Becoming the Comfort Alpha for the Aloof Movie Queen - Chapter 82

Liang Ruojing’s heart was spacious.

It was late, and it wasn’t suitable to cause too much of a stir.

There was a bar near the film set that had a dance floor, fine wine, and food, which perfectly suited the needs of a small party.

Ming Tanqing was generous with her money, booking the entire bar until 11:00 AM the next day for the cast and crew to eat, drink, and have fun.

Inside the bar, lights and shadows interlaced, and the speakers overhead played soothing jazz as a warm-up.

The birthday song that had been sung once on set was brought to the stage in the middle of the bar once again. A young actor with a background as a singer gave a soulful performance, singing simple lyrics with the intensity of rock and roll.

When the song ended, everyone cheered.

Ming Tanqing sat surrounded by the crowd in the middle of a booth, smiling sweetly and clapping gently.

Liang Ruojing sat blankly at the end of the circular booth. It wasn’t until Yang Jie nudged her arm that she reacted, clapping like a robot.

Yang Jie asked with concern, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Liang Ruojing used the events on set as an excuse to brush it off.

She spoke to Yang Jie, but her gaze fell upon Ming Tanqing not far away.

That young actor had started a trend; afterwards, many others wanted to perform programs.

Ming Tanqing did not refuse and did not judge; she gave a perfect smile and applause to everyone equally.

Under the dim lights, the Omega was like a pearl, emitting a gentle, clear glow of her own, leaving many people staring in a daze.

As Liang Ruojing watched, her heart sank heavily.

Sister Tanqing doesn’t seem to want to celebrate her birthday very much.

The warm-up ended, and powerful dance music began to play in the bar. The beats were intense, vibrating against the listeners’ eardrums.

More and more people were stirred up, finding their dance partners and sliding into the central dance floor in pairs.

Liang Ruojing turned down invitations from others and, taking advantage of the dwindling crowd in the booth, plopped down next to Ming Tanqing.

Ming Tanqing gave her the same smile and asked softly, “Why aren’t you going to dance?”

Liang Ruojing’s heart felt sour and uncomfortable.

She knew Sister Ming was fighting against the world, concealing her inner self in front of outsiders.

Liang Ruojing felt sad for inadvertently becoming an accomplice to the world.

She didn’t want to become “someone else” to Ming Tanqing.

“I’m sorry.”

Liang Ruojing blinked her eyes, reached her hand under the low table, and quietly hooked Ming Tanqing’s finger. “I actually found out yesterday, but Xiao Cao and the others told me to keep it a secret.”

Half of Ming Tanqing’s face fell into the darkness, but the eye looking at Liang Ruojing was full of soft brilliance.

She smiled gently. “Liang Ruojing, you always make me out to be very scary.”

“I won’t blame you.”

“Everyone went to so much trouble to help me celebrate my birthday; what is there to be unhappy about?”

Ming Tanqing lowered her eyelashes and took a sip of the golden-orange liquor.

“Filming has reached this point; everyone needs an occasion to vent.”

Liang Ruojing began to hate Ming Tanqing’s flawlessness.

She pressed, “If you aren’t sad, why aren’t you going to dance?”

Ming Tanqing shot back, her blue eyes bright and sharp. “Liang Ruojing, I thought you knew that the root of my thigh still hurts right now.”

Liang Ruojing admitted defeat and drank an entire glass as if in a huff.

She moved so much that the greeting card stuffed in her pocket restlessly poked its head out.

Ming Tanqing noticed it, leaned against Liang Ruojing, and took the card.

She opened it to see it was empty.

There was only one line: “To Sister Tanqing.”

Liang Ruojing scratched her head. “I thought about it all day and didn’t know what to write. Looking at it now, it’s better not to write anything; I don’t want to add to your troubles.”

Her deep inner emotions were called out directly by the Alpha. Ming Tanqing remained silent and quietly moved a few inches closer to Liang Ruojing.

She… really hated her own birthday.

Liang Ruojing remembered that Ming Tanqing liked sweets, so she asked the waiter for dessert and brought it to Ming Tanqing.

But just as Ming Tanqing picked up a fork to eat, her wrist was grabbed by the Alpha again.

Liang Ruojing’s eyes were stained with the intensity of alcohol as she stared straight at her:

“Sister Tanqing, let’s go out.”

Ming Tanqing raised her head with a calm expression. “Where to?”

“Anywhere is fine, just don’t stay here anymore.”

Ming Tanqing felt her life was gradually spiraling out of control.

No one knew how they had run out of the bar’s back door hand-in-hand.

Ming Tanqing hadn’t done something so childish in a long time; the corners of her mouth curled up, carrying a rare sense of relaxation.

