Acting Out of Character (GL) - Chapter 20

It began to rain during the night. The scent of rain drifted in through the window, and as Chen Ge watched a movie on her phone, her eyes began to ache.

With only 10% battery left, a notification popped up. She locked the screen and held the device in her hand.

There were few people left in the hospital now. The clock hanging askew on the wall pointed to 10:15 PM. They had actually stayed here from the afternoon until late at night.

This small hospital in Wuyi Mountain reminded Chen Ge of her hometown. When she was a child, she was constantly sick. Her mother raised her alone while working; after using up all her leave, she couldn’t take more time off, so she had to leave Chen Ge to get her IV drips alone, asking the nurses to keep an eye on her. Later, one of those nurses became her godmother.

This hospital was similar to the community health station where her godmother worked. The slightly decaying wooden windows were kept open year-round; sitting by the window, one could see everyone coming and going. As a child, she had sat in a similar spot, watching the diverse faces of humanity.

Few people in a hospital are in a good mood. Some were there for minor ailments, while others were terminally ill. Some came alone, handling the IV, the bathroom, and the trip home entirely by themselves. Others came with a group of friends, laughing and chatting until her godmother scolded them. Some left happily with their medicine, while others saw the end of their lives and fell into despair.

In that tiny health station, Chen Ge had witnessed the warmth and coldness of human nature, silently placing herself in others’ worlds, imagining their pasts and her own future. When she grew up and became an actress, she often remembered those people who had passed briefly through her life. Creating “small characters” came to her with a natural, practiced ease.

Finally, the last bottle was almost finished. Luo Jingyi, who had fallen into a deep sleep with her head resting on Chen Ge’s shoulder, still hadn’t woken up.

The nurse came over after removing the needle from an elderly lady nearby. She removed Chen Ge’s needle as well, pressing a cotton ball onto the wound with medical tape. When Chen Ge whispered “Thank you,” Luo Jingyi opened her eyes.

She didn’t even know when she had fallen asleep. Her last memory was being so tired she could barely stand, wiping the plastic chair next to Chen Ge repeatedly before finally sitting down.

Luo Jingyi hadn’t slept early the night before, and the past few days of filming the reality show had truly drained her energy. Combined with the boredom of waiting for the IV, it was understandable that she had drifted off. Upon waking, Luo Jingyi immediately began analyzing her own behavior—a professional habit from years of screenwriting. She liked to find the underlying cause for everything.

Luo Jingyi: “Is it finished?”

Chen Ge: “Mhm, just now.”

Luo Jingyi: “How do you feel? Still nauseous?”

Chen Ge: “That went away a while ago.”

Luo Jingyi’s eyes felt a bit dry. She closed them and reached out to feel Chen Ge’s forehead. “The fever is gone too. Good. Let’s go talk to the doctor.”

A female doctor on the night shift checked Chen Ge’s condition and said she should be fine. She told her to go back and rest, and to return if there were any problems.

As they walked out, Luo Jingyi’s gaze landed on Chen Ge’s shoulder. “You just got better, but now your shoulder must be sore.”

“Not at all,” Chen Ge replied, immediately realizing Luo Jingyi was referring to her sleeping on her shoulder. “Sister Luo, you aren’t heavy at all.”

Luo Jingyi smiled, thinking that she had actually slept quite soundly without feeling any movement. It seemed that while she was fast asleep on Chen Ge’s shoulder, the girl hadn’t moved an inch.

They reached the car. The night wind was picking up. Luo Jingyi took out her phone only to find it had run out of battery and turned itself off.

Chen Ge: “Sister Luo, did we miss the whole afternoon of filming today?”

Luo Jingyi: “It couldn’t be helped; health comes first. It’s late—do you have Director Feng’s WeChat? Ask her if we still need to go back. My phone is dead.”

Chen Ge: “Director Feng hasn’t added me.”

Luo Jingyi: “Who do you have from the crew? Ask them.”

Chen Ge only had Song Ruyu’s WeChat. She didn’t really want to talk to her, but since Luo Jingyi asked, she messaged her. After waiting a few minutes, there was no reply.

