The Ice-Queen Actress Used Her Acting Skills to Reel Me In! - Chapter 24

The cold wind made Shen Niannian’s earrings sway slightly. Seeing her shivering from the chill, Qin Zhaoman stepped aside and motioned for her to come in.

 

Qin Zhaoman handed her a pair of slippers and asked, “Why didn’t you just call me directly?”

 

Shen Niannian slowly changed her shoes and replied, “There’s something else I need to talk to you about.”

 

Qin Zhaoman turned to pour her a cup of hot water from the dispenser, teasing her, “What could be more important than your life?”

 

“Work.”

 

Shen Niannian took the cup with both hands, cradling it to warm her fingers.

 

When she was sober, whether in her posture or tone of voice, she maintained her professional demeanor—graceful yet effortless, exuding a gentle yet cool elegance that was pleasing to the eye.

 

But hearing such an extreme workaholic statement delivered in this refined manner felt particularly jarring.

 

Qin Zhaoman asked dryly, “Has your family fallen on such hard times now?”

 

She sat across from Shen Niannian, legs crossed as she leaned back on the sofa. “Go on, what do you need from me?”

 

Shen Niannian wasn’t thirsty; she drank to soothe her strained voice. Feeling it had worked well enough, she set the cup down.

 

She moved from her side of the sofa to sit beside Qin Zhaoman, speaking softly, “Should I give you a shoulder massage first?”

 

Qin Zhaoman chuckled, tilting her head to look at her. “Seems serious. What, has Joyce finally decided to usurp your position?”

 

Shen Niannian tilted her head slightly at the remark.

 

Joyce was Yahe’s second-in-command and one of its original co-founders. He had close ties with Shen Changhe and was now the de facto leader representing the prevailing faction within the company.

 

Among the various forces pressuring Yahe, though the strongest, his methods were the most amicable—clearly still holding onto some sentiment, hoping for a peaceful transition.

 

But these were internal Yahe affairs. Even Qin Zhaoman shouldn’t know about them so casually, right?

 

Sitting beside her, Shen Niannian had suspicions. “How do you know Joyce is restless?”

 

Qin Zhaoman gave her a look that said, Who doesn’t know? “Is anyone at Yahe behaving these days?”

 

Hard to argue.

 

Shen Niannian fell silent, partly because speaking so much had strained her throat, and she needed a break.

 

Noticing her discomfort, Qin Zhaoman leaned over and placed the cup of hot water back in her hands. “Get to the point. Do you really think now’s the best time for chit-chat?”

 

Shen Niannian nodded. “I heard you told everyone else not to approach me recently…”

 

As she spoke, she watched Qin Zhaoman’s expression darken slightly.

 

This reaction was within Shen Niannian’s expectations. Lowering her gaze, she murmured, “I know you meant to protect me, but now no one’s willing to work with us. I was hoping you could explain things to them…”

 

Qin Zhaoman’s aura turned icy, though inwardly, she wasn’t truly angry. Shen Niannian’s time had always carried a price tag—she’d known that from the start.

 

She was fond of Shen Niannian, but Shen Niannian’s time was rationed for her.

 

Limited access, yet she kept coming around daily. Could she really blame her for resorting to tactics?

 

Shen Niannian sat there, gentle and pitiful, her mind coolly strategizing how to provoke Qin Zhaoman into securing the contract in one move.

 

Qin Zhaoman, scowling coldly on the other side, calmly calculated how to outmaneuver Shen Niannian to achieve her own ends.

 

Shen Niannian said, “Zelmer…”Qin Zhaoman coldly interrupted her: “Do you think those people are my dogs? Can I summon and dismiss them at will? Do you expect me to provoke every single one of them just for you?”

 

She could afford to provoke them—the gap between capital and capital was inherently wider than that between humans and dogs.

 

But Shen Niannian surely didn’t know that.

 

Shen Niannian pretended not to know, perfectly controlling her expression between hesitation and distress.

 

Her physical condition was truly holding her back. After speaking so much just now, it felt like she had swallowed a bowl of glass, the discomfort making her nauseous.

 

Qin Zhaoman, accustomed to taking care of her, momentarily stepped out of her cold negotiation stance: “Feeling sick?”

 

Shen Niannian hadn’t expected Qin Zhaoman to see through her act—her body was really betraying her.

 

She nodded, revealing a hint of genuine emotion: “Yes, I feel sick.”

