Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 1

Hatred is coiled around the fingertips, yet desire is held between the teeth. They were once each other’s light and shadow, and are now corrosive poison and antidote.

The succubus’s tail wraps tightly around the waist, and the saintess’s tears reflect a pitifully vulnerable face.

Is hatred more enduring than love?

Perhaps.

What kind of magical experience is it to be bound to a system, then sent into a dark room, where you can’t leave unless you act out a strange script?

When the dressing room door was rudely pushed open, Li Ting was adjusting her earrings in front of the mirror.

In the mirror’s reflection, a dazzling splash of wine-red caught her eye.

It was Si Xiaoxiao.

Today, she wore a wine-red velvet dress, its skirt dotted with numerous sequins. The red mole beneath her collarbone was faintly visible, strikingly fiery against her snowy skin.

Her face was clearly defined by a vivid, flamboyant beauty, yet her eyes were large and round, like those of a bewildered kitten.

Their gazes met abruptly, separated by the massive mirror framed with bright strip lights.

The air seemed to freeze for a second.

In the next moment, Si Xiaoxiao’s beautiful cat-eyes rolled with clear disdain. She turned to her assistant and started to lash out indirectly: “Some people, they are so old, why are they still pretending to be young? Tsk, tsk, that stench of a ‘White Lotus’.”

Following that, she walked straight towards the sofa at the other end of the dressing room on her stilettos, her skirt swaying alluringly. She left behind a trace of sweet, yet cold, perfume in the air. The brightly beautiful girl’s eyes were filled with a wild, clawing vitality.

Li Ting’s fingers, which were holding the earring, tightened slightly, her knuckles turning white. She lowered her eyes, her long lashes casting a small shadow underneath, obscuring the swirling emotions in her gaze. She had no intention of responding to the other person.

What a fateful encounter.

Seven years.

The two, who emerged from the same work, were always this volatile, this incompatible.

Facing the girl’s wild and aggressive mockery, Li Ting remained outwardly calm and chose not to utter a word. Yet, her long lashes dropped, and her gaze involuntarily returned to her own reflection in the mirror.

That face—her features were delicate and soft, her contours gentle, lacking the extremely striking beauty.

In the entertainment industry, which is full of gorgeous, vying beauties, she was indeed not prominent enough.

Especially when compared to the other face reflected in the mirror—a brilliant, intensely colored face that instantly overpowered her into dimness.

Her fingertip hesitated on the cold glass screen before quickly sliding, sending a message to her assistant:

[Help me change the lipstick shade to a more mature one.]

The assistant rummaged through her makeup bag and pulled out a matte lipstick in a black frosted case, twisting it open.

It was a deeper, more luscious rose bean paste color.

After wiping off the original color and applying the deep-toned lipstick.

She leaned closer to the mirror, examining herself carefully for a long time.

The person in the mirror had a richer, more saturated lip color, which made her skin appear fairer. The deep shade indeed better complemented her overall temperament and cleverly added a touch of mature charm.

Si Xiaoxiao’s eye for makeup and styling was indeed exceptional.

Coincidentally, both of them were here to attend a variety show, but not the same one.

The singer Li Ting was here for a music variety show, while the actress Si Xiaoxiao was aiming for an acting reality show.

It was merely that the filming times were close, and they were forced to share the same dressing room.

It was unclear if this was someone’s deliberate arrangement or an unfortunate accident.

Si Xiaoxiao’s crisp voice rang out again in the quiet space.

“Angle! Pay attention to the angle!”

She crossed her legs, striking a meticulously designed languid pose, directing her assistant to take photos for her to post: “Hurry, pick two good ones, and post them on WB! Use the caption ‘Starting work~’ plus a little sun emoji.”

As a ‘flower vase’ actress, she relied on her fans for a living, and the art of ‘running a business’ was already ingrained in her bones.

However, Li Ting, who was subtly observing her, inwardly sighed that something was wrong.

Because just moments ago, by a stroke of bad luck, she had also posted a photo on WB.

The background in that promotional photo was exactly the sofa Si Xiaoxiao was sitting on right now.

