Acting Out of Character (GL) - Chapter 32

Chen Ge had never been in a relationship, but she had never missed her health and biology classes growing up.

Between what her teachers taught in class and what her classmates and friends filled her in on afterward, she knew more or less everything people her age knew.

She understood what fan art tended to involve, and it wasn’t as though she had never seen explicit drawings before.

But seeing an explicit drawing of someone else was completely different from seeing one of herself.

That fan art looked far too accurate…

She knew everyone enjoyed shipping CPs nowadays, but couldn’t they simply ship them normally? Why did every single one of them have to be a champion race-car driver of Mount Akina?!

Why did they have to draw something so humiliating?!

Chen Ge walked while gulping down water, as though draining the entire bottle could extinguish the blazing heat inside her.

Even Xiao Mao had seen it. Surely Sister Luo wouldn’t know about it too?

The moment she imagined Luo Xin seeing that explicit drawing, Chen Ge covered her face and nearly took flight on the spot—

Sister Luo was such an impressive person. If she discovered that someone had drawn her being pinned down by Chen Ge… and pinned down in all those ways…

Wouldn’t she split apart on the spot?

How were they supposed to continue working together afterward?

Chen Ge’s life was far too difficult.

This wouldn’t have been nearly as tragic if she and Sister Luo’s positions had simply been reversed.

At that thought, Chen Ge suddenly stopped walking.

Wait. Why should their positions be reversed? Why am I even thinking about that?!

Chen Ge stood frozen with the bottle opening between her teeth, so embarrassed by her own thoughts that she could no longer move. The staff members passing nearby saw her and did not dare approach.

…

“You don’t get a choice.”

The scene inside the car that night, when Luo Jingyi had pressed her against the seat, suddenly resurfaced in Chen Ge’s mind without warning.

The fragrance of Luo Jingyi’s perfume had been an intoxicating tide washing over Chen Ge’s thoughts.

The warmth of her palm had been a rudder holding Chen Ge firmly under control.

Her voice had made Chen Ge’s ears burn uncontrollably.

The mouth of the bottle rested against her full lips. With her eyes staring blankly ahead, Chen Ge failed to notice that her lip color had already stained the opening.

Embarrassment, panic, and the unfamiliar sensation of being watched so closely—something she had heard about but never experienced herself—made her emotions sway endlessly.

They dragged her thoughts along, leaving several vivid, overlapping lip prints across the transparent bottle opening…

Chen Ge slowly walked forward alone.

She did not even know where she was going. Her entire mind was filled with thoughts of Luo Xin.

What kind of expression should she wear when facing Sister Luo over the next few days?

Should she pretend nothing had happened?

Or should she bring the matter into the open and discuss it directly, behaving like a mature adult who did not take it seriously?

Should she casually laugh and talk with Sister Luo until the explicit drawing faded into ashes?

Chen Ge was completely absorbed in her thoughts. Before she could reach any conclusion, she suddenly walked straight into someone’s arms.

“Sorry, I was thinking about something…”

Chen Ge immediately apologized.

She looked up and found herself facing Luo Jingyi’s elegant expression—an elegance she maintained at all times, though it currently carried an unmistakably oppressive air.

Chen Ge: “!”

Her heart nearly jumped from her chest. She instinctively took a step backward, trying to create a safer distance between them.

“What were you thinking about?”

No matter how far Chen Ge retreated, Luo Jingyi advanced by the same amount.

The distance between them did not increase at all. Instead, Chen Ge backed herself against the wall and completely blocked her own escape.

She clutched the water bottle tightly in both hands, her shoulders slightly hunched.

It felt as though all the oxygen nearby had been squeezed away by Luo Jingyi’s disarmingly close approach.

“I was thinking about you.”

When Chen Ge said those words, her mind was completely blank. She had answered Luo Jingyi’s question honestly out of pure instinct.

Luo Jingyi had not expected that response either. She smiled.

“How honest. I was thinking about you too.”

Chen Ge’s heart stirred.

Only after this exchange did her brain gradually begin functioning again.

She felt she should respond like a mature adult capable of handling every unexpected crisis. She forced a beautiful smile onto her face—

Although the corners of her mouth trembled faintly, Chen Ge asked:

“You were thinking about me, Sister Luo? What about me?”

Luo Jingyi’s gaze lingered across her face as she smiled.

“We have our own CP super-topic now. Did you know?”

Chen Ge: “…”

She was going to be this direct?!

Chen Ge said, “I know…”

“Did you look at it? Gewai Xindong.”

