Chapter 1: Contract

May 20, 1:14 PM.

The low-key film queen Ji Fengxue, after more than a year, posted an original Weibo, attracting widespread attention from netizens.

Ji Fengxue V: I love the mountains and waters, but I love you even more who is like the mountains and waters.

This special time and special words seemed like a confession, and everyone was guessing which hero had made this fairy descend to earth and fall in love.

Almost simultaneously, the popular and controversial star Xia Linxia also posted a Weibo.

Xia Linxia V: When summer meets winter, the seasons go awry, just like my heart pounding.

Whether the seasons went awry or not, the netizens were in chaos first.

[Whoa! This can’t be what I think it is! These words are too indicative!]

[Even the posting times are identical, this is definitely a public relationship announcement!]

[I don’t believe it! The fairy Ji has been single for so many years, and it turns out she likes women?! And that woman full of controversies?!]

[OMG, waking up to this feels like the end of the world! Why can my darling Xia date?!]

The internet exploded, as these two had never been close before, how could they suddenly be in love?!

…Wait, thinking about it, a recent GIF of the two was noticed by many netizens, and they started shipping them. Did it turn out to be true?!

Various comments surged, and the tags of Xia Linxia and Ji Fengxue immediately spiked in popularity.

Half an hour later, Morning Star ¹ Entertainment posted an official Weibo, claiming that half a year ago, Ji Fengxue joined Chenxing Entertainment, became senior and junior with Xia Linxia, admired each other in daily interactions, and smoothly developed into a romantic relationship. Same-sex couples are not easy, please support them!

Gossiping netizens flocked to the scene, starting to dig into their debut experiences and various gossips.

While the internet was in an uproar, Xia Linxia sat in the car, feeling annoyed.

“Tsk tsk, this announcement… is too disgusting.” She looked at her Weibo in disdain, “How did you come up with this, aren’t you afraid I’ll puke up my dinner?”

Her Weibo was usually managed by her agent Xiang Huaimeng, fearing she would say something inappropriate. The announcement this time was also scheduled by her agent.

Xiang Huaimeng glared at her, “Didn’t I choose the outfit for you? What are you wearing now? The general manager will personally attend the meeting later.”

Xia Linxia looked down at her crop top and high-waisted hot pants, revealing her voluptuous figure, fair skin, and overall stunning appearance. She proudly straightened her back: “Hmph, giving Ji Fengxue a warning!”

“You’re about to collaborate as lovers, can you tone it down a bit?” Xiang Huaimeng said helplessly.

“No way, my purpose in collaborating with her is to piss her off,” Xia Linxia said nonchalantly, taking out a cushion from her bag to touch up her makeup, but instead found a document, which she took out.

The document was about Ji Fengxue, containing her biography, acting works, personality, hobbies, and more…

Ji Fengxue also had a similar document about her.

Since they were to be contract lovers, they had to understand each other to deal with the media and audience.

She reopened the document, mainly looking at the hobbies section.

Favorite Dishes: Prefers light food, loves soup, avoids spicy food and carbonated drinks.

Xia Linxia calculated: “She’s thirty this year, needs to take care of her health, otherwise how will she compete with us?”

Xiang Huaimeng massaged her temples. Xia Linxia’s biggest flaws were her sharp tongue, bad temper, and arrogance.

Xia Linxia debuted at 18 through a talent show, excelling in singing and dancing, with strong stage presence. However, her temper earned her countless black fans.

She offended almost all the pretty contestants on the show.

In the end, she debuted as the runner-up, missing the center position, and had a poor relationship with the winner. In fact, the group of five members, all isolated her, and the four other fan bases also hated her.

In short, since her debut, she has always been controversial, although she has offended many artists and fans. But her captivating looks and almost perfect body always managed to attract fans.

“Wow, her favorite activities are bowling, golf, and street dancing?!” Xia Linxia exclaimed. “I thought she’d be more into square dancing. She probably can’t even keep up with that rhythm but dares to like street dancing?”

Xiang Huaimeng said, “Even though Ji Fengxue has been low-key these past two years, she’s still a film queen and much more popular than you. Don’t talk about her like that.”

Xia Linxia sneered, “Low-key? She just didn’t have any resources. She brought it on herself. If she hadn’t been blind enough to like… forget it, I don’t want to talk about their crap.”

Xiang Huaimeng shook her head and suddenly heard Xia Linxia laugh slyly, a mischievous expression that would ruin her goddess image if her fans saw it.

“Now that she’s in my hands, I’m going to settle the score from back then!”

Among the people she hated most in the industry, Ji Fengxue was definitely the 89th.

She had so many people she disliked that when she was bored, she would assign them numbers. Ji Fengxue was quite lucky, landing at 89.

Their enmity was endless, and it was unclear who started it. By the time they realized, they were already enemies.

Last month at an awards ceremony, because they were from the same company, they were seated together.

Xia Linxia wore a black off-shoulder dress, while Ji Fengxue wore a white fitted dress. The black and white contrast immediately caught the media’s attention.

Xia Linxia, unaware, glanced sideways, raising her eyebrows with disdain clear on her face. But Ji Fengxue smiled suddenly, a smile that melted like ice and snow, reaching deep into her heart.

For some reason, Xia Linxia returned a fake smile.

This scene made its way online. Someone turned it into a GIF, and the once arrogant Xia Linxia seemed to become cute and innocent when facing Ji Fengxue. People started shipping the “Summer-Winter” couple, and the image went viral, becoming a dark horse among many same-sex ships netizens supported.

