Becoming the Comfort Alpha for the Aloof Movie Queen - Chapter 31

Stirring the Imagination

It was enough to stir one’s imagination.

Having filmed until 3:00 AM the previous night, Liang Ruojing did not wake up until 10:00 AM.

Inside the living suite, Ming Tanqing, dressed in a loose morning gown, sat by the hotel window sipping black tea.

A beauty paired with golden light; her snow-like skin was dusted with a layer of gold. The gown barely reached past her knees, and as she sat, it pulled up a fraction higher. Her legs were dazzlingly white, and the sinking curve of the fabric was enough to stir one’s imagination.

Watching from the side, Liang Ruojing felt her face flush.

She wondered if it was just her imagination, but Ming Tanqing seemed much more relaxed in her presence now. Having lived together for many days, this was the first time she had seen Ming Tanqing completely at ease. Nestled in the sofa and basking in the sun, she looked as lazy and adorable as a cat.

Liang Ruojing’s gaze was burning, making Ming Tanqing feel heated all over.

Without lifting her head, Ming Tanqing asked, “Did the milk tea suit your taste?”

Liang Ruojing was startled, then realized: “Ming-jie, you were the one who ordered the late-night snack last night?”

Ming Tanqing remained noble and cold: “Didn’t you say you had a night shoot?”

Because she said there was a night shoot, there was a night snack to eat? Even during her senior year of high school, Liang Ruojing hadn’t received such treatment from her own family.

A trace of a smile flickered at the corner of Ming Tanqing’s mouth. She had already moved past the emotions of the previous night; for an adult, emotional regulation is a required course, and she rarely allowed negative feelings to affect her for long.

Liang Ruojing, however, was still a bit stiff.

Ming Tanqing asked her a few questions about her experience filming yesterday. Liang Ruojing replied simply, being extremely economical with her words, as if fearing that saying too much would lead to another mistake.

Ming Tanqing was puzzled.

The Alpha had received the scarf, and the night snack had been delivered—wasn’t the olive branch obvious enough? Surely, she didn’t have to be the one to speak up and ask. Looking at Liang Ruojing’s gaze, it was anything but “calm as still water.” Did she really not want to be close to her?

Ming Tanqing thought of the rumors she had seen online. Among “CP fans,” every one of Liang Ruojing’s on-screen pairings was treated as real, spoken of with such conviction as if even if they weren’t together now, they must have loved each other deeply in the past.

As Ming Tanqing thought of this, her pale grayish-blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

Liang Ruojing sat next to the Omega as if nothing were wrong, but in reality, her head was reeling from the scent. She had been out filming all day yesterday with only a single scarf to supplement her pheromones; her lily concentration was dangerously low, and she was dying to hold the Omega’s nape and inhale.

Maybe… she should ask?

Liang Ruojing cleared her throat: “Ming-jie, do you want to refresh the temporary mark? I might have to film until very late again tonight.”

Ming Tanqing gave her a faint look. “No, the gland is still very painful.”

“Very painful?”

Ming Tanqing nodded.

Liang Ruojing panicked slightly: “Then should I help you apply medicine, Ming-jie?”

Ming Tanqing glanced at her: “I found a doctor to apply it yesterday.”

This… this…

Liang Ruojing looked up and couldn’t help but immediately notice Ming Tanqing’s lips, which were pink and full. Desires began to stir.

Ming Tanqing spoke in a hauntingly soft voice: “I have to go out this afternoon. The base manager has arranged a dinner party, and there will be many Alphas at the table.”

Was the hint not clear enough?

Liang Ruojing understood—she was afraid people would smell it! Such meticulous thinking! As expected of Ming-jie!

Ming Tanqing sat there leisurely. She had her pride; it was the Alpha who had rejected her the day before, so now she wanted the Alpha to bring it up personally.

Ming Tanqing waited patiently for a few seconds.

Liang Ruojing stood up. The Alpha’s hair color was light, appearing even more dazzling in the sunlight. Ming Tanqing had long thought Liang Ruojing was good-looking, but now she was discovering more of her “cute” side.

To her surprise, Liang Ruojing took a few steps back.

“Then I’ll go prepare the isolation patches.”

Ming Tanqing: “…”

She had also discovered… her “idiotic” side.

Liang Ruojing’s shoot started at 1:00 PM. She spent several hours in the hotel applying isolation patches, and before leaving, she neatly lined them up on the hotel coffee table, fearing Ming Tanqing wouldn’t have enough pheromones to absorb.

In her view, the matter was simple. When she had been in her heat period, Ming Tanqing had helped her; it was only natural to return the favor.

Today continued the good weather of yesterday, and they were still filming outdoors. You Qian’s absence had significantly slowed the crew’s progress. Sun Ying’s role didn’t have much screen time; her appearances were mostly in the early to mid-stages. The character was important but had few scenes—”small but refined,” all effective scenes designed to attract fans.

