She likes me.
The “Heartbeat Challenge” involves strapping heart rate monitors onto two people. The goal is to flirt with or provoke the other person until one of them experiences a spiked heart rate first.
“Sister.”
Shen Guai’s smile was adorable, and the small mole under her right eye sparkled.
“Don’t let your heart beat too fast now.”
Shen Guai’s slender fingers gripped her heart rate wristband. Her bright eyes peeked cautiously at Qin Chaomu’s expression looking exactly as if she truly, deeply loved her.
Avoiding Shen Guai’s gaze, Qin Chaomu maintained a stiff smile. No one knew what she was thinking at that moment.
“Sister, I’ve prepared a gift for you.”
Shen Guai playfully shook her wrist, her heart rate was at 95.
Qin Chaomu used two fingers to cover the screen of her own wristband, the number on it was 110.
Shen Guai’s gaze fell on Qin Chaomu’s wristband, then shifted upward. She pursed her lips and smiled, raising an eyebrow at Qin Chaomu.
At Shen Guai’s signal, a staff member brought over a guitar.
Shen Guai took the guitar and pulled her chair very close to Qin Chaomu’s. Resting the guitar on her lap, her pink fingertips brushed the strings seemingly by accident.
“…If one is used to being emotionally guarded, Loneliness becomes just another wall. Love is faint and hazy, Reminding me that this time, Not embracing is a sin…”
Shen Guai’s voice was sweet and clear. When she sang, she lost her usual carefree, unruly demeanor.
When she looked down, she focused intently on the strings. When she looked up, she gazed earnestly into Qin Chaomu’s eyes.
The song was Twins’ No Tears in Moscow. It was Qin Chaomu’s favorite song; the golden age of Hong Kong pop was also the golden era of Qin Chaomu’s life.
Fifteen years ago, after an argument with her family, Qin Chaomu had run away to Moscow for high school. The Russian winters were so cold that the young Qin Chaomu had gradually forgotten what sunlight felt like.
Later, as the glory of the Hong Kong entertainment circle faded, Qin Chaomu gave up her family inheritance. She willfully entered the entertainment industry, choosing to become the “starlet” her family despised most.
Qin Chaomu almost never mentioned this song in public. She only occasionally listened to it on her Bluetooth headphones during breaks on film sets.
How did Shen Guai know?
“Sister, did you forget? I’ve had a crush on you for eight years~”
Shen Guai smiled like a blooming camellia vibrant, looking exactly like a grand, pure love from one’s youth.
“You…”
Lying little puppy.
Qin Chaomu finished the sentence in her flustered heart. She didn’t want to believe Shen Guai, she refused to believe her, and she was terrified of believing her.
“Wow! I can’t believe it’s Teacher Qin! Her heart rate was the first to break 120! Ahhh!”
[Live Stream Comments]
Qin Chaomu’s Dog: Our Mumu has always been so pure hearted~
Papaya Seed 2421: Heavens! It’s my first time hearing Guai-Guai sing! She’s a multi-talented treasure!
I Cover Papaya: I’m swooning, family!
College Girl Passing Grade 4: Shen Guai has loved her for eight years!
Qin Chaomu’s gaze toward Shen Guai was laced with confusion. Was it true? Was she really like the rumors said crushing on her for years and entering the industry just for her?
Crush, my foot!
Looking at the comments, Shen Guai’s scalp felt numb.
She had followed Qin Chaomu before her debut. And it was eight years ago, when she was fifteen.
However, Shen Guai was actually part of the most militant faction of Qin Chaomu’s anti-fans.
Over the past eight years, Shen Guai had posted thousands of updates about Qin Chaomu. From the moment she opened her eyes every morning, she was there to hate. This “long-term hater” knew more about what Qin Chaomu liked and disliked than her actual fans did.
The reason for the hatred was simple: Shen Guai’s favorite novel was being adapted for the screen. The original lead was supposed to be Chen Qinghe, Shen Guai’s favorite actress. But the day before filming began, Qin Chaomu used her family’s wealth to buy her way into the production, replacing Chen Qinghe.
That year, Shen Guai was fifteen, and Qin Chaomu was twenty-one.
Qin Chaomu had dropped into the industry out of nowhere. She wasn’t a trained actress, she had studied Management in college. Her acting… was nonexistent. To put it bluntly, she was just a “resource player” who bought her roles.
When the show aired, the internet was full of vitriol, and Shen Guai joined the chorus. Surprisingly, Qin Chaomu responded by suing her haters, landing Shen Guai and hundreds of others in the defendant’s seat. It was a scandal unheard of in the industry.
Since then, Qin Chaomu’s career had been accompanied by constant criticism, yet she landed international directors, high-end endorsements, and prestigious awards. Shen Guai had hated her all the way until Qin Chaomu won Best Actress.
As they say: hatred lasts longer than love.
“Before you knew me, I knew you. For the past eight years, I’ve stayed by your side in places you couldn’t see. For the countless eight-year periods in the future, I hope I can continue to stay by your side…”
As Shen Guai spoke, her eyes grew red. She had been hailed as the most gifted actress of the new generation, she could enter a role instantly and leave it just as fast.
Looking at Qin Chaomu’s face, Shen Guai could even visualize scenes of herself falling for her.
Too bad it was all fake.
“Let’s stop here.”
To everyone’s surprise, Qin Chaomu abruptly called an end to the live stream. Her gaze toward Shen Guai turned strangely dim, losing the polished, professional smile she usually wore for the cameras.
“Teacher Qin, are you feeling unwell?”
Her team of assistants and managers swarmed her immediately.
