I Don't Want To Fall In Love With The Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 15

“Don’t you dare scream. Now, pull yourself together and get back to filming. If Zhao Tong tells me one more time that you’re distracted or underperforming, I’m taking back even the ‘liking’ I just gave you.”

Shao Zizhi was on the verge of letting out a shriek of sheer delight, but sensing her intentions had been spotted, she obediently suppressed it.

“Fine,” she agreed in a soft, melting tone. “I’ll be a good girl and film; I won’t let you down! Bai Qian, since we’re on the phone… can you give me a kiss? Just one?”

Bai Qian hung up without a second’s hesitation.

Two seconds later, a WeChat message from Shao Zizhi arrived.

[Zizi]: Woman! The next time you start a fire, you should better be prepared to put it out!

Bai Qian suddenly felt a very strong urge to block her.

The direct consequence of Bai Qian’s soft-hearted confession was the addition of a new item to Shao Zizhi’s daily routine: asking Bai Qian exactly when she would agree to officially date.

“Stop thinking about it for now,” Bai Qian told her. “Your mission right now is to sharpen your acting skills and focus on filming. Take advantage of the opportunities and the range you have now—pick up good scripts and win some awards.”

Shao Zizhi looked piteous. “Even my mother doesn’t push me to be this ambitious. She said if I can’t make it in this industry, I can just go home and she’ll support me. Bai Qian, do you really have no feelings for me at all?”

“I’ll tell you the truth: I’m a fan of your career. The more awards you win, the more I like you. I don’t care if your mother supports you; if you want to stay on good terms with me, you’d better act your heart out. Understood?”

“I don’t want to understand!” Shao Zizhi huffed. “Plenty of actors date while they work, and they still win tons of awards.”

“Regardless of how others do it, I know you better than you think. You’re already showing signs of being a ‘love-brain.’ If I actually agreed to date you, could you guarantee you’d stay focused on set every single day?”

Shao Zizhi’s answer lacked any real conviction. “Of course I could!”

Bai Qian let out a cold laugh. “Heh. You think I’d believe that?”

The girl blinked, putting on a piteous act. “Then… can you at least kiss me?”

Bai Qian held up three fingers.

Shao Zizhi’s eyes lit up. “Three times a day!”

“Once every three days. And if you’re lazy or unfocused on set, that interval gets extended at my discretion.”

“Once a day! I promise I’ll be good on set, really!”

“No deal. Take it or leave it. Honestly, I’m not even that keen on it anyway.”

“Waaa… fine, every three days then. But… what if I win an award? Kisses won’t be enough then.”

Bai Qian really wanted to crack open the girl’s head to see exactly how many “lewd” cells were inside. “You cried like a baby that night, and you still have the nerve to ask for more?”

Shao Zizhi blushed, her voice soft and inviting as she toyed with her. “You get tired of eating plain rice every day. ‘Fast food’ might be a bit of a rush, but if you go too long without it, you still crave it.”

“…”

I really underestimated your ability to take a conversation into the gutter without warning.

Two days later, the hashtag #ZhaoTong x TangShiquan# hit the top of the trending charts on X-blog.

Bai Qian was usually just a headline reader; she’d skim gossip about other stars, knowing that if she wanted the real story, asking Shao Zizhi was more reliable than any tabloid. But because this involved Zhao Tong, her attitude shifted.

She had expected a scandal between Zhao Tong and some obscure actor named Tang Shiquan—and wondered why Shao Liangrong hadn’t suppressed it—but clicking in revealed that Zhao Tong had simply been “unmasked” by her fans.

“Tang Shiquan” was a famous creator on Site B with over fifty videos, all of them sophisticated fan-edits of various CPs. Recently, the account had hit two million followers. Zhao Tong had intended to upload a thirty-minute mega-edit of the industry’s most popular ships as a follower milestone gift, but she forgot to switch accounts. By the time she realized her mistake, her secret identity had been stripped bare.

Bai Qian sent a private message to Zhao Tong: “May I ask, Miss Zhao—after years of a lukewarm career, how does it feel to finally be a household name?”

The reply was a cold, crude, one-word expletive.

[Zhao Tong]: Die!

The status changed to ‘typing…’ and a minute later, another message came through.

[Zhao Tong]: My plan failed. I was going to use the traffic from that account to edit a video of us to boost The Two Sisters’ Cases, but now my cover is blown! Bai Qian, we’re never going to be famous now! It’s all that idiot Shao Liangrong’s fault!

[Bai Qian]: I don’t mind. As long as you’re the one trending. (Grinning emoji)

Zhao Tong didn’t reply.

With nothing to do, Bai Qian decided to download Site B. Algorithms are everywhere; having just read the gossip on X-blog, the first row of her homepage featured “Tang Shiquan’s” only video with over twenty million views.

It was only seven minutes long, but it had masterfully recut a drama’s pure mother-daughter bond into a new, tension-filled tale of taboo desire. As the woman’s final line—”Xiaozhi, I’m back”—echoed, the video ended.

It took Bai Qian a long while to snap out of it. Intrigued, she scrolled through the comments.

[User 2432]: Who else came here from the X-blog sightseeing group? Check-in!

[ChiziZhiChengYYDS]: This editing is god-tier. I wonder what the creator does in real life. Is this a secret account for some director?

[WatchingFromUnderTheCar]: @ChiziZhiChengYYDS, the creator was forced to unmask today. It’s the actress Zhao Tong.

