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

Gu Yan did not answer immediately; he naturally stood behind her.

Shu Zi felt his presence enveloping her from behind. Her hand, which was holding the jewelry box lid, paused for a moment, but she did not turn around.

The next second, a hand reached over her shoulder, rested on the dressing table in front of her, and half-encircled her in its arms.

Shu Zi froze for a moment.

He didn't speak immediately. He glanced down at the jewelry box in her hand, then looked around at the items on the dressing table before slowly opening his mouth, his voice lowered and carrying a lazy smile:

"No valuable clues have been found yet."

He paused, his gaze falling on her profile. "But with Miss Nian Tang by my side, I feel we're not far from the truth."

As he spoke, he reached his other hand over her side, picked up an enamel rouge box from the dressing table, glanced at it, and then put it back.

Shu Zi turned her head and glanced at him sideways, her tone carrying a hint of coldness:

"Boss Gu, with this method of searching, I'm afraid you're trying to find something on me."

Gu Yan lowered his head to meet her gaze, a slight smile curving his lips. Instead of backing away, he moved even closer, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear:

"That depends on whether Miss Nian Tang is willing to let me search."

Shu Zi glared at him, then reached out and pushed him away from his chest.

"Gu Yan, you're out of character!"

Gu Yan was pushed a little away by her, but he did not hide the smile on his face.

He glanced down at the spot where she had pushed him, then looked up at her, his tone slightly innocent:

"This is normal interaction in the character relationship."

Shu Zi withdrew her hand expressionlessly, turned around and continued to examine the items on the dressing table, her tone indifferent:

"Boss Gu, if you keep doing this, I'll report you to the detective for interfering with the investigation."

Gu Yan stood behind her, watching her focused search, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

He didn't approach her again, but leaned against the dressing table beside her, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on her, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"Alright, I'll do as Miss Nian Tang says. You search as you please, I'll wait for you here."

Shu Zi ignored him, but her ears turned slightly red in the dim light.

【Aaaaaaah! The dressing table is slammed! Gu Yan, let go of Zi Zi! Let me do it!】

[Gu Yan, what do you mean?! What do you mean?! What do you mean?! Did I give you permission to hug my Zizi?! Director! Where is the director?!]

[Zizi's ears are so obviously red. She said she was "out of character," but her body language told a different story (evil laugh)]

"That depends on whether Miss Nian Tang is willing to let me search"—was this line in the script or added by Gu Yan himself? I suspect it was improvised.

[Shu Zi: I'm out of character! Gu Yan: This is character interaction. Translation: I just want to be closer to you.]

She composed herself and bent down to examine a small drawer at the bottom of the dressing table.

The drawer contained several old silk handkerchiefs and a few broken beaded chains, all of which looked like discarded junk.

Her fingers traced the bottom of the drawer, and suddenly she touched something in the gap between the bottom panel and the side panel.

She paused, then pulled out the object; it was a tiny folded piece of paper.

She unfolded the note, quickly glanced at its contents, her brow twitched slightly, and then discreetly tucked it into her sleeve.

Gu Yan noticed her movement but didn't say anything, only slightly raised his eyebrows.

Shu Zi turned around and saw Gu Yan still leaning against the dressing table, looking quite relaxed, so she rolled her eyes at him.

"Boss Gu, with your search efficiency, you probably won't even find an ant."

Gu Yan smiled, offering no rebuttal. He simply took out the silver pocket watch from his pocket, opened the cover, and handed it to her.

"Miss Niantang, take a look at this."

Shu Zi paused for a moment, then looked down.

There is a line of small characters engraved on the inside of the pocket watch's case back; the characters are somewhat worn, but still legible:

"Given to my friend, I will remember it forever."

The signature is a single letter "S".

Shu Zi's gaze lingered on that line of text for a moment, then she looked up at Gu Yan: "Did Manager Zhao give this to you?"

Gu Yan put the pocket watch away, closed the cover, looked into Shu Zi's eyes, and said, "This watch belongs to your sister."

Shu Zi's fingers, which were holding the fan, paused slightly: "How do you know about my sister?"

Gu Yan raised an eyebrow:

"Three years ago, when she was singing at the Paramount Ballroom, I was a regular in the audience. I was there the night she had the accident."

Shu Zi stared at him, her breathing becoming slightly rapid.

"Who exactly are you?" Her voice was low, tinged with wariness and suspicion.

Gu Yan didn't answer directly, but simply put the pocket watch back in his pocket and took half a step back.

"Someone who remembers her."

Shu Zi remained silent for a while before lowering her eyelashes, pulling the slip of paper from her sleeve, unfolding it, and handing it to him.

The note contained only one line of text, written in hasty handwriting, as if scribbled down in a hurry:

"There's something fishy going on in the accounting office; be careful of the people around you."

[Gu Yan's pocket watch was engraved with an "S"—the first letter of Shen Nian's name in pinyin! He really did know Shu Zi's sister!]

[When Shu-Tzu asked, "How do you know my sister?" her voice changed. She acted this scene very well; she was truly immersed in the role.]

The note Shu Zi found read, "There's something fishy going on in the accounting office; be careful of the people around you." The accounting office refers to Fang Yutong, but who are the "people around you"?

An hour passed quickly, and the groups returned to the living room one after another.

Su Yanhuan was the first to speak, and the pencil twirled between her fingers:

"Secretary Jiang and I found a considerable amount of entertainment expenses in Manager Zhao's ledger, but there was no information about the recipient."

"Secretary Jiang suspects it's hush money, and I think he's right."

"Although he usually seems unreliable, this deduction is quite plausible."

Jiang Yunyou rolled his eyes: "Thank you, Detective. It's rare for you to praise me, but you have to come with a personal attack."

Su Yan Huan ignored him and continued:

"In addition, there was a torn piece of paper under the coffee table in the living room. When pieced together, it read, 'Within three days, or face the consequences.' It was unsigned and undated."

Jiang Yunyou adjusted his glasses and added from the side:

"The paper on the note is from the same batch as the letter paper on Manager Zhao's desk, so it should have been written by him, or it's possible that someone else used his paper to write it."

Su Yanhuan, with a pipe in her mouth, squinted her eyes:

"If he wrote it himself, then Manager Zhao is writing a threatening letter to himself? His mental fortitude is incredible; he can still go to work normally while being threatened. I admire him."

Han Jingxue spoke slowly from the side, her tone calm:

"We found a diary in Manager Zhao's study."

"The last page of the diary reads: 'She's back. I thought that matter was over, but she's back. Today I saw her in the audience. 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."

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Shu Zi.

She was wearing a burgundy cheongsam today.