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

Shuzi changed back into her own clothes and walked out of the shooting room looking much lighter.

She stretched languidly, her bones cracking with a soft yawn, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"That's a wrap! Don't mention the word 'work' to me tonight!"

Lan Manwen followed behind her, scrolling through her phone as she asked, "Shall I take you home?"

Shu Zi didn't even turn her head: "No need, no need, someone's coming to pick me up."

Lan Manwen looked up at her and asked, "Who?"

Shu Zi turned around, smiling as she said, "My darling."

Lan Manwen stared at her expressionlessly for two seconds, too lazy to ask further, and waved her hand: "Alright, let's go."

Shu Zi chuckled, picked up her bag, and quickly walked out the door.

As soon as I came out, I saw a matte purple McLaren parked at the entrance, its body gleaming with a cold, eerie light under the streetlights.

The car window rolled down, and Fang Ran stuck half her head out, whistling at her: "Hey beautiful, get in, I'll take you out for some fun."

She pushed her sunglasses up:

"I've been waiting for you for ages. If you hadn't come soon, I would have driven my car in to pick you up."

Shu Zi walked over with a smile, opened the passenger door and got in: "Just finished work, so I rushed out here."

She fastened her seatbelt and casually patted the center console:

"Your car is so flashy, you're practically begging to be seen, aren't you?"

Fang Ran chuckled, stepped on the gas, and the engine emitted a deep roar as the car slowly accelerated along with the traffic.

"It has to be eye-catching, otherwise how could it match my style?"

The car traveled smoothly through the night.

Fang Ran held the steering wheel with one hand and turned up the volume of the music with the other, and a rhythmic electronic song exploded in the car.

"We're not leaving until we're drunk tonight, Shu Xiaozhi. Don't tell me you have a gig tomorrow." Fang Ran glanced at her sideways.

Shu Zi leaned back in her chair, her tone relaxed: "No plans for tomorrow, drink as much as you want."

She paused, then added, "As for you, just don't start crying in my arms after a couple of drinks."

"Bullshit! When have I ever lost to you in drinking?"

"When have you ever not lost to me!"

"Never!"

The two bickered all the way to the foot of Wuyu Building.

Fang Ran tossed the keys to the valet parking attendant, then took Shu Zi up the elevator and headed straight for the top floor.

Pushing open the door to the private room, warm yellow light poured out.

There was already someone sitting on the sofa, looking down at their phone. They looked up when they heard the noise.

"Here you are! We've been waiting for you for so long!"

Qiao Yueke immediately put down her phone and patted the spot next to her:

"Quick, quick, sit down! I've already ordered one round, what else do you want to add?"

Shu Zi glanced at the wine and snacks already laid out on the table and nodded in satisfaction:

"That's enough, that's enough. I trust your order-taking skills."

After saying that, he sat down on the sofa.

As soon as she sat down, Qiao Yueke pushed a prepared cocktail in front of her, her eyes filled with a hint of ill intent as she looked her over:

"Here, have a sip first, to soothe your throat, so you can explain things later."

Shu Zi picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and gave her a wary look: "Tell me what?"

Fang Ran sat down on her other side, took off her coat and tossed it aside, crossed her legs, and looked at her with a smile:

"Please explain the live broadcast mishap last night. We saw it very clearly, what happened to that hand?"

Shu Zi remained expressionless and took another sip of wine: "Didn't I tell you, assistant?"

"Fang Zhizi?"

Qiao Yueke scoffed:

"I've seen your little gardenia's hands before; they're round and cute, which doesn't match that big, bony hand at all."

Shu Zi choked for a moment, then glared at Qiao Yueke with her wine glass in hand:

"Qiaoqiao, you shouldn't spend any more time with Fang Ran lately. You've been completely influenced by her, there's no saving you!"

Fang Ran immediately raised her hand in protest:

"Me again? Am I being wronged? She figured it out herself, and besides, she's a natural gossip. What does it have to do with me?"

Shu Zi was about to retort, but Qiao Yueke cut her off first:

"Don't change the subject. We're talking about your business, not my business with Ranran."

Seeing this, Fang Ran seized the opportunity to move closer, lowering her voice and speaking with a strong gossipy tone:

"Exactly! And what we're not concerned about is whose hand it is. What we're concerned about is how long the owner of the hand stayed in your room? What time did they leave? Or... did they not leave at all?"

Shu Zi: "..."

She knew those two had called her out here just to watch the drama unfold on the front lines!

She put down her wine glass, took a deep breath, and decided to explain everything once and for all to avoid their endless questioning:

"He brought me water last night and then went out. After the live stream ended, I went downstairs and he was sitting on the sofa looking at his phone. I chatted with him for a bit and then went upstairs to sleep. He slept in his room! I slept in my room!"

"He got up earlier than me this morning, made breakfast, and then I ate and went out."

She finished speaking in one breath, then shrugged:

"We didn't do anything, nothing happened, do you understand? Are you satisfied now? Can you let me go?"

Qiao Yueke and Fang Ran exchanged a glance, both of them wearing expressions that seemed to say, "That's it?"

Fang Ran leaned back on the sofa, slowly swirling her wine glass, her tone clearly showing her unwillingness to give up:

"That's it? You went downstairs to chat with him, and that was really all you did? Didn't you take the opportunity to do anything else?"

Shu Zi glared at her: "Otherwise what? What else could I do? Pounce on him on the sofa?"

Qiao Yueke immediately chimed in, her eyes sparkling: "It's not impossible!"

"Qiao Yueke!"

Shu Zi grabbed a cushion and threw it at her:

"Have you forgotten who's sitting next to you? Does Huo Fei know you're here pimping for his cousin?"

Qiao Yue caught the cushion and smiled without a trace of shame:

"Huo Fei, why is he interfering with everything, including my chats with my best friend? Besides, I'm just concerned about your relationship progress. What's wrong with a younger sister worrying about her older brother?"

Shu Zi was too lazy to argue with her, so she turned her attention to Fang Ran:

"And you, Fang Ran, how dare you say that to me? Before you call me, can you at least prepare your voice first? If you really can't, take a throat lozenge."

"With that level of hoarseness, anyone who didn't know better would think you were doing some kind of secret training every night."

Fang Ran paused for a moment, holding her wine glass, then took a sip without changing her expression.

"I've been practicing singing a lot lately, and my voice is a bit overloaded. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Practicing singing?"

Shu Zi raised an eyebrow:

"When did you become so passionate about music? You've been practicing for almost a month and you're still not proficient? You've really put in a lot of effort to practice this song."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Yueke immediately perked up and turned to Fang Ran:

"Huh? Is that so? Ranran, why didn't you tell me?"

Fang Ran put down her wine glass, glanced at the two of them, coughed, and tried to take the initiative:

"We're not here tonight for a denunciation meeting, we're here to drink. We'll talk about everything in the drinks."