Rank
Alternative
Author(s)
Genre(s)
Tag(s)
Despite both being rising stars among the new generation of actors, Li Mengjue and Ruan Qingxiao are famous in the industry for being “metaphysically” incompatible—they never appear together.
While fans are dying to ship them, lamenting their lack of shared destiny, only Li Mengjue knows the truth: it’s not a lack of destiny, but a deliberate avoidance. She refuses any script that features Ruan Qingxiao and calls in sick for any event Ruan Qingxiao attends. In the years since her debut, their closest interaction was sitting at opposite ends of an awards ceremony hall.
The reason is simple: according to the original plot of the book she’s in, Ruan Qingxiao is a “villainous supporting female” whose life goal is to torment the heroine. Being in the same frame as her doesn’t just mean being bullied or framed—it could cost Li Mengjue her life.
Whenever their eyes met from a distance, Ruan Qingxiao’s gaze was always cold as ice. Thus, the trouble-averse Li Mengjue decided to keep her distance.
That is, until she signed a contract for a new drama, only to find out the second female lead had been replaced by Ruan Qingxiao at the last minute. While fans celebrated like it was New Year’s Day, Li Mengjue was busy calculating the feasibility of faking a terminal illness.
However, on a rainy night just before filming began, Li Mengjue found Ruan Qingxiao collapsed by the roadside. When Ruan Qingxiao woke up in the hospital, the woman who was usually cold and arrogant asked with a face full of confusion: “Who are you? And who am I?”
Li Mengjue glanced at the script she had been eyeing for a long time, thought for two seconds, and decided to bluff: “You’ve had a crush on me for years. You entered the industry to become an actor for me. Two days ago, you impulsively confessed over the phone and were so excited that you accidentally got into a car accident…”
Ruan Qingxiao believed her. Then she asked: “So… did you say yes?”
In a moment of madness, Li Mengjue replied: “That depends on your performance.”
The “villainess,” now turned into a gentle and protective little follower, wasn’t nearly as loathsome as Li Mengjue imagined. Initially, Li Mengjue just wanted to finish the drama and then explain the truth so they could go their separate ways. After all, how deep can a fictional relationship be?
Yet, by the final scene of the shoot, Ruan Qingxiao—who should have recovered her memories by then—tugged at Li Mengjue’s sleeve. With red-rimmed eyes and a fragile expression, she whispered: “I’ll be good and listen to you. Just don’t leave me, okay?”
Hearing her own heart beating like a drum, Li Mengjue suddenly realized: She had played herself. She had fallen so deep into the pit named Ruan Qingxiao that she could no longer climb out.
Much, much later, Li Mengjue learned that everything she used to fool Ruan Qingxiao—except for that very last sentence—was actually the truth.
