I debuted at the same time as the nation’s sweetheart, Serena Xu, but she has overshadowed me at every turn. To leech off her fame, I deliberately staged "accidental" run-ins, copied her outfits, and paid for PR articles claiming I wore them better. I thought bad publicity was still publicity. I never expected the internet to have a mind of its own. instead of hating me, they started shipping us as a "Rivals-to-Lovers" couple. [OMG, the Leopard and the Cat are matching again today! Stop pretending! When are you two going public?] After a busy day of scheming, I opened the comment section and felt the sky collapse. No, seriously... is this legal? 1 My name is Zoe Lane. Since I was a child, I’ve aspired to be a top-tier Hollywood star. Unfortunately, I’m the only daughter of a business tycoon, with millions in assets waiting for me to inherit. When applying for college, I tearfully gave up my dream film school and went to an Ivy League university for business, per my parents' demands. However, under the double pressure of corporate finance and bland cafeteria food, I was diagnosed with mild depression upon graduation. Worried about my health, my parents finally relented and gave me five years of freedom. We made a deal: If I could become an A-list star within five years, they wouldn't force me to take over the family business. If not, I had to obediently come home and become the CEO. 2 I don't know why, but I was born feeling like I was made for stardom. Before entering the industry, I went to a psychic in Venice Beach to read my fortune. The psychic looked at me, looked at the tarot cards, and her face grew grave. Seeing this, I didn't bat an eye. I stuffed a stack of cash into her hand and asked her to read the cards again. The psychic cleared her throat and said I was destined for "heat." I was perfect for the entertainment industry. Only later did I realize what she meant. The "heat" she saw was the dumpster fire of my career. After starring in five consecutive flops, I looked at my dismal engagement numbers and doubted myself for the first time. Don't mess with me; I'm aggressively unpopular right now! Seeing my depressed look, my assistant advised me to relax. I listened, opened TikTok, and was immediately hit by a critical strike. In the video, Serena Xu was wearing a black trailing gown, holding a golden trophy, and calmly delivering her acceptance speech. Looking at her exquisite, aloof profile, I ground my teeth in jealousy. Serena and I debuted on the same talent show. In three years, she had become an Oscar-winning actress, while I remained a D-list idol. I looked gloomy. "Why is she always one step ahead of me?" My assistant instinctively replied, "Probably more than one step." Me: "…?" Although the gap in our status was wide, did she have to emphasize it? I gritted my teeth. "Don't forget who pays your salary." My assistant went silent, offering only an awkward smile. After a moment of emo time, I jumped off the couch. Even though I only had two years left on my bet with my parents, I wouldn't admit defeat so easily. I ordered my assistant, "In three minutes, I want Serena Xu's schedule for the next three months." If I couldn't get famous naturally, I’d become a "coattail rider." And Serena was the unlucky victim I chose. For the next three months, I turned down all other engagements and tailored my flight routes entirely to Serena's schedule. No matter what major event she attended, I would copy her makeup and outfit, pretend it was a coincidence, and repeatedly walk past the event location. Then, I’d post a video on TikTok as "evidence." Hard work pays off. One day, a video my assistant casually shot went viral. In the frame, I glanced carelessly at the camera, then dragged my long tulle skirt up the stairs without looking back. Paired with a catchy beat, the video broke five million likes in less than three days. At first, the comments were full of generic thirst traps. But soon, sharp-eyed netizens noticed something: [Am I the only one who thinks this dress looks familiar?] [What a coincidence, my girl Serena wore this three months ago. Beautiful women have similar tastes.] [Passerby here. At first glance, I thought Zoe was Serena.] [Can we talk about how this idol is copying Serena's makeup and style?] [Eh, even though they look alike, the Shadow Queen doesn't own a patent on this style.] [Umm, but Zoe used to be the 'sweet girl' type. This change is too deliberate...] 3 Seeing the fanbases on the verge of war, I quickly contacted a bunch of gossip blogs and told them to fan the flames. In an instant, the internet was flooded with "Who Wore It Better" articles: [Same old money aesthetic. Oscar winner Serena Xu vs. Idol Zoe Lane. Who wins? Netizens say Zoe takes the crown!] [Zoe Lane clashes with Serena Xu in magazine shoots. Who won? Personally, Zoe pulls off this style better!] Serena's fans quickly arrived to control the narrative: [Speechless. Serena is so chill, how did she get entangled with this drama queen?] [Not sure, don't care, but Serena's aura wins. Let's focus on her new movie!] [I want to barf looking at Zoe's plastic face!] I put down my phone with satisfaction. I thought bad publicity was still publicity. I never expected that after a busy day, when I opened the comments section, the wind had completely changed direction: [Hehe, when two men stand together you ship them. When two women do it, you compare