After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

The host received the thin note, his palms sweating profusely. Red lights illuminated on all the machines, and hundreds of staff members held their breath.

In this observation room rife with undercurrents, sat a female professor with a strong background at Peking University, a top-tier singer with millions of fans, and a Grand Slam Best Actress who had just turned the entertainment industry upside down.

These three stunning beauties were all staring at the piece of paper in his hand.

"Rules are meant to be broken." The host swallowed hard and forced himself to read the first half of the sentence.

Gu Qinghan, sitting on the far left, paused slightly with her right hand holding the pen. A faint blush flashed across her aloof and abstinently beautiful face.

The 5,000-word practice report was a rule she set for herself, and also the bottom line for maintaining her dignity as a counselor in front of Zhu Xun Chuan.

Now, in front of everyone, Zhu Xun Chuan announced that he was going to break her rules.

Beneath the large tablecloth, her left hand, held tightly by Zhu Xun Chuan, couldn't help but gently tug back at the man's palm. The coldness faded, leaving only burning heat.

The host wiped the sweat from his brow and continued reading, "The islands are for private use."

Su Mucheng suddenly raised her head. Her clear, peach-blossom eyes instantly welled up with bright tears.

Yesterday, in the RV, Zhu Xun Chuan promised to take her to a private island vacation where there were no cameras. In this terrifying arena filled with female principals, female tycoons, and top actresses, this was her own pure love utopia.

She bit her lower lip, an uncontrollable smile playing on her lips, her previous grievances and inferiority vanishing instantly. He remembered his promise, and that was enough.

"As for the legs..." The host's voice began to tremble. He glanced at Zhu Xun Chuan, who was sitting in the center, took a deep breath, and finished the last half of the sentence, "I only walked up to you."

The entire room fell silent.

Sitting on the far right, Pei Yanyu didn't avoid any camera angles. She rested her chin on her hand, her long, alluring peach blossom eyes fixed on Zhu Xunchuan's profile.

If you break my legs, then I will no longer go to anyone else, but only to you.

Upon hearing these words, the fierceness and madness that had been gathering in Pei Yanyu's eyes collapsed instantly, transforming into a deadly, charming smile.

She parted her red lips slightly, forming a very satisfied curve, and tapped her fingers, painted with burgundy nail polish, lightly on the table twice.

A decisive goal.

An answer without naming names, three completely different perspectives, perfectly capturing the distinct states of mind of three women.

No one thought he was being impartial. Gu Qinghan firmly believed he was challenging her identity, Su Mucheng was convinced he was responding to his promise from the previous night, and Pei Yanyu was certain he was taking on her madness.

Director Wang was so excited behind the monitor that he kept slapping his thigh. This textbook-level improvisation, these words of love that were both domineering and romantic, would definitely dominate the top ten trending topics after it airs.

"Great! That was fantastic!" Director Wang picked up the megaphone and quickly switched to the next segment, "Director, switch to camera number three, let's see how the third pair of amateur guests perform!"

The large screen flickers, and the images change.

The night was deep, and the waves continued to crash against the rocks. In the scene, the third pair of non-celebrity guests, Lu Zhou and Chen Nian, were walking side by side on the beach, with a full half-meter between them.

Chen Nian lowered her head, the sea breeze ruffling her long hair, her eyes red-rimmed. Lu Zhou, his hands in his trench coat pockets, turned to look at her, his lips moving several times, but ultimately no sound came out.

"The wind is picking up," Lu Zhou said dryly. "Let's go back."

Chen Nian stopped and looked up at him. Tears finally rolled down her cheeks, landing on the sand. But she stubbornly kept her lips pursed, not uttering a sound to stop him. The two turned around and walked away in different directions, back to back.

This extreme restraint and tension instantly made the atmosphere in the observation room, which had been agitated by Zhu Xunchuan's words, heavy.

Holding the microphone, Su Mucheng's voice was thick with emotion: "It's so heartbreaking. They clearly still care about each other, so why won't they make the first move to keep him? Is pride really more important than love?"