Still gripping the water bottle, Chen Ge resignedly nodded.

Luo Jingyi glanced at the poor plastic bottle that had already been squeezed out of shape in Chen Ge’s hands.

“How did you feel after seeing it?”

Chen Ge: “…”

Had Sister Luo seen the picture or not?

Or had she seen it but simply thought it was no big deal?

Was Chen Ge the only one overthinking everything?

Once she considered that possibility, Chen Ge felt rather childish. Her mental fortitude was clearly lacking.

She must have spent too long as an eighteenth-tier nobody. She had never experienced having actual fans and was making too much of something popular celebrities encountered every day.

Luo Jingyi’s composure and relaxed manner influenced Chen Ge, gradually easing her embarrassment.

“I thought it was quite interesting.”

Chen Ge finally stopped tormenting the plastic bottle.

“There are so many talented people.”

“Exactly,” Luo Jingyi said. “They drew us remarkably accurately. You can tell the artist is a master. Both the anatomy and perspective were first-rate.”

Chen Ge nodded vigorously.

“So you saw that picture too?” Luo Jingyi asked.

They stood behind the farmhouse courtyard, in one corner of a small garden filled with edible roses.

From time to time, the distant sounds of staff preparing for the afternoon’s filming drifted toward them.

The blazing sunlight enveloped the passionate roses. Layer after layer separated the little courtyard from the outside world, concealing the small space and surrounding the two of them with an exceptionally private atmosphere.

“I saw it.”

Chen Ge remained honest.

Perhaps because of the slight age difference, or because Luo Xin possessed such a natural air of authority and always seemed calm and decisive no matter what happened, Chen Ge found herself unable to play any tricks before her.

Whatever Luo Jingyi asked, she answered.

Only her voice had noticeably weakened.

This undisturbed location was extremely convenient.

Luo Jingyi planned to continue keeping Chen Ge trapped there and savor her slowly.

“Judging by your reaction, you didn’t like it?”

Chen Ge pressed a hand against her ear.

“It isn’t that I disliked it. I’m genuinely happy that someone noticed me and included me in their creative work. It’s just…”

She smiled shyly.

“Maybe I’m not accustomed to it. The sensory impact was a little intense.”

Chen Ge had not noticed that she pressed her ear only because it had already turned so red and hot that it was becoming uncomfortable.

After she touched it, the tip became even redder.

It contrasted sharply with her fair neck.

Luo Jingyi deliberately said:

“What were you stimulated by? You looked perfectly cool and domineering on top. Shouldn’t I be the one who felt stimulated?”

Chen Ge had not expected her to directly begin discussing the contents of the explicit drawing.

And she even said “on top”…

Luo Jingyi continued:

“Although the drawing was good, they still shouldn’t draw recklessly. I should create an anonymous account and offer some feedback in the super-topic. What was that term again? A powerful top, right? I need to establish that I’m the one on top.”

Luo Jingyi spoke with complete seriousness and even carried a hint of anger.

The moment Chen Ge heard her, she immediately grabbed Luo Jingyi’s hand.

“Don’t, Sister Luo! This is already chaotic enough. If you go there and offer suggestions, won’t they start racing even more wildly? Then the situation will truly become uncontrollable. Every kind of picture imaginable will appear!”

Chen Ge anxiously held Luo Jingyi’s hand, as though Luo Jingyi were already preparing to charge into the super-topic and cause havoc.

Luo Jingyi’s leisurely, satisfied gaze settled on Chen Ge’s graceful hand.

Chen Ge was holding her little finger and ring finger, her urgency mixed with anxiety and pleading.

She looked sweet and adorable—exactly as Luo Jingyi wanted.

That was why Luo Jingyi had deliberately come looking for Chen Ge and deliberately said all those things.

When she first learned that Feng Yunxin’s accidental like had caused the explicit drawing to spread beyond the fandom, leading to group chats and increasingly uncontrollable chaos, Luo Jingyi had admittedly felt humiliated—apart from wanting to tear Feng Yunxin into three pieces.

But then she thought: if even she felt embarrassed, how much worse must it be for thin-skinned Chen Ge?

The moment she realized she could tease Chen Ge again, Luo Jingyi completely digested her own embarrassment and hurried over excitedly.

In Luo Jingyi’s mind, the sight of Chen Ge holding her hand and trying to persuade her automatically gained all the emotions she wanted, transforming into a unique form of coquettish pleading.

Still unsatisfied, Luo Jingyi continued “bullying” Chen Ge.

