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

Wu Qiwei, sitting in the front row, heard everything clearly. He pursed his lips tightly, gripped the steering wheel firmly, and stared intently at the road ahead.

The conversation between the proprietress and the proprietress was even more interesting than he had imagined.

Today's lousy shift was worth it.

The car slowly came to a stop in front of the villa.

Shu Zi unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to open the car door when she turned back to look at him again: "You should change your shirt."

After saying that, she pushed open the car door, got out, and walked inside without looking back.

When Shu Zi pushed open the door, a wave of hot pot steam mixed with the spicy aroma of beef tallow wafted towards her, almost making her faint from the fragrance in the entryway.

She silently kowtowed in her heart for the broth, it was such a pity that Gu Yan didn't get to eat any.

Su Yanhuan, sitting in her wheelchair, was using chopsticks to dip a piece of tripe into the pot. Seeing her enter, her eyes lit up, and she immediately waved.

"Sister Zizi! Come quick! We've been waiting for you and Teacher Gu!"

Shu Zi changed her shoes, jogged over to wash her hands, sat down next to Su Yan Huan, took a deep breath, and looked completely blissful.

"Hot pot, here I come!"

She glanced at the bubbling red broth in the pot and added, "I can tell from this smell that my diet plan has officially failed tonight."

???

Su Yanhuan's chopsticks stopped in mid-air, looking confused: "When did you come up with this plan behind my back?"

Shu Zi remained expressionless: "Actually, it has always been there, but it's always been done in my mind."

Su Yanhuan: "..."

She paused for two seconds, then slowly uttered a sentence:

"That's going very smoothly; I reckon it can be a lifelong goal."

Before Shu Zi could retort, Su Yan Huan had already placed a slice of freshly cooked beef into her bowl, handed her a pair of chopsticks, and casually asked:

"Why did it take you so long to arrive? We've almost finished eating."

Shu Zi took the chopsticks, her expression unchanged:

"Don't even mention it, the showerhead in the room broke, and the water suddenly stopped halfway through my shower."

She picked up the slice of beef, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in her mouth, mumbling a few words:

"I stood in the bathroom for eight minutes with my head full of foam, contemplating life."

Su Yanhuan looked at her with sympathy: "That's too tragic."

She paused, glanced towards the door, and said, "By the way, where's Teacher Gu? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

After chewing the beef in her mouth, Shu Zi casually said, "I'm going to the company."

Su Yanhuan was taken aback: "Aren't you going to record it?"

"We're not recording tonight."

Su Yanhuan paused for a moment, her expression subtle: "What kind of hidden persona is this?"

Shu Zi put down her chopsticks, looked at her seriously, and slowly uttered five words: "He is a capitalist."

Su Yanhuan: "..."

She slowly raised a thumbs up: "...Okay, I can't refute that reason, this persona is real."

Jiang Yunyou, standing next to him, picked up a piece of shrimp paste and, without looking up, added:

"Capitalists work overtime on weekends, while we enjoy hot pot on weekends. That's the difference in perspective."

Su Yanhuan rolled her eyes at him: "You can even make a big deal out of eating hot pot. It's a shame you're not writing inspirational articles."

Jiang Yunyou shook his head, his face serious: "I'm good at observing life, you wouldn't understand."

He paused, then added, "But I still appreciate your hard work, Yanshen."

Su Yanhuan ignored him and turned to look at Shu Zi. Her gaze lingered on Shu Zi's face for a couple of seconds before she suddenly leaned closer and narrowed her eyes.

"Hey? Sister Zizi, why are your lips swollen?"

Shu Zi paused for a moment, then calmly picked up a slice of beef and put it into the pot, her tone composed:

"I just ate a snack at the hotel; it was spicy."

Su Yanhuan blinked, her curiosity instantly piqued:

"What kind of snack is so potent? It can make your mouth look like this?"

"Extra Spicy Devil Dried Fish".

Su Yanhuan's eyes lit up, and she leaned forward: "Is there any more? Let me try some."

"...That's all, just one pack left."

Su Yanhuan's expectation vanished instantly. She clutched her chest, leaned back, and looked hurt.

"Zizi-jie! You're eating alone again, not sharing!"

Shu Zi scooped a piece of meat from the pot and slowly replied, "I'll bring you a whole box next time."

Su Yanhuan immediately flashed a bright smile and nodded in satisfaction: "That's more like it."

She paused, then added another blow:

"But seriously, if you can get this irritated from eating snacks all by yourself in a hotel, how spicy must that stuff be?"

Shu Zi chewed on the meat, mumbled an "Mmm," and stared intently at the beef rolling in the pot, as if it were a priceless Wagyu beef.

Han Jingxue, who had been quietly cooking vegetables, suddenly looked up at Shu Zi and her gaze lingered on Shu Zi's lips for a moment.

Then he picked up the drink on the table, took a sip, and smiled very faintly, without saying anything.

Shu Zi met her gaze, and her ears slowly turned red.

She lowered her head guiltily, silently picked up another piece of meat from her bowl, and mentally made up for it.

This hot pot is really spicy.

[Extra spicy devilish dried fish? Does such a snack really exist? I just can't believe it!]

Yes, and I don't think this is spicy.

This is spicy.

Not spicy

【hot】

[But...is this really spicy? It looks more like it was gnawed on by someone (doge)]

[Gu Yan! Speak! Was it you?! Neither of you came back with the others, something's definitely up!]

Something's not right, absolutely not right!

Wait, is my showerhead brother out working again? Is he that busy?

[I'm not pretending anymore, I'm coming clean, actually I was the one who ate it—from the fantasy of a single dog hiding behind a screen]

Over here, Su Yanhuan tried to hold back as much as she could, but she couldn't help herself and turned to look at Shu Zi again, her eyes filled with a hint of unwillingness:

"Sister Zizi, is there really no way for me to eat super spicy devilish dried fish right now?"

Shu Zi paused for a moment, then looked at her: "You really want to eat it?"

Su Yan nodded quickly, like a chick pecking at rice.

Shu Zi put down her chopsticks, her expression serious: "I have a solution."

Su Yanhuan's eyes lit up: "What method?"

Shu Zi: "There might be some in the bag of snacks that Director Liu confiscated from me."

Su Yanhuan's hope instantly ignited: "That's great!"

Shu Zi raised her hand to stop her: "Don't be too happy yet."

Su Yanhuan's smile froze: "Huh?"

Shu Zi added slowly, "I've already used up today's snack reward on credit."

She froze, then slowly turned to look at Shu Zi:

"What?! On credit? You can buy snacks on credit? No, you can pay for this in installments?!"

Shu Zi remained calm: "It's not like it has to be paid in installments. It's more like taking it now and paying it back later, an interest-free loan."

Su Yanhuan's mouth opened into an "O" shape.

Shu Zi continued, her tone tinged with a sense of unbearable sorrow:

"Last time I was so hungry in the middle of the night that I couldn't sleep, so I went and knocked on Director Liu's door, which scared him—no, I mean annoyed him to no end."

"Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and let me buy three packs on credit. He said that if I won next time, I wouldn't get any snacks, but would have to use them to pay off the debt."