For a newcomer, such a role was a “sweet pastry”—low effort but rewarding. But for an established actress like You Qian, Sun Ying was merely an option to maintain her popularity. Even the production assistants noticed, complaining privately.

“She was walking the red-carpet last night. Has time to show her face but no time to be on set.”

“Well, she’s famous. If the director hasn’t said anything, we shouldn’t either.”

Hearing this, Liang Ruojing felt another wave of turmoil in her heart. With such “flawless jade” before her, how could she possibly bridge the gap between Sun Ying and You Qian?

Sister Tang had said long ago that Liang Ruojing’s style of acting solely on raw talent would eventually hit a bottleneck. She had gone to great lengths to get her into The Grudge for this reason—Tang Yuecen wanted to use the hand of a world-class director like Lin Xiuzhu to properly refine Liang Ruojing.

Unfortunately, Tang Yuecen’s hopes were destined to fall through.

“Cut.”

Lin Xiuzhu lifted her eyelids and looked at the sweating Liang Ruojing in front of her, her tone indifferent: “Take a fifteen-minute break, then we’ll shoot the next take.”

Huahua frowned and ran over to hand warm water to Liang Ruojing.

In weather that was barely 0 degrees Celsius, Liang Ruojing was drenched in sweat under the spotlights. One could imagine the psychological pressure she had endured over the past two hours.

They were currently filming a scene where Han Jiahe goes out alone to the hospital to visit the victim’s family. The scene was in two parts. One part was inside the ward gathering information; the dialogue was simple, and the emotional fluctuations were small. Liang Ruojing passed that in one take.

The other part was in the small hospital garden, where Han Jiahe was trying to coax information out of the family. This was a dialogue-heavy scene; the biggest action was the family member pushing Han Jiahe once. Other than that, it was all dialogue, where even a single look contained complex emotions.

Liang Ruojing had already filmed 12 takes.

Lin Xiuzhu had her brow furrowed the whole time, consistently unsatisfied.

Seeing Lin Xiuzhu and the assistant director looking at the monitor, Huahua whispered indignantly to Liang Ruojing, “Sister Jing, did you offend Director Lin somehow? Every take look about the same to me.”

Liang Ruojing unbuttoned a button of her shirt with one hand and took a deep breath. She had expected a day like this since watching the documentary. But she hadn’t expected it to be this grueling. Lin Xiuzhu placed extreme importance on dialogue scenes and didn’t mind grinding through them take by take.

Liang Ruojing didn’t care; it was just an “NG” (No Good). She was long past the stage of thinking NGs were embarrassing. But Lin Xiuzhu never said exactly what she was dissatisfied with. She would just call “Cut” and have the actors do another take until she finally nodded.

The actor playing the victim’s relative was also wearing thin and had to touch up her makeup midway.

Liang Ruojing felt a bit guilty: “Xiaoyu, I’ve dragged you into this.”

The Omega actress playing opposite her was a second-tier actress named Yu Youyou, who looked pure and lovely.

“It’s okay! Sister Jing, I’m your fan!” Yu Youyou leaned in and whispered, “Actually, I also feel like every take of yours is great. Director Lin is just too strict.”

Liang Ruojing smiled bitterly: “Xiaoyu, let me treat you to dinner tonight as a thank you.”

Yu Youyou laughed: “Sure! I actually have a gathering with friends tonight, why don’t you come along, Sister Jing? I’ve wanted to invite you since the day we joined the crew.”

A flash of hesitation crossed Liang Ruojing’s face; she wasn’t particularly fond of socializing. Well, Ming-jie is out this afternoon anyway…

Liang Ruojing looked at the Omega: “Alright, where is it?”

The break ended, and a new take began. Liang Ruojing sat on the bench, watching the sun in the distance begin to sink in the west. If they kept getting NGs, they would have to film this part again tomorrow.

Thinking of this, Han Jiahe’s gaze took on a hint of unbearable impatience, her tone becoming urgent, even somewhat aggressive.

Lin Xiuzhu stared at the monitor. “Cut, this take is a pass.”

The assistant director cheerfully called out, “Good work everyone! Everyone worked hard, that’s it for today.”

Liang Ruojing felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted and collapsed onto the bench.

Liang Ruojing went back to the hotel and showered. She specifically checked the room next door; indeed, no one was there. The whole room had a faint floral scent; she must have left not long ago.

Yu Youyou had agreed to meet Liang Ruojing in the hotel lobby.

The Alpha emerged from the direct elevator wearing a sharp, short-styled trench coat, a black shirt paired with washed denim jeans, and her flaxen-colored long hair tied in a low ponytail. She looked radiant yet dashing—truly a stunning appearance that commanded attention.

