She Said: A Passionate Kiss [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 51

Qiang Huai rolled over in bed and sent another message to Gu Pingwan:

 

“Good night~”

 

Gu Pingwan received the message at 2 a.m. She had just come out of the lab building and was walking along the path in the back garden.

 

The hydrangeas had bloomed, changing from pale green to white.

 

She raised her phone and took a photo, sending it to Qiang Huai.

 

“The flowers have bloomed. I wish you were here.”
“Good night. Sorry I missed your messages, things have been really busy lately.”

 

…

 

The next morning, Qiang Huai saw the time stamp on Gu Pingwan’s reply and couldn’t help but feel a bit distressed, but there was nothing she could do.

 

Gu Pingwan had only slept five hours before getting up for breakfast.

 

While eating in the cafeteria, she sent Qiang Huai a message:

 

“Are you awake yet?”

 

Qiang Huai was still in bed, stretching lazily.

 

“Just woke up.”
“You only sleep that little every day?”

 

Gu Pingwan took a bite of shaomai. Qiang Huai had liked it before; she’d bring her some next time.

 

“Yeah, I have to head back into the lab soon. I might not be able to reply in time.”

 

Qiang Huai pouted in the chat:

 

“Want kisses! Want big sis to hug~ 😢”
“Why does this feel like online dating? 😭”

 

Tan Feng sat down across from Gu Pingwan with his tray. “Engineer Gu, what time did you finish working last night?”

 

“Two or three in the morning. Why?” Gu Pingwan replied while texting.

 

“That late?” Tan Feng bit into his bun. “You’re still young, but take care of your health. You’re not even married yet, don’t have a partner—don’t go sacrificing yourself to science.”

 

Another colleague walked over, overhearing: “Pfft, Tan Feng, can’t you say something more positive?”

 

Gu Pingwan smiled. “I have a partner.”

 

“What?!” the two colleagues said in unison.

 

“Engineer Gu? You’re in a relationship?” Tan Feng practically shouted—it was loud enough for the entire cafeteria to hear.

 

Everyone turned to look. Gu Pingwan really wanted to shove a steamed bun into Tan Feng’s mouth.

 

“What do you mean you’re dating? Wait, are you kidding me?” Tan Feng kept going.

 

The other colleague nodded in agreement, “Engineer Gu, really?”

 

Gu Pingwan looked completely serious. “Of course.”

 

“Where’s this person from? What do they do?” Tan Feng was bursting with curiosity, like he was conducting a census.

 

“Online relationship. I don’t know much.” Gu Pingwan didn’t want to explain, thinking of what Qiang Huai had just said.

 

“Online dating!” Tan Feng covered his mouth. “You better be careful. There are so many scammers nowadays. You barely interact with society—don’t get tricked into going to Myanmar or something.”

 

Gu Pingwan finished her food and cleaned up her tray. “Thanks for the concern, Tan Feng. I’ll be careful.”

 

After she left, the colleague next to Tan Feng remarked, “Wow, didn’t expect that. Engineer Gu is quite trendy.”

 

Tan Feng agreed. Usually, Gu Pingwan was so quiet, and now she was doing online dating?

 

No, no—it’s more like, even someone like Gu Pingwan, who works nonstop, is in a relationship… and he still didn’t have anyone.

 

…

 

On the day of the script read-through, Qiang Huai got dressed and ready to head out.

 

“Ms. Qiang, there are a lot of reporters outside,” Xiao Yu said, standing at the doorway, having just come running up from downstairs.

 

“Mhm.” Qiang Huai picked up her phone, turned on the camera, and checked her look. “Looking good. Let’s go.”

 

Xiao Yu followed her downstairs. As soon as they stepped out of the lobby, the reporters swarmed and started snapping pictures.

 

“Ms. Qiang, are the rumors true—are you really dating someone?”

 

“Ms. Qiang, is your partner your high school classmate?”

 

Standing amid the crowd, Qiang Huai smiled confidently. “We’re currently seeing each other.”

 

“When are you getting married? Any plans?”

 

“Is your partner male or female?”

 

“……”

 

“If there’s good news, I’ll let everyone know right away,” Qiang Huai replied with a smile.

 

“Everyone please make way—don’t cause traffic congestion,” Xiao Yu said while guiding her through the crowd.

 

They finally got into the car, and the driver quickly took them to the film set.

 

This movie had two female leads, portraying twin sisters. Qiang Huai played the antagonist, while the other actress, Shen Xing, was a rising star known for more traditional roles, playing the protagonist.

 

From certain angles, Shen Xing looked somewhat like Qiang Huai. Marketing accounts had even nicknamed her “Little Qiang Huai.”

 

As soon as they met, Shen Xing eagerly greeted her.

 

“Ms. Qiang, it’s an honor to work with you.” Shen Xing extended her hand.

 

Qiang Huai shook it politely. “Likewise.”

 

Shen Xing offered her seat, and Qiang Huai sat in the center position at the large table.

 

“I’ve watched your movies since I was a kid. I even saw your recent one, Killing Yesterday,” Shen Xing said cheerfully, completely non-threatening.

 

Qiang Huai nodded slightly. “Thanks for the support.”

 

“The director went to buy coffee. He’ll be back soon.” Shen Xing seemed to think they were sitting too far apart and moved closer. “Ms. Qiang, can I add you on WeChat?”