“Fine, I’m not going back to the set then,” Luo Jingyi said. After sleeping on that hard plastic chair, even if it was a deep sleep, her back was truly uncomfortable.

Since they only had one car, if Luo Jingyi wasn’t going back to the set, Chen Ge would have to take a taxi back to Li Village alone.

Chen Ge: “Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Sister Luo.”

As Chen Ge turned to leave, Luo Jingyi pulled her back. “Where are you going?”

“Back to Li Village…”

“How are you going to get back this late?”

“I’ll just call a cab.”

Luo Jingyi looked around. True to its reputation as a scenic area, Wuyi Mountain at night—aside from the small, run-down hospital that looked like a set for a zombie movie—offered only the silhouette of dark, rolling mountains. The distant residential area looked equally daunting.

“You’re a beautiful young girl. I’m not comfortable with you taking a cab back alone.”

Chen Ge: “You don’t have to send me, Sister Luo. I’ll be fine. Don’t taxis have audio recording and GPS monitoring now…?”

Luo Jingyi (Interrupting): “I wasn’t planning on sending you.”

Chen Ge (Stunned): “Oh…”

Luo Jingyi opened the car door. “You’re coming back to the hotel to stay with me for the night.”

“What?”

Luo Jingyi was about to get in, but hearing the question, she paused. She looked over the roof of the car at her, silent, just watching her.

Chen Ge: “…” So fierce.

Chen Ge didn’t dare say another word. Luo Jingyi got in, and she followed.

“I… I didn’t bring any change of clothes,” Chen Ge whispered as she buckled her seatbelt.

“The hotel has bathrobes.”

Chen Ge lowered her head, her voice as small as if she had a guilty conscience. “Aside from bathrobes, there’s also… what you wear underneath…”

Luo Jingyi: “I have them.”

Chen Ge (Shocked): “Huh?” She couldn’t tell if Luo Jingyi was inviting her to share or just bragging.

Luo Jingyi: “I have brand new ones.”

Chen Ge: “Oh…” So it was neither.

Chen Ge realized the decision had been made. She probably thinks sending me back is too much trouble, but she doesn’t want anything to happen to me. Returning to Li Village now, the crew would likely be finished, but Chen Ge still felt anxious about missing a whole day.

Luo Jingyi: “I already told Director Feng when I brought you out. Don’t worry, she’ll handle it.”

When Luo Jingyi spoke without emotion, she carried a natural “low-pressure” aura—a “my way or the highway” vibe that slowly filled the car. Chen Ge didn’t dare protest further and was taken back to the hotel as stiffly as a kidnap victim.

At the hotel, Luo Jingyi parked and took Chen Ge upstairs. Passing the front desk, the staff recognized Luo Jingyi but looked curiously at the unfamiliar Chen Ge. Chen Ge followed behind like a visiting minor, feeling the weight of the receptionist’s meaningful glance.

Inside the elevator, the two stood alone. Luo Jingyi stood ramrod straight, not looking at her phone or speaking. She radiated a cold fragrance, looking like a masterpiece carved by an ancient artist.

Chen Ge noticed in the reflection that Sister Luo had a “swan neck”—extremely graceful. Chen Ge put a lot of effort into her own posture, often forcing herself to maintain it, but Sister Luo seemed to do it naturally. She must be someone who is very strict with herself.

They reached the 11th floor. Luo Jingyi led her to the end of the hall and swiped into the room. The night lights were all on.

Directly ahead was a panoramic floor-to-ceiling window. The huge living room had an incredible view of Wuyi Mountain’s three famous peaks. Chen Ge had never stayed in such a luxurious room and felt a bit constrained. The neat arrangement of personal items on the coffee table made her even more hesitant to move.

The door to the walk-in closet was open. In front of Chen Ge, Luo Jingyi gathered the lingerie hanging on the rack. “Even though it’s a presidential suite, there’s only one bed. I’ll call housekeeping for an extra bed in a moment.”

Chen Ge’s eyes were involuntarily drawn to the lingerie in Luo Jingyi’s hands. Black sexy lace. Definitely C-cup or larger.

