The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 39

Ran Long didn’t consider herself particularly thick-skinned; the world was full of far more shameless oddballs.

Take Yu Le, for example. Just days after their disastrous encounter, he had the audacity to ask Ran Long out again, insisting the whole incident was a misunderstanding.

Determined to avoid putting herself in danger again, Ran Long immediately blocked Yu Le on WeChat. She even refunded his donations on the live streaming platform to prevent him from using it against her later.

Ran Long spent her entire seven-day vacation enjoying delicious meals at Ms. Hu’s house.

After the news of her collaboration with Qiu An and Yuan Chengyin broke, her WeChat contacts, previously dormant, suddenly sprang back to life. These shrewd individuals, bypassing the question of whether the trending news was genuine, immediately sent greetings and even collaboration proposals.

Ran Long naturally pretended not to notice the deluge of messages, ignoring them completely.

Sister Hou also received numerous job offers, but Ran Long was reluctant to make an early return and stir up more media frenzy. After all, going out would only subject her to gossip-hungry reporters, and the work itself wouldn’t be particularly meaningful. It was better to wait until after the film’s release, allowing audiences to appreciate her looks and acting skills. By then, more prestigious and substantial collaboration opportunities would undoubtedly come her way.

Besides, it was a rare vacation during filming.

But a long vacation can be a bit terrifying.

Ms. Hu nagged day and night, and Ran Long also thought, since Qiu An had helped her repay her debts, she was, after all, a benefactor. So she decided to take the initiative and invite Qiu An over for a casual home-cooked meal, hoping to put the past behind them.

But Qiu An, the workaholic who couldn’t function without being busy, was constantly juggling jobs and appearances, leaving her no time for even a simple meal.

What’s with the diva act?! Ran Long grumbled after being rejected three times. If you don’t want to make up, fine!

But with Qiu An unavailable, Ran Long found herself with no one to hang out with.

Yuan Chengyin had been acting distant these past few days, replying lazily to her WeChat messages and acting like he couldn’t care less.

She certainly wasn’t going to hang out with Sister Hou. She refused to be the kind of leader who had no friends of her own, constantly calling subordinates to fawn over her.

In the end, Ran Long spent most of her vacation holed up at home, playing online games. Oh, and of course, she kept her live stream running on the side.

Ran Long got completely hooked on the games. Back when she was streaming regularly, she had to consider which games had the widest audience and which characters she played best. Now, she could finally play whatever she wanted, even if it meant trolling her teammates. After all, people would criticize her no matter what she played, and others would reward her for it.

After several days of intense gaming, the game publisher even contacted her to discuss advertising fees.

Ran Long knew her persistence would pay off.

All those sleepless nights and the facial treatments she’d just gotten were worth it.

Looking back, the seven days had flown by. Just as Ms. Hu was starting to get annoyed with Ran Long, the vacation came to a timely end.

As Ran Long packed her luggage, she noticed Ms. Hu watching her with a restless energy.

“Mom, what are you up to?”

“Can I come to the film set with you?”

This wasn’t some sentimental mother-daughter drama. Ms. Hu was shrewd; she knew Ran Long would see Qiu An on set. Visiting the set would kill two birds with one stone.

“Dream on.”

“Fine, then. Be careful on the road, and remember to take good care of Qiu An.”

“Me take care of her?” Ran Long’s voice climbed to a high pitch.

Qiu An should be taking care of me! she thought.

No, that’s not right. I don’t need anyone’s help! Can’t we just be two independent individuals? All this politeness is ridiculous!

“She’s taken care of you enough. It’s your turn to return the favor. Don’t be so stingy, and help Mom pay her back too.”

“You practically want to adopt her as your daughter! What’s wrong with her showing you some filial piety?”

“Stop talking nonsense!” Ms. Hu said, but couldn’t help chuckling under her breath. “Heh heh, a daughter…”

Just like last time, Ran Long and Qiu An were taking the same flight to the film set. This time, however, their destination was Zhilin.

