Becoming the Comfort Alpha for the Aloof Movie Queen - Chapter 51

Lying on Liang Ruojing’s lap.

The fountain where they were chatting was far from the crowd, and no one heard what the two were talking about.

They only knew that when Liang Ruojing returned, she suddenly entered the zone rapidly.

The look in her eyes as she watched Sun Ying was practically spitting fire.

That gaze—one look and you knew there was resentment smoldering in her chest, a desperate urge to distinguish right from wrong.

The emotion contained in Liang Ruojing’s eyes wasn’t necessarily what Lin Xiuzhu had envisioned. But since it achieved the effect of “flickering eyes and complex emotions,” Lin Xiuzhu let that take pass.

The good state continued, and the several subsequent pickup shots were also completed in a single take.

During the evening break, after Liang Ruojing finished removing her makeup and came out, she was stopped by the assistant director.

A middle-aged woman in her 40s, she winked at her.

“Xiao Liang, what did Tanqing say to you? The effect was so remarkable!”

The Grudge required many micro-expressions; if a single look was off, the emotion conveyed by the entire take would be worlds apart.

Liu Wen was certain that Ming Tanqing had told Liang Ruojing a secret for her to pick it up so quickly. She also wanted to hear it so she could explain scenes to actors in the future.

Liang Ruojing’s expression stiffened.

It felt as if the sensation still lingered on her neck.

Closing her eyes, her mind was full of Ming Tanqing’s eyes.

In the past, Liang Ruojing thought those eyes were like gems, like the blue sky. Today, for the first time, they felt like the ocean. The ocean on a misty morning—mysterious and dangerous.

The assistant director was eager to learn and asked again.

To her surprise, a strange flush rose on Liang Ruojing’s face. Mumbling “she just asked a few questions,” she quickly ran away.

During dinner time, the crew took a break.

Most of the staff were indoors, gathered for dinner. Very few people remained on set, only a scattered few who were tidying up equipment.

Liang Ruojing had already searched one area and hadn’t seen Ming Tanqing anywhere.

She stopped a stagehand delivering meals and asked, “Do you know where Sister Ming is?”

The stagehand pointed in a direction. “Teacher Ming should be resting in her motorhome.”

Liang Ruojing immediately ran over and found Ming Tanqing’s motorhome according to the license plate number.

She tapped lightly on the door, and a muffled voice came from inside.

“Who is it?”

“Sister Ming, it’s me, Liang Ruojing.”

“Come in.”

Liang Ruojing nervously tidied her clothes and pushed the door open to enter.

Inside and outside the vehicle were two different worlds.

The heating was turned up high, making it as warm as spring.

After moving a few steps, Liang Ruojing was already sweating, so she took off her coat and held it neatly in her arms.

In contrast, Ming Tanqing was dressed heavily, with more than half of her body buried in a wool blanket. Her expression seemed somewhat weary; her brow slightly furrowed.

Liang Ruojing looked back and saw dinner placed on the small dining table. The rice and dishes were open, and there was oil on the chopsticks—she had eaten, but only a single bite of each.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Liang Ruojing squatted in front of the sofa, looking up to try and meet Ming Tanqing’s gaze.

The Omega shook her head. “I just don’t have an appetite.”

Before she could finish, Liang Ruojing reached out and suddenly covered Ming Tanqing’s forehead.

She murmured to herself, “It’s a bit cold…”

Ming Tanqing extended two fingers and took the “dog paw” off her forehead. “Your hands are so hot; you wouldn’t be able to tell if someone had a fever anyway.”

“Then what should I do? I’ll go get a thermometer.”

After saying this, Liang Ruojing really wanted to get off the bus.

Ming Tanqing had no choice but to stop her: “I’m not sick. Just a headache and no appetite.”

As of today, she had been filming continuously for five days. Often, she would start scenes in the early morning and continue until the stars filled the sky.

Ming Tanqing had been home bound due to illness for a long time and hadn’t filmed with such high intensity in ages. No matter how excited her spirit was to be back under the spotlight, it couldn’t overcome her physical exhaustion.

She had filmed location scenes all afternoon today; the wind was strong in the twelfth lunar month, and it even started snowing near the end. Wearing a thin costume, she had developed a bit of a headache from the wind.

Watching from across her, Liang Ruojing frowned as if she could feel it herself.

“Sister Ming, let me massage it for you then.”

“Massage what?” Ming Tanqing laughed in spite of herself. Her requirements were low; she was actually happy just to have someone to talk to.

