After Swapping Bodies with the Movie Queen, She Ended Up with Me (GL) - Chapter 26

Shen Nian stood outside the laundry room, watching the two figures hidden in the shadows share an intimate kiss.

At first, it was Rong Qing who leaned in to kiss Mu Lingwan. Mu Lingwan froze for a few seconds before reacting, gripping Rong Qing’s clothes and pulling her closer. The two kissed passionately in the cramped laundry room.

Shen Nian watched them, an indescribable tightness in her chest. Her eyes reddened, and she turned away, leaving abruptly. The camera crew followed her until she shut the door in their faces at her room.

Meanwhile, Rong Qing and Mu Lingwan kissed again and again, their lips nearly bruised, tongues tingling, minds hazy like a swirling fog.

“Has she… left?” Rong Qing whispered between breaths during a brief pause in their kissing.

Mu Lingwan glanced toward the door—Shen Nian and the camera were no longer in sight. But after a moment’s thought, she murmured, “Still here.”

Rong Qing frowned, then wrapped her arms around Mu Lingwan’s shoulders, pressing her tightly against her chest, hoping Shen Nian would leave at the sight of this.

If she didn’t leave now, things were about to get even more heated.

Mu Lingwan was surprised by Rong Qing’s initiative. A flicker of emotion stirred in her heart as she slid her hands around Rong Qing’s waist, pinning her between the wall and herself, kissing her without restraint.

Their breathing grew ragged, Rong Qing’s cheeks flushed crimson. Something felt off, but her muddled mind couldn’t process it—she could only surrender to the kiss.

After a full five minutes, Rong Qing’s lips were parched, her legs weak, and Mu Lingwan finally released her.

Rong Qing panted heavily, her chest rising and falling, lips slightly parted as her tongue peeked out. Her gaze, damp and trembling, flickered toward the door—nothing was there anymore. Her heart finally settled.

But then, the corner of her eye caught something, and her chest tightened again.

Their microphones were still on!

The mics provided by the production team were separate from the cameras. Though the cameras could pick up sound, the mics captured it far more clearly. When Mu Lingwan had pulled her into the laundry room, Rong Qing hadn’t given it much thought—she’d even been relieved there were no cameras here, so their kiss wouldn’t be seen by the audience.

But now, with their mics still active, hadn’t their heavy breathing and passionate kissing just been broadcast to the entire nation?!

Rong Qing’s face paled instantly. Mu Lingwan followed her gaze to the mics and froze for a second before swiftly yanking them off and stuffing them into her pocket.

“Let’s… let’s go back first,” Mu Lingwan said awkwardly, an unusual stumble in her voice.

Rong Qing’s mind was blank. All she could think was that not only had Shen Nian seen her kissing Mu Lingwan, but the entire country had heard it too. This was no different from a public execution!

Her flawless reputation—ruined!

Mu Lingwan quickly led her past the living room, hand in hand, up the stairs. The crew’s eyes lingered on them, and though Rong Qing felt their stares, she couldn’t lift her head.

The door slammed shut with a bang. Rong Qing felt as if her entire life had plunged into darkness.

At the same time, in the director’s room on the first floor, the director looked at the monitor in front of him and said to the editing staff, “Did you add the audio of those two kissing just now?”

“It’s already been added, Director.”

“Good. Also include the footage from Shen Nian’s side. No need to focus too much on details—just make sure the hype is strong enough.”

Upon hearing this, the assistant director frowned slightly and quietly advised, “Director, I think we shouldn’t release this. Even if it’s for the sake of promoting the show, shouldn’t we at least get the guests’ consent?”

The director, however, replied coldly, “Do you think they joined this variety show without any ulterior motives? I knew from the very beginning that Shen Nian and Ming Qiao were a fake couple, but I still let them join the group precisely because it creates hype.”

“But—”

“Audiences nowadays love this kind of drama. First, we’ll use Shen Nian pursuing Mu Lingwan as the hook to get viewers debating whether it counts as cheating. Then, midway through, we’ll reveal their fake relationship status. The guest stars we arranged are already on their way and will join the group tomorrow. Who knows how explosive this show will become then?”

The director couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. Patting the assistant director on the shoulder, he said, “You still have a lot to learn. Running a show requires flexibility. Look at the director of the first two seasons of Heartbeat Moment—they didn’t achieve much, did they? What’s the point of just showing people falling in love? What audiences really want is drama.”

The assistant director looked at him hesitantly, sighing softly.

The footage of Shen Nian holding Rong Qing on the dark lawn and today’s chase between Rong Qing and Mu Lingwan to the laundry room had all been edited. Fans wouldn’t have the patience for overly long clips, so the priority now was to grab everyone’s attention.

After some thought, the director instructed the staff, “Release the part where Shen Nian asks Mu Lingwan out first.”

Though the staff felt uneasy, the director was the leader of the entire production team. Aside from the investors, no one dared to defy him. So, two hours later in the dead of night, a trending topic slowly climbed to the top of the homepage…

Early the next morning, Mu Lingwan was awakened by her phone.