 

Qin Zhaoman frowned and sped things up: “Then cut the nonsense. Why don’t you ask me for something useful? If you asked me to collaborate with you, wouldn’t your problem be solved?”

 

Shen Niannian was pleased with this response and said, “Because you said I could only choose one—being friends or signing a contract.”

 

Qin Zhaoman, long exasperated by this line, replied, “Fine, then we won’t be friends. Does hearing me say that make you feel better?”

 

She continued, “Even if I didn’t say it, without other options, between me and Yahe, you still wouldn’t choose me.”

 

Qin Zhaoman laid out harsh truths one by one, habitually applying pressure to secure the best deal.

 

Shen Niannian listened with her head bowed, lips trembling like a white swan drenched in rain.

 

Just as she seemed about to explain, Qin Zhaoman cut her off again, pressing further: “Have you considered what you’ll do if I refuse to collaborate with you too?”

 

Qin Zhaoman was merely adopting her usual work demeanor, but Shen Niannian’s eyes reddened further, tears welling up.

 

She was crying on purpose—this was the right moment for tears.

 

Shen Niannian knew exactly how to cry most effectively. Her eyes reddened at the corners, but she made no sound, only letting tears stream silently down her cheeks, as if overwhelmed by misery.

 

Qin Zhaoman stiffened. She hadn’t expected Shen Niannian to cry.

 

Shen Niannian didn’t seem the type to cry. Why was she like this…?

 

Qin Zhaoman’s carefully maintained rhythm faltered. She grabbed a tissue from the table and pressed it into Shen Niannian’s face.

 

Shen Niannian took it but stayed silent. Without her speaking, Qin Zhaoman didn’t know what to say either.

 

Looking at the pitiful Shen Niannian, Qin Zhaoman knew this was the perfect opportunity to push her into a quicker decision.

 

After a brief silence, she masked her unease with irritation: “Calm down first. We’ll talk again after you’ve finished crying.”

 

Shen Niannian wiped her tears and asked, “What do you want to talk about?”

 

Qin Zhaoman handed her another tissue. The atmosphere was already ruined, so she spoke bluntly: “I don’t do business with friends, but I can discuss another kind of deal with you.”

 

Shen Niannian looked up at her, eyes blurred with tears, cheeks and eyes flushed red. Her voice was hoarse as she asked, “What kind of deal?”

 

Afraid she might cry again, Qin Zhaoman softened her tone: “Come play my girlfriend.” She had originally wanted Shen Niannian to be her personal assistant, but Shen Niannian’s team clearly couldn’t accept that request.

 

Having a girlfriend who could do the tasks of a personal assistant sounded much better.

 

After Shen Niannian became her girlfriend, helping her would also seem justified—easier to explain externally, and internally, Shen Niannian could serve as her shield, helping her deal with the suitors her uncle kept introducing.

 

Likewise, Shen Niannian would get the contract she wanted, and with the added status of being her girlfriend, Qin Zhaoman would personally handle Shen Niannian’s current troubles.

 

Qin Zhaoman laid out the reasoning behind the girlfriend arrangement to Shen Niannian, her logic as clear as if she were in a corporate meeting.

 

Shen Niannian was initially surprised but quickly calmed down as she was drawn into the discussion.

 

The terms Qin Zhaoman offered were unexpectedly favorable, and as for the additional clause of pretending to be her girlfriend—it wasn’t particularly difficult for her.

 

It was an acceptable condition, but she needed to clarify the details.

 

After all, the label of “girlfriend” inevitably carried some romantic ambiguity. Once emotions got involved, things could easily go wrong.

 

Shen Niannian hinted pointedly, “Just pretending to be your girlfriend?”

 

Qin Zhaoman caught on immediately and scoffed, “What else? Aren’t you straight?”

 

Shen Niannian lowered her lashes, considering for a moment before replying, “More or less.”

 

Qin Zhaoman looked at her in surprise. “More or less?”

 

Wasn’t sexuality supposed to be straightforward—either you were or you weren’t? How could it be “more or less”?

 

Shen Niannian frowned briefly, recalling something, then said, “I just don’t like men. But I’ve never liked a woman either.”

 

Qin Zhaoman picked up her coffee and took a sip before pouring a cup for Shen Niannian. “Why tell me that?”

 

If Shen Niannian had wanted to hide it, Qin Zhaoman might not have noticed anything. While there was no real need to conceal it, there also wasn’t any pressing reason to explain it.

