The Paranoid Film Queen Hooked Me, and I Fell in Love. (GL) - Chapter 24

What should have been a steamy dream to linger on through the morning was rudely interrupted by a sudden, bizarre turn involving ghosts and monsters, ruining the romantic mood entirely.

It was a bright and fresh morning, with clear skies and excellent air.

Xu Zhiyan, while drawing open the curtains, tried to soothe her deeply wounded heart. With her thoughts elsewhere, she couldn’t even be bothered to recall the abrupt kiss from her dream.

Humming a tune, she took the breakfast brought by the hotel staff, ate a little without much interest, then sprawled comfortably on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, scrolling through her phone.

Along the way, she logged into her long-neglected fan account.

Though her “Sugar Shipping Specialist” account hadn’t posted much lately, its beautifully written romantic fanfics had already gathered a considerable following. Despite her recent lack of updates due to work, it still retained plenty of loyal fans.

Meanwhile, Cherry Xiaomanzǐ had been as diligent as ever, frequently posting edited videos.

Feeling curious, Xu Zhiyan clicked into one of the super topics she used to follow. With a quick refresh, she saw that the fan count had surged past ten thousand—nearly ten times what it had been before.

“That’s quite a jump,” she murmured, pausing her humming.

Could those couple photos really have had that much impact?

In the forum, fans had already photoshopped those pictures into various scenarios. No matter how much the background changed, the poses remained largely the same.

Xu Zhiyan narrowed her eyes and studied the images more carefully. As she scrolled through them one by one, she found herself vividly recalling the scenes behind each photo.

Every time they got close, every brush of contact, every…

Stop. Enough. Don’t go there again.

She exited the zoomed-in images and continued scrolling.

Thinking about it now, it was no wonder the couple had attracted so many CP (couple pairing) fans. After all, a lot of them were just visuals fans. With pictures exuding such strong chemistry, it was natural they’d gain popularity.

Besides, Xu Zhiyan wasn’t bad-looking herself.

She exited the fan thread and tapped on the red notification dot in her inbox. Just as expected, it was a message from Cherry Xiaomanzǐ.

[I saw you followed the “Blunt Truth” super topic. Do you think they’re a good match too?]

Too? Xu Zhiyan narrowed her eyes, clicked into Cherry’s profile, and scrolled down—there it was: the newly followed topic.

Xu Zhiyan: [Didn’t someone just declare a few days ago that she was your wife? And now you’ve found your wife a new wife?]

She remembered clearly how Cherry Xiaomanzǐ had shamelessly called that person “wife” right in front of her just days ago.

Cherry Xiaomanzǐ: [……I can’t help it. The chemistry in those pictures is just off the charts. I’ll wear this green hat willingly / crying.jpg]

Green hat, my ass.

Xu Zhiyan felt a pang of irritation—jealousy?—and didn’t bother to hide her displeasure.

Xu Zhiyan: [Heh.]

Just one word, dripping with sarcasm.

Cherry, either pretending not to notice or choosing to ignore it, replied excitedly:

[Trust my instincts, sis! This couple is totally shippable!]

Xu Zhiyan’s fingers twitched. Whether they’re shippable or not, don’t I, the actual person involved, know better than you?

[Ship all you want, just don’t get too emotionally invested.]

No one understood the true situation of the “Blunt Truth” CP better than Xu Zhiyan herself. There was genuine friendship, yes—but the kind of romantic chemistry the fans imagined? That was a fantasy that would take 800 years to come true.

She thought back to that odd shift in Shen Buhui’s attitude during the shoot. Though he later claimed it had nothing to do with her, Xu Zhiyan was confident she hadn’t imagined it—something had definitely changed because of her.

Still, their relationship had grown slightly more intimate since then, and Xu Zhiyan had chosen not to dwell on it.

Everyone has their secrets and privacy. She had no desire to pry.

She had sent that message mostly to keep her friend from getting too emotionally attached.

Cherry Xiaomanzǐ: [I probably shouldn’t say this, but honestly, I’m just a casual shipper with every CP. I think you’re the one we should be worried about qwq.]