Liang Ruojing looked at her for a moment and said professionally:

“We need to change into more low-profile clothes.”

Half an hour later, two tall figures walked out of the front and back of the hotel where the crew was staying.

They wore ordinary hoodies and jeans, with baseball caps pulled low, revealing only a small section of their smooth chins.

Ming Tanqing subconsciously grabbed Liang Ruojing’s hand, leaned her head against her shoulder, and asked, “Where to next?”

Liang Ruojing felt the square bulge through the pocket of her hoodie.

She tried to adopt a natural tone: “There’s a commercial street nearby. Let’s go wander around there; we can even have a midnight snack.”

It was already past 11:00 PM.

Late March was the off-season for tourism here. Most locals had gone to rest, and there were very few pedestrians on the road.

They perfectly blended into the idle atmosphere of the surroundings.

The two walked side-by-side, their arms occasionally brushing against each other.

The night breeze brushed their faces. Liang Ruojing smelled the faint lily fragrance from the Omega, mixed with the Alpha’s pheromones, which was exceptionally intoxicating.

When her fingertips brushed Ming Tanqing’s for the third time, Liang Ruojing moved her wrist and simply took the other person’s hand.

Ming Tanqing’s hair was blown by the wind. She turned to smile at Liang Ruojing:

“Holding hands only now? I really don’t know what you were waiting for just now.”

When getting along with Ming Tanqing, Liang Ruojing always had trouble finding the right balance.

She was afraid of being too passionate and offensive, yet afraid of being too cold and distant.

But thinking about it, she had already been “offensive” many times before; why worry about it now?

Liang Ruojing comforted herself, brought her five fingers together, and interlocked them with Ming Tanqing’s.

Like a most ordinary couple, they walked slowly through several deserted streets and eventually turned into the commercial street.

Even the commercial street of a tourist city in the off-season was sparsely populated. Most shops were closed, and only a food stall at the intersection still had its sign lit.

Wisps of steam carried an inviting aroma. Smelling it not only warmed the body but also stirred the hunger in one’s stomach.

This stall’s business was good. The inside was already full, and a few more tables were set up on the open space facing the street.

The good seats with bright lighting were taken, but there was an empty table in the corner where the light was dim.

Liang Ruojing immediately pulled Ming Tanqing to sit in the corner.

Ming Tanqing habitually pulled out a tissue and wiped the tabletop in front of her.

A young waitress wearing a red apron approached and asked, “What would you like to eat?”

“Beef sliced noodles, include both scallions and cilantro, no spice.”

Liang Ruojing pushed the menu over. “Sister, what will you have?”

Ming Tanqing shook her head.

Liang Ruojing understood. “Just one portion, and please bring an extra small bowl.”

Liang Ruojing asked again, “Do you have anything sweet here?”

The waitress didn’t even look up. “We have tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) and sweet osmanthus rice wine.”

Ming Tanqing knew Liang Ruojing was asking for her and said softly, “I’ll have a portion of the osmanthus rice wine.”

The clear and pleasant voice reached her ears, and the waitress looked up to size up the person in front of her.

She didn’t think much of it, left the menu on the table, and went inside.

Since it was late and there were few people, the food they ordered was brought to the table in less than five minutes.

The portion of noodles at this shop was very large; the bowl was bigger than a person’s face. Several chunks of beef were piled on the snowy white noodles, sprinkled with a layer of cumin. Scallions and cilantro were chopped fine and floated on the oily, clear soup, emitting wisps of steam in the late spring night.

The beef was stewed until tender, melting in the mouth.

Ming Tanqing nodded slightly and brought the noodles to her mouth.

A feast for the eyes.

That was probably the description of the feeling of eating with Ming Tanqing.

Liang Ruojing held the small bowl and finished slurping it in a short while, her chopsticks reaching in again to grab more.

Ming Tanqing couldn’t help but laugh. “You eat a lot; you should be using the big bowl.”

Liang Ruojing didn’t care at all. “I’m willing to do it. I also hope… Sister eats a bit more.”

The world seemed to have power in words.

After Liang Ruojing finished speaking, Ming Tanqing really did eat quite a lot more.

She leaned lazily back in her chair to digest, holding the osmanthus rice wine in both hands. The sweet syrup slid from the tip of her tongue, sweetening her all the way to her heart.

Ming Tanqing only ate some of it; Liang Ruojing naturally finished the rest.

The waitress came to settle the bill.

Liang Ruojing keenly noticed that there was an excited flush on her face.

Sure enough, she spoke the next second:

“Are you Liang Ruojing?”

She looked at the person beside her, her voice even softer:

“Are you Ming Tanqing?”