The sofa was tacky, uniquely ugly, yet recognizable at a glance.

Li Ting didn’t want to be associated with Si Xiaoxiao in any way.

So, her fingers flew, quickly deleting the photo she had posted ten minutes ago.

She hoped she was fast enough.

A photo with only scattered reposts and comments should… go unnoticed in the flood of information, right?

But she hadn’t expected that Si Xiaoxiao, who usually took a long time to choose photos, didn’t fuss much this time and posted it directly on WB after taking the pictures.

This made Li Ting’s act of deleting the photo appear somewhat like an attempt to cover up a mistake.

Even more miraculously, the WB post, which had only been up for a short time, was noticed.

Their CP fan army had launched an attack!

【Same sofa! Location Lemon TV! Are my Copper Sparrow Twin Flowers going to collaborate?】

【This clearly looks like hype! This CP has been BE for so many years.**】

【Sis, you look really flustered deleting the WB! But you look so beautiful loving women, please, I beg you, the two babies must stay together forever.】

【Sis-Bao and Mei-Bao in the same dressing room, touching lips to put on each other’s makeup, I’m shipping it.**】

In the entertainment industry, there is a very peculiar organization, the ‘Xiaoting’ CP fans (a portmanteau of the two characters’ names).

Even though the CP broke up seven years ago, and the main figures are nearly obscure, this CP fan base has always maintained extraordinary combat power within Mainland Chinese Entertainment.

This group of CP fans is scattered among various celebrity fan bases, seemingly unconnected.

But when it comes to ‘Xiaoting,’ they can instantly gather. Normally hidden in the masses, they reveal their fangs at crucial moments, sharp and invincible.

They are not fans of any single person; they are just a magical organization.

Seeing those crazy comments tagging her, Li Ting was almost driven to laughter by sheer anger.

Who was touching lips?

Who loved women?

Who was on good terms with whom?

Were these fans living in a different dimension?!

Li Ting, usually good-tempered, was so angry that she nearly blacked out.

Meanwhile, in the lounge, the culprit behind all this, Si Xiaoxiao, was completely oblivious to the disaster she had caused.

She leisurely turned off her phone and began reading the script for the upcoming variety show, her expression focused, as if all the commotion outside had nothing to do with her.

She got even angrier; her fists were already clenched.

“Then I’ll respond.”

Li Ting felt as if she had been possessed by someone, a plan already forming in her mind.

She opened WB, her fingers flying across the cold screen, carrying a suppressed fury.

Li Ting V: To clarify, I am indeed not on good terms with a certain person.

However, the top hot comment was like a blow to her head, making her calm down slightly:

【Xiaoting is Real: Aahhh!!! She said they are a match made in heaven!!! (Distorted) (Screaming) (Crawling ominously)**】

The more she responded, the more excited those people would become.

She couldn’t engage with them anymore.

Li Ting let out a heavy, long breath, tossed her phone aside, and closed her eyes to rest.

At that time… their feelings were once so intense, but that heat turned into resentment, becoming an eternal regret for countless people.

It truly is that hatred is more enduring than love.

Fans are like that.

Of course, so are the main figures.

Li Ting glared at Si Xiaoxiao through the mirror.

Si Xiaoxiao was inexplicably glared at and only found it strange.

Her assistant, who was with her, seemed to have finally realized the uproar online. She leaned in and whispered a few words into Si Xiaoxiao’s ear.

After understanding the situation, Si Xiaoxiao also looked up, her face flushed with anger, glaring at Li Ting through the mirror.

Compared to Li Ting’s restraint, she was the type to explode at the slightest spark, so her confrontation with the netizens was much more direct.

She tossed the script in her hand, her fingers pressing so hard on her phone screen that they nearly sparked, and she posted several WB updates in quick succession.