Gu Qinghan adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, quickly switching back to the objective demeanor of a psychology expert: "This is a classic example of a communication barrier. Both sides are afraid that their initiative will become a cheap bargaining chip in the other's eyes. This psychological game of constantly weighing the pros and cons will ultimately only exhaust the last bit of affection."

Pei Yanyu sneered, leaning back lazily in her chair: "Pretentious. If you want something, just take it; if you want to keep it, tie it to your side. Not daring to utter a single word, you deserve to miss out. In love, there are no compromises, only winners and losers."

The three women offered completely different interpretations.

Zhu Xun Chuan sat in the leather armchair and picked up the microphone in front of him.

"The biggest regret is that you didn't ask, and I didn't tell you." Zhu Xun Chuan's voice was deep and had a magnetic quality that could penetrate people's hearts. "Some things can only be said frankly in an absolutely private space."

When he said this, his gaze didn't even look at the big screen; instead, it calmly swept over the three women beside him.

Gu Qinghan's hand tightened suddenly under the desk. An absolutely private space. She thought of the narrow single bed in the faculty dormitory, and the dim light behind the blinds in the Literature Department office.

Su Mucheng lowered her head, her cheeks burning. The interior of the multi-million dollar nanny van, once that door was locked, offered absolute privacy.

Pei Yanyu stuck out her tongue and lightly licked her fiery red lips. Her gaze brazenly swept over Zhu Xun Chuan's tall and imposing figure. She had driven all the way from Kyoto to Tianjin, and now she needed a completely private place to collect her debts from the past two years, with interest.

What seemed like a serious comment on the show was transformed by Zhu Xun Chuan into a private invitation to cast a wide net.

"Cut! Perfect!" Director Wang's excited voice came through the loudspeaker, "The first recording session has been successfully completed! Thank you all for your hard work!"

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause. The live stream was then officially closed.

Gu Qinghan was the first to stand up. She straightened her black trench coat, glanced down at Zhu Xunchuan, and coldly said, "Don't forget your practice report." Then she walked towards the door in her high heels, not even giving the other two women a second glance.

Su Mucheng wanted to stick close to Zhu Xunchuan, but her manager was already waiting for her at the door with a down jacket. There were countless paparazzi and paparazzi outside. She could only reluctantly turn back to look at Zhu Xunchuan, mouth "I'll wait for you," before quickly leaving.

Pei Yanyu didn't leave. She leaned back in her chair, casually toying with the pen, her narrow, almond-shaped eyes curving into an extremely dangerous arc.

Zhu Xun Chuan stood up and loosened the collar of his linen shirt.

"I'm going to have a smoke."

He didn't look at Pei Yanyu, but walked straight out of the observation room and down the corridor to the second-floor restroom with an unmonitored sea view.

The entire second floor was deserted. The military guards arranged by Shen Tianxi were all on the outer perimeter.

Zhu Xunchuan entered the restroom. There was a full-length one-way glass wall, outside which stretched the magnificent Tianjin sea.

He walked to the marble sink, turned on the tap, and let the cold water wash over the back of his hands.

Looking up, his cold and deep face was reflected in the mirror.

Just then, the solid wood door to the bathroom slammed shut.

"Click".

The sound of the lock being turned on was particularly clear in the empty space.

Immediately afterwards, there was another crisp sound.

A soft, smooth hand with burgundy nail polish pressed directly onto the light switch on the wall.

The overhead light is off.

The surroundings were instantly plunged into absolute darkness. Only the faint moonlight from outside the window shone through the glass, barely illuminating a corner of the washbasin.

The intensely aggressive scent of rose perfume, mixed with the salty dampness of the sea breeze, instantly approached from behind.

A hot, soft body pressed against Zhu Xun Chuan's back from behind. Two slender, delicate arms wrapped around his waist, holding him tightly.

"It's absolutely private now." Pei Yanyu's warm breath brushed against Zhu Xunchuan's ear, her voice both charming and laced with a hint of madness through gritted teeth. "Explain yourself, you little liar."