When My Rival Actress Becomes My Obsessive Lover - Chapter 3

After enduring what felt like an eternity waiting for Qin Zhi to finish her shower, Sheng Mingluo felt like she was about to wilt.

The moment the bathroom door opened, Sheng Mingluo nearly burst into tears. Her eyes were wet and pleading as she looked at Qin Zhi, asking somewhat sheepishly,

“Um… I was wondering, is there a bathrobe in the bathroom? If not, a towel would do!”

Her pitiful expression almost made Qin Zhi steel herself to remain unmoved, ready to snap, Can’t you get it yourself?

But the next second, that mechanical voice echoed in her head again.

“Dear Host, if you wish to return and not remain trapped here forever, then follow the script and do as I say—please gently fetch a bathrobe for your CP and help her put it on.”

Fine. She’d endure it.

Qin Zhi decided that once she got back, she had to find out who wrote this fanfiction. Writing was one thing, but wishing for their imagined CP to become reality? That was just too much!

After a long silence, the air grew so awkward Sheng Mingluo felt like her toes could dig out an entire Magic Fairy Castle on the bed.

“There is. I’ll get it for you.”

Qin Zhi softened her voice slightly. Acting? That was her forte—her bread and butter.

Playing a role to deceive an NPC? Piece of cake.

Wow, seriously? When did she become so gentle? Sheng Mingluo could hardly believe it. Whenever she ran into Qin Zhi at the company, the woman always carried herself with an air of aloof superiority.

She looked down on everyone—even the company’s executives.

She was the famously icy “Big Ice Block” of their company, leaving anyone who approached covered in frost.

You guys wanted a rarepair, not a crack ship! Sheng Mingluo couldn’t even imagine someone like her being fiery and passionate in bed.

Turning back toward the bathroom, Qin Zhi reached for the bathrobe hanging on the rack and tossed it at Sheng Mingluo, who was sitting on the bed wrapped in a white blanket.

The bathrobe smacked her right in the face. Sheng Mingluo’s forced smile froze. Even if she’s my senior, this is just too damn rude.

Both of them heard a ding in their heads.

“Hello, esteemed Hosts. Due to failure to adhere to the story’s character settings, clearance points -1!”

The merciless announcement left both Sheng Mingluo and Qin Zhi rooted in place.

They stared at each other. Sheng Mingluo silently cursed at the system in her mind.

“What the hell is this? I didn’t even do anything wrong!”

“Apologies, Host. But not only you—if the other protagonist doesn’t follow the script, you won’t be able to return either~”

“Are you asking for a beating? What kind of bullshit rule is this?!”

“She might not care about going home, but I do, got it?!”

Sheng Mingluo nearly coughed up bl00d in frustration. Where’s the justice? Where’s the law? What kind of messed-up rule is this, punishing me for someone else’s actions?!

Clutching the bathrobe, Sheng Mingluo didn’t care anymore—she bolted straight into the bathroom. She needed to clean herself up right now.

Watching her flustered retreat, Qin Zhi closed her eyes and recalled the system’s earlier message. So… they had to act like some sickeningly sweet couple to clear this?

“That’s correct, Host. Please follow the script from now on.”

But I haven’t even read the script? How would I know how the story develops?

Qin Zhi held her forehead, her mind completely blank. She had no memory of ever reading any fanfiction about herself. There was no way she’d been dragged into this for no reason.

“Hmm… Perhaps you could ask your partner about it?”

“I’m not entirely clear on the specifics either, but don’t worry host, I’ll remind you when important plot points come up.”

That was about as useful as a fart in the wind.

Qin Zhi picked up her phone from where she’d tossed it near the pillow. There were several WeChat messages from her agent. Aside from some timeline changes, the social circle in this world still consisted of people she recognized.

Even the company was the same.

When Sheng Mingluo emerged from her shower, the awkwardness between them returned. Noticing the suggestive marks peeking out from beneath her robe—bruises in shades of purple—Sheng Mingluo’s trembling legs gave out, collapsing onto the sofa.

Did the author have any basic understanding of human physiology when writing this?

Not bothering to retie her loosely hanging robe belt, Sheng Mingluo steeled herself to ask the question. She’d had an inkling earlier when the system announced their “clearance value” had decreased by 1 point—both of them had visibly frozen at that moment.

“Senior… This might sound presumptuous, but please don’t think I’m crazy. I was filming in Hengdian just yesterday, and I’ve no idea why we’ve ended up in the same bed…”

The air hung heavy with silence. Sheng Mingluo began mentally cringing, wondering if she’d made a mistake by revealing her identity so soon. Maybe she should have pretended to be a native of this story world first.

“It’s fine… I appeared here just as mysteriously…”

But the moment Qin Zhi finished speaking, another “ding” sounded in their minds, followed by the system’s merciless announcement:

«Due to hosts leaking plot details and breaking character—clearance value decreased by 50!»

“Hey! Explain yourself properly!”

Sheng Mingluo nearly broke down on the spot, torn between laughter and tears. At this rate, when would they ever return to the real world? Was she doomed to grow old and die here?

No matter how much she screamed internally, the system remained stubbornly silent.

Qin Zhi hadn’t expected her casual remark to carry such severe consequences either. A pang of guilt struck her.

“My apologies, Miss Sheng. This is my fault.”

“I shouldn’t have voiced my thoughts so carelessly.”

Sheng Mingluo flopped back onto the sofa dejectedly. What’s done was done—no use crying over it now. Besides, she’d been the one to broach the topic. Truly, she’d lifted a stone only to drop it on her own foot.

“Not your fault. I was the one who asked.”

Qin Zhi swallowed the question on her tongue—whether Sheng Mingluo had read this fanfiction before. Remembering the system’s punishment, she ultimately sighed and kept silent.

“You’ll probably receive a phone call soon… Remember to answer it.”

Of course Sheng Mingluo remembered this part of the plot—she’d mercilessly mocked it while reading. Qin Zhi’s character setting was the wealthy, beautiful second daughter of the Bailing Group with prestigious family connections. She’d heard this juicy tidbit before—it was quite famous gossip on certain green-hued apps, though never officially confirmed.

I never expected the author to directly quote it in the text. Eating every rotten piece of gossip will really give you a stomachache! As for me, I come from an ordinary family—my parents run a flower shop, and fans still go there to check in every day.

That part is accurate and fits the description.

I just don’t know what Qin Zhi’s real family is like? But it doesn’t matter now anyway—I suppose we’re following the storyline of the novel’s world.