On the set of the talk show, the host asked, “Who’s the most two-faced person you know?” I pointed right at the movie star next to me. "Kian Chen. Total ice king in public, but his 'Close Friends' story is nothing but thirst traps." The host blinked. "I’m serious," I said. "It’s so narcissistic. Every day, it’s either a professional headshot or some 'steamy' bathroom mirror selfie. You know, the kind where the towel is barely hanging on? "Everyone here has seen it, right?" The other guests just shook their heads, wide-eyed. The live comments exploded. [So that's why Kian Chen has been dyeing his hair a new color every week. He’s like a peacock trying to get her attention.] [Is this woman for real? He’s clearly in love with her. It's targeted seduction!] [He has his Insta set to 'Close Friends' with ONE person. And she's dragging him for it on live TV. This is hilarious.] 1 My villain role in our new show had just made me... complicated. Other actors get "buzz." I get trending topics like: #ChloeBaiIsAVillainInRealLife [VIRAL] #ChloeBaiIsAToxicManipulator [VIRAL] A few "classmates" crawled out of the woodwork to claim I was a bully, "toxic and manipulative to my core." I was, in industry terms, "infamous." I wasn't even supposed to be on this press junket. My agent had to move heaven and earth to get me a slot. "You're on the panel with Kian Chen and Nina Li. You need this. Create some buzz." Ugh. Kian Chen was the male lead, an Oscar winner, a notorious "ice king" who never smiled. Nina Li was the female lead, the new "it girl." The show wanted us to perform a special segment. Two would dance, two would sing. I’m a Z-lister, but I’m a scrappy Z-lister. I can sing, dance, rap, whatever. Before I could choose, Nina Li slid into my DMs. "Chloe, I’m a terrible singer. Can I please do the dance segment?" I knew her game. Kian, despite being an actor, was a Julliard-trained dancer. He’d obviously choose dance. Nina was just trying to lock in her on-screen ship. Ever since the show, "Ki-Ni" was all anyone talked about. He was the unattainable star who’d suddenly signed on to a cheesy streaming drama, and she was the co-star he was supposedly seen smiling at. Fine. I went to the group chat and picked "singing." Nina immediately picked "dancing." And then, Kian Chen—the dance prodigy—picked "singing." With me. I frowned. Can he even sing? He’d better not be tone-deaf and drag me down. 2 The day of the show, the third male lead canceled. They brought in a last-minute guest, a director just back from the States who was "jet-lagged." So, Nina had to do a solo dance. And I was stuck in a duet with Kian. With the other male actors gone, it was just me, the female villain, in a white, high-slit dress, standing next to Kian in a black suit. I braced myself. The live chat was going to be a sewer. [Why is Chloe Bai so desperate? That slit is up to her ribs.] [How did she get a duet with Kian? That manipulative bitch probably stole Nina’s spot!] [Wait... is Kian into Chloe?] [If Kian likes Chloe, I will eat my own shoes.] [The leads are here to promote their romance, why is the villain even on stage?] [She’s wearing white to match his suit. Disgusting.] The host, trying to build hype, wanted us to re-enact a "famous scene." Kian and Nina’s was the "choke-kiss." The host conveniently stood in front of them, giving the audience a perfect, obscured view. The comments went insane. [THEY’RE DOING IT! HE’S KISSING HER! I AM DEAD! MY SHIP!] [This is it! They’re official!] When it was my turn, I hesitated. "Are you sure?" The chat filled with hate. I sighed, and began. I went into full-on "creepy stalker" mode, peering at them from behind a potted plant. I spied. I obsessed. Then, I did a perfect imitation of a 1950s housewife having a nervous breakdown, complete with fake-smashing a prop vase. It’s what my character did. All the time. The host stared. Kian stared. Nina stared. The chat went silent. "What?" I said. "That's the character." The atmosphere was weird. Nina forced a laugh. "Wow, Chloe. You’re such a good actress. I could never act like that." The comments loved it. [Chloe, did you hear that? Nina just called you out. 'Method acting.'] [I mean... I don't think Chloe's that good an actress. She’s just playing herself.] I just nodded earnestly at Nina. "Really? Well, if you can’t do it, you just need more practice." Nina’s smile froze. 3 The host, panicking, moved us to a game. Eating watermelon, in pairs. The fastest pair gets to make the losers play "Truth or Dare." Everyone expected Kian to pick Nina. He walked straight to me. "Ms. Bai. Be my partner?" I paused. "Open your mouth. Let me see your teeth." I’m not losing because he has sensitive molars. The chat exploded. [KIAN, NO! WHY HER?] [Is she for real? She’s inspecting his teeth? Is she his dentist?] [Does Chloe Bai know what 'manners' are?] [NGL, that's kind of hilarious. She’s so weird.] I agreed. I was paired with Nina. Kian was against the host. I got a hair tie, planted my feet in a solid horse stance, and held the melon. The second the buzzer went off, I went full human woodchipper. Two seconds, nothing left but rind. Nina had barely taken a bite. I held the rind aloft. American woman. We get it done. When Kian was up, I warned him, "You saw that, right? That's the standard." He nodded, dead serious. And then his veneer popped off. Me: "..." We lost. Kian chose "Truth." His question: "How many letters are in the first name of the person you like?" He smiled, a tiny, private smile. "Four." Beside me, Nina blushed and giggled. The chat was a nuclear meltdown. [I'M SCREAMING. N-I-N-A. FOUR LETTERS. IT’S NINA!] [MY SHIP! MY SHIP! I'M CRYING!] [I knew it! He picked Chloe to lose on purpose, just so he could get this question and confess to Nina! KIAN YOU SLY DOG!] Then it was my turn. Truth. "Who’s the most 'two-faced' person you know?" I was still mad about the tooth. "Kian Chen," I said instantly. "Total ice king, right? But his 'Close Friends' story on Instagram is nothing but thirst traps. He posts every day. "It's all professional-grade half-nudes. Bathroom mirror selfies, the towel’s about to fall off. 