The Movie Queen is Flirtatious and Doting - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

After teaching for a while, Ye Yansheng said to her, “Take a moment to digest that on your own.”

Gu Yinglian nodded. Ye Yansheng went to grab two bottles of water, handing one to her. They stood side-by-side, drinking.

Gu Yinglian was still replaying the dance steps in her mind. Ye Yansheng watched her; that serious expression of hers was actually quite cute.

When Gu Yinglian happened to look up and saw Ye Yansheng staring, her face suddenly flushed. “What are you looking at?”

Ye Yansheng smiled. “A beauty.”

Gu Yinglian glanced out the window and noticed it was getting late. She said to Ye Yansheng, “Sister Ye, maybe we should stop here for today. Thank you for your help.”

“You’re welcome,” Ye Yansheng replied.

Gu Yinglian returned to her room and collapsed onto the sofa, the Tango steps looping in her head. After a while, she pulled out her phone and searched for online videos to study. As she watched, she realized it was a very passionate and uninhibited dance; the instructors moved with such power. The screenwriter was right—this dance suited them perfectly and fit their characters’ identities.

Realizing she had only learned the very beginning and was far from being able to actually dance, Gu Yinglian stood up and started practicing in her room. She kept at it until late into the night before she felt she had truly memorized the steps.

…

In the month since filming resumed, the first two weeks were dedicated almost entirely to the two leads, filming day and night. By the latter half of the month, there were more scenes for the supporting cast, finally allowing the two leads a chance to breathe. With the supporting actors currently in front of the camera, Gu Yinglian and Ye Yansheng took the opportunity to rest.

Gu Yinglian hadn’t checked Weibo in a long time. She didn’t know if there was any new gossip, but she found that when she stopped paying attention to that world, life became very peaceful. Focusing solely on the task at hand and seeing her own steady progress felt amazing.

Ye Yansheng rarely checked Weibo either. When she was filming, she was all-in. She had even told her manager not to bother her unless it was something major, telling them to handle the small stuff themselves.

The next morning, since they didn’t have any scenes scheduled and Gu Yinglian was anxious to learn, they resumed practice right after breakfast.

This was the closest they had ever been. All their break time was spent dancing. Ye Yansheng was more than happy to wrap her arm around Gu Yinglian’s slender waist; the feeling of having a beauty in her arms wasn’t bad at all. After a few rounds, she felt that Gu Yinglian had memorized the steps well enough that she didn’t have to literally drag her along anymore.

After finishing a set, Ye Yansheng asked, “How was that? Did you get it?”

Gu Yinglian nodded. “I’ve got it.”

Ye Yansheng smiled. “You’re a quick learner. Shall we try it with the music then?”

“Okay.”

However, adding music exposed a new problem: Gu Yinglian couldn’t keep up with the tempo. As soon as she lost the rhythm, everything fell apart. Once she panicked, she even forgot the steps, accidentally treading on Ye Yansheng’s feet several times. Ye Yansheng laughed. “It’s a good thing you aren’t wearing heels, or you’d have stepped me to death.”

“I’m so sorry,” Gu Yinglian said apologetically.

“The tempo is a bit fast,” Ye Yansheng comforted. “Take it slow. You’ll get it after a few more tries.” Gu Yinglian nodded.

After several more clumsy attempts, both were out of breath. Gu Yinglian was a bundle of nerves and fluster, while Ye Yansheng had spent a lot of energy keeping the rhythm and guiding her. She was tired too.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Ye Yansheng said, “Let’s take a break.”

“Okay,” Gu Yinglian agreed.

Ye Yansheng grabbed two bottles of water and handed one to Gu Yinglian, who was sitting on the sofa. “Sorry, I only have water here.”

“Thank you,” Gu Yinglian said, taking the bottle.

Ye Yansheng sat down, twisted off her cap, and took a sip. “You’ve made progress. You just need to find the feeling. It took me more than two days to learn it when I first started; don’t put so much pressure on yourself.”

“But the scene is coming up soon,” Gu Yinglian said. “Time is tight.”

“I’m here, aren’t I? What are you afraid of?”

Gu Yinglian tried to open her water, but the cap wouldn’t budge. Seeing this, Ye Yansheng took it, twisted it open easily, and handed it back.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t be so polite,” Ye Yansheng smiled.

Gu Yinglian took a drink and felt much better. She glanced at Ye Yansheng and said, “Sister Ye, you’re actually a very gentle person. Why is your reputation so terrible?”

“Reputation?” Ye Yansheng scoffed. “What about it?”

Gu Yinglian lowered her voice slightly. “I heard… you have many rumored girlfriends. Now I think it’s probably just because you’re nice to everyone—like a ‘central air conditioner’ (a person who is warm to everyone)…”

“Oh, that,” Ye Yansheng replied. She had thought she was referring to the hitting incident. She laughed. “You seem quite interested in my private life. I didn’t realize you were such a gossip.”

“I… I’m not! I just…” Gu Yinglian trailed off, unable to finish.

“Just what?” Ye Yansheng leaned in closer. Gu Yinglian instinctively scooted away, her heart beginning to race.

“Are you afraid of what I might do to you? Hmm?” Ye Yansheng teased with a smile. “Knowing this is a wolf’s den, you, a little rabbit, still delivered yourself right to my door, hmm?”

Gu Yinglian muttered under her breath, “That’s because… I don’t know anyone else in the industry, and I wanted to… hold onto a ‘big thigh’ (seek a powerful patron)…”

Ye Yansheng overheard her. “Oh, so you want to hold onto my thigh?”

Ye Yansheng stretched out a long leg, resting it across the coffee table in front of Gu Yinglian, and said generously, “Go ahead. Hold it.”

Gu Yinglian was speechless. “I didn’t mean literally…”

Ye Yansheng leaned in, pinching Gu Yinglian’s chin and forcing her to make eye contact with a mischievous grin. “Little rabbit, don’t you know that seeking a patron comes with a price? So, what is your price? Hmm?”

Looking into those eyes, Gu Yinglian’s heart hammered and her breathing grew ragged. The water bottle slipped from her hand. “Ah!” she gasped, looking down. The bottle had hit the floor, and water was spilling across the wood.

Ye Yansheng let go of her. Gu Yinglian hurriedly bent down to pick up the bottle, clutching it tightly, her heart still thundering. A brief silence fell between them. Gu Yinglian’s head was buzzing; she had no idea what to say.

Ye Yansheng looked at her. She wanted her—badly. But now wasn’t the time.

At least not until Gu Yinglian admitted she loved her and wanted to be with her…

This time, she didn’t want it to be just a fling.

“Let’s have lunch first,” Ye Yansheng said. “Rest after eating and we’ll practice again in the afternoon. Be careful not to overdo it.”

Gu Yinglian nodded, letting out a silent sigh of relief.