The film and television city starts from the courtyard

When Luo Zhi arrived at the steakhouse Luo Yang had mentioned, she learned that Luo Yang had come to Shanghai to propose to Chen Jing.

Although they were already engaged, Luo Yang had never proposed. He hoped to propose to Chen Jing in front of his family, but unfortunately, this proposal was unsuccessful.

The engagement ring Luo Yang prepared was several sizes too big when Chen Jing asked him to put it on her finger. This clearly showed that Luo Yang didn't even know the size of his girlfriend's fingers after five years of dating, demonstrating his lack of care for her.

In fact, after five years of getting along, Chen Jing and Luo Yang had developed their own way of getting along. Chen Jing could always find reasons and advantages to get along with Luo Yang in his various shortcomings, and she didn't mind his occasional lapses in concentration.

So when Luo Zhi tried to comfort Chen Jing in the bathroom, she was met with a carefree smile from Chen Jing, who said, "Don't worry about us. We have our own way of getting along. On the contrary, it's you. New year, new beginnings. You should also find your own happiness."

Upon hearing this, Luo Zhi suddenly lowered her head. She longed for it too, but the person she liked already had someone else, so she could only silently keep her feelings to herself.

Meanwhile, Zhao Shucheng was also on a date with Gu Senxiang, and coincidentally, they chose the same steakhouse where Luo Zhi and the others were.

"Xiangxiang, this shop is very popular online recently, but it's hard to find on the map. Come and try it out."

Gu Senxiang looked at Zhao Shucheng and said, "Qi Ming, you and Zhan Yan..."

"You knew already?"

"Yes, I was going to cover you with a blanket last night, but I didn't see you in the living room."

Zhao Shucheng blushed slightly, a rare occurrence for him, and said, "Xiangxiang, don't be angry. I admit I couldn't resist the temptation, but I promise you will always be my official girlfriend. No one can replace you. Even if we get married one day, it will only be you."

Gu Senxiang believed what Zhao Shucheng said, after all, he was a man of his word. However, she still felt a little sad inside, because no one wants to share their love with others.

But just as Gu Senxiang was about to say something, she saw Luo Zhi not far away, waving at her.

Luo Zhi didn't expect to run into Gu Senxiang and Qi Ming here. Seeing the handsome couple, she felt that she shouldn't be there, but she couldn't control her steps and unconsciously walked to their table to greet Gu Senxiang.

Chen Jing and Luo Yang saw Luo Zhi talking to Gu Senxiang, and only Chen Jing could tell that Luo Zhi actually liked Zhao Shucheng.

Actually, right outside the restaurant, there was someone watching Luo Zhi through the window.

Sheng Huainan found himself growing increasingly fond of Luo Zhi, so he unconsciously began to follow her, no matter where she was or how she rejected him after discovering his presence. Now, wherever Luo Zhi was, he would follow, and when she turned around, he would dramatically pretend to look up at the sun.

After Zhao Shucheng and the others finished eating, Luo Zhi asked, "Xiangxiang, are you going on a date later?"

Gu Senxiang shook her head and said, "We just finished our date and we need to go back to the apartment later, since we haven't cleaned up yesterday's dishes yet."

Zhao Shucheng wanted to say that he had already tidied up in the morning, but seeing the look Gu Senxiang gave him, he knew that she actually wanted him to go see Ye Zhanyan.

"Yes, let's go back to the apartment first."

"Then I'll go with you. After all, I was partly responsible for yesterday's mess, and I can't let you clean it up."

"No need, we can manage on our own!"

"It's alright, it's just a small thing."

Gu Senxiang never expected that Luo Zhi would be so tactless. After hesitating for a moment, she still agreed.

Sheng Huainan watched as Luo Zhi got into Zhao Shucheng's car, then quickly hailed a taxi and followed, only to be stopped at the entrance of the residential area.

When Zhao Shucheng and the others returned to the apartment, Ye Zhanyan had already gotten up and was watching TV on the sofa.

"Xiangxiang, Qiming, why are you back? Luozhi, you're here too."

"Zhanyan, you haven't left yet?" Luo Zhi asked curiously.

"It's not New Year's Day holiday, and I don't have anything to do, so I'm just watching TV here."

Ye Zhanyan could only come up with this excuse, after all, she couldn't very well say that she was still in so much pain that she couldn't walk, so she could only recover here before she could return to school.

Unable to enter the residential area and not knowing the building number where Zhao Shucheng and the others lived, Sheng Huainan could only return to school somewhat disappointed and take a walk on the rooftop to clear his head.

