The Paranoid Film Queen Hooked Me, and I Fell in Love. (GL) - Chapter 18

At three in the morning, the crescent moon hung high in the sky.

After filming through most of the night, the shoot had finally wrapped up, and Xu Zhiyan let out a deep breath of relief.

It was her first time working such an intense overnight schedule—one that was mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting. She was utterly drained.

Her whole body felt weak and sluggish, as if she had no strength left. All she wanted now was to take a long, hot bath and curl up in bed.

Beside her, Shen Buhui—perhaps more accustomed to such grueling hours—appeared to be in a better state than she was.

“Sister, I’ll head back first.”

After changing into her own clothes, Xu Zhiyan hesitated for a moment before knocking on Shen Buhui’s dressing room door to say goodbye.

“Wait for me—I’ll go with you.”

They had arrived together, after all. And given how late it was, Xu Zhiyan didn’t have the convenience of a standby chauffeur like Shen Buhui did, which made finding a ride back much more troublesome.

Shen Buhui moved quickly, tidying up her things in record time before nudging a drowsy Zhao Yue awake.

“Wake up—we’re leaving.”

Still half-asleep, Zhao Yue groggily rubbed her tired eyes.

“We’re done already?”

Without turning around, Shen Buhui gave a brief hum of acknowledgment—her gaze never straying, her attention wholly fixed on Xu Zhiyan.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhiyan found it difficult to act completely at ease.

She knew Zhao Yue had been Shen Buhui’s manager since the beginning of her career. They had only met a couple of times before, exchanging barely ten words in total. Now, after growing closer to Shen Buhui over the past few days, Zhao Yue’s sudden presence made her feel inexplicably uneasy.

And yet, the habits she had developed over the past few days had already taken root.

The moment she saw Shen Buhui approach, she instinctively moved to stand beside her, falling naturally into step with her, their posture reflecting an effortless, almost practiced familiarity.

Zhao Yue, now more awake, narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched the two walk ahead.

Turning to Xiaofang, who had just finished packing up, she asked, “Xiaofang, while I was away, has Xu Zhiyan always been this close to Hui-jie?”

“Oh yeah, they’ve been getting along really well.”

Zhao Yue felt an ominous jolt in her gut. “And you didn’t think to intervene?”

“…Intervene in what?” Xiaofang blinked innocently, puzzled.

Hui-jie was free to befriend whoever she wanted—what right did a mere assistant have to meddle?

Besides, even as her manager, Zhao Yue couldn’t control Shen Buhui’s personal relationships.

That’s right. What was there to stop? Zhao Yue furrowed her brows, deep in thought. Could anyone truly restrain Shen Buhui? That was nothing short of a fantasy.

When she had just debuted, Shen Buhui had already set firm boundaries—refusing to take on excessive intimate scenes and steering clear of chaotic, unsavory social gatherings.

And now, as an independent artist running her own business and paying salaries herself, she was even less constrained by external forces.

Zhao Yue sighed. The memory of what she had witnessed earlier replayed in her mind, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something about the way those two interacted was just… too close.

She figured she should at least bring it up—whether or not they listened wasn’t her concern.

…

The next day, Xu Zhiyan had no scheduled scenes. After nearly pulling an all-nighter, her exhausted, sleep-deprived body remained in deep slumber until two in the afternoon before she finally stirred awake.

Even after waking up, she lay sprawled out on the bed, completely unwilling to move. Lethargic and sluggish, she ordered takeout, deciding to spend the entire day holed up in her room.

While waiting for her food, she freshened up briefly before flopping onto the plush sofa, lazily scrolling through her phone.

#A Look Back at Shen Buhui’s Most Stunning Roles

#The ‘Wealthy Couple’ Has Broken Up

#Chen Xingguang Says Lan Xingyu Is His Ideal Type

Seeing three consecutive trending topics, Xu Zhiyan suddenly froze.

Wait. My CP broke up?!

She bit her lip, feeling utterly bewildered.

Though she had spent most of the past year fixating on Star Couple, she hadn’t forgotten the joy that her other ships had once brought her. Even if she hadn’t been as active in fan discussions lately due to work, she clearly remembered that just half a month ago, Jiang Yu and Bai Xilin had been spotted on a sweet date together.

Diving straight into the CP’s fan forum, she quickly realized she wasn’t the only one caught off guard.

The whole mess had started with a Weibo post from Bai Xilin, where she openly declared that she was single again and happier than ever.

