this fine-dining establishment on an empty stomach.

From the amuse-bouche to the main course to the dessert, not a single dish could be eaten in more than two bites. Each mouthful left her craving something substantial, something hearty.

A whole, uncut roasted duck would have been perfect. Or maybe roasted lamb—oh, yes!

Unfortunately, when Ran Long saw that a single forkful could finish the entire plate of pasta, her hopes of getting full were completely dashed.

Ran Long felt embarrassed, but she was truly starving. With such small portions, even someone who hadn’t been hungry all day might not feel satisfied after a meal like this.

“Um… is that all? I’m still hungry,” Ran Long said to Yu Le.

“Have you been deprived of good food for too long? Did you deliberately starve yourself just for this meal?”

“No…”

“Ah, I should have taken you to a buffet! This place serves limited portions, and there’s not much left at this hour anyway. Come with me to a bar instead. I know one that serves top-notch food.”

“A bar?” Ran Long and Yu Le had met at a bar, so going to one tonight wasn’t entirely unexpected. But with her stomach empty, she wasn’t in the mood for alcohol. “You know I’m… somewhat well-known now. Maybe we should go to a café or something?”

“You must be starving! Who drinks coffee this late at night? Don’t worry, it’s a home bar run by a friend of mine—you know her, Song Song.”

“Song Song? She opened a bar?”

“Yeah! And everyone who goes there is from our industry. We just talk business, so no one will make a big deal out of you being there and blab about it.”

Ran Long remained skeptical but texted Song Song to confirm. Song Song replied quickly, confirming she’d be at the bar later.

Relieved, Ran Long agreed to go.

The bar was located in a commercial residential building, discreet and unlikely to attract paparazzi. It was much more low-key than the exclusive clubs Yu Le usually frequented, perfectly reflecting Song Song’s style.

Unfortunately, upon arriving with Yu Le, Ran Long learned that the gas was being repaired that day, so no hot food was available. The only options were bread and dried fruit.

Thankfully, the bread was crispy and delicious. Otherwise, Ran Long would have ditched the date and gone out for a proper meal.

After finishing the bread and dried fruit with a few cocktails, she glanced around and realized she’d emptied several glasses.