Liang Ruojing was already full of drive. She rolled up her sleeves, the thin muscles of her forearms tensing in elegant lines.

“Acupuncture points. I learned massage for a role before,” Liang Ruojing raised her chin as if seeking credit. “The master who taught me praised me for learning well, saying I could even open a shop.”

Ming Tanqing suppressed a smile. “Then why did you become an actress?”

At this moment, Liang Ruojing’s brain actually became sharp. “Being an actress is good; I get to meet Sister Ming.”

While Ming Tanqing was lost in thought, the Alpha had already squeezed onto the sofa, forcefully occupying more than half of it. She patted her thigh, signaling Ming Tanqing to rest her head on it.

Ming Tanqing glanced at Liang Ruojing’s face. There was only a desire to show off her skills.

What on earth was she suspecting…

She hesitated for a moment, then slowly lay down on Liang Ruojing’s lap.

For the first time in her life, the experience was quite novel. She didn’t know if all Alphas were like this, but Liang Ruojing’s thigh felt slightly springy; there must be muscle there. She wondered how the feel compared to abdominal muscles.

“Sister Ming can close her eyes.”

Liang Ruojing lowered her head and began to admire her again. Sister Ming was so beautiful even lying down.

Ming Tanqing closed her eyes.

Having lost her vision, her other senses became more acute.

Liang Ruojing held her chin, lifting it slightly, probably to adjust her posture. Then, a sound came from beside her ear. The Alpha’s fingers were warm as they brushed past her ear, meticulously tucking her hair away.

Perhaps because space was tight, her wrist accidentally brushed against the tip of her nose. The scent of peppermint flooded her nasal cavity, and Ming Tanqing’s body felt light; even before the massage began, her headache had eased slightly.

Then came the real massage. Two hands opened, covering her head, with thumbs resting on her forehead, rubbing gently.

“Sister Ming? How is it?”

The Alpha’s voice drifted down from above.

Ming Tanqing opened her eyes and saw Liang Ruojing’s serious gaze—her eyelashes lowered; her lips slightly pursed.

It wasn’t so much that the massage was working as it was the intimate contact between the two, and the pheromones the Alpha couldn’t help but leak out. Soft and warm, Ming Tanqing closed her eyes again, letting her mind and body flow with the surrounding minty scent.

It felt like taking a hot bath; her spine relaxed, and every cell spoke of ease and comfort.

Liang Ruojing’s gaze was focused, and she was happy to see a smile appear at the corner of the Omega’s lips.

It actually works. Just like the piano, learning this was so worth it.

Enjoying it, Ming Tanqing did not skimp on her praise: “You’re quite multi-talented.”

Liang Ruojing: “Hehe.”

Thanks, Mom. Thanks, crew.

An Alpha’s mood can change just like that.

On second thought, Liang Ruojing’s tone became inexplicably resentful. “And yet you still call me ‘little’.”

Ming Tanqing opened her eyes, her blue eyes filled with a helpless smile. “Holding a grudge like this? Wasn’t it to help you get into character?”

Being stared at, Liang Ruojing seemed unable to resist and turned her face away. “So Tanqing doesn’t think I’m little?”

“What did you say?” Ming Tanqing spoke, the end of her sentence rising with a hint of danger.

Liang Ruojing felt guilty herself. Recently, she had been observing on set and heard Lin Xiuzhu and the assistant director call her that every day. Chewing on it privately a few times, she found the name really was beautiful.

Tanqing. It suited Sister Ming so well.

“You Xi calls you that too…”

Ming Tanqing said faintly, “You Xi is 30.”

“If you were 27, you could call me that too.”

Liang Ruojing didn’t want to. If she were 27, she would follow Qi Lin and Tan Wei and call her “Xiao Tan.”

Liang Ruojing continued the massage, with a somewhat fawning intent. “Sister Ming, can I call you Tanqing-jie?”

“There are too many people in the crew; everyone calls you that. You won’t even be able to tell which one is me.”

Ming Tanqing specifically opened her eyes to give Liang Ruojing an elegant eye-roll. Actually, the timbre of her voice was very easy to distinguish. The scent, too.

She closed her eyes. “Whatever you like.”

The peppermint-scented pheromones became joyful along with their owner’s mood.

She really was young. Ming Tanqing remembered when she was 23; aside from not being ill, there seemed to be no difference from now. It was also acting, socializing, living…

The only variable was still Liang Ruojing. In just two months of being together, her life was already filled with this Alpha.

