The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 37

Yu Le’s hand lingered on Ran Long’s waist, repeatedly lifting the hem of her dress, as if testing the waters or waiting for something.

Ran Long’s consciousness was clouded, her eyes tightly shut, leaving her nearly incapable of resistance. Seeing this, Yu Le reached under the hem of Ran Long’s dress.

Before Yu Le could proceed further, Song Song called out from a distance.

“General Manager Chang.”

The call roused Ran Long slightly. The unfamiliar voice and scent made her uneasy, and her subconscious urged her to struggle against the restraint.

Yu Le raised an eyebrow and glanced at Song Song, who, under that scorching gaze, leaned in close to her ear and whispered something.

After hearing Song Song’s words, Yu Le let out a cold laugh. “It’s him again,” she said.

With that, Yu Le released Ran Long, stood up, and left without looking back.

Song Song glanced at Ran Long, who was still slumped on the sofa, then walked to the window and cracked it open. She straightened Ran Long’s disheveled posture before following Yu Le out.

The warm summer night breeze drifted through the window, carrying away the acrid smell and replacing it with the smoky scent of fireworks mingled with fresh oxygen. The cicadas buzzed noisily. Ran Long finally regained some clarity and opened her eyes again.

She quickly pieced together her current situation, but she couldn’t understand why everyone in the bar had suddenly vanished.

Ran Long didn’t dare dwell on the situation. She had to seize this opportunity to escape immediately. Knowing she was too drunk to walk more than a few steps on her own, she frantically pulled out her phone to call for help.

Ms. Hu. No way. She couldn’t let Ms. Hu know she’d put herself in such a dangerous situation. Not only would she nag endlessly, but Ms. Hu would lock her in the house and forbid her from going out.

Sister Hou. Forget it. Sister Hou was too small and easily confused; she’d likely get herself into trouble trying to help.

Yuan Chengyin. Forget it. She didn’t even know where Yuan Chengyin was.

Xi Xi. Strange. Why did she think of Xi Xi? She didn’t even have Xi Xi’s contact information.

The bar was empty, but suddenly footsteps echoed from the entrance, growing louder with each step, clearly approaching her.

Ran Long swallowed hard, her palms sweating. The dim lighting made it impossible for her outdated phone to recognize her face. She couldn’t even unlock the screen, let alone call for help.

If Party A requests it, Party B must travel to the designated residence and stay overnight.

A clause from the contract Yu Le had given her flashed through her mind, sending a chill down her spine.

Ran Long didn’t dare look up at the person approaching. She crouched down, clinging to the sofa, and huddled in the corner beside the armrest, naively believing that hiding would make her invisible and allow her to survive this perilous night unscathed.

The footsteps stopped nearby. Out of the corner of her eye, Ran Long could see the person’s legs and feet. Designer slacks and casual shoes—all branded, perfectly fitting the image of a “sugar daddy.”

Call the police. My life is at stake. I need to call them now.

Ran Long picked up her phone again, only to find it unlocked and already on the WeChat interface.

She noticed Qiu An’s chat window was at the top, marked with an unread message. When she opened the conversation, Ran Long realized her fingers were trembling violently.

An: Are you at Song Song’s place?

An: Are you drunk?

The person in her peripheral vision took two more steps forward. Without hesitation, Ran Long dialed Qiu An’s number.

Half a second later, WeChat’s default ringtone echoed through the room.

At first, Ran Long thought it was her own phone ringing. But then she realized the sound was coming from the person standing before her.

Ran Long jerked her head up, her eyes widening. Even with a black mask and white baseball cap obscuring his face, the familiar features were unmistakable. Even in the dim light, with her vision blurred by fear, she recognized him instantly.

As if granted a pardon, Ran Long scrambled on all fours to Qiu An, repeatedly calling out, “Qiu An, Qiu An, please take me away from here. Please, Qiu An, please.”

Qiu An crouched down and embraced the disheveled Ran Long, gently patting her back to soothe her. “Don’t be afraid,” she murmured. “I came here to take you home. You don’t need to beg me. It’s all right now.”

Once Ran Long had caught her breath, Qiu An draped her arm over her shoulder, wrapped an arm around her waist to support her, and led her out of the bar.

Ran Long knew her drunken body was terribly heavy. She desperately wanted to cooperate and ease Qiu An’s burden, but her steps were clumsy and erratic, and she repeatedly stepped squarely on Qiu An’s feet.

Qiu An endured the pain without a word.

Ran Long kept apologizing and thanking her, blurting out whatever words came to mind. She wasn’t afraid to show her vulnerability and helplessness to Qiu An; she just wanted Qiu An to know how grateful and sorry she was.

As they rode the elevator straight to the underground parking garage, Xi Xi rushed toward them with a bodyguard in tow.

Xi Xi looked visibly anxious, her breath coming in ragged gasps from her hurried arrival. In a rare display of concern, she asked, “Are you all right, Qiu An? Is Ran Long okay?”

Qiu An noticed the corner of Ran Long’s shirt peeking out from her waistband. Without a word, she tucked it back into her pants.

“Don’t worry, we’re fine,” Qiu An said. “Xi Xi, drive us to Auntie’s place.” Turning to the bodyguard who had followed them, she added, “Please take my car back to the apartment.”

Qiu An helped Ran Long into the car, but Ran Long clung to her shoulder, refusing to let go. After a few gentle words of persuasion, she reluctantly released her grip and allowed herself to be settled into the car.