Half an hour later, Jiang Yu followed up with a cryptic, emotionally loaded post, accompanied by a moody, melancholic photo—his entire vibe screaming heartbreak.

Naturally, the news shot up the trending list at lightning speed. Both actors were among the top-ranking B-list celebrities, so their breakup quickly became one of the hottest topics online.

The CP fanbase was devastated, with the forum flooded by heartbroken posts. Even on her private fangirl account, Xu Zhiyan’s homepage was filled with grief-stricken reactions.

One of her mutuals, Cherry Xiao Manzi, had been crying about it for a while.

Truthfully, Xu Zhiyan was just as upset. She had been deeply invested in this ship—every sleepless night she had spent watching their interactions, every moment she had clung to as proof of their chemistry—it was all evidence of her dedication.

Cherry Xiao Manzi: Sis, I’m so heartbroken. How did they suddenly break up? Wuwuwu…

Xu Zhiyan: I’m devastated too. QAQ. I woke up from a nap to see the trending topic, and now I’m completely lost.

As they grieved together, reminiscing about the past, Bai Xilin suddenly dropped another Weibo bombshell.

@Bai Xilin: For the love of God, if you’re going to cheat, at least don’t threaten me in private while publicly acting like some devoted, heartbroken fool to milk sympathy and traffic. Disgusting. Yes, I’m talking about you, scumbag—@Jiang Yu.

A thunderous revelation that sent shockwaves through the fandom.

Bai Xilin’s fans, Jiang Yu’s fans, the Wealthy Couple shippers, and even casual onlookers—everyone was stunned.

Cherry Xiao Manzi: Wait… he cheated?!

Xu Zhiyan: Wait… he cheated?!

Without hesitation, they both abandoned the forum and rushed to Bai Xilin’s profile for more details.

Soon after her post, Bai Xilin followed up with a video and a nine-image post, meticulously laying out the evidence.

The video alone was like Thor’s hammer, shattering any illusions left about Jiang Yu’s so-called devotion.

Xu Zhiyan’s stomach churned as she watched. The video, despite being blurred out for privacy, clearly depicted three entangled bodies in a scene so revolting that she almost threw up on the spot.

Absolutely disgusting.

Her face went pale. This was the first time a ship she had been invested in had fallen apart in such an ugly, stomach-churning manner.

The attached images painted an even clearer picture—documenting Jiang Yu’s infidelity over the past year in meticulous detail.

As a dedicated shipper, Xu Zhiyan had always been diligent about tracking timelines. Looking at the photos now, she could vividly recall how, during those same periods, Jiang Yu had publicly acted as if he were utterly devoted—attentive, affectionate, the perfect doting partner.

Xu Zhiyan: My eyes are tainted.

Cherry Xiao Manzi: I feel absolutely sick.

And they weren’t alone in their sentiments.

[Comment Section]
I’m gonna puke. This scumbag fooled us all—raking in CP fan money while using it to fund his cheating and hookups.
Poor Xilin. Thank God she found out the truth and got out!

“Any fans still defending him, get lost!”

Xu Zhiyan hadn’t expected that on her rare day off, when all she wanted was to relax online, she would end up encountering something like this.

Scowling, she swiftly deleted every single post she had ever shared about Jiang Yu. Only after thoroughly scrubbing her account did she finally retweet Bai Xilin’s post.

@SweetToothCP: You’re amazing, sister! Scumbags don’t deserve any respect! //@BaiXilin: Evidence.

With solid proof laid bare, Jiang Yu’s reputation was officially in shambles.

And yet, Xu Zhiyan didn’t feel the slightest bit happy.

The reason she had fallen into the world of shipping in the first place was because of how beautifully certain on-screen relationships were portrayed. Especially when that affection seemed to transcend fiction, spilling into real life—it gave her a sense of fate, as if they were destined. The subtle, loving details caught by the camera were what made everything feel so real, so moving.

Shaking off her lingering disappointment, she turned her attention to another trending topic on the list, feeling a little better.

Her mind had been so occupied with Jiang Yu and Bai Xilin that she hadn’t even clicked into the Star Couple tag yet.

Unlike the previous scandalous topic, the comment section under Chen Xingguang and Lan Xingyu’s interview video was filled with excited squeals—though occasionally interrupted by solo stans grumbling about not wanting their idol involved in a ship.

Xu Zhiyan finally felt her mood lift.

