The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 8

Watching Ran Long awkwardly enter the classroom, Qiu An smiled, turned, and walked downstairs to Xi Xi’s car.

“In a good mood today?” Xi Xi asked, glancing in the rearview mirror as she steered. Qiu An was smiling, her lips pressed together. When she smiled like that, she looked like a little girl reminiscing about the past.

“Mm,” Qiu An replied cheerfully.

“Because you saw Ran Long?”

“Well, maybe because of Teacher Yaoyao? It’s been so long since I’ve seen her.”

Xi Xi chuckled inwardly. That morning, when Qiu An had gone to see Teacher Yaoyao, she had been so nervous while reapplying her makeup that she had smudged her lipstick.

Meeting old friends brought a flood of memories rushing back.

Ran Long was a second-generation star, entering the entertainment industry at a young age and becoming a beloved child star. As she approached college age, she focused on her studies, stopped taking roles, and ultimately scored high enough to enroll in Ji Ying’s acting program.

It was at this prestigious film academy that Ran Long, Qiu An, and Yuan Chengyin first met, became acquainted, gathered, and slapped each other.

Qiu An was four years older than Ran Long, but she wasn’t her senior.

Qiu An’s status at Ji Ying was never official. She was an uninvited auditor, someone the security guards would chase away if they saw her sneaking into classes.

Ji Ying did offer continuing education classes, but at the time, Qiu An lacked both the money and the academic qualifications to enroll.

Qiu An had dropped out of high school before graduating and left home. After struggling in Hengzhen for a while, she stumbled northward. Her beauty, which should have been an asset for the children of wealthy capitalists, instead brought her considerable trouble. Unwilling to submit to the advances of powerful men who coveted her looks, she spent five or six years running in circles as a background actor, never finding a breakthrough.

Finally, she arrived at Ji Ying, hoping to try her luck and find an opportunity.

Acting classes were never taught in large lecture halls. To ensure quality instruction, each class or session was limited to twenty or thirty students. Seated in a circle, the instructor quickly became familiar with every student’s face.

Sneaking into a class was impossible. Being politely asked to leave was the best-case scenario.

Teacher Yaoyao became her first opportunity.

“Next semester, come to my class. It’s a combined session with two sections, so if you stand in the corner, no one will notice you. I’ll call your name during roll call, so be sure to arrive on time.”

However, on the first day of class, Qiu An was delayed by a film shoot. Then, lacking a student ID, she had to negotiate with security. By the time she finally reached the classroom, she was already late.

Just three minutes after the bell rang, the students were already assembled in the classroom.

Teacher Yaoyao, notorious for her strictness, was known as a “tiger mom.” No one dared to be late for her class.

As Qiu An stood hesitantly at the doorway, Teacher Yaoyao grabbed her and dragged her to the podium. Seeing Qiu An’s tearful, pleading expression, the teacher showed no mercy.

In front of the entire class, she unleashed a scathing tirade.

Humiliated by the scolding, Qiu An wiped away her tears and snot, but they kept flowing. Yet, deep down, she felt a secret sense of relief and gratitude.

Teacher Yaoyao hadn’t exposed her as an outsider. Instead, her classmates would remember her as “that girl who got scolded for being late.”

Standing among the students, Ran Long represented Qiu An’s second chance.

After being scolded, Qiu An stood at the back of the crowd, sobbing. Ran Long, seeing her distress, quietly slipped away from her roommate and stood beside her.

She pulled a fragrant handkerchief from her pocket and pressed it into Qiu An’s hand, whispering, “It’s okay, don’t cry. It’s not worth getting upset over this. She’s famous for being a tiger mom.”

In that class, Qiu An was the one who was late, while Ran Long was the one who stood as punishment at the podium for two hours.

By the end, so many students had been scolded by Teacher Yaoyao that it wasn’t worth remembering. However, the incident where someone called her a “tigress” right to her face, thinking they were whispering but actually being loud enough for the whole class to hear, was rare and hilarious, and it was remembered for a long time.

