I Don't Want To Fall In Love With The Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 5

“How did you end up all the way out here? If I remember correctly, your place is a good seven or eight kilometers away.”

Shao Zizhi’s family background wasn’t exactly a secret in the industry; the paparazzi had long ago mapped out their family estate down to the last brick.

Hearing Bai Qian mention it, Shao Zizhi didn’t seem to find it odd. “I moved out of the Jinyuan house. I’m living on my own over in the Xiangjiang area now. I only came here to drop something off for Shao Liangrong… Oh, I was so busy talking to you I forgot to get out of the car. The stuff is still in my trunk.”

Just as the words left her lips, her phone rang.

Bai Qian instinctively caught a glimpse of the screen on the console. The caller ID read exactly the name Shao Zizhi had just mentioned: Shao Liangrong.

Shao Zizhi slowly pulled the car to the curb. Letting go of the steering wheel with her slender right hand, she picked up the phone and tapped the screen to answer.

“I’m on my way.”

Her voice was crisp and clear, but several degrees colder than when she had distantly addressed Bai Qian as “Miss Bai.”

Bai Qian realized that Shao Zizhi was quite multifaceted.

In front of Bai Qian, she was a simple, charming kitten, often rolling over to show her soft belly and acting spoiled in hopes of a head scratch. But if Bai Qian accidentally scratched too hard, she’d bare her tiny, half-grown teeth and give her a nip—it never hurt, it only tickled, making her seem all the more endearing.

Yet, when speaking of her passion for acting, she transformed into a brilliant “Lion King” fit for the heights.

And now, facing this Shao Liangrong—who should be her younger cousin—her expression took on a practiced sternness, the very image of a proper elder sister.

Once the call ended, Shao Zizhi’s expression softened unconsciously. Like a harmless, dependent cat, she murmured, “She insisted I turn back right now. You’re not in a hurry, are you? If not, I’ll take you back with me first.”

Bai Qian was baffled. “I’m not in a hurry. My work for the day is done and I have nothing else to do. Why would I be in a hurry?”

The car merged into the left-turn lane. Shao Zizhi’s face took on a rare, almost punchable level of confidence. “In a hurry to come home with me, of course. I just bought that place last month; I haven’t taken anyone there yet.”

“I am not in a hurry, thank you.”

“No, you are.”

Bai Qian took a breath and repeated with forced calm, “I really am not in a hurry, thank you.”

“No, you are.”

“Shao Zizhi, are you having a relapse?”

Shao Zizhi beamed. “Now you know how I felt back then!”

Bai Qian: ?

The girl let out a huff through her nose. “I still remember when you insisted on tucking me in. I said I wasn’t cold, but you just had to say I was. Now you know how it feels!”

“…”

******

Shao Liangrong turned out to be that drama student.

Shao Zizhi’s body blocked most of Bai Qian from view in the driver’s seat, and since Liangrong was in a rush to grab her things, she didn’t notice the passenger. If she had caught even a glimpse, she would have certainly stopped to gossip. After all, besides family, her older cousin had never let an “outsider” sit in her car—not even the assistant who had been with her for five years.

“Is this her first time acting? Her poise is excellent,” Bai Qian noted. It was better than most professional actors working today.

“Shao Liangrong actually sneaked out to act!” Shao Zizhi grumbled. “That brat told me she was just visiting the set, and then she ends up in a scene? Why didn’t I see her name? Is she some maid next to the female lead? No, I scanned the minor roles, it wasn’t her. Maybe they swapped someone out during filming?”

“She’s like me. Just an extra.”

“Well, that explains it. Her dad can’t find out about this—he’d skin her alive.”

“Oh?” Bai Qian wasn’t one to hunt for gossip, but she didn’t mind listening when it was served on a silver platter.

Shao Zizhi, clearly treating her as a confidante for these private matters, explained freely: “Her dad wanted her to study Management so she could help with the family business. Instead, she quietly applied to the Film Academy. He nearly broke her leg back then; she only escaped because I stepped in to block him.”

“Then, after she graduated last year, her dad gave her a company to manage just to get her feet wet. He didn’t even care if she lost money as long as she gained experience. Instead, she secretly dumped a massive amount of cash into the film industry. If her dad hadn’t overheard people talking at a banquet, he’d still be in the dark. He got so angry this time he actually broke her leg—the girl was stuck in a hospital bed for three months. Are kids today always this rebellious?”

Bai Qian countered with a question: “What’s her relationship with Zhao Tong?”

“Zhao Tong was her senior in high school. She used to like a friend of Liangrong’s and chased him for months before they got together. In senior year, the guy went abroad and Zhao Tong went to the Film Academy—the same one Liangrong later applied to behind her dad’s back.

I thought they’d lost touch, but a few days ago, a screenwriter from Zhao Tong’s last web drama sexually harassed her. Shao Liangrong beat the man so badly he ended up in the ICU; he still hasn’t woken up. You probably wouldn’t know—it was all hushed up. But wait, how do you know Zhao Tong and Shao Liangrong are connected? That was suppressed too.”

“She walked right up and told me herself. Then she told me she was lying. Who makes jokes like that?”

Shao Zizhi tutted in disdain. “That idiot. All her brains went into her studies; no wonder she still hasn’t caught the girl.”

Bai Qian was genuinely surprised. “They aren’t together?”

