The Movie Queen is Flirtatious and Doting - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After a short rest at noon, filming resumed in the afternoon.

Both Ye Yansheng and Gu Yinglian were in good form, so the director decided to strike while the iron was hot and keep going. The other supporting actors were also ready, waiting to step in once the leads finished their scenes.

They worked straight through the day. By the time Gu Yinglian returned to the company dorms, she was so exhausted she collapsed onto her bed, unwilling to move. This was the most grueling day she had experienced since starting the shoot; the mental tension on set combined with the high workload was draining. A single simple scene might require several NGs just because the director found a tiny detail unsatisfactory. The morning had gone smoothly, but the afternoon had been rocky, leaving Gu Yinglian feeling depleted.

Just as she was about to drift off, a knock sounded at the door. Gu Yinglian got up to open it. Ye Yansheng stood outside, looking at her with a smile. “Let’s go grab dinner together.”

“I just want to sleep right now,” Gu Yinglian muttered.

“Go eat first,” Ye Yansheng insisted. “If you sleep now, you won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Reluctantly accepting the arrangement, Gu Yinglian followed Ye Yansheng out. To avoid unnecessary trouble, they decided to eat at the company canteen. Having spent more time with her, Gu Yinglian realized that Ye Yansheng wasn’t a bad person; she was actually quite warm.

The canteen was filled with staff members, some familiar and some not. Ye Yansheng didn’t go out of her way to greet anyone; she simply grabbed a tray with Gu Yinglian and found a place to sit.

Gu Yinglian sat in her seat, staring at the canteen in a daze. It was designed with high-end elegance, offering both Western and Chinese cuisine, all free for internal employees. Ye Yansheng looked at her and laughed. “What are you looking at? Eat up. Do you not like the food?”

Gu Yinglian pulled her gaze back. “No. It’s very good.”

“Eat up and go back to rest early,” Ye Yansheng said. “Today was tough, and we have to keep going tomorrow. Have you memorized your lines?”

Gu Yinglian started eating. “The lines are memorized. I just need to think more about the performance side of things.”

“Your memory is quite good then?”

Gu Yinglian looked at her with surprise. “How did you know?”

“I phrased it as a question, didn’t I? I didn’t actually know,” Ye Yansheng teased.

“My memory is okay. It’s other areas where I’m lacking,” Gu Yinglian admitted.

“It’s fine, you’ll improve slowly. Everyone understands a newcomer’s struggle. As long as you’re motivated, there’s hope. Mm, these potatoes are good, want a taste?” Ye Yansheng picked up a piece of potato with her chopsticks and held it out to Gu Yinglian. Gu Yinglian felt awkward and said, “No, thank you.”

Ye Yansheng swerved the chopsticks and popped the potato into her own mouth. Watching Gu Yinglian, she noted, “You don’t seem to have much of an appetite.”

“I’m still not quite used to the pace,” Gu Yinglian replied. “I’ll be fine after a night’s sleep.”

“You still need to eat to keep your strength up. You look quite thin to me. Your waist is so slender… as for your chest…” Ye Yansheng’s eyes drifted toward Gu Yinglian’s bust. Gu Yinglian followed her gaze, and her face instantly turned beet red. In public like this, she didn’t know whether to cover herself or not; being stared at like that made her want to run away again.

“Are you blushing?” Ye Yansheng smiled.

“Sister Ye, your mouth is a bit too much. I can’t quite handle it,” Gu Yinglian said.

“You really are thin-skinned.”

“Yes,” Gu Yinglian retorted. “I’m still a bit behind you in that department.”

Ye Yansheng laughed. “Just a joke, don’t take it so seriously.”

Gu Yinglian glanced at her. “Do you often make jokes like this with others?”

“Emm…” Ye Yansheng leaned in and whispered, “The others are way more ‘yellow’ (raunchy) than me. None of them blush like you do.”

Having been raised on a diet of traditional values and core social principles, Gu Yinglian was stunned by this comment. It felt as if a door to a new, strange world had just swung open. What did I just hear? I must have misheard, right?

Gu Yinglian stared at Ye Yansheng, speechless. Ye Yansheng continued eating unbothered, prompting her, “Eat up, it’s getting cold.”

Gu Yinglian looked down at her bland tray and then back up at Ye Yansheng’s face. She wanted to confirm if the person in front of her was the same Ye Yansheng she thought she knew. The Ye Yansheng she knew wasn’t like this—but then, what was she supposed to be like? Was she secretly hoping for something? Hoping she was “pure”? This woman was already notorious, wasn’t she? What was she expecting? Shouldn’t she be staying as far away as possible?

“How many girlfriends have you had?” Gu Yinglian blurted out. The moment the words left her mouth, she realized she had crossed a line. Panic flared, and she quickly looked away. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Ye Yansheng looked at her and smiled. “Not many.”

Gu Yinglian looked back at her, her face still flushed, and asked something even more inappropriate: “How far did you get with them?”

Ye Yansheng’s smile stiffened. Even for someone as thick-skinned as her, being asked that in public caused a flicker of embarrassment. Gu Yinglian noticed and said, “So you can feel embarrassed.”

Ye Yansheng laughed. “Was that on purpose? Not bad. Your acting is great; you totally drew me into the scene.”

“That’s right,” Gu Yinglian said. “My acting is all-natural.”

Ye Yansheng teased, “If you want to know about my past that badly, come to my room tonight and I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Actually… I don’t really want to know that much…”

Gu Yinglian had no appetite but forced herself to eat a little. Afterward, they returned to the dorms together.

At the door, Ye Yansheng said, “Rest early. More filming tomorrow.”

Gu Yinglian nodded. “You too.”

They both pushed their doors open and went inside. Gu Yinglian carefully double-locked her door before finding clothes for a shower. After a long day, she finally got to lie down. She set her alarm and fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.

The next morning, Gu Yinglian woke up before the alarm went off. She lingered in bed for a while until she couldn’t anymore, then got up to use the bathroom. Shortly after, there was a knock at the door. She didn’t have to guess—it was the woman next door.

Gu Yinglian opened the door to see Ye Yansheng smiling. “Good morning. I bought breakfast. Let’s eat together.”

“Oh,” Gu Yinglian replied, letting her in.

The dorm was equipped with a sofa and coffee table. Ye Yansheng walked straight over, sat down, and placed the breakfast on the table. Gu Yinglian sat down as well. Both were bare-faced; without the embellishment of makeup, they looked less glamorous but more fresh and elegant.

Looking at Gu Yinglian’s face, Ye Yansheng lamented how wonderful it was to be young and full of collagen. Meanwhile, Gu Yinglian looked at Ye Yansheng and wondered if she would be able to maintain herself that well when she reached that age.

“Eat up,” Ye Yansheng urged. “Have you brushed your teeth yet?”

“Mm,” Gu Yinglian replied. “Let’s eat.”