'Wet look' photos. Pool photos. Gym photos. "You've all seen them, right?" I’d added him on Insta after we were cast. I had to. It was polite. So I invented a system: I "like" every odd-numbered photo, and ignore the even ones. It was fair. I finished my rant. The host was just shaking his head. Nina looked furious. The chat... the chat was broken. [What is she... what? Thirst traps? What is she talking about?] [Wait. KIAN LIKES HER? CHLOE? C-H-L-O-E? THAT’S... not four letters.] [Oh my god. I just checked. Her name in Chinese... 白岫 (Bai Xiu)... IS TWO CHARACTERS. The host asked the question in Chinese first. He said two. NINA LI (李妮) IS ALSO TWO. KIAN MEANT HER. HE MEANT CHLOE BAI.] [He's been thirst-trapping her this whole time?] [And she has no idea. He’s been agonizing over why she only 'likes' half his photos, and she just thinks he's a narcissist. This is gold.] [The 'ice king' is trying to seduce her, and he’s failing. I’m dead.] [All those rumors about her being a slut... she seems completely clueless about men.] [Kian’s 'Close Friends' is set to ONE PERSON. HER. And she's dragging him on TV for it!] [This is too good. It's a tragedy. He’s playing chess, she’s eating the pieces.] The host turned to Kian. "Kian... is that... true?" Before Kian could speak, a producer ran on stage and whispered to the host. At the same time, our phones buzzed. Kian's publicity team had just posted a statement. His social media accounts had been "hacked" a month ago. The posts weren't his. And the "Close Friends" list was a "glitch." The chat flipped. [I KNEW IT! My Kian would never!] [Damn hackers! So disgusting!] ... I don't know why, but when they said it wasn't him... my stomach felt... sour. 4 After the game, the host announced the guest. "Chloe. Long time no see." I froze. "Evan?" Evan Xie. My childhood best friend. When I was a kid, I said I wanted to be an actress. He said, "Okay, I'll be a director." His parents divorced. He moved to the US. We lost touch. And now he was here. He smiled at me, then took the mic. "Hi, everyone. I’m Evan Xie. I’m a director, and Chloe Bai’s childhood best friend." The chat erupted again. [THE Evan Xie? The one who just graduated from USC and won at Cannes?] [HE’S HER BEST FRIEND? The way he looks at her...] [Did you catch that? 'Chloe Bai’s best friend.' He’s marking his territory. I love it.] Evan sat right next to me. Kian Chen looked like he’d just swallowed a rock. The host asked, "Evan, you've been in the 'States for a long time. Why come back now?" Evan paused. "It wasn't sudden. I've wanted to come back every day since I left. As for why... I came back for a person. "My best friend, Chloe." I was so touched. I just smacked his shoulder. "Aww, Evan! You didn't forget me!" The chat was screaming. [SHE IS SO DENSE. IT HURTS.] [Evan, you sweet, beautiful, lovesick fool. She has no idea.] [Is it just me or does Kian Chen look like he’s about to commit a felony?] I was ignoring all of it, catching up with Evan. "How was the food? All just sad desk salads?" "Worse." "That explains it. You're so thin your face is a hatchet." Nina Li forced a laugh. "Wow, Chloe, you two are so close. You're like a couple." I just shook my head. "You really need to get your eyes checked, Nina." She huffed. We wrapped the show. 5 We were booked at the show's hotel. One room each. I’d just gotten out of the shower when someone knocked. It was Kian. Wearing nothing but a towel. "My shower's broken," he said. "Can I use yours?" My eyes... locked onto his abs. The water droplets. It was... just like the pictures. But... in 3D. I couldn't look away. I swallowed. "Uh. Yeah. Sure." This floor was all crew. It was fine. After he left, I was scrolling through Instagram. A new post from Kian. Two minutes ago. A close-up selfie. His hair was damp. I laughed. This "hacker" was so persistent. Thinking about how he’d embarrassed me with the tooth, I decided to mess with him. I commented: [Omg Kian so hot, I love it. Your abs are amazing. Why did you stop posting the other pics? I miss the towel ones.] I sent it and went to sleep. I woke up to my agent screaming my name. "CHLOE. WHAT DID YOU DO. CHECK YOUR PHONE." I was trending. #ChloeBaiLovesKiansAbs #KianChenGotHisAccountBack #ChloeAndKian #KianChenSorry The most fatal one: Kian's reply to my comment. [Sorry.] Me... what? I checked the comments. [LMAOOOOO CHLOE IS THE FUNNIEST PERSON ALIVE.] [Kian, you liar. 'Hacked.' Suuuure. You've been thirst-trapping her, and she's been calling you on it!] [He's just saying 'Sorry' 'cause he got caught! He's definitely been laughing all night!] [She must have thought his account was still hacked! This is my new favorite ship!]
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "386040", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel