The Movie Queen is Flirtatious and Doting - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Ye Yansheng watched her reaction and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing.” Gu Yinglian tried her best to calm her racing heart and slowly sat back down.

Ye Yansheng walked over. She was wearing a red silk slip nightgown that looked quite airy, with a silhouette that left much to the imagination. Gu Yinglian didn’t quite dare to look at her. Ye Yansheng sat down, looked at Gu Yinglian, and then at the script in her hand. “Which scene are we doing?”

“Oh,” Gu Yinglian looked at the script, feeling flustered. She hadn’t actually come here to rehearse; she just wanted to interrupt them. Now that they were actually doing it, she had to randomly flip to a page. “H-here. This part.”

Ye Yansheng took a look and smiled. “This one?”

Gu Yinglian nodded. “Just this one.”

Ye Yansheng looked at her and said, “You know, a single line can be interpreted in many ways. For example, the same sentence sounds different if you change the tone. Do you understand the difference?” As she spoke, Ye Yansheng leaned in, pinched Gu Yinglian’s chin, and looked into her eyes. Her red lips parted slightly as she breathed out the line: “Miss Jin, why did you do this?”

Hearing the line, Gu Yinglian remembered this was the confrontation after she caused trouble at the product launch and was taken to a private room.

Gu Yinglian smirked and slipped into character. “You don’t know why I did it?”

Ye Yansheng: “Tell me your motive.”

Gu Yinglian brushed her hand away. Ye Yansheng reached out and put an arm around her waist, pulling her close. Gu Yinglian’s heart hammered against her ribs as she barely managed the next line: “I want to destroy Tianshui Group…”

“Do you think Tianshui Group is that easy to destroy? Don’t make me laugh.” Ye Yansheng sneered, her hand caressing Gu Yinglian’s face as she said ambiguously, “You want to destroy me, don’t you?”

Gu Yinglian wanted to push her away but didn’t dare. She braced herself and said, “And what if I do?”

Ye Yansheng’s hand continued to stroke her face. “Why do you want to destroy me? I haven’t treated you poorly, Secretary Jin…”

Gu Yinglian saw her face getting closer and closer. Her breathing became shallow and unstable. Seeing her still leaning in, she instinctively shut her eyes tight. Ye Yansheng looked like she was going to kiss her, but she suddenly stopped and burst out laughing. Hearing her laughter, Gu Yinglian turned beet red with shame. She pushed her away and said, “Sister Ye, stop teasing me…”

“Am I teasing you?” Ye Yansheng leaned back against the sofa, tracing her lip with her index finger, watching her with a beaming smile.

“I… I know how to play it now…” Gu Yinglian said, standing up to leave. Ye Yansheng grabbed her hand. “Don’t go yet.” With a quick tug, she pulled Gu Yinglian right onto her lap. “Ah!” Caught completely off guard, Gu Yinglian let out a startled cry.

Ye Yansheng held her by the waist, leaning in close to her face with a grin. “Do you really know?”

Gu Yinglian stared at her, overwhelmed by her fragrant scent. She swallowed hard, her heart pounding again. Ye Yansheng noticed her chest heaving violently. She glanced down, and a bit of heat began to stir in her own chest. Realizing where she was looking, Gu Yinglian hurriedly covered her chest and scolded, “Where are you looking! You… you hooligan!”

“Huh?” Ye Yansheng couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m the hooligan? You’re the one who delivered yourself to my door. Don’t you know you’re practically seducing me right now? If I acted on impulse and did something to you…”

Gu Yinglian shyly pushed her away, stood up in a panic, and said, “I-I’m going back!”

“Hey!” Just as she was about to bolt, Ye Yansheng called out. Fearing she might pounce, Gu Yinglian ran to a safe distance before looking back. “What?”

Ye Yansheng picked up the script from the coffee table and smiled. “You dropped this.”

Gu Yinglian cautiously walked back to take it, then immediately turned and fled. Sitting on the sofa, Ye Yansheng listened to the sound of the door slamming and found it quite amusing. Is she really that shy?

…

Back in her room, Gu Yinglian’s heart was still thumping. Leaning against the door, she felt flushed and hot all over. They had been so close… what was she going to do to her?

Gu Yinglian gripped the script tightly and swallowed hard. She recalled those approaching red lips, so full of temptation. Did she… want to kiss her? Was it a real attempt, or just a cruel tease?

What did a kiss feel like? Gu Yinglian touched her own soft lips, imagining the sensation of four lips meeting. She suddenly had a strong urge to experience it… She was twenty-five and still had her first kiss, but that woman was so promiscuous—it felt like a losing deal to give it to her…

Gu Yinglian lay on her bed, her mind replaying the scene over and over. Every smile and glance from Ye Yansheng drifted through her thoughts. She began to lose track of whether she was just dazzled by her charm or if she was actually falling for her.

Gu Yinglian had never been in love; she didn’t know what it felt like to truly like someone.

She stayed in a state of agitation all night and barely slept. Having to get up for filming the next day was a total disaster.

…

Early in the morning, there was a knock on the door. Gu Yinglian had to open it. Ye Yansheng was standing there with breakfast. Ever since they moved in here, Gu Yinglian hadn’t had to buy her own breakfast once. Ye Yansheng smiled at her. “You don’t look like you slept well. You’ve got dark circles.”

It would be a miracle if I could sleep after what happened last night, Gu Yinglian thought.

She let her in. Ye Yansheng sat on the sofa and said, “Eat your breakfast.”

Gu Yinglian sat down gloomily. Ye Yansheng watched her as if nothing had happened. Feeling self-conscious under her gaze, Gu Yinglian focused on eating to distract herself.

Ye Yansheng said, “We’re filming the scene we practiced last night today. You won’t mess it up, will you?”

Gu Yinglian replied, “If I do mess it up, Sister Ye should take some of the responsibility.”

“Oh?” Ye Yansheng smiled. “Did I do something to you that requires taking responsibility?”

Gu Yinglian: “…”

That kind of thing was impossible to say out loud. Gu Yinglian ate in silence while Ye Yansheng watched her with a knowing smile.

…

The scene they filmed today was indeed the one they rehearsed last night. But the setting was completely different—last night was full of ambiguity, but today was serious and formal. They were enemies; there was no room for flirtation.

However, during the shoot, Gu Yinglian couldn’t help but associate the lines with the previous night. She kept dazing out while looking at Ye Yansheng, completely out of the zone.

The director yelled “Cut!” and said to Gu Yinglian, “Xiao Gu, what are you thinking about? Why do you look so lost? Is that the right expression? Pull yourself together and let’s try again!”

Ye Yansheng looked at her and said, “You really were affected.”

“I’m sorry,” Gu Yinglian said. “I’ll try to adjust.”

Ye Yansheng suggested, “You should feel resentment toward me here. Think about things I’ve done that are hateful, or think about people in your life who have angered you. Channel that emotion.”

Gu Yinglian nodded. “Okay.”

Ye Yansheng gave her a look but said nothing more, letting her adjust on her own.

Gu Yinglian looked at her lines. She was supposed to hate her. Why? Because she fired her just as she was about to succeed, making her lose a golden opportunity. She was unwilling. Heh. What she couldn’t have, she believed in destroying—including her.

But now, Gu Yinglian didn’t hate Ye Yansheng; she was infatuated with her, which created a conflict. She forced herself to think of Ye Yansheng’s “hateful” qualities: those murky rumors, and that woman Zhu Mi. They were so intimate last night—what was that about? Flirting with her on one hand while entangling with someone else on the other. A two-timer. Truly a hateful person!

Slowly, Gu Yinglian found the spark of resentment. The more she thought, the more hateful Ye Yansheng became. In the beginning, she had mocked her, and now she was playing nice like a puppy—but she wouldn’t cut off those messy relationships. Who knew how many others she had out there? Gu Yinglian began to look down on her. A promiscuous old woman. That was the label she gave her.

When the cameras rolled again, Ye Yansheng noticed Gu Yinglian’s gaze had become fierce. Did she… find a reason to hate me? Ye Yansheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Both leads were now in character. Ye Yansheng’s eyes bore into Gu Yinglian as she delivered the line: “Miss Jin, why did you do this?”

Gu Yinglian sneered. “You don’t know why I did it?”

Ye Yansheng tilted her chin up slightly, looking at her calmly. “Tell me your motive.”

Gu Yinglian’s smile was wicked. “The motive is simple. I want to destroy Tianshui Group.”

Ye Yansheng laughed. “Do you think Tianshui Group is that easy to destroy? Don’t make me laugh.”

Gu Yinglian walked close to Ye Yansheng, circling her slowly. She didn’t say a word, but her intent was clear.

Ye Yansheng sneered. “You want to destroy me, don’t you?”

Gu Yinglian looked at her with a facade of innocence. “And what if I do?”

Ye Yansheng clenched her fists, trying to restrain herself. “Why do you want to destroy me? I haven’t treated you poorly, Secretary Jin.”

Gu Yinglian laughed. “Who knows? I destroy what I feel like destroying.”

Watching the brilliant performances on the monitor, the director got excited. “Whoa! That’s the feeling! Xiao Gu is acting very sinister. She’s standing her ground against Xiao Ye!”

Before leaving, Gu Yinglian said one final line: “If I go down, Tianshui Group is finished. Goodbye, President. I hope our next conversation is more… pleasant.”

As Gu Yinglian left the office, Ye Yansheng’s fists tightened in rage, then suddenly relaxed. She let out a cold laugh. “You won’t get that chance.”

“OK, that’s a wrap! Prepare for the next scene!” the director shouted.

Gu Yinglian took a deep breath. Ye Yansheng walked up to her with a smile. “Found the feeling?”

Gu Yinglian nodded. “It was that feeling of hating someone so much your teeth ache, but then feeling a surge of pleasure from the revenge.”