It's impossible not to feel wronged at times. Yu Shuman is quite resilient, but occasionally, she still gets scolded by the director to the point where she can't lift her head. But everyone else gets scolded too, so she can't just run crying to her boss, complaining that the director was too harsh and didn't give her any face, right?
Besides, Yu Shuman isn't that kind of person. She just pouted and acted a little spoiled with Qin Ran: "Alright, alright, I'm not upset. Everything is really fine."
Then she changed the topic: "Xiao Ran, are you hungry? There's a menu in the room, let's order dinner."
Normally, Yu Shuman would be too frugal to order hotel room service. She would usually have her assistant, Xiao An, bring her a meal. After all, the crew only covers room expenses and meals during shooting, and even those meals are just boxed lunches. If she orders from the hotel, it's an expense the star has to cover personally.
Hotels around the film studios are quite expensive. In other star-rated hotels, an executive suite might cost about 2,000 yuan a night, but here, it's easily 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, and the presidential suite is even more outrageous. After Yu Shuman looked into it, she was a bit shocked.
Ordering room service isn't cheap either, costing almost 1,000 yuan for a meal. Occasionally it's fine, but if she did it every day, it would definitely hurt her wallet. But Qin Ran had come all this way to see Yu Shuman, so it would be too stingy if she still asked Xiao An to bring food.
Yu Shuman might be thrifty with herself, but she's generous when it comes to Qin Ran.
She even patted her chest and told Qin Ran, "Xiao Ran, eat whatever you want, it's on me today." Yu Shuman was so cute like this that Qin Ran couldn't help but smile. Qin Ran looked at the menu, thought for a moment, and then asked Yu Shuman what she wanted to eat. Yu Shuman sat beside Qin Ran, looked at the menu, and said Qin Ran could choose whatever she liked.
Qin Ran noted down a few dishes they both liked and asked if they should add anything else. Yu Shuman looked over and added two bottles of drinks. Then she took the note, went over to the mini bar, picked up the room phone, and dialed the front desk.
Yu Shuman placed the order and hung up the phone shortly after.
The hotel service was quite prompt. About twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Yu Shuman checked through the peephole and, seeing that it was hotel staff, opened the door and let them wheel in the dining cart. The waiter set everything on the dining table before leaving, reminding them to call the front desk if they needed the table cleared.
After the waiter left, it was just the two of them.
Qin Ran found a bottle of red wine in the minibar, and a mischievous thought crossed her mind. She immediately brought the red wine to the table. Seeing this, Yu Shuman was a bit helpless: "Xiao Ran, I still have work tomorrow."
Faced with this rejection, Qin Ran resorted to playful tactics, hugging Yu Shuman's waist and trying to kiss her. Yu Shuman held Qin Ran's cheek, laughing as she tried to dodge, but Qin Ran cheekily kissed her palm instead. When Yu Shuman pulled her hand away because it tickled, Qin Ran's lips found her cheek.
"Manman, Manman, just a little bit, okay? A little red wine before bed helps you sleep better."
Yu Shuman had no choice but to relent. "Okay, but only a little, alright?"
Qin Ran popped the cork and poured wine into their glasses. Yu Shuman started with just a few sips, but Qin Ran said, "Manman, the bottle's already open. It would be such a waste not to finish it. Once the cork is out, it's hard to keep red wine fresh. Instead of letting it go to waste, why don't we just drink it?"
Yu Shuman wasn't sure if what Qin Ran said was true, but she remembered hearing that red wine indeed doesn't keep well. Not wanting to waste the expensive wine, Yu Shuman reluctantly drank a little more.
In the end, Qin Ran's plan worked—Yu Shuman got drunk.
When she's drunk, Yu Shuman is still very well-behaved. Qin Ran had seen her drunk once before—Yu Shuman didn't cry or act out, she just sat there quietly. If it weren't for the slight haze in her eyes, you wouldn't even know she was drunk.
Qin Ran stood up and walked over to Yu Shuman, asking how she was feeling. But before she knew it, Yu Shuman had thrown her arms around Qin Ran's neck, planting kisses on her lips and cheeks. Yu Shuman was a straightforward person, and when she was drunk, she spoke even more freely.
"Xiao Ran, I've missed you so much. We haven't seen each other for such a long time…"
Qin Ran held Yu Shuman's waist and guided her to the sofa. She responded softly, "I've missed you too. I've missed you so much." If they hadn't gotten so close before, maybe the separation wouldn't be so unbearable. But after being that intimate, suddenly sleeping alone, staring at the empty space beside her, the longing became an all-consuming ache, gnawing at Qin Ran's sanity every moment of every day.
