The Paranoid Film Queen Hooked Me, and I Fell in Love - Chapter 51

Xu Zhiyan quietly kept the photo in mind, planning to ask Lin Ya about it later to see if she recognized anything.

Whether the river was naturally abundant with fish or the production team had prepared in advance, Xu Zhiyan and Shen Buhui managed to catch quite a few with their nets. They released the smaller ones and carried the bucket, now filled with a good haul, back to the house.

By the time they returned, Shang Qi and the others had also finished their shopping. When she saw the two of them, Shang Qi breathed a sigh of relief. “We were just about to go looking for you if you didn’t come back soon.”

Zeng Yue and Qi Helin came downstairs. Xu Zhiyan, sharp-eyed as always, noticed that Qi Helin seemed to have changed clothes.

“How did it go? Did you catch anything?” Qi Helin asked as he approached Xu Zhiyan, trying to peek into the bucket she was carrying.

Shen Buhui, who had been speaking with Shang Qi, glanced over in their direction.

Xu Zhiyan subtly stepped aside and pointed toward Shen Buhui. “Brother Helin, the fish are in the bucket that Teacher Shen is holding. I just have the fishing net here.”

As everyone gathered around the bucket, curiously watching the fish swim and flip their tails, Xu Zhiyan stepped away and looked toward Chen Xingguang, who was standing on the edge of the crowd. “How did the shopping go?”

Shifting his gaze from Shang Qi, Chen Xingguang replied, “Pretty smoothly, actually. Though the prices of some things were way higher than expected—we’ve nearly spent all the money.”

Some of the seafood Zeng Yue insisted on buying cost quite a bit, along with a few dishes Brother Helin really loves.

Xu Zhiyan wasn’t surprised in the slightest. Before the four of them left, they had asked her and Teacher Shen if there was anything they particularly liked or couldn’t eat. Judging by how things turned out at the market, the team must’ve followed their preferences pretty closely.

In fact, just as Xu Zhiyan had predicted, the shopping went off without a hitch. The only mishap was that Qi Helin slipped and fell on the way back, though it didn’t cause any serious harm.

After learning this, Xu Zhiyan simply nodded and didn’t comment further.

As for the money running low? Xu Zhiyan was sure the production crew wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

At noon, Zeng Yue took charge in the kitchen, with Shen Buhui helping on the side, and together they prepared a full seafood feast.

As a piece of tender, smooth fish slid into her mouth, Xu Zhiyan found it especially delicious—perhaps because it was caught with her own hands.

That particular fish had been cooked by Shen Buhui. Noticing that Shen seemed to have little appetite during the meal, Xu Zhiyan used the communal chopsticks to place a few vegetables into her bowl.

Zeng Yue, keeping a discreet eye on them from the corner of her eye, saw this and ladled a bowl of seafood soup for Shen Buhui with a caring tone: “If you don’t have much of an appetite, Teacher Shen, maybe start with some warm soup to settle your stomach.”

“I remember you really like this soup. Let me know how I did,” she added casually while continuing to serve dishes.

Xu Zhiyan bit the tip of her chopsticks, glanced at Zeng Yue, then at Shen Buhui, whose appetite still hadn’t picked up. Her brows furrowed slightly—something clicked in her mind.

She reached out to stop Zeng Yue from handing over the soup and spoke up, “Teacher Shen can’t have this.”

For a moment, the air froze. Everyone at the table stopped eating and looked up at the sudden interruption.

Zeng Yue’s expression turned cold. She assumed Xu Zhiyan was just jealous and trying to assert her place, so she tightened her grip on the bowl and redirected it to Shen Buhui’s left.

“You’re not Teacher Shen. How would you know she can’t have this?”

Zeng Yue wasn’t about to let anyone ruin a meal specially made with Shen Buhui’s favorite seafood.

“I’m sorry, but I really can’t,” Shen Buhui suddenly said. Her voice was soft but carried clearly to everyone at the table.

Shang Qi raised an eyebrow, casually shifting her legs beneath the table.

Oh? Drama incoming.

Zeng Yue stared wide-eyed, almost in disbelief, at Shen Buhui who had just sided with Xu Zhiyan. “But I thought you loved this soup?”

Would she really refuse even a sip of her favorite dish just to protect a jealous and stubborn Xu Zhiyan?

Xu Zhiyan sighed, her head aching as she watched the scene unfold. She couldn’t help but worry how much backlash she’d get once this aired.

“She’s about to start her period. She can’t eat seafood right now,” Xu Zhiyan said, putting down her chopsticks and looking directly at Zeng Yue, whose face had darkened considerably.

Right after saying it, Xu Zhiyan frowned, a little upset with herself for forgetting such an important detail.

Worse yet, she’d even dragged Teacher Shen out to fish with her.

The two male cast members looked a bit awkward but quickly understood the situation.

Shen Buhui nodded to confirm Xu Zhiyan’s words. She looked at Zeng Yue and said, “Thank you for the kind gesture, Teacher Zeng.”

Shang Qi, who had been observing the whole time, gave a slight smile and stepped in to smooth things over. “Seafood really isn’t ideal during your period—it probably depends on each person’s body. It’s normal that Zeng Yue didn’t know.”

Zeng Yue, now seated again, forced a stiff smile at the comment.

She had known, of course—but there was no way for her to know Shen Buhui’s specific cycle.

Thinking of this, she glanced at Xu Zhiyan, who was whispering softly with Shen Buhui.

The bowl of soup sat untouched, growing cold, and the atmosphere around the dining table turned faintly strange. Qi Helin narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked over at the three of them.

In the afternoon, since Shen Buhui had started her period, Xu Zhiyan stayed in the room to take care of her.