He noticed that a flowerpot on the rooftop was missing a piece and looked messy. Out of boredom, he decided to move it back to its original position, but in doing so, he saw the confession that Luo Zhi had once carved there.

However, the confession at this moment had been wiped beyond recognition by Luo Zhi, but it was still barely recognizable as a confession to him.

At this moment, Sheng Huainan realized that the singing on the rooftop and the answer on the wall were all from Luo Zhi, and that she had truly liked him back then.

This discovery thrilled Sheng Huainan. Since Luo Zhi had once liked him, he was confident that if he worked hard, he could make her see his good qualities and bring her back to his side.

Luo Zhi stayed at the apartment to help out. At first, she didn't think anything of it, but when she was having dinner, she began to sense that something was amiss.

Ye Zhanyan served food to Zhao Shucheng almost without any hesitation, something that would never have happened before. After all, such intimate gestures are only normal between boyfriends and girlfriends, and Ye Zhanyan knew that Gu Senxiang was Zhao Shucheng's girlfriend, yet she did it in front of him—wasn't that a provocation?
Luo Zhi nervously tried to cover for Ye Zhanyan, saying, "Zhanyan, don't worry about me! We're good friends, you know what I like to eat."

Ye Zhanyan looked at Luo Zhi and, seeing her constantly winking, immediately understood what Luo Zhi meant. Smiling, she placed a piece of food on Luo Zhi's plate and said, "Of course I can't forget you."

She didn't tell Luo Zhi that Gu Senxiang had already realized she liked Zhao Shucheng, and that she even knew about what happened between her and Zhao Shucheng last night.

"Xiangxiang, this is yours. Thank you for accepting me and making me one of you."

"You're welcome. We're all good friends, and besides, Qi Ming's company needs you."

Although Luo Zhi felt there was nothing wrong with what they said, she still felt that what she heard wasn't the same meaning as what they were saying. Only Ye Zhanyan understood Gu Senxiang's true meaning. She was saying that she was becoming Zhao Shucheng's woman, not because Zhao Shucheng liked her so much. The reason she accepted him was entirely because she was useful to the company. But if she wanted to challenge her status as the official wife, then the company could choose someone else, and Zhao Shucheng could do the same.

"Of course, we'll all be good friends from now on. Please take good care of me, Xiangxiang."

On the surface, Ye Zhanyan appeared calm and collected, seemingly genuinely discussing work and life matters, but beneath the table, she was constantly making subtle moves. She seemed to know exactly how to provoke Zhao Shucheng; at first, she would stealthily touch Zhao Shucheng's hand while he ate, but then she would take off her slippers and rub her feet against Zhao Shucheng's legs.

Zhao Shucheng ate his meal without changing his expression and chatted with Gu Senxiang. He would only glare at Ye Zhanyan when she made any big movements.

Gu Senxiang didn't notice anything unusual at first, but when she saw Ye Zhanyan's face suddenly turn red, she realized something was wrong. Looking down, she saw Ye Zhanyan's little action.

She was naturally not going to admit defeat, so she started to provoke Zhao Shucheng, just to see what he would do.

Zhao Shucheng was surprised that the two of them had suddenly become so bold, not afraid at all that Luo Zhi would notice something was wrong. He could only try his best to keep their feet from touching.

This meal was a nerve-wracking experience, but thankfully nothing serious happened.

Zhao Shucheng was originally going to take Luo Zhi home, but Luo Zhi said that Zhu Yan would have the driver pick her up later to go home to play with Jack and the others, so Zhao Shucheng didn't need to take her.

After Luo Zhi left, Zhao Shucheng looked at Gu Senxiang and Ye Zhanyan and said, "You two were quite bold today. Is it because you both knew what was going on, so you were fearless?"

"What do you want?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "It seems that unless I teach you a profound lesson, you won't know who the head of the family is. Demon, take this!"

Gu Senxiang and Ye Zhanyan laughed as they dodged Zhao Shucheng's capture. They knew Zhao Shucheng was just joking, so the two of them sometimes tricked each other and sometimes helped each other.

After returning to school from Zhu Yan's house, Luo Zhi noticed that Jiang Baili seemed preoccupied and asked curiously, "What's wrong? Still thinking about the Gobi Desert?"

Jiang Baili shook her head and said, "No, I saw a man in Qi Ming's photo today who had an ambiguous relationship with Chen Mohan."

