Becoming the Comfort Alpha for the Aloof Movie Queen - Chapter 77

Interlocking Fingers

After returning to Baiyu, Liang Ruojing lay alone in her bed, recalling that afternoon during her rut when she had first lain in this bed.

The blankets and sheets had been saturated with the Omega’s pheromones. Lying there felt like rolling through a field of lilies, or like being embraced by Ming Tanqing.

At that time, simply smelling the pheromones on the quilt was enough to satisfy her.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Now, the scents of mint wine and lilies were intertwined upon the bed—ambiguous and warm, serving as a constant reminder of their intimacy.

Yet, Liang Ruojing was no longer satisfied.

Even after sleeping through the night clutching Ming Tanqing’s pillow, she remained unfulfilled.

Consequently, when Liang Ruojing returned home the next day, what Su Jing saw was her daughter wearing an expression of blatant dissatisfaction.

Upon learning that Liang Ruojing was heading back to a film set, Su Jing specially arranged a table of her favorite dishes.

As it turned out, not only did Liang Ruojing find the food tasteless, but she was also distracted while chatting with Liang Can, frequently pulling out her phone and tapping anxiously on the screen.

Su Jing took a peek and discovered that Liang Ruojing was scrolling through Ming Tanqing’s Weibo.

…

Fine then. She had originally intended to ask a few probing questions at the dinner table.

It seemed she could save her breath.

She and Liang Can had surmised correctly—Liang Ruojing liked Ming Tanqing.

After lunch ended, Liang Ruojing prepared to head back to her apartment to pack her luggage, but Su Jing called out to her.

“Liang Ruojing, come to the study with me for a moment.”

Inside the study, Su Jing walked behind the mahogany desk, pulled a carved jewelry box from a drawer, and handed it to Liang Ruojing.

“What is this?” Liang Ruojing took it with both hands and opened it.

Inside lay a jade bracelet. It was flawless and white, looking as bright as the moon against the black velvet lining, emitting a clear glow.

Liang Ruojing immediately recognized it; this was the bracelet Su Jing had worn at her wedding, an heirloom passed down from her grandmother.

“As a return gift,” Su Jing specifically instructed. “Remember to find a good time to give it to Xiao Qing.”

Liang Ruojing looked up, suddenly realizing the meaning behind Su Jing’s expression.

So, they had known all along.

Because the item was precious, Liang Ruojing hadn’t originally intended to take it to the film set.

However, as she packed her bags, it sat by the table. Every time she looked down, she saw it, and it stirred a longing in her heart.

The symbolic meaning of the bracelet made her heart race.

Liang Ruojing opened the box and stared at the white jade bracelet. Not only was it beautiful, but it was also very suitable for Sister Tanqing.

Ming-jie looked good in white; she would surely look stunning in red as well.

With a racing heart and a flushed face, Liang Ruojing tucked the jewelry box into her suitcase.

The second part of The Pursuit of Vengeance was being filmed in a tourist city in the south.

The set was built at the foot of a mountain, and the actors stayed in a nearby hotel nestled against the mountains and water; the environment was excellent.

Some rooms even offered a view of a section of a waterfall from the balcony. On sunny days, a rainbow would arch over it, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty.

Liang Ruojing’s room was on the 7th floor. She had arrived early, landing at 6:00 AM.

After checking into the hotel, Liang Ruojing took her room card and collapsed onto the soft hotel bed to sleep.

On the plane, Tang Yuecen had been surprised and asked why Liang Ruojing wanted to book such an early flight.

Liang Ruojing was too embarrassed to say that after returning to her apartment, she had suffered from insomnia while lying in a bed devoid of the Omega’s pheromones.

It was all because Ming-jie was too busy!

She had thought she could return to Baiyu in the afternoon, but then she received a message saying there was business to attend to, and they would meet at the film set.

Left with no choice, Liang Ruojing booked the earliest flight.

As she drifted off, Liang Ruojing thought about the script reading scheduled for the afternoon, knowing she would see Ming Tanqing then, and fell asleep peacefully.

A few hours later, she was jolted awake by noise coming from the balcony.

The sound of voices mixed with the clatter of moving objects hammered against Liang Ruojing’s eardrums like a mallet.

She sat up grumpily and checked the time with a cold face.

9:00 AM. She had slept for two and a half hours.

The noise from next door persisted—clanging and banging—completely killing any hope Liang Ruojing had of falling back asleep.

—The soundproofing in this hotel was terrible.

With her thoughts in a jumble, Liang Ruojing pushed open the balcony door while still in her pajamas and leaned against the railing to gaze at the distant waterfall cascading down like a white silk ribbon.

Liang Ruojing took out her phone.

Sister Tanqing, I’m already at the hotel. I can see a waterfall from my room.

Liang Ruojing waited boredly for a reply.

