In a word-guessing game, I gestured frantically at the movie star sitting opposite me. "Hypothetically, if we were dating, and I suddenly slapped you for no reason, what would you call that?" He tilted his head, his tone absolutely certain. "A reward." I gritted my teeth. "Four words!" "Thank you, my queen? Do the left side too? Harder, please?" Host: ... Me: Haha. Livestream Comments: [Stop giving him hypotheticals! You're just turning him on!] 1 It was a live variety show. The word on the card was "Unreasonable Tantrum". I was trying to describe it to Liam Thorne, the award-winning actor. "Hypothetically, if we were dating, and I suddenly slapped you for no reason, what would you call that?" He tilted his head, his tone absolutely certain. "A reward." I gritted my teeth. "Four words! An idiom or common phrase!" "Thank you, my queen? Do the left side too? Harder, please?" "No! Four words!" Liam looked at me, deadpan, and rattled off a list of absurd answers. "Consensual play? Love tap? Marital bliss? Soulmates forever? Sleeping together?" The host and other guests: ... Me: Are you kidding me? Is he doing a stand-up routine?! I waved my hand at the staff, defeated. "Pass! Pass! Next word." The next word was "Ex-boyfriend". I saw stars. I steeled myself and spoke. "Still hypothetical. If we broke up, what would you be to me? Two words." Liam thought for a moment, then lifted his chin slightly. "Side piece." ? "Boy toy." ?? "Simp." ???! The studio went dead silent. The other guests looked like they were about to explode from holding back laughter. The comment section went wild. [Emma, stop with the hypotheticals! You're just giving him ideas!] [Wait, who programmed Liam Thorne to be this down bad?!] [Valid suspicion: his inner monologue for the last question was definitely 'Thank you, Mistress!' My boyfriend has the exact same energy.] [Hehe, kinky.] [Liam: I see yellow no matter what color you show me!] [Did anyone else catch the subtle tone when Liam stared at Emma and said 'sleeping together'?! Ahhh!] [Emma's fans better back off. Just because Liam won an Oscar doesn't mean you can leech off his fame. Know your place.] [Is the commenter above brain-dead? It's a variety show, why so hostile?] [If you don't like it, get out!] 2 I took a deep breath, controlling my facial muscles to avoid rolling my eyes into the back of my head. He's not stupid; he's doing this on purpose! Liam leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed. Seeing my annoyance, the corner of his mouth quirked up infinitesimally. Ugh, psychopath! ... Backstage, I walked towards the dressing room, speechless. Because I lost the game with Liam, I had been sprayed with whipped cream. Although I wiped it off with a towel, my skin still felt sticky. The dressing room was dark. I habitually fumbled for the switch. Click. The door shut without warning. The next moment, a firm pressure landed on my wrist and lower back. I was pressed against the door, my back hitting the cold wood. But the palm on my lower back was searing hot, instantly turning my cold sweat into a feverish heat. My scalp tingled, and my breathing quickened. A woody scent enveloped me, burning with an aggressive bitterness. He leaned in, licking a dried smear of cream off my cheek. He gave a fair assessment. "Pretty sweet." Pervert! Ahhh! I couldn't break free, so I resorted to sarcasm. "I didn't know Mr. Thorne was so devoted, pestering his ex-girlfriend like this." In the dim light, I couldn't see Liam's eyes clearly. I only heard him chuckle. "I remember the reason you dumped me was: you have multiple personalities, and the one that liked me got absorbed and disappeared." "But unfortunately, recently I've fallen for your primary personality." As soon as he finished speaking, a frantic knocking exploded behind me. "Hey guys! Mic! Your mics are still on!!!" 3 ???! What?! I looked down sharply. Sure enough, the transmitter pack on my lower back was glowing faintly. My heart rate, which hadn't even settled, spiked past the threshold again. My brain went blank, buzzing. It's over. The whole world thinks I have a thing with Liam Thorne now! Ahhh! I pursed my lips tight, not daring to breathe loudly. Afraid any more noise would be recorded. But Liam leaned down wickedly, breathing right next to the lavalier mic clipped to my collar, his tone innocent. "Baby, what do we do now that they all heard?" ... Intentional. Absolutely intentional! He pins me here like a fish on a cutting board, then acts like a green tea victim?! After speaking, Liam efficiently freed a hand, switched off the blinking indicator light, and informed the people outside. "It's off now." Oh, so that sentence wasn't in a seductive voice?! This guy changes faces fast! The chaotic noise outside faded. The staff probably realized the atmosphere was weird and scattered. Wait, someone come save me! I held my breath and shoved Liam hard. This time he played nice, stepping back with a half-smile. "What do you want?" "I want a reasonable break-up excuse that conforms to basic human cognition. Is that too much to ask?" That simple?! I rolled my eyes, a mischievous idea bubbling up. "I'm getting married. Arranged match." "Are you satisfied with this reason, sir?" Liam twitched his lips slightly. "Okay, understood. Do you want to come to my place for dinner tonight? You can use me while you're there." ???! Use? Sounds tempting~ Cough, what am I thinking! "Do you not understand English?" "I said I'm getting married! We broke up!" Liam looked calm, his voice laced with laziness. "You're just getting married to someone else. Does that stop me from simping for you?" "I said earlier: side piece, boy toy, simp—I'm fine with any of them." "Or should I make dinner for three? You can bring your damn fiancé over to eat too?" The more he spoke, the calmer he looked. Finally, he straightened up and left a parting shot. "If you don't come, I'll come find you." "But if the paparazzi snap us then and make up some wild rumors, don't blame me." Watching his retreating back, a chill climbed from my spine to my neck. God, what kind of plague have I provoked?! 4 The first time I met Liam was at the script reading for our new drama, Floating Life. He was dressed entirely in black, the only decoration a diamond stud in one ear. He radiated an intimidating aura. Throughout the reading, he was cold and spoke little. Even when giving feedback, he was extremely concise. I scrutinized him from head to toe all day. Conclusion—heh, poser. With Liam's unlikeable personality, how dare he be a rival to my idol, Zach Parker, fighting for resources? Yet his fans hype him up to the heavens. Saying things like "Intense beauty, perfect bone structure." I say "Nonsense talk, blind eyes and heart"! After work that day, I successfully struck up a conversation with Liam. "Mr. Thorne, I have a question. It might be presumptuous, please don't be angry." Liam stopped, nodded, signaling me to continue. I cleared my throat, trying to hide my anti-fan attributes. "Do you have a girlfriend?" Seeing his surprise, I quickly covered. "As the male and female leads, we have a lot of scenes together." "I'm asking in advance so I can gauge the boundaries of our interactions later." Liam said in a low voice, "No." "What about a boyfriend? Are you sure you're absolutely single?" I asked skeptically, a bright smile on my face, but darkness in my heart. I don't believe the industry rumors are groundless. Spending the night with an influencer~ Holding hands with a male friend~ Sleeping his way to the top for resources~ One of them must be true! Once I dig it out, you won't be far from becoming a has-been! Liam narrowed his eyes, adding a layer of distance. "Ms. Stone, I don't wish for us to have any relationship outside of work. I don't do 'showmance' either." "Don't waste your time on me." With that, he walked away without looking back. ???! He thinks I asked because I like him?! Ew, narcissist!
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