So what if one CP fell apart? There were plenty more out there. Next time, she would just be more careful before getting emotionally invested. It simply wasn’t worth it to waste her feelings on a cheater.

While the internet war over Jiang Yu’s scandal continued raging, Xu Zhiyan exited the trending list and returned to her homepage. After cleaning up her feed, everything left was purely enjoyable content.

As she refreshed her page, a post from one of her mutuals caught her eye—it was a complaint about CPs from a completely different fandom.

Curious, she glanced at the username and blinked.

Wait… are they talking about me and Shen Buhui?!

@MarriageRegistryHere: LMAO, the movie hasn’t even finished filming, and there’s already a CP between Shen Buhui and some newbie? Are people seriously into this? I really question whether the person who made this super topic isn’t just some die-hard stan from the newbie’s team. Who the hell could actually ship this?!

The post was punctuated with four question marks and an exclamation mark, giving Xu Zhiyan a momentary pause.

She quickly realized—wasn’t this the same user who had posted “Not even a dog would ship this” under the trending tab the other day?

And to top it all off, they were one of her homepage mutuals.

Not to mention… did they seriously think she had the money to hire people to hype up a CP? If she had that kind of cash, she could think of a hundred better things to do with it.

After a brief moment of contemplation, her curiosity won out. She went ahead and searched for the so-called super topic they were referring to.

It took quite a while to find, and when she finally did, the corner of her mouth twitched.

This is what they thought was an artificially boosted CP tag?

The title of the super topic was an obvious pun on their names, and she had to admit—it actually flowed quite nicely when read out loud.

However, upon entering the forum, she could see everything at a glance.

Five posts. Three followers.

This was less of a fledgling CP fandom and more of a deserted wasteland.

Still, right before leaving, Xu Zhiyan hesitated—then impulsively clicked Follow.

When she refreshed the page, the number of fans had jumped to five.

That evening, as Xu Zhiyan returned from picking up her package outside, she happened to run into Zhao Yue on her way downstairs. The moment their eyes met, she took the initiative to greet her.

“Why didn’t you have your assistant grab it for you, Xu-laoshi? It’s so hot outside.”

“I slept all day. Figured I should move around a little, so I went to pick it up myself.”

Zhao Yue didn’t dwell on it. She had only made the comment out of politeness, after all.

Thinking back to her conversation with Shen Buhui earlier that day, Zhao Yue watched Xu Zhiyan’s figure disappear up the stairs, a thoughtful glint flashing in her eyes.

After dinner, Xu Zhiyan recalled Shen Buhui telling her yesterday that she could come to her for guidance whenever she had questions.

After some consideration, she grabbed her script and tucked two sweet, fragrant pears into her arms before heading over to knock on the door across the hall.

The moment the door opened, she greeted Shen Buhui with a bright, cheerful smile.

“Sorry to bother you, Sister! I’m here to ask for your guidance!” She waved the script in her hand.

Shen Buhui glanced at it and let out a light chuckle.

“You could’ve just come over—why bring something with you?”

Without hesitation, Xu Zhiyan followed her inside, settling naturally onto the sofa. She placed the pears into the fruit bowl on the table and rested her chin on her hand.

“The pears are my ‘door-knocking fee.’ If you hadn’t let me in, I was prepared to bribe you with them.”

She made a playful remark, her tone light and teasing.

Shen Buhui found it amusing, her smile deepening as she poured Xu Zhiyan a cup of the cool tea she had been drinking lately. Her voice was soft as she responded, “If it’s meant to be a bribe, then two pears aren’t nearly enough.”

Xu Zhiyan caught on immediately, grinning as she asked, “Then what would be enough?”

Shen Buhui’s gaze lingered briefly on the movement of her lips before she replied with a gentle smile, “A whole basket of pears.”

Xu Zhiyan laughed. “Then I’ll owe you for now! Next time, I’ll make sure to bring you a whole basket.”

Their exchange was lighthearted and easy, setting a comfortable atmosphere between them.

As Shen Buhui reached for Xu Zhiyan’s script, she asked casually, “Did anything unpleasant happen today?”

“Hm?” Xu Zhiyan was caught off guard by the question. After a brief moment of thought, she admitted, “I suppose so… but it’s all good now.”

“That’s what matters,” Shen Buhui nodded to herself.

But there was still something she wanted to ask.

“Zhiyan, do you call a lot of people ‘Sister’?”