Did Actress Shu Kiss Rising Star Zhu Today?

[The main story is complete! I finally finished it. Thank you to all you sweethearts who stuck with me! Bonus chapters are coming slowly~

For my upcoming story, see My Substitute and I Call Out the Same Name. A steamy love triangle is coming this fall!]

[Chapter 68 can't be revised. Please check my profile if you have questions.]

[Not a sugary romance, but bittersweet with plenty of push and pull]

[Obsessive captain x insecure rebel, genius x ordinary person

A coming-of-age romance between an award-winning actress and the girl she raised, love and resentment, adults healing themselves and learning to reconcile with each other]

If Zhu Qing'an had never met Shu Qing, her life would probably have turned out much the same as anyone else's.

After her mother died unexpectedly, she was taken in by poor relatives. They fed her scraps and dressed her in cast-off clothes, raising her in the countryside until she was old enough to marry.

But Shu Qing, her mother's ex-girlfriend, that gentle auntie, was already a three-time Golden Award-winning actress, with no shortage of money or people around her.

And she appeared in Zhu Qing'an's life once again.

Shu Qing said, "An'an, come with me."

The sun in Yangkun City was always so bright, carrying a faint floral fragrance.

Zhu Qing'an remembered following Shu Qing, gazing up at her tall figure. When she stopped calling her Auntie and started calling her Big Sister, a subtle, fleeting glint passed through Shu Qing's eyes.

A dark breeze stirred their hair. Zhu Qing'an thought that not only jacarandas, but jasmine too, bloomed in spring.

Only later did she realize that the scent she'd noticed was Shu Qing's perfume.

*

Everyone knew Shu Qing was a once-in-a-century genius in the entertainment industry, like a brilliant star sent from heaven.

Before her, the entertainment world was a garden of blossoming talent, yet no one stood out as truly exceptional. After her, every other flower paled. Talent and beauty had found a name that belonged to them alone.

No one knew that Shu Qing, who never had a single gossip story attached to her and was privileged enough to be haughty and aloof, casually toying with others, had a tender affection hidden in her heart.

She would skip unnecessary appearances and turn down shoots that were too far away or too long, all so she could accompany Zhu Qing'an to school.

Then she'd bring her child summer popsicles or winter sweet potatoes, quietly waiting to pick her up after class.

And when Zhu Qing'an grew up and couldn't get into character, Shu Qing would kiss her and help her find the emotions of the role.

On the night they finally became lovers, Shu Qing wrapped an arm around Zhu Qing'an's waist and glanced at her tearful eyes. Her lips parted and closed softly as she breathed, carrying an intoxicating scent of jasmine. "My little sister has grown up."

Zhu Qing'an gazed into her hazy, lovestruck, peach-blossom eyes. A strange desire stirred in her heart, but she said, "I don't want to be your little sister."

Shu Qing froze. Then she heard Zhu Qing'an add, "I want to be your girlfriend."

*

When Zhu Qing'an, an obscure actress who only took on niche roles, won her first Best Actress award, the media called her "the next Shu Qing." They analyzed how similar their acting techniques were and praised her as the hope of a new generation.

She put on a polite, professional smile and replied, "I have great respect for Shu Qing. I've deliberately studied her acting techniques, but comparing me to her is giving me far too much credit."

Shu Qing, whose popularity had been used to promote the story, outright refused to attend the awards ceremony, prompting everyone to speculate that the two of them didn't get along.

Much later, Shu Qing returned to the screen. Her first project was unexpectedly a film with Zhu Qing'an, and the subject was an astonishing same-sex romance.

Shu Qing had never once been photographed by paparazzi in her private life. After that, the first candid photos of her appeared:

Shu Qing held Zhu Qing'an in her arms and kissed her passionately beneath the pale purple canopy of jacaranda trees.

That day, Zhu Qing'an added fuel to the trending topic by reposting an old, cryptic selfie of Shu Qing's with the caption: This is my Big Sister.

Shu Qing seized the moment to reply: The kind of "Big Sister" you're all thinking of.

Reader's guide:

[The two are not in a teacher-student or mother-daughter relationship, and they are not registered in the same household. Shu Qing broke up with Zhu Qing'an's mother long ago.]

Shu Qing has an ex-girlfriend.

Twelve-year age gap, bittersweet with some angst (but not much), monogamous happy ending.

Same-sex marriage is illegal in this setting (but there won't be any painful coming-out plot), fictional entertainment industry, no real-life inspiration.

Theme: Be independent and self-reliant, persevere, and achieve success through your own efforts.