Shrine - Chapter 16
Chapter 16
On the soft, wide bed, their breathing gradually calmed.
Ruan Ruan sat up and reached for the phone on the nightstand. A glance at the time showed it wasn't yet 12 o'clock. She put on her pajamas and sat meekly on the edge of the bed, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. Pursing her lips, she opened a ride-hailing app, considering whether to call a car.
She had no experience with this sort of thing and didn't know how to say goodbye to Shi Ran.
There was still a raw, tender feeling inside her. Even though only one finger had entered, it felt as if she had been stretched wide. Her attention was drawn to the strange physiological reaction, and the fine hairs behind her ears stood on end.
Lost in thought, she heard Shi Ran's voice: "What are you doing?"
"Um, I'm... calling a car." Ruan Ruan turned her head to look at Shi Ran. Shi Ran was properly dressed in her pajamas, lying on the pillow, her gaze cool and hazy as she watched her.
Shi Ran asked, "It's so late. Do you have something to go back for?"
"No." It's just...
"Then sleep here. I'll take you to work tomorrow." Shi Ran stared at her. The curved strands of Ruan Ruan's hair were tucked into the nape of her neck, reminiscent of the bend of her knees from before. Shi Ran had lifted her legs then, stroking the fine sheen of sweat on them.
Ruan Ruan returned her gaze silently. They had just done everything, yet they had lacked a mutual, lingering look. Suddenly, she wanted to sink into Shi Ran's eyes—they were pitch-black, with a lustrous point of light.
Like a nebula, vast and mysterious. Even without having touched it, one could imagine its tenderness.
Shi Ran probably thought she was uncomfortable and added, "I can also get you a room next door."
"No need to trouble you." Ruan Ruan came back to her senses, placed her phone back on the nightstand, and crawled onto the bed on her knees, stopping beside Shi Ran, hesitant to speak.
Like a little cat, looking soft and easy to bully. Her long, black hair made her body seem very slender.
But as she had just crawled over, her breasts swayed, dangling inside her slightly loose pajamas, as if tempting Shi Ran to recall the sensation from ten-odd minutes ago.
"What is it?" Shi Ran's voice was very soft, like a murmur in the night.
"Can I not take a shower? I'm very tired," Ruan Ruan asked in a small voice, kneeling beside her.
She heard a laugh—leisurely, light, and brief.
"Go to sleep." Shi Ran didn't say anything else, turning to lie on her side with her back to her.
Behind her, there was a ticklish, rustling sound. The little cat slipped in, carefully lying down on the other side of the bed.
They rearranged their breathing, like the tide rising and falling, surging against the reefs of their separate shores. Shi Ran heard the sound of Ruan Ruan turning her back, and Ruan Ruan heard the sound of Shi Ran's soft cough.
How could it be like this? They had just done the most intimate thing, yet now they were like a pair of university roommates forced to live together.
They didn't dare to breathe too deeply or fall asleep, afraid their sleeping posture wouldn't be good and they would disturb the other person.
Shi Ran's eyelashes fluttered, crossing silently in the night. She gazed at the clean carpet, suddenly questioning her own actions. Was this really the only way to act in this movie? It had felt logical when it happened, but afterward, it seemed faintly forced. As her heart, which had always been aimless, began to beat in an orderly and fierce rhythm, she perceived something akin to instinct.
It urged her to kiss, urged her to embrace, urged her to linger on that delicate skin—to linger and forget to return.
When she took in Ruan Ruan's misty eyes, she had questioned her own motives for a second. However, she didn't dwell on it, feel troubled, or regret it. They were both adults. Having a relationship based on mutual consent required no prerequisites, no excuse of work; the reason was sufficient in itself.
It was just that she hadn't expected this little cat, who was practically a stranger, to be so capable of pleasing her body.
Shi Ran sighed softly, lay flat on her back, and turned her head to look at Ruan Ruan. She spoke: "Come a little closer."
"There's too much space in the middle. It'll get cold."
"Oh, okay." Ruan Ruan's back trembled slightly. She turned over and rustled closer to Shi Ran, her cheek brushing against the pillow as she snuggled up beside her.
Shi Ran moved closer too, filling the gap between them.
There was a warm, sweet fragrance, familiar to them both. They had just exchanged breaths, and both felt that this distance was right.
Ruan Ruan lifted her soft eyelids to look at Shi Ran, whose face was like a cool breeze and a cold moon, her features as beautiful as an exquisite sketch. Shi Ran also lowered her cool gaze to look at Ruan Ruan, pressing her line of sight down slightly, a fraction deeper, and Ruan Ruan knew what she wanted to ask.
Ruan Ruan pulled back her toes, which had been touching Shi Ran's, and laughed softly. "I was just curious, do you usually sleep with socks on?"
"I don't."
"Me neither," Ruan Ruan said, her face against Shi Ran's shoulder. "Mei Mei wears them. She says it keeps her warm."
"Mei Mei?"
"Oh, you've met her. My assistant, Wu Mei. Um... actually, she's not my assistant. She's an actress too."
Shi Ran paused, her voice very soft. "You sleep together?"
"Occasionally. The air conditioning in her room is bad, and she's too lazy to ask the landlord to fix it, so she comes and squeezes in with me when she can't sleep."
Shi Ran fell silent. Ruan Ruan felt a strange little flick in her heart. After a moment's thought, she added, "We just sleep next to each other, we don't..."
She heard Shi Ran laugh again, just for two or three seconds, followed by a low murmur: "I know. It was your first time."
"Yeah."
