The Green Tea Actress Has Too Much After-Show Drama - Chapter 9

After being drilled by Teacher Yaoyao for so long, Ran Long even began to look forward to Qiu An finding time to give her a private lesson.

But by the time Yuan Chengyin came to assess her progress, Qiu An still hadn’t kept her promise.

She did visit the set frequently, but always rushed in around dusk, just before class ended, making a quick tour of the teaching building before hurrying away.

Ran Long couldn’t help but marvel at how diligently her boss played the role, even going out of her way to find things to do.

“Teacher Yaoyao, your school schedule must be pretty light, huh? How else could you find time to give me extra lessons every week?”

“You silly girl, what kind of question is that? It’s almost the end of the semester—how could I possibly be free?” Teacher Yaoyao replied while packing up her things.

“Then you’re using your precious free time to teach me? Your husband and kids must be missing you terribly! Did Sister Qiu’an offer you an irresistible hourly rate? Is that why you can’t resist the allure of money?” Ran Long clung to Teacher Yaoyao’s arm, playfully teasing her.

Qiu An, standing nearby, shot her a sharp glance. Ran Long refused to back down, glaring right back.

“Your Sister Qiu’an is indeed very generous,” Teacher Yaoyao said.

“You’ve fallen for her trap!” Ran Long exclaimed. “She invited you here to work for her just to experience being your boss! She was scolded by you so much as a student—now she’s getting her revenge!”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Teacher Yaoyao retorted. “I’d love to retire peacefully, but the thought of you throwing away everything I taught you makes my head ache and my heart race. I can’t afford to relax.”

Ran Long pouted. “Oh, Teacher Yaoyao, you shouldn’t be so career-driven at this stage of your life. Don’t try to be like Sister Qiu’an—she’s in her prime for pushing herself! Speaking of which, Sister Qiu’an, if you’re this busy, won’t you have to keep running off for endorsements even after joining Director Yuan’s team? If you’re really this swamped, have you considered letting someone else take your place?”

This was the one point Qiu An wouldn’t budge on. “You’re overthinking it. Hurry up and start rehearsing.”

Qiu An grabbed Ran Long’s arm, pulling her away from Teacher Yaoyao and toward the camera Yuan Chengyin had already set up.

Ran Long stiffened at the touch, subtly pushing Qiu An’s hand away.

Qiu An glanced at her but remained silent.

Ran Long hadn’t forgotten her acting fundamentals, but she was rusty from lack of practice. With Teacher Yaoyao’s guidance, she quickly reviewed the theory and practiced the techniques, soon regaining her lost skills.

Yuan Chengyin operated the camera while Teacher Yaoyao watched attentively from the sidelines. Ran Long, sensing the weight of the moment, immediately focused and slipped into character.

Ran Long and Qiu An performed smoothly, completing each scene in a single take.

The casting director cheered enthusiastically, but Yuan Chengyin remained silent, offering no comment.

She turned to Teacher Yaoyao, speaking in a low voice the actresses couldn’t hear, “Teacher, what do you think?”

“Their individual performances are fine, but the chemistry between them feels off. What’s your take?”

“Hmm… the chemistry isn’t quite there yet. But this is more about feel, and it’s hard to adjust in such a short time. They need more time to develop their connection.”

“Aren’t they still at odds? All that ‘Sister Qiu’an’ sweetness sounds so forced. When you girls were close, you never acted like this.”

Yuan Chengyin nodded with a wry smile. Teacher Yaoyao’s insight remained as sharp as ever.

She replayed the footage repeatedly, racking her brain for hours. Suddenly, she slapped her forehead, realizing that the final casting decision wasn’t hers to make.

“Xiao Ran, first of all, congratulations on passing the audition. But there’s an issue we need to resolve before filming begins. The relationship between your characters is… complicated. Their minds and bodies are constantly in a state of being both close and distant…”

“Tch.”

Ran Long could guess what Yuan Chengyin was about to say next, and she felt a mix of annoyance and impatience.

“Ran Long! Don’t be so disrespectful! Listen carefully to the director!” Teacher Yaoyao, noticing her irritated expression, sternly reprimanded her.

Damn, I forgot Teacher Yaoyao was still here.

Ran Long shrank her neck and feigned meekness. “Sorry, Director Yuan. Please continue.”

“…You’re both excellent actors, so I’ll have higher expectations during the actual filming. You’ll need to convey even the subconscious reactions between your characters to the camera. Xiao Ran, I’ll send you a more complete script later. I want you to let go even more.”

Ran Long was puzzled. She thought she had already let go quite a bit.

During the audition, she had allowed Qiu An to grope her waist and buttocks without slapping her or accusing her of being a pervert.

After everyone dispersed, Yuan Chengyin created a private group chat with Ran Long, Qiu An, and the screenwriter.

The screenwriter sent the latest script to the group chat. Ran Long downloaded it, read it through, and her vision went dark.

More accurately, her vision went yellow.

Even before her first audition, Ran Long had known the general storyline of The Sound of Falling Leaves.

She understood that the characters’ exploration of their bodies and sexuality would inevitably involve some boundary-crossing touches.

She also knew the contract clearly stated there would be intimate scenes, including but not limited to kissing and physical contact.

But she never imagined the scale would be this extreme!

Leaving aside the adult interactions, the youthful lovemaking between the Painter and the office worker wasn’t just a fleeting flashback; it occupied a significant portion of the script!

This third-rate director and sleazy screenwriter are so vulgar!

Super Malevolent Woman: @I’ll Get Rich OvO @Too Lazy to Name, can I call the police and have you two arrested?

