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

Han Jingxue's gaze lingered on the words "Han Family Woman" and "Lin Family Woman" for a long time.

"What did you find?" Shen Yihuai asked from the desk.

Han Jingxue put the book back in its place, turned around, and her expression remained normal:

"It's nothing, just a bookmark tucked inside an old book. What about yours?"

"A letter has been found."

Shen Yihuai squatted down next to the desk and responded.

He opened it, looked at it, and raised an eyebrow:

"This letter mentions an old grudge, saying that Manager Zhao's debts will have to be repaid sooner or later. It was not signed, but judging from the tone, the writer was very familiar with Manager Zhao and had a long-standing grudge."

Han Jingxue walked to his side and glanced down at the letter.

Her gaze lingered on the letter for a few seconds, then she said:

"This old debt is probably more than just a matter of money."

Shen Yihuai nodded, folded the letter, put it in his pocket, and continued searching.

A leather-bound diary was visible in the bottom drawer.

He took it out and opened it, but when he turned to the last page, his gaze suddenly stopped.

"Come and take a look at this." He looked up at Han Jingxue.

Han Jingxue walked over and glanced down.

The last page of the diary had a line written on it:

"She's back. I thought that incident was over, but she's back. I saw her in the audience today. She was sitting in the third row, wearing a red cheongsam, just like she was back then."

The date was the day before Manager Zhao's accident.

Han Jingxue's gaze fell on that line of text, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes. She glanced at Shen Yihuai and said:

"Put it away and take it with you."

Shen Yihuai closed his diary, then took out a yellowed photograph from his pocket and handed it to Han Jingxue:

"In addition, I also found an old photo and a pawn ticket in the bedside table."

"The photo shows two young women, with the words 'Sisters who have met before, never to meet again' written on their backs."

He then pulled out a pawn ticket from another pocket:

"The pawn ticket stated that the item was a silver pocket watch, the date was three years ago, and the signature on the ticket was Zhao Baoshan."

Han Jingxue took the photo and pawn ticket, glanced at them, remained silent for a moment, and then put them away.

"Take it back."

Han Jingxue's expression clearly changed when she saw the surname "Han Shi Nu" (Han Family Woman). Is this surname related to her?

The diary Shen Yihuai found contained the phrase "She's back." Considering Shu Zi's character's background—her sister Shen Nian died three years ago—could this "she" refer to Nian Tang, played by Shu Zi?

The photo shows two young women with the words "Sisters forever, never to meet again" written on their backs. This matches Shu Zi's character's background! What exactly happened to her sister, Shen Nian, back then?

[The silver pocket watch on the pawn ticket was pawned by Manager Zhao three years ago. Could this be related to Shen Nian's death?]

The kitchen and storage room.

Yu Shize stood by the desk, looking down at a purchase ledger. His fingertips traced the yellowed pages, his gaze focused, and he remained silent.

Fang Yutong squatted in the corner next to the medicine basket, taking out the packets of herbs one by one to inspect them, then putting them back, without saying a word.

But she searched much faster than a normal search, as if she were looking for something specific.

The only sounds in the kitchen were the rustling of turning pages and the soft clattering of medicinal herbs.

After a while, Yu Shize closed the ledger, put it back in its original place, and turned to walk towards the water vat on the other side of the stove.

As he passed Fang Yutong, he neither stopped nor looked at her, but simply said in a flat tone:

"There were burnt pieces of paper in the ashes under the stove, like parts of an account book."

After saying that, without waiting for her response, he walked straight to the water tank, lifted the wooden lid to take a look, closed it again, and then turned and walked towards the back door.

Fang Yutong squatted in place, her hand movements pausing for a moment.

She waited until he was far away before standing up, quickly walking to the stove, squatting down, and reaching into the firebox.

She moved even faster than before, poking around in the ashes with her fingertips, picking up a piece of charred paper, and bringing it close to her eyes to examine it.

After confirming what had happened, she quickly put the scraps of paper into the inner pocket of her handbag, stood up, patted her skirt, and walked out of the kitchen with a normal expression.

The atmosphere in the kitchen is so oppressive; why aren't these two saying a word?

I don't know, they might have fallen out again. I think I'll check out other groups, otherwise I'm afraid I'll get depressed.

The third floor houses the dance hall and backstage area.

The light on the third floor was much dimmer than on the ground floor.

Shu Zi walked ahead, her high heels clicking on the wooden floor.

She walked to the center of the dance floor, looked around, then turned to look at Gu Yan behind her, her tone somewhat nonchalant:

"Boss Gu, tell me, how many secrets does this enormous Paramount Ballroom hold?"

Gu Yan walked up to her unhurriedly and stopped two steps away: "That depends on whose secret it is."

His gaze slowly slid from her eyes to the silk flower behind her ear, paused for a moment, and then he spoke:

"Some people's secrets are easy to see through at a glance, while others' secrets are deep and require some effort to uncover."

Shu Zi covered half her face with her fan, her smiling eyes staring straight at him:

"So, Mr. Gu, do you think my secret is well-kept?"

Gu Yan looked at her but didn't answer. He simply took a step forward.

He looked down at her, his voice lowered, as they closed to within a step:

"I passed by his office around 2 p.m. today and heard him arguing with someone inside."

"It wasn't until I was far away that I realized that at that time, he should have been meeting guests in the reception room."

Shu Zi's fingers, which were holding the fan, paused slightly.

She looked up at him, her fan slowly closing to reveal her entire face.

The smile on her face didn't disappear, but her expression became more serious:

"Boss Gu's words seem to be hinting at something."

Gu Yan didn't deny it, but merely curved the corners of his mouth slightly, took half a step back, took out the silver pocket watch from his pocket, opened the cover to glance at it, and then closed it again:

"I just feel that a woman who can become the top courtesan in a place like the Paramount wouldn't be making tea for no reason."

Shu Zi looked at him, remained silent for two seconds, and then suddenly smiled.

She said with a hint of admiration, "Boss Gu is indeed no ordinary person."

Gu Yan put the pocket watch back into his pocket and smiled slightly:

"Same to you."

[Third-floor dance hall, a lone man and woman, dimly lit—are you really here to search? I don't believe you at all.]

Look at Gu Yan's eyes, tsk tsk tsk, is he looking at flowers or people? (doge)

[Shu Zi's gesture of covering her face with her fan, coupled with the line "How well do I keep my secret?", was practically a veiled invitation for Gu Yanlai to dig it up.]

Are these two definitely investigating a case and not on a date?

The way these two are testing each other is so captivating; they seem to be flirting, but they're actually exchanging information.

The two looked at each other for a moment, then Shu Zi looked away first and turned to walk towards a row of dressing tables at the edge of the stage.

She stopped in front of the dressing table, her fingertips gliding over the rows of porcelain jars of rouge and powder, her gaze casually sweeping over them.

Gu Yan didn't rush to follow her. He walked to the old gramophone in the center of the dance floor, glanced down at the position of the needle, and then looked up at her back.

He looked at her for a few seconds, then started walking towards her.

The footsteps were particularly clear in the empty ballroom. Hearing him approach, Shu Zi casually asked:

"What did Boss Gu discover?"