The Paranoid Film Queen Hooked Me, and I Fell in Love - Chapter 41

Since the wrap party for the two lead actresses had already been booked at Yuehu Hotel, the director called it an early day after Shen Buhui finished filming her final scenes that afternoon. By the time Xu Zhiyan and Shen Buhui arrived, many people had already gathered in the private dining room.

“Look who’s here—our two leading ladies!”
Someone with sharp eyes spotted them at the door and called out loudly, instantly drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

“Teacher Shen and Teacher Xu, the stars of the night, are actually late! Don’t you all think that deserves a penalty?”

“Absolutely! Three penalty drinks each!”

As someone took the lead, the room quickly erupted, with more than half the people chanting for them to drink three cups as punishment.

After two months of working together, the crew had grown quite familiar with Xu Zhiyan and Shen Buhui. Even those who hadn’t interacted much personally knew they were both easygoing. And with the wrap party marking the last time this big group would likely gather, people were naturally letting loose.

You could tell just how relaxed everyone felt from the fact that they dared to demand three penalty drinks from Shen Buhui.

Xu Zhiyan had just warned against drinking too much to avoid a hangover, and now she was walking right into this rowdy scene. Her eyes swept over the crowd and landed on Director Cheng, silently pleading for him to intervene—only to find him watching with an amused expression.

Xu Zhiyan: “…”

She tried to reason, “Teacher Shen and I aren’t great with alcohol. If we both down three drinks right now, how are we supposed to eat and chat with everyone later?”

A producer who had worked with Shen Buhui a few times chuckled and said,
“Xiao Xu, you must not know—Teacher Shen can really hold her liquor!”

Xu Zhiyan turned to Shen Buhui, her eyes silently asking, Is that true?

After a moment’s hesitation, Shen Buhui gave a small nod.

That made her think of that summer night… How much had Teacher Shen drunk back then to end up in that state? The memory surfaced, vague but lingering.

Lost in thought, Xu Zhiyan looked at the expectant faces around her. Not wanting to spoil the mood, she gave in. Fine. If she gets drunk, at least I’ll be here to take care of her—with Xiao Fang, too.

But Shen Buhui pulled Xu Zhiyan into a seat beside her, scanned the already tipsy crowd, and said with a calm smile,
“Teacher Xu just turned of age. She can’t handle her alcohol. I’ll drink on her behalf.”

Xu Zhiyan was about to object and say she could handle it herself when Zeng Yue suddenly spoke up from across the table.

“That’s not quite right,” she said with a polite smile.
“Everyone said three penalty drinks each, not one of you covering for the other. We all know Teacher Shen is protective of the younger ones, but we’re all part of the same team. Teacher Xu can manage a few drinks.”

“Exactly! Neither of you is getting out of this. It’s not even strong liquor—three cups won’t get you drunk!”

Before anyone could protest, someone had already opened a bottle and poured two full glasses, sliding them in front of Xu Zhiyan and Shen Buhui.

Across the table, Xu Zhiyan met Zeng Yue’s gaze. The woman was still smiling gently, just like when they had first met two months ago. But Xu Zhiyan’s heart and thoughts had shifted since then.

“I’ll drink,” Xu Zhiyan said calmly.
“If Teacher Shen can really hold her liquor, then I’ve got nothing to worry about if I get drunk—she’ll be there to get me home.”

Everyone knew how close the two leads were, and since they were staying nearby, her comment didn’t raise any eyebrows.

Everyone except Zeng Yue. At those words, her expression subtly changed.

“You two really are close,” she said, her tone unreadable.

Shen Buhui’s gaze, which had been fixed solely on Xu Zhiyan, now shifted. She glanced briefly at Zeng Yue across the table, then responded in a steady tone.

“Yes, very close.”

Zeng Yue’s smile stiffened ever so slightly.

Qi Helin was still glued to his phone, oblivious to the silent battle of gazes happening above his head.

Xu Zhiyan’s hand, resting on her lap, gave a faint tremble. She didn’t even try to look at Zeng Yue’s face again.

As Shen Buhui picked up her glass with her right hand, her left hand quietly found Xu Zhiyan’s beneath the table, gently covering it.