“The one who likes to chirp at people loudly.”

Blessed by fate, Qiu An received a third chance. But later, she would only regret seizing that opportunity.

Ran Long’s life had been smooth sailing until then. She believed it would always remain that way. Qiu An had thought the same at the time.

The acting studio Qiu An later founded was for children who had experiences similar to her own when she was young.

During her years traveling across the country, working as an extra on countless film sets in Beiji Hengzhen, she had seen too many talented individuals with dreams, buried by a lack of opportunities.

She felt fortunate to have had three chances, to have avoided becoming one of them, and to be able to provide support to these children.

But that didn’t mean she didn’t regret her choices.

Teacher Yaoyao only gave Ran Long two classes a week, and though the sessions were short, they were more than enough for her to handle.

Qiu An’s acting studio was thriving, with classes running from morning till night, resembling a small independent university.

Ran Long took advantage of her status as the studio owner’s “special case,” freely moving between classrooms. She started with the most basic exercises in script reading and physical acting, spending over eight hours at the studio each day.

In the evenings, she still had to go home and stream game boosting for three hours.

To outsiders, it seemed she was working tirelessly for Yuan Chengyin’s play.

Ran Long was so exhausted she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Only she knew that her relentless efforts were partly driven by fear of Teacher Yaoyao’s palm strikes.

Her delicate skin stung terribly from even a single slap.

How old am I? Why am I still studying because of a teacher?

She really wanted to slap Yuan Chengyin and Qiu An across the face.

Fortunately, Qiu An’s studio wasn’t too far from her rental apartment. After enduring a month of this grueling routine, the day for “Big Brother’s” reward finally arrived.

Last time, Ran Long had missed “Big Brother’s” reward because she couldn’t make it home in time to stream. This time, she learned her lesson and borrowed an empty classroom from Qiu An, planning to stream on the spot.

Qiu An happened to be at the studio that day, busy with some unknown task. She personally secured the classroom with the best lighting for Ran Long, even arranging for the evening’s scheduled teacher to relocate.

A table, chair, phone, stand, and a small fill light were all Ran Long had to work with. With such limited resources, she could only set up a basic chat stream.

“Does my makeup look okay?” Ran Long asked Qiu An, who was helping her adjust the equipment, as she tilted her face toward the front-facing camera.

Qiu An adjusted the lighting, cleared away clutter from the background, and stepped closer to Ran Long, scrutinizing her face.

Ran Long grew uneasy under her prolonged gaze. “Have you stared enough?”

Qiu An nodded. “Enough. Your makeup looks perfect—absolutely stunning.”

“You’re not just saying that?”

“I never lie to you.”

“Get lost! Enough with the nonsense! Alright, I’m starting the stream now. Don’t stand there—go find somewhere far away where you can’t hear me.”

Ran Long shooed Qiu An out of the classroom. When she saw Qiu An lingering by the door, clearly wanting to interfere, Ran Long had to chase her away again.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s not like you haven’t heard me before.”

Ran Long remembered Qiu An mentioning she had witnessed her earlier, disastrous streams. Little did Qiu An know, back then Ran Long had been awkward and restrained. Now, hmpf, she was a total pro.

But the thought of Qiu An seeing her acting so coquettish and artificial made her reconsider. Better not.

“It’s not about being shy or not,” Ran Long said. “Your presence here is distracting me. Don’t keep me from making money.”

As Qiu An walked downstairs, Ran Long returned to the classroom, locked the doors and windows, and started her live stream.

“Hello, hello! I’m late! Sorry for keeping you Ranqi waiting…”

By the time Qiu An left the studio, dusk had already fallen. The summer solstice had passed, and even the night air felt mild. Apartment buildings surrounded the studio on all sides, and a gentle evening breeze carried the comforting aroma of home-cooked meals.

