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

Gu Yan's smile deepened, and he gently pinched her earlobe with his fingers. This time his voice was clearer: "Time to get up, they're calling for dinner downstairs."

"Um……"

Shu Zi finally reacted. Her eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes with great difficulty, her gaze blank and unfocused, clearly not fully awake yet.

She didn't seem to understand the situation yet, and just instinctively protested against the person disturbing her sleep with a nasal tone.

She unconsciously pushed his chest with her hand, but it wasn't very strong; it was more like she was being affectionate.

Gu Yan let her push him until she had pushed him enough and he was a little more awake, then asked in a low voice, "Have you slept enough?"

Shu Zi blinked, staring blankly at the magnified face and eyes so close to hers, still bewildered.

She mumbled an "uh," and subconsciously asked, "What time is it...?"

Her voice was soft and limp, filled with a heavy sleepiness.

"It's time for lunch," Gu Yan replied, his arm still loosely wrapped around her, not letting go immediately, his gaze lingering on her still sleepy face.

"Didn't sleep well last night?"

Shu Zi's mind was still a bit fuzzy. When she heard the question, she subconsciously mumbled an answer in a soft, sweet voice, carrying the aggrieved feeling of not having slept enough:

"...I didn't sleep much, I chatted with Ranran last night...we chatted for a long time..."

As she spoke, she yawned slightly, looking sleepy, and a few tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, making her look rather pitiful.

Gu Yan's eyes flickered, and seeing her unguarded, complaining, and coquettish appearance, his heart melted.

He raised his hand and gently wiped away the moisture from the corner of her eyes with the pad of his thumb, a natural and intimate gesture.

"Are you fully awake now? Do you want to sleep a little longer?" He lowered his voice and softened it, as if he were coaxing someone.

Shu Zi was taken aback by his action of wiping away tears. She slowly lowered her head and glanced at their current position.

???

Her mind went blank for a moment, and she instantly woke up, her sleepiness vanishing instantly.

How did she end up in his arms?! And with her hand on him?!

Her body stiffened abruptly, and her face flushed completely red.

She jerked away from his embrace as if burned, scrambling to sit up, her eyes darting around, avoiding his gaze, her tongue almost tied in knots:

"Wake up! I'm awake! I'm not sleeping anymore! I'm getting up, I'm getting up now!"

Seeing her ears turn bright red and her flustered appearance, Gu Yan's smile deepened. He stopped teasing her, calmly sat up, and straightened his slightly wrinkled pajamas.

"No rush, take your time."

As he spoke, he got out of bed first.

Shu Zi watched his retreating figure as he walked towards the bathroom, then looked down at her wrinkled pajamas, touched her burning face, and buried her face in her knees.

I was really... half asleep!

Downstairs, Director Liu's loudspeaker blared relentlessly through the door, this time even louder:

"Teacher Gu! Teacher Shu! We're just waiting for you two! The food's getting cold!"

My goodness, Director Liu's voice is amazing; it's a shame he's not using it for mountain shouting!

[Hey downstairs! Have those two sleepyheads upstairs woken up yet?]

What are you two upstairs doing? Why are you dawdling like that?

I bet he's awake, but might need some time to "calm down"? (Evil grin)

[Upstairs, I get carsick, quick, give me a motion sickness patch!]

Why is the camera in the second bedroom always black?! If you can't fix it, let me fix it for you! I'll do it for free!

Shu Zi only dared to raise her head when she heard the sound of water in the bathroom; her face was still flushed.

She quickly threw off the covers and got out of bed, calling out towards the bathroom, "I'm going back to the master bedroom to change and wash up!"

Without waiting for a response from inside, she quickly slipped back to the master bedroom next door.

She quickly went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face, which calmed her down a little.

She looked at herself in the mirror; her dark circles were still there.

It's all Fang Ran's fault for chatting so late!

However... she wondered why the thing she was hugging while sleeping felt so comfortable; it turned out to be Gu Yan.

And when I hugged her, her figure felt pretty... good.

Her face flushed again, and she quickly patted herself to chase away her chaotic thoughts.

She quickly washed up, changed her clothes, looked at herself in the mirror, and then opened the master bedroom door and went out.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw Gu Yan also coming out of the second bedroom.

Shu Zi couldn't help but glance at his chest; it seemed like he had just been... leaning against there.

She shook her head, immediately looked away, and said, feigning composure:

"Hurry up and go down, Director Liu is driving us crazy."

Gu Yan raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and followed her downstairs.

In the living room, everyone else was already seated at the dining table.

Despite being met with several ambiguous gazes, Shu Zi forced herself to keep her eyes straight ahead and walked directly to the empty seat next to Han Jingxue, wishing she could bury her face in the bowl.

Director Liu looked at Shu Zi with an "I understand" expression and smiled brightly.

Shu Zi buried herself in her food and didn't even look at him.

Director Liu then turned his gaze to Gu Yan, drawing out his voice, "Teacher Gu, how did you do with the tasks this morning?"

Shu Zi glanced at Gu Yan quickly, then lowered her head again.

Gu Yan glanced in Shu Zi's direction, a slight smile playing on his lips, and uttered two words: "Pretty good."

Shu Zi: "..."

She felt that there were more and more gazes directed at her, and they were more intense.

Shu Zi added in a low voice, "Yeah, I just took a nap, I didn't do anything, don't overthink it."

Director Liu smiled even more broadly at the camera:

"Dear viewers, although the camera in the second bedroom 'temporarily malfunctioned,' according to Teacher Gu's feedback, they completed their 'sleeping' task quite well this morning~"

Shu Zi: "..."

That's pointless.

Director Liu told them to make it up! I want to see the replay!

[Mr. Gu's "That's good" contained a lot of information!]

After everyone had almost finished eating, Director Liu checked the time, stood up, clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention:

"Alright, everyone, have you all finished eating? Now, it's time for the exciting part!"

Director Liu made a gesture, and the staff immediately brought over two display boards covered with red cloth.

"Now, we will announce the audience vote results for the Best Recreation Award and the Best Creativity Award for yesterday afternoon's beach photo shoot!"