 

By stating they were both straight, Shen Niannian had meant to clarify that there could be no romantic entanglement beyond their professional arrangement.

 

Yet her additional explanation almost felt like… a denial of Qin Zhaoman’s earlier remark.

 

Qin Zhaoman didn’t set her coffee down, taking another sip to mask her discomfort.

 

But she couldn’t exactly interrogate Shen Niannian about it—being overly sensitive to that statement would make it seem like she had ulterior motives herself.

 

Shen Niannian smiled faintly. “I didn’t want to hide anything from you.”

 

She picked up the coffee Qin Zhaoman had poured for her and took a small sip, then frowned. “It’s so bitter. No sugar or milk?”

 

Qin Zhaoman watched her delicate, teary-eyed expression—like a fragile flower—before tossing two sugar packets from the coffee table drawer toward her.

 

“It’s already sweetened. You just have too much of a sweet tooth. Who drinks coffee with full sugar and full cream?”

 

Shen Niannian added both sugar packets to her cup, and after another sip, her expression relaxed. “Sweet-toothed people take full sugar and full cream.”

 

Qin Zhaoman scoffed again. “Want me to brew you some milk tea instead?”

 

With this back-and-forth, the strictly businesslike atmosphere dissipated, and the mood lightened considerably.

 

Shen Niannian chuckled and declined, then asked gently, “Will our relationship be kept confidential? Can Secretary Li know?”

 

“Confidential.”

 

Seeing that Shen Niannian had finished her coffee, Qin Zhaoman neatly tossed the two empty sugar packets into the trash and poured her another cup.

 

“Externally, we’ll say we’re genuinely in love. Think you can pull that off?”

 

Shen Niannian tore open another sugar packet and said, “Being in love doesn’t seem like a one-person act.”She smiled as she spoke the last few words, lifting her gaze.

 

Qin Zhaoman felt her fingertips go numb from that smile, a faint electric current racing through her heart.

 

She gripped her coffee cup tightly, letting the pain suppress all other sensations, and said, “I’ll cooperate with you. The contents of our contract can’t be leaked to a third party, or my uncle will find out.”

 

Shen Niannian thought that even if she said nothing, if their relationship were to get out at this point, no one would truly believe they were mutually in love.

 

Holding the empty coffee sugar packet in her hand, Shen Niannian found the trash bin too far away, so she didn’t throw it out immediately.

 

She stood up and walked toward the bin: “So, do we need to maintain a romantic relationship in private too?”

 

From Qin Zhaoman’s earlier explanation, she wanted her to be both a personal assistant and a shield against arranged marriages.

 

A personal assistant didn’t require a romantic relationship, but a shield against arranged marriages did—though that was only for outsiders. In private, it shouldn’t be necessary.

 

“Of course we do.”

 

Shen Niannian had just thrown away the trash and turned around, her cool cat-like eyes silently questioning: Why?

 

Qin Zhaoman clearly had a reason, but under that gaze, she felt a twinge of guilt.

 

She avoided Shen Niannian’s eyes by taking a sip of coffee and said, “I want outsiders to believe we’re truly in love. That’s the only way to fool my uncle.”

 

Shen Niannian walked back, this time not sitting across from Qin Zhaoman but directly beside her: “Then there’s something I need to remind you about, Zelmer.”

 

Qin Zhaoman hadn’t expected her to sit so close. When she turned her head, she nearly bumped into Shen Niannian’s chin. She could clearly see the amber hue of Shen Niannian’s cat-like eyes under the light, and her heart skipped a beat.

 

Shen Niannian’s red lips parted as she spoke, revealing the soft tip of her tongue. That familiar, pleasant tea fragrance—unique to her—lingered in the air.

 

It wasn’t until the room fell silent that Qin Zhaoman realized Shen Niannian had finished speaking.

 

Meeting Shen Niannian’s expectant gaze, a sharp alarm blared in Qin Zhaoman’s mind. Fortunately, her brain was still functioning, and she remembered Shen Niannian’s words.

 

She had said… she was worried Qin Zhaoman might blur the lines between acting and reality.

 

Qin Zhaoman’s breath hitched, as if something had been exposed, and her defenses kicked in automatically.

 

She let out a laugh, tinged with arrogance and mockery: “Why would you worry about that? Only actors like you have the occupational hazard of mixing fiction with reality.”