The Ice-Queen Actress Used Her Acting Skills to Reel Me In! - Chapter 15

As soon as she got off the plane, Qin Zhaoman was picked up by the family driver and taken straight back to the old estate.

Her uncle was already waiting on the sofa. Qin Zhaoman was in a decent mood, leisurely pouring herself a cup of hot water while listening to her uncle’s nagging from the other side of the couch.

This time, the nagging revolved around two main themes: first, why she wasn’t hurrying to get married, and second, how her handling of her cousin’s situation had been too heavy-handed.

Qin Zhaoman addressed each point in turn: “I already told you at the beginning of last month that I won’t get married until I meet the right person. Should I record that for you? Next time you want to ask, just have the butler play it back—saves me the trouble of coming back to explain every time. And as for my cousin, I only handled it so roughly because I didn’t have time to deal with it properly.”

Her uncle was about to start scolding her, but Qin Zhaoman, accustomed to this, calmly handed him another cup of hot water.

The old butler, sensing the tension, quickly stepped in to mediate. Qin Zhaoman adopted a dutiful attitude, then had a maid bring over the adorable kitten so she could focus on petting it.

After a moment, her uncle said, “You’re the heir to this family. When dealing with family matters in public, you should carry yourself with grace and tact befitting your position. No matter how useless your cousin is, you can handle him however you want in private—just don’t air it out in the open.”

He tapped his cane on the floor. “Do you have any idea how many people are gossiping about this now? Do you know how many calls I’ve had to field on your behalf these past two days?”

The kitten, startled by his tone, flattened its ears like airplane wings.

Qin Zhaoman stroked its head, covering its little ears, and said, “Why should I care what they think of me? The heir isn’t me—it’s my brother.”

She looked up, her tone dripping with disdain. “And who’s been calling you to tattle? Tell me, I’ll go ask them—aren’t they ashamed, being so old and still running to complain like a child?”

“Qin Zhaoman!”

Her uncle’s voice was sharp with anger. “If I really saw your brother as the family heir, would I have sent him to China?”

Qin Zhaoman absently stroked the kitten. This lie was even more blatant than the one Shen Niannian had fed her.

Her brother had grown up not wanting to go into politics, so the responsibility had fallen to her. She could shoulder it—that wasn’t the issue.

But that didn’t mean her uncle could deceive her, pretending it was for her own good, pretending this was always meant to be hers.

She wasn’t an idiot.

Qin Zhaoman set the kitten down and said, “If you’ve got nothing else to say, I’ll be leaving. There’s still a lot of work waiting for me at the company.”

“What’s the rush? I’m not done yet.”

Her uncle studied her expression before continuing in one breath, “After what you said last time, I thought it over and realized you might have some psychological issues—that’s why you’re so against marriage. I found a psychiatric clinic for you. Go get checked out in the next couple of days.”

He added, “The director there is the son of an old friend of mine, about your age. You two can meet, and maybe—”

Qin Zhaoman let out a humorless laugh, stood up, and grabbed her coat, cutting him off. “And maybe kill two birds with one stone?”

Her uncle frowned. “If you agree to go, this will be the last time. If it still doesn’t work out, I won’t pressure you anymore.”

Qin Zhaoman was already at the door. She paused, then turned back. “You know how much I hate it when people go back on their word.”

—When Shen Niannian returned, she found that Secretary Li had already handled most of the company matters.

Secretary Li suggested she rest at home for a day and only come to the group if something urgent came up.

Shen Niannian sat by the balcony at home, basking in the sunlight, while her manager sat across from her. It had been half a month since they last met, ever since the incident at Yahe.

Seeing her unhurried demeanor, the manager asked, “How’s the situation with Yahe? When can you come back?”

Shen Niannian casually flipped through the script in her hands and said, “It’ll take some more time. If things go smoothly, next month should be a bit easier, but I probably won’t be able to return to filming within this year.”

The manager sighed in frustration. “Then why are you reading so many scripts?”

Shen Niannian turned another page. “Just look, as a way to relax.”

The manager snatched the script from her hands. “If you want to relax, I’ll buy you some novels to read. Why scripts? Haven’t you heard about Iyefort?”

Shen Niannian genuinely didn’t know. “What happened?”

She was familiar with Iyefort—they had worked together before. She was a promising junior with striking platinum-blonde hair, leaving a deep impression.

The manager asked, “How long has it been since you paid attention to industry news?”

Shen Niannian looked innocent. “I never had time to keep up even when I was filming, let alone now.”

The manager rubbed her temples and explained, “Iyefort got too immersed in her last role and couldn’t snap out of it. It got so bad that even a psychologist couldn’t help, and now she’s in a rehabilitation center, unable to participate in any activities.”

