Acting Out of Character (GL) - Chapter 20

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

A notification appeared informing her that only ten percent of the battery remained. She locked the screen and held the phone in her hand.

There were hardly any people left in the hospital. The clock hanging crookedly on the wall pointed to 10:15 p.m.

They had actually remained here from the afternoon until night.

This small hospital at Wuyi Mountain reminded Chen Ge of her hometown.

She was always getting sick when she was young. Her mother had raised her alone and still needed to work. After taking leave several times, she could no longer ask for more time off, so she had no choice but to leave Chen Ge alone for her IV drips and ask the nurse to keep a closer eye on her.

That nurse later became Chen Ge’s godmother.

This hospital resembled the community health center where her godmother had worked in her memories.

The slightly decayed wooden windows remained open all year round. Sitting beside them, she could clearly see every person coming and going.

As a child, she had sat in the same position and watched all kinds of people pass in and out.

Most people were not in a good mood when visiting a hospital. Some merely suffered from minor illnesses, while others were already terminally ill.

Some came alone, managed their IV drips by themselves, went to the bathroom alone, then returned home alone.

Others arrived with groups of friends who laughed and joked inside the room until Chen Ge’s godmother scolded them.

Some people happily left after seeing the doctor and receiving medicine.

Others saw the end of their lives ahead of them and fell into complete despair.

Inside that tiny health center, Chen Ge witnessed the warmth and coldness of human relationships. She silently placed herself into the worlds of those strangers, imagining their histories, their futures, and the paths their lives might follow.

After growing up and becoming an actress, she often remembered the people who had hurriedly passed through her life.

When portraying such ordinary characters, she possessed a natural sense of ease.

The final IV bag was almost empty, yet Luo Jingyi, sleeping with her head against Chen Ge’s shoulder, still had not awakened.

After removing the needle from an elderly woman on the other side, the nurse walked over and removed Chen Ge’s as well, pressing a ball of cotton against the wound with medical tape.

When Chen Ge softly said, “Thank you,” Luo Jingyi opened her eyes.

She did not even know when she had fallen asleep.

Her final memory was of becoming too tired to remain standing. She had wiped the plastic chair beside Chen Ge repeatedly before finally sitting down.

Luo Jingyi had not slept particularly early the previous night, and the reality-show filming over the past several days had genuinely consumed a considerable amount of her energy. Waiting for an IV drip was also exceptionally dull, so it was understandable that she had accidentally fallen asleep.

The instant Luo Jingyi awakened, she began analyzing the sequence of her own behavior. It was a habit developed through years of writing scripts.

She liked investigating the cause behind everything.

“Is it finished?” Luo Jingyi saw that the IV bag had been removed.

“Mm. It just finished.”

“How do you feel? Are you still nauseated?”

“I stopped feeling nauseated earlier.”

Luo Jingyi’s eyes were slightly sore. With her eyes closed, she reached out and touched Chen Ge’s forehead.

“You don’t have a fever anymore either. Good. Let’s ask the doctor.”

A female doctor had taken over the night shift. After examining Chen Ge’s condition, she said that there should no longer be a problem. She told Chen Ge to return and rest and come back if anything felt wrong.

As they walked outside, Luo Jingyi’s gaze fell on Chen Ge’s shoulder.

“You’ve barely recovered, and now your shoulder will start aching.”

“It won’t,” Chen Ge immediately realized that she meant sleeping on her shoulder earlier. “Sister Luo, you weren’t heavy at all.”

Luo Jingyi smiled. Thinking about it, she had indeed slept very soundly without feeling herself sway.

It seemed that while she had slept deeply against Chen Ge’s shoulder, the child had not moved once.

When they reached the car, the evening wind rose around them. Luo Jingyi took out her phone and glanced at it, only to discover that it had run out of power and shut itself off at some point.

Chen Ge said, “Sister Luo, did we delay the entire afternoon’s filming today?”

“There was no avoiding it. Your health is more important. It’s already this late. Do you have Feng Yunxin’s WeChat? Ask whether we still need to return. My phone is dead.”

“I don’t think Director Feng added me.”

“Then whose WeChat do you have from the production? Ask someone.”

The only person Chen Ge had on WeChat was Song Ruyu. They had added each other before joining the production.

Chen Ge did not particularly want to speak with her, but since Luo Jingyi had asked, she reluctantly sent her a message.

Several minutes passed after she sent it, but Song Ruyu did not respond.

“All right, then I won’t return to the set.”

Although Luo Jingyi had slept soundly on the extremely hard plastic chair, her lower back genuinely felt uncomfortable.

There was only one car here. If Luo Jingyi did not return to the set, Chen Ge would have to take a taxi back by herself.

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

She was about to leave when Luo Jingyi pulled her back.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to Li Village…”

“How are you returning this late?”

“I’ll take a taxi.”

Luo Jingyi surveyed the surrounding terrain.

