The Paranoid Film Queen Hooked Me, and I Fell in Love - Chapter 44

Xu Zhiyan followed Shen Buhui into the elevator all the way up to the sixth floor. From the moment Shen Buhui opened the door with practiced ease, Xu Zhiyan couldn’t stop peeking around, curiously observing the interior of the apartment.

After making a quick round through the shared living space, she stood at the kitchen doorway, holding onto the frame and asking, “Is this your place?”

Without even turning around, Shen Buhui replied, “Yes. I’ve been busy with moving these past few days. I only finished settling in last night.”

Xu Zhiyan suddenly understood. No wonder the apartment didn’t show too many signs of being lived in yet—though certain small details were unmistakably aligned with Shen Buhui’s habits.

She walked into the kitchen and picked up the scallions they had bought earlier, beginning to help with the prep work.

“What made you decide to move? Was the old place uncomfortable?”

“It was fine, just a little far,” Shen Buhui said calmly. “This place is closer to your school. Since you can’t commute, I figured I’d move here to be closer to you.”

She reached out with one hand to ruffle Xu Zhiyan’s hair. Seeing the stunned look on her face, she chuckled softly. “What? Not happy?”

“No…” Xu Zhiyan shook her head and grabbed the hand that was about to be withdrawn. Her heart swelled with emotion.

“I just didn’t expect you to be so thoughtful.” In contrast, it became clear how their age difference showed—especially in Shen Buhui’s maturity. Of course, this level of consideration was also supported by solid financial independence.

Pinching her cheek lightly, Shen Buhui said with a soft voice, “It’s not about being thoughtful. I just wanted to be a little closer to you.”

Xu Zhiyan: “…”
Now she was even more moved!

She stood on tiptoe and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Shen Buhui: “…”

“If you’re really touched, then keep me company more often,” she said. “It’s only about a ten-minute walk. That’s doable, right?”

“Totally doable!” Xu Zhiyan nodded eagerly.

Shen Buhui smiled in satisfaction.

After they finished prepping the ingredients, she began cooking according to the menu she had planned for the night.

Corn and chicken wing stew, salt and pepper shrimp, lettuce in oyster sauce, stir-fried string beans, and a fresh vegetable egg-drop soup.

When Xu Zhiyan heard the list, her face was full of surprise.

“Th-That much?”

Of course, what she really wanted to ask was—can you even cook? Xu Zhiyan remembered Shen Buhui used to say she couldn’t.

“It’s not too much, really. I’ll make small portions. It shouldn’t be too much food,” Shen Buhui explained. These were the dishes she had recently mastered—and also happened to be the ones Xu Zhiyan often ordered as takeout.

Just the thought of Xu Zhiyan eating the food she had made herself made the corners of Shen Buhui’s lips curl up slightly.

“You go wait in the living room. It won’t take long.”

Obediently, Xu Zhiyan left the kitchen but quickly crept back to the doorway. She peeked in, her small head following Shen Buhui’s every move with curiosity.

Stir-frying, seasoning, managing the heat—it all looked so smooth and practiced. It was obvious she had really taken the time to learn.

By the time Shen Buhui was making the final dish, she turned to the girl watching her and said, “There’s a cabinet to the right in the living room. I bought some candles—can you light a couple and place them on the table?”

“Sure!”

When Xu Zhiyan opened the cabinet and saw the candles Shen Buhui had mentioned, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“You bought these on purpose?” she asked sweetly, holding the romantic candles in her hand with a smile that was pure sugar.

Shen Buhui glanced at her and replied calmly, “Mm.”

Catching on quickly, Xu Zhiyan went over to where the wine was stored and pulled out a bottle, setting it on the table before focusing intently on the setup.

“A candlelit dinner…” she murmured, looking at the finished arrangement. Her heart felt like it had been soaked in honey—warm and full of sweetness.

Back when they first started dating, Xu Zhiyan had once casually said, “If you cook a candlelit dinner yourself, it’d be so much more meaningful.”

