My Aloof Rival Seems to Like Me - Chapter 3

It was beyond embarrassing.

Sitting in the production van, Song Jin felt her face burning with shame the moment she recalled her recent performance. Her assistant, Du Bing, who was scrolling through videos beside her, noticed her mood and reluctantly pressed the screen off. “It’s okay, Sis. It’s normal to feel some resistance when acting opposite a rival. After filming for a few days and getting to know each other, the awkwardness will fade.”

How is any of this normal…

Despite her internal frantic complaining, Song Jin couldn’t think of any other way to change the current situation. She could only pin her hopes on time.

“Sis, do you really not hate Wen Yu?” Du Bing asked skeptically, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “It’s the first time I’ve seen you react so strongly to someone at work…”

“Huh? Was I that obvious?” Song Jin couldn’t help but frown.

Du Bing nodded. “Your ‘shady’ vibes were off the charts.”

Song Jin held herself to very high standards, especially in her career. Her dictionary only contained “don’t do it” or “do it perfectly.” She usually gave off a very stable emotional vibe and was rarely affected by others while working.

Furthermore, she had a short memory for grudges. If she had a disagreement with someone today, she’d forget it by the day after tomorrow, happily hanging out with them as if nothing happened. She basically never made enemies.

So, her attitude toward Wen Yu…

It wasn’t right. No matter how you looked at it, it was very suspicious.

Du Bing narrowed her eyes, sensing that things were not simple.

Hearing this, Song Jin froze for a moment. Her hand, midway through bringing a bottle of water to her mouth, stopped abruptly as she frantically weighed her words.

In the past, Song Jin could have easily admitted that her feelings toward Wen Yu weren’t “hate,” but rather viewing her as a formidable opponent.

She acknowledged Wen Yu’s excellence: young, beautiful, talented, and incredibly hardworking. She was a great dancer back when she was an idol, and now that she had transitioned to acting, her naturally intuitive performance was becoming more refined. It was just a pity her luck with scripts was poor—either the endings were terrible or the lead actors got canceled.

Aside from being naturally cold-faced, not talking much, and looking a bit “pretentious,” there was nothing wrong with her. Song Jin truly couldn’t say she “hated” her.

In fact, in her eyes, only someone like Wen Yu was worthy of being her rival.

If she had to name something she disliked, it was probably the overwhelming malice on the internet whenever the two of them stood together.

As for now…

She couldn’t exactly tell people that the reason she didn’t dare get too close to Wen Yu was that she felt guilty because she had dreamed of doing unmentionable things with her, right?!

With that thought, Song Jin answered with a sense of grim resolve: “No feeling. She’s fine. Just a normal colleague.”

Seeing Du Bing about to speak again, Song Jin hurriedly changed the subject. “What were you just watching? Don’t tell me it’s another fanfic about the two of us?”

“No, no, no,” Du Bing shook her head like a rattle, looking a bit guilty. “I just ran into a stage mashup of Wen Yu and couldn’t help watching a bit… Of course, Sis, if you really don’t like her, I won’t ever—”

“Don’t. Let me see too.” Song Jin grew interested and immediately leaned toward Du Bing. Seeing that Song Jin was serious, the latter generously shared half the screen with her.

On the screen, Wen Yu wore a black single-sleeve cutout top and multi-zippered cargo pants. Every movement hit the beat precisely, vibrating with the rhythm of the music. Even though Du Bing was using Bluetooth headphones and there was no sound, Song Jin could tell the name of the song just by the choreography.

She, Wen Yu’s breakout hit.

Even while dancing, Wen Yu’s face remained expressionless. Those who liked her often praised her as an “Ice Queen”—cold and wild on stage. Those who didn’t like her felt she was always wearing a sour face, lacking an idol’s “spirit of service.”

But it was this very ice-cold beauty, with red hair that completely contradicted her personality—flamboyant and reckless—who was so dazzling on stage that one couldn’t look away.