them.] [Otherwise? Tell me how to ship two women?] [Check out the 'Zero-Gravity' ship (Zoe + Serena). Invest now, thank me later.] [OMG, the Leopard and the Cat are matching again today! Stop pretending! When are you going public?] [Moms are practically feeding the sugar directly to our mouths, boohoo!] Ah, what strange thing has infiltrated the chat? Confused, I typed "Zero-Gravity Ship" into the browser. I didn't know until I searched, but I was startled. It was the ship name for me and Serena. No, sisters, is this legal? A ship can be niche, but it shouldn't be hallucinations! I frowned and scrolled down, seeing many hot posts: [Zoe never wears backpacks, but today she wore the brand Serena just endorsed. Admit it, Zoe, you're super in love!] [Rumor has it: Zoe had a commercial this week but suddenly canceled it. The next day she appeared at the same airport as Serena. My guess? Secret date!] My mouth dropped into an "O" shape. What do you mean I'm in love? I just purely love being a drama queen! Scrolling further, there was all kinds of fan art. The first few were quite pure, but the last one showed me in a maid outfit, with Serena holding my chin and feeding me wine, captioned: [Disobedient puppies need to be punished by Big Sister ^_^] I squeezed my eyes shut in terror. Don't do this to me, I'm a hopeless straight girl! Just as I wanted to exit the topic, I glanced at the follower count. Twenty thousand. That was more than my actual active fans. I suddenly couldn't bear to leave. Actually, I had been shipped with male stars before. But either there was no chemistry, or after the show ended, the few fans I gained were poached by the male side. Not only that, they would turn around and step on me, calling me a leech, a green tea b*tch, a flop. I accepted being called a green tea, but calling me a flop was intolerable! But shipping with Serena seemed to have no such worries. Everyone in the industry said she was super zen, didn't like surfing the internet, and focused entirely on acting. She was the perfect candidate to leech off. From that day on, I paid even more attention to Serena's every move and deliberately manufactured artificial sugar. When a reporter asked if she was dating, Serena denied it: "I have no plans to find a boyfriend in the near future." That night, I posted a nine-grid selfie set captioned: "Tsk tsk, I'm a girl~" When the host asked her to summarize her new pet movie in one sentence, Serena said: "Puppies can't say I love you, but they are good at expressing love through action." I immediately posted a daily vlog of my dog, captioned: "Who's coming to take this well-behaved puppy home?" When Serena posted behind-the-scenes footage of filming underwater, saying it was cold. I "casually" posted a landscape photo captioned: "It won't be cold if we hug~" The CP fans went crazy. Not only that, I spent big money to hire many high-popularity artists, writers, and editors. I had them publish fan art, fan fiction, and fan edits on a schedule, and promoted their works. With this smooth combo, in less than half a year, the popularity of the "Zero-Gravity" ship skyrocketed, bringing me huge exposure. Then, my agent booked me a travel reality show. The production team was generous with the budget, and I played happily with the other guests all day. However, in the evening, the director suddenly announced a surprise guest was joining. I clapped along cooperatively, but felt a vague unease inside. The next second, a woman in a white dress carrying a suitcase walked in from outside. I looked up and met her cold eyes. 4 The moment I saw Serena Xu. My brain crashed. Wasn't she filming a new movie in the mountains? Why did she suddenly appear here? I wondered why the director smiled so kindly at me today; he was waiting for this! The live chat overlay (Danmu) instantly boiled over: [Moms finally share the same frame ahhh!] [Serena, didn't you say you wouldn't do variety shows? You broke your rule to see your wife!] [So awkward, I'm flushing for them.] [What will they say? Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!] [Ah, the lilies of my hometown are blooming so beautifully!] I lowered my head guiltily. Although in the eyes of netizens, Serena and I were just one step away from a public announcement. In reality, we didn't know each other at all. We hadn't even exchanged contact info. The director, that old fox, stopped pretending. Ignoring the staff nearby, he called me out by name to help Serena with her luggage. Hearing this, Serena froze for a moment, waving her hand hesitantly: "I can carry it myself... hey?" Before she could finish, I had already carried the luggage to my room door in one breath. I leeched so much of her fame; carrying her luggage was the least I could do. However, I suddenly realized the rooms on the second floor were full. Where would Serena stay? The director's punchable voice sounded behind me: "Oh my, I almost forgot. We don't have enough rooms in the villa. Since our Zoe is so welcoming, Serena, you can share a room with Zoe." I was stunned. This director dared to sell the ship harder than I did! Just as I wanted to politely refuse, Serena's eyes curved slightly, and she nodded at me: "Sorry to trouble you, Zoe." Her smile was clean, like snow melting in early winter. I cleared my throat and swallowed my refusal: "No trouble at all~"
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