She sighed softly. “Right now, she’s the only one in the industry who overlaps with your niche. With her out of the picture, you’ve got no competition left—taking a year off won’t hurt.”

Shen Niannian looked up from the script. “Which rehabilitation center is she in?”

The manager named the place and added, “I already sent flowers when I found out.”

Shen Niannian nodded. Many outstanding actors eventually struggled with psychological issues, but Iyefort was still so young—it was a shame.

The manager gathered the scripts on the table. “That’s why method acting has its drawbacks. If you can’t detach from a role, things can go wrong. The way you’ve been acting lately, I can see signs of that too. Look, who else in the entire entertainment industry learns every skill their character has? Embroidery, motorcycles…”

Shen Niannian replied calmly, “I only apply method acting to the technical aspects.”

The manager said, “I’m just reminding you to be careful. If you want to visit Iyefort, make sure you disguise yourself well. The media loves to blow things out of proportion—they’ll start saying you have psychological issues too.”

Shen Niannian said, “Got it.”

The manager glanced out the balcony window and saw her car arriving. “I’ll head out now. Contact me if anything comes up. No matter how busy you are, take care of your health.”

“Mm.”

Shen Niannian walked her manager out and happened to run into Qin Zhaoman, who was just leaving her own place next door.

Qin Zhaoman looked surprised to see her and came over to greet her. After learning they were neighbors, she asked, “Did you already know I lived next to you?”

Shen Niannian smiled gently and lied, “I think I heard something about it, but I wasn’t sure it was you.” She didn’t give Qin Zhaoman a chance to ask more questions, saying, “Are you going out?”

Qin Zhaoman replied, “Just going to buy some food. Want to come along?”

She had asked casually, never expecting Shen Niannian to agree. So when Shen Niannian nodded cheerfully and went back to change, she was a little surprised.

Standing at her doorstep, Qin Zhaoman asked, “Can a celebrity of your status just go out like that?”

“Of course. I’m a celebrity, not a fugitive.”

As she spoke, Shen Niannian came downstairs wearing a full set of disguise—mask, sunglasses, and a down jacket—looking very much like a fugitive, with an umbrella in hand.

Qin Zhaoman glanced at it and asked, “Why the umbrella?”

Shen Niannian held up the transparent umbrella and said, “The weather forecast says there’ll be sleet within the hour.”

“It’s only a ten-minute walk.”

Qin Zhaoman waited for her to come down, then turned and led the way.

Shen Niannian, weighed down by her bulky clothes, couldn’t keep up and fell behind.

Quickening her pace, she said, “Ten minutes there and back makes twenty. Your legs shouldn’t get wet or cold—didn’t I mention that in the precautions I sent you last time?”

Qin Zhaoman asked, “You mean that five-page Word document?”

Shen Niannian fell behind again, jogging to catch up before finally grabbing her arm.

Qin Zhaoman turned her head slightly, hearing her ask, “Zelmer, if you didn’t want me to come, you could’ve just said so.”

The little bear ears on Shen Niannian’s hood swayed in the wind. Qin Zhaoman’s gaze lingered on them for a moment before asking, “If I didn’t want you to come, would you have gone back?”

Shen Niannian met her eyes, tightening her grip on Qin Zhaoman’s arm, and gently chided, “No way. How could you abandon your idol halfway?”

Then, she suddenly remembered the autograph she’d written on the plane. She glanced down but only saw Qin Zhaoman’s camel-colored coat.

Noticing her gaze, Qin Zhaoman guessed her thoughts and said, “It’s already washed off. You didn’t think I’d keep it till now, did you?”

Seeing Qin Zhaoman slow down, Shen Niannian let go of her arm and asked, “So why didn’t you let me ask the flight attendant for paper back then? If I’d signed on paper, you could’ve kept it.”

“It’s not like I’ll never see you again. Why would I need to keep it long-term?”

The moment Shen Niannian let go, she realized Qin Zhaoman had sped up again, leaving her behind.

She had to jog once more to catch up, grabbing Qin Zhaoman’s sleeve. Convinced it was deliberate, she decided not to let go this time.

With Shen Niannian holding onto her, Qin Zhaoman gradually slowed down and asked, “Don’t you have to go to the company today?”

Shen Niannian replied, “No. Today, I’m reviewing documents and some details about the Yanlang family to adjust the contract accordingly.”

Qin Zhaoman asked, “How’s it going?”

“Not great.”

Shen Niannian tilted her head up, lowering her sunglasses slightly to look at her, and negotiated, “If I cover all your expenses today, could you help me analyze the Yanlang family’s situation when we get back?”

Qin Zhaoman still didn’t believe Shen Niannian would genuinely give up their collaboration for so-called emotional value.

But she was curious to see what Shen Niannian was really after.

“Sure, I can help you.”