The Ice-Queen Actress Used Her Acting Skills to Reel Me In! - Chapter 8

Shen Niannian was reviewing documents in the coffee shop. She could stay here until two in the afternoon before rushing back to the company for a meeting.

By the time Qin Zhaoman arrived, she had almost finished reading the files. Hearing the door open, she looked up and said, “Zelmer.”

Qin Zhaoman was slightly surprised to see her there and walked over to sit across from her.

Shen Niannian took out the perfume she had prepared earlier and said, “The perfume I promised you last time.”

The black bottle, tied with a light pink ribbon, carried a faint rose fragrance. Qin Zhaoman glanced down at it, picked it up, and placed it beside her. “Thanks,” she said.

Shen Niannian smiled gently. “You’re welcome.”

Her long hair fell naturally over her shoulders in soft waves. Her makeup was subtle, and she wore pearl accessories. When she smiled, she was dazzlingly beautiful.

Qin Zhaoman, being a normal person with functioning aesthetic sensibilities, was momentarily struck by her beauty. Unconsciously, her tone softened. “Did you come here just to give me the perfume?”

Shen Niannian replied, “I also came for coffee and to review some documents.”

Qin Zhaoman asked politely, “How’s it going?”

Shen Niannian hesitated. “There are some issues.” She took out a sheet of paper, pressed it onto the table, and slid it toward Qin Zhaoman. “Could you take a look?”

Qin Zhaoman raised an eyebrow. The perfume Shen Niannian had just given her was right beside her—it would be awkward to refuse now.

She chuckled and picked up the paper, looking at Shen Niannian. “Why are you always like this?”

Shen Niannian tilted her head slightly. “Like what?”

Qin Zhaoman accused her, “Softening me up before making demands.”

Shen Niannian laughed and repeated her previous response. “Softening up is for opponents, Zelmer. I don’t intend to be your opponent.”

Qin Zhaoman skimmed the questions on the paper. “Then what do you want to be?”

Shen Niannian said, “Friends.”

Qin Zhaoman let out a light laugh. Those familiar with her knew this was when her sharp tongue usually came out.

The eavesdropping twins tensed up, worried for Shen Niannian. But unexpectedly, Qin Zhaoman didn’t say anything embarrassing this time. Instead, she patiently explained the issues on the paper.

Shen Niannian listened attentively. Unlike Assistant Li, Qin Zhaoman’s explanations were more concise and filled with practical insights.

“Thank you,” Shen Niannian said.

Qin Zhaoman gave a nonchalant “Mm” and replied, “No problem. Even if you softened me up first, I’m willing to return the favor.”

She couldn’t resist adding a little jab at the end.

Shen Niannian smiled, unbothered by her words. The twins brought them each a cup of coffee.

Once Qin Zhaoman arrived, the twins no longer dared to chat with Shen Niannian, quietly making coffee and desserts instead. The only sound in the room was the occasional tapping of Shen Niannian’s keyboard.

Shen Niannian asked, “Am I disturbing you?”

Qin Zhaoman’s gaze shifted from the window back to her. “No. Am I disturbing you? If I am, I can move to another table.”

Shen Niannian said, “Not at all. This is your shop.”

Qin Zhaoman hummed in acknowledgment and picked up a finance magazine from the bookshelf behind her.

The coffee shop fell quiet again as they each focused on their own tasks. Shen Niannian went through over thirty pages of documents, her eyes growing dry and strained.

She had never been overly reliant on screens before, preferring physical books and scripts. But after prolonged exposure to digital devices recently, her eyes were struggling to keep up.

Qin Zhaoman flipped to the next page of the magazine, her gaze shifting to Shen Niannian as she said, “Don’t bother coming over just to review documents in the future.”

Not that she disliked Shen Niannian keeping her company.

But Shen Niannian looked so delicate and fragile. If she kept running back and forth like this, she might collapse before Yahé ever did.

Qin Zhaoman advised, “It’s pointless.” She had never planned to collaborate with Shen Niannian in the first place.

Shen Niannian replied gently, “Understood.”

Neither agreeing nor refusing.

Qin Zhaoman could tell she hadn’t taken it to heart but didn’t press further. A single warning was already the extent of her conscience.

By two o’clock, Secretary Li’s car had pulled up outside the café.

Shen Niannian packed her things, bid Qin Zhaoman goodbye, and even waved farewell to the twin servers at the door.

The twins lingered wistfully, watching until Shen Niannian’s car was completely out of sight before letting out a soft sigh.

Niannian was truly as elegant and gentle as she appeared in the movies.

As they cleared the coffee cups from Qin Zhaoman’s table, the elder twin suddenly sniffed the air and whispered, “It smells amazing.”

Her sister caught the scent too and asked, “It really does. What is it?”

After clearing the table and returning with desserts, they couldn’t resist asking, “President Qin, did you change your perfume?”

Qin Zhaoman replied, “It’s a fragrance Shen Niannian blended.”

“So Niannian made this perfume?” “Niannian is so talented!”

The twins immediately brightened, their eyes sparkling as they showered Shen Niannian with praise.

Observing their enthusiasm, Qin Zhaoman asked, “Do you like Shen Niannian that much?”

Though Shen Niannian was popular, the density of her fans around Qin Zhaoman seemed unusually high.

Both twins nodded eagerly and asked, “President Qin, do you like Niannian too?”

Qin Zhaoman said, “No.”

The twins hadn’t expected that answer. They exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for words.

Just then, Qin Zhaoman’s phone vibrated on the table.

Glancing at the caller ID—Neve—she answered the call.

Shen Niannian’s voice came through, posing another question. It was clear she had carefully considered Qin Zhaoman’s earlier response.

Qin Zhaoman answered in detail, even citing a few reference books.

