The Aloof Film Queen Gets Entangled by a Sweet Little Omega - Chapter 15

I Heard That Green Dragon Lost Her Wife

Stepping out of the high-speed rail station, Qi Ran hailed another car.

Shi Rui and her mothers got into the vehicle. Ming Qing hopped along, intending to follow them, but Qi Ran grabbed her by the hood of her sweatshirt.

“You can’t let me drive back with an empty car. Sit with me,” Qi Ran insisted.

Ming Qing shot her a glare and grumbled, “You talk too much,” but she got into the car anyway. Rong An and He Qianqian followed closely behind.

Shi Rui sat in the back seat with her Mammy, while her Mother took the passenger seat. Not long after the car started moving, her Mother couldn’t resist asking, “Xiao Rui, are you dating anyone at school?”

“Mother!” Shi Rui’s face flushed instantly. She hugged her Mammy’s arm tightly, remaining silent for a moment as she leaned against her. After a while, she whispered, “I’m not telling you yet.”

The driver chuckled upon hearing this. “Look at that shy face; she’s definitely dating someone.”

Shi Rui’s Mammy looked down at her daughter in her arms with a smile, stroking her head. She asked gently, “If you have a partner, remember to tell your family. Don’t hide it from me and your mother. We are very open-minded, and since you’re grown up now, we won’t interfere anymore.”

Shi Rui thought about it. Deep down, she longed to reveal that she was dating her Sister, but she remained hesitant. She was afraid that a sudden confession might affect her Sister, and she feared that Ming Qing’s suspicions might actually be true. After careful consideration, she kept her lips sealed.

The car soon arrived at the restaurant. As Shi Rui stepped out, she saw Qi Ran and the others arriving as well and quickly gestured for them to head inside.

It was an awkward time—too early for dinner but too late for a snack. If they didn’t eat, they’d be hungry, but they weren’t hungry enough for a full meal. They decided on a quick fast-food meal while discussing where to go next.

The primary goal of Shi Rui’s Mammy and Mother for this trip was to accompany Shi Rui; the food was secondary.

Halfway through the meal, Qi Ran checked her phone, and her brow furrowed instantly. She stood up quickly and bid them a smiling farewell. “Aunties, I have something to take care of, so I have to head out. I’ll show you around properly next time if there’s a chance.”

“Oh, alright. Work comes first. Go ahead; sorry for the trouble today.”

Mammy looked at her warmly, thinking she was a lovely person. Only the Mother remained cold and didn’t say goodbye. Fortunately, there were many people present—especially the chatterbox Ming Qing—so the tension went unnoticed.

“I’m off,” Qi Ran said coolly, though it wasn’t clear who she was addressing. She grabbed her phone and walked past Ming Qing without looking back, her silhouette looking quite “cool.”

Ming Qing clicked her tongue at the retreating figure and whispered to Shi Rui, “See that? She’s showing off.”

“Huh?” Shi Rui didn’t understand the metaphor. Ming Qing just smiled and didn’t explain further.

After finishing their meal and resting briefly, they prepared to head out. They had packed their bags that morning, so they checked the routes and decided to take a tourist bus, which would take them directly to the foot of the mountain.

“I heard there’s a dragon on Mt. Chiqing,” a sweet, thin voice chirped on the bus.

Shi Rui sat by the window with her Mammy beside her and her Mother behind her. She pretended not to hear the comment, appearing calm.

The Mother watched Shi Rui’s reflection in the window. She seemed no different than usual.

And yet, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“It’s all fake, just a made-up story,” someone argued. Soon, the entire bus was buzzing with conversation, as several elderly passengers joined the debate.

“It’s real! When I was little, I heard my great-grandmother say there’s a dragon on this mountain. It’s been lying on the peak for hundreds of years. I heard it was injured while transcending a heavenly tribulation.”

“Nonsense! There’s no such thing as a tribulation. Don’t fall for superstitions. I heard the real story is that she got caught in a ‘ghost wall’ and couldn’t find her way out, so she just stayed there.”