“Nope. Liangrong wants to date her, Zhao Tong refuses, but Liangrong won’t let go. She found some ‘sponsorship’ agreement and forced her to sign it. Technically, they’re in a ‘Sugar Daddy and Canary’ situation right now. Honestly, our Shao family has never had such a ‘love-brain’ before. It’s terrifying.”

Bai Qian asked pointedly, “Oh? You don’t think you’re the ‘love-brain’ type?”

Shao Zizhi scoffed. “I’m all about my career. I have absolutely zero interest in falling in love!”

Bai Qian thought back to the original plot—the tragic “love-brain” female lead who committed suicide out of despair over a man—and quietly shut her mouth.

Now that I’m here, even if you want to become a love-brain, I’ll make sure to beat it out of you.

******

“We’re almost home. I fried the last egg in the fridge yesterday. There’s a supermarket ahead—want to go in and browse?”

Bai Qian’s formidable learning ability manifested perfectly at that moment. Her face changed faster than a summer storm; her brows knit slightly and her eyes grew misty, looking more fragile than a tragic heroine.

“Surely my ‘sister’ won’t ask me to split the bill? You just said you’d let me be a freeloader; you can’t take it back now.”

“…”

“Bai Qian, I think there is seriously something wrong with your head.”

*****

Free stuff always tastes better.

Bai Qian, embracing her role as a professional “kept woman” with natural ease, meandered through the snack aisle. They hadn’t even finished half the section before the shopping cart was overflowing.

Seeing her trying to wedge a box of chocolates into a non-existent gap, Shao Zizhi stopped her. “It really won’t fit. I’ll go get another cart, okay?”

Bai Qian was more than happy to oblige. “Sure, I’ll wait for you here.”

Performing manual labor for the first time in her life, Shao Zizhi quickly returned with a fresh cart. Bai Qian, now holding two boxes of cherries, saw her approaching from a distance and gave her a wide, radiant smile, waving her over.

Usually, the woman’s expression was quite faint. Perhaps on that chaotic night, she had shown beautiful, mesmerizing emotions, but it had been too dark. Shao Zizhi had only been able to sense her burning breath and those cool, slender fingers that brought such shivering pleasure. She had tried to break through the haze of that half-awake confusion, but even when she forced her eyes open, the night was too deep to capture a single expression.

Now, the person she had shared that most intimate sweetness with was waiting right in front of her. Her smile was more brilliant than ever, the joy in her eyes tangible and real—so beautiful it made one want to hide her away for themselves.

Shao Zizhi knew she hadn’t “fallen” for her.

She just suddenly, very much liked this Bai Qian in this moment.

“What are you thinking about? I saw you ages ago, why did you suddenly slow down?”

Shao Zizhi gave a mock-huff. “I worked so hard to get you a cart and you don’t even thank me. Now you’re yelling at me! Bai Qian, you actually yelled at me!”

Bai Qian looked innocent. She had used a perfectly normal tone; which part of that was yelling?

The girl looked at her piteously, her puppy-like eyes glistening in her small face—as if she would burst into tears if Bai Qian didn’t comfort her immediately.

Helpless, Bai Qian could only reach out and ruffle her hair. “Yes, yes. Thank you for making the extra trip for me. Better?”

Shao Zizhi dropped the act and grinned with satisfaction. “That’s more like it!”

Bai Qian sighed. “Little girl, you’ve been spoiled rotten by your family.”

“My parents only had one child; who else are they going to dote on! What, do you think my personality is terrible?”

“No, it’s fine this way. But since your parents spoiled you so well, I hope that in the future, you won’t throw yourself head-first into a relationship just because someone gives you a few ordinary favors.”

She was speaking for the sake of the future. If the changes in the plot now caused ripples later, she hoped the girl would remember these words. She shouldn’t turn into a fool just because of the male lead’s “small romantic gestures.”

Of course, Bai Qian would do her best to make sure it never got to that point.

Shao Zizhi grew annoyed. “I already told you I’m not a love-brain! Why don’t you believe me?”

“Fine, I believe you. What do you want for dinner? I’m actually quite good at Boiled Fish; want me to make some for you to try?”

“Wow, you can cook fish? I’m terrible at it, it seems so complicated. Wait! You’re changing the subject again! Bai Qian, please answer me properly!”

“Can you handle spice? If so, I’ll make it spicy.”

“I can handle a little. Mild is fine. Hey! Stop trying to deflect! I am not a love-brain! I’m really not!”

“Yes, yes, I believe you. Are you satisfied now?”

“You’re being so dismissive. I’m not happy at all.”

Bai Qian stopped dead in her tracks. Shao Zizhi, walking right beside her, nearly plowed into her back. Luckily, she caught herself in time and stepped back, about to complain: “Bai—”

But the woman suddenly reached out and cupped her face. The darkness in her black eyes was as deep as an ink painting. She let out a soft laugh, her voice like willow catkins brushing against the heart—warm and maddeningly itchy.

“Little girl, I believe what you said. Is that answer serious enough for you?”

At that moment, all the beautiful sounds in the world couldn’t compare to the way that single sentence made her heart skip a beat.

The person who had teased her quickly let go and turned away. A moment later, she returned carrying a bag of freshly prepared fish.

“Shao Zizhi, I had them clean the fish. Why are you just standing there? Let’s go.”

The girl gave a dazed “Oh.” She shook her head hard as she followed, then repeated herself one more time with renewed gravity.

“Bai Qian, I am not a love-brain! Absolutely not!”

Whether she was hypnotizing herself or simply putting up a futile struggle, even she didn’t know.

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