Song Jin suddenly thought of a rose blooming in the snow.

The van pulled into the underground garage. Once it came to a stop, Song Jin nimbly unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out.

Du Bing walked ahead, chattering as usual about the abstract memes she’d seen today. But halfway there, she realized Song Jin hadn’t responded. She looked back in confusion, only to find that Song Jin hadn’t followed her at all.

“Sis?” Du Bing ran back and asked, “Why are you staring at that car?”

Song Jin stood there, pointing at a six-seater white SUV nearby. “Don’t you think this car looks a lot like Wen Yu’s?”

Du Bing scratched her head. “Don’t all SUVs look more or less the same?”

Fine. Asking her about this was a waste of time.

“Besides, how could there be such a coincidence? Don’t overthink it.” After saying that, Du Bing affectionately dragged Song Jin away.

South Bank Gardens was a place Du Bing had scouted for a long time before deciding on it. One unit per floor, beautiful environment, and great security. Many small influencers and minor actors filming in Qin City lived here, so it had a great reputation in the industry.

The elevator stopped at the 12th floor with a “ding.” Song Jin took a long stride out, pulled out her keys, and opened the door.

It was a 50-square-meter loft; even two people would find it spacious. The appliances were already provided, so Song Jin was essentially moving in with just her suitcases.

Upon entering, the first thing that met her eyes was the living room. An 85-inch TV was embedded in the white wall. The cold light from the crystal chandelier hit the black leather sofa, and a gray wool carpet covered the floor, so one wouldn’t have to worry about a cold butt while sitting on the floor in winter.

This minimalist style is indeed sophisticated, but it’s a bit depressing if you look at it for too long.

Song Jin critiqued, placing the jasmine flowers she had bought earlier on the coffee table, finally adding a splash of color to the room.

She had already eaten in the car before returning and wasn’t hungry, so she planned to take a stroll around the neighborhood after sending Du Bing off.

Song Jin pulled a beige knit hat from her bag, tugged it on, and accompanied Du Bing downstairs. Once she saw the car leave the parking lot, she slowly began to wander through the complex.

South Bank Gardens was huge, with twenty buildings in total. Song Jin lived in Building 3.

The greenery downstairs was well-maintained, creating a lush view everywhere she looked. Additionally, the complex was equipped with a gym, sports courts, an outdoor swimming pool, and other basic facilities. There was even a beautiful musical fountain in the very center. Song Jin stood by the fountain for a while, barely recognizing that the white sculpture in the middle was a kitten gnawing on a fish.

The temperature difference between day and night in Qin City was significant. The night wind rustled through the branches, occasionally carrying a faint scent of leaves. Song Jin’s low-heeled shoes tapped on the cobblestone path, rhythmically matching the beat in her earphones.

She started humming the tune of She, wandering around contentedly. After turning right, her footsteps suddenly halted.

Hiss, why is she here?

Song Jin’s brain exploded with a bang. Her reflex was to turn around and pretend she hadn’t seen anything. Unexpectedly, Wen Yu was one step faster and called out to her: “Song Jin?”

The streetlights were bright, casting a soft, warm yellow glow over Wen Yu. Her hair, tossed by the wind, seemed to be glowing.

Song Jin hadn’t expected Wen Yu to take the initiative to call her name. She rubbed her nose awkwardly and began to babble: “Ah, yes, it’s me. What a coincidence, hahaha—oh, are you down here to take out the trash?”

As soon as she said it, she wanted to slap herself. Wasn’t that obvious to anyone with eyes?

Fortunately, Wen Yu didn’t mind. She nodded and threw the plastic bag into the bin. “Which building do you live in? I haven’t seen you before.”

“Building 3. I just arrived in Qin City today.” Song Jin hadn’t yet recovered from the nightmare of her “dream lover” becoming her colleague. Facing the real person was still awkward, and she instinctively wanted to escape. “Um, I’ve walked enough, so I’ll head back first. See you tomorrow?”

