The Paranoid Film Queen Hooked Me, and I Fell in Love. (GL) - Chapter 1

“—We often say that it was your exceptional acting that breathed life into Zhao Lingque, transforming her from a mere handful of words on paper into a vivid and living presence before the audience. This role also won you the Baichuan Award for Best Actress, making you the youngest film queen in the award’s history.”

A perfectly measured smile graced Shen Buhui’s exquisitely made-up face.

The host shifted the conversation and asked, “So, may I ask, beyond your refined and intricate acting, was there another reason that allowed you to portray such a deeply tragic character so flawlessly?”

After all, looking back at Shen Buhui’s past performances, her portrayal of Zhao Lingque in this film was visibly more delicate and emotionally moving.

Xu Zhiyan’s finger gradually stopped scrolling as she read this question.

To be honest, it wasn’t just the host who was curious—she, as an ordinary viewer, was quite interested as well.

When Lingque was released, one of Xu Zhiyan’s favorite celebrities had a small role in the film. As a devoted CP fan, she naturally bought a ticket without hesitation, planning to scrutinize every tiny interaction between the two leads with a magnifying glass in search of even the faintest crumbs of romance.

But the moment Shen Buhui’s Lingque appeared on screen, her eyes could no longer see anything else.

Because Shen Buhui’s acting was seamless and immersive. With just a single expression or smile, she pulled the audience into the story’s atmosphere. She made people laugh with Lingque’s innocence and liveliness, ache with her hopeless and desperate love, and grieve for her dark and tragic life.

When the film ended, Xu Zhiyan wiped her tear-streaked face and steadied her sorrowful heart. Only when she was bombarded with messages from her friends did she finally remember—wait, what about her CP?

Oh. She had completely and utterly thrown it aside without a second thought.

Later, still emotionally overwhelmed, Xu Zhiyan bought another ticket. This time, she constantly reminded herself not to forget her original goal. Only with great effort did she manage to pull her gaze away from Lingque and focus on the interactions between the actual CP she was supposed to be shipping.

And, well… how to put it? The disparity in acting skills was like falling off a cliff.

Fortunately, she had never been a fan of their acting skills in the first place—she was a CP fan, invested in their romantic dynamic rather than their performances. So, even with the lackluster acting, Xu Zhiyan could still close her eyes and effortlessly craft a beautifully written, emotionally charged CP fanfiction.

A year had passed. Though Lingque was no longer the biggest sensation, Shen Buhui’s breathtaking, otherworldly performance remained deeply etched in Xu Zhiyan’s memory.

So, when Xu Zhiyan was mindlessly scrolling through Weibo and saw a trending topic with “Shen Buhui’s Secret Crush” in the title, she clicked on it without thinking and tapped on the top-ranking interview video.

The conversation in the video continued.

“A reason?” Shen Buhui met the host’s gaze, her eyes slightly lowered. After a brief pause, she remained calm and composed as she replied, “Aside from understanding and embodying the character as an actress, I suppose the biggest reason is that, at certain moments, I shared the same emotions as Lingque.”

Xu Zhiyan mulled over her words.

The host, intrigued, pressed further, “For example?”

Shen Buhui smiled, her expression tranquil, as if entirely unaware of the weight of what she was about to say. “For example, when it comes to love—because we both experienced unrequited feelings, in that moment, Lingque seemed to come alive before my eyes.”

“Because I have also been through the experience of secretly loving someone, the emotional resonance was stronger.”

She brushed aside a stray strand of hair and spoke softly, her voice gentle and warm.

For a long moment, the entire room fell silent.

Xu Zhiyan’s eyes widened unconsciously.

Shen Buhui—who had always been known for her indifference to love—had once secretly admired someone?

The woman in the video was breathtakingly beautiful, her red lips as vivid as flames. She looked down slightly, speaking with complete seriousness, seemingly unaware of how shocking her words were.

The host quickly recovered, her professional instincts kicking in. Sensing that this topic might become a major highlight of the interview, she observed Shen Buhui’s demeanor—seeing no sign of displeasure, she decided to continue.

“Who would’ve thought that our stunning Film Queen Shen has also had a secret crush?” she teased lightly. “I wonder who was lucky enough to be admired by you.”