“What are you looking at?” Luo Jingyi noticed her envious gaze. “What, do you want to wear my underwear too?”

Chen Ge realized her staring was rude and quickly looked away.

“Sit,” Luo Jingyi said, patting the back of the sofa. Chen Ge sat down obediently.

“How do you take your medicine? Does it need to be after a meal?”

“Let me see.” Chen Ge took out the medicine, which was divided into small paper packets. “It doesn’t say if it needs to be after a meal.” She struggled to read the doctor’s “chicken scratch” handwriting.

Luo Jingyi stood behind the sofa and leaned down. “Give it to me.”

Chen Ge reached back to hand her the packet. With Luo Jingyi leaning over her shoulder and reaching for the medicine, she essentially had Chen Ge encircled in her arms. Chen Ge had a flashback to when she was nauseous and Luo Jingyi had shielded her, getting her into the car and the hospital…

“It says here: three times a day, with meals.” Luo Jingyi handed the packet back. “You’ve been vomiting and having diarrhea all day. Are you hungry? I’ll order something.”

“I’m okay, not really hungry.”

“You still need to take your medicine. Eat a little with me to pad your stomach.”

Hearing this, Chen Ge realized Luo Jingyi had stayed with her all day and hadn’t eaten a bite since lunch either. She grabbed the menu by the TV. “What would you like? I’ll order.”

Luo Jingyi said, “I’ll just have some porridge. I can’t eat a heavy meal this late.”

Chen Ge ordered two servings of vegetable porridge.

The porridge would take thirty minutes. Luo Jingyi told Chen Ge to shower first, giving her the bathrobe and a pair of brand-new underwear. Chen Ge thanked her and went into the bathroom.

Luo Jingyi called the front desk for the extra bed. To her surprise, the receptionist told her that because it was peak tourist season, the hotel was fully booked and there were no extra beds available.

Luo Jingyi: “…” This is awkward.

She had just cleared her name of being a lesbian to Chen Ge, and now she had to tell her they had to sleep together because there were no extra beds. Would that look like she was trying to “cover up” something?

As she was debating how to explain this while maintaining her “upright” image, the doorbell rang. The porridge already?

Luo Jingyi opened the door, but instead of the food, a woman with a backpack was standing there. She had long hair, a fisherman’s hat, and was wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night. She smelled of rain.

Luo Jingyi recognized her instantly. “Xiao Su?”

“Sister Luo…”

The woman took off her sunglasses, her large eyes swimming with tears.

Luo Jingyi felt a headache coming on. This was Su Qun, the actress originally cast as the third female lead in Minor’s Last Wish. Because of a cheating scandal, the audience’s hatred for her had spiked, and the production team had replaced her. Director Tao had mentioned she was going “mad” trying to talk to him and the investors. It seemed she had traveled all the way to Wuyi Mountain to find Luo Jingyi.

Impressive that she managed to find the room number, Luo Jingyi thought.

Chen Ge came out of the shower and saw Luo Jingyi wasn’t in the living room; she seemed to be talking to someone at the door. Chen Ge thought it was the porridge, but as she got closer, she heard a girl crying.

“Sister Luo, are you… are you throwing me away?”

Su Qun was clutching Luo Jingyi’s sleeve, crying pitifully. Chen Ge’s foot slipped and she quickly retreated.

What is this situation? ‘Sister Luo, are you throwing me away?’ HUH?!

Didn’t Sister Luo say she was straight? Why is a girl showing up at her door crying in the middle of the night?

Chen Ge’s heart was thumping wildly. She heard Luo Jingyi say impatiently: “Think carefully about what you did. Do I need to remind you about the cheating? Don’t come looking for me; it’s useless.”

Then, the door slammed shut.

Chen Ge gasped. Sister Luo was cheated on by a woman? So THAT’S why she’s ‘straight’ now?

Chen Ge felt she had finally pieced it together. No wonder she said “Even if I were gay, I wouldn’t be gay for Feng Yunxin.” It turned out the person who made her gay was someone else entirely.