After a Contractual Romance with the Scumbag Movie Queen - Chapter 42

Wrapping up work was already 11 p.m.

The short film shoot had gone unusually smoothly, and the mood on set was quite good.

Qi Puzhi’s acting skills went without saying, she was famously known in the industry for nailing scenes in one take.

As a result, everyone was generous with their praise for Jiang Tian, the newcomer who had unexpectedly performed brilliantly.

Amid the compliments, Jiang Tian remained humble and unperturbed by praise or criticism, responding modestly, “Teacher Qi taught me well.”

Teacher Qi, who had barely taught her anything, wore an appropriate smile on her face, her eyes carrying just the right touch of appreciation.

What a harmonious scene of mutual respect between senior and junior.

Having slept late the night before and worked late into the night today, Qi Puzhi collapsed lazily on the sofa as soon as she returned to her hotel room, not wanting to move an inch.

Jiang Tian took off her coat, hung it on the rack, walked over, and leaned down to look at her. “Is Sister tired?”

As she spoke, she reached out to massage Qi Puzhi’s shoulders.

Qi Puzhi shook her head, gently held her hand, and said softly, “No need, you’re tired too. Go take a shower.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Tian tucked the stray strands of hair beside Qi Puzhi’s face behind her ear, her fingers lightly stroking the skin of her cheek, then leaned in to kiss her.

Qi Puzhi hadn’t intended to dodge, but suddenly remembering a certain unsettled score from earlier in the day, she turned her head aside.

The kiss brushed past her lips and landed on her cheek.

Jiang Tian paused for a moment, then quickly pulled back, asking almost pitifully, “Sister doesn’t want to kiss?”

Qi Puzhi felt that lying on the sofa while Jiang Tian leaned over her, hands braced behind her, wasn’t the best position for settling scores.

So she pulled Jiang Tian down to sit beside her, their eyes now level.

She stared at Jiang Tian, a faint, ambiguous smile curling at the corners of her lips. “Someone was quite the trickster in front of the camera today.”

One of the main reasons she had agreed to join “Cross-Dating” was the thought that teasing Jiang Tian subtly in front of the camera would be fun.

She wanted to see the little wolf cub, despite being full of cunning, unable to do anything about it on camera.

She had enjoyed that kind of fun during the previous episode’s filming.

Who would have thought that this time, Jiang Tian would turn the tables? Today, she had pretended to be still in character to cling to Qi Puzhi and even sneakily kissed her during a fake kiss scene.

It was practically rebellion.

The more Qi Puzhi thought about it, the more she felt cheated.

Jiang Tian blinked lightly, as if seriously recalling what tricks she had played that day.

Under Qi Puzhi’s judgmental gaze, she showed not a hint of guilt. After a moment, she leaned in again, gently rubbing the tip of her nose against Qi Puzhi’s, her eyes curved softly as she said in a gentle voice, “Does Sister feel bullied?”

Whether it was the intimate nose-rubbing, the mingling of their breaths, or the young woman’s cool yet tender voice uttering the words “feel bullied,” everything in the quiet night carried a hazy, ambiguous atmosphere.

In such a mood, Qi Puzhi’s heart unconsciously beat faster and louder.

Her hand lightly pressed against Jiang Tian’s shoulder as she instinctively murmured, “Jiang Tian, be good.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a bit dazed.

“Ye Su, be good.”

These were the lines she had spoken as Pei Ying during the shoot earlier, when Ye Su was drunk and had rubbed her nose against hers just like this.

Seeing the woman’s distant expression, Jiang Tian stopped rubbing noses.

She studied Qi Puzhi’s face, her throat inexplicably tightening as she asked softly, “What is Sister thinking about?”

Qi Puzhi’s lips moved slightly as she answered succinctly, “Ye Su.”

Jiang Tian seemed to have already guessed.

A faint smile tugged at her lips, but her words were far from composed: “Sister is looking at me, yet thinking of Ye Su.”

There was a hint of sourness in her tone.

Qi Puzhi immediately understood the misunderstanding and was about to explain when she saw the young woman’s gaze deepen. Taking advantage of their close proximity, with the tips of their noses almost touching, she tilted her head and kissed her.

This time, Qi Puzhi didn’t avoid it.

Jiang Tian pressed her down onto the sofa as she kissed, her breathing growing erratic, the kiss urgent and demanding.

It wasn’t until Qi Puzhi was nearly breathless, whimpering and lightly pushing her away, that Jiang Tian finally released her.

As their lips parted, amidst the heated breaths, she asked in a low voice, “Who is kissing you?”

Her eyes, dark and intense like obsidian, held a certain stubbornness, as if demanding an answer, whether it was “Ye Su” or “Jiang Tian.”

Yet her expression remained gentle and pitiful, completely unlike someone who had just pinned another down and kissed them fiercely.

Caught in this contradiction, Qi Puzhi’s heart raced.

Seeing the young woman’s adorable, jealous demeanor, she couldn’t help but raise her hand, gently stroking her soft long hair as if soothing a restless puppy.

Once her breathing steadied slightly, she explained softly:

“My words earlier were ambiguous. It wasn’t that I was looking at you and thinking of Ye Su, it was the phrase ‘be good’ that unconsciously reminded me of the lines and scenes from tonight’s filming.”

