Hooking Away the Male Lead’s White Moonlight, the Best Actress - Chapter 8

Shen Manyu felt like she was about to suffocate.

When she first transmigrated here, the original owner of this body had already accepted this script. Since her arrival, she had been preoccupied with digging into the original owner’s identity and investigating the mysterious, ill-intentioned sender of those text messages.

She had been busy clashing with Hua Yanqiu, and even busier trying to communicate—via subjective, telepathic guesswork—with the original owner’s soul, which flickered in and out of existence, frequently disconnected, and remained unable to speak.

After running in such a large circle, she truly hadn’t found the time to look through the script tucked away in her suitcase.

If she had known this was a same-sex romance script…

Shen Manyu felt uncomfortable all over. She couldn’t help but grit her teeth, shooting a fierce glare at Hua Yanqiu.

Yet, even in a state of fury, the beauty’s eyes shimmered like ripples on water, unconsciously carrying a seven-fold allure.

Hua Yanqiu couldn’t help but curl her fingers. Seeing the beauty’s indignant, soulful gaze, she felt a sudden impulse to reach out and touch her eyes. However, their current relationship was far from close. If she actually dared to do so, it would be nothing short of genuine harassment.

Furthermore, given the clear attitude Shen Manyu had expressed, if Hua Yanqiu handed her such a weakness on a silver platter, Shen Manyu might very well land her on the trending searches tomorrow:

Popular Young Starlet Caught in Intimate Interaction with Same-Sex Partner; Suspected of Sexual Harassment—Is this the Extinction of Humanity or the Collapse of Morality?!

A “bad person” like Shen Manyu was truly capable of such a thing.

Thinking of this, Hua Yanqiu let out a soft sigh.

The two were still pressed close together. That long, winding sigh carried a puff of warm air that drifted lightly across Shen Manyu’s cheek. It was filled with such profound melancholy that it could make one’s heart twist into eighteen knots.

Shen Manyu got goosebumps. If such sorrow were directed at the original owner, one might feel sympathy for her misfortunes. But coming from a woman as cold, elegant, and noble as Hua Yanqiu, it felt entirely out of place.

She couldn’t help but glance at Hua Yanqiu. Her mood was terrible, and she wanted to laugh at her openly, but considering her current situation, she realized it wasn’t wise to offend her too deeply.

She had already provoked the male lead, Jing Yanqing, the moment she arrived. If she also offended Hua Yanqiu—who had a mysterious family background and an undeniable status—how was she supposed to survive in the entertainment industry?

Shen Manyu repeated the phrase “A wise man submits to circumstances” in her mind several times. She forced a hollow, hypocritical smile and asked insincerely, “Sister, what are you feeling so dejected about?”

Their posture looked exactly like intimate lovers whispering in each other’s ears, sharing unspeakable secrets away from prying eyes.

“I’m thinking,” Hua Yanqiu said, her voice low and gentle, “whether you, a little heartless brat, will sell information about me to the paparazzi the moment you step out this door, giving me a ‘world-shaking’ grand surprise.”

There wasn’t much of a smile on Hua Yanqiu’s face. Her words sounded like a condemnation, but her tone was incredibly soft. Even the derogatory label sounded like an affectionate pet name between lovers, dripping with intimacy.

She stared intently at Shen Manyu, as if trying to see through the physical shell to find the truth buried deep within: “Perhaps, when I wake up tomorrow morning, the headlines on every platform will be dominated by the explosive news that I am a lesbian.”

Shen Manyu’s heart stirred. She hadn’t actually considered it, but now that it was mentioned, she immediately began to hatch a little plan.

The fact that Hua Yanqiu was a lesbian was a perfect piece of leverage. Even if she didn’t use it, holding onto it would provide a great sense of security. After all, compared to Jing Yanqing and Hua Yanqiu, she—a lonely soul with no one to rely on in this world—was truly a pitiful creature forsaken by the heavens.

As long as Hua Yanqiu had some reservations about this matter and didn’t want the truth exposed immediately, she would, at least for a short time, be beholden to her.

Hua Yanqiu instantly saw through her thoughts and was nearly laughed to exasperation. She was about to speak again when the sound of hurried footsteps interrupted their gaze—a look that was simultaneously lingering, filled with ambiguity, and charged with tension.

The owner of the footsteps had just stepped off the elevator and was practically sprinting. The dash down the long corridor was comparable to a hundred-meter hurdles.

He gasped for air, his heavy footsteps slowing down as they drew nearer, eventually coming to a halt right in front of the door across the hall.

He seemed to pause for a moment to catch his breath, and then began to bang heavily on the door.

Shen Manyu’s expression turned a bit subtle—wasn’t that her room?

Hua Yanqiu reacted faster, realizing the visitor’s identity a step ahead of her. She finally withdrew her hand, creating some distance between them.

Hua Yanqiu was tall; when she had been pressing in front of Shen Manyu earlier, she had completely blocked Shen Manyu’s field of vision, making even the air feel thin. Now that she had stepped away, the oppressive aura that had been enveloping Shen Manyu finally dissipated.

Shen Manyu instinctively let out a long, slow breath.

She saw Hua Yanqiu leaning against the wall beside her, arms crossed over her chest, as she shot a quick glance toward her. “Your manager is here.”

Shen Manyu nodded slightly. Now that her emotions had leveled out, she didn’t dare flirt with Hua Yanqiu recklessly anymore.

Who could have known this woman was actually a lesbian? She looked so cold and unapproachable, yet she bit the hook the moment she was teased.

In her past life, Shen Manyu had only ever flirted this perfunctorily with her female manager—a straight-as-an-arrow woman who never reacted the way Hua Yanqiu did.

She had played too much; the car had flipped.

Adopting a serious expression and mimicking Hua Yanqiu’s demeanor, she tried her best to disguise herself with a humorless, “iceberg” face. “Sorry for the trouble. I’ll head back now,” she said.

Hua Yanqiu kept her arms crossed, her face unreadable. “Leaving just like that?” she asked flatly.

Shen Manyu took an extra look at her and unconsciously arched an eyebrow. A provocative retort slipped out of her mouth by instinct: “Why? Is Sister reluctant to let me go?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it. Her lips twitched as she clamped her mouth shut.

This damn mouth! That’s what you get for flirting!

The chill in Hua Yanqiu’s eyes deepened. She spoke slowly, emphasizing every word: “You made things difficult for me repeatedly before, and just now, you used me quite unceremoniously.”

“Tell me, Miss Shen, don’t you know that even when asking for help, one must provide compensation?”

Seeing Hua Yanqiu’s attitude, Shen Manyu’s competitive streak was instantly ignited.

She gazed deeply at Hua Yanqiu, a seductive smile returning to her face. With a captivating glimmer in her eyes, she whispered softly, “What kind of compensation does Sister want?”

Hua Yanqiu froze. Before she could answer, Shen Manyu smirked. Her gaze shifted from Hua Yanqiu’s eyes to her lush red lips, then slid further down, all the way to her lower abdomen.

The meaning in her eyes was blunt and fiery, as if she could see through Hua Yanqiu’s clothes to the hidden beauty beneath.

Her words were even more suggestive: “A spring night is too short, Sister. It’s too late tonight, and with so many outsiders around, it’s not a good time to give you your compensation.”

“Sister, let’s pick an auspicious day and find a place where no outsiders will disturb us. Then, I will… pay… you… back… pro-per-ly.”

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