Ming Tanqing rarely replied to messages instantly. Just as she was debating whether to call, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“Just put it on the floor for now.”

Even if it was faint and hard to distinguish, Liang Ruojing still recognized the owner of the voice.

At the same time, a notification popped up on her screen.

Sister Tanqing: I’ve arrived.

Sister Tanqing: What a coincidence, I can see the waterfall too.

The neighboring balcony door was pushed open. Liang Ruojing looked up and caught the gaze of the Omega, who was holding up her phone to take a photo.

Ming Tanqing stood in the shadows, dressed in thick winter clothes with a red scarf around her neck. Her long black hair hung down to her waist, fluttering slightly in the mountain breeze.

Liang Ruojing laughed and raised her hand to wave at her. “Sister Tanqing! It’s me!”

Ming Tanqing’s gaze fell upon the boisterous Alpha.

Liang Ruojing looked as if she were in a completely different season, wearing only thin pajamas. Her wide-leg pants were worn like capris, the cuffs stopping short to reveal a segment of her ankle.

“What a coincidence,” Ming Tanqing replied.

At that moment, an assistant’s voice came from inside the room.

“Ming-jie, where should I put the books in this box?”

Ming Tanqing smiled at Liang Ruojing. “I’ll come find you in a bit.”

With that, the Omega returned to her room, closing the balcony door and instantly muffling the disruptive noise.

The second part of filming would last for a month and a half. Ming Tanqing hadn’t brought much—mostly daily changes of clothes.

Aside from that, the bulk of her luggage was a small box of books, consisting of scripts and materials she had used when filming Palace Poetry.

It had been two years since she filmed that movie, and since she had stepped away from the spotlight, many of those materials had been piled up in the studio’s warehouse.

After returning from Lu Chengwen’s house, Ming Tanqing had spent an entire day searching until she finally found them all.

She hoped Liang Ruojing could use them.

The assistant finished tidying up. “Ming-jie, everything is packed.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Ming Tanqing saw the person to the door and asked while holding it, “Is today’s schedule out yet? I haven’t received it.”

The assistant hurried to reply, “It’s in the car! I’ll get it for you right away!”

Ming Tanqing smiled. The corridor was noisy, which effectively covered the sounds coming from inside the room.

She closed the door, and before she could even turn around, she fell into a searing embrace.

The Alpha’s pheromones emerged from behind her, instantly enveloping her entire body.

Liang Ruojing wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her head on her shoulder and mumbling, “I missed you so much.”

Startled, Ming Tanqing struggled to turn around within Liang Ruojing’s embrace.

Looking past the Alpha’s shoulder, Ming Tanqing saw the half-open balcony door.

The Omega’s voice trembled slightly. “Liang Ruojing, did you climb over from the balcony?”

Liang Ruojing admitted it outright, chattering away, “The balconies here are close together, only half a meter apart. I got in with just one jump.”

“Even if it’s close, it’s the 7th floor!”

Ming Tanqing was so angry her chest heaved violently. She had truly underestimated the audacity of the Alpha before her.

Looking at Liang Ruojing’s expression, forget the 7th floor—she’d probably dare to jump from the 70th!

Liang Ruojing stood sheepishly to the side, maintaining a good attitude toward admitting her fault. “I won’t do it again.”

Ming Tanqing crossed her arms and said coldly, “Reflect on your actions properly.”

There was another knock on the door.

Assistant: “Ming-jie? I’ve brought the itinerary.”

With a “click,” the door opened, and Ming Tanqing reached out to take the form.

“Thank you.” The Omega’s tone sounded as if it were laced with ice.

The assistant shuddered.

Wasn’t she fine just now? Why is she angry?

Before leaving, she curiously peeked into the room, and her mind nearly exploded.

The Alpha named Liang Ruojing was sitting on the bed, her clothes disheveled and her hair in a mess.

Liang Ruojing was lectured for half an hour and was eventually kicked out of the room by the Omega—through the front door.

She still had to “reflect properly,” so it seemed there was no hope of sharing a bed tonight.

On the first day of filming, Lin Xiuzhu didn’t schedule any shooting. The actors first held a script-reading session to find the right state for filming.

As the female lead and the person with the highest status in the cast, Liang Ruojing’s and Ming Tanqing’s seats were, as expected, arranged next to each other.

Just because Ming Tanqing was giving her the cold shoulder didn’t mean Liang Ruojing was mute.

Liang Ruojing had figured it out in her notebook.

Sister Tanqing is angry, She is worried about my life, She cares about me, Sister Tanqing likes me too.

Liang Ruojing secretly tore a slip of paper from her notebook and, under the cover of her script, quietly pushed it in front of the Omega.

Ming Tanqing looked down indifferently, her gaze moving from the little slip of paper to the Alpha’s face.

“I’m sorry, I know I was wrong.”