Xu Zhiyan paused.

That… wasn’t entirely wrong.

Though they both loved shipping, they had different reasons for doing it. Cherry enjoyed the overall vibe and aesthetics of the pairings, while Xu Zhiyan was more deeply invested in the emotional interaction between the characters.

To put it more precisely, Xu Zhiyan cared whether the feelings portrayed were real or not.

The messages kept coming.

[Honestly, I thought you were losing interest in CPs lately. You’ve barely looked at the “Star Couple” or “Millionaire CP” threads these days. I was worried you’d fallen out of love with shipping altogether—until I saw you following “Blunt Truth” again. That was a relief.]

It was hard to find someone who shipped the same pair, and what Cherry truly feared wasn’t just Xu Zhiyan losing interest—it was losing the shared bond that kept their friendship going. They weren’t exactly best friends yet, after all.

Her friend’s words snapped Xu Zhiyan back to reality. She realized she really had been neglecting her fandom life recently.

That had never happened before, no matter how busy school got.

Xu Zhiyan: [Work’s been too hectic.]

Cherry Xiaomanzǐ: [Making money is important! As long as you haven’t wandered off, I’m happy!]

After ending the conversation, Xu Zhiyan returned to the homepage. She scrolled past a video of Chen Xingguang and Lan Xingyu gazing at each other—and was surprised to find that it no longer made her heart race like it used to.

Something was wrong.

Sprawled out on the sofa, she covered her face and sighed.

She realized, belatedly, just how long her fascination had lasted this time. If her friend hadn’t pointed it out, she wouldn’t have noticed at all.

But after all, this was someone she had once favored. Xu Zhiyan had always treated her “old flames” generously—continued to support their endorsements and projects, just without the same spark of enthusiasm as before.

Thinking about it that way, what excited her most now wasn’t even her past pairing, but a new CP involving herself and someone else!

A little absurd.

But not unacceptable.

Smiling secretly to herself, Xu Zhiyan rolled lazily on the couch like a salted fish, then bounced back with renewed vigor, diving headfirst into the embrace of her “new flame.”

And that was when she discovered—to her shock—that fanfics featuring the two of them had already started circulating!

By the time lunchtime rolled around and she went to meet Shen Buhui as usual, her mind was still buzzing with the memory of those fanfics, particularly the ones where they kissed eighty times.

So when she saw Shen Buhui—barefaced but still stunning—Xu Zhiyan’s eyes instinctively drifted to her lips.

Catching that glance, Shen Buhui touched her own lips.

“It’s not swollen anymore, so don’t worry.”

She said it with a slight smile, as if it were the most casual thing in the world.

It was Xu Zhiyan who blushed furiously instead!

Should she say I wasn’t worried? That felt heartless.

Should she say I really was worried? That sounded too weird!

In the end, she muttered, “As long as it’s better now.”

She thought the topic would end there, but Shen Buhui wasn’t about to let her off that easily.

“With practice comes skill. Once we’ve kissed enough times, this kind of issue won’t happen again.”

She said it with the utmost calm—while Xu Zhiyan’s face lit up like a tomato.

“…?”

Shen Buhui chuckled. “Don’t tell me you forgot we have several kiss scenes? Last night’s was just one of them.”

Several? Xu Zhiyan vaguely remembered they even had a bed scene.

Yikes. Just the thought of it made her scalp tingle.

But her last shred of rationality reminded her of one undeniable truth: improving their kissing technique wouldn’t necessarily prevent swollen lips. In fact, with more “practice,” things might just get even redder and more intense than last night.

“I haven’t forgotten,” she declared confidently. “I remember everything about the script, down to the last detail!”

Shen Buhui’s eyelashes fluttered, clearly recalling that upcoming bed scene too.

For a moment, she lost the urge to tease Xu Zhiyan any further. After all, when the time came, she might be the one struggling to keep it together.

Today’s lunch had been specially ordered by Shen Buhui. With the sweltering weather making them reluctant to go outside, they decided to eat in her room instead.

When Yuanyuan came up with the food, Xu Zhiyan noticed that Xiaofang was right behind her—carrying a watermelon in his arms.

