The Paranoid Film Queen Hooked Me, and I Fell in Love. (GL) - Chapter 25

“Xu Zhiyan, what’s going on with you?! Lin Yin’s gaze toward Liang Manye should be burning with hatred! Look at your performance—what was that?! Your eyes were full of longing! Where’s the hatred? You look more like you’re confessing your love than seeking revenge!”

Director Cheng’s voice boomed through the megaphone, hitting Xu Zhiyan’s ears like a slap. She flinched instinctively, her whole body stiffening on the spot.

This was the first time Director Cheng had lost his temper at her like this.

At that moment, the director stepped out from behind the monitor, one hand on his hip, the other still gripping the megaphone, visibly agitated. “Think it through, seriously!”

With that, he waved his hand, giving her some time to reflect and get into the right headspace.

At the signal, the camera crew pulled back, creating a clear space around her and Shen Buhui.

“Don’t get discouraged. Try to figure out what’s holding you back,” Shen Buhui’s gentle voice rang beside her, and Xu Zhiyan caught the concerned look in her eyes.

“I really don’t know what’s wrong. I’ve just been completely off this afternoon.”

The scene they were filming depicted Lin Yin, who had mistakenly come to believe Liang Manye was responsible for her brother’s death. This revelation sparked a dramatic shift from love and resentment to pure, unfiltered hatred.

But no matter how hard Xu Zhiyan tried, she just couldn’t tap into that kind of overwhelming hatred.

To make matters worse, ever since her increasingly close interactions with Shen—especially that indirect kiss at lunch—her mind had been filled with all sorts of distracting thoughts every time she saw Shen Buhui’s bl00d-red lips.

So it was no wonder her eyes carried affection instead of rage.

But how could she possibly explain that to Shen Buhui?

Shen Buhui paused to think. “You were still missing that final emotional punch. If you can’t fully immerse yourself in Lin Yin’s mindset, try tapping into your own unpleasant experiences to draw out some real hatred.”

But Xu Zhiyan’s own experiences didn’t come close to generating that level of intense emotion.

She sighed again, feeling like she’d hit a wall.

She ruffled her already messy hair and let her gaze wander—from the ceiling to the floor, to the crew members coming and going—before inevitably landing back on Shen Buhui. Her eyes traveled up from her feet… and locked again on those lips, still so red they looked like they could bleed.

Xu Zhiyan’s gaze froze. Something clicked in her mind.

“I got it!”

Shen Buhui looked at her. “You found the right emotion?”

Xu Zhiyan nodded emphatically. In one swift motion, she sprang up from the floor and, without saying anything more, ran over to where the director was taking a water break. She bent down and whispered a few things to him.

Shen Buhui narrowed her eyes as she watched them. She saw Director Cheng glance up at Xu Zhiyan, a thoughtful expression on his face. A few seconds later, he nodded in agreement.

Both of them walked back toward the set. Xu Zhiyan returned to her position, then turned to the resting makeup artist with her hands pressed together in a pleading gesture.

“Chen-jie, could you please remove the lipstick from Miss Shen’s lips?”

She quickly added, “The director approved it!”

Although clearly puzzled, the makeup artist didn’t question it further. Since the director had signed off, she grabbed her tools and walked over to Shen Buhui.

Shen Buhui looked skeptical, but when she saw Xu Zhiyan’s lifted brows and cheeky smile, she allowed the makeup artist to proceed. As the removal began, she couldn’t help but remark lightly, “So your method for getting into character… is messing with me?”

Xu Zhiyan grinned, her voice playful with just a hint of pitiful innocence. “Please help me out, sis. I’m clearly lacking in skill, and I can only improve by relying on you.”

She pouted slightly and curled her brows into an adorably mischievous look that caught Shen Buhui completely off guard.

Thankfully, no one else was paying too much attention.

Xu Zhiyan only noticed herself blushing a bit under that focused gaze, but she didn’t think much of it. She just kept her hands clasped in her “please-help-me” posture.

