The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 41

The best of the daylight vanished like a fleeting moment, and night descended. Lights flickered on in every household, and the clatter of cooking filled the air. Only then did Yuan Chengyin’s work finally come to an end.

Ran Long blocked Yuan Chengyin’s path, affectionately looped her arm through his, and said with a cheerful grin, “Come have dinner with me! My treat!”

Sensing a hint of ulterior motives, Yuan Chengyin pushed Ran Long away and asked, “Why the sudden generosity? What trouble have you gotten into this time?”

“Nothing! What do you take me for, some kind of hooligan? It’s just dinner! Haven’t I treated you before?”

Yuan Chengyin paused to think, then shook his head. “Not very often, actually.”

“…Fine. I need to ask for your help with something. It’s about the script—something serious and professional.”

Hearing it was about the script, Yuan Chengyin immediately agreed, regardless of how serious or professional it might be. “Just tell me what’s up with the script. No need for dinner! I had a late lunch and I’m not hungry anyway. Let’s sort it out now.”

“Great! Let’s head back to the hotel then.”

“Back to the hotel?”

“Exactly, there are too many people here. It’s not a good place to talk.”

Yuan Chengyin was filled with questions, but Ran Long refused to reveal the nature of the urgent matter. Having already agreed, Yuan Chengyin had no choice but to accompany Ran Long back to the hotel.

As soon as the door closed, Ran Long cut to the chase: “Tell me, do you think I’m asexual?”

Yuan Chengyin, who was clearing her throat, choked on her saliva at the question and began coughing violently.

“Cough cough… What did you say?”

Ran Long patted her back and handed her a bottle of mineral water. “Exactly what I said. You heard me clearly.”

Yuan Chengyin caught her breath, took the water, and gulped down half the bottle. “You… asexual? What do you mean?”

Having practically watched Ran Long grow up, Yuan Chengyin felt flustered as the conversation suddenly shifted into high gear. What she couldn’t understand was why Ran Long needed to discuss this with her. As the saying goes, oversharing can be a form of sexual harassment.

“Is this about the script? You’re not going to tell me you can’t handle the intimate scenes, are you?”

“No, no, I’m an actress. Even if I’m asexual, I can still act,” Ran Long said, rubbing her hands together like a fly. “It’s just… could you take off your shirt so I can get into character?”

Yuan Chengyin instinctively raised his hands to shield his chest, making Ran Long look like a complete pervert. The water bottle in her hand, still uncapped, sloshed up and down, splashing both of them in the face.

Ran Long: “……”

Yuan Chengyin: “……”

“Didn’t I tell you? This is for script research! It’s serious business, a legitimate matter!”

“Can I refuse? Besides, why don’t you ask Qiu An for help? I’m not an actor.”

“You’re the director! Helping actors get into character is part of your job, isn’t it? You wouldn’t be having impure thoughts when directing intimate scenes, would you? Just help me out, it’s not a big deal.”

Yuan Chengyin stared at her for a long moment, realizing Ran Long probably had some unresolved issues of her own. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to him about this. He finally agreed, “Alright, but don’t let Qiu An find out.”

Ran Long nodded.

If Yuan Chengyin hadn’t mentioned it, Ran Long would have almost forgotten that Qiu An still harbored a secret crush on him.

“Take it off,” Ran Long said.

“……”

Yuan Chengyin set down his water bottle and drew the curtains tight. He nervously fidgeted with his fingers, wishing it were winter. In winter, he could peel off layers one by one, giving himself time to adjust. But in this sweltering summer heat, once he removed his shirt, there would be nothing left underneath.

“Um… can I have a drink first?”

“Quit being such a fuss! You never acted like this when we changed into swimsuits in the locker room. Afraid I’ll look? What are you hiding?”

Ran Long grumbled, but she thoughtfully turned off the bedroom’s main light and switched on the warm bedside lamp.

“Is this better? Dim enough so no one can see clearly.”

Yuan Chengyin took a deep breath, crossed his arms, gripped the hems of his shirt, and yanked it off in one swift motion.

When Ran Long saw the dark red lace lingerie Yuan Chengyin was wearing underneath, she couldn’t help herself. “Ooh, so scandalous.”

Yuan Chengyin nearly lost her temper, but Ran Long quickly reached out and pressed her hand against Yuan Chengyin’s arm, interrupting her building frustration.

Ran Long stared intently at Yuan Chengyin’s chest, her eyes occasionally squinting in the dim light.

Yuan Chengyin grew increasingly uncomfortable under her gaze, urging, “Well?”

Ran Long didn’t respond, her fingers moving from Yuan Chengyin’s upper arm to her forearm, then down to her fingertips. Her other hand moved to Yuan Chengyin’s waist and stomach.

“A bit of excess fat,” Ran Long commented.

“…I’m not a celebrity. It’s normal to have some extra fat, right?”

“Normal.”

As soon as the word left her lips, Ran Long pressed herself against Yuan Chengyin, their noses nearly touching. Any slight movement would bring them into contact.

Yuan Chengyin gasped sharply, sucking in her breath so hard her ribs threatened to burst through her skin.

Ran Long’s fingers scratched at the clasp of Yuan Chengyin’s bra. Yuan Chengyin held her breath, weakly asking, “I don’t have to take off my bra, do I?”

“Tsk, no need,” Ran Long released her. “Go take a shower and come out wearing a bathrobe, okay?”

“Sure, but why?”

“Just do it. You’re going to shower anyway, so it won’t take any extra time.”

Yuan Chengyin took the clothes into the bathroom, while Ran Long frowned and began to ponder.

This is so strange. I feel absolutely nothing.

It was as if her body had been filled with carbon dioxide, making it impossible to ignite, utterly impossible.