Wuyi Mountain truly deserved its reputation as a famous scenic area. Apart from the shabby little hospital before them, which could serve as the set of a zombie movie without any alterations, there were only continuous silhouettes of black mountains.

Even the distant residential area looked somewhat frightening.

“You’re a pretty young woman. I don’t feel comfortable letting you take a taxi alone.”

Chen Ge hurriedly said, “You don’t need to drive me back, Sister Luo. I’ll be fine by myself. Don’t taxis have audio recordings and surveillance throughout the journey now…?”

Luo Jingyi interrupted her. “I wasn’t planning to drive you back.”

Chen Ge choked on her words. “Oh…”

Luo Jingyi opened the car door. “Come back to the hotel with me and stay for the night.”

Chen Ge had not expected her to say that. “Huh?”

Luo Jingyi had been about to enter the car, but hearing her reaction, she paused. Her gaze swept over the roof of the car toward Chen Ge. She said nothing and merely stared at her.

Chen Ge: “…”

So frightening.

Chen Ge did not dare say anything else. Luo Jingyi got inside, and she obediently followed.

“I-I didn’t bring any clothes to change into,” Chen Ge said quietly while fastening her seat belt, sounding hesitant.

“The hotel has bathrobes.”

Chen Ge lowered her head, her voice as faint as though she had just done something shameful.

“Apart from the bathrobe, there are also the clothes worn underneath…”

“I have some,” Luo Jingyi said.

Chen Ge was shocked. “Huh?”

For a moment, she could not tell whether Luo Jingyi was inviting her to share or simply showing off.

“I have brand-new ones,” Luo Jingyi clarified.

“Oh…”

So it was neither.

Had Sister Luo already made the decision?

Chen Ge thought that Luo Jingyi probably found driving her back too troublesome but also did not want anything to happen to her.

If they returned to Li Village at this hour, the production team had probably already finished filming. Still, Chen Ge had missed the entire day and could not help feeling anxious.

Luo Jingyi started the car. “When I brought you out, I already spoke with Director Feng. Don’t worry. She’ll arrange everything.”

When Luo Jingyi spoke without emotion, she naturally created a low-pressure atmosphere. The faint aura of “those who oppose me will perish” gradually filled the car.

Chen Ge did not dare object again. Stiff as though she had been kidnapped, she allowed Luo Jingyi to take her back to the hotel.

In truth, Luo Jingyi simply could not be bothered to drive her all the way back to Li Village, only to make the troublesome journey back again herself.

After reaching the hotel, Luo Jingyi parked Feng Yunxin’s car and brought Chen Ge upstairs.

The front-desk staff recognized Luo Jingyi, but Chen Ge was unfamiliar, so they could not help taking an extra look.

Chen Ge followed behind Luo Jingyi like an underage girl visiting for the first time. After receiving the receptionist’s meaningful gaze, she did not know whether the other woman had misunderstood anything, but her own imagination immediately began running wild.

Only the two of them entered the elevator. Luo Jingyi stood perfectly straight without leaning against anything.

She did not look at her phone or speak. A cool fragrance surrounded her, making her resemble an exquisite sculpture personally carved by an artistic pioneer from millions of years ago.

From their reflections in the opposite wall of the elevator, Chen Ge noticed that Sister Luo had a swan-like neck. It was exceptionally graceful.

Chen Ge herself had worked hard to maintain proper posture, often forcing herself to persist.

Sister Luo was only an amateur, yet she maintained herself so well. She had to be someone with extremely strict standards for herself.

They reached the eleventh floor. Luo Jingyi led Chen Ge out of the elevator, walked to the very end of the corridor, swiped the key card, and entered the room. All the night-lights switched on.

Directly opposite Chen Ge was a panoramic floor-to-ceiling window. The enormous living room offered an excellent view, and the three most famous peaks of Wuyi Mountain could be seen clearly from there.

Chen Ge had never stayed in such a luxurious room and felt somewhat restrained.

The personal belongings neatly arranged on the coffee table made the late-night guest even more afraid to touch anything carelessly.

The walk-in closet door was open. In front of Chen Ge, Luo Jingyi collected the underwear hanging from the rail.

“Although this is a presidential suite, there’s only one bed. I’ll call housekeeping and ask them to add another one.”

Chen Ge’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to the bra in Luo Jingyi’s hand.

Black, sexy lace. At least a C cup.

“What are you thinking about?” Luo Jingyi noticed her envious gaze. “What, do you need to borrow my bra too?”

Chen Ge suddenly realized that her gaze might have been impolite and immediately looked away.

“Sit down.”

Luo Jingyi patted the back of the sofa.

Chen Ge obediently sat.

Luo Jingyi asked, “How are you supposed to take the medicine? Does it need to be taken after eating?”

“Let me see.”

Chen Ge took out the medicine and discovered that it had been divided into several small paper packets, each containing the amount she needed for a single dose.

