First Meeting, First Love

[Next up: Gentle Blade and Sweet-Talked, both in my author's column. Please add them to your favorites!]

Back in high school, Lu Shisheng turned someone down, and had a crush on someone else.

Eight years later, that person had not only become a newly crowned Best Actor, but had also joined the same variety show as her, as a regular cast member.

She texted Xu Yang, hoping he'd keep the fact that they knew each other a secret.

The show had only aired one episode when eagle-eyed viewers spotted something unusual.

[Did Xu Yang just put her lamb skewer straight onto his own plate??]

[I remember Lu Shisheng saying in an interview that she doesn't like lamb.]

[...From my many years of shipping couples, I can tell you these two definitely have something going on.]

The second episode, a couples special, aired, and viewers found even more convincing evidence:

At the amusement park, the two rode a roller coaster. The instant they dropped from the highest point, Lu Shisheng instinctively grabbed Xu Yang's hand, and he held hers in return.

That night, the Xu Yang and Lu Shisheng CP supertopic shot up overnight: [Aren't these just two people secretly in love?? I'm shipping them so hard!]

-

As the episodes aired one after another, the online CP fandom was in a frenzy. Yet neither of the two involved responded.

Then someone in the know came forward: The two really were high school classmates. Xu Yang had confessed to Lu Shisheng back then, but she turned him down for some reason. If they were already in love with each other, they would have gotten together long ago. Why wait all these years?

For a while, the internet was full of cries of despair:

[Is my ship really sinking already??]

[Waaah, I don't believe it.]

Then came the final episode, a murder mystery set at a grand ball. Everyone played a character, and they had to catch the duke's killer.

A behind-the-scenes photo from that day's filming was posted online.

Someone uploaded a picture of Xu Yang and Lu Shisheng with the caption: [I'm stunned. That doesn't look like a staged kiss the script called for...]

In the photo, Lu Shisheng was on tiptoe, her arms around the man's neck. Xu Yang bent his head slightly and kissed her on the lips.

Netizens: [Holy crap!! Who the hell said my ship was fake??]

Dating the Best Actor on a Variety Show Made Me Famous, A Certain Best Actor's Double Standards on Full Display, Everyone, I'm Officially Declaring That Real Couples Are the Best to Ship

- [The first time I saw you, my heart was yours for a hundred years.]

·Reading Guide·

Sweet romance / Reunited after years apart / High school and city life

☆★ Please add my similar story, A Passionate Response, to your favorites!

[She draws him into the scene, and he lures her into his arms.]

Sang Yi joined an original dating variety show featuring celebrity couples.

When filming began, the production team paired her with Best Actor Wen Kuang. They agreed to film a period drama and use wires for the stunts.

When Wen Kuang cornered her against the wall, the dagger in his hand sliced through her veil.

The script ended there, but the man gazed fixedly at her for several seconds before lowering his eyes and kissing her.

Sang Yi: "!!"

Her face turned bright red. She shoved him away and blurted out, "Y-you added a kiss scene without telling me!"

Wen Kuang offered an utterly insincere apology. "Sorry. I thought it would make the emotions feel more genuine."

The director, standing nearby: "?"

You're the Best Actor. Whatever you say goes.

-

In the final episode, Wen Kuang took her to his villa.

Sang Yi flopped onto the leather sofa and wailed that once she became famous, she wanted to buy a place just like it.

The man cleared his throat and said seriously, "Sang Yi, agree to one thing, and this seaside villa is yours."

She looked up. "What?"

Wen Kuang: "Be with me."

Sang Yi froze. She caught sight of the camera out of the corner of her eye and, thinking it was part of the show, smiled sweetly. "Sure!"

A week later.

Sang Yi received a text message.

Wen Kuang: [Bring your ID card and household register to the property registry.]

Sang Yi: ???

What was going on? That wasn't how the script went.

-

*Dating show with a drama shoot / Original scripts

*An eighteenth-tier actress with only money on her mind & a Best Actor who gives her whatever she wants

★☆ Sweet-Talked

Glamorous actress x possessive, puppy-like younger man

[His older sister thinks she's picked up a puppy, never knowing that the little brother is the real hunter.]

[Click into the author's column in the top-right corner to find it. Please add it to your favorites, ladies!]

Recommended stories by friends:

★ Rong Wujian, The Whole World Thinks He's Secretly in Love with Me

[As it turns out, he really is secretly in love with me.]

☆ Chayue, A Promise Kept

[I thought my boyfriend just looked like someone famous, but I never expected to date a top-tier star.]

Theme: Becoming better versions of ourselves together.