Braised pork ribs, fish-fragrant eggplant, and stir-fried shrimp.

This is how life should be, Qiu An thought. Something that seems so simple, yet feels so luxurious to me.

Seeing that Qiu An wasn’t getting into the car, Xi Xi grabbed a light jacket from the backseat and offered it to her. Qiu An waved it away. “I don’t need it. It’s not cold tonight.”

“There’s still a bit of a breeze,” Xi Xi insisted.

“Was I always this delicate?” Qiu An asked, her tone tinged with self-mockery.

Xi Xi, tired of arguing over such pointless remarks, returned the jacket to the car. When she came back, she was carrying a pack of cigarettes, a windproof lighter, and a smartphone.

Qiu An took a cigarette from the pack and handed it to Xi Xi, who lit one herself.

“Smoke less,” Qiu An said, watching Xi Xi’s practiced movements as she lit her cigarette.

“Save that advice for yourself.”

“Little assistant, stop acting so high and mighty.”

Xi Xi paused for a moment, then looked up to meet Qiu An’s gaze. Seeing the barely concealed amusement in her eyes, she burst out laughing first.

So Xiao Ran’s been imitating me all along? Even veteran actresses stumble sometimes.

“Your imitation is terrible,” Xi Xi said honestly.

“Then how should I say it?”

“Mind your own damn business! Leave me alone!”

The two women doubled over with laughter, clutching their stomachs.

Though the line was crude, Xi Xi couldn’t help but think: Boss Qiu hasn’t laughed like this in ages.

Ran Long might be annoying, but if Qiu An could keep laughing like this, Xi Xi would let her do as she pleased.

As their laughter gradually subsided, the glowing embers between their fingers flickered in the twilight. A wisp of smoke trembled from Qiu An’s beautiful lips as she exhaled with a sigh. The exhale carried a hint of nostalgia, contentment, helplessness, and even a touch of regret.

She glanced at the phone in Xi Xi’s hand, the one that belonged to her, and nodded slightly.

Xi Xi understood immediately. She picked up the phone, opened a flashy page filled with scrolling comments and heart emojis, and held it out to Qiu An.

The person on the screen brightened at Xi Xi’s arrival, raised their voice to a high-pitched, coquettish tone, and gushed, “Boss Qiu! Long time no see! You’re finally here! I’ve missed you so much!”

Qiu An glanced at Xi Xi.

Xi Xi’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly pointed to her ear, hidden beneath her hair, and said, “I have my headphones on. I can’t hear anything.”

To Xi Xi’s surprise, Qiu An took her seriously and reached out to brush aside her hair to check.

How rude! Xi Xi thought. Even subordinates shouldn’t be treated like this! She stepped back to dodge the hand and abruptly changed the subject. “Are we still giving out rewards today?”

“Mm, just half the usual amount.”

“Understood.”

“But you said you couldn’t hear anything,” Qiu An persisted, refusing to let go of her.

“Spare me, Sister Qiu An! I’m just a lowly assistant. If you didn’t want me to hear, you shouldn’t have left your phone with me.”

“Do you think Xiao Ran is cute?” Qiu An pressed, relentless.

Xi Xi’s heart leaped into her throat. She ventured cautiously, “Cu… cute?”

Wrong answer. She received a sharp glare.

“No, no, no! Not cute at all. I’m old-fashioned; I can’t stand those squeaky voices.”

“I’m not talking about her voice. I mean her as a person.”

“Then even less… cute. Honestly, Sister Qiu An, I’m a straight woman through and through. I don’t have any ulterior motives. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have entrusted me with this task.”

“Fine. Leave the phone here and wait for me in the car.”

Heh heh heh. Who else but you would fall for that crazy woman? It’s a miracle I don’t throw up just looking at her, let alone find her “cute.”

Xi Xi mentally collapsed a little as she walked away.

Ran Long’s assistant seemed to envy her, unaware that her own boss was no saint either.