Qiu An joined her in the back seat. Ran Long’s face lit up with joy. Before Qiu An could even sit properly, Ran Long wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in the crook of Qiu An’s neck. Her nose nuzzled greedily, inhaling the familiar scent of grass and wood.

The bar’s overwhelming mix of smoke, alcohol, and perfume had left Ran Long feeling suffocated and foul-smelling. Thankfully, Qiu An didn’t seem to mind, letting her cling without complaint.

Xi Xi drove out of the parking lot and onto the main road. The steady flow of traffic and the streetlights gradually eased the tense atmosphere.

Seeing that Ran Long had calmed down, Qiu An’s gentle demeanor shifted. “How did you end up in a place like this?” she demanded, her tone sharper than even Ms. Hu’s. Though Qiu An didn’t push her away, her body language spoke volumes.

“Yu Le invited me here,” Ran Long mumbled.

“Yu Le? Who’s Yu Le?”

“Oh, you don’t remember her? We met at a bar once. She’s a manager at Chiye Entertainment.”

Qiu An frowned at the mention of “Chiye Entertainment.” She pressed Ran Long, “Are you close to her? Why would you agree to meet her in a place like this?”

“Why are you being so mean? I won’t ask you to come next time,” Ran Long retorted, her memory of the danger fading now that she was safe. She couldn’t resist teasing Qiu An.

Unfortunately, Ran Long’s teasing backfired.

“Wait for you to ask me? By then it would be too late! Do you even realize how dangerous today was? Do you know who she is and what kind of people she associates with? And you just agree to meet her in a place like this!”

Qiu An’s emotions were running high. Neither Xi Xi nor Ran Long had ever seen her so agitated.

After being scolded, Ran Long let go of Qiu An and scooted away, shrinking into the far corner of the seat. Her eyelids drooped heavily, but her brow remained furrowed and her cheeks puffed out in a pout.

“Don’t yell at me,” she mumbled weakly. “I won’t go out with her again.”

“And cut off all contact with this ‘Yu Le’ too. Understand?”

“But who are you to order me around like that?” Ran Long’s mind was muddled, her words disconnected from their context.

“Ran Long!”

“Alright, alright, I promise! Stop yelling! You’re such a tigress!”

Qiu An glanced at Xi Xi in the rearview mirror. Xi Xi, too afraid to move, gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Finally back home, Ms. Hu saw Qiu An carrying Ran Long, whose face was flushed crimson from drunkenness. She felt a mix of joy and concern. Reaching out to take Ran Long, she was stopped by Qiu An:

“Auntie, which room is Xiao Ran’s? I’ll carry her in. She’s quite heavy.”

Ran Long caught the key word: “Heavy? Me? I’m not heavy! You’re just too weak!”

Ms. Hu scolded, “An’an kindly brought you home, and this is how you talk to her? Cooperate and go lie down properly.”

Hearing the word “cooperate,” Ran Long immediately let go of Qiu An and collapsed to the floor like a limp noodle.

Ms. Hu: “……”

Qiu An: “……”

Perhaps Qiu An had a competitive streak. Seeing Ran Long’s provocation, she wordlessly hoisted the limp woman onto her shoulder and carried her to the bed.

The moment Ran Long touched the soft bedding, she let out a contented hum and clung to Qiu An, who was about to leave, nearly dragging her onto the bed as well.

Qiu An didn’t want to leave so soon either, if Ms. Hu hadn’t been watching.

“Thank you, Qiu An,” Ran Long murmured in her sleep. “It doesn’t matter that you’re fierce, or that you’re weak. And it doesn’t matter that you used to treat me badly. Thank you.”

With that, she planted a loud kiss on Qiu An’s cheek.

Smack! The sound echoed loudly.

Whether from embarrassment or an allergic reaction, the side of Qiu An’s face smeared with Ran Long’s saliva flushed crimson, no less dignified than Ran Long’s drunken state.

Feeling guilty, Qiu An turned to explain to Ms. Hu, but found the older woman’s eyes sparkling with a smile. “Xiao Long really likes you,” Ms. Hu said warmly. “Don’t take her words to heart. She was the one who treated you badly before. Don’t hold it against her.”

“I understand, Auntie. Thank you for taking care of her tonight. It’s getting late, so I should head back now.”

Ms. Hu tried to persuade her to stay. “Why not spend the night? Xiao Long has some clean clothes she bought but never wore. I washed them, but she never got around to wearing them.”

“I won’t stay tonight. I have work tomorrow, and Xi Xi is waiting downstairs.”

Qiu An glanced at the time and gently removed Ran Long, who was still clinging to her neck. Ran Long, already exhausted, didn’t protest or play around. She obediently followed Qiu An’s instructions, lying down on the pillow and pulling the blanket up to cover her belly button.

Ms. Hu saw her to the door. “Alright then. You two girls, be careful on your way back.”

When Qiu An reached the ground floor, she found Xi Xi had lit one of her cigarettes and was smoking. Xi Xi hadn’t smoked alone in a long time and didn’t even buy her own cigarettes, only bumming a few from Qiu An when she smoked.

Qiu An didn’t want Xi Xi to relapse into smoking because of her, and she usually scolded her whenever she bummed a cigarette. But this time, Qiu An let it slide.

Seeing Qiu An come downstairs, Xi Xi self-consciously extinguished the cigarette.

“Thank you,” she said.

“For the cigarette? Just buy me a pack tomorrow to pay me back.”

Xi Xi sensed that Qiu An seemed to be in a good mood.

Looks like she’s already received enough gratitude tonight.