Yu Youyou greeted her enthusiastically. “Sister Jing, wearing this to a bar, people will be exploding your WeChat asking for your contact info.”

Liang Ruojing took it as a mere compliment and awkwardly pulled the red-and-white checkered scarf around her neck a bit higher.

To her surprise, what Yu Youyou said was the truth. The place where her friends were gathering was a bar near the film base. Rumor had it the owner was a CEO of a domestic entertainment company, and it was opened specifically to serve people in the industry.

The first floor was a dance floor, and the second floor had private booths—the levels were clearly defined. Whether one wanted to seek pleasure or discuss business, there was a corresponding place.

It was just past 7:00 PM, and the dance floor was already packed with writhing bodies. The lights flickered inconsistently, and waves of sound hammered against the eardrums. The crowd here was mixed, and the smell of pheromones was overwhelming.

Liang Ruojing’s head began to ache slightly, and she couldn’t help but bury most of her face into Ming Tanqing’s scarf.

Yu Youyou pulled her hand and led her inside.

Liang Ruojing shouted over the noise, “Are we going to the second floor?”

“The second floor is so boring! We’re just at a booth on the side.”

Liang Ruojing looked over and immediately recognized several familiar faces. The actors from the same crew recognized her and stood up to tell the people next to them. “Xiaoyu is impressive, how did she manage to pull Sister Jing out?”

Liang Ruojing gave a sheepish smile and was forced to join the drinking games they were playing.

Within ten minutes, the waiters had delivered three rounds of cocktails, all specifically designated for the “Alpha with flaxen hair.” The young people nearby cheered, “Sister Jing, you’re so charismatic.”

More and more people recognized Liang Ruojing, and for a time, over a dozen young actors were drawn to this area to play games. Liang Ruojing was good at small games; after several rounds, she had only had one glass of a cocktail. In contrast, Yu Youyou made several mistakes and was forced to drink several times in a row. She was laughing, and the friends beside her were laughing even harder.

This entire atmosphere was not something Liang Ruojing enjoyed. She was just about to leave when she saw an Alpha trying to hit on Yu Youyou, his hands not being clean. Yu Youyou was frowning, but she couldn’t break free. Her friends were busy playing games and hadn’t noticed.

Liang Ruojing sighed. After helping out, she would decline any further invitations.

Liang Ruojing stepped forward and pulled that male Alpha away. “She’s unwilling, why force it?” Her eyes were clear and bright, standing out exceptionally in the chaotic bar.

“Sister Jing!” Seeing her come over, Yu Youyou dove toward her.

Liang Ruojing quickly caught her and sent her back to her Omega friends.

The male Alpha clicked his tongue: “Why act like a ‘good student’ after coming to a bar? Is this your business? Why interfere?”

Liang Ruojing already had a headache from the smoke, and now being hit by the pheromones from the Alpha, she couldn’t help but take a step back. “It isn’t my business. I’m leaving now.”

However, perhaps because the disgust in her eyes was too glaring, the Alpha became fly-blown with rage and raised his palm high.

Yu Youyou cried out: “Sister Jing! Watch out!”

Liang Ruojing turned her body and dodged. When the Alpha tried to attack again, Liang Ruojing grabbed his arm firmly, making it impossible for him to break free.

Liang Ruojing’s tone was icy: “If you keep causing a scene, I’m calling security.”

At this moment, the male Alpha caught a whiff of the faint pheromone scent on her, snorted, and slunk away.

Liang Ruojing straightened her wrinkled clothes with a blank expression. The lily scent on the scarf was already sparse, and after being tainted by that foul Alpha, it was even fainter. Liang Ruojing folded the scarf with heartache, holding it in her arms like a treasure.

Yu Youyou was stunned for a few seconds before cheering: “Sister Jing is so cool! She’s the Alpha of my dreams!!”

The surrounding young actors joined in the cheering, shouting Liang Ruojing’s name louder and louder, like a fan chant.

Liang Ruojing had no heart to stay any longer; she made a random excuse and planned to leave. As she walked out, people kept trying to strike up conversations with her.

All of this was witnessed by someone in a booth on the second floor.

The base manager laughed twice: “Young people these days are very energetic. That person looks familiar, are they from Xiuzhu’s crew?”

Lin Xiuzhu nodded.

Beside her, Ming Tanqing sat in silence. Her head was lowered, her gaze focused on the Alpha being surrounded like a star by the moon downstairs.

The base manager didn’t notice the Omega’s gaze and continued to reflect: “This Alpha is quite popular.”

Ming Tanqing’s face was grim as she suddenly stood up.

The manager asked hurriedly: “Tanqing, where are you going?”

The Omega’s voice was cold, though her pace was slightly hurried.

“To get some air.”