Shen Manyu couldn’t help but laugh; Hua Yanqiu’s question was truly full of calculating intent. She didn’t ask “What do you like to eat?” but instead directly asked if she had any dietary restrictions.
In the face of such a question, most people would be led astray, subconsciously following her train of thought to answer the question.
Once a clear reply was made, it meant that in a moment of muddle-headedness, they had already agreed to the invitation.
This woman, Hua Yanqiu, appeared on the surface to be a “high-altitude flower” aloof and pure but in reality, she was withered and wicked to the core, black-bellied to the extreme.
As Shen Manyu thought about this, she clicked on the dialogue box and fell into a brief contemplation.
Since she was clear about Hua Yanqiu’s intentions, avoiding suspicion should logically be the first priority. If the two of them went out to eat together and happened to be photographed by paparazzi, it would surely cause an earthquake on the trending searches.
The previous infamy didn’t matter, as those were all messes created by the original owner of this body; Shen Manyu felt zero psychological burden regarding them.
But if she went out with Hua Yanqiu this time, the fans would switch perspectives. They would scold her for taking advantage of Hua Yanqiu’s magnanimous nature and lack of pettiness, intentionally clinging to her to leech off her popularity.
Shen Manyu hesitated, tapping the phone screen a few times. After thinking it over, she deleted everything word by word.
As it stood, it looked like this play couldn’t be avoided, so she still needed to have more contact with Hua Yanqiu.
If a hitch occurred during the rehearsal period, there was still time to find a way to resolve it. Once filming actually started, if Shen Manyu still hadn’t adjusted her mental state and couldn’t engage in more intimate contact with Hua Yanqiu, then the upcoming hurdles of the kiss scenes and bed scenes would clearly be impossible to clear.
Moreover, these few scenes were crucial turning points for the entire drama. If she botched this part, the director would absolutely not tolerate her continuing as the lead.
She first typed the two words “No none” in the chat box. Just as she was about to send it, she felt that such a reply seemed too cold.
Shen Manyu curled her lips into a smile and slowly retyped a sentence: “Sure. Eating with Sister, no matter what the food is, it’ll be delicious.”
“After all, we have an idiom for it, don’t we? It’s called: A feast for the eyes.”
The more one fears something, the more one must actively approach it, conquer it, and defeat one’s own negative emotions.
For people like Shen Manyu and Hua Yanqiu, escape would never be the choice they made.
Meeting the challenge head-on was the correct solution.
So what if she had to interact more with Hua Yanqiu?
Shen Manyu’s competitive spirit poked its head out from the bottom of her heart at this moment.
She thought righteously: If someone is going to be afraid, it shouldn’t be me! This is a psychological war.
A thousand-mile dam collapses from an ant hole; if her momentum faltered now, she would be utterly defeated later.
That would not do.
Shen Manyu’s “homophobia” was different from that of ordinary people. She didn’t discriminate against or loathe homosexuals, nor did she dislike Hua Yanqiu.
She simply revulsed at the thought of extraordinary physical intimacy between herself and the same sex. Such contact would cause her to feel rejection and resistance from the bottom of her heart.
It was as if her body and brain were split into two parts. Her brain kept telling her that it was no big deal even friends can kiss and hug, these are all common small matters.
But her body instinctively rejected it, even sensing a threat. A strong sense of crisis further triggered the self-defense mode that is spontaneously generated when the body enters a dangerous situation.
When Hua Yanqiu had prepared to kiss her, her brain had been in a daze, and she had even briefly entertained the thought of attacking her.
If it hadn’t been for the deeply rooted tenets of a society ruled by law flashing through her mind, awakening a shred of reason, she wouldn’t have been able to pull back her precarious criminal impulses.
In the chat interface, the other side showed the “typing” status several times, but a new message was slow to arrive.
Hua Yanqiu also seemed to be somewhat conflicted, not knowing exactly what kind of attitude she should use to treat her.
“Typing” leapt onto the screen again. After a moment, Hua Yanqiu sent: “I’m not too familiar with this area either. I heard there’s a private kitchen with good food; we can go try it.”
She proactively avoided Shen Manyu’s previous ambiguous and provocatively-tinged words.
Shen Manyu thought for a moment and intentionally replied: “Should we bring Sister Qi? Or is it just the two of us?”
There was another long silence from Hua Yanqiu.
When the enemy advances, I retreat; when the enemy retreats, I pursue. The results of this battle were fruitful; the guidance on guerrilla warfare truly does not deceive.
Shen Manyu absentmindedly tapped her phone screen. She understood Hua Yanqiu’s thoughts. The other woman had deliberately not mentioned the fact that Shen Manyu was in a bad mood, kept shifting the topic, and even asked her to go out to eat.
This was Hua Yanqiu’s consideration, but it also contained a few points of testing.
After this incident, if Shen Manyu was willing to get close to her, regardless of whether they would have further development later, at least for now, it wouldn’t be so awkward that even meeting was a problem.
If Shen Manyu truly loathed and felt repulsed by her, and to a degree so deep that she couldn’t adjust herself, then there was no need for them to have further contact. It might even be impossible to continue filming this drama.
The entire crew would face the awkward situation of being about to start filming but having to temporarily replace a lead.
Although Hua Yanqiu was not an investor, she was one of the leads personally invited back by Director Chu. She held significant weight in front of Director Chu, and her right to speak within the crew was not small.
She was the lead, the core figure of the entire drama. If she felt that Shen Manyu was not suitable to be the other lead, as long as she raised such a request, Director Chu would likely believe her judgment without a second thought.
Even at the risk of offending a big investor like Jing Yanqing, Director Chu would follow Hua Yanqiu’s advice and kick the “unsuitable” Shen Manyu out of the crew.
At this moment, Hua Yanqiu contacting Shen Manyu was both out of concern for her situation and a mix of practical interests.
In the adult world, Shen Manyu understood that between two strangers who aren’t close, there is no such thing as purely selfless emotion.
Hua Yanqiu asked back: “Do you want Sister Qi to come along?”
Shen Manyu had woken up too early today, and tiredness kept washing over her. A faint sense of boredom echoed in her heart; she suddenly lost interest in this game of testing.
She couldn’t be bothered to think deeper and simply replied: “It’s better if she follows. Otherwise, if it’s just the two of us and we’re caught eating together in private, it won’t be easy to explain.”
She was a nobody with no name, no notable works, and no fame among the public. Aside from the few times her scandals had stirred up trouble, most people wouldn’t even remember her name or face.
Hua Yanqiu, on the other hand, was a top-tier starlet only one step away from being a “Film Queen.” She was currently the hottest figure in the industry. Plenty of paparazzi were secretly watching her every move.
Shen Manyu’s concern was not without reason. Even if they disguised themselves perfectly, “there are policies from above and counter-measures from below” the various methods of the paparazzi were impossible to fully guard against.
It’s better to be safe than sorry. Making plans for the worst-case scenario and thinking of ways to cope based on that situation ensuring that no matter the consequence, it could be handled was the only way to proceed steadily.
If the two of them were photographed eating in private, how would they explain it?
Shen Manyu couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth.
If the two of them were just having a meal properly and hadn’t started fighting halfway through even the unscrupulous media couldn’t just take one photo and fabricate the rest, saying she had intentionally gone to find trouble for Hua Yanqiu again, could they?