Yet she refused to give up. She decided to control the variables and try again. After all, her strongest urges often surfaced when Qiu An emerged from the shower, smelling fresh and clean.

It’s all this sweltering weather’s fault. Yuan Chengyin’s sweating too much. He smells a bit, and it’s distracting.

Twenty minutes later, Yuan Chengyin emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a bathrobe, smelling wonderfully fragrant.

Steaming water vapor swirled around her, making her resemble a freshly blanched piece of meat, still steaming hot from the pot.

“Sit tight and wait for me. Don’t change your clothes.”

With that, Ran Long dashed out of the room and pounded on Qiu An’s door.

Qiu An opened the door, surprised to see Ran Long standing there. “Xiao Ran? What’s up?”

“Can I borrow your perfume?”

“What do you need it for?” Qiu An asked, already heading toward her suitcase.

“Never mind. Just let me borrow it. I’ll return it soon.”

After grabbing the perfume, Ran Long turned and fled. Qiu An, left without a word, watched her go, then entered the room, her expression darkening.

“Don’t move.”

Ran Long pressed Yuan Chengyin down and sprayed two spritzes of Qiu An’s perfume onto him.

Afterward, she stared at him silently for a moment before slumping away.

Yuan Chengyin remained seated, now doubly fragrant and utterly bewildered.

Ran Long returned the perfume to Qiu An, then trudged back to her own room. She threw herself face-first into the soft, fluffy quilt, her body stiff with despair.

Yuan Chengyin, now saturated with perfume, felt like a piece of meat poisoned and rendered inedible.

Ran Long had given up fighting.

Now, her dilemma wasn’t about lacking experience to perform her role. Instead, she was tormented by the question: Why did she feel nothing for anyone else, yet felt so strongly for Qiu An?

Where had things gone wrong?

Is it that no one else is as beautiful as Qiu An?

Is it that everyone else has extra weight around their waist?

Or is it that her feelings for Qiu An are actually Shen Zixin secretly manipulating her body?

Isn’t that a bit far-fetched? Her acting hasn’t reached such a delusional level, has it?

A knock sounded at the door. Ran Long opened it, her head drooping, and found Qiu An standing there.

“Have you had dinner yet?” Qiu An asked. “Want to go together?”

Ran Long’s stomach rumbled loudly, and she agreed.

As they walked side-by-side toward the elevator, Qiu An suddenly stopped in front of Yuan Chengyin’s room.

“Director Yuan hasn’t eaten either, has he?” Qiu An asked.

“No, he hasn’t,” Ran Long replied. “Let’s invite him too.”

Since there were already three of them, adding two more wouldn’t hurt. When they ran into Sister Hou and Xi Xi, who were also heading out for food, Ran Long waved them over to join the group.

Ran Long chose the restaurant—a local eatery with private rooms, not too far away, that she found on a review app. Steamed pork with rice flour, scorched bamboo shoots, clear broth chicken soup, yellow croaker with pickled mustard greens, and eight-treasure tofu dishes arrived in waves. The dishes, though light in flavor, filled the air with fragrant aromas. The group devoured the food like hungry wolves, burying their heads in their bowls.

Only Qiu An seemed distracted, her appetite lacking as she picked at her food.

Throughout the meal, she had been intentionally, yet subtly, leaning toward Yuan Chengyin. Even when they first entered the room, she had deliberately avoided sitting next to Ran Long, who usually claimed the seat beside her, and instead positioned herself next to Yuan Chengyin.

Someone who doesn’t eat with gusto must have something on their mind, Ran Long thought, dismissing it as a case of lovesickness.

As the pace of eating slowed, Qiu An abruptly set down her chopsticks and asked Yuan Chengyin, “Why did you use my perfume?”

Her voice was soft, yet every word carried clearly across the room, drawing all eyes to her.

Alarm bells rang in Yuan Chengyin’s mind.

What’s going on? After Ran Long left, she had gone to great lengths to remove the perfume scent from her body. She had not only showered and changed clothes but also sprayed her own perfume to mask any lingering traces.

Qiu An, are you a dog?

“Huh? What? Did I?” Yuan Chengyin feigned ignorance, raising her chopsticks to sniff her wrist, then her arm, and even leaning in to smell her armpit.

No scent. Absolutely no scent.

Qiu An glared at Yuan Chengyin, her expression cold and unforgiving.

“Aha ha…” Yuan Chengyin’s mind raced, torn between confessing the truth and doubling down on his act. He chose to have Ran Long back up his lie. “Xiao Ran said, um… she wanted to compare the scents of a few perfumes! Yes! She just sprayed a little of each to test them. Right, Xiao Ran?”

“Huh?” Ran Long, caught off guard, looked confused. “Why would I lie about that?”

Yuan Chengyin’s gaze darted past Qiu An to Ran Long, his eyebrows twitching as he opened the team voice channel: You promised you wouldn’t tell Qiu An!

Ran Long chewed her tofu thoughtfully before replying sheepishly: You just told me not to say anything. You didn’t tell me to lie.

Yuan Chengyin: Why are you acting so innocent now? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!

Ran Long: I have a feeling the one who’s going to die isn’t me.

“Lying?” Qiu An’s voice rose, her chin lifting slightly as her eyes rolled down to peer at Yuan Chengyin with disdain.

Seizing the opportunity during the standoff, Xi Xi quietly transferred the politely untouched chicken leg from the table to Sister Hou’s plate, then snagged a chicken wing for herself.

Sister Hou, clutching the chicken leg, devoured it with gusto, her eyes darting between the trio.

Gossip! Juicy gossip! Being here live, with a chicken leg to savor the drama? Perfect!