The Paranoid Film Queen Hooked Me, and I Fell in Love - Chapter 56

Having arranged the time with Lin Jiao in advance, Xu Zhiyan and Shen Buhui had breakfast early in the morning and got ready to leave.

Taking a few plump oranges from the fridge, Xu Zhiyan found a bag, placed them inside, and carried it out the door.

Shen Buhui glanced down at her, then gently took her arm as they left together.

When they met up with Lin Jiao, Xu Zhiyan casually asked if she had eaten breakfast. After receiving a nod in reply, she handed over the bag of oranges. “Try one, they’re pretty sweet.”

After a bit of polite refusal, Lin Jiao finally accepted the oranges. Glancing at Xu Zhiyan and Shen Buhui standing side by side, she smiled and said, “Let’s go, I’ll take you there.”

They had come to find Lin Jiao that morning because they wanted her to show them the venue where she would be holding her wedding.

When they arrived, Xu Zhiyan realized it was a newly built three-story villa. Behind it was a small fenced-off area that looked like it was specially reserved as a greenhouse or flower garden.

Noticing Xu Zhiyan’s gaze, Lin Jiao’s expression softened. “My girlfriend loves gardening. When we were planning the land, I made sure to leave a space just for her to continue her hobby.”

Shen Buhui couldn’t help but comment, “You two have such a beautiful relationship.”

Lin Jiao smiled sweetly, without denying it.

Taking advantage of her sleeve to hide the movement, Xu Zhiyan quietly reached for Shen Buhui’s hand.

As Lin Jiao walked ahead to open the door, Shen Buhui glanced back with a raised eyebrow and a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

The three-story villa was modestly but warmly decorated—it was clear the owner had refined taste.

Guided by Lin Jiao, they toured the whole house. When the visit ended, Lin Jiao handed the keys to Xu Zhiyan. “I’m leaving it in your hands.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll do our best to create a beautiful wedding home for you,” Xu Zhiyan promised.

After pouring glasses of water for the two of them, Lin Jiao sat across from them and said, “Having Teacher Shen here already makes it halfway a success. My girlfriend is a huge fan of hers—we have full confidence in you both.”

“Really?” Shen Buhui looked a bit surprised. She hadn’t noticed anything during their video call the day before.

Lin Jiao chuckled fondly. “She says she’s a rational fan, so she tried to stay calm while talking to you. But she was over the moon afterward.”

“Then we definitely have to do our best,” Shen Buhui replied with a smile.

After chatting a while longer, Lin Jiao took her leave. Though the wedding setup had been handed over to the production team, she still had many other things to handle.

Once she was gone, Xu Zhiyan and Shen Buhui officially began their work for the day.

Since it was going to be a traditional Chinese wedding, they needed to decorate the villa with appropriately festive colors.

Armed with decorations specially prepared by the production team, Xu Zhiyan and Shen Buhui were busy running back and forth, not only directing the helpers but also handling many parts personally.

By the time they finished decorating the entire three-story villa, Xu Zhiyan felt like her legs were about to give out.

After setting up the exterior, the last and most important task was the wedding room.

Xu Zhiyan watched the workers carry in the framed wedding portraits. Some showed the couple in traditional Chinese wedding attire—phoenix crowns and red robes—while others featured them in classic white wedding dresses.

“They’re beautiful,” she said, eyes fixed on the portraits.

Perhaps it was the meaning behind the event, but these photos seemed to carry a special kind of beauty. In her eyes, they were as expressive as any romantic couple photo she’d seen before.

Maybe the difference was that one kind is staged, and the other is real?

Xu Zhiyan wondered silently.

Shen Buhui glanced at the photos too and nodded in agreement.

“If you like them, we can take some when we get back,” she said softly.

Xu Zhiyan’s eyes widened. “But I’m not old enough yet, remember?”

She definitely remembered—it was Shen Buhui who had reminded her just yesterday.

“We don’t have to take wedding photos. We can take other kinds of couple photos,” Shen Buhui replied.

Catching a glimpse of the last photo out of the corner of her eye, Xu Zhiyan wanted to say she really did want to take wedding photos—ones that carried special meaning.

But she held back, afraid she’d sound too eager to get married.

Following the couple’s instructions, Xu Zhiyan and Shen Buhui hung the wedding portraits in just the right spots and continued decorating the room.

After completing the entire process, Xu Zhiyan felt like she never wanted to plan another wedding again.

“I didn’t expect it to be this exhausting,” she said, coming down from the third floor while holding the banister. She looked over their handiwork from top to bottom. “But the sense of accomplishment really is worth it.”

“From now on, I’ll just stick to designing. No more hands-on labor,” Shen Buhui said, gazing at the completely transformed home.

Truthfully, she was just as exhausted. Xu Zhiyan helped her down the last flight of stairs, and the two collapsed onto the couch to rest.

“Whatever you say,” Xu Zhiyan replied.

Shen Buhui glanced over at her, a small smile lifting her lips—clearly pleased by her words.

They lay on the couch for nearly half an hour before finally helping each other back to their lodging.

They had spent the entire day working at the villa. Even lunch had been a simple boxed meal provided by the production team. By the end of the day, they were thoroughly wiped out.

The others saw how tired they were and couldn’t help but sympathize.

Shang Qi sighed, “Getting married is way too exhausting.”

Besides her own responsibilities, she had been around Lin Jiao most of the day, watching her run around handling one thing after another—there were so many details and so much to worry about.

Since the wedding preparations would continue the next day, the six of them didn’t go out for an evening walk like usual. After dinner, they took showers and went to bed early.