Surrounded by noise and laughter at the bustling dinner table, hidden beneath the hanging edge of the tablecloth, their fingers intertwined in a private world untouched by others.

There was something a little thrilling about it.

Red wine swirled gently in the long-stemmed glass. Xu Zhiyan’s lashes fluttered slightly as she raised the glass and downed it in one go.

Only after finishing three glasses in a row did she finally set it down.

“Are you feeling alright?” Shen Buhui leaned closer, asking softly.

Their palms, joined beneath the table, shifted slightly. Xu Zhiyan felt Shen Buhui’s pinky finger gently brush against hers, sending a tingling sensation up her arm.

Though her face remained composed, her hand beneath the table was not so calm.

In such a public setting… Xu Zhiyan’s nose flushed red from holding back her reaction.

“I—I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head. The alcohol truly wasn’t that strong.

“Teacher Xu flushes easily,” someone nearby remarked with a click of the tongue.

Her cheeks were indeed a rosy red, making her look rather tipsy.

“She really does,” Shen Buhui added with a light laugh.

Xu Zhiyan shot her a soft, slightly helpless glare—who did she think caused this flushed face?

The very culprit blinked back innocently, her eyes full of feigned virtue, but her fingers under the table gave Xu Zhiyan’s palm another teasing scratch.

Across from them, Zeng Yue sat directly facing their table. From her angle, she could see their subtle gestures and shifting expressions all too clearly.

Her gaze had never left Shen Buhui since she entered the room, so she hadn’t missed the quiet exchange between her and Xu Zhiyan.

Fingernails digging into the soft flesh of her own palm, Zeng Yue didn’t seem to feel the pain. She simply kept drinking, one glass after another.

It was a lively banquet, and Xu Zhiyan, unable to resist the crowd’s energy, was coaxed into drinking quite a bit.

At first, Shen Buhui tried to stop her, but seeing how happy she looked, she sighed and let it go.

Funny—wasn’t she the one who warned about drinking too much earlier?

Xu Zhiyan’s cheeks were now flushed pink, and this time it wasn’t just from embarrassment—she was genuinely tipsy. But she still couldn’t bring herself to refuse; after all, these were seniors she’d worked with so well.

Midway through the evening, Xu Zhiyan needed to use the restroom. Given how much she’d had to drink, Shen Buhui felt uneasy letting her go alone and stood up to accompany her.

While Xu Zhiyan was inside, Shen Buhui waited just outside near the sinks.

“Teacher Shen.”

A soft female voice sounded from behind.

Shen Buhui instinctively turned. Zeng Yue stood there, her gaze hazy from alcohol, fixed on her.

When Shen Buhui didn’t reply, Zeng Yue touched her flushed face and gave a light, self-deprecating laugh.

“I’ve been drinking. A lot.”

Shen Buhui frowned slightly. Her tone was calm but distant. “If you’re drunk, ask your assistant to take you home.”

Zeng Yue seemed not to hear. She continued to stare at Shen Buhui, her eyes filled with something pained.

“Is it because I didn’t drink that drugged wine… is that why you treat me like this?”

Shen Buhui’s expression turned even colder. The crease between her brows deepened as she looked at Zeng Yue, who appeared oblivious to how inappropriate her words were.

“If you wanted to drink it, no one would have stopped you.”

Her tone was icily indifferent.

Zeng Yue felt as if something sharp had pierced her chest. She curled her fingers in, her voice small and regretful.
“Sorry. I spoke out of turn.”

“Suit yourself.”

Shen Buhui turned away, unwilling to entertain any more of her strange words.

Her upright figure, slender and unwavering, radiated a kind of cold, silent rejection.

Zeng Yue bit her lip and staggered off on her heels, nearly losing her balance as she walked away.

Just as she turned the corner, Xu Zhiyan stepped out of the restroom, her face still flushed from both alcohol and heat.

As soon as Xu Zhiyan came out, Shen Buhui rushed over, the coldness from earlier long gone. Now her face was filled with tenderness as she supported her gently.

“Are you feeling alright? Are you drunk? Do you feel like throwing up?”

“No, not uncomfortable. Not drunk. Don’t feel like vomiting.”

Xu Zhiyan answered her questions one by one, leaning against Shen Buhui as she dried her hands.

