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

Fang Yutong walked out of the door, wearing a light coat, her hair loose, her face showing the confusion and unease of being just woken up.

Yu Shize followed behind her, his hair a little messy, as if he had just gotten out of bed.

The two came out together, turned around and saw Shu Zi and Gu Yan, and both of them were stunned for a moment.

Fang Yutong's gaze lingered between the two for a moment, then she asked softly:

"You heard that too? What happened?"

"I don't know, I just came out."

Shu Zi replied, then took the lead and walked downstairs, "Let's go down and take a look."

The four people walked down the stairs one after the other.

Director Liu was squatting on the other side of Su Yanhuan, asking her how she was feeling. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, he looked up and saw it was Shu Zi and the others. He gave a brief explanation:

"Su Yanhuan fell down the stairs. An ambulance has been called and will be there soon."

Fang Yutong stood on the stairs and saw Su Yanhuan's appearance, her face showing surprise and worry.

She quickly came downstairs: "You fell? How did you fall? Is it serious?"

She walked closer, her gaze sweeping over Su Yanhuan's swollen ankle and her wrist, which she dared not move. Her brows furrowed, and her tone was full of worry:

"Huanhuan, does it hurt? Can you still move?"

Su Yanhuan forced a smile:

"...Sister Yutong, I'm fine, don't worry."

Yu Shize followed, stood on the periphery of the crowd, glanced at Su Yanhuan, his gaze lingered on her for a moment, then fell on Fang Yutong, as if deep in thought.

Shu Zi was fully awake at this moment. She squatted down next to Su Yanhuan, looked at her injuries, and her brows furrowed immediately.

She looked up at Director Liu: "Has the car arrived?"

"We're here! We're already at the door!" Director Liu said, calling out to the staff for help.

As soon as he finished speaking, the ambulance lights shone through the villa gate, the alternating red and blue lights swirling in the darkness.

Medical staff quickly entered, skillfully performed a preliminary examination and immobilization on Su Yanhuan, and then lifted her onto the vehicle on a stretcher.

The car door closed, the horn honked and faded into the distance, the red taillights grew smaller and smaller in the night, and finally disappeared at the end of the road.

The villa fell silent again.

Several people stood in the hall, none of them speaking, the atmosphere somewhat tense.

Director Liu sighed and raised his hand to rub his temples:

"Alright, alright, it's the middle of the night, everyone should go back and rest. We can talk about it tomorrow. I'll let you know if there's any news."

Fang Yutong stood there, seemingly wanting to ask something, but seeing Director Liu's tired appearance, she swallowed her words, nodded slightly, and turned to walk upstairs.

As she passed by Shu Zi, she paused for a moment, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something.

But Shu Zi had already turned her head away and whispered something to Gu Yan without looking at her.

Fang Yutong pursed her lips, didn't linger, and turned to go upstairs.

Yu Shize followed behind her, his gaze lingering on her back for a moment before they returned to the suite together.

Director Liu waved to the remaining people and then turned and went to the hospital.

Shu Zi stood at the door, glanced outside, then looked away, her gaze landing on the stairwell where Yu Shize had disappeared. Her brows furrowed slightly, as if she were thinking about something.

Gu Yan walked to her side: "Let's go, let's go back to sleep."

Shu Zi looked up at Gu Yan, nodded gently, and followed him upstairs.

Back in room 301, Gu Yan closed the door.

Shu Zi stood behind the door, not going inside immediately.

She looked down at her toes, her mind still replaying Fang Yutong's pause as she descended the stairs and the way Yu Shize looked at her.

She felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Gu Yan walked back and saw her standing at the door in a daze. He waved his hand in front of her and asked, "What's wrong?"

Shu Zi snapped out of her reverie and shook her head:

"Nothing, I was just wondering... how Huanhuan could have fallen down the stairs in the middle of the night."

Gu Yan looked at her furrowed brows and gently ruffled the top of her hair.

"Don't think too much about it. Go to sleep first, and you'll know the answer when you ask her tomorrow."

Shu Zi looked at Gu Yan, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

She herself couldn't explain where that vague unease came from; it was just an intuition.

She simply nodded without saying anything and followed him back to the second bedroom.

After lying down, Gu Yan wrapped his arms around her again, pulling her into his embrace.

His body temperature emanated through the thin pajamas, carrying a reassuring weight.

Shu Zi closed her eyes, listening to his steady heartbeat. The jumbled thoughts in her mind slowly subsided, and drowsiness returned.

The next morning, Shu Zi was awakened by the indistinct sounds of voices outside.

She opened her eyes groggily and found herself still nestled in Gu Yan's arms, in a position similar to when she fell asleep last night, except that his arms were still wrapped around her waist and hadn't let go.

The sky outside the window was already bright, and sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains.

She paused for a moment, still feeling sleepy, then felt a voice above her: "Awake?"

Shu Zi raised her head and met his downcast gaze.

He was looking down at her, his eyes still carrying a hint of laziness, a smile playing on his lips, as if he had been watching her for a while.

She was silent for two seconds, then reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest, her voice muffled, soft and sweet from just waking up:

"……woke up."

Gu Yan's body stiffened slightly, as if he hadn't expected this action.

After a moment, he whispered, "Nuonuo."

His voice was a little hoarse than before, carrying a hint of restraint.

Shu Zi didn't look up, but hugged him a little tighter and whispered, "I'll give you extra points as compensation."

Gu Yan was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly, slowly pulling her into his arms and holding her securely in his embrace.

He gently rubbed his chin against the top of her head, his voice carrying a lazy laugh:

"Are there any additional conditions for adding these points?"

Shu Zi paused for a moment, looked up at him, and blinked: "No."

"Will you add it again next time?"

"...It depends on your performance."

Gu Yan chuckled softly, his chest vibrating slightly, and the sound reached her ears: "Alright, then I'll try my best to perform well."

After a long while, Shu Zi finally spoke in a muffled voice: "...Gu Yan."

"Um?"

"Have you hugged me enough?"

Gu Yan chuckled softly, his tone tinged with innocence: "It seems like you were the one who hugged me first."

Shu Zi retorted confidently, "I'm the examiner. I can hug you if I want. Besides, won't you let go?"

Gu Yan looked at her, a smile in his eyes, and said frankly, "I can't bear to part with her."