Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

A powerful enemy invades, and a young general takes to the battlefield. He meets a brilliant and formidable swordswoman, his perfect match, a sight that makes the blood boil with excitement.

And in the end, Princess Cheryl, clad in a crimson wedding gown, took her own life on the border. A hush fell over the theater, plunging it into silence.

In the dim theater, on the massive, clear screen, the aloof and headstrong beauty slowly collapsed. The last thing to flash through her mind was the boy who once climbed trees to pick flowers for her.

In that feudal era, a love that was never confessed was ultimately drowned in a river of blood, forever unheard.

In the end, the young general continued to fight on the battlefield, growing ever stronger. The swordswoman remained by his side, becoming his confidante, his most trusted ally, his... lover.

The music of victory swelled. Across the sand-swept battlefield, a gentle breeze stirred, carrying a single, snow-white orchid petal from afar...

Soft sobs echoed through the theater. A girl leaned gently against her boyfriend as he murmured affectionately, ”It’s all fake. Don’t be sad...”

”It’s not fake!” the girl retorted, her voice thick with tears.

The boy immediately backpedaled. ”Okay, okay, you’re right, it’s not fake...”

As the ending theme began to play and the house lights came up, the audience lingered, reluctant to leave, hoping for a post-credits scene.

From a corner of the back row, a tall and a petite figure quietly slipped away.

Someone glanced back idly and caught a glimpse of the pair. A flicker of confusion crossed their face. ’That girl looks familiar,’ they thought. ’Even with a mask, there’s something about her... It’s like... I just saw her somewhere.’

The moment they stepped out of the theater, Joanna Kennedy started chattering excitedly. ”Simon Lockwood, was I good? Was I?!”

”Oh my god, that expression on my face when I died was just perfect! A mix of thirty percent reluctance, thirty percent sorrow, and forty percent relief. Tsk, tsk... I’m so amazing, I could just cry...”

Joanna Kennedy’s mouth was running a mile a minute when a hand suddenly clamped over it, leaving her looking completely baffled.

”What nonsense are you spouting?” Simon Lockwood’s expression darkened.

’Talking about death so casually. She has no sense of propriety.’

Joanna Kennedy blinked, her eyes wide with a look of pure, unadulterated stupidity. Simon Lockwood slowly released his hand and said nonchalantly, ”Are you a color palette?”

’Thirty percent reluctance, thirty percent sorrow, forty percent relief... Huh. At least it adds up to a hundred.’

It took a moment for his words to sink in, then Joanna Kennedy retorted angrily, ”You’re the color palette!”

’Oh, wait, no. With that cold, expressionless face of his, Simon Lockwood would, at best, be the plain white on the palette!’

”Even though you’ve got the looks and the aura, you’d never make it in showbiz,” Joanna Kennedy pronounced with great seriousness.

Simon Lockwood: ”...”

’How did the conversation suddenly get here?’

He replied coolly, ”Oh.”

Joanna Kennedy frowned. ”I’m serious.”

Simon Lockwood pinched the bridge of his nose. Maintaining his aloof, aristocratic expression, he said flatly, ”I’m truly devastated.”

Joanna Kennedy: ”...”

’He’s just humoring me again.’

”The Awakening Petals” was a massive success on its opening day. Now, it was just a matter of seeing if the box office momentum could be sustained. Surprisingly, the character generating the most buzz wasn’t the male or female lead, but Princess Cheryl, who only appeared in the first half of the film.

[SOB I’m crying a river, omg, Joanna Kennedy’s acting was incredible! The unfavored Royal Princess, so frail and sickly, but she grew up as tough as a weed. She turned Cheryl into the ultimate ”beautiful, strong, and tragic” character. WAHHHH]

[She was my favorite character when I read the original novel, and this actress really did her justice. In my mind, this is exactly what Cheryl Nash should be: frail, but with a will of iron.]

[I agree with the poster above! The adaptation and casting were both excellent. And that final scene, with the orchid petal drifting across the sand-swept battlefield... that was Cheryl coming to see her general.]

Aside from the praise for the excellent casting, the scene of Princess Cheryl standing on the border in her crimson wedding gown, slowly turning for one last look, was turned into a wallpaper by countless fans and shared tens of thousands of times within minutes.

In no time, discussions about Joanna Kennedy’s beauty reached a fever pitch.

[OMG, her visuals are next-level! She has this uniquely cold and fragile aura that no one else in the industry has! Joanna’s Fans, you guys are eating so good!]

[She takes my breath away. Our Joanna is just... wow. So beautiful. If Joanna Kennedy played the historical figure Joanna, I would absolutely watch!]

[I have to admit, I finally get the hype around Joanna Kennedy’s beauty. I used to think she was just the cute and bright type, but I never expected she could pull off a cold and frail character. She’s so versatile. Consider me a new fan.]

[You’re only a fan now? I’ve been stanning her ever since she refused that Best Supporting Actress award. And just as I thought, my taste is impeccable.]

[Hahaha, welcome, everyone, to The Donovan Residence.]

Comments like these, full of praise, were endless, spawning massive threads. At the same time, the immense popularity of the character ”Cheryl Nash” left a sour taste in the mouths of the main leads’ fanbases—especially the fans of the female lead.

[Umm, can we please respect the canon pairing? Willow Valentine is the one and only female lead.]

A furious Vivian Bishop fan posted: [I’ve had it with Joanna Kennedy. Does she get off on stealing the main character’s thunder every time she plays a supporting role? In every single show, she pulls this ”upstaging” stunt. Is it even fun for her?]

[Who would even watch this movie if not for our Vivian? Joanna’s Fans need to take a chill pill. Stop all the hype.]

[Exactly! If she’s so great, how come Joanna Kennedy never lands a lead role herself? Is it because she’s not popular enough?]

Vivian Bishop had a massive fanbase, and while Joanna’s Fans were furious, they were outnumbered in the flame war. Just as they were getting worked up, a group of neutral onlookers entered the fray.

[Actors in this industry need to get one thing straight: the audience cares about the story, not just who the main character is. If you get the most screen time and still can’t deliver a good performance, maybe you should do some self-reflection.]

[Right? Just because you’re the star, everyone is supposed to worship you?]

[So many people watched this movie. You really think they were all Vivian’s fans? Get real.]

[I’ve scrolled through the comments, and people are just admiring how beautiful Joanna Kennedy’s character is. No one is even comparing her to Vivian Bishop. Where are you getting this ”upstaging” narrative from?]

Neutral onlookers didn’t have to worry about offending anyone, so they spoke their minds freely. For a while, the two sides were at each other’s throats. Joanna’s Fans, however, were caught in the crossfire, looking utterly bewildered and scared.

With the hype for ”The Awakening Petals” showing no signs of dying down, the name Joanna Kennedy was now officially a hot topic.

Meanwhile, Joanna Kennedy, the person at the eye of this storm, was blissfully unaware of everything happening online. She hadn’t logged on.

She had been running herself ragged promoting the movie lately. Now that she finally had a few days off, she slept straight through until ten the next morning.

The moment she woke up, she saw Simon Lockwood walk in, holding a familiar stack of practice exams. ”These are the Princeton Review workbooks. I looked them over, and they seem perfect for you. After you eat, you can start on—”

Before he could finish, Joanna Kennedy flopped right back onto the bed, buried her face in her pillow, and refused to move.

Simon Lockwood: ”...”