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

There was a two-second silence outside, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching.

Gu Yan's voice came through the door, carrying a lazy laugh: "What's wrong?"

Shu Zi stared at her disheveled reflection in the mirror, gritted her teeth, and said, "...The zipper is stuck."

There was a moment of silence outside the door, then she heard him chuckle softly, with obvious pleasure in his voice.

Shu Zi: "..."

Her ears suddenly felt hot.

"What are you laughing at!" she shouted at the door.

"I didn't laugh."

His tone still held a lingering smile, then he turned the doorknob and said, "I'm coming in."

The door was pushed open a crack.

Shu Zi subconsciously turned around, her back to the door, and covered her chest with her hands.

The fabric of the cheongsam stretched slightly with her movements, outlining the curve of her waistline.

The stuck zipper split open a narrow gap behind her, revealing a section of smooth back and the outline of her shoulder blades.

Gu Yan pushed the door open and came in. His gaze fell on her back, lingering for a moment on the arc before moving away and landing on the stuck zipper.

He walked behind her, his fingertips touching the edge of the zipper pull, but he didn't pull it immediately.

The warm breath fell on her bare back, barely perceptible.

Shu Zi waited a moment, but there was no response. She couldn't help but speak, her tone urging:

"...Come on, pull it!"

He didn't answer, but pinched the zipper head with his fingertips and slowly pulled it down an inch.

The movement was very slow, so slow that she could clearly feel the subtle vibrations of each metal tooth separating.

He stopped halfway through the process.

Shu Zi paused for a moment.

His fingertips remained on the zipper pull, neither moving further down nor unzipping it.

Gu Yan leaned slightly closer to her, his voice low and tinged with a mischievous smile, close to her ear:

"Flirt and run, who taught you that?"

Shu Zi instinctively shrank back, her ears turning bright red, and retorted stubbornly, "Mind your own business!"

Gu Yan chuckled softly, then pinched the zipper and continued pulling it down, his movements unhurried and deliberate.

The zipper slid all the way to the bottom, and the fabric of the cheongsam slowly opened to the sides with his movements.

Just as Shu Zi was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she felt the zipper on her back being pulled up again with a "whoosh".

The cheongsam was closed up again, and the part she had just pulled down was snugly put back in place.

Shu Zi paused for a moment, then turned around: "You pulled it backwards—"

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Yan put one arm around her waist and supported her with the other, gently lifting her up, turning her around, and placing her steadily on the washbasin.

She was momentarily thrown into the air, instinctively grabbing his shirt shoulder to steady herself. When she came to her senses, she realized she was already sitting on the table.

She looked up and met his gaze, which was almost touching hers.

He stood in front of her, one arm around her waist and the other on the table beside her, encircling her in his embrace.

He lowered his head slightly to look at her, raised an eyebrow, and spoke in a low voice with a triumphant smile:

"Reversed?"

Shu Zi glared at him, her face flushed, and gritted her teeth as she squeezed out a few words: "...Gu Yan, you did this on purpose!"

"Hmm," he chuckled, then leaned down and gently pecked her lips. "I did it on purpose."

He tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her forward slightly. "Nuonuo, you're the one who let me in."

Shu Zi hurriedly tried to explain, "I told you to come... um..."

Before he could finish speaking, he lowered his head and kissed her, his tongue prying open her lips and teeth with an irresistible force.

Shu Zi was caught off guard by his kiss. Her fingers gripped the shirt on his shoulder, and she tilted her head back to receive it, her breathing completely out of rhythm.

In the quiet bathroom, the sticky sound of water was amplified infinitely, intertwining rapidly and tenderly, mixed with the breaths of the two people and the occasional suppressed groans that escaped from their throats.

He kissed her for a long time before letting go. When their lips parted, a very thin silver thread was drawn out, which flashed under the light before breaking.

He didn't back away, but buried his face in her neck and shoulders, his breathing heavy and hot.

After a long while, she slowly raised her head, her voice still hoarse: "Do you want me to carry you down?"

Shu Zi glared at him but didn't say anything.

My legs go weak just from the sound of a fart!

Gu Yan chuckled, said nothing more, and gently lifted her down from the sink with both hands around her waist.

Her knees buckled slightly when she landed, and she instinctively grabbed his arm for support.

He didn't rush to let go. He waited until she was steady before slowly releasing one hand and then going around to her back.

Pinch the tiny zipper pull with your fingertips and gently pull it down.

This time, the zipper slid smoothly to the bottom without any jamming or stopping, all in one go.

He looked down at her, a hint of lingering amusement in his voice: "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Shu Zi took a deep breath and squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth: "...Get lost."

Gu Yan smiled, turned around, and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Shu Zi leaned against the sink, raised her hand to touch her burning face, and muttered under her breath, "...a menace."

After Gu Yan left the bathroom, Shu Zi took several deep breaths in front of the mirror before she finally managed to calm the heat on her face.

After taking a shower, changing her clothes, and tidying her hair, she opened the bathroom door and came out.

Gu Yan stood by the window, holding his phone, as if replying to a message.

Hearing the noise, he turned around, his gaze lingering on her for a moment to make sure she was ready before speaking:

"Let's go, the car is downstairs, I'll take you to the villa."

Shu Zi put on her earrings and casually asked, "Where are Director Liu and the others? Did they leave?"

Gu Yan put his phone in his pocket: "Yeah, they were urging me to leave, so I told them to go ahead."

Shu Zi paused in her actions, looked up at him, glared at him, and said irritably, "Because of whom?"

Gu Yan looked at her, chuckled softly, his voice filled with tender compromise, willingly surrendering himself before her:

"Nuonuo, I can't resist just seeing you standing there."

Shu Zi: "..."

She looked away, her ears burning again.

She realized that this person was becoming increasingly shameless! No, he had become utterly shameless!

She ignored his comment and changed the subject: "Are you going straight to the company? Aren't you going to have dinner?"

He walked up to her, looked down at her, and reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

His fingertips brushed against her earlobe, the movement was very light, and his voice was lowered:

"Yeah, I have a meeting later, so I won't be able to make it back for dinner."

Shu Zi didn't dodge, letting him do as he pleased, and nodded: "I understand."

She paused for a moment, then asked again, "Are you coming back tonight?"