Their collaboration had become semi-public, and even the most behind-the-curve media outlets were clamoring for a piece of the story. Having learned from the previous gala, Ran Long woke up early to do her makeup and carefully chose a midriff-baring two-piece outfit paired with denim shorts, all to promote the project.

But Qiu An led her through the VIP channel.

“Why are you dressed so lightly? It’ll be cold on the plane.”

“Aren’t there blankets on the plane? What’s the big deal? Wait, our production team has already announced the project publicly, and there are tons of fans waiting at the gate. Why are we still using the VIP channel?”

“Today’s schedule isn’t public. We can’t encourage them to waste their time camping out overnight or buying flight information from scalpers. Besides, suddenly walking through the regular channel would cause chaos for the airport staff.”

Fine, Qiu An had her reasons, and Ran Long had no choice but to go along with it.

Her carefully planned outfit went to waste, leaving Ran Long feeling gloomy. She boarded the plane and immediately fell asleep, trying to catch up on the sleep she’d missed by waking up early.

By the time she woke up, the plane was already landing. She glanced at the thick coat that wasn’t hers and the two blankets draped over her, unsurprised by the familiar sight.

Qiu An’s care for her was relentless, like water seeping into every crack. No matter how Ran Long resisted, she couldn’t escape it.

Whatever, she thought. I’ll just accept it. After all, she’ll be giving me all the money I earn for a long time anyway. I might as well consider it working for her.

It’s only natural for a boss to take care of their employees.

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. These are Sister Hou’s clothes.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?!” Ran Long exclaimed, feeling her emotions had been wasted.

“I didn’t think you’d thank me for something so trivial.”

Ran Long was utterly baffled. Why did this woman always make her so angry? Just a few days ago, she had been thinking about reconciling. Qiu An was definitely doing this on purpose.

Her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her she was hungry.

Fortunately, Zhilin wasn’t as cutthroat as Crossing City, where every inch of land and every second of time were precious. With more relaxed funding, the filming schedule wasn’t as rushed. Since they had no scenes to shoot today, Ran Long decided to take her time getting to the hotel and grab a good meal first.

As lunchtime approached, Ran Long announced she wanted to eat, and the others quickly joined in.

They piled into a car, navigated a few narrow alleys to ensure no paparazzi or fans were following, and then disembarked on a street lined with restaurants.

The others were indecisive, so Ran Long took the lead, scanning the options. After selecting a restaurant she liked, she turned around to find only Qiu An behind her.

“Where did they go? Why are you the only one left?”

“They went to get food, I think.”

“Huh? Where did they go?”

“I don’t know. Sister Hou said she was starving and wanted something quick and high-calorie. Xi Xi said it was Thursday and asked me for fifty yuan before leaving. She didn’t say where they were going.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

“I figured we couldn’t handle anything too high-calorie anyway, so I just let them go.”

I can’t even be bothered to comment. How could anyone just hand over fifty yuan like that?

Ran Long had her eye on a lamb rice noodle shop. She remembered the whole roasted lamb they’d had last time—even though something unpleasant had happened, the meat had still been delicious.

Her stomach growled again. “Let’s eat here,” she said to Qiu An, turning to enter the restaurant.

Qiu An glanced at the promotional image on the shop’s sign, hesitated for a moment, then followed her in.

Ran Long assumed Qiu An was snubbing the small shop as beneath her. But as soon as the rice noodles were served, Qiu An’s tears began to fall.

What the—?!

“Hey, why are you crying? Did I do something wrong? Are there paparazzi nearby? Are you trying to scam me?”

Ran Long reached for the tissue box on the table, then hesitated, worried about the cleanliness of the shop’s tissues. She pulled out two branded tissues from her bag and handed them to Qiu An.

“It’s nothing,” Qiu An said, taking the tissue and wiping her tears. “Just a slight mint allergy.”

“You should have noted that!” Ran Long exclaimed.

“I did note it,” Qiu An replied.

Ran Long glanced down at the two bowls of rice noodles. One was piled high with vibrant green mint leaves, as if they were free for the taking, while the other was completely devoid of any green, not even a substitute leafy vegetable. It was as if the restaurant was saying, “If you don’t eat mint, don’t bother coming.”