"Oh? Where did you see that? You didn't mean they came to challenge you to a duel in the Gobi Desert, did you?"

Jiang Baili said, "No, he came to find me, using the same tactics he used to strike up a conversation with you, and even took the initiative to ask me out to dinner."

"You're not going to say yes, are you? A scumbag like that flirts with every girl he sees. He's not suitable for a girl like you who is loyal to love."

Luo Zhi was genuinely worried that Jiang Baili might agree on a whim, since she couldn't let go of the Gobi Desert. If she got together with Gu Zhiye to get revenge on Chen Mohan, she would only end up hurting herself.

"Now that I know what kind of person he is, I naturally won't agree, but he says he likes me and will keep pursuing me until I agree."

So you're conflicted about it?

Jiang Baili shook her head and said, "Of course not. I've had enough of liking one scumbag in the Gobi Desert; how could I let myself repeat that mistake?"

"Then why do you look so troubled? Did something happen later?"

Jiang Baili nodded and said, "Yes, when Gu Zhiye confessed his feelings, Gobi happened to see it. Although we've already broken up, and I'm not afraid of Gobi misunderstanding anything, but..."

Luo Zhi said, "But you feel that all of this is too coincidental, as if someone had arranged it carefully. A man confessed his feelings to you, and then Gobi happened to appear, causing problems in your relationship."

"No, that's not what I meant. I just don't know what Gobi will think. After all, liking him has become a habit, and now there's no reason to even look at him. If Gobi finds out someone is pursuing me, there'll be even less reason to meet him."

Luo Zhi couldn't help but sigh and said, "My dear lady, didn't you want to break up and forget about the Gobi Desert? Why are you still agonizing over this? Shouldn't the question now be why Gu Zhiye came to you?"

"What else could it be? It can't be because I'm young and pretty, right? We had no connection before. He's a very busy person at a law firm, yet he had time to appear at the school. It must have been deliberately arranged."

Luo Zhi looked at Jiang Baili and said, "So you also knew that Gu Zhiye's appearance was not a coincidence?"

"Of course, is it that hard to guess? If I hadn't received the photos from you, I might have taken it as a coincidence. But now that you know about Gu Zhiye's relationship with Chen Mohan, anyone with a brain would know that he has ill intentions."

Luo Zhi asked with some curiosity, "Then why did he do this? It can't be Chen Mohan's revenge, or maybe Gu Zhiye lost Chen Mohan to Gobi, so he wants to steal you, his ex-girlfriend, back, right?"

"No matter what they want to do, just ignore them."

Jiang Baili knew she wasn't some universally loved goddess, so she naturally remained wary of Gu Zhiye's pursuit.

Luo Zhi also shared the situation in the company's executive group, asking Ye Zhanyan and Gu Senxiang to help them figure out what Gu Zhiye was up to.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Shucheng recalled a scene from the original plot. Chen Mohan felt she had lost face but couldn't do anything about Gobi, so she asked Gu Zhiye to help her get back at him. Gu Zhiye's solution was to pursue Jiang Baili and then ruthlessly dump her, making Jiang Baili completely ashamed to appear in front of Gobi.

"It's not hard to guess. Chen Mohan felt that Jiang Baili had stolen his dog, so he was unhappy and wanted to find someone to teach her a lesson. The 'handsome man' tactic may not be new, but as long as it works, it's fine, especially since Chen Mohan sees Jiang Baili as a love-struck fool."

Gu Senxiang looked at Zhao Shucheng in disbelief and said, "Really? Gu Zhiye is such a successful person, he wouldn't agree to such a ridiculous request from Chen Mohan, would he? Isn't he busy with the law firm? Does he have time to play house?"

"Gu Zhiye doesn't seem to have any reason to refuse. Being busy isn't a problem. Anyway, he only goes on dates with Jiang Baili occasionally, and it's no different from dating other people. Besides, although Jiang Baili isn't a stunning beauty, she's quite a nice little woman when she dresses up a bit. For someone like Gu Zhiye, it's nice to have her occasionally."

Ye Zhanyan looked at Zhao Shucheng with some disdain and said, "Qi Ming, are all men this fickle, even selfish?"

"It's not just men who are like this; some women are the same. After all, it's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm, so selfishness is a common human trait. It's just that some people can control their desires, while others are manipulated by them."

"So what kind of person are you?" Ye Zhanyan glanced at Zhao Shucheng and said, "I know, you must be someone controlled by desire, otherwise you wouldn't have succumbed to temptation and done something to betray Xiangxiang." (End of Chapter)