Her face grew a little hot. Ruan Ruan pursed her lips. Shi Ran hadn't wanted to hear her explanation, and she didn't care if Shi Ran thought she was promiscuous. So she brought the topic back: "Mei Mei lied to me. She said a lot of big stars sleep with socks on because the feet supply qi and blood, and if you keep them warm, you'll be nourished by 'red qi'..."
As she spoke, she grew sleepy and turned her back to Shi Ran, ready to sleep. In a daze, she seemed to feel a source of heat press against her from behind. A slightly cool finger rested on her waist, moved, and then let go.
How could a person be without desire? Even Shi Ran, perhaps, hadn't had enough.
The next morning, they did it again. Ruan Ruan initiated it.
Perhaps it was the thought of Shi Ran's fleeting touch in the middle of the night, or perhaps she had dreamed of Shrine and felt Shi Ran was getting the short end of the deal. Or perhaps it was because she didn't know if their connection would end here, over as soon as the sun rose.
If it was going to end, then once at night, and once in the day. To see her in the darkness, and to see her in the light.
A little more entanglement would make it seem less impersonal.
Ruan Ruan sat on top of Shi Ran, fingers gently rubbing. Shi Ran enveloped her with a cool gaze, while the index finger of her other hand touched the hem of Ruan Ruan's clothes and lifted it slightly.
It wasn't an outrageous action, but Ruan Ruan knew what she wanted to see. So, she slowly lifted her clothes herself and held the fabric in her teeth.
She clearly saw Shi Ran sigh with her eyes. She must like it, like it so much she wanted to hold her.
After they finished, Shi Ran really did hold her. She lay half-sprawled in Shi Ran's arms, feeling that they had grown a little closer.
They still hadn't had a proper conversation, yet they had quietly made love twice, leaving them both unable to find the right closing words.
"Are you working today?" Ruan Ruan had forgotten to ask last night.
"In the afternoon. You?"
"Me too."
So they could rest a little longer. Ruan Ruan's cheek was pressed against Shi Ran's collarbone. Smelling the faint fragrance from the hollow of her neck, she couldn't help but move her lips, wanting to casually let a kiss fall.
She furrowed her brow at the thought. The post-coital atmosphere was far too intimate, and coupled with the few lines of casual small talk, it was slightly crossing a line.
So she bit her lower lip and called out softly, "Shi Ran."
"Hm?"
"Shrine." The little cat said this word softly from her shoulder.
Shi Ran, her eyes half-closed, rubbed her head against the pillow. She reached for her phone, unlocked it, and handed it to Ruan Ruan. "I'm a little tired. You talk to Xin Chen yourself. On WeChat."
Then she swallowed and lazily closed her eyes.
Ruan Ruan sat up cautiously. Not daring to look at Shi Ran's chat history, she found Xin Chen in the contact list and opened the chat window. The two of them only had some intermittent pleasantries from a few months ago. Ruan Ruan's heart was beating like a small drum, unsure if it was because Shi Ran had handed her the phone, or because she was one step closer to the female lead role.
The nine-square keyboard popped up, the cursor blinking. With her hair down, Ruan Ruan held Shi Ran's phone, typing and deleting.
How should she phrase it? She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, pursed her lips, and slowed her breathing to think.
Five minutes passed, and she still hadn't figured it out. But holding Shi Ran's phone for too long was even worse. The small drum in her heart became a large one, urging her on impatiently.
Just as she was struggling, Shi Ran lifted her right hand, reached over, switched the input method, typed the number "1," and hit send.
That's it? Ruan Ruan blinked.
The next second, Xin Chen replied: "Interested now?"
Ruan Ruan's heart pounded wildly. She stared at Shi Ran's profile picture on her end, feeling like a crown prince who had secretly worn the emperor's dragon robes. She moistened her lips and, mimicking Shi Ran's tone, typed: "Yeah."
Xin Chen sent back a blooming-with-joy emoji, then said: "But you probably wouldn't act in it, right? Are you investing?"
To be honest, she had never deluded herself into thinking she could get Shi Ran to star in it. With Shi Ran's rising momentum and excellent resources, forcing her into a web drama might even cause her fans to tear the production company apart. Her goal had always been to get Shi Ran on board as a partner. Shi Ran's involvement meant better business investment, more product placement—they could recoup a good chunk of the budget from mid-roll ads alone, not to mention the formidable operational and promotional power of Shi Ran's studio.
Ruan Ruan didn't know how to continue the conversation, as the two of them hadn't discussed it yet. She looked at Shi Ran: "Xin Chen replied."
Shi Ran sniffled softly, sat up, and gestured for Ruan Ruan to hand the phone back. She also tucked her hair behind her ear and began typing without a word.
"Send me the materials for the novel, including the story synopsis, character biographies, performance data for the work, and background checks on relevant personnel. Also, prepare a project proposal. I'll send it to my colleagues at the studio for evaluation."
"Green Bud wants in. You should coordinate the investment ratios with them. After my studio confirms, we'll meet with the platform. We'll make it a revenue-sharing drama and also fight for more promotional traffic."
"Settle the copyright as soon as possible."
Xin Chen was overjoyed, ecstatic, her delight visible. She sent several messages in a row: "Okay okay okay," "Right right right," "No problem."
Finally, when Xin Chen asked why she had changed her mind, Shi Ran replied: "On the way back from the dinner party the other day, Ruan Ruan said she had read this book, that it was well-written, and recommended it to me."
"After reading it, I also found it quite interesting. And, there's a character inside that's very suitable for her. Named..."
Shi Ran paused, turned her head to look at Ruan Ruan, and handed her the phone.
Ruan Ruan's heart was a tangled mess. She took it and typed the name of the character she wanted: "Qiao Qiao."
Sent.
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