Until the makeup artist finally spoke up.

“All done. The lipstick’s off.”

Shen Buhui’s lips, once red as bl00d, had now returned to their natural color—light, soft, and slightly flushed from the friction. The delicate shape of her lips remained as captivating as ever, but without the dramatic red to draw focus, Xu Zhiyan found it much easier to concentrate.

She averted her gaze, blinking fast.

Shen Buhui noticed her unease, and after connecting the dots—the sudden request for lipstick removal, the flustered expressions—she started forming a guess in her mind.

The corners of her lips curled into a knowing smile. “So this is all it takes?” she asked, voice tinged with amusement.

“This is all it takes!” Xu Zhiyan replied with confidence.

If this still didn’t work, never mind the director—Xu Zhiyan felt like punching herself.

Her request had been so outrageous that even Director Cheng had looked stunned when she proposed it. Fortunately, he was a seasoned professional and quickly caught on, which was probably the only reason he agreed to such an outlandish idea.

After all, blaming her poor performance on her co-star’s lipstick being too red? That just sounded like an excuse worthy of a slap.

But to everyone’s surprise, once Shen Buhui’s lipstick had actually been removed, the scene went incredibly well. Aside from two early retakes due to unrelated technical issues, the rest flowed smoothly.

Xu Zhiyan finally let out a huge sigh of relief—but along with it came an odd, inexplicable sense of unease.

…Was there something seriously wrong with her?

Why else would she be so fixated on Shen Buhui’s lips?

At that moment, she’d completely forgotten that in their little CP fan community, this kind of behavior probably had a name: an “xp”—a kink or a soft spot.

Nothing wrong with her—just a particular fondness for lips.

Although… the symptoms hadn’t been too obvious until now.

That afternoon’s scenes had been heavy and emotionally draining. After holding back her gaze during her scenes with Shen Buhui, Xu Zhiyan went on to complete several more intense scenes with Zeng Yue and Qi Helin. By the time the final “wrap” call came, she felt her entire body collapse with relief.

“It’s finally over,” she breathed out.

The emotional strain of the afternoon had nearly wrecked her—but thankfully, the next few days of filming wouldn’t be so heavy.

As she spoke, tears from her last scene still shimmered at the corners of her eyes, catching the soft light and gleaming like crystal.

Yuanyuan, who had been keeping an eye on her the whole time, immediately stepped forward with tissues in hand.

“I’ll do it,” Shen Buhui gently intercepted her.

She had also been through a taxing emotional scene that afternoon, but since she wrapped up a bit earlier—and she was always quick to slip in and out of character—she had already composed herself. Seeing Yuanyuan about to step forward, she blocked her path with a calm but firm presence.

Left standing behind, Yuanyuan looked up at Shen Buhui, now gently wiping Xu Zhiyan’s tears away. Under the soft studio lights, her fair skin seemed to glow.

“…Wait, who’s the assistant here again?”

Not doing anything and still collecting a high-paying salary? She felt a little guilty.

But damn—it was also kind of great.

Xiaofang strolled past and gave her a sideways glance. “Ever consider the possibility that the boss pays you well so you don’t have to work too hard sometimes?”

In other words: know your place.

Yuanyuan glared at her. “And you think you’re more experienced than me?”

“At the very least, I have better instincts than you.”

Xiaofang took a swig from her water bottle, finished it in a few gulps, and wandered off at her own pace.

Unaware of the petty back-and-forth happening just out of sight, Shen Buhui continued wiping away the last traces of Xu Zhiyan’s tears and the fine sheen of sweat on her forehead. Then she gently took her hand and led her off to get changed and remove her makeup.

After freshening up in her dressing room, Xu Zhiyan noticed that Shen Buhui—who normally finished around the same time—was nowhere to be seen. Thinking she was just running late today, Xu Zhiyan didn’t give it much thought.

But when she and Yuanyuan pushed open the door to check, they found that Shen Buhui was already done—and sitting in front of the makeup mirror, doing something they couldn’t quite see.