After all, Shen Buhui had topped A-Station’s “Most Desired Partner” rankings for two consecutive years. With a face like that, who wouldn’t fall for her?

The lighthearted joke successfully livened the atmosphere. The host then asked with a smile, “So, do you still have feelings for them?”

It was a casual question, one she didn’t expect much from—after all, judging by Shen Buhui’s tone, it sounded like a story from her youth, something she had long since moved past.

Not just the host—everyone present, and even Xu Zhiyan watching the video, thought the same.

But none of them expected Shen Buhui’s answer to shock them to their core.

“I do.”

Because her response was so firm and resolute, the moment the interview aired, this topic instantly shot to the top of the trending list.

It was clear how astonishing her popularity was.

Xu Zhiyan had once been curious enough to look up Shen Buhui’s Baidu profile. She learned that Shen Buhui had debuted at the age of eighteen, landing her first role as the female lead in Director Cheng Xu’s film Blooming Flowers. Despite being a newcomer, her talent was extraordinary. Not long after the film’s release, her exceptional performance earned her the Baichuan Award for Best Newcomer. Over the next five years, her career soared, her brilliance dazzling the industry.

At twenty-three, Shen Buhui was awarded the Baichuan Award for Best Actress, making her the youngest film queen in the award’s history.

The popularity of a newly crowned film queen was already high, let alone when she had just made her first-ever comment about her love life since debut. It was no surprise that the trending topic had exploded.

【It’s time to come clean—yes, that person is me. 】
【Wuwuwu, my love, can you please fall for me instead?】

【Why would you make such a bold confession? I’m shy. 】
【Wife, how could you like someone else? I won’t allow it! 】

Xu Zhiyan scrolled through the trending post and found countless netizens shamelessly claiming that they were the person Shen Buhui had secretly admired.

Resting her chin on her hand, she abandoned whatever she had originally planned to do and joined the delusional crowd. Using her alt account, she shamelessly typed:

“I confess. That person is actually me.”

She burst into laughter. Though she had never been a true fan of Shen Buhui, as a self-proclaimed lover of beauty, her resistance crumbled in the face of such stunning visuals.

Come on, this was Shen Buhui!

Just then, a private message popped up.

【Yuzu, have you watched my new edit?】

Snapped out of her beauty-induced daze, Xu Zhiyan quickly typed a reply to Cherry Little Brat.

【Not yet! I’ll watch it right now!】

She had met Cherry Little Brat while obsessing over Chen Xingguang and Lan Yuxing. After chatting, they realized they had shipped not just Star Couple, but also Millionaire CP and Wealthy Couple—all completely by coincidence.

With such an uncanny connection and great conversations, they naturally became close online friends.

Cherry Little Brat sent a sticker filled with pink bubbles. 【Our Star Couple is so perfect together! They’re just meant to be!】

Xu Zhiyan smiled unconsciously. 【Yes!!】

Cherry Little Brat: 【I’m so jealous of you. You actually have their signed photo! 😭😭😭 Why didn’t I win the giveaway? Why are you always so lucky!!!】

The triple exclamation marks showed just how envious she was.

Seeing this, Xu Zhiyan touched her nose guiltily.

She had been shipping Star Couple for about a year now. The only reason she had watched Lingque in the first place was because of them. After the movie, she happened to enter a Weibo giveaway—and somehow, she won a signed photo of Chen Xingguang and Lan Yuxing. Cherry Little Brat had been sulking about it ever since.

To be fair, if it had just been this one giveaway, Cherry Little Brat might not have been this bitter. But similar things had happened before whenever Xu Zhiyan was shipping a different CP.

After enough lucky wins, it was no wonder Cherry Little Brat was drowning in jealousy.

Though Xu Zhiyan wasn’t particularly obsessed with collecting signed photos, she figured it was still better to have one than not.

With that thought, she hurriedly changed the topic, successfully steering the conversation elsewhere.

After watching Cherry Little Brat’s new edit, Xu Zhiyan showered it with exaggerated praise, then browsed a few other fan edits on her homepage. Satisfied, she finally exited the online world.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was already 11:30 AM.