There were even cute emoticons at the end.

The paper was tossed back.

“Be serious.”

Liang Ruojing persistently wrote a few more notes, but without exception, they were all rejected.

Like a high school student, Liang Ruojing propped up her script and peeked at Ming Tanqing.

When she needed to read for a long time, Ming Tanqing would always wear glasses. Her long black hair was tied in a low ponytail, and her side profile was clean and pale, looking incredibly composed behind the frames.

Even though it was just a reading, the Omega was fully invested. Her voice was cold and clear, and her delivery of every line was perfect.

Liang Ruojing pulled her thoughts back and focused on the script reading.

The reading continued until the early hours of the next morning, and everyone gradually grew exhausted.

Ming Tanqing’s voice had gone hoarse, and she would occasionally lower her head to let out a soft cough.

A glass of warm water was pushed in front of her.

Liang Ruojing said with concern, “Moisten your throat.”

Ming Tanqing raised an eyebrow at her. “A glass of water won’t buy me off.”

Despite her words, she still picked up the glass and took small sips.

Suddenly, the LED lights overhead flickered a few times and then went out completely.

The entire meeting room was instantly plunged into darkness.

Someone was startled and began to scream.

Ming Tanqing’s hand jerked, and she forcibly suppressed her inner unease.

In the darkness, a source of heat approached her.

Liang Ruojing took her hand. “I’m here.”

Ming Tanqing remained silent but tightened her grip on the Alpha’s hand.

The assistant director turned on a flashlight and called out loudly, “Don’t leave yet! I’ll go find the hotel management.”

After speaking, he left with Lin Xiuzhu and several other lead creators.

It was now midnight, and since it was currently the off-season for tourism, it was estimated the group would be gone for a while.

From 1:00 PM to midnight, everyone’s phones were essentially on low battery; they couldn’t play on their phones, and they couldn’t read the scripts.

Someone found a flashlight and stood it up in the center of the table.

“So what do we do? Just wait?”

“It’s a bit boring.”

In the darkness, someone suddenly suggested, “Let’s tell ghost stories; the atmosphere is perfect.”

Liang Ruojing was eager to try.

Ghost stories—how nostalgic.

Ming Tanqing froze.

Thinking she had never participated before, Liang Ruojing explained enthusiastically, “When I did social practice in high school, the students would all tell stories together at night.”

Ming Tanqing: “I know.”

But she had never participated.

It was too late; Liang Ruojing had already pulled her to the edge of the table.

Opposite them, someone cleared their throat and finished telling a ghost story in a haunting voice.

“Whoa—!”

“So scary!”

Liang Ruojing listened with great interest, propping her chin on her hand and saying, “This one is actually pretty good.”

She didn’t notice that Ming Tanqing was silently leaning closer to her, their hands now gripped even tighter.

After three stories, the Omega was practically pressed against Liang Ruojing, and their hands had shifted into an interlocking of fingers.

If the lights were on now, Liang Ruojing would see that Ming Tanqing’s face was pale and her long eyelashes were trembling helplessly.

It was Liang Ruojing’s turn.

To create an atmosphere, Liang Ruojing even propped the flashlight under her chin.

“Mm!”

Ming Tanqing couldn’t help herself; she instantly grabbed Liang Ruojing’s arm.

Eh?

Liang Ruojing could feel the Omega shaking.

At that exact moment, the lights came on.

Ming Tanqing let go without a trace. Her thick, long hair hung down, and she appeared as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

Lin Xiuzhu and his group returned, and the script reading continued.

At 2:00 AM, the reading ended. Everyone went out and swarmed into the elevator.

The surrounding people were discussing the ghost stories from earlier.

Liang Ruojing looked down and saw Ming Tanqing’s face growing paler and paler.

The elevator went up, and the other actors got out one after another.

As the crowd thinned, Ming Tanqing remained pressed close to her.

When they reached the 7th floor, Liang Ruojing stepped out first.

Without saying a word, Ming Tanqing followed behind the Alpha like a little tail.

The final stretch of the walk was over, and the two stopped in front of their rooms. When the door opened, the mountain scenery outside the balcony came into view.

The scene that was so beautiful during the day was pitch black at night, appearing as if it were harboring unknown monsters.

Liang Ruojing pursed her lips.

She had to go back to her room and reflect.

“Goodnight, Sister Tanqing. See you on set tomorrow.”

Liang Ruojing turned around, but after taking just one step, her clothes were tugged.

Ming Tanqing pressed her lips together tightly.

“Don’t go…”

Liang Ruojing fell silent.

A thought slowly rose in her mind.

She said hesitantly, “Are you… afraid of ghosts?”

The corridor was empty, and a draft blew from the elevator shaft. Ming Tanqing gripped her tighter and looked up.

The corners of the Omega’s eyes were slightly red.

“Ruojing, stay with me.”