The Paranoid Film Queen Hooked Me, and I Fell in Love. (GL) - Chapter 16

“Perfect! Absolutely perfect!”

The director’s excited voice tore through the strange tension in the air, snapping the moment like a thread pulled too tight.

Xu Zhiyan jolted back to reality, hastily withdrawing her hand from Shen Buhui’s delicate chin.

As the distance between them widened, heat rushed to her face, her cheeks burning so fiercely she felt as if she might combust. She didn’t dare to look at Shen Buhui.

The director, still caught up in excitement, continued showering them with praise. “The chemistry between you two is incredible! The expressions, the emotions—it looked so real!”

Shen Buhui straightened up, rubbing her chin absentmindedly as she asked casually, “Really?”

“Of course! I’m already looking forward to working with both of you again.”

The director hugged the camera like a treasured prize, completely absorbed in reviewing the shots.

Supported by Xiao Fang, Shen Buhui flexed her stiff legs, waiting for the numbness to subside before letting go of her assistant’s arm.

“There’s no need to wait for another collaboration. Xu Zhiyan and I still have two more sets of couple shots to complete.”

The director blinked, suddenly recalling the unfinished schedule. “Oh! That’s right! You two still have two more outfits to shoot!”

She smacked her forehead as if to wake herself up.

A faint smile played on Shen Buhui’s lips as she glanced back at Xu Zhiyan, who hadn’t moved since the shoot ended. Her gaze flickered with something unreadable before she turned away.

“Xiao Fang, let’s go get changed.”

It was only after Shen Buhui had left that Xu Zhiyan finally allowed herself to move. She fanned her flushed face, desperately trying to cool the heat on her cheeks.

Yuanyuan approached with small, quick steps, supporting her. “Zhiyan, are your legs numb too?”

Xu Zhiyan stiffly let herself be led away, parting her lips as if to respond, but no sound came out.

Her legs weren’t numb.

But her lips were.

She hadn’t expected to actually kiss Shen Buhui.

Xu Zhiyan followed Yuanyuan into the dressing room like a soul adrift, lost in her thoughts.

Meanwhile, Yuanyuan continued rambling excitedly, oblivious to her daze. “Zhiyan, you and Miss Shen had insane chemistry! I’d like to see anyone claim you two don’t have CP potential now!”

“The director really knows how to set up poses, but you and Miss Shen worked so well together. I’m totally shipping this!”

She kept chattering away, her words a blur until she suddenly gasped.

“Zhiyan, your acting is amazing! That final kiss looked so real! The way you and Miss Shen played it—it was flawless!”

Xu Zhiyan’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. She hesitated before asking, as nonchalantly as possible, “Did it really look that convincing?”

“Totally! It was like… you actually kissed her!”

“Good.”

Xu Zhiyan lightly patted her own cheeks, hoping the sensation would bring her back to reality.

Right now, the priority is finishing the last two outfits. Everything else… I’ll deal with it later. I should apologize to Miss Shen after the shoot.

Shaking off the lingering tension, she straightened up and allowed the stylists to work their magic again. Once fully styled, she flashed a bright grin at her reflection—a sweet, lively girl in soft pink.

“Let’s do this!”

The final two photoshoot sessions went smoothly, much to Xu Zhiyan’s relief.

More importantly, the photographer finally stopped making them pose in overly intimate positions.

After finishing the last set of shots, Xu Zhiyan rushed back to the dressing room, eager to change out of costume and return to normalcy.

Now back in her own clothes, she stood behind the dressing room door, her hand hovering over the doorknob—unable to press down.

She wasn’t sure how to face Shen Buhui.

Since that unexpected moment during the military uniform and cheongsam shoot, she had been avoiding eye contact, too flustered to meet her gaze. For the rest of the session, she had gone on autopilot, following the director’s instructions like a puppet, doing everything possible to avoid looking at her co-star.

So now, standing here, she had no idea whether Shen Buhui was angry or not.

Or rather, what exactly was Miss Shen’s attitude right now?

And so, the usually bold and cheerful Xu Zhiyan became a shrinking turtle, holed up in the small dressing room, too afraid to step outside and face reality.

“Zhiyan? Zhiyan? Is something wrong?”

Yuanyuan knocked on the door, her voice lowered in concern.

“No!”

Xu Zhiyan shut her eyes tightly. Might as well face the inevitable. She exhaled, bracing herself as she pressed down on the door handle and pulled it open.

Seeing her standing there unharmed, Yuanyuan let out a sigh of relief. Clutching her chest, she groaned, “You scared me half to death! You took so long to change—I thought something had happened.”

“What could possibly happen?” Xu Zhiyan replied absentmindedly, her bright eyes darting around as if searching for something.

When she didn’t spot anyone in the vicinity, she lowered her gaze in slight disappointment and finally focused on the person who had been waiting for her all this time.

“Yuanyuan, let me ask you something. Have you seen Miss Shen?”

Yuanyuan was about to shake her head when something caught her attention. Her head stilled in place, suddenly motionless.

Oblivious, Xu Zhiyan continued, “If you do see Miss Shen—”

“…If you see Miss Shen, what do you plan to do?”

A low, familiar voice suddenly cut in, startling Xu Zhiyan.

She turned her head as fast as lightning—only to find the very person she had been searching for standing quietly behind her, staring at her with those dark, unreadable eyes.

“You still haven’t answered me,” Shen Buhui tilted her head slightly, her voice carrying a subtle lilt. “What do you plan to do if you see me?”

Yuanyuan fought the urge to cover her face. This is so awkward!

Clearly, this was supposed to be a scene for three people, but the story only has space for two.

Scratching her head, Yuanyuan instinctively took a step back and hesitantly asked, “Zhiyan, should I… wait for you over there?”