Liang Ruojing noticed someone was taking a photo of them and subconsciously used her body to block Ming Tanqing.

Ming Tanqing touched her hand reassuringly and took out her phone to pay the bill.

Liang Ruojing heard the Omega’s explanation:

“We are filming nearby. This is a confidential itinerary, so please do not post it online. If that is your friend over there, please ask them to delete the photo as well. Let’s meet again when the drama airs.”

After speaking, Ming Tanqing stood up. Just as when they arrived, she took Liang Ruojing’s hand and walked away with steady steps.

They didn’t slow their pace until they had turned through three streets.

Liang Ruojing felt that Ming Tanqing’s palm was sweating a lot.

After ensuring no one was nearby, Ming Tanqing took a long breath and smiled at Liang Ruojing like a survivor. “I was scared to death.”

Scared?

Liang Ruojing marveled; it didn’t show at all.

She felt a bit of lingering fear. “Are you okay?”

Ming Tanqing teased her, reaching out a finger to poke Liang Ruojing’s face. “What’s wrong with actors from the same crew having a meal together? Besides, today is my birthday.”

Unknowingly, they walked to an empty plaza, like a community activity center, with fitness equipment, a slide, and swings.

Ming Tanqing hadn’t paid attention in the evening and had eaten too much; she walked slowly to the swing and sat down.

There was another empty one next to it. Liang Ruojing went over as well, her legs straightened, playing with a small range of motion.

There were no streetlights nearby. The moon hung high, casting their close shadows onto the ground.

The surroundings were exceptionally quiet. Liang Ruojing enjoyed her solitary time with Ming Tanqing.

She rubbed the box in her pocket, thinking about that “appropriate time” Su Jing had mentioned.

Suddenly, Ming Tanqing spoke.

“I don’t like my birthday very much.”

Liang Ruojing braked the swing to a halt and looked seriously at the Omega beside her.

The Alpha’s burning gaze gave Ming Tanqing the courage to continue confiding.

“Do you know my official birthday?”

“I know, it’s September 26th.”

Ming Tanqing: “That was the day I debuted. It is the ‘birthday of the actor Ming Tanqing’.”

“Compared to March 29th, I prefer that date. A new beginning allows me to stop thinking about things that happened in the past.”

Liang Ruojing listened and blurted out.

“No matter which date it is, the world received its gift.”

Ming Tanqing smiled, kicked her legs, and began to swing. “Not everyone thinks that way.”

Understanding a person deeply often means bearing her pain.

Liang Ruojing wasn’t afraid. Her heart was spacious; it could accommodate the precious Ming Tanqing and the sad Ming Tanqing.

“Why do you say that?” Liang Ruojing asked, her body urgently leaning toward the Omega. “Is it something about your family?”

The smile on Ming Tanqing’s face faded.

For a few seconds, Liang Ruojing thought she would say it.

At that moment, a piercing flashlight beam swept over the two of them, and the voice of a middle-aged woman came from the darkness: “It’s so late, who’s there!”

Liang Ruojing hurriedly stood up and went forward to explain to the patrolling auntie.

After ten minutes of safety education, the big stars were let go.

Coincidentally, a call from the film crew also came in.

Unknowingly, they had been snuck out for nearly two hours.

Hanging up the phone, Ming Tanqing said to Liang Ruojing, “We have to go back. I’m not taking the blame for this.”

Liang Ruojing hurriedly said, “It’s mine, it’s mine.”

They took a taxi back. The price was marked up to five times the usual rate before a private car finally responded.

Looking at the navigation route on the driver’s phone, Liang Ruojing realized they had walked a very long way while holding hands.

The car stopped at the front entrance of the hotel.

As they were about to enter the main hall of the party, Liang Ruojing suddenly felt reluctant to let go. She stopped in place and hooked Ming Tanqing’s finger.

The Omega turned to look at her. “Didn’t have enough fun?”

Liang Ruojing lowered her head, took a step forward, and trapped Ming Tanqing in her arms. “Mm.”

“I feel a bit that way too.”

Ming Tanqing let go of Liang Ruojing’s hand and scratched the Alpha’s palm with her fingertip.

It was too dark, and Liang Ruojing couldn’t see Ming Tanqing’s expression clearly.

But she felt that Sister Tanqing was looking at her with a smile.

“The stage play will be broadcast the day after tomorrow. Let’s go out together again then.”

Colorful bubbles surfaced in her mind; Liang Ruojing was happy again.

Isn’t this just a date?

Liang Ruojing touched the gift she had failed to give and hurried to catch up with the Omega’s pace.

“Sister Tanqing, wait for me.”