The company quickly seized the popularity and planned a contract couple arrangement.

Ji Fengxue, after signing with the company, hadn’t gotten any particularly good projects. This potential money-maker was just sitting there, making the company anxious.

Meanwhile, the company’s biggest earner, Xia Linxia, had too many black marks against her, causing the company stress as well.

Finally, they decided to have them play a fake couple. One could ride the wave of popularity, and the other could use the low-key film queen to clean up her image—a win-win that might produce greater results.

When Xia Linxia received this notice, she was completely bewildered.

She knew Ji Fengxue liked women, but she didn’t! Her first love was with the high school heartthrob, though they broke up after half a month.

Her second relationship was with a guy as handsome as Takeshi Kaneshiro, though it was an online relationship that ended after a two-minute video call.

Her third relationship was with a top star in the industry, which ended after a few days when he cheated on her.

However, the contract clearly outlined the company’s plans and promises of more resources during the contract year and priority treatment afterward.

Now that same-sex marriage was legal, and with many same-sex couples in the industry and the audience looking forward to the “Summer-Winter” couple, why not give it a try?

She was curious about how Ji Fengxue would deal with her.

“What are you smiling about, looking so scary?” Xiang Huaimeng shivered, opening the car door. “You better act normal. I’ll go to the styling department and borrow another outfit.”

Xia Linxia looked at the time and realized she was early.

“Then I’ll go to the restroom.” She headed straight for the restroom upstairs.

Within two minutes, she heard some girls come in, chattering about the latest popular lipstick shades. Suddenly, the topic shifted to her.

“Xia Linxia’s lipstick today looks great. I wonder what shade it is.”

“Everything looks good on her.”

“Heh,” a cold laugh interrupted, full of disdain.

Xia Linxia focused on listening. Damn, isn’t that her former teammate Fu Xiaoxuan?

One of the girls noticed Fu Xiaoxuan’s displeasure and quickly added, “What’s the use of looking good? She has no manners and doesn’t know her place. Look at how she dresses like a vixen every day. I heard there’s a meeting later. Why dress so provocatively? Showing more doesn’t mean looking better.”

“Exactly, and she likes women. Tsk, how did Ji Fengxue get tricked by her?”

As they gossiped, the sound of a door opening interrupted them. Xia Linxia emerged from the stall.

The girls, initially chatting happily, panicked and unconsciously stepped back.

Xia Linxia, taller than average and made even more imposing by her high heels, walked towards them, turned on the tap, and smiled, “Continue. Why stop?”

“Sorry…” one girl whispered.

“What’s there to be sorry about? Come on, tell me, what’s wrong with my outfit?” Xia Linxia looked at herself in the mirror, the fitted embroidered tank top revealing her collarbones and neckline, her waistline perfectly displayed. “I’m quite satisfied. If I had your body, I’d want to cover up more too.”

“Xia Linxia, don’t go too far,” Fu Xiaoxuan couldn’t help but interject, seemingly trying to help.

“Playing the good guy now?” Xia Linxia sneered, crossing her arms, raising an eyebrow. “Aren’t they flattering you? Fu Xiaoxuan, haven’t climbed high these two years, and you’ve fallen to gossiping with assistants in the restroom?”

Xiaoxuan’s face darkened. “They weren’t wrong.”

“Not wrong?” Xia Linxia curled her lips. “Are you saying I deceived Ji Fengxue?”

Everyone fell silent.

Footsteps echoed outside, but no one paid attention, all eyes were on her. Fu Xiaoxuan, accustomed to Xia Linxia’s arrogance, looked even more displeased.

Xia Linxia flashed a charming smile, which didn’t ease the tension. She raised her voice lightly, “Who says I deceived Ji Fengxue? She loves me, absolutely adores me.”

Fu Xiaoxuan retorted, “Impossible, you know she likes…”

“She’s turned over a new leaf,” Xia Linxia interrupted, staring into Fu Xiaoxuan’s eyes. “After seeing what a jerk her ex was, she realized I’m the best. Now she loves me to death.”

“Oh? Is that so?” A gentle, clear voice appeared out of nowhere.

Xia Linxia blinked, dumbfounded, looking at Fu Xiaoxuan who was equally surprised. Both turned towards the door.

Ji Fengxue stood leaning against the doorway, wearing a black jumpsuit that made her skin appear even fairer. Her long curls draped over her shoulders, and her bangs swept to the side, revealing her smooth forehead. Her eyebrows slightly raised, and her eyes, bright as stars, held a hint of an amused smile.

Xia Linxia’s mind raced, and she responded, “Isn’t it?” Don’t forget, we’re contract lovers now!

“Come here,” Ji Fengxue said, her lips curling up. Known for her cold demeanor, Ji Fengxue rarely smiled, but when she did, it was lethal.

The two young girls behind Xia Linxia were already swooning, forgetting the tense situation entirely.

Xia Linxia, feeling guilty, hesitated to move and called out, “Just because you ask, I should come over?”

“Be good, listen,” Ji Fengxue’s smile deepened. “If I’m so in love with you, can’t you come over when I ask?”

Xia Linxia was stunned for a few seconds. Damn, this woman is good, is she helping me out?

She immediately walked over, maintaining her tough demeanor, and put her arm around Ji Fengxue’s shoulder, pretending to be affectionate. “Baby, you’re here, did you miss me?”

Ji Fengxue didn’t reply, instead, she whispered with a smile, “Your hand is in the wrong place.”

“Huh?” Xia Linxia blurted out, “Then where should it be?”

Ji Fengxue patted her arm.