The Paranoid Film Queen Hooked Me, and I Fell in Love. (GL) - Chapter 10

Ever since that night when she cleared up the misunderstanding with Shen Buhui and realized that she didn’t actually dislike her, Xu Zhiyan had been able to interact with her much more naturally.

However, after their training session together, they hadn’t been in the same place for the past few days. Since both lead roles required different skill sets, Xu Zhiyan’s training had taken her elsewhere, and she only occasionally ran into Shen Buhui during meals or when heading out.

Today, all the pre-shoot preparations were finally complete. Yesterday, Xu Zhiyan had received the official schedule for the start-of-filming ceremony from the director.

She had woken up early to get ready. According to Director Cheng, filming would begin immediately after the ceremony.

The thought of stepping into her first-ever acting role filled her with a mix of excitement and anticipation.

Inside the room, Yuan Yuan was helping her pack. Once everything was set, she slung her bag over her shoulder and said, “Let’s go.”

Xu Zhiyan nodded. Just as she was locking the door, a voice called out from behind.

“Hui-jie, you forgot this…”

Xiao Fang approached, holding a cup of honey citron tea.

Xu Zhiyan noticed the drink inside and asked with concern, “Miss Shen’s throat has almost recovered, but she should still keep drinking this for now.”

Shen Buhui smiled lightly. “I know.”

This was the tea that Xu Zhiyan had specially bought for her after their training session that day. Over the past few days, Shen Buhui had grown accustomed to its taste.

Hearing her response, Xu Zhiyan felt relieved.

She wasn’t sure why, but even though Miss Shen was older than her, she always found herself naturally looking after her daily habits—reminding her of small details like this.

Shen Buhui took the cup from Xiao Fang, holding it in her own hands as she walked beside Xu Zhiyan. “You’re younger than me, yet you seem better at taking care of yourself.”

Xu Zhiyan smiled. “Maybe because my parents are really into healthy living. I picked up a lot just by being around them.”

Seeing the natural fondness in her expression when she mentioned her parents, Shen Buhui gave a small nod and didn’t press further.

The two of them walked ahead, chatting naturally, while their assistants followed a short distance behind.

Xiao Fang observed their relaxed interaction and muttered something quietly.

Yuan Yuan turned to her. “What did you just say? I didn’t catch that.” She leaned in.

Xiao Fang gently pushed her away. “You’re hearing things—I didn’t say anything.”

Thanks to how often Xu Zhiyan and Shen Buhui interacted, their assistants had gradually gotten familiar with each other too.

Although Xiao Fang was a year older than Yuan Yuan, they were both young, and neither of them cared much about formalities like calling each other “jie” or “mei.”

Yuan Yuan narrowed her eyes. “My ears work just fine, you know.”

Fine, don’t say it, then!

The Ceremony

When they arrived at the venue, the group followed every step of the traditional opening ritual—lighting incense, cutting the ribbon, and performing the final step to complete the ceremony.

There were many invited media outlets present, but most of the camera lenses were directed at Director Cheng and Shen Buhui. The rest were focused on other established actors with bigger reputations.

As for Xu Zhiyan, she stayed by the director’s side, but since she was a newcomer, only a few reporters approached her. Most of the time, she was just smiling politely in front of the cameras, playing the role of a lucky charm.

Just as the event was about to wrap up, she was thinking about what to do next when a voice suddenly rang out.

“Miss Xu, as a complete newcomer, you’re taking on a leading role in Director Cheng’s film for your very first acting experience. Do you have the confidence to pull it off?”

Xu Zhiyan’s eyes narrowed slightly, her expression turning subtle.

This journalist… was setting a trap.

“Leading role”—did he conveniently forget that this was a dual-female-lead film?

If it had been anyone else, they might have taken offense to that phrasing.

Beside her, Shen Buhui’s expression also cooled.

She was about to step in and redirect the topic when Xu Zhiyan beat her to it.

“I think you might be mistaken, sir. If we’re talking about carrying the film, that honor belongs to Miss Shen.”** She smiled modestly.** “I wouldn’t say I’m overflowing with confidence in myself, but I have complete faith in Director Cheng and Miss Shen.”

She blinked playfully. “Surely, you trust them too?”

The reporter’s expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn’t noticed the underlying meaning in her words. Instead, he continued smiling warmly. “Of course! We have full confidence in Director Cheng and Miss Shen.”

Xu Zhiyan wasn’t surprised by his calm response. These kinds of people were experts at twisting narratives—they knew exactly where to press and who to provoke.

Watching the exchange, Director Cheng had been ready to step in and express his support for Xu Zhiyan.

But before he could, the usually indifferent Shen Buhui spoke up.

“Miss Xu is both talented and hardworking. I believe working with her will teach me a lot.”

Although Shen Buhui’s tone remained gentle, her expression was undeniably serious.