[MorningDew]: One of the god-tier creators I follow is an actress? With editing this smooth, her acting must be great too. Sisters, I’m going in! Anyone have recommendations for her best work?

[MorningDew]: (Replying to self) …Holy hell. I spent three minutes cringing so hard I built a Barbie Dreamhouse in my head. I’m back. Seriously, Zhao Tong, stop wasting your beauty on acting! Just be a quiet streamer on Site B living off your face—I’ll shower you with donations!

Bai Qian was highly amused by the netizens. She clicked into Tang Shiquan’s profile and found her latest edit was actually a “self-ship” video of Shao Zizhi. She meant to stop there, but the “Next Video” recommendation featured Shao Zizhi paired with another actress. One led to another, and by the time her phone gave a low-battery warning, Bai Qian realized nearly two hours had passed.

Shao Liangrong’s call came through right then, her voice frantic. “Bai Qian, did Zhao Tong tell you where she went?”

“What’s wrong? Is she not on set?”

“She doesn’t have scenes today. I… accidentally messed up last night. She hasn’t talked to me all day. I bought her an apology gift but she’s not home. Did she tell you where she was going?”

“No. If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly did you do last night?”

Shao Liangrong was blunt: “She was editing her video and didn’t want ‘it.’ I wanted ‘it.’ My hand slipped, and suddenly she was on the trending list.”

“…”

Why are the Shao sisters so aggressive when they get behind a wheel? At least give a person a heads-up!

“I have to go look for her. If she contacts you, tell me immediately!”

Perhaps because she had spent the afternoon binge-watching Shao Zizhi CP edits, everything about the real Shao Zizhi felt “off” to Bai Qian. That night in bed, she couldn’t help but ask, “Do you still remember the character ‘Li Yun凝’?”

“Of course,” Shao Zizhi replied. “That was my first ever role. Why?”

“Actually, I watched a few of your CP videos today—”

Shao Zizhi interrupted her in a panic. “I only have professional interactions with other actors! Nothing has ever crossed the line! Don’t be jealous—those videos are just fan-made fantasies, they have nothing to do with the real me! The ‘ambiguous looks’ were just for the script. You said yourself my acting was good; you can’t be mad at me for acting with feeling now, can you?!”

Bai Qian reached out and covered the girl’s tireless mouth. “I haven’t even said anything. Can you stop jumping to conclusions?”

Shao Zizhi hooked her fingers around Bai Qian’s hand. “Then what were you going to say?”

“The one I watched today… it had a ‘steamy’ scene. Even though they used those famous stock clips for the spicy parts, honestly, it was quite well done.”

Shao Zizhi blinked, then a slow realization dawned on her. She moved Bai Qian’s hand and began unbuttoning the first button of her own nightgown.

“Which pairing were you watching?” she asked, moving to the second button.

“Zhang Minzhi.”

“I remember. That was from Voice of Love and Home, right?”

“You’ve seen it? Wait—Shao Zizhi, stop messing with your clothes! You haven’t won that award yet! Stop!”

Shao Zizhi blinked again. In an instant, she transformed into “Li Yun”—that piteous, delicate image that made one want to slowly stain her pale skin with the marks of one’s fingers.

“Sister Zhang… do you not like Yun anymore, either?”

Bai Qian cursed under her breath. The woman’s fragrant, soft hand brushed against herself, her teeth lightly catching her lower lip, perfectly capturing the blend of innocence and accidental desire.

“Sister Zhang… Yun… Yun likes you the most.”

She stuck out her tongue and licked her lips right in front of Bai Qian.

At this point, anyone who could still hold back should be kicked out of the country.

*****

A dreamless night. From then on, Shao Zizhi fell in love with a nighttime exclusive activity called “Character Re-enactment.”

*****

New Year’s Day finally arrived. It meant the day Shao Zizhi would be crowned Best Actress was drawing near.

Zhao Tong’s birthday happened to fall on New Year’s Day. In previous years, Shao Liangrong hadn’t been able to organize anything for her, but this year, despite Zhao Tong’s refusals, she was determined to throw a party. She borrowed the entertainment villa in Liyuan from Shao Zizhi and invited a close circle of friends.

Shao Liangrong’s friends were all incredibly wealthy or influential. Every car pulling into the villa was enough to blind Bai Qian with its luxury.

Though Zhao Tong grumbled about Shao Liangrong wasting time on such flashy things, her eyes turned red with emotion when the girl handed her the cake knife to make the first cut. As the crowd cheered, the two of them kissed under the brilliant lights, ignoring everyone else.

Bai Qian sat at the table, clapping. Beside her, Shao Zizhi suddenly leaned in, her voice serious as she whispered into Bai Qian’s ear:

“Bai Qian, my birthday is coming up soon, too. What gift are you going to give me?”

“How about… I give you your freedom?”

Shao Zizhi puffed out her cheeks in anger. “That’s not funny! I’m being serious!”

Bai Qian apologized. “To be honest, I’ve never really celebrated a birthday with anyone before. If I were to buy a gift, I’d probably just search Taobao for ‘standard gifts.’ So, why don’t you tell me what you want? I’ll do my best to make it happen.”

“Really?”

“It’s your birthday, you’re the boss. Tell me, what do you want?”

Shao Zizhi, seeing everyone’s attention was still fixed on the two main characters across the room, leaned in and planted a quick, bold kiss on Bai Qian’s lips.

“Then… give me a girlfriend,” she whispered shyly.

Support I Don’t Want To Fall In Love With The Heroine [Quick Wear]