“Now that Xiao Song is gone, the two of us are a CP. The show’s popularity is gradually rising too. More and more people will follow the program, and the number of people paying attention to you will multiply. As long as people like you, it’s a good thing. It will certainly help your future career. Even if you’ve spent ten years sharpening a sword, you still need a platform that gives you a chance to display it, don’t you? Don’t be afraid of being liked. You deserve to be loved by more people.”

Luo Jingyi’s words struck directly at Chen Ge’s heart.

Chen Ge was moved, and her gaze became more determined.

“If I receive an opportunity, I’ll prove myself properly. I’ve actually been waiting for a good opportunity all this time.”

“Good. That’s exactly the spirit I like.”

Luo Jingyi said:

“Then we’ll continue promoting our CP? I heard Director Feng revised the show’s script, and our interactions will be the main focus. Everything we filmed before was nothing. There’ll be even more intimate scenes later. Are you afraid?”

Chen Ge: “…”

There would be scenes even more intimate than this?

Chen Ge had only just made such a determined declaration. What right did she have to say she was afraid? Wouldn’t that be slapping herself in the face?

But their current filming was already extremely intimate.

Luo Jingyi constantly fed her food or pulled her into her arms. Even real couples probably weren’t this clingy.

And apparently, things could progress even further?

Chen Ge could no longer imagine how they might become more intimate.

Luo Jingyi seemed to see through her concerns.

“Don’t worry. There won’t be any bed scenes.”

Chen Ge: “…”

Why could Sister Luo say the words “bed scenes” so directly?!

Luo Jingyi continued:

“Even if we genuinely lie on a bed, there won’t be excessive physical contact.”

Chen Ge felt herself splitting apart.

“…How excessive counts as excessive?”

Luo Jingyi, who controlled the entire script, thought for a moment.

“That depends on what the screenwriter has in mind.”

Chen Ge became slightly nervous, almost as though a pair of rabbit ears had risen from her head.

“Sister Luo, do you know who our screenwriter is?”

Luo Jingyi said with interest:

“Of course. Feng Yunxin and I had a brief meeting with the screenwriter last night.”

“The screenwriter is here with the production?”

Chen Ge searched her memory but had no impression of such a person.

“Then, Sister Luo, could you pass a message to the screenwriter for me?”

“Mm. Go ahead.”

“I… Well, my ears.”

Chen Ge pointed toward her thoroughly red ears without touching them.

“They’re very sensitive… Could the script reduce the number of scenes involving someone touching my ears?”

Afraid Luo Jingyi might consider her unprofessional, Chen Ge deliberately added:

“It’s genuine. I have a very obvious… reaction.”

“What reaction?”

Chen Ge’s voice nearly disappeared.

“A physical… reaction.”

“A physical reaction? What happens?”

Chen Ge: “…”

She was about to suffocate.

Why did Sister Luo need to ask in such detail?

But Chen Ge herself had introduced the subject, so it was perfectly reasonable for Sister Luo to clarify.

“If someone touches my ears, I feel… tingling and numb inside. My legs also become weak without me being able to control them.”

Chen Ge turned her head away, her face covered in a blush.

“It’s very difficult to endure…”

Her voice became quieter and quieter.

As though she could not hear clearly, Luo Jingyi stepped closer and leaned slightly to listen carefully.

Sister Luo was so close…

Chen Ge had nowhere left to retreat. Her back was already pressed against the wall.

Seeming to finally understand, Luo Jingyi asked:

“So whenever I held you and spoke beside your ear before, you experienced a physical reaction?”

Chen Ge: “…Yes.”

“You felt numb and tingly inside, and your legs went weak?”

With the resignation of someone accepting her fate, Chen Ge nodded. Her entire body had turned as red as a little crab freshly lifted from a steamer.

“All right. I understand.”

Luo Jingyi smiled like a witch who had gained complete control over every aspect of Chen Ge.

“But I can only pass your suggestion to the screenwriter. I can’t guarantee how she’ll ultimately write it. After all, everything must serve the effectiveness of the filming. Both of us should maintain professional standards.”

Chen Ge gave two quiet sounds of agreement, slightly embarrassed.

“I’m troubling you with something like this. I’ll treat you to a meal afterward.”

Luo Jingyi accepted happily.

“Sure. When?”

“Anytime!”

“Good. I’ll remember that.”

Watching Chen Ge’s grateful expression, Luo Jingyi desperately wanted to pinch her warm little cheeks.

Being sold and still helping count the money—

That perfectly described little Chen Ge.

Author’s Note:

Luo Jingyi (deep breath): Finished teasing her. That felt wonderful.