The Entertainment Industry's Famous Fraud Couple - Chapter 2

“Cut!”

The executive director took off her headphones, eyes sparkling with excitement. What the public didn’t know was that the director was the number one “shipper” of Shen Guai and Qin Chaomu. She was the primary reason these two were working together.

“Teacher Qin, that was incredible!” The director bit her lip, looking back and forth between Shen Guai and Qin Chaomu, clapping her hands gleefully. “The chemistry between you two is so strong! This drama is definitely going to be a hit!”

“Oh, Teacher Shen, don’t look so miserable. Tonight, I’m treating the whole crew to dinner!”

Since the director had spoken, what could Shen Guai say? She was grinding her molars so hard they nearly shattered, but she could only turn to Qin Chaomu with a fake smile: “Sister Qin acted so well. I truly learned a lot today~”

“Is my little sister okay?” Qin Chaomu sighed, looking concerned. “I think I might have been a bit too rough just now.”

If she hadn’t just experienced Qin Chaomu’s “iron grip” of ruthlessness, Shen Guai might actually have been moved by her worried expression. Seeing Shen Guai’s furrowed brows and forced smile, Qin Chaomu’s heart was blooming with joy.

Unlike Shen Guai’s struggle to look happy, Qin Chaomu had to pretend to be distressed. She took a step forward, placing her slender middle finger against Shen Guai’s lips to wipe away some smeared lipstick.

The cold touch made Shen Guai shudder. Her body instinctively recoiled, every fiber of her being screaming resistance. Shen Guai tried to swat away Qin Chaomu’s rude hand, but Qin Chaomu seemed to predict the move. Just as Shen Guai’s fingers reached out, Qin Chaomu precisely pinned Shen Guai’s hand down.

Consequently, not only did Shen Guai fail to remove the hand from her face, but she also ended up having her other hand trapped by Qin Chaomu.

Qin Chaomu arched an eyebrow, staring straight at Shen Guai’s lips before moving her gaze upward to lock onto Shen Guai’s furious eyes.

Her tone was provocatively slow, syllable by syllable: “Little sister, you aren’t… angry, are you?”

“Hehehe…”

Shen Guai was fuming. she knew exactly what she was dealing with a “Green Tea” (a manipulative, two-faced person). With so many people watching, no matter how unwilling she was, she didn’t dare speak up. Even as a rookie, Shen Guai understood the devastating impact the label “acting like a big shot” could have on her career.

“Ah! How could I be! Sister Qin! It’s my honor to act with you! Actually, I’m a fan of yours!”

“Then, I wish us a happy collaboration.”

With that, Qin Chaomu pulled out a silk handkerchief and nonchalantly wiped the fingers that had just touched Shen Guai. The next second, the silk handkerchief was lying in the trash can.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

Shen Guai didn’t dare let out her scream until she had bolted into the restroom.

“I’m so mad! Damn that Qin Chaomu! Go to hell!”

Her black eyeliner, smudged by tears, ran down her cheeks as her face flushed between red and white. She frantically tugged at her long black hair, resting her small head against the sink in a daze. After thirty seconds of staring blankly, she turned on the faucet, stretched her neck out, and rinsed her mouth frantically.

“Pah! Pah!”

With red eyes and messy hair, she looked like a stray kitten.

“Stupid Qin Chaomu! Evil Qin Chaomu!”

She rubbed her lips vigorously with the back of her hand, then grabbed a pack of tissues, scrubbing until the pack was empty. Finally, she slumped down against the sink, sobbing.

“Why… why was my first kiss given to that piece of trash…”

Shen Guai hugged her legs, messing up her hair again. “I shouldn’t have entered the entertainment industry! I should have stuck to painting!”

“Qin Chaomu! You bitch! I wish you…”

Before she could finish, the sound of a toilet flushing echoed in her ears.

Game over… someone’s here… what do I do? If they know Qin Chaomu, I’m dead!

Wait, why am I scared? There are no cameras in the restroom. I’ll just deny it… it’s not the first time I’ve talked behind her back anyway…

But! Regardless, Qin Chaomu controls half the connections in the industry. If I offend her, my future is over…

Should I… silence the witness?

Shen Guai’s brain was racing, but when she saw the face of the person walking out, she felt like she might as well be dead.

Qin Chaomu turned the faucet on low, a thin stream of water running through her fingers. Her hands were beautiful nails neatly trimmed, bone structure distinct, skin pale and translucent. Shen Guai stared at her hands for a long time, not daring to look at her expression.

“First kiss, huh?”

Qin Chaomu suddenly leaned down, the faint scent of tea enveloping Shen Guai.

Shen Guai blinked and swallowed hard. She tilted her chin up, meeting Qin Chaomu’s playful gaze.

“Heh.”

Qin Chaomu raised an eyebrow with a light chuckle. “Excuse me, I need to get a paper towel.”

Shen Guai scurried backward. Her brain had stopped functioning only an empty shell remained to respond. To be fair, her voice is really nice, Shen Guai thought objectively.

As Qin Chaomu passed her, Shen Guai caught her signature “Green Tea” fragrance. Sure enough, Green Teas love Green Tea scents.