“I’m just a little tired.”
Through the gaps in the crowd, Qin Chaomu looked at Shen Guai in the distance.
Shen Guai sat on a small stool as if she’d just been granted a paroled release. She grabbed a small hand fan and looked around. Unintentionally, her eyes met Qin Chaomu’s.
Their eyes locked, and Qin Chaomu looked down, avoiding the gaze.
“Hold this.”
Shen Guai handed the fan to her assistant, Wutong, and swaggered over.
Noticing this from the corner of her eye, Qin Chaomu cleared her throat awkwardly and raised her voice to ask her assistant, “What is my schedule for this week?”
“Huh?” The assistant was baffled. Schedule? Hadn’t they been on the set of the same movie for two months? “You’re filming Secret Lover, Teacher Qin.”
“Oh.”
Qin Chaomu nodded, her eyelids lifting slightly to see Shen Guai getting closer. She pursed her lips and asked again, “And… is dinner settled?”
“Do you want dinner, Teacher Qin? I’ll order right away!”
The assistant broke into a cold sweat. Qin Chaomu was incredibly strict with her physique, she never ate dinner.
Especially now, with the new series starting production, she sometimes only eats a few pieces of fruit and some salad leaves all day just to maintain her on-screen image.
“Right, I don’t eat…”
“Sister~”
Shen Guai deliberately dragged out the ending note. “Sister Qin, why did we stop filming?”
Shen Guai’s voice was naturally sweet and milky, but now she was overdoing the “cutesy” tone on purpose, hoping to make Qin Chaomu feel uncomfortable.
The staff members surrounding Qin Chaomu all flashed knowing, ambiguous smiles upon seeing Shen Guai.
“We’ll head out first then. Teacher Qin, call us if you need anything,” the assistant said, taking the hint and leaving.
Qin Chaomu nodded without saying a word.
Once the others were gone, Shen Guai’s smile became even more bold. “Sister, why was your heart beating so fast just now? I couldn’t tell before, but you’re actually quite the innocent one.”
Shen Guai’s words were half-teasing and half-mocking. She crossed her arms, looking down for the first time at Qin Chaomu, who was sitting in her chair.
“Those things are just props. The heart rate was set in advance.”
Qin Chaomu remained expressionless as she continued, “We are only a ‘contract couple’ for publicity. I hope you don’t start getting any real ideas about me.”
“I have feelings for you?”
Shen Guai pointed at herself in shock. “How could I possibly have feelings for you? Please, Sister, I have professional standards! Even if I fell for a stray dog lying on the curb, I would never fall for you!”
“I was just giving you a reminder. What? Are you getting defensive?”
Qin Chaomu bit into a cherry, spat the pit into a tissue, and tossed it into the small trash can.
“Why would I be defensive! I just want to tell you that I won’t fall for you! There is absolutely no possibility!”
Shen Guai’s voice grew louder and louder. Halfway through her rant, she turned around and stomped away, muttering to herself.
Shedding her outer clothes, Qin Chaomu’s smooth, fair skin appeared before the bathtub.
Her fingertip adjusted the temperature panel to the lowest setting. At 8:00 PM, Qin Chaomu’s slender legs stepped into the freezing bathwater.
She leaned her upper body back until her entire self was submerged beneath the surface.
The bone-chilling cold pierced every inch of her skin. As Qin Chaomu’s exquisite face slowly broke the surface, a trace of sorrow originating from nowhere appeared in her phoenix-like eyes.
That girl…
Thinking of Shen Guai, Qin Chaomu felt a restless stirring in her heart.
Does she really like me?
Is everything she does just an attempt to get my attention?
A smile tugged at the corner of Qin Chaomu’s mouth. She let out a long breath, resting her elbows on the edge of the tub, her semi-wet long hair clinging to her chest.
Qin Chaomu tilted her small chin up, her fingertips brushing the corner of her crimson lips as her mind drifted back to the image of her and Shen Guai kissing on set.
“Teacher Qin.”
There was a knock on the hotel room door. Qin Chaomu threw on a white bathrobe. Before her hair was even dry, she began wiping it with a towel as she swapped into her slippers.
“You’re… Shen Guai’s assistant, right?”
Qin Chaomu recognized the person in front of her; she had seen her a few times, the last time being at the hotel entrance.
“Hello, Teacher Qin. My name is Wutong. Teacher Shen bought a crate of strawberries and asked me to distribute them to everyone.”
“Oh, thank you. That’s very thoughtful of her.”
Qin Chaomu gave a polite, graceful smile as she dried her hands and took a box of bright red strawberries.
“It’s nothing, really!”
After Wutong left, Qin Chaomu washed the strawberries and sat on the sofa with her legs crossed to watch TV.
She flipped through the channels, eventually settling on a variety station.
The show was old from half a year ago. It was Shen Guai’s variety debut. Back then, Shen Guai had just entered the industry and the public eye; she looked very stiff and restrained.
Taking a bite of a strawberry, Qin Chaomu took a sip of water and swallowed carefully. “Hmph! She obviously knows I love strawberries and wanted to give them to me, but she went through all that trouble to give them to the whole crew…”
“Such a childish little trick.”
Qin Chaomu subconsciously pursed her lips, her fingers tapping on the table. She ate half of another strawberry, then stood up, sealed the remaining ones, and put them in the fridge.
“Little brat… you really like me that much, huh…”
Shen Guai and Qin Chaomu were staying on the same floor of the hotel. Qin Chaomu paced back and forth in her living room, then pushed the door open and wandered through the hotel corridor, finally coming to a stop in front of Shen Guai’s door.