Liang Ruojing massaged for a few more minutes. She had only learned one set, and after finishing it, she had no more tricks left.

“Tanqing-jie, I’m finished.”

The Omega remained with her eyes closed, her long lashes drooping as if she had fallen asleep.

Liang Ruojing leaned in and quietly placed her hand over Ming Tanqing’s face. So small—one hand really could completely cover it.

To think that just a year ago, Ming Tanqing was still unattainable in her heart. Her lips didn’t seem this upturned before—like a cat’s—soft to the touch and sweeter than any candy.

Liang Ruojing lowered her head and gave her a quiet peck.

It wasn’t until five minutes later that Ming Tanqing opened her eyes. She acted as if she had just woken up.

The life of continuous filming lasted for a full week.

It wasn’t until 8:00 PM on the eighth day that they finally finished reshooting all the footage ruined because of You Xi.

Liang Ruojing accompanied her the whole way, watching Ming Tanqing’s silhouette with heartache. No matter how many clothes she wore, she still looked thin in her eyes.

Ming Tanqing smiled and called the staff and actors on set to her.

“Everyone has worked hard. Tonight, I’m treating the whole crew to supper.”

There was a burst of cheers, and everyone wrapped up happily.

Although the heavy snow predicted by the weather forecast was a few days late, it still arrived in this southern city of Huafeng. In the past week, as soon as evening fell, heavy snow would flutter down from the sky, drifting like goose feathers and blanketing the earth in pure white.

Although it was called supper, Ming Tanqing booked a hotpot restaurant. The weather was cold, making it perfect for eating steaming hotpot.

Including all stagehands and artist assistants, the entire crew totaled 234 people, filling the hotpot restaurant to capacity.

The creative team of The Grudge sat separately in a private room. The staff was basically all there, each chatting about topics that interested them.

Ming Tanqing went back to the hotel to change clothes and was going to be a few minutes late; she specifically told the others not to wait for her.

By the time she arrived, the waiters had already served the first wave of dishes. On her way to the private room, she was delayed for a while being asked for autographs. When she pushed open the door, the room was filled with the pungent smell of hotpot.

There was an empty seat next to Lin Xiuzhu, reserved for her. Seeing Ming Tanqing enter, everyone rose to greet her and invite her to sit.

Ming Tanqing looked around and noticed a peppermint-scented figure was missing.

“Where is Liang Ruojing?”

The assistant director thought for a few seconds. “Xiao Liang took a call; it seems her family called. She should be out on the balcony now.”

Ming Tanqing nodded, signaling she understood. “Everyone eats first. I have something to discuss with my manager.”

On the balcony, Ming Tanqing’s “manager” was on a video call with her family.

Liang Ruojing wasn’t afraid of the cold; wearing a coat over her sweater, she had been leaning on the railing chatting for fifteen minutes. Today was the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the “Little New Year” in the North. Her family had made a special call to ask about her recent situation.

A narrow phone screen was filled with both Liang Can and Su Jing.

Su Jing frowned. “Why are you wearing so little again? Don’t think that just because you’re an Alpha, your constitution is good. Your bones will ache just the same when you’re old.”

Liang Ruojing nodded perfunctorily; Su Jing said such things every winter. Because Liang Can’s legs were bad—reportedly due to soaking in water as a child—Liang Ruojing was being warned by association.

“Nannan, did you eat tangyuan?”

Liang Ruojing blushed. “Mom! I told you not to call me that. How old am I now?”

“No, I’m eating hotpot outside. A senior is treating.”

She hadn’t yet revealed the news of Ming Tanqing playing Sun Ying to her family.

Su Jing nagged for a few sentences, and seeing this, Liang Can took over the conversation.

“So when will you be finished? Can you come home for the New Year?”

Liang Ruojing made a calculation. The major scenes had all been filmed; what remained were a few high-emotion climax scenes, including the confrontation at the old factory and the final reversal. At the current pace, she should be able to make it.

Liang Ruojing spoke conservatively: “I’m not sure yet. I’ll contact you once I’m released from here.”

Su Jing nodded.

Liang Ruojing waited for a few seconds, still unable to resist revealing a little: “This drama is definitely going to be a hit. You guys can’t even imagine who’s here.”

Su Jing gave her daughter a look. “Who? Ming Tanqing?”

Liang Ruojing was shocked. “Mom, how could you guess it was her?”

Su Jing pointed her finger. “There, she’s right behind you.”