“You’re running a little behind today, huh?”

The moment Xiaofang saw Xu Zhiyan enter, she stood up without a word and headed for the door—dragging a completely confused Yuanyuan out with her.

“Why are you pulling me?”

“I’m passing down some workplace wisdom—as your senior.”

Xiaofang explained as she tugged her out of the room.

The two assistants bickered their way out of Shen Buhui’s dressing room. Xu Zhiyan glanced at their retreating backs and mumbled, “Why do I feel like Xiaofang has been acting a little weird these past few days?”

Shen Buhui chuckled softly. “Really? Maybe she’s found a new path to promotion and a raise.”

Xu Zhiyan: …?

That was… suspicious.

“Anyway, forget her. Zhiyan, help me choose a lipstick for later.”

Shen Buhui pulled open the drawer beside her and revealed a neatly arranged row of high-end lipsticks and glosses.

Xu Zhiyan’s eyes lit up.

But she quickly came to her senses. “Wait, why are you thinking about lipstick today?” she asked while picking up the nearest tube and examining it.

Usually, after wrapping for the day, Shen Buhui would throw on a mask and head straight to the hotel in the van without a second thought.

Shen Buhui smiled lightly, pressing her lips together. She’d specifically asked the makeup artist to remove her lipstick during cleanup, so now her lips had returned to their natural tone—light and understated.

“I didn’t look great on camera this afternoon. A touch of color might help freshen things up.”

Hearing the explanation, Xu Zhiyan looked up at her, studying her face for a moment. But she didn’t see anything wrong.

“So what kind of look do you want, sis? Or any particular color in mind?”

She ran her fingers thoughtfully over the sleek, glossy tubes, her head tilted down in concentration. The soft light caught her delicate side profile, making her look especially focused.

Shen Buhui’s gaze flickered, then she leaned in closer from behind, pressing slightly into Xu Zhiyan’s back, pretending to examine the selection with her. “I trust your taste. You pick one for me.”

Well—if you insist!

Xu Zhiyan scanned the collection seriously, then glanced sideways, her lashes lowering as she took in the shape of Shen Buhui’s lips. After a few seconds of silent hesitation, she picked out a black-tube lipstick from brand D.

Velvet crimson.

It wasn’t that other shades didn’t suit Shen Buhui, but Xu Zhiyan had a particular soft spot for the way her red lips curled into a smile.

That contrast—cool porcelain skin paired with bold, rich red—always made her heart skip a beat.

When Shen Buhui saw what Xu Zhiyan had chosen, her smile deepened, the last pieces of her earlier suspicion falling into place.

“Then help me put it on.”

She straightened up and pulled out the chair behind her, taking a seat again.

Xu Zhiyan’s hand trembled slightly as she held the lipstick. She pointed to herself. “Me? I put it on?”

“Yes. I want to see how good your skills are.”

Xu Zhiyan swallowed—literally—and made a small, choked sound from her throat. “…Okay.”

One sat, the other stood.

One tilted her head back, the other bent down.

And so, Xu Zhiyan began applying the lipstick.

She moved slowly, sketching out the shape bit by bit—from pale to pink to rich, vibrant red.

“All done.”

Xu Zhiyan straightened up and twisted the tube shut, the velvety lipstick sliding smoothly back into its case.

When she looked again, even she couldn’t help but be impressed by her work.

She hadn’t even smudged it!

“Looks amazing!”

Shen Buhui’s eyes sparkled as she smiled and gently pressed her lips together, trying to even out the pigment.

Upper lip pressed to lower, a soft press and release—every movement smooth, natural, over in a blink.

But for Xu Zhiyan, it felt like time slowed to a crawl. Every tiny motion stood out in crystal clarity, etched straight into her brain.

Ding!

She pressed her own lips together, dry, distracted, suddenly overtaken by a wave of doubt.

Was there something seriously wrong with her?

Why did she feel like she had a weird obsession or… kink?

She felt just a little pervy.