The Paranoid Film Queen Doesn’t Want to Remarry - Chapter 21
Chapter 21
At first, Xu Weishuang had her back to the door and didn’t notice Yan Muyu’s arrival — not until someone suddenly exclaimed her name.
Her movements paused. She let go of Chen Xin’s hand and turned around, eyes lowered.
Yan Muyu had already entered the training room, wearing a gentle smile on her face.
After greeting the others, she walked straight toward Xu Weishuang.
Xu Weishuang was still internally processing the fact that she hadn’t left when Yan Muyu suddenly reached out and clasped her hand, intertwining their fingers tightly and standing intimately close beside her.
A flicker of surprise flashed across Xu Weishuang’s eyes — after all, Yan Muyu had rarely shown her affection in public before.
Still, she didn’t resist. To the public, they were still legally married, and she didn’t want to stir up any unnecessary gossip.
So she let Yan Muyu hold her hand and didn’t react when Yan Muyu’s fingertips lightly brushed across her palm — a teasing, ticklish sensation.
Xu Weishuang endured it out of habit.
“What are you doing, Xiaoshuang?” Yan Muyu tilted her head and smiled gently at her.
To outsiders, this was a warm, affectionate moment between spouses. In this atmosphere, Xu Weishuang was forced to meet her gaze, unable to look away.
Yan Muyu’s mask was seamless. No one but Xu Weishuang knew her true nature.
Even now, standing this close to her, Xu Weishuang couldn’t detect any unusual emotion in her expression — as if she truly was simply showing concern.
But Xu Weishuang knew her too well. Yan Muyu would never deliberately pull her into the spotlight like this.
For the past six years, Xu Weishuang had lived a reclusive life. Even though their relationship was more of a transaction than a real marriage, Yan Muyu was aware of her pain. Whenever Xu Weishuang had to attend events, Yan Muyu would go out of her way to shield her from attention and discomfort.
At family gatherings at the Yan estate, she always tried to protect her from awkward situations.
Xu Weishuang remembered all of that, so she immediately sensed the unusual nature of Yan Muyu’s behavior — and the subtle displeasure she hadn’t voiced.
“I’m rehearsing a scene with her,” Xu Weishuang answered, pointing at Chen Xin. Though she understood the reason behind Yan Muyu’s reaction, she didn’t feel the need to address it. Since Yan Muyu hadn’t brought it up, why should she?
“Oh, perfect. Let me watch.” Yan Muyu smiled and extended her hand to Chen Xin in greeting, her demeanor warm but not at all relaxing.
After all, this was Yan Muyu — even if Chen Xin wasn’t from the entertainment industry, she still admired her deeply. Yan Muyu had once dabbled in theater and left a lasting impression. She was a legend in her eyes.
“Hello,” Chen Xin said, shaking her hand. Though she smiled, her expression was stiff, clearly nervous.
Fortunately, Yan Muyu only greeted her and then walked over to stand beside Teacher Lin, engaging in casual conversation.
Xu Weishuang glanced over before turning back to Chen Xin. “Let’s begin.”
Chen Xin gathered her focus and nodded more seriously.
Twenty minutes passed quickly. Once they were ready, Teacher Lin asked everyone to gather around and cleared the center of the training room for the two of them to perform.
Xu Weishuang and Chen Xin stepped into the spotlight, facing Teacher Lin and Yan Muyu.
They had briefly discussed their lines and scene in advance. When Xu Weishuang looked at Chen Xin now, her entire demeanor had changed.
Their roles were that of a couple — intimate gestures were expected. Xu Weishuang took Chen Xin’s arm and smiled softly, a rare gentleness replacing her usual coldness.
Yan Muyu stared directly at that expression — at the tenderness in Xu Weishuang’s eyes as she looked at Chen Xin.
Of course, it was all just acting.
Yan Muyu knew that well. But still, she lowered her eyes, unwilling to watch the intimacy between the two unfold.
The scene soon moved into the breakup.
Chen Xin pushed Xu Weishuang away, her emotions flaring as she accused her:
“Stop pretending you’re so devoted — you think I don’t know what’s going on between you and her?!”