“Okay, see you tomorrow.” Her reply was as sparse as gold.

Song Jin nodded heavily. The moment she turned around, the stiff smile on her face vanished.

She really wanted to run, but fearing it would look too intentional, she could only discreetly speed up her pace toward her building.

Seeing the entrance right in front of her, Song Jin didn’t care if anyone was behind her anymore and bolted like an arrow. She frantically slid toward the elevator door, finally breathing a sigh of relief the second she pressed the button.

Only, that sigh was a bit premature.

Just a second before the elevator doors closed, a hand reached in. Song Jin froze, a bad feeling rising in her heart. She followed the arm and saw the person she least wanted to see at this moment.

It was Wen Yu again.

She watched helplessly as Wen Yu lit up the number 11 on the panel, then watched her stand right next to her. As the numbers on the display ticked up one by one, Song Jin felt like time had never moved so slowly in her entire life.

Actually, that wasn’t true. Time felt just as infinite when she was shooting the duo posters with Wen Yu.

A deadly silence spread in the confined space. A familiar hair fragrance drifted rudely around the elevator, further cluttering Song Jin’s already congested, nervous brain. Just when Song Jin thought she would have to endure the silence until she got home, Wen Yu spoke first: “About today, thank you very much.”

Song Jin let out an “Eh?”, not quite reacting to what she was talking about.

“The dressing room.” Wen Yu turned to look at her, her tone very sincere. “I know you were speaking up for me. Thank you, really.”

“Ah…” Song Jin was made a bit bashful by her. She shifted her gaze down an inch and gave a very official reply: “It’s only right. It was all for a better portrayal of the characters.”

Wen Yu shrugged, noncommittal about her stubbornness.

“But… having said that, your state didn’t seem very good during the duo poster shoot today, but it was fine during the solo shots.” Wen Yu paused, her long brows slightly furrowed, her beautiful eyes staring at her without blinking. “Was there something I wasn’t coordinating well with?”

The expression on Song Jin’s face began to falter.

Wen Yu’s words went in one ear and out the other, but her brain automatically filtered out the words “state didn’t seem very good.” A red alert was triggered on the spot.

What do you mean?

Is she questioning my professional ability?

Song Jin swallowed the frustration in her heart and gave a fake smile. “How could that be? You coordinated extra ordinarily well.”

“That’s good.” Wen Yu didn’t catch the wrong tone in her voice; she even looked relieved.

The chime of the elevator arriving sounded like heavenly music, rescuing Song Jin from the fire. She didn’t care about manners anymore. After a polite goodbye to Wen Yu, she pressed the close button as fast as she could.

Song Jin dragged her exhausted body inside and threw herself onto the soft sofa, preparing to browse the internet. She skillfully switched to her burner account. When the page refreshed, the recommendations that popped up made her vision go dark repeatedly.

In disbelief, she clicked in. The image, which had been specifically cropped, was enlarged by her again and again until the black hair of the person in the photo reflected her own wide eyes.

# Shock! Leaked photos from the Song-Wen duo shoot. Why the flushed cheeks?

# Song Jin falls on set, Wen Yu catches her in her arms

# Song Jin, don’t come for clout

# Wen Yu, take your dirty hands off

# Mom, I’m shipping for real!

She looked at herself in the photo, flushed from her neck to her face. She found it hard to believe—she knew she might have blushed a little, but how could it be this red?!

The key was, why did no one warn her?!

And who was so wicked to not only take the photo but also leak it? Arghhh—

At this point, Song Jin could only keep comforting herself that it wasn’t a big deal, that it was just Li Hang’s promotional tactics. But the next second, she noticed a headline climbing toward the number one spot on the entertainment charts at a terrifying speed.

Song Jin’s eyelid twitched violently.

The hashtag was concise, consisting of only four characters.

# Wen Yu Liked

The timestamp was ten minutes ago.

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