【Si Xiaoxiao V: I don’t know anyone surnamed Li!】

【Si Xiaoxiao V: Those ‘White Lotus’ fans, stop tagging me!!】

【Si Xiaoxiao V: Stop spreading rumors, I would literally die if I had to be on a show with someone I hate!! (Vomiting)**】

However, even multiple WB posts couldn’t stop the twisted interpretations of the netizens. The top comment beneath her posts clearly read:

【Did Xiaoting Do-It today: Aahhh!!! Aahhh, she’s willing to die for her!!!**】

Who gave you permission to interpret it that way?!

Huh?

Was your Literature teacher a P.E. teacher?!

Si Xiaoxiao was younger than Li Ting, and therefore less able to keep her temper in check. She had clearly stated her intentions, yet the netizens still maliciously twisted her words.

She threw her phone down, abruptly stood up, like an angry tiger—furious enough to throw a set of military boxing punches at the air.

Then she picked up her phone again to resume the battle, typing furiously in reply to the netizens.

The more she did this, the more fun the netizens found it.

【Did I ship today: See, she still cares so much. Even if the whole world stops caring about Xiaoting, our Xiaoxiao still cares.**】

Aahhh!

Si Xiaoxiao felt like she was punching a cotton ball.

So, at this moment, she chose to redirect her anger towards the other main figure in the dressing room.

She glared, scolding: “Why did you reply to those people? Don’t you know the more you engage with them, the more energized they get?”

Seeing the girl’s red eyes and angry expression.

Li Ting, on the contrary, was not as angry as before.

Indeed, making your arch-nemesis unhappy is the greatest happiness.

So, she replied coldly, giving absolutely no face: “You replied too.”

Si Xiaoxiao was stumped by this remark, her angry glare intensified. She grabbed her hair in frustration, completely distraught.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just ignore them?”

Compared to her, Li Ting was much calmer, slowly rubbing her freshly manicured nails without even glancing at Si Xiaoxiao.

“I… I certainly can’t let those evil netizens tarnish my reputation!” Si Xiaoxiao complained.

Li Ting let out a cold chuckle. She checked her phone and saw that, in this short time, they had already trended on the hot search. She mocked: “If it weren’t for a certain person adding fuel to the fire, would those netizens be getting this… excited?”

In her opinion, the best public relations move would have been a cool-down strategy; wouldn’t it have been better to just ignore it?

“Heh, you replied first,” Si Xiaoxiao retorted with the same cold laugh as Li Ting.

It was a pity that her naturally smiling, bright and sunny face did not possess the same aggression as Li Ting’s; instead, it made her look cutely fierce.

Li Ting actually felt a little annoyed by her impulsive reply, but she absolutely could not admit fault in front of her arch-nemesis.

So, she said: “…I didn’t specify that I was talking about you.”

“You! You were being passive-aggressive, who wouldn’t know you meant me!” Si Xiaoxiao clenched both fists and added, “If I don’t reply, those people will think I’m scared of you and treat me like a doormat, right??”

That’s the way strong-willed Chinese women are; under no circumstances should they be looked down upon by their arch-nemesis.

The two assistants stood on the side, terrified and uneasy, afraid that the two women would disregard etiquette and start a fight right there in the dressing room.

Damage to the room would be a small matter; they were afraid of too many people noticing and passersby seeing them.

If that happened, the tale passed through the mouths of those evil netizens would likely evolve from a fight into… a ‘Do-It’ session.

Just as the atmosphere was reaching a breaking point, inexplicable motes of light appeared in the dressing room, so dazzling that it was hard to open one’s eyes.

The stark white electric light on the dressing room ceiling flickered violently a few times without warning, emitting a “zzzt” electrical sound.

Immediately after, countless tiny pinpricks of light materialized out of thin air in the confined space.

The world seemed to freeze and lose gravity in an instant. A series of distant, ethereal, ancient-sounding chimes drifted in, carrying a strange echo that reached deep into the soul.

Li Ting subconsciously closed her eyes, and a mechanical electronic voice inexplicably sounded in her mind.

[Ding—R20 Playful System has been bound!]

This is???

A hallucination?

No, it doesn’t seem like it…

The voice continued.

[The script about to commence is—The Succubus Miss and Her Contract Hound]

[Keywords: Arch-Nemesis / Contract / Bondage Play / Feeding Play]

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