And now, with no prior cooking skills to speak of, Shen Buhui had given her exactly that—a meaningful, romantic dinner—right after successfully moving into her new place.

“You’re just… too good,” Xu Zhiyan murmured, watching as Shen Buhui took off her apron and rinsed her hands. Unable to resist, she walked up behind her and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist.

There was no space left between them—none at all. Their bodies fit together so naturally, as if they had always belonged this way. No matter how they hugged, it always felt like one half of a circle had found its perfect match.

Shen Buhui relaxed into the embrace, gazing out at the rosy glow in the sky. A gentle smile tugged at her lips. “If you think I’m so good, then love me a little more.”

Love me a little more—ideally, as much as I love you.

Even without hearing Shen Buhui’s silent wish, Xu Zhiyan nodded with quiet conviction. “Mm. I’ll love you a little more.”

In truth, it felt like she loved her a little more every single day.

Before falling in love, Xu Zhiyan had worried. Worried that this relationship might end like all her past obsessions with celebrity couples—passionate at first, only to fade with time and be replaced by someone new.

One wave after another, endless enthusiasm… but the gaze once fixed on the previous pair had already moved on. Even while proclaiming, “I’ll never forget my old CP,” the decline in passion was already irreversible.

She was afraid—afraid that her first true understanding of what it meant to fall for someone would end in awkward regret.

That’s why Xu Zhiyan never dared to speak too confidently about the future. In her eyes, if the future was uncertain, then cherishing the present was the best she could do.

As she held the one she loved, Xu Zhiyan thought about many things. It wasn’t until Shen Buhui softly reminded her that she finally loosened the arms wrapped around that slender waist.

This wasn’t the first candlelit dinner she’d had with Shen Buhui.

The first time was on a twilight evening, when the sky was streaked with warm hues. After stepping out of an elegant, romantic restaurant, she had gifted her beloved a bouquet of roses. That night had been a lovely, sweet first.

But tonight’s candlelit dinner… the way the flame flickered, softly casting light on Shen Buhui’s delicate features; the food was hand-prepared by the woman she loved. At this dinner table filled with the scent of real life, Xu Zhiyan felt a warmth she had never known before.

Her heart was swelling—so full of affection, it felt like it might overflow.

After dinner, Xu Zhiyan couldn’t think about anything else.

She pulled Shen Buhui into a kiss, not even bothering to clean up the mess on the table. Her kisses were urgent, tangled, pulling them toward the sofa.

“Let’s… shower first…” Shen Buhui whispered breathlessly, tilting her head slightly, voice breaking between gasps.

Obedient and eager, Xu Zhiyan helped her into the bathroom. The two of them shared a steamy, lingering bath, before stumbling their way into the bedroom.

□□ followed—passionate and intoxicating.

By morning, the trash bin near the bed was already filled with used wrappers. When Xu Zhiyan got up to use the bathroom and came back, she couldn’t help but flush.

Was last night really that intense?

Having spent a wild, indulgent night, she suddenly turned shy come dawn.

Shen Buhui was still fast asleep, her sleeping face soft and peaceful. Xu Zhiyan stared at her quietly for a while, her heart full of warmth, and decided not to disturb her.

She changed into the clothes Shen Buhui had prepared for her in advance and tiptoed out of the bedroom.

After enjoying a meal lovingly cooked by someone else—and then thoroughly enjoying the cook herself—Xu Zhiyan figured it was time to return the favor. She cleaned up the chaos from the night before, loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, and finally had a moment to pull up a saved tutorial and try making porridge for breakfast.

And honestly, the feeling of learning to cook just for someone she liked—it was deeply satisfying. Warm, fulfilling, and full of quiet joy.

Did Shen Buhui feel the same sense of satisfaction while learning to cook?

Just as Xu Zhiyan finished frying the eggs and was about to call her, she suddenly felt a warm presence at her back—a body, still drowsy and radiating residual heat from sleep, wrapped itself around her.