She drowsily opened her eyes and fumbled for her phone under the pillow. It was Zhou Ying calling, and the time was only 4:30 a.m.

The sun hadn’t even risen yet—what was the call about?

Mu Lingwan answered the phone but stayed silent, waiting for Zhou Ying to speak first.

“We have a problem,” Zhou Ying said on the other end. “Last night, a trending topic about Heartbeat Moment surfaced and has been on the hot search all night. By the time the sun rises, everyone will probably know about it.”

Mu Lingwan’s sleep-addled brain struggled to process this. “What trending topic?”

“It’s about Shen Nian—a video of her holding you… holding Rong Qing. I suspect the production team might have leaked it themselves.”

“What?”

Zhou Ying’s words jolted Mu Lingwan awake. She sat up in bed, glancing at Rong Qing, who was frowning in her sleep beside her. Quietly, she got out of bed and went to the bathroom, closing the door and windows before sitting on the toilet lid. “What do you mean? Explain it to me properly.”

“Last night at 11 o’clock, a small account posted a video showing Shen Nian holding Rong Qing, followed by footage of Shen Nian chasing after both of you into the villa’s laundry room,” Zhou Ying said. “This material was likely leaked by the production team themselves, and they even bought a trending spot—it’s blowing up online.”

Mu Lingwan furrowed her brows. According to Zhou Ying, this was clearly targeting Shen Nian. Everyone knew Heartbeat Moment was a one-on-one dating show, different from typical singles’ romance programs. It focused on showcasing sweet, established couples for audiences to ship—pair by pair.

In such a show, the biggest taboo was interactions between guests from different pairs, let alone flirting with others. How was that any different from cheating in front of the entire nation?

Mu Lingwan irritably swept her long hair aside and asked, “What’s the current situation?”

“Since it involves you, we’ve been suppressing the trending topic since it appeared. But we can’t stop the night owls—the hashtag has stayed at the top all night,” Zhou Ying replied wearily. “Once more people wake up, it’ll be impossible to control.”

Mu Lingwan was exasperated. She’d just wanted to casually join the show to boost Rong Qing’s visibility, ensuring mutual benefit when they eventually switched back to their own bodies—so it wouldn’t seem like she’d taken advantage of Rong Qing.

But she never expected the production team to pull such a stunt.

Recalling the director’s smug expression in the living room yesterday, Mu Lingwan had sensed something off. Now it was clear—he’d been plotting against her.

“…I should’ve never joined this show,” Mu Lingwan grumbled. After a moment, she asked Zhou Ying, “Have you contacted Shen Nian’s agent?”

“Yes, but we haven’t informed Shen Nian yet to avoid disturbing her rest.”

“Sleeping at a time like this? Call her immediately and get her up!”

“Understood, I’ll arrange it right away.”

As Zhou Ying was about to hang up, Mu Lingwan stopped her: “Wait—there’s one more thing I need you to handle.”

Meanwhile.

Shen Nian, deep in sleep, was jolted awake by her ringing phone. She turned on the bedside lamp, propped herself against the pillow, and squinted at her agent’s name on the screen before answering groggily.

By the time her agent finished explaining, Shen Nian was wide awake.

She hastily threw off the covers, grabbed her coat, and rushed out—only to find Ming Qiao seated in the small living room outside her bedroom. Hearing the commotion, Ming Qiao turned her head and eyed Shen Nian up and down. “Where are you going?” she asked.

Clutching her coat, Shen Nian stared back in confusion. “Why are you here?”

Ming Qiao wore a wine-red nightgown, her black hair cascading over one shoulder. The thin spaghetti straps revealed her slender arms and sculpted shoulders. She crossed her legs, a tablet resting on her knees, with a half-finished cup of coffee beside her.

“Last night’s trending topics were quite lively—I assume you missed them?” Ming Qiao smiled.

Shen Nian frowned, unsure what Ming Qiao meant.

Ming Qiao closed the tablet in her hands and looked up at her. “Yesterday outside, you said you didn’t want to continue our collaboration. Was it because you already told Mu Lingwan that we were pretending to be a couple?”

Shen Nian’s heart tightened. She avoided meeting Ming Qiao’s gaze and merely frowned calmly. “It has nothing to do with Mu Lingwan.”

Ming Qiao countered, “How could it not? The video is already online. Can you still claim there’s nothing between you two?”

Though the footage was taken from a distance, the clip of Shen Nian throwing herself into Mu Lingwan’s arms was unmistakably clear. Ming Qiao tapped the tablet screen with her slender fingers, her expression cold as she stared at Shen Nian. “Ms. Shen, I prefer honest and trustworthy partners. Your actions have put me in a difficult position.”

“I’m sorry.”

At this point, Shen Nian had no intention of hiding the truth. She did have feelings for Mu Lingwan. Raising her bright eyes to meet Ming Qiao’s gaze, she said, “This matter is my fault, and I’ll take responsibility for it.”