After hanging up, she noticed the twins staring at her with hesitant expressions.

Frowning slightly, Qin Zhaoman asked, “What is it?”

The twins exchanged another glance before shaking their heads obediently. “Nothing, President Qin. Would you like more coffee?”

Qin Zhaoman declined and dismissed them.

—

At Yahé Group, Shen Niannian revised the contract she had previously presented to Qin Zhaoman while listening to her secretary’s report.

Persuading Qin Zhaoman to change her mind was an uphill battle. She couldn’t pin all her hopes on Qin Zhaoman’s goodwill.

The contract had to be flawless—even if Qin Zhaoman rejected it, it would still be viable for the next potential partner.

She considered conceding more benefits in the terms, but profit-sharing wasn’t her decision alone. Negotiating with other shareholders would be exhausting, more draining than meetings, demanding even more time and energy at the cost of her health.

The toll of overexertion soon manifested—she fainted at the office due to low bl00d sugar.

Secretary Li and her team enforced a mandatory three-day rest at home, delivering several boxes of candy with strict instructions to maintain sugar intake.

Shen Niannian took a photo of the candies and posted an update.

Neve: Too bad Ke Li’s chocolates are sold out now QAQ—Attached: hospital test results and candy photo.

The Créme Chocolate was a dessert shop near her university, which had been closed for many years. She wasn’t particularly fond of it anyway.

Posting this update was mainly to send a signal—first, that she was sick, and second, that she was now open to socializing. But since she was still unwell, it would be best not to overdo it.

Shen Niannian spent one day visiting the comatose Shen Changhe, and the next two and a half days were naturally spent dealing with the flood of well-wishes and concern from all directions—some genuine, some perfunctory.

Compared to the kind of physical exhaustion from high-intensity work, this mental fatigue was something she was more accustomed to. She didn’t feel particularly out of sorts.

By the time she returned home in the evening, it was already midnight.

Before entering, the residential concierge of the villa district handed her a package. Without even looking, she knew it was filled with all kinds of chocolates.

Shen Niannian thanked them politely, closed the door behind her, and casually set the package aside. A slow, creeping weariness wrapped around her.

She leaned against the door for a moment before walking to the floor-to-ceiling window, pulling out a slender rose-flavored cigarette from the case.

A sleek black metal lighter spun deftly between her fingers before clicking open with a crisp sound, igniting the cigarette.

Her slightly flushed knuckles held the cigarette with practiced ease as she lowered her head, cherry-red lips exhaling a slow, curling smoke ring.

The warmth and that air of approachability dissipated along with the smoke, leaving behind her truest self.

Her cool, feline eyes were tinged faintly red by the wind, the black irises reflecting the hazy glow of distant lights, carrying a subtle, elusive allure.

The wind tousled her pinned-up hair, and she absently tucked a loose strand behind her ear.

Her phone vibrated. She glanced at it—a message from He Junyu.

He Junyu: The design drafts are ready. I’ve scheduled a meeting with Qin Zhaoman. Are you coming?

Shen Niannan typed a one-handed reply: This fast?

He Junyu: Inspired by you, I’m planning a qipao-style collection, so we need to pick the fabrics first. They’re coming to review the materials this time.

Shen Niannian didn’t hesitate: I’ll be there. Send me the time.

There were still over ten days left before the month was up. Since she’d already declared her intention to befriend Qin Zhaoman last time, skipping this meeting would be inexcusable.

She stubbed out the cigarette.

After a long pause, she sighed softly.

The three days Shen Niannian had taken off had left her with a backlog of tasks. Unlike last time, she couldn’t arrive a day early—traffic was stop-and-go, and she ended up arriving later than Qin Zhaoman.

Qiao Qiao and He Junyu were on the first floor, examining fabrics.

He Junyu had extremely high standards for materials. Her studio had several three-meter-long clothing racks specifically for displaying fabrics during selection. The colorful silks draped over the racks made it look like they’d stepped into some high-end fabric emporium.

Qiao Qiao spotted her and waved. “Neve, you’re here~”

Shen Niannian walked over, first exchanging pleasantries about their outfits for the day before asking, “Zelmer didn’t come?”

Qiao Qiao gave her a knowing look and pointed upward. “On the second floor, taking a call.”

Shen Niannian nodded and headed upstairs. Qin Zhaoman was on the balcony outside, speaking on the phone. Through the glass, her fluent French was just barely audible. Qin Zhaoman had a distinctive way of speaking—she could sound both imperious and impeccably polite with anyone.

Shen Niannian couldn’t help but wonder about Qin Zhaoman’s upbringing. Was it like those old aristocratic families in the movies, steeped in arrogance and privilege from childhood?

Qin Zhaoman noticed her, turned around, and after a few more words, ended the call.

Shen Niannian snapped out of her thoughts and asked, “Am I disturbing you?”

Qin Zhaoman closed the balcony door. Carrying the chill from outside, she didn’t get too close to Shen Niannian. “No.”

Maintaining a step or two of distance, she said, “We weren’t discussing anything important. Your timing is perfect—you’ve saved me.”

Shen Niannian blinked and replied, “My pleasure…?”

Qin Zhaoman asked, “Are you feeling better now?”

Shen Niannian figured Qiao Qiao must have successfully shared her hypoglycemia post with Qin Zhaoman, as she remembered receiving messages from Qiao Qiao over the past couple of days.

“I’m much better now.”

Qin Zhaoman sat on the sofa, watching her. “Have you had any sugar today, Miss Sweet?”

“Miss Sweet”—a playful jab at her previous answer about dietary restrictions.

Sensing something, Shen Niannian felt an improbable suspicion rise within her. “Not yet.”

And then, the improbable suspicion became reality.