She poured her a cup of hot water and placed it on the table, then gently resumed massaging Shen Buhui’s lower abdomen with soft, slow movements.

“If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have let you come to the river with me this morning.”

Shen Buhui leaned back on the sofa, showing no sign of discomfort. “I’m really fine. It hasn’t been painful lately. I only felt a little off during lunch. I’m feeling much better now.”

Truthfully, Shen Buhui had never suffered severe menstrual cramps. In the beginning, her asking Xu Zhiyan to massage her stomach was more of a little excuse to act coquettishly. After they got together, it became a small routine—an intimate habit between lovers.

Thinking back to lunch, Xu Zhiyan asked, “You didn’t eat much earlier. Are you hungry now?”

Shen Buhui considered it for a moment. “A little.”

“Then I’ll cook you some porridge?”

It sounded like a question, but Xu Zhiyan was already getting up.

She casually took out a heating patch and applied it to Shen Buhui’s stomach, gently patting her. “Wait for me. I’ll be back soon.”

When she went downstairs, Xu Zhiyan noticed the living room was empty. Since lunch had been late, the others were probably still napping in their rooms.

In the kitchen, Xu Zhiyan began rinsing rice and preparing the ingredients with practiced ease. Just as she switched on the cooker, she heard footsteps behind her.

Turning around, she saw Zeng Yue standing behind her, quietly watching.

“You’re making this for her, aren’t you?”

Xu Zhiyan tidied up the stove and nodded.

Zeng Yue suddenly smiled and gave her a once-over. “I really didn’t expect… it would be you in the end.”

Her words were cryptic, and Xu Zhiyan couldn’t help feeling there was something odd in her tone.

Zeng Yue stepped closer. Neither of them was wearing a mic—Xu Zhiyan had just left the room and hadn’t put hers back on, and Zeng Yue wasn’t wearing one either—so they weren’t worried about being overheard.

They were also standing in a blind spot outside the camera’s view, meaning the production crew had no idea what was happening.

“What gave you the right to become her girlfriend?” Zeng Yue frowned. She had originally wanted to ask how Xu Zhiyan had won Shen Buhui’s heart—but she couldn’t bring herself to say the word ‘love’.

As if by not saying it, Shen Buhui had never loved anyone at all.

A question mark practically hovered above Xu Zhiyan’s head. She had no idea why Zeng Yue kept clinging to Shen Buhui. The rejection had been crystal clear—what was the point in chasing after something that clearly wasn’t hers?

Zeng Yue had seemed composed when they met yesterday. Xu Zhiyan had assumed she’d finally given up.

“Maybe because I’m young, pretty, and sensible?” Xu Zhiyan blinked innocently, saying it in a breezy tone.

“She’s not that kind of person,” Zeng Yue snapped, her expression sour. “I just don’t understand what’s so good about you that she’d give up on the person she’s secretly loved for so many years and choose you instead.”

Zeng Yue didn’t think she was any less than Xu Zhiyan. If ‘purity’ was the issue—well, back then, she had been pure too. And still, Shen Buhui had rejected her without hesitation.

The more she thought about it, the more the bitterness festered. Looking at Xu Zhiyan, who remained composed from start to finish, Zeng Yue’s expression shifted. A strange, unsettling smile crept across her face.

“You know she’s had someone she loved for many years, right?”

Xu Zhiyan instinctively frowned. “What are you trying to say?” It wasn’t a secret that Shen Buhui had someone she’d loved for a long time—but she was currently her girlfriend.

Zeng Yue let out a low, malicious laugh. “I’ve known Shen Buhui for a long time, and I’ve never seen anyone around her. Not a man, not a woman.”

She had silently followed Shen Buhui for so long—and never once seen her be gentle with anyone.

“But she still insists there’s someone she’s loved for years,” Zeng Yue continued. “You must remember the way she talked about that person, right? So gentle. So unwavering. There was this deep, almost reckless devotion…”

Xu Zhiyan’s mind instantly flashed to that interview clip—and to Shen Buhui’s raw, heart-wrenching performance in Lingque. There had been such hopelessness, such finality.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Zeng Yue wasn’t finished. “Tell me, if someone knew that such a deep and enduring love was meant for them, could anyone possibly refuse it?”

Xu Zhiyan’s eyes wavered. No. No one would.

Glaciers thawing, tenderness blooming.

To the world she was cool, calm, distant—but to you, she was melting warmth and gentleness. A singular affection, reserved for one person. Who in the world could ever say no to that?

Wasn’t that what first made Xu Zhiyan fall for her in the first place?

“So…” Zeng Yue’s voice dropped to a whisper, like a demon murmuring in the dark, “why do you think Shen Buhui never ended up with that person? It must be because…”

She didn’t finish the sentence—but Xu Zhiyan already knew what she was going to say.

Why not? Maybe… because the chance never came.

Zeng Yue felt more convinced the more she spoke. She let out a mocking chuckle, her gaze full of undisguised malice. “Think about it—why did you, of all people, get to have her love from the start?”

The kitchen door quietly swung shut behind them, but the lightness in Xu Zhiyan’s heart was long gone.

Why hadn’t she ended up with the one she’d loved for years?

Was it because she hadn’t dared to confess? Xu Zhiyan frowned. No, that wasn’t like Shen Buhui at all.

They had ruled that out long ago—someone like Shen Buhui, dazzling and capable, wouldn’t hold back out of fear.

Then the only answer left was… she never got the chance.

Having written countless tragic love stories and painful fated romances in fandom circles, Xu Zhiyan suddenly thought of one horrifying possibility.

Her eyes widened.

Could she… could she be a substitute for Shen Buhui’s dead first love?

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