Remembering that her parents had mentioned having guests over for lunch, Xu Zhiyan quickly tidied her slightly messy hair and slipped on her slippers before heading downstairs.

Her family lived in a two-story duplex. The second floor housed the bedrooms and study, while the first floor contained the living room and kitchen. Large floor-to-ceiling windows surrounded the space, allowing sunlight to stream in, making the living room feel bright and spacious.

Unexpectedly, the living room was nearly empty.

Xu Zhiyan turned her head and asked, “Auntie Wang, where are my parents?”

Auntie Wang, wearing an apron, peeked out from the kitchen and replied, “I think they stepped out to check on something.”

Xu Zhiyan nodded. “Did the guests my mom mentioned arrive?”

“They did. I believe they’re outside in the garden.”

Xu Zhiyan frowned slightly. It was scorching outside. Even if there were shaded spots in the garden, sitting out there in the middle of the day couldn’t be comfortable.

She grabbed a sun hat and headed toward the garden.

Before she even saw anyone, Xu Zhiyan could already hear bright and hearty laughter drifting from the garden, faint but distinct.

As she approached, she spotted three people seated in the pavilion within the small garden. One of them, a man with his back to her, had an unfamiliar face. That must be the junior her mother had mentioned.

Xu Zhiyan smiled and greeted Lin Ya, who had turned to look at her.

“It’s so hot outside—why are you sitting here?”

A crisp, youthful voice rang out, causing Cheng Xu to pause his conversation. He turned his head to follow Lin Ya and Xu Qingyi’s gazes.

Xu Zhiyan didn’t recognize him, but since he was looking at her, she politely returned the greeting with a smile. Then, stepping closer, she said, “Auntie has finished preparing lunch. She asked me to come and get you all.”

The young girl’s long hair was braided and draped over her chest, and beneath the shade of her sun hat, her bright smile radiated with vitality and energy.

Cheng Xu narrowed his eyes slightly and gave a small nod in acknowledgment.

Lin Ya stood up upon hearing this. “Alright, let’s head back.”

Xu Zhiyan grinned, affectionately linking arms with Lin Ya as they walked back together.

As their footsteps gradually faded into the distance, Cheng Xu watched Xu Zhiyan chatting animatedly ahead and then tilted his head slightly.

“You mentioned earlier that your daughter was accepted into the Film Academy?”

The “Film Academy” he referred to was none other than Chuan City Film Academy, a prestigious institution located in the capital. A century-old school, it had nurtured numerous outstanding talents in the film and television industry, earning an impeccable reputation for both its credibility and the caliber of its graduates.

Xu Qingyi, still wearing a warm smile, nodded.

“We just received the admission letter a few days ago. To be honest, she does have some talent for acting.”

The sunlight stretched Xu Zhiyan’s shadow, making it waver slightly beneath the swaying trees. Cheng Xu gazed ahead, lost in thought.

Author’s Note:

A quick recommendation for my upcoming novel:

《When She Captured a Mermaid》

The first time Lin Xiji laid eyes on the legendary and breathtaking creature, she was left speechless by its extraordinary beauty.

A human torso, a shimmering fish tail—scales glowing under the light.

When people speak of mermaids, they think of cruelty, desire, beauty, vanity… Every word is synonymous with temptation.

The moment Lin Xiji saw it, she surrendered to the boundless greed and yearning in her heart—she wanted it.

By any means necessary, she had to have it.

Even though it appeared so pure, so ethereal, so untouchably divine.

…

Si Ying was a mermaid from the deep sea.

She knew that humans were deceitful, greedy, and hypocritical—no species was more despicable than them.

Yet, when she met Lin Xiji, in just a single glance, her genderless mermaid form instinctively transformed into that of a woman.

From that moment on, she became her.

Even if Lin Xiji hid behind a facade of harmless gentleness, Si Ying could still sense the hunger and desire lurking beneath her composed exterior.

And yet, she still wanted her.

—

The highest-level hunter always appears as prey.

A story of seduction and counter-seduction.

—

Psychopath × Psychopath

Two madwomen in love. The only difference? One hides her insanity, the other wears it on her sleeve.