I was criticized on a dating reality show, but I retaliated and became an internet sensation.

Looking at Shu Zi's face, which seemed to say, "I'm so sincere, look at my sincere big eyes," she was speechless for a long time, overwhelmed by the powerful logic and thick skin of Shu Zi.

She raised her hand and rubbed her temples, which were throbbing again.

Since I started using Shuzi, the number of times I sigh, the risk of arrhythmia, and the likelihood of needing to keep quick-acting heart medicine on hand have all increased exponentially!

Forget it, the kid's all grown up and independent, I can't control him anymore. As long as he doesn't cause a live broadcast mishap or ruin his own life, it's fine.

"Alright then."

Lan Manwen chose to give up. She sat back down in her chair, waved her hand wearily, and said, "Just keep it in mind. Be mindful of your behavior in front of the camera."

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to refocus on the matter at hand, and precisely pulled one from the thick stack of folders on the table, abruptly shifting the topic to work:

"By the way, what about Fang Yutong..."

Shu Zi scooted further into the sofa, finding a more comfortable position, and lazily nodded:

"I know that her 'Rebirth and Gratitude' fan meeting yesterday was met with a barrage of online trolls and press releases. The response seemed alright, and she even managed to get a high ranking on the trending topics list."

Lan Manwen hummed in agreement, pushed the documents in her hand forward, and pointed to the bolded lines of text at the top:

"That's not all. The company has been pouring resources into her lately, with several influential and high-profile IPs contacting her. The momentum is huge. Also..."

She paused, then looked up at Shu Zi:

"The company has recently given you some pretty good resources."

"A movie script with a great production team, a leading actress in a prime-time TV series with a very compelling character, and two endorsements with extremely high national recognition, both in the fast-moving consumer goods sector, appealing to a large general audience."

"This pace... is too fast, too good, it's not normal."

She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice, "Your identity has been exposed?"

Shu Zi leaned back on the sofa, her fingertips twirling the whiskers of the cartoon cat on the cushion. Hearing this, she blinked innocently and blurted out:

"Oh dear, Sister Wen, is it possible... that they've finally seen through the surface and discovered my excellence and boundless potential?"

Lan Manwen: "..."

She closed her eyes speechlessly and said irritably, "Stop joking around and get down to business."

Shu Zi chuckled, then, knowing when to stop, she dropped the joke and became more serious:

"Fang Yutong probably found out my identity from Liang Zihao. As for the resources the company suddenly poured in... it really doesn't make sense."

Shu Zi rested her chin on her hand, tapping her fingers absently.

Liang Zihao isn't here; it couldn't be him.

Besides, even if he impulsively decided to give it to her, Fang Yutong would definitely not let him share so much "fat" with her; she would be lucky if he didn't cause her any trouble.

Then there's only one possibility...

"Oh, right, there's one more thing—"

Lan Manwen remembered something and had just opened her mouth when there was a regular knocking on the office door, which interrupted her.

Lan Manwen looked up, cleared her throat, and called out, "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man with a serious face, wearing a well-tailored dark suit, walked in. Judging from his demeanor and attire, he was a capable assistant to a senior executive.

He first gave a polite nod to Lan Manwen, then turned to Shu Zi on the sofa, speaking respectfully:

"Ms. Shu, Mr. Liang requests your presence here now."

Shu Zi: "Liang Zihao?"

After asking her, she herself felt something was wrong. She had just said that Liang Zihao had gone to the countryside, so how could he be here?

The assistant remained calm and composed, correcting him, "It's Liang Qiming, Chairman Liang."

Shu Zi raised an eyebrow. That's right. She just didn't expect him to come to such a small place in person.

Liang Qiming, Liang Zihao's biological father, is now the true head of the Liang family.

These suddenly appearing "high-quality resources" could only be his doing.

She put down the cushion, calmly stood up, straightened her skirt, gave Lan Manwen a reassuring look, and then nodded to the assistant in a calm tone:

"Let's go."

Upstairs, on the floor where the chairman's office is located.

The assistant led Shu Zi to the two heavy, solid wood double doors at the end of the corridor, stopped, raised her hand, and knocked three times with her knuckles neither too hard nor too soft.

"Come in." A deep, steady male voice came from inside.

The assistant opened the door and stepped aside to say, "Ms. Shu, please."

Shu Zi stepped in.

The office is quite spacious, decorated in a low-key luxury style, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows offering a good view, though it's still not quite as nice as Gu Yan's place.

Liang Qiming stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to the door, seemingly admiring the scenery.

He was wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit, and even from behind, you could feel the calm and composed aura of someone who had long held a high position.

Shuzi felt like she was seeing her father.

Hearing footsteps, Liang Qiming turned around.

"Miss Shu has arrived, please have a seat."

Liang Qiming pointed to the large leather sofa in the reception area, and then walked over to the single sofa next to it and sat down.

Shu Zi didn't stand on ceremony and walked over to sit down calmly on the sofa facing Liang Qiming.

A faint smile appeared on her face as she cut to the chase: "Did Chairman Liang call me in with any work-related instructions?"

Liang Qiming smiled, a smile that looked quite amiable:

"It's nothing urgent, Ms. Shu, don't be nervous. I just heard you have an important recording tonight, and I thought I'd chat with you briefly before you leave."

As he spoke, he got up and walked to a small, stylish bar counter next to him, where a set of bone china teaware was placed.

He skillfully began scalding the cups, warming the pot, placing the tea leaves, and brewing... The whole process was smooth and fluid, carrying the unique sense of ritual of an old-fashioned person.

"Try this, it's our secret reserve this year, you can't get it anywhere else."

Liang Qiming gently pushed a cup of clear, fragrant tea towards Shu Zi.

Shu Zi glanced at the cup of tea, but didn't touch it. Her gaze returned to Liang Qiming's face, the curve of her lips unchanged, and her tone revealing no emotion.

"Uncle Liang, you're too kind. You didn't just invite me here for tea, did you?"