The next morning, because they weren’t needed for any tasks, Xu Zhiyan and Shen Buhui had a leisurely breakfast before heading out. As they stepped outside the courtyard, they heard the distant sound of drums and gongs coming from the front of the village.

On the way there, they passed many trees wrapped in red silk ribbons, and rooftops adorned in red as well.

“So festive,” Xu Zhiyan sighed. “These red decorations feel like they popped up overnight—it’s like the whole village is celebrating this wedding.”

Shen Buhui held her hand tightly and said seriously, “There will be even more people blessing us one day.”

She assumed Xu Zhiyan was still thinking about the idea of marrying her.

Feeling the warmth in her hand, Xu Zhiyan let out a helpless chuckle. “I wasn’t trying to compare, I was just making an observation.”

Still, Shen Buhui’s words had touched her heart.

Xu Zhiyan curved her lips into a smile and, taking advantage of the crowd for cover, gently returned the grip on Shen Buhui’s hand.

They held on tightly—and didn’t let go for the rest of the time.

No one quite knew what Lin Jiao and her wife were thinking, but in the middle of the ceremony, right after exchanging rings, they suddenly brought out a round item that resembled a traditional embroidered ball from ancient times.

Listening to the person on stage explain, Xu Zhiyan turned and laughed to Shen Buhui, “This is taking the place of the bouquet toss.”

Whoever catches the embroidered ball is said to receive the same happiness as the newlyweds—just like catching the bouquet means receiving blessings and possibly becoming the next to marry.

Xu Zhiyan’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. “Do you think it’ll come our way?”

“Do you want it to?” Shen Buhui asked.

Xu Zhiyan kept her eyes fixed upward, not wanting to miss a thing. “Kind of, yeah. The meaning behind it is really beautiful.”

Although she wasn’t superstitious and didn’t believe her relationship with Shen Buhui depended on fate, she still felt that blessings like this could only help.

Feeling Xu Zhiyan’s wrist beneath her palm, Shen Buhui gave a slight tug and gently pulled her hand free.

“If you want it, then go for it.”

Their eyes met, and Shen Buhui grinned.

They intentionally squeezed into the crowd. The cameras were set up outside, but with all the noise and movement, Shen Buhui had quietly turned off her mic—so no one would overhear anything personal.

Just as Shen Buhui let go, the person on stage began the countdown.

“…3, 2, 1!”

At the final count, the embroidered ball was hurled into the air.

By some stroke of luck, it was coming their way.

As it began its arc downward—just barely skimming over the heads in front—Xu Zhiyan suddenly jumped up, reached out with full force, and snatched it from the air. Then, with a playful push, she threw it straight into Shen Buhui’s arms.

Caught off guard, Shen Buhui instinctively cradled the ball as it landed in her arms—only realizing a second later what had happened.

Around them came a chorus of disappointed sighs.

But Shen Buhui didn’t hear any of that. All she could see was Xu Zhiyan’s radiant, sun-bright smile.

“Jiejie, it’s for you,” Xu Zhiyan said, using a term of endearment only they understood. “I hope it carries all the happiness in the world to Teacher Shen—after all, I passed it to you myself.”

She blinked, meaningfully.

Only Xu Zhiyan could bring true happiness to Shen Buhui—so her words weren’t just playful; they were the truth.

Shen Buhui smiled and replied softly, “I’ll take your blessing.”

While others prepared to catch the ball, it had unexpectedly gone in the opposite direction. Chen Xingguang looked at the ball now cradled in Shen Buhui’s arms and couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Where there is disappointment, there is also jealousy.

Zeng Yue looked away, avoiding the sight of the two women smiling sweetly at each other.

For the rest of the wedding, instead of holding hands, Shen Buhui held the embroidered ball.

She kept it close the entire time—even during group photos and signing with the brides, she never let it go.

On the way back, Chen Xingguang couldn’t help but eye the treasured ball.

“Teacher Shen really seems to like it—she hasn’t let go once,” he said, glancing at the soft smile on her face. She looked approachable and gentle.

He asked earnestly, “Teacher Shen, would you mind if I held it for a moment? Maybe I could soak up a little of that good luck.”

With his puppy-dog eyes full of sincerity, he looked absolutely pitiful.

But Shen Buhui didn’t budge. Her expression stayed gentle, but her tone was firm: “No. If you like it, you can buy one.”

Chen Xingguang was speechless.

“Not even just to touch it?” he tried again, unwilling to give up.

Shen Buhui shook her head. “No.”

Cold as stone.

In the end, it was Shang Qi who couldn’t bear to watch anymore and dragged him away.

Back in their room, Xu Zhiyan giggled. “Teacher Shen, you’re really that possessive? You wouldn’t even let him touch it?”

Though she teased, the smug little smile on her face said she was more than pleased.

Shen Buhui looked over. “That’s right. I’m very possessive. Why, don’t you like that?”

She found a prominent spot and carefully placed the embroidered ball there—so it would be the first thing anyone saw upon entering the room.

Then she added, “Or are you hoping I’ll let him hug it, touch it, whatever?”

“No way!” Xu Zhiyan replied instantly. “This has special meaning! What if it loses its magic after he touches it?”

The way she said it—with such certainty—completely contradicted her earlier claim about not being superstitious.

Just as Shen Buhui was about to respond, her phone rang.

A moment later, Xu Zhiyan noticed her girlfriend looking at her with a rather complicated expression.

“There’s an opportunity to take wedding photos now. Do you want to do it?”

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