“Oh? And your story isn’t superstitious?”

As the two grey-haired ladies nearly came to blows, a plump woman chimed in, “Actually, she’s waiting for someone.”

As soon as she spoke, the bus erupted in laughter. No one believed her.

Shi Rui didn’t listen closely to the chatter. She simply gazed out the window. The scenery here gave her a sense of familiarity, though she couldn’t place why.

Ming Qing, sitting in front, peeked through the gap between the seat and the window. She hissed a few times to get Shi Rui’s attention. Once Shi Rui looked over, she asked, “What are you looking at?”

Ming Qing had been observing her for a while. She felt that “Little Bunny” seemed a bit melancholic today, giving her the strange urge to hand her a pair of wired headphones to cheer her up.

Shi Rui leaned toward the seat and whispered, “Qingqing, don’t you find this place familiar?”

“I do,” Ming Qing admitted frankly. Shi Rui’s eyes lit up as she pressed, “Why do you find it familiar?”

“I’m a sheep. Every mountain looks familiar to me,” Ming Qing replied. Shi Rui froze for a second, then slumped back, feeling deflated.

Thinking Shi Rui didn’t believe her, Ming Qing added, “It’s just like how Qianqian thinks every ocean belongs to her family.”

To prove her point, Ming Qing pulled up a random picture of the ocean on her phone and nudged He Qianqian. Before she could even ask, He Qianqian asked excitedly, “Qingqing, how do you have a photo of my house?”

Ming Qing tossed an “I told you so” look at Shi Rui. Shi Rui forced a smile, feeling even more spiritless.

For some reason, she felt that wasn’t it.

Noticing her low spirits, Mammy stroked her hair. “Tired?”

Shi Rui immediately forced a bright smile and shook her head. “No, Mammy. I’m just a little carsick. I’ll be fine once we get off.”

“I see. If you’re carsick, let’s open the window a bit. The breeze will help.” With that, Mammy reached over and cracked the window open.

The wind of Mt. Chiqing squeezed through the narrow gap of the window, scrambling to brush against Shi Rui’s face. The stray hairs around her ears traced the invisible shape of the breeze. She instinctively reached out to grab at it, asking almost impulsively, “Why can’t I catch it?”

“Oh, you silly girl,” Shi Rui’s Mammy said, finding her daughter adorable. She pulled her into a half-hug, swaying her playfully and saying dotingly, “Did the sun during military training bake your brain? Have you turned into a silly little rabbit?”

“The sun says: ‘That’s great, now I have a pan to stir-fry with,'” Ming Qing’s voice suddenly chimed in, making everyone burst into laughter. Shi Rui laughed along with them.

Only the Mother sat silently in the back, her gaze fixed steadily on her precious daughter.

She was her daughter, after all; how could she not notice that the little one had something weighing on her mind?

The Ascent

At the foot of the mountain, they checked their tickets. Everyone pulled out their phones to open the QR codes, scanned them, and passed through the turnstiles.

When they were driving toward it earlier, the mountain hadn’t seemed that tall. But now, standing at its base, they were suddenly struck by their own insignificance.

Shi Rui strained to look up toward the peak, causing her hat to fall to the ground. Her Mother, standing behind her, picked it up, patted off the dust, and placed it back on her head, finally speaking: “Let’s go. Let’s head up.”

The maple leaves of this season had already begun to turn red. Some had drifted to the ground, paving a path up the mountain.

Shi Rui stepped on them, and the crisp crunch-crunch beneath her feet sent a jolt of satisfaction through her, like a small electric current. She wanted to stomp on more, but the road was long, and she couldn’t afford to waste her energy playing.

“Auntie, do you usually like mountain climbing?” Ming Qing asked. She had great stamina, chatting away while she climbed. Mammy, however, was already panting after a short distance, replying in segments: “Occasionally… I mostly… prefer shopping.”

Chu Ye, hearing this, finally let out a long-awaited smile. She supported her wife as they continued upward, teasing her: “You’ll have to come exercise with me every day from now on. You’re out of breath after such a short walk.”

