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

The elevator arrived at the designated floor, and with a ding, the doors slowly opened.

Shu Zi went out first, walked confidently to the office door, pushed it open, and went inside.

The corridor outside the elevator was deserted; Gu Yan must have arranged it in advance.

She walked straight to the sofa, sat down, took out her phone and started scrolling, her face tense, not even looking at him.

Gu Yan followed her in and closed the door.

He glanced at her appearance, chuckled softly, and without speaking, walked up to her, squatted down, and looked her in the eye.

Shu Zi was caught off guard by his sudden squat, almost dropping her phone. She shrank back slightly and asked, "...What are you doing?"

Gu Yan looked at her, his tone softening: "Are you really angry?"

Shu Zi looked away, her tone curt: "No."

"Then why do you look so bitter?"

"...This is how my face is naturally."

Three seconds later, Shu Zi realized, "You're the one who looks like a bitter gourd!"

Gu Yan smiled and reached out to take the phone from her hand.

Shu Zi was stunned for a moment, then instinctively lunged forward to snatch it back: "Give it back to me—"

He then held the phone up high, using his long arms to make it out of her reach.

Shu Zi tiptoed and realized she was still a bit short. Just as she was about to glare at him, he took her other hand and gently placed a beautifully packaged chocolate into her palm.

He looked down at her, his voice lowered, with a hint of coaxing: "I apologize."

Shu Zi glanced down, her lips twitched slightly, and then she snorted softly, "...You think you can get rid of me with just a chocolate?"

Gu Yan didn't reply, but just looked at her, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment.

Then he suddenly leaned forward, placed one hand on the back of her neck, pulled her forward a little, and lowered his head to gently touch her lips.

He touched her briefly and then pulled away; before she could even react, he had already retreated.

He looked into her eyes, his voice low, with a hint of amusement:

"Can this be considered an apology?"

Shu Zi subconsciously pursed her lips, her ears instantly turning bright red: "What kind of apology is this?!"

Gu Yan's eyes were filled with laughter, his lips curled up, and his tone was frank yet roguish: "Well, consider it a reward."

Shu Zi: "..."

She was speechless, opening her mouth only to close it again, and finally turned her face away, ignoring him.

"Go to work, don't bother me!"

She paused, then turned back and added:

"Next time you're there... you'll have to apply first, and whether it gets approved depends on my mood!"

After saying that, he quickly turned his face away.

Gu Yan looked at her fierce expression, the corners of his mouth curved slightly, and he turned around and walked back to his desk to sit down.

Shu Zi tore open a piece of chocolate, took a bite, and slowly savored it in her mouth. She secretly glanced at him; he had already lowered his head to look at the documents.

She looked away and took another bite of chocolate.

After finishing the chocolate, she got up and walked to his cabinet. Familiar with the way, she opened the drawer, took out a few bags of snacks, returned to the sofa, opened a bag of potato chips, and started crunching away.

Gu Yan looked up at her, a slight smile playing on his lips, then lowered his head to continue reading the documents.

After a while, Gu Yan stood up: "I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back."

Shu Zi didn't even look up, just grunted in response and waved to him, signaling him to hurry up.

Gu Yan chuckled helplessly, turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

The office quieted down, with only the sound of Shuzi eating snacks remaining.

Shu Zi was nestled on the sofa, scrolling through her phone and eating potato chips. Just as she was about to change her position, there were two knocks at the door.

dong dong——

She paused for a moment, then looked up at the door: "Please come in."

The door was pushed open from the outside.

A blond, blue-eyed foreign man walked in, wearing a well-tailored suit and carrying a folder.

He saw Shu Zi on the sofa, paused, hesitated for a moment, then silently retreated, closing the door behind him.

Shu Zi, with half a potato chip still in her mouth, stared blankly at the door that had closed again.

Two seconds later, there were two more knocks on the door.

dong dong——

This time, the pace was more cautious than before, as if they were confirming something.

Shu Zi swallowed the potato chips and cleared her throat: "...Please come in."

The door was pushed open again, and the blond man stood in the doorway.

He first scanned back and forth between her and the sofa, then turned to look at the sign outside to make sure he hadn't gone to the wrong place before tentatively stepping inside.

Shu Zi spoke in English, her tone polite:

"Are you looking for Gu Yan? He's gone out, he'll be back soon."

!!!

The man's eyes widened upon hearing her voice, and he blurted out:

"fiancée!"

???

When Shu Zi heard the English that came out of his mouth, she thought she had misheard. She paused for a moment, then asked, "...What?"

The man took two steps forward, his tone filled with surprise and excitement:

"I recognize your voice! You're Mr. Gu's fiancée, aren't you? You might not know me personally, but you should have heard my voice!"

Shu Zi still looked at him with a blank expression.

The man reminded them, "Video conference, suitcase."

Shu Zi's expression froze.

She remembered that the video conference where Gu Yan introduced her as his "fiancée" in front of the entire conference room—this overseas executive was one of the attendees.

"..."

She's going to kill Gu Yan!

Didn't I say I'd never see them in person?! And they actually came right up to me and confronted me!!!

She mentally cursed Gu Yan from head to toe and then from toe to head.

Seeing that she remembered, the man smiled and introduced himself: "My name is Mark, and I'm in charge of the European business."

Shu Zi opened her mouth, her mind racing as she tried to find a reasonable explanation, but she couldn't come up with a single word.

Just as she was racking her brains, the door was pushed open.

Gu Yan walked in, holding a glass of water. When he saw that there was another person in the office, he paused for a moment, then resumed his normal pace.

Mark turned around, saw Gu Yan, and flashed a bright smile, his tone sincere:

"Mr. Gu, your fiancée is very beautiful."

Shu Zi sat on the sofa and glanced at Gu Yan with a look that said, "Look what you've done."

Gu Yan met her gaze, a slight smile curving his lips. He didn't argue, but simply replied in English, "Thank you."

Oblivious to the undercurrent between them, Mark continued to ask enthusiastically:

"When are you getting married? Can I come to the wedding banquet?"

Shu Zi immediately spoke, twice as fast as before: "I'm not his fiancée yet!"

Mark paused for a moment, then turned to look at Gu Yan with a questioning look in his eyes.

Gu Yan replied casually, "I made her angry; she's throwing a little tantrum at me."

Mark suddenly understood, revealing an "I see" expression, then turned to look at Gu Yan, his tone carrying a hint of knowing teasing:

"Mr. Gu, that's not right of you."

Gu Yan nodded, a hint of a smile in his voice: "Yes, I'll apologize to her properly tonight."

Shu Zi: "..."

She sat on the sofa, feeling completely distraught.

The more he tries to explain, the worse it gets! Does this person even know how to talk?!

She took a deep breath and said to Mark, "You've really misunderstood."

Mark looked at Gu Yan again.

Gu Yan chuckled helplessly, "Yeah, I'm still pursuing her."

After listening, Mark gave a meaningful smile and nodded.

"I understand, this is your way of adding fun to your relationship!"

Shu Zi: "..."