Despite her inner thoughts, Shen Guai’s mouth behaved: “Teacher Qin, what a coincidence.”

Qin Chaomu ignored her. She folded the paper towel once, then twice. After drying her hands, she smirked, her smile widening. “No wonder your kissing skills are so poor. It’s because nobody is pursuing you, isn’t it?”

“Me?! Poor kissing skills?!” Shen Guai pointed at herself in disbelief. “Nobody pursuing me?! Are you joking?!”

“You don’t need to be so anxious to prove anything to me.”

The paper towel flew in a perfect arc into the trash. “To me, you are like trash. Have you ever seen anyone interested in trash?”

“You!”

“Oh, by the way,” Qin Chaomu pulled a lip balm from her bag and tossed it onto the floor. “Put some on. Is it because you haven’t been ‘moisturized’ in so long? Your lips are cracked. Hmm?”

Before Shen Guai could find a comeback through her gritted teeth, Qin Chaomu had already walked away in her high heels.

“AAAHHH I’m so mad!” Shen Guai was dizzy with rage, her face flushed. She kicked the sink in anger, then immediately collapsed to the floor in pain.

“It hurts… oh no… is it broken…”

She bit her lip, teetering between tears and a faint. “Help… Jin Xi! Wu Tong! Save me…”

By the time Shen Guai limped back to the set, Qin Chaomu had finished her final scene for the day. She was standing solemnly behind the monitor, watching the supporting actors perform. Almost everyone on set was standing behind her, watching her.

“Teacher Qin is so beautiful!” “Teacher Shen is beautiful too! Their CP (pairing) is amazing!”

Qin Chaomu watched almost every scene, even those involving minor extras. In her words, it gave her a “complete performance experience” to stay in character. In Shen Guai’s words, she was just “desperate for attention.”

Because while Qin Chaomu watched every single scene even for Passerby A, B, and C she never stayed for Shen Guai’s scenes.

Doesn’t watch her co-star’s scenes but claims to be ‘in character’? Hilarious. If you’re going to fake a persona, at least be consistent, Shen Guai cursed under her breath nearby.

“But why doesn’t Teacher Qin watch Teacher Shen’s scenes?” “Tsk! You don’t get it! She’s shy!” a few extras whispered excitedly. “Didn’t you hear? Empress Qin has a crush on Teacher Shen!” “Holy crap! Really?” “Yeah, haven’t you heard…”

As if hearing them, Qin Chaomu turned her head slightly, looking at the gossiping group with a hint of confusion, but said nothing.

Shen Guai clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she almost cramped. Even though she hated the pairing, the idea of Qin Chaomu having a secret crush on her… it felt so good to imagine.

She pricked up her ears to listen more. The extras were spinning wild tales: Qin Chaomu fell in love at first sight; she fought the producers to get Shen Guai into the cast, they were actually secret lovers and Qin Chaomu had chased her for five years…

“Ahem…”

Qin Chaomu clearly couldn’t take it anymore. She tapped the director, Xin Shang, on the shoulder. “Director Xin, everyone is tired. Take them out to dinner it’s on me.”

Xin Shang rubbed her shoulder, looking at Qin Chaomu and then at the smirking Shen Guai in the distance, her face practically screaming “I ship it!”

“Got it, Teacher Qin!”

Xin Shang was already daydreaming, assuming Qin Chaomu was in a good mood because of today’s kiss. She wished she could leak the footage right now to let the whole world share the joy.

The news of the free meal spread like wildfire. But just as they got onto the production bus, a new trending topic hit the charts:

#Shen Guai Has Secretly Loved Qin Chaomu for Eight Years.

“Who the hell bought this trending spot? Pull it down!” the manager hissed into the phone, glancing nervously at Qin Chaomu.

It wasn’t hard to guess this must have been orchestrated by the shippers or Shen Guai’s agency. Qin Chaomu was a “traffic magnet” Shen Guai was a nobody. If she could latch onto Qin Chaomu’s fame, her career would skyrocket.

Qin Chaomu rarely looked this dark faced. She pressed her fingers to her forehead and sighed. After a long silence, she spoke: “That trending topic… I bought it.”

“Huh? Boss… why would you let that girl leech off your traffic?”

Qin Chaomu didn’t answer. She smoothed her light blue hair and leaned back wearily. “Find twenty major influencer accounts. Have them post the video from the set today where Shen Guai claims to be my fan.”

“Understood…”

The manager didn’t get it. The company knew they were a popular pairing, but Shen Guai was a rookie. Even if Qin Chaomu wanted to play along for publicity, shouldn’t she pick someone more famous? Did she just want to build hype for the drama early?

Qin Chaomu wasn’t thinking about any of that. She was simply annoyed by the fantasy that she was the one crushing on Shen Guai. It was better to strike first and make the narrative that Shen Guai was the obsessed fan.

After all, Qin Chaomu never lost. Not in this, either.

As the manager prepared to make the call, her eyes accidentally caught a glimpse of Qin Chaomu’s phone. She dropped her own phone in shock.

On the screen, a new hashtag was climbing the charts at lightning speed:

#Shen Guai Calls Qin Chaomu an Uneducated Animal.