“What are you saying in front of the children?” Shi Zi’s face flushed even redder. She swatted her wife’s hand away and hurried a few steps forward to lean on her daughter. “Sweetie, are you tired?”

“I’m not tired, Mammy,” Shi Rui said, using her hand to fan her mother. “Mammy, do you want to take the cable car? I can go buy a ticket for you.”

“I’m not taking it! Why would I take a cable car? My stamina is great,” Mammy insisted, before turning back toward Ming Qing. “Qingqing, are you tired?”

Seeing her mother act this way, Shi Rui couldn’t help but press her lips together to hide a secret smile. Mammy is quite cute.

The Legend of the Green Dragon

The group was young and energetic. They pushed through until they reached the halfway point before stopping to rest.

Oh, and by then, Mammy was being carried on Mother’s back.

Once they sat down, some drank water while others massaged their sore legs. Shi Rui looked up and saw her Mammy gently rubbing her leg too. “Mammy, do your legs hurt?” she asked curiously.

“Yeah,” Mammy whispered mischievously, “Your mother pinched me.”

Chu Ye had just bought several bottles of ice-cold water at the mid-mountain shop. Walking over just in time to hear that, she pressed a cold bottle against her wife’s cheek and ruthlessly exposed the truth: “It was those first few steps that wore your Mammy out. Xiao Rui, can’t you tell?”

“Tsk.” Losing face, Mammy glared at Chu Ye. Chu Ye stopped talking and simply nodded, mouthing the words: Fine, fine, fine.

Shi Rui had watched their public displays of affection for over a decade, but for some reason, she felt embarrassed today. She pretended to drink her water and gazed at the distant mountain peaks.

Sitting next to them was the plump auntie from the bus. She was on a video call, standing up and walking around with her phone. “Look,” she muttered, “it hasn’t changed at all. It’s exactly the same as before.”

Hearing that she seemed very familiar with the place, Shi Rui’s eyes widened. She turned to look at Ming Qing, who immediately understood the signal. As soon as the plump auntie came back, Ming Qing slid over and greeted her with a grin. Shi Rui also inconspicuously moved closer.

“Auntie, are you climbing the mountain alone?”

“Yes. Are you all out here as a family?” the auntie asked, putting away her phone.

Ming Qing shook her head and pointed to Shi Rui and the two women across from them. “They are a family; we are her roommates. The weather was nice today, so we decided to come for a stroll.”

“Ah, yes, the weather is lovely today.”

“Is this your first time here, Auntie? This mountain is really tall,” Ming Qing prodded.

The auntie smiled, replying with a hint of pride, “No. Before this mountain was developed, my family were the mountain guardians. We’ve been here for generations. I even lived here for a few years when I was a child.”

Later, with the rise of tourism, the area was designated a key scenic spot, and her family moved away.

“Oh?” Ming Qing got excited, leaning in closer. “Mountain guardians for generations? That’s amazing! Your family is so great. So… is there really a dragon in this mountain? I heard everyone talking about it.”

The auntie nodded, her expression becoming serious as she lowered her voice. “There is. I’ve heard my great-grandmother talk about it since I was little…”

Beside her, Shi Rui quickly pricked up her “rabbit ears” to listen.

“When my great-grandmother was a young girl, she saw that dragon. It was green, incredibly large, and it stayed coiled under that big tree at the summit without moving an inch. I heard that big tree was actually its wife. For some reason, there was an accident, and she ended up like that.” The auntie spoke with such conviction it sounded entirely plausible.

Ming Qing covered her mouth in shock. “Her wife was a tree spirit?” That’s a long life.

“That, I don’t know.” The auntie shook her head but offered another piece of information: “But my great-grandmother said that dragon had a terrible temper. No one dared to go near her. On this mountain, only little rabbits were allowed to move around her. Anyone else who came near was chased away.”

Hearing this, Shi Rui lowered her head and murmured to herself: “Little rabbits?”

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