I’ll Get Rich OvO: It’s not my fault! I didn’t write the script! OVO

Too Lazy to Name: Suit yourself.

An: What’s wrong?

This Qiu An… What’s it got to do with you? Why pretend to ask “What’s wrong” like you don’t understand? Are you lacking comprehension skills? You’re the most promiscuous one here, so why act all innocent in front of everyone else?!

Super Malevolent Woman: @I’ll Get Rich OvO, you’ve drastically changed the script. I demand a pay raise.

I’ll Get Rich OvO: No major changes! This is just a more complete version!

They’re just taking advantage of her and Sister Hou being industry newbies, aren’t they? What a bunch of scumbags.

Apart from her, none of these people in this group are decent!

Ran Long hadn’t been sleeping well these past few days. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw two women writhing and entwined on the bed, tirelessly contorting themselves into shocking poses.

Even in her dreams, she didn’t dare look closely at the women’s faces, terrified of recognizing someone familiar.

Ran Long wasn’t homophobic; she had even harbored a vague crush on a woman once.

But now, she didn’t particularly like women anymore, especially these loathsome, wicked women in front of her.

The thought of having to act out that kind of scene with Qiu An—half-naked, groping each other…—made her feel nauseous, almost homophobic.

On the day of the script reading, Ran Long left home with dark circles under her eyes.

“Oh my god, how did you get those dark circles? Come here, let me cover them up again,” Sister Hou said, pulling out concealer from her bag. She held Ran Long’s face and applied the concealer liberally, then asked, “What happened? Couldn’t sleep?”

“Yeah, every time I think about having to do those intimate scenes with Qiu An, I have nightmares.”

“You can’t just say things like that! We’re professional actors now,” Sister Hou warned, adopting her manager persona, but inwardly she thought:

Please, that’s Qiu An!

What’s there to complain about acting in intimate scenes with Qiu An? This is what countless people dream of!

“Sister Hou, hurry up and become a super-amazing manager. Once you can get me better roles, I won’t have to suffer through this anymore.”

Please, that’s Qiu An!

Ran Long thought, I could do intimate scenes with anyone else, so why her?

“Director Yuan’s crew is top-tier. If you do well on this project, you’ll have access to any resources you want in the future.”

Ran Long got out of the car with a gloomy expression. Many crew members had already arrived.

Sister Hou, unable to participate in the table read, planned to sit outside and catch up on work.

In a momentary lapse of attention, she thought she saw a familiar afro disappear into the crowd.

Impossible. I must be seeing things.

More people had arrived than Ran Long had anticipated. In addition to her, Qiu An, the director, and the screenwriter, the producer, supporting actors with significant roles, the camera crew, the sound team, and even members of the costume and props departments were present.

Ran Long realized then that sabotaging a project could be such a serious, elaborate affair.

The group filed into an empty conference room where the tables had been removed. The director and screenwriter took center stage, while Ran Long and Qiu An sat on either side.

Behind them, the various departments arranged themselves in order of seniority and relevance, the bustling crowd settling into a sizable circle.

When Yuan Chengyin cleared his throat, the murmurs, chair scraping, mosquito swatting, and leg-jiggling noises vanished instantly. The previously jovial crowd turned their full attention to him, ears perked, awaiting his instructions.

Ran Long glanced sideways at Yuan Chengyin, her expression calm, as if she were accustomed to such scenes.

Truly a great director, she thought. Her leadership is remarkable.

“If there are no further questions, let’s begin.”

Ran Long called out, “Wait a moment, Director Yuan. There’s a printing error on this page of my script.”

Knowing they would be working together for a long time, Ran Long addressed Yuan Chengyin respectfully as “Director Yuan” in front of the group, rather than using his given name.

The script she had received had some pages with blurry, difficult-to-read text. She leaned forward to peer at Yuan Chengyin’s copy.

“Can’t read the text?” Yuan Chengyin asked. “We have extra copies. I’ll have one brought over.”

With a gesture, Yuan Chengyin signaled her assistant, who approached with a spare script.

Ran Long stood up, placing one hand on Yuan Chengyin’s shoulder for support as she reached across her to accept the script from the assistant.

The assistant was standing slightly behind Yuan Chengyin, bringing Ran Long’s outstretched arm very close to him, well within social distancing norms.

The brief pause during the script exchange, lasting only a second or two, resembled an ambiguously intimate embrace.

Yuan Chengyin stiffened, awkwardly retreating a step.

Ran Long was puzzled. As friends, she’d never seen Yuan Chengyin publicly announce a relationship, nor had they ever touched. What was there to hide?

After sitting down, Ran Long buried herself in the script, but she felt a chill on the back of her neck, accompanied by the rustling sound of sharp glances from her side.

In that moment, she felt as if her head were a lump of floral foam, now bristling with a bouquet of daggers.

Taking advantage of a pause in her script review, Ran Long glanced up through half-lowered eyelids, letting her peripheral vision take in the scene.

As expected, Qiu An was radiating a hellish aura, as if she wanted to devour everyone in the room alive.

Yuan Chengyin also seemed restless. Noticing Ran Long’s prolonged silence, she asked, “What’s wrong? Are there still issues with this script?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. This one’s good.”

Ran Long answered, deliberately shifting her gaze to Qiu An’s face as she looked away.

As expected, their eyes met.

Ran Long shivered at the icy murderous intent in Qiu An’s eyes, quickly lowering her head to avoid that ferocious glare.

Was this really necessary? We didn’t even touch or kiss!

Wait a minute… Could it be that Qiu An’s flirtatious advances toward Yuan Chengyin had been genuine?