“A kiss scene today? How come I didn’t know?”
“Well, now you do.”
Qin Chaomu leaned lazily against the doorway, taking a drag from her e-cigarette as she looked at Shen Guai teasingly.
What kind of trick is this woman playing now?
Shen Guai was bewildered. This was only the second time she had seen Chen Qinghe.
The first time was at an awards ceremony. Shen Guai had watched her idol from a distance, seated just diagonally in front of her. That night was the third time Chen Qinghe had been nominated for Best Actress, and the third time she had left empty-handed.
When the presenter announced Qin Chaomu as the winner, Shen Guai couldn’t see Chen Qinghe’s face from behind. It wasn’t until she watched the replay at home that she caught the flash of hidden disappointment in Chen Qinghe’s eyes.
Both were leading actresses from the “Class of ’95,” and Chen Qinghe had been acting since childhood with undeniable talent. Qin Chaomu’s win, however, had little to do with raw acting ability.
The entertainment industry, after all, is a circle of connections.
Chen Qinghe looked at Shen Guai with a smile. “So, you’re Shen Guai.”
“Hello, Teacher Chen…” Shen Guai didn’t know where to start. Her complicated entanglement with Qin Chaomu perhaps truly began because of Chen Qinghe.
“Hahahahaha!”
Chen Qinghe looked at Qin Chaomu, then back at Shen Guai, doubling over with laughter. “Qin Chaomu, look at you, the iron tree finally blooming. Talk about an old cow eating tender grass.”
“Talking more won’t make the crows’ feet around your eyes disappear,” Qin Chaomu retorted.
“You!”
Chen Qinghe knew Qin Chaomu’s temperament well. In a war of words, Chen Qinghe almost always ended up on the losing side.
Qin Chaomu raised an eyebrow, walked straight past Chen Qinghe and Jin Xi, and grabbed Shen Guai’s hand.
“Shen Guai likes you very much.”
It was unclear if she was saying this to Chen Qinghe or to Shen Guai herself.
Shen Guai figured that when you don’t know the enemy’s motive, the best strategy is to remain calm and wait for an opening. She gave a bright, sweet smile. “Teacher Chen, it’s truly an honor to meet you today!”
“Heh, ‘Guai Guai’ is so polite now. That’s not how it was the first time we met,” Qin Chaomu said, her words laced with thorns.
Their first meeting had been at last year’s opening ceremony. Back then, meeting the award-winning Qin Chaomu, Shen Guai had acted incredibly arrogant. She had kept a cold face in front of the cameras the entire time, not saying a word. When a leaked photo of her “stone-faced second lead” look got out, fans abandoned the official male/female lead pairing and successfully formed a “heresy CP” (cult couple) between Shen Guai and Qin Chaomu.
The fans’ logic was creative: Shen Guai usually maintained a “sweetheart” image, known as the industry’s #1 “Golden Flower.” They theorized she only acted cold to mask her true feelings, hoping to look “Alpha” in front of the person she liked.
This was why “CP fans” were so formidable. Every subsequent event where the two gave each other the cold shoulder or ignored one another was dissected by fans using slow-motion edits to find “secret glances” and “hidden gestures.”
At one point, even Qin Chaomu began to doubt herself, wondering if she really had fallen for this bratty fourth-tier actress.
Shen Guai knew exactly what Qin Chaomu was doing, trapping her between two sides. No matter how she answered, it would seem like she was picking favorites between Qin Chaomu and Chen Qinghe. As a newcomer, she could afford to offend Qin Chaomu, but she couldn’t afford to cross Chen Qinghe.
Shen Guai tried to pull her hand away, but Qin Chaomu gripped it tighter.
“You want to die?”
Qin Chaomu mouthed the words, her voice a low threat only Shen Guai could hear.
“I don’t, I don’t…” Shen Guai muttered, pouting.
Bringing Chen Qinghe here was clearly meant to put Shen Guai in her place. She couldn’t fathom Qin Chaomu’s thoughts, she only felt that this “bad woman” was as deep and calculating as the sea. She had underestimated her. The fact that Qin Chaomu could bring Chen Qinghe in for a cameo with a single phone call proved her influence was far greater than Shen Guai had imagined.
“Find some paps, get some ‘leaked’ photos out there.”
Upon hearing that Qin Chaomu wanted to add a kiss scene, Director Xin Shang looked radiant, even shouting that she’d buy milk tea for the whole crew.
“Director Xin, long time no see.” Chen Qinghe proactively reached out her hand.
Xin Shang hesitated for a moment. She glanced at Qin Chaomu, who looked like she was enjoying the show.
“Long time no see.”
Xin Shang lifted her hand, her fingertips barely brushing Chen Qinghe’s sleeve. The smile on her face stiffened. She looked at Qin Chaomu, who smiled back. She looked at Shen Guai, who also smiled.
Xin Shang was fuming. Fine, you two love smiling? I’ll give you something to smile about.
Qin Chaomu, that wicked woman, knew perfectly well that Chen Qinghe was Xin Shang’s ex-girlfriend. Why on earth did she bring her here?
“After all these years, she hasn’t changed at all. Her face is still as fresh as a twenty-year-old’s,” Chen Qinghe said, looking enviously at Qin Chaomu on the monitor. Though they debuted around the same time, their current statuses were worlds apart.