“I’ve acted in many dramas,” Qi Puzhi said quietly. “But only while filming Light and Shadow did I experience a strange sense of déjà vu, as if I had truly lived through it before, which made the emotions and memories feel more profound.”

Although when writing the script, they had tailored Ye Su and Pei Ying’s personalities and experiences to mirror their own, the sense of familiarity felt unnervingly real.

Jiang Tian fell silent for a moment before saying softly, “Everyone praised my performance today, saying I have a natural talent for acting.”

After a pause, she continued, “But the truth is, I’m a complete novice when it comes to acting techniques. While filming Light and Shadow, I hardly felt like I was acting at all… The lines, the subtle expressions, every movement, they flowed out naturally, like a stream following the contours of a mountain.”

Qi Puzhi gazed at her, momentarily speechless.

During filming, she had privately marveled at Jiang Tian’s performance more than once.

She had vividly portrayed Ye Su’s heartbroken yet restrained expression in her drunken haze.

She had acted out Ye Su’s suppressed sorrow each time she saw Pei Ying the morning after she spent the night at the Li family’s home, so convincingly that even Qi Puzhi, as her scene partner, felt a pang of melancholy.

Qi Puzhi shared these thoughts aloud.

But then she noticed Jiang Tian’s eyelashes tremble slightly, her breathing suddenly growing heavier. Lowering her gaze, Jiang Tian murmured, “Perhaps it’s because I projected myself into the role.”

Qi Puzhi had never seen her like this before, and her heart sank as she began to grasp what Jiang Tian meant.

After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Tian smiled wryly, as if resigned, and met her gaze openly. “Sister, you probably don’t know this, but the first time I saw rumors about you, I got drunk just as foolishly as Ye Su did.”

Her tone was light, her smile unforced, as she calmly recounted the silly things she had done in her youth.

But Qi Puzhi suddenly felt at a loss.

She realized that the expressions that had stirred melancholy in her today while watching Ye Su were, in fact, reflections of Jiang Tian’s own past.

And the truth was, the rumors about her had spread far more frequently than Pei Ying’s visits to the Li family. So, the heartache Jiang Tian had endured might have been even greater than Ye Su’s.

What was worse, she had never once explained herself to Jiang Tian, sometimes even treating it as a joke to tease her.

Being entangled in scandals was once her nightmare, but she had gradually grown accustomed to it from the initial helplessness, panic, and resistance to eventual indifference, even finding it somewhat amusing. As a result, she overlooked the harm it might have caused Jiang Tian.

Qi Puzhi thought to herself, I really am terrible.

Jiang Tian observed the shifting emotions on the woman’s face, her heart aching at the guilt and helplessness in her eyes.

Unable to resist, she leaned in and gently pressed her cheek against Qi Puzhi’s in a comforting gesture, teasing, “Did I seem pitiful just now? I wasn’t trying to play the victim, sister. Just treat it as hearing about my embarrassing moments.”

Qi Puzhi pursed her lips slightly, hesitating as if wanting to speak but holding back.

After a moment, she finally said, “Jiang Tian.”

Her hand slid down Jiang Tian’s arm and eventually clasped her wrist. Softly but earnestly, she murmured:

“Just as Pei Ying only ever had Ye Su, you are the only one I’ve ever had.”

She had always acted nonchalant and detached in front of Jiang Tian, never before uttering such candid words that bordered on a confession.

Jiang Tian hadn’t expected her to respond this way. Stunned, she gazed at the woman, her lightly bitten lips, her sincere yet slightly shy expression.

The person she had waited and yearned for over the years was now baring her heart, leaving the usually composed and effortlessly charming Jiang Tian at a loss, unsure how to react.

A tingling sensation crept up her spine, spreading warmth as hot blood surged through her limbs. Her lips, usually so adept at sweet talk, now felt clumsy and numb. In the end, all she could manage was a soft “Mm.”

The only answer she could give was poured into a fervent kiss.

The Qi Puzhi of the past had been separated from her by years and the distance of an ocean. During those long years of longing, Jiang Tian had feared she might never reach her.

But now, Qi Puzhi was in her arms, lost with her in the intoxicating entanglement of lips and tongues.

It felt like a beautiful dream.

Desire bloomed from affection.

Pressed against the sofa, Qi Puzhi let out a soft protest and pushed Jiang Tian away as the latter nibbled at her neck. “We haven’t showered yet.”

Jiang Tian refused to let go, alternating between gentle and fervent bites, her voice slightly hoarse. “It’s fine… Sister, you smell wonderful.”

In the depths of passion, patience was a luxury. There was no time to wait for a shower.

Caught between her cleanliness and the overwhelming desire, Qi Puzhi indulged her, allowing two rounds of fervent entanglement over their clothes.

In the dazed aftermath, Qi Puzhi’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as Jiang Tian continued to kiss her lingeringly. Hazily, she remembered.

She had intended to settle a score.

Instead, she ended up baring her heart, comforting the other, and surrendering both her emotions and her body.

Really? She thought with frustration, biting Jiang Tian’s cheek in mild annoyance.