The lazy waiter had simply slammed both bowls onto the table without bothering to distinguish which was the mint-free one.

The mint-laden bowl was placed right under Qiu An’s nose, the heat causing the mint’s pungent aroma to waft directly into her eyes and nostrils.

Ran Long quickly swapped the bowls. Qiu An blinked, tears streaming down her face, but she didn’t look upset—almost like she was acting. It was a rather peculiar sight.

“Are there any other symptoms besides the tears? Should we go to another restaurant and grab some allergy medicine on the way?” Ran Long asked.

“No need,” Qiu An insisted. “It’s not serious. No other symptoms. I’ll be fine in a bit.”

“Okay.”

After eating for a while, Qiu An’s tears lessened but didn’t completely stop.

Ran Long asked again if she wanted to leave, but Qiu An still insisted it wasn’t necessary.

“Qiu An,” Ran Long said.

“Hmm?”

“Do you know what ‘S&M’ means?”

Qiu An paused, startled by the question. After a moment, she nodded slowly.

“Huh? That’s so twisted! How can someone know about S&M but not Crazy Thursday?”

Qiu An’s face seemed to flush slightly.

“So, do you think you’re into S&M?”

“I… I don’t think so.”

“Oh~ ‘I don’t think so’? That means there’s room for improvement.”

Qiu An’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but she didn’t reply, as if genuinely pondering the question.

Her thoughtful expression terrified Ran Long, who quickly changed the subject. “Then you can’t use mint toothpaste, right? Do you start crying while brushing?”

“Yes. That’s actually how I discovered my mint allergy.”

Ran Long imagined the scene and burst into laughter.

“So, no more mint chocolate for you either.”

“Mint-flavored chocolate?”

“Yeah, mint chocolate-flavored desserts, like ice cream.”

“If it’s really delicious, I could eat it while crying.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? That’s hilarious!”

As they chatted about trivial things, Ran Long suddenly felt an intensely hostile gaze from her side—the kind that wanted to skin her alive and devour her.

Ran Long followed the gaze and saw two young women sitting side-by-side, staring in their direction.

The girls seemed to recognize them. But why are they glaring at me? Ran Long wondered. Do they think I made Qiu An cry? Do they think I was laughing at her tears?

Ran Long glared back, but the girls seemed to misinterpret her reaction. In an instant, they transformed into two happy puppies, abandoning their meals to trot over to her.

Confused, Ran Long turned to see Qiu An smiling and waving the girls over.

Before she could question Qiu An, the girls had already swept over like a whirlwind.

Qiu An wiped her tears and said, “I’m so sorry, my eyes are a bit sensitive today. I must look a mess.”

“No, no, not at all! You’re beautiful no matter what!”

Qiu An smiled. “Do you have paper and a pen? Would you like an autograph?”

“Yes!” The girls couldn’t contain their excitement, but they lowered their voices at Qiu An’s finger pressed to her lips.

They borrowed paper and a pen from the front desk, and Qiu An signed her name.

The timid one was already thinking about leaving, while the bolder one glanced at Ran Long and asked Qiu An, “Sister, is it true that you’re going to act in a movie with Ran Long?”

The girl’s voice was soft, but Ran Long, standing nearby, could clearly hear her.

As if I’m some outsider they’re gossiping about. Ha! These fans these days—no respect for seniority at all!

“Yes, it’s true,” Qiu An replied with a smile.

Ran Long glared at the fan, her eyes conveying a clear message of dismissal.

The fan, noticing Ran Long’s prolonged stare, inexplicably misinterpreted it as displeasure at being ignored.

“Why don’t… you sign one too?” the fan suggested, but made no move to offer the paper and pen. The two girls had only requested one sheet each, clearly unwilling to have Ran Long’s signature appear alongside Qiu An’s.

“If you don’t want it, don’t bother. Even if I sign it, you’ll just throw it in the trash or sell it on a secondhand site. Don’t think I don’t know.”

Ran Long’s tone was harsh, expecting to intimidate the girl. Instead, the fan simply replied, “True. Never mind then,” and walked away.