“Miss Shen, here’s the chilled watermelon you specifically asked for,” Xiaofang said, placing it carefully on the coffee table.

Shen Buhui nodded. “Mm. You and Yuanyuan can eat whatever you’d like—just keep the receipt and I’ll reimburse you later.”

Yuanyuan beamed. “Thank you, Miss Shen!”

“Thank you, Sister Hui!” Xiaofang chimed in right after.

Hearing that, Xu Zhiyan shifted her gaze from the giant watermelon and paused for a second before saying, “Sis, I just realized—not only am I freeloading off your food, now I’m even dragging my whole family to eat with me.”

The words “dragging my whole family” made Shen Buhui’s eyes dim slightly.

She knew full well that Xu Zhiyan was just joking, but still, something about it weighed on her heart.

The closer Xu Zhiyan got, the more intolerable certain things became—whether it was the way she looked at others with focused attention, or how intimately she referred to someone.

Shen Buhui quickly masked her emotions and teased, “I pay Yuanyuan’s salary too. Compared to that, your little ‘family’ is nothing. You’re the only true freeloader here.”

Xu Zhiyan huffed through her nose. “If we’re being technical, I’m not freeloading either. I’m your hard-working assistant, aren’t I, rich lady?”

“You’re right, you’re absolutely right. You’re my assistant.”

Shen Buhui got up, cradled the watermelon, and carried it into the kitchen. She picked up a knife and sliced it in half—one half she wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in the fridge, the other half she handed to Xu Zhiyan with a spoon stuck in it.

While they were chatting, Xiaofang had already dragged Yuanyuan out of the room, leaving the spacious suite with just the two of them.

Xu Zhiyan scooped up a spoonful of bright red watermelon and popped it into her mouth. The icy sweetness instantly flooded her palate, refreshing her entire body.

“You’re the best, rich lady. Even bought me watermelon,” she said with a grin.

She knew Shen Buhui was on her period and couldn’t eat cold foods, so the fact that she specifically asked Xiaofang to bring a chilled watermelon could only mean—it was for her.

With that thought, Xu Zhiyan felt like this was the sweetest watermelon she’d ever eaten.

Shen Buhui took a bite of her vegetables and chuckled. “Then I must be the most useless rich lady—no one to warm my bed or wait on me, and I still have to take care of you.”

Xu Zhiyan gave a sheepish laugh. Okay, fair point.

She couldn’t do the bed-warming, but the taking care of part? That she could manage!

With that in mind, Xu Zhiyan picked up a piece of cold sliced beef and held it out toward Shen Buhui’s lips with her chopsticks.

“Come on, sis. Let me take care of you for a change!”

Feeding someone—didn’t that count as taking care?

Shen Buhui looked at the meat held near her lips, then at Xu Zhiyan’s calm and natural expression. Seeing no hesitation there, she too acted naturally—flicking out her tongue and taking the thin slice of beef into her mouth.

She chewed, swallowed, and said with a satisfied smile, “Delicious.”

Xu Zhiyan’s eyes lit up. It seemed like she had discovered the joy of feeding someone. She picked up a piece of vegetable and brought it to Shen Buhui again.

Again?

Shen Buhui gave her a look.

But she still bit down on the offered piece, her tongue accidentally brushing the tip of the chopsticks before the green vegetable disappeared into her pink lips.

After she swallowed, Shen Buhui reached out and stopped Xu Zhiyan from going for another bite.

“The rich lady gets your sincerity loud and clear. Now please—eat your lunch.”

Though she enjoyed the feeding, it was more important for Xu Zhiyan to actually eat.

Hearing that, Xu Zhiyan reluctantly pulled back her eager hand. She turned her chopsticks around and popped the piece of luncheon meat she had just picked up into her own mouth.

So good.

Wait. Wait!!

Chopsticks?

Xu Zhiyan’s eyes darted downward. The white wooden pair of chopsticks she held hovered in midair, still damp from use.

They were the same ones she had used to feed Shen Buhui.

And now… she’d just used them herself.

In-direct kiss?!