The Movie Queen's Beloved Crybaby Alpha - Chapter 21

The straightforward messages made Ye Qinglan’s ears burn slightly.

Unconsciously, she rubbed her fingertips together and took a deep breath.

[Ye Qinglan]: You,  answer my questions properly first.

Ning Yunshu curved her lips into a smile, her eyes brimming with tenderness.

[Ning Yunshu]: Mhm, just dealing with some trivial work matters.

Ye Qinglan frowned involuntarily.

[Ye Qinglan]: It’s so late. If it’s not urgent, leave it for tomorrow.

Ning Yunshu glanced at the reports on her computer, then chose to close them. After all, she had only turned to work out of concern for Ye Qinglan’s situation. She quickly sent a reply.

[Ning Yunshu]: Alright, I’ll go to bed now. You should rest early too, Sister?

[Ye Qinglan]: Mhm, I’ll take a shower first. You go ahead and sleep. Goodnight.

[Ning Yunshu]: Goodnight.

Only then did Ye Qinglan feel at ease. She set her phone aside and headed to the bathroom.

After a quick shower and drying her hair, she barely had time for skincare before collapsing into bed and falling asleep instantly.

The next morning, she arrived on set yawning incessantly, only to find the rest of the crew equally exhausted though everyone was doing their best to stay focused.

A cup of black coffee later, the bitterness lingered on her tongue, but at least it helped her wake up a little.

Once alert, she threw herself into work. With numerous scenes to film, she barely had a moment to rest.

The two-month shooting schedule wasn’t particularly long or short, but Director Xu’s meticulous attention to detail made it feel like a race against time, leaving little room for breaks.

All the actors had practically put aside endorsement shoots and other commitments during these two months, dedicating themselves entirely to the film.

For an entire week, Ye Qinglan worked late into the night before returning to her hotel, sending Ning Yunshu a quick message before passing out, sometimes even before showering.

Ning Yunshu, watching the sharp decline in their conversations, grew increasingly melancholic.

Qin Yun, witnessing this, could hardly bear it.

“If you miss her that much, just ask Director Xu to let you visit the set,” she finally blurted out.

“No, Sister wouldn’t approve,” Ning Yunshu mumbled, her face pressed against the desk in misery.

Thankfully, the office door was locked. Otherwise, anyone passing by would have been shocked to see the usually decisive and formidable Young CEO Ning in such a state.

Even Qin Yun, who had been by her side for years, found it hard to believe.

Back in Australia, Ning Yunshu had never been like this. But ever since reuniting with Ye Qinglan, every other sentence every other thought revolved around her.

Investing in her films, securing endorsements, pulling strings behind the scenes, Ning Yunshu was working harder than Ye Qinglan’s own agency.

Not that Ye Qinglan’s agency was slacking, Xiao Wenjin and Ke Ying were doing their best to secure resources for her too.

In short, Ning Yunshu’s recent state could be summed up in one sentence:

Calling her “Sister” this and “Sister” that, longing to see her yet not daring to.

A complete “sister simp.”

Of course, Qin Yun kept that thought to herself.

“Then you should just focus on work,” she said, dropping a thick stack of reports in front of Ning Yunshu.

Ning Yunshu immediately looked like she was facing the greatest injustice in the world.

“Ugh, I really don’t want to work!”

“No excuses.”

Qin Yun ruthlessly cut off her delusions with icy indifference.

Meanwhile, Ye Qinglan finally had fewer scenes to shoot these days.

Perhaps Director Xu noticed the dark circles under her eyes that even heavy concealer couldn’t fully hide, and kindly reduced her workload, sparing her from those late-night shooting sessions.

With today’s lighter schedule, they even managed to wrap up while there was still daylight.

“Qinglan, want to join us for dinner later?” Du Wenjun approached with a smile. “I’ve invited Chaoyang and Youning. Zishu Wenle said she’s too tired and needs to sleep, but would you like to come?”

Though feeling somewhat exhausted, Ye Qinglan accepted Du Wenjun’s personal invitation after some consideration.

Du Wenjun’s eyes curved into crescents as she said softly, “Great! Let’s get ready and head out together then?”

“Alright,” Ye Qinglan responded. Zhou Tiantian quickly packed her belongings, and soon the group left the set.

Du Wenjun chose the same private kitchen they’d visited before, ordering two tables, one for the four actresses and another for their assistants.

During dinner, conversation turned to their recent filming experiences, with everyone lamenting Director Xu’s “devilish” demands.

“People in the industry said Director Xu was a perfectionist about details, but I didn’t realize how true that was until experiencing it firsthand. The rumors didn’t lie, it’s brutal,” Wei Youning complained with a pained expression.

Xu Chaoyang chuckled before saying, “That’s just Director Xu’s way. You’ll get used to it after more collaborations.”

Wei Youning clicked her tongue. “Whether there’ll be future collaborations depends on whether the director takes pity on me.”

“It’s not that dramatic,” Du Wenjun reassured. “Director Xu gives opportunities to anyone willing to work hard. You’re already doing great, Youning.”