“You’ve changed a lot. You’ve lost a lot of weight,” Xin Shang said, still staring at the monitor without looking at Chen Qinghe.
Since the breakup, Chen Qinghe had practically semi-retired from the industry. Her fame had dwindled, and recently she had even resorted to live-stream selling.
In front of the camera, Shen Guai looked like she was facing execution. Traumatized by Qin Chaomu the day before, she didn’t dare say a word today for fear of offending her.
Qin Chaomu glanced at Chen Qinghe, then pressed her index finger against Shen Guai’s chin, tilting it up two centimeters until it touched Shen Guai’s lower lip.
“You like Chen Qinghe? Then do you like… kissing someone else in front of the person you like?”
Qin Chaomu leaned into the crook of Shen Guai’s neck, blowing a soft breath against her earlobe.
“Qin Chaomu, you’re sick…”
Before she could finish, Qin Chaomu forcefully turned Shen Guai’s head. In the next second, she pressed her lips down without hesitation.
Qin Chaomu’s warm, soft lips rubbed against Shen Guai’s lower lip. Shen Guai was lost, her heart a tangled mess.
Why? Why is it that every time Qin Chaomu kisses me, I feel this tingly sense of enjoyment? Why do I… want her to keep going?
“Cut!”
Xin Shang took off her black rimless glasses, her fair face uncharacteristically stern. “I think the relationship between the two of you is wrong in this scene.”
“In this scene, I want Teacher Shen to have the upper hand. The dynamic is that Teacher Qin is being restrained, while Teacher Shen is venting her longing. The emotion is off. Let’s go again.”
Xin Shang sat back down and put her glasses on, a smirk in her heart. Trying to make fun of me, you wicked woman? See if I don’t work you to death.
Only Qin Chaomu knew the messy history between Chen Qinghe and Xin Shang. But only Xin Shang and Chen Qinghe knew Qin Chaomu’s weakness: Qin Chaomu refused to ever be “on the bottom.”
Chen Qinghe looked at Xin Shang in shock, but Xin Shang just pushed up her glasses.
“It’s over,” Chen Qinghe whispered, turning to flee, only to be stopped by Xin Shang.
Qin Chaomu gritted her teeth. Being on set, she couldn’t lash out. She stared at Shen Guai, whose face was already flushed from the kiss, and her heart skipped a beat.
This little brat… she’s actually quite pure. A little kiss and she’s already blushing.
Shen Guai listened to Xin Shang’s direction, but it went in one ear and out the other. Forget “taking the upper hand” against Qin Chaomu, she didn’t even know how to kiss properly. Xin Shang’s request was too difficult.
While Shen Guai was still dazed, Qin Chaomu pulled her over. Gravity took over, and they both tumbled onto the bed.
Qin Chaomu didn’t speak. She narrowed her phoenix eyes, her lips slightly parted, the full, red “bead” of her upper lip trembling slightly. Under the studio lights, her lips looked like a ripe cherry.
No matter how much of a “diva” Shen Guai acted like, she knew Qin Chaomu was helping her. Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes and dove down recklessly.
The half-second as she moved her head was the longest moment of her life.
Wait, why haven’t I hit her lips yet?
Shen Guai opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Qin Chaomu’s slightly flushed face.
Looking up, she saw Qin Chaomu’s thick, curled lashes fluttering like dragonfly wings. Those soulful eyes were hidden beneath the lashes, currently fixed on Shen Guai’s lips.
Shen Guai licked her upper lip, her throat felt inexplicably dry. She avoided Qin Chaomu’s gaze and stared at those cherry lips just inches away. Her heart was pounding.
There was shyness, nervousness, and an indistinguishable emotion mixed in.
Shen Guai’s lips could almost feel Qin Chaomu’s body heat. They were so close, yet that final barrier remained.
Do I really have to break through my mental block to kiss someone I hate?
The closer she got, the fainter the “green tea” scent on Qin Chaomu became, replaced by a deep, milky fragrance. Shen Guai had read that everyone has a unique scent; Qin Chaomu’s was a natural milkiness that no perfume could mask.
It smells good. I want to make it mine.
The moment that thought surfaced, Shen Guai’s brain felt like it exploded.
What’s happening? No, no, I must be too deep in character. How could I have such a weird thought?
Right, we’re acting. This is just a movie…
But it’s not impossible in reality, right? Since this bad woman has kissed me twice privately, it’s only fair if I kiss her back, isn’t it?
No, she kissed me twice. I have to make her kiss me again. If she kisses me one more time… that’s three times. If she kisses me three times, I can make a demand of her…
Shen Guai’s thoughts were spiraling into chaos. Her face grew redder, her nose brushing against Qin Chaomu’s cheek. With every touch, her heart rate accelerated.
“Ha…”
A soft gasp escaped Qin Chaomu’s throat. She closed her eyes, her lashes trembling violently, her slender fingers clutching the white bedsheets. She bit her lower lip until it turned pale.
Qin Chaomu’s reaction sent Shen Guai into a total panic. She was already fantasizing about messy things; now her heart felt like it was about to stop.
Unfortunately, even if she hated Qin Chaomu, her body was being very honest.
Why is Qin Chaomu reacting like this?
Could it be… Qin Chaomu likes me?
At that thought, Shen Guai’s heart truly stopped.
“Shen Guai, you brat… are you going to kiss me or not?”