 

“In case I have questions later and want to ask for guidance.”

 

“You can add my assistant. I don’t check my phone often—sorry.” Qiang Huai politely declined. It wouldn’t have mattered with former colleagues, but now things were different. She always reminded herself—she was already spoken for.

 

Shen Xing was clearly taken aback. “Ah, okay. Sure.”

 

Xiao Yu came over and scanned her QR code.

 

By the time the director returned, Qiang Huai was already reading the script.

 

“Ms. Qiang, hello,” the director greeted, carrying a bag of coffee. “Would you like iced or hot?”

 

“Iced, thank you.”

 

Everyone was seated. The long rectangular table was filled with fifteen actors.

 

“We probably don’t need formal introductions,” the director said as he passed out coffee. He was famously easygoing, but also a very capable filmmaker, with several award-winning works. Many actors fought for the chance to work with him.

 

Most of them already knew each other from the industry, or had at least looked up the cast list beforehand.

 

The movie, Rabbit Bloodshed, was about two female leads constantly deceiving one another. They were twins—one (the younger) worked a regular job, while the elder sister was unemployed.

 

One day, the younger sister was murdered on her way to work, and no killer could be found.

 

The elder sister then infiltrated the company to investigate. It was revealed that she was actually a professional assassin embedded in the criminal underworld, a top-tier specialist.

 

Eventually, she discovered her sister was murdered at the company—not due to workplace drama, but because someone had confused her for the elder sister. A rival faction had sent someone to eliminate her.

 

Qiang Huai played the assassin sister. Shen Xing played the younger.

 

As the story progressed, DNA results revealed—they weren’t biologically related at all.

 

The elder had always been neglected by their adoptive family, constantly forced to care for the younger. Their father even abused them.

 

One day, after school, the elder walked in on her father molesting her sister.

 

As an adult, she killed her father—no, her adoptive father—in a staged accident.

 

In the end, the elder was imprisoned. The younger came to visit… but the younger had supposedly died already. How could she still be alive?

 

In the final twist, it’s revealed that the younger sister had hired someone to fake her own death. She had grown up resenting her sister—resentment that turned into love. Unable to accept being gay, and blaming the elder for their father’s death, she plotted revenge.

 

Knowing the elder had someone she loved, she believed only in death could she possess her fully.

 

The elder was executed by firing squad. Later, the younger sister visited her grave… only to find the elder there.

 

When Qiang Huai first read the script, she thought it was impressive. Reading it again now, she felt fully immersed in the emotion.

 

Once the read-through ended, the cast shared their interpretations.

 

Filming would begin tomorrow. The indoor set was ready, and the first scene would be the assassin sister in prison.

 

Before leaving, the director gave some scene guidance to the two leads.

 

As Qiang Huai exited, Xiao Yu handed her the phone.

 

“Chief Engineer Gu called you,” Xiao Yu said. She had been waiting outside and answered the call earlier.

 

Qiang Huai quickly took the phone and called back, but there was no answer.

 

She tried several more times—still no response.

 

On the way back, she finally checked WeChat and saw Gu Pingwan’s message:

 

“Ah Huai, I’m heading to the Wenchang Space Launch Site. I probably won’t be able to see you for the next few months.”

 

The message had been sent three hours ago—while Qiang Huai was busy.

 

She replied:

 

“Okay.”
“Work hard. I’ll be here when you return.”

 

They both understood the nature of their jobs—confidentiality came with the territory. Even though she was curious, Qiang Huai didn’t ask.

 

Gu Pingwan was on the plane, holding a magazine—an issue from a few months ago, with Qiang Huai on the cover.

 

It had been a New Year’s edition shoot.

 

Tan Feng, sitting next to her, had fallen asleep and only woke up when the flight attendant came by with drinks.

 

“You’ve been reading that magazine the whole flight?” he asked, asking for orange juice.

 

Gu Pingwan smiled faintly. “Just flipping through.”

 

“Just flipping through? You were on that page before sleeping, and now you’re still on that page.” He noticed the actress on the cover. “You a fan of this actress?”

 

“Mhm,” Gu Pingwan nodded.

 

Tan Feng didn’t follow celebrity gossip, but a national top-tier star like Qiang Huai—he’d definitely heard the name.

 

He teased, “Didn’t expect it—Engineer Gu is a fangirl. No wonder you’re doing online dating. So trendy.”

 

“Engineer Tan, maybe you should check this stuff out too. Helps you stay young,” Gu Pingwan replied seriously.

 

Tan Feng: “…Aren’t there types of fans? Like, different fan categories? What kind are you?”

 

Gu Pingwan wasn’t quite sure herself. What kinds were there?

 

She remembered the comments under Qiang Huai’s Weibo—fans calling her “hubby” or “wifey.”

 

“I guess… I’m a w-w-wife fan?” she said softly.

 

Tan Feng rolled his eyes. “I don’t get you star-chasers. Wife fan, huh? You should hurry and get a real partner. Quit the online dating—find someone serious.”

 

Gu Pingwan held back a laugh. “Okay, okay. I’ll listen to you, Engineer Tan.”

 

When they arrived in Hainan, the team went straight to the launch site.

 

The rocket was scheduled to launch in July—about a month and a half away. Gu Pingwan’s assigned module had already been integrated.