During a variety show livestream, I was frantically gesturing to the award-winning actor, Ethan Vance, trying to get him to guess a phrase. "Okay, imagine we're dating. If I just randomly slap you for no reason, what do you call that?" Ethan tilted his head, his tone utterly confident. "A reward." I gritted my teeth. "Four words!" "Thank you, my queen? Do the left side too? Harder, please?" The host: ... Me: Heh. Comments: [Stop giving him scenarios! You're just fueling his fantasies!] 1 It was a live variety show. The phrase to guess was "Unreasonable behavior." I was flailing my arms, trying to describe it to Ethan Vance. "Imagine we're dating. If I just randomly slap you for no reason, what do you call that?" He tilted his head, completely serious. "A reward." I gritted my teeth. "Four words!" "Thank you, my queen? Do the left side too? Harder, please?" "It's an idiom! Four words!" Ethan looked straight at me and, without blinking, rattled off a string of ridiculous answers. "Consensual love? Soulmates forever? Happily ever after? Perfect match? Sleeping together?" The host and other guests: ... Me: Wow. Dude, are you practicing your wedding vows or something?! Feeling defeated, I waved at the staff. "Pass! Pass! Next one." The next phrase—"Ex-partner." My vision went dark for a second, but I braced myself and spoke. "Okay, same scenario as before. If we broke up, what would I be to you? Two words." Ethan thought for a moment, then lifted his chin slightly. "Mistress." ? "Lover." ?? "Simp." ???! The studio went silent. The other guests looked like they were about to explode from holding back laughter. The live comments were going wild. [Zoey, stop with the scenarios! You're just making him happy!] [Wait, who programmed Ethan like this?!] [I suspect for the last question, he was definitely thinking "Thank you, Master!" because my boyfriend has the same vibe.] [Hehe, sounds spicy.] [Ethan: Doesn't matter what you say, I'm hearing what I want to hear!] [Did anyone else think Ethan's tone when he said "sleeping together" was kinda... sus? Ahhh!] [Zoey's fans, back off. Just because Ethan won an award doesn't mean you can ride his coattails. Know your place.] [Is the commenter above okay? It's just a show, why so toxic?] [If you don't like it, leave!] 2 I took a deep breath, trying to control my face from twitching. He wasn't stupid; he was doing this on purpose! Ethan leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed. Seeing my frustration, the corner of his lip curled up almost imperceptibly. Ugh, psycho! ... Backstage, I walked silently toward the dressing room. Because we lost the game, I had gotten blasted in the face with whipped cream. I had wiped it off with a towel, but my skin still felt sticky and gross. The dressing room lights were off. I reached for the switch out of habit. Clack. The door shut behind me without warning. The next second, a firm grip landed on my wrist and lower back. I was pinned against the back of the door, my spine hitting the cold wood. But the palm pressing against my lower back was scorching hot, turning my cold sweat into a humid heat. My scalp tingled, and my breathing quickened. A woody scent enveloped me, with a sharp, aggressive undertone of something bitter. He leaned in and licked a spot of dried cream off my cheek. He gave his honest review. "Pretty sweet." Pervert! Ahhh! I couldn't break free, so I resorted to sarcasm. "Didn't know Mr. Vance was so devoted, pestering his ex-girlfriend like this." In the dim light, I couldn't see Ethan'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 eaten by the others.'" "But unfortunately, recently, I've fallen for your main personality again." Just as he finished speaking, urgent knocking exploded on the door behind me. "Hey, you two! Your mics! The mics aren't off!!!" 3 ???! What?! I looked down sharply and saw the microphone pack clipped to my back blinking faintly. My heart rate, which hadn't even settled, skyrocketed past the limit. My brain went blank, buzzing loudly. We're doomed. The whole world knows Ethan and I have something going on now! Ahhh! I pressed my lips together tight, not daring to breathe. I was terrified any noise would be recorded. But Ethan leaned down wickedly, breathing right next to the lavalier mic on my collar, his tone innocent. "Babe, what do we do if they heard everything?" ... On purpose. Absolutely on purpose! He pinned me here like a fish on a chopping block, and now he's acting like the innocent victim?! After speaking, Ethan freed a hand, switched off the blinking indicator light, and called out to the door. "It's off now." Oh, so you drop the act for that sentence?! This guy switches faces fast! The noise outside faded away. The staff probably realized the atmosphere was weird and scattered. Wait, come in and save me, you cowards! Holding my breath, I shoved Ethan hard. Now he decided to play nice, stepping back with a half-smile. "What do you want?" "Just wanted a reasonable, logical reason for our breakup. That's not too much to ask, right?" That simple?! I rolled my eyes, a mischievous idea bubbling up. "I'm getting married. Met him on a blind date." "Are you satisfied with that reason?" Ethan's lip twitched slightly. "Okay, understood. So, do you want to come over for dinner tonight? You can use me while you're there." ???! Use him? Sounds tempting~ Cough, cough, what am I thinking! "Do you not understand English?" "I said I'm getting married! We're done!" Ethan's expression didn't change, his voice lazy and teasing. "You're just marrying someone else. Does that stop me from simping for you?" "Like I said earlier, mistress, lover, simp—I'm fine with any of them." "Or should I make dinner for three, and you can bring your damn fiancé along?" The more he spoke, the calmer he looked. Finally, he stood up straight and left me with one last sentence. "If you don't come, I'll come find you." "But if the paparazzi snap us and make up some crazy rumors, don't blame me." Watching his back, a chill climbed up my spine. God, what kind of demon did I provoke?! 4 The first time I met Ethan was at the script reading for our new drama, Fleeting Life. He was dressed entirely in black, the only decoration a diamond stud in one ear. He looked intimidating. During the entire reading, he was cold and quiet. Even when he gave feedback, it was brief. I scrutinized him all day. Conclusion—heh, poser. With a personality this unlikeable, how does he have the nerve to compete with my idol, Julian West, for resources? And his fans praise him to the heavens. Saying things like "Intense beauty, perfect inside and out." I say "Nonsense, blind and delusional!" After work that day, I managed to talk to Ethan. "Mr. Vance, I have a question. It might be a bit forward, so please don't be mad." Ethan stopped, nodded, signaling me to continue. I cleared my throat, trying to hide my anti-fan nature. "Do you have a girlfriend?" Seeing his surprise, I quickly added. "As the leads, we have a lot of scenes together." "I'm asking in advance so I know the boundaries for our interactions." Ethan said in a low voice, "No." "What about a boyfriend? Are you sure you're absolutely single?" I pressed on, smiling brightly while feeling incredibly shady inside. I didn't believe the rumors were groundless. Nights spent with influencers~ Holding hands with male friends~ Selling himself for roles~ One of them has to be true! Once I dig it up, your days as a top star are numbered! Ethan narrowed his eyes, looking distant. "Ms. Hall, I don't wish for any relationship outside of our work. I don't do 'on-set couples.'" "Don't waste your time on me." With that, he walked away without looking back. ???! He thinks I'm asking because I like him?! Ew, narcissist!
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