Her thoughts were clear, her steps steady—she didn’t look drunk at all.

Shen Buhui let out a quiet breath of relief. Maybe she just flushed easily after drinking.

But just as they turned the corner, Xu Zhiyan suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“I don’t want to go back yet. I want to kiss you here.”

Shen Buhui: “…”

Before she could respond, Xu Zhiyan continued on her own, “When you scratched my palm under the table earlier, it wasn’t just my hand that tingled—my heart did too.”

“It tickled a lot, so now I want to kiss you.”

Looking into her hazy, unfocused eyes, Shen Buhui realized—she really was drunk.

“And yet you managed to hold it in this long,” Shen Buhui muttered.

Drunk little Xu lifted her chin proudly. “Of course! I remembered our rule about keeping the relationship secret! I’m a very self-disciplined person!”

“…So now you’ve forgotten that same rule?” Shen Buhui asked, tightening her grip on Xu Zhiyan’s hand.

“But there’s no one around,” Xu Zhiyan said confidently, her big eyes scanning the empty hallway.

“…Still not allowed.”

Shen Buhui forced herself to refuse, even though she didn’t personally care much about secrecy. But since it had been Xu Zhiyan’s request, she would honor it.

And while the hallway seemed empty now, there was no guarantee it would stay that way.

“Be good. We’ll kiss when we get back,” she coaxed softly.

Xu Zhiyan pouted in disappointment, but the thought of being able to kiss her freely once they were alone made her reluctantly agree. She let Shen Buhui guide her forward again.

As their silhouettes disappeared down the corridor, Zeng Yue stepped out of the shadows with a pale face—her expression completely sober.

Ever since that incident three years ago, Zeng Yue had trained herself to hold her liquor. There was no way tonight’s alcohol could have truly affected her.

Pretending to be drunk just to approach Shen Buhui had been a desperate gamble. Hiding here afterward was merely a way to calm her rapidly spiraling emotions.

But…

Hearing Shen Buhui’s voice so gentle, hearing her say the word “relationship”—Zeng Yue bit her lip hard.

So… they were actually in a relationship?

She leaned back against the cold wall, eyes dull as she stared up at the ceiling.

It wasn’t just Xu Zhiyan throwing herself into Shen Buhui’s arms?

Since Xu Zhiyan was drunk, Shen Buhui returned to the private room with her, said a quick goodbye to the director and producers, and quietly left—unaware of who else had disappeared from the room.

On the ride back, the two of them once again sat in the back seat. Shen Buhui kept one hand on Xu Zhiyan’s shoulder while rolling down the car window slightly.

The cool night breeze drifted in, refreshing their minds.

By the time Shen Buhui asked the driver to pull over, Xu Zhiyan’s drunken haze had begun to fade slightly.

Seeing Shen Buhui about to get out, she tugged at her sleeve. “Where are you going?”

“I’m getting you some hangover medicine.”

Xiao Fang immediately offered, “Sister, I’ll go!”

Shen Buhui paused, then sat back down. “Alright, that works.”

All this time, Xiao Fang had been quiet—Shen Buhui had assumed she’d been called away like Yuanyuan by Zhao Yue.

But then Xu Zhiyan tugged Shen Buhui’s sleeve again. “No… I want you to buy it. I want the one you pick.”

Xiao Fang: “…”

She froze, one foot halfway out the door.

Sure enough, Shen Buhui’s indulgent voice followed. “Alright. I’ll go.”

“I’m coming too! I want to go with you to the pharmacy,” Xu Zhiyan added.

Shen Buhui wasn’t sure why she suddenly wanted to come, but she didn’t ask. She simply helped her put on a mask and hat, held her hand, and got out of the car.

At the pharmacy, as soon as they stepped inside, Xu Zhiyan slipped her hand away and darted off to browse the aisles on her own.

Watching her steady footsteps, Shen Buhui figured she had mostly sobered up and turned her attention to choosing the right hangover remedy.

When they went to the register together, Xu Zhiyan sneaked a glance at Shen Buhui, then clutched something tightly to her chest and insisted on paying for it herself.

Shen Buhui let her have her way. It wasn’t until they got back into the car and returned to the hotel that she realized—she still didn’t know what Xu Zhiyan had bought.

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