“It doesn’t seem to say whether it needs to be taken after meals.”

Chen Ge stared at it for a long time but could not understand the doctor’s illegible handwriting.

Standing behind the sofa, Luo Jingyi bent down slightly.

“Give it to me.”

Chen Ge raised her hand and passed the packet behind her. One sat while the other stood. Luo Jingyi braced one hand near Chen Ge’s left shoulder while taking the packet from her right hand with the other, seemingly enclosing Chen Ge completely within her arms.

A scene flashed through Chen Ge’s mind.

When she had been tormented by overwhelming nausea, Luo Jingyi had protected her in exactly this way, helping her into the car and guiding her into the hospital…

“It’s written here. Three times a day, taken with food.”

Luo Jingyi returned the packet.

“You’ve been vomiting and having diarrhea all day. Are you hungry? I’ll order something.”

“I’m all right. I’m not particularly hungry.”

“You still need to take your medicine. Eat something with me and put something in your stomach.”

Only after Luo Jingyi said this did Chen Ge remember that she had accompanied her all day and had not eaten a single bite from noon until now.

Chen Ge noticed the menu beside the television, immediately picked it up, and said:

“What would you like? I’ll order it.”

“I’ll only have some congee. I can’t eat anything heavy this late at night.”

Chen Ge ordered the same thing, requesting two servings of vegetable congee.

The congee would arrive in half an hour, so Luo Jingyi told Chen Ge to shower first.

Luo Jingyi had brought her own pajamas, so Chen Ge could use the bathrobe.

She found a brand-new pair of underwear and gave it to her. Their sizes should have been the same.

Chen Ge accepted the bathrobe and underwear, thanked her, and went to shower.

Luo Jingyi called the front desk and requested an additional bed.

Unexpectedly, the receptionist told her that the hotel was fully occupied because it was peak tourist season, and no extra beds were available.

Luo Jingyi: “…”

This was awkward.

After setting down the phone, Luo Jingyi thought that she had only just cleared herself of being a lesbian in front of Chen Ge. If she now said they could not add another bed and would need to sleep together, wouldn’t her earlier insistence seem suspiciously like an attempt to cover something up?

While Luo Jingyi internally evaluated how to explain the situation while preserving as much of her upright image as possible, the doorbell rang.

Had the vegetable congee arrived that quickly?

Without thinking much about it, Luo Jingyi opened the door. Unexpectedly, a woman carrying a backpack stood outside.

The woman’s long hair was loose beneath a bucket hat. She wore sunglasses despite standing outside Luo Jingyi’s hotel room late at night, and the scent of rain clung to her body.

Luo Jingyi recognized her immediately.

“Xiao Su?”

“Sister Luo…”

Xiao Su removed her sunglasses, revealing a pair of large eyes filled with tears.

Luo Jingyi’s head began aching.

This woman, Su Qun, had originally been cast as Huang Yitong, the third female lead in A Minor’s Final Wish. But after her recent cheating scandal drastically worsened the audience’s opinion of her, the producers no longer wanted to use her and replaced her.

Director Tao had previously called Luo Jingyi specifically because of this matter, saying that Xiao Su had gone to his place and the investors’ offices to cause scenes.

She probably still failed to obtain the result she wanted and had traveled all the way to Wuyi Mountain to find Luo Jingyi.

Luo Jingyi was puzzled. The fact that she had managed to discover her room number showed considerable ability.

After finishing her shower, Chen Ge emerged and noticed that Luo Jingyi was not in the living room. She seemed to be speaking with someone outside the door.

Chen Ge assumed the congee had arrived, but when she approached, she unexpectedly heard a young woman crying.

“Sister Luo, do you not want me anymore…?”

Su Qun clutched Luo Jingyi’s sleeve, weeping pitifully.

Chen Ge’s foot slipped, and she hurriedly retreated.

What was happening?

Sister Luo, do you not want me anymore?

Huh?!

Hadn’t Sister Luo said that she was straight? Why had a young woman appeared at her door in the middle of the night, crying?

Chen Ge’s heart pounded violently.

She heard Luo Jingyi say impatiently:

“Think carefully about what you did. Do I need to remind you that you cheated? Don’t come looking for me. It’s useless.”

With that, she closed the door.

Chen Ge’s breathing stopped.

“Sister Luo was cheated on by a woman?”

Was that why she had become straight?

Chen Ge finally believed that she had sorted everything out. No wonder Luo Jingyi said, “Even if I ever became bent, it wouldn’t be for Feng Yunxin.”

Apparently, someone else had been the one who made her bend.

Author’s Note:

Luo Jingyi: ??? That isn’t true! I didn’t do anything! Tell me, how long have we even known each other? How many relationships have you already invented for me?

Chen Ge: You genuinely can’t blame me for this…

Luo Jingyi: Then should I blame myself? Since you’re so good at arranging people, when are you going to arrange yourself with me?

Chen Ge: !!////