As soon as those lines were delivered, everyone around them caught on — so Xu Weishuang was playing the part of the heartless cheater.
And with her striking appearance, even as she was being yelled at, her faint smile and calm demeanor made her seem like the perfect composed scumbag. The audience was instantly convinced.
“You misunderstood. She’s just a friend,” Xu Weishuang replied softly, lowering her head in apology, her expression filled with confusion and grievance.
“You know you’re the only one I love.” She looked up and locked eyes with Chen Xin, her voice gentle and affectionate.
Even though she wasn’t overly dramatic, Xu Weishuang’s emotions felt real — genuine. Chen Xin could feel every bit of it as they faced each other.
She hadn’t expected this level of authenticity. Xu Weishuang’s weary sorrow and soft affection completely enveloped her.
Chen Xin was supposed to respond with sharp accusations and express deep disappointment, but she was so taken aback by Xu Weishuang’s acting that she momentarily broke character, visibly hesitating before picking the scene back up.
Teacher Lin watched them with a stern gaze, clearly noticing Chen Xin’s disruption and frowning slightly.
But Xu Weishuang remained unfazed. Even when Chen Xin laid out proof of her character’s infidelity, she refused to admit fault.
“You never cared about me,” she said, her voice even more subdued and hurt, flipping the blame back onto Chen Xin.
Then, without giving Chen Xin a chance to reply, she grabbed her hand and said with deep affection:
“But I love you. I only used her to deceive you — to make you notice me.”
She looked soft and full of longing, her every gesture natural — it barely seemed like acting at all. Even though the audience knew her words were lies, they couldn’t help but believe them.
This side of Xu Weishuang was unlike anything they’d seen — elegant, tender, magnetic. It was the first time many truly saw the extent of her acting skill.
But since Xu Weishuang hadn’t followed their planned script exactly, Chen Xin was thrown off — led entirely by her rhythm.
When the performance ended and Chen Xin returned to herself, she looked at Xu Weishuang’s now-cold face and felt completely unsettled.
She knew her own performance had been poor — not just because of her acting, but because she’d let her personal feelings interfere and lost focus.
She glanced at Teacher Lin, whose expression remained serious. Lips pursed, he looked dissatisfied but didn’t speak right away.
Before he could say anything, Yan Muyu suddenly offered a suggestion:
“That scene made my heart itch. Why don’t I perform it with Xiaoshuang instead? I’ve never acted opposite her before.”
Xu Weishuang looked at her and nodded.
She’d seen Yan Muyu’s work before. Back in school, some of her scenes were even used as teaching material.
Yan Muyu was a naturally gifted actress. Over the years, she had won countless awards. Despite her fame and recognition, she never stopped challenging herself and exploring new roles.
Xu Weishuang couldn’t help feeling a little anticipation at the thought of performing together.
The others in the room were even more excited — watching the legendary actress perform live, and with her own wife no less, was a dream. Even the young theater trainees were starting to ship them.
Teacher Lin agreed and called Chen Xin to sit beside him, leaving the stage to the other two.
Chen Xin lowered her head and sat silently, lips tightly pressed together.
“Don’t look down — pay attention,” Teacher Lin said. His tone held no anger or blame.
Yan Muyu and Xu Weishuang didn’t need any time to prepare. Yan Muyu stepped into the center, bowed politely to the audience, then faced Xu Weishuang and slowly closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, her entire expression had changed.
Her whole face shifted — becoming cold, dark.
The transformation was so swift and drastic it shocked everyone. Their hearts clenched immediately, caught in the gravity of her presence.
“We’re breaking up, Xu Weishuang,” she said, eyes fixed on her.
Her expression grew colder, harder — but her eyes turned red.
Her hands clenched at her sides, body stiff with tension, betraying an inner struggle.
She gave no backstory. She spoke only one line. But her expression conveyed everything — raw and overwhelming emotion.
She was a lover forcing herself to appear composed. But in her eyes, the word “breakup” tasted like grief.
Pain radiated from her like a storm. The crowd was instantly drawn into her world — tasting the bitterness, feeling the heartbreak.
It wrapped around their hearts and refused to let go.