“Please don’t flatter me, Teacher Du. But if we’re talking about impressive, Qinglan’s the real star. She’s had the most scenes these days, working nonstop with barely any breaks, yet she’s held up remarkably well,” Wei Youning said, turning to Ye Qinglan.

The actress, who’d been focused on her food, looked up blankly. “Huh? What?”

The three couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

“Oh no, has our little Ye teacher become dull-witted from all that filming?” Wei Youning teased.

A faint blush colored Ye Qinglan’s cheeks as she apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t eat much at lunch. I’m really quite hungry now.”

Du Wenjun waved it off. “No problem. You’ve worked the hardest these days, eat as much as you want.”

Still embarrassed, Ye Qinglan was saved when Du Wenjun explained, “We were just saying how amazing you’ve been, enduring such an intense workload.”

Ye Qinglan rubbed her nose. “It wasn’t that bad. Just had to tough it out.”

“But it was impressive, you nailed several takes in one go without showing any strain,” Xu Chaoyang remarked.

Ye Qinglan smiled. “Sister Xu, please don’t praise me like that. If not for your excellent acting, I wouldn’t have been able to get into character either.”

“Alright, enough mutual admiration,” Du Wenjun interjected. “Let’s eat before Qinglan starves.”

Only then did everyone pick up their chopsticks.

After dinner, Du Wenjun suggested taking advantage of their early finish by going karaoke, a proposal both Xu Chaoyang and Wei Youning readily accepted.

Seeing that it was still early, and realizing that she hadn’t had a proper chat with Ning Yunshu for quite some time, Ye Qinglan felt it would be unreasonable not to spend some time with her little puppy now that she finally had the chance. So she politely declined the others’ invitation.

“Sorry, Professor Du, I’m really exhausted and plan to head back to sleep. You, Sister Xu, and Sister Wei go ahead without me,” Ye Qinglan said apologetically.

Du Wenjun, well aware of how worn out Ye Qinglan had been lately, nodded understandingly. “Alright, you should hurry back and rest then.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

After calling Zhou Tiantian, the two returned to the hotel. Ye Qinglan told Zhou Tiantian to get some rest, then went into her room and immediately sent Ning Yunshu a message.

[Ye Qinglan]: I’m done for the day. Just had dinner with Professor Du and the others.

[Ning Yunshu]: Wow! It’s rare for you to finish so early. Should you take a shower and rest soon? You’ve been looking really tired lately.

Ye Qinglan stared at the message, thinking to herself, why was Ning Yunshu being so considerate today? She hadn’t rushed back just to hear this!

Gritting her teeth, she typed out a reply.

[Ye Qinglan]: It’s still early. I don’t feel like resting yet.

She had said it outright! If Ning Yunshu still dared to tell her to rest, she wouldn’t receive a single message from Ye Qinglan for the next few days!

The reply came lightning fast.

[Ning Yunshu]: Then keep me company, please? I miss you so much. Puppy eyes.jpg

Damn it! That was cheating! Who even resorted to acting cute like this?!

Ye Qinglan had to admit, she was completely defenseless against Ning Yunshu’s coquetry attacks. She was on the verge of total surrender.

[Ye Qinglan]: What do you want to do?

She had to stay composed, couldn’t let her true feelings show too soon. Couldn’t let Ning Yunshu get smug.

[Ning Yunshu]: I… want to call you.

Ye Qinglan was surprised, but upon reflection, it made sense. Not just for Ning Yunshu even she missed it a little.

Back home, Ning Yunshu wasn’t the overly chatty type, but her voice was always around. Now that she was away, Ye Qinglan did feel its absence.

Ahem. Just a little, though. Definitely not much!

[Ye Qinglan]: Okay.

Almost the instant Ye Qinglan sent the message, Ning Yunshu’s call came through, making Ye Qinglan both amused and exasperated. Still, she answered immediately.

“Sister~” Ning Yunshu’s slightly spoiled voice rang out.

Ye Qinglan felt a shiver run down her spine, her glands at the nape of her neck warming up.

She quickly steadied herself, pinching her fingertips, and replied nonchalantly, “I’m here.”

“I miss you so much.”

The voice sounded downright pitiful.

“Be good, just hang in there a little longer,” Ye Qinglan coaxed.

Her tone carried a tenderness and indulgence she didn’t even realize.

But it made Ning Yunshu’s heart tremble. She couldn’t help but whimper, “Jiejie, can’t I really come visit you on set?”

“I’ll control myself and try not to cause you any trouble, jiejie~”

Ye Qinglan was at her limit. Who could resist their own puppy acting like this?!

Whoever could, they could deal with it because she certainly couldn’t.

“Then what excuse are you planning to use?” Ye Qinglan asked.

Ning Yunshu chuckled softly and said, “Sister, have you forgotten that I’m familiar with Director Xu? I can visit under the pretense of checking in on him.”

Ye Qinglan paused, she had been so busy that she nearly forgot about that connection!

“Well then.”

Ye Qinglan finally relented.

“Come along.”

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