Her longing surged like a tidal wave, relentlessly crashing against the shore, each wave whispering, "I miss her so much."
Now that they were together again, the floodgates opened, and she couldn't stop herself from saying it. She kissed Yu Shuman, and Yu Shuman eagerly and passionately kissed her back. When Qin Ran's lips moved to her eyes, Yu Shuman's eyes fluttered closed.
Qin Ran loved Yu Shuman's eyes. They sparkled like stars, and now, with the added glaze of drunkenness, they were even more mesmerizing.
After a while, Qin Ran whispered in Yu Shuman's ear, asking if she could go further. The warmth of Qin Ran's breath made Yu Shuman's ear twitch, and after a moment, Yu Shuman murmured, "Sure." Qin Ran then asked if she'd be angry the next day, but Yu Shuman whispered back, "Even when I'm drunk, I don't forget what happens. I remember everything from last time. This is my choice; I won't be angry."
Hearing this, Qin Ran blushed. She half-carried, half-dragged Yu Shuman to the bathroom. Don't think Qin Ran was being too forward—when Yu Shuman had mentioned the massage bathtub earlier, Qin Ran had already gotten ideas.
Now that the opportunity had presented itself, she was definitely going to make the most of it.
After all, this was only Yu Shuman's second time, and the water jets would help make things easier.
As the warm water filled the tub, the bathroom became enveloped in steam. Soon, the sound of water mixed with soft, indistinct noises echoed in the room, made more prominent by the bathroom's acoustics.
After everything calmed down, Qin Ran helped Yu Shuman dry off and half-carried, half-dragged her back to the master bedroom. Yu Shuman was already exhausted from the day, and after Qin Ran's attention, she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
Qin Ran called her name a few times, but Yu Shuman only mumbled sleepily. With no other choice, Qin Ran fetched a hairdryer, set it to the gentlest setting, and carefully dried Yu Shuman's hair.
By the time everything was done, it was already half past midnight. Qin Ran yawned and hesitated before leaning over to gently shake Yu Shuman awake. The latter blinked sleepily at her, and Qin Ran smiled, "Manman, Happy New Year."
In her half-asleep state, Yu Shuman smiled brightly, pulled Qin Ran close, gave her a big kiss on the cheek, and said, "Happy New Year!" before drifting back to sleep.
Being able to spend New Year's Eve with her lover made Qin Ran incredibly happy. Hearing Yu Shuman wish her a Happy New Year filled her with contentment. She hugged Yu Shuman, snuggled into her shoulder, and soon fell asleep as well.
Of course, before drifting off, she didn't forget to message Sister Li, asking her to arrange for Yu Shuman to have a day off. Yu Shuman wouldn't be going to work the next day.
When Yu Shuman woke up with a hangover, she had a slight headache. Qin Ran handed her a glass of honey water just in time. The warm honey water eased her discomfort significantly. After freshening up, Qin Ran had already prepared a nourishing breakfast.
Seeing the takeaway boxes and bags, Yu Shuman knew Qin Ran had taken the easy way out and bought breakfast from a shop.
Still groggy, Yu Shuman didn't fully wake up until after finishing her breakfast. When she saw it was already 10:15 AM, she panicked and rushed to her room to change and head to the set, only to be stopped by Qin Ran.
"Manman, I got you a day off. Just rest today."
Yu Shuman was a bit dazed. "Isn't it bad to take a day off?"
"What's wrong with it? People aren't machines; they need rest."
The entertainment industry is tough. Some stars work sporadically, while others work non-stop. Yu Shuman was one of those who pushed herself to the limit, to an extreme that was almost unreasonable. It was partly due to her personality… Qin Ran could never push herself like that.
Hearing Qin Ran's words, Yu Shuman hesitated but eventually sighed.
"Alright, I'll take a break."
In truth, Yu Shuman still wanted to work. The thought of the director's face and the harsh words he might hurl at her made her anxious. He'd probably say something like, "Oh, Yu Shuman, not a big star, but you sure know how to make a big show. None of the other actors asked for time off, but you're special, huh?"
"What can you do? Yu Shuman has President Qin of Nine-Nine Entertainment backing her up. Does anyone else have that?"
But Qin Ran had come all this way, and it would be too heartless to leave her behind and go to work. Yu Shuman was still soft-hearted when it came to Qin Ran; she couldn't help but agree whenever Qin Ran acted cute.
So, she did as Qin Ran had planned, spending the whole day at the hotel's executive suite, doing nothing but resting.
Qin Ran: Jacuzzi, hee hee...