Anyone present could see that she was openly complimenting Xu Zhiyan.

For a brief moment, Xu Zhiyan was stunned, but she quickly concealed the flicker of emotion that surfaced.

“Miss Shen, you’re making me embarrassed with all these compliments.” She grinned brightly. “I’ll be counting on your guidance from now on.”

Shen Buhui’s gaze softened. “Likewise, let’s work well together.”

The atmosphere at the scene immediately turned harmonious.

Once the exchange was over, Director Cheng politely but firmly reminded the reporters that the session was ending.

As the media dispersed, Director Cheng clapped Xu Zhiyan on the shoulder.

“Not bad! You handled that well.”

Xu Zhiyan responded with full enthusiasm, “Thank you for the compliment, Director!”

Leaning casually against a pillar, Shen Buhui smiled faintly, her posture relaxed.

Director Cheng squinted at them and said, “Once we step into the set, I expect you to keep this up—perform well.”

Xu Zhiyan’s eyes widened slightly.

His tone suddenly shifted. “What’s wrong? Can’t do it?”

Xu Zhiyan immediately shook her head. “I can, I can!”

Hearing her firm response, Director Cheng’s imposing presence faded, and he returned to his usual affable demeanor. After nodding at the two of them, he went off to handle other matters.

Once he left, Shen Buhui glanced at Xu Zhiyan, who was no longer as energetic as she had been earlier, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Don’t stress about it. As long as you don’t get too nervous, you’ll do just fine.”

Having reviewed today’s scene together yesterday, Shen Buhui genuinely had confidence in Xu Zhiyan’s ability.

Xu Zhiyan patted her chest. “I’ll do my best.”

Inside the Dressing Room

As the second female lead, Zeng Yue had her own private dressing room.

When her assistant entered and relayed the news, Zeng Yue paused mid-action.

“You’re saying Shen Buhui actually defended that newcomer?”

She had been present during the press interviews, but after answering a few of her own questions, she had slipped away to avoid the heat.

She hadn’t expected something interesting to happen after she left.

Her assistant nodded. “Yes, it was pretty obvious.”

Zeng Yue frowned slightly. “At the crew gathering the other day, I didn’t see any indication that Shen Buhui had any special feelings toward her.”

After all, Shen Buhui was someone who always seemed polite and well-mannered, but in reality, she was not the easiest person to get close to.

She had never heard of Shen Buhui being particularly close to anyone in the industry, let alone having a rumored romantic interest.

So why was she suddenly so protective of this newcomer?

Her assistant speculated, “Maybe Xu Zhiyan found a way to latch onto her?”

Zeng Yue shot her a sharp look.

As if Shen Buhui was that easy to cling to.

A shadow flickered across Zeng Yue’s expression.

Just then, her phone rang, drawing her attention away.

Glancing at the caller ID, she gave her assistant a knowing look. The assistant immediately understood and left the room.

As the door closed, a soft and delicate voice could be faintly heard inside.

“President Huang…”

The assistant hurriedly shut the door and walked away.

The First Day of Filming

At 2:00 PM, filming for Symbiosis officially began.

The first scene was Lin Yin, disguised as a man, sneaking into a brothel, where she meets Liang Manye for the first time.

Xu Zhiyan had long been prepared for this scene. Since she had specifically asked Shen Buhui to rehearse with her yesterday, the filming went smoothly, and she passed on the first take.

A promising start.

With that momentum, Xu Zhiyan became more immersed in her role, and the subsequent scenes felt increasingly natural.

By the time filming wrapped up at 6:00 PM, they had completed all the scheduled scenes for the day.

Xu Zhiyan collapsed onto a chair, using a small handheld fan to cool herself off. Her bangs fluttered in all directions, but she couldn’t care less about her appearance. Without hesitation, she grabbed a large cup of ice-cold soda and chugged it down.

Just as she was enjoying the refreshing chill, Shen Buhui, now out of costume, happened to walk by.

She frowned. “You were just talking about how good you are at taking care of yourself. You’re great at nagging others, but why don’t you follow your own advice?”

After sweating all day, then drinking an ice-cold beverage immediately afterward? That was a recipe for disaster.

Xu Zhiyan pouted. “But it tastes so good.”

Summer pairs best with three things—air conditioning, watermelon, and cold soda.

Right now, she had no air conditioning and no watermelon, but at least she had her iced soda. How could she not drink it?

Shen Buhui ignored her protests, calmly sipping her honey citron tea instead. “Next time, have your assistant prepare tea in advance so it has time to cool.”

She recalled a Weibo post she had seen earlier, her brows furrowing slightly.

“…Fine.”

It wouldn’t be right for her to lecture Miss Shen about drinking tea while she herself was downing iced soda.

With great reluctance, Xu Zhiyan downed the last sip of cola.