“You’re up this early?” The voice was husky with sleep, coated in the lazy contentment of someone who’d had a good rest.

Xu Zhiyan turned around. “It’s not that early.” After all, it was already past nine when she got up.

But as she turned, the kiss mark on her slender, fair neck became all too visible. After a full night, the color had deepened, far darker than when it was first made.

Shen Buhui looked at it for a moment, then suddenly lowered her head and kissed the same spot again—hard.

“Hiss…” Xu Zhiyan tensed. The sting on her neck was sharp and clear.

Last night, when Shen Buhui had started kissing her there, she thought it was just ordinary affection. She hadn’t expected her to focus on that one area over and over again. By the end, even the slightest touch made it ache.

It felt like she was going to kiss her skin raw. And sure enough, when she checked the mirror that morning, it looked red enough to peel.

She didn’t expect Shen Buhui to go after it again, freshly woken up.

Looking up with a satisfied expression, Shen Buhui asked, “Does it hurt?”

Xu Zhiyan held her neck and nodded.

Shen Buhui said gently, “It’s alright. It won’t hurt after a while.”

She brushed Xu Zhiyan’s hand aside, staring at the blood-red mark like she was admiring a work of art. “This mark… it’ll probably take a while to fade, right?”

With how aggressively she’d kissed it, Xu Zhiyan could only nod again.

“Good,” Shen Buhui murmured, nuzzling into her arms. “Once it fades, I’ll make another one.”

Just like how Xu Zhiyan liked leaving little traces on her, Shen Buhui felt the same. But what she wanted more was for the mark to never fade—that way, it would show everyone that Xu Zhiyan wasn’t single. That she belonged to someone.

Thinking of how excited Xu Zhiyan had been yesterday over winning a signed poster on Weibo, Shen Buhui’s eyes dimmed slightly.

She really wanted to monopolize her—to the point where Xu Zhiyan wouldn’t even have room to glance at anyone else.

Xu Zhiyan gave a helpless little smile. “Fine, mark me all you want. But eat breakfast first. I made porridge. Go change and come out to eat.”

Only then did Shen Buhui reluctantly pull away and head into the bedroom to change. When she came out, the table was already set.

They shared a quiet and cozy breakfast together, full of domestic warmth. Afterward, Xu Zhiyan began cleaning the kitchen like a pro.

She dried her hands and came out to see Shen Buhui lying on the sofa, frowning slightly.

“What are you looking at?” Xu Zhiyan asked casually.

“Weibo,” Shen Buhui replied, brows still furrowed as she exited the zoomed-in photo.

Xu Zhiyan plopped down next to her and peeked over—only to see several pictures.

They were all group photos of Qi Helin with various people, and a few where everyone was gathered, holding flowers.

“He wrapped up filming too?”

Shen Buhui nodded lightly. “Director Cheng mentioned that filming ended last night. The entire crew has wrapped.”

As leads, they had finished earlier than the rest. Director Cheng had accommodated Xu Zhiyan’s class schedule, so they completed the main scenes first. Once those were done, the crew headed to other locations to finish the rest. Now, filming for Symbiosis was completely done.

Xu Zhiyan looked at Qi Helin’s Weibo. His latest post was clearly a farewell to his character, with photos of the cast and crew attached.

But… as she looked closer at two of the pictures, she realized something odd.

Why do these two photos make it look like she and Qi Helin are so close?

Comments underneath had noticed too, but were quickly drowned out by fans explaining it away. The matter was brushed aside.

Xu Zhiyan looked up and saw the faint frown on Shen Buhui’s face—and immediately understood what was bothering her.

She quickly declared her loyalty, “I wasn’t actually standing that close to him. It must be the camera angle.”

Shen Buhui knew that too, but she still felt unsettled seeing the two of them look so familiar in the photo.

Quietly, she pursed her lips, then opened her own Weibo, went to her photo album, selected a few pictures, and posted a new update.

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