Xu Zhiyan, still reeling from shock, withdrew her gaze from Shen Buhui without looking back and replied in a quiet voice, “Mm.”

And with that, the unnamed third party wisely exited the battlefield.

The moment Yuanyuan left, the air in the narrow corridor thickened.

Xu Zhiyan felt like she was running out of breath. She definitely didn’t want Miss Shen to ask her that question a third time.

“If I saw you…” she finally admitted, “I just wanted to apologize.”

Shen Buhui’s brow arched slightly. She let out a soft, ambiguous hum. “Hm?”

Leaning casually against the wall, she crossed her arms, resting a fingertip against her lips—tapping lightly, rhythmically.

Xu Zhiyan lifted her eyes and met her gaze, unconsciously noticing the absentminded motion of her fingers.

Something about Miss Shen feels… different today.

Compared to yesterday, she seemed strange—though Xu Zhiyan couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Then again… ever since last night’s encounter, everything seems to have taken a turn for the absurd.

But regardless of how odd things felt, there was something she needed to say.

After a moment of hesitation, Xu Zhiyan lowered her head slightly. “During the shoot earlier… I didn’t mean for that to happen. Miss Shen, I apologize.”

With her head bowed, she couldn’t see Shen Buhui’s expression.

And so, she missed the shadowy flicker in Shen Buhui’s gaze.

Shen Buhui’s voice was calm, as if she completely understood. “It’s fine. I know you were just caught up in the moment. Many newcomers experience this—it just means you have strong emotional empathy and a great ability to immerse yourself in a role. That’ll serve you well in your acting career.”

She smiled slightly, as if to reassure her. “So don’t worry about it.”

Slowly, Xu Zhiyan lifted her head.

Seeing her doubtful expression, Shen Buhui’s eyes glimmered with amusement. She reached out and ruffled Xu Zhiyan’s hair.

“It’s just part of the job. Don’t overthink it—I don’t mind.”

Xu Zhiyan visibly relaxed, obediently letting her pat her head.

After withdrawing her hand, Shen Buhui casually remarked, “Judging by your reaction… you’ve never been in a relationship before, have you?”

Xu Zhiyan was about to shake her head but suddenly hesitated. After a brief pause, she changed her response to a nod.

“I have.”

Shen Buhui’s lips pressed into a flat line, her expression remaining unchanged as she replied, “That’s good. I was worried that a young girl like you would have given her first kiss to work. That would’ve been such a pity.”

But didn’t she already know?

Why is she still asking?

Shen Buhui maintained the flawless image of a composed “senior,” but beneath that mask, jealousy was burning fiercely within her. The stronger the jealousy, the calmer her face appeared—so calm, in fact, that she even managed to pull off a teasing smile.

Xu Zhiyan, feeling slightly embarrassed, scratched her head. “Actually… my first kiss was for work.”

That unexpected moment earlier—it had, in fact, been her first.

As expected, Shen Buhui straightened up abruptly, leaning in slightly, disbelief flickering in her eyes. “Really?”

“Really!”

Despite the awkwardness, Xu Zhiyan still told the truth.

“I dated before, but we broke up before it ever reached that stage.”

As she explained, she thought back to her younger years, reminiscing over the foolish choices of adolescence.

Back then, she had been at an age when romance was a curiosity, something new and thrilling. Though she hadn’t understood marriage—perhaps even felt an inexplicable aversion to it—at fifteen or sixteen, love itself had seemed exciting.

Most of her friends had started dating, swept up in the trend, so, driven by curiosity, Xu Zhiyan got herself a boyfriend.

But after just a few days, she dumped him.

And then, she dated a girl instead.

She had realized that young boys held no appeal for her. If anything, she enjoyed spending time with girls far more. Encouraged by her friends, she soon found herself in a relationship with a cute girl.

But that, too, lasted less than a week before they mutually parted ways.

Looking back, those clumsy, immature attempts at love hardly felt like real relationships.

But technically speaking, even a one-day romance still counted, right?

Shen Buhui’s gaze flickered with something unreadable. “I see…”

The heat of jealousy cooled, retreating like a tide. For the first time in a while, a genuine smile graced Shen Buhui’s lips.

“Then I guess what I said before really did wrong you.”

“It’s not wronging me at all,” Xu Zhiyan shook her head sincerely. “How could I feel wronged when it was with you, Miss Shen?”

At that, she smiled earnestly.

Come on, it’s Shen Buhui we’re talking about!

Shen Buhui chuckled, the warmth in her eyes unconcealed. “As long as you don’t feel wronged, that’s good.”

Xu Zhiyan blinked playfully. “Just don’t look down on me, okay?”

Shen Buhui shook her head.

“You—” She lightly tapped Xu Zhiyan’s smooth forehead, her lips still curved into a smile that hadn’t faded for a second.

She wouldn’t look down on her.

And… she certainly wouldn’t feel wronged.

After all, intimate moments should only be shared with someone special.

Lowering her eyelashes slightly, Shen Buhui veiled the deep affection in her gaze.

With the tension dissolved and the awkwardness gone, Xu Zhiyan suddenly felt light, like a weight had been lifted.

“Miss Shen, let’s head back together?” she invited cheerfully.

Shen Buhui’s smile deepened. “Would you like to change the way you address me?”

Xu Zhiyan looked at her, puzzled.

Shen Buhui raised a brow meaningfully. “The way you called me last night—why not just keep calling me that?”

Last night…?

Xu Zhiyan hesitated, then realization struck her. Her cheeks warmed as she hesitantly murmured—

“Jiejie, let’s go back together?”

In an instant, it felt as though all the gloom of the past two days had been washed away.

A wave of pure, unfiltered sweetness flooded Shen Buhui’s chest, soaking into every fiber of her being.

She didn’t want to let it go.