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

Shu Zi was silent for two seconds, then her voice was muffled, barely audible, like a mosquito's hum:

"……husband."

With a "click," the light went out.

The room instantly fell into darkness, with only a sliver of light filtering through the gap in the curtains.

After vision fades, other senses become exceptionally sharp.

In the darkness, the crisp sound of plastic packaging being torn open rang out, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

……

"...Gu Yan, you big liar."

"Um?"

"...You just said it was the last time."

"Yes, I said so."

"Don't just talk the talk!"

Gu Yan was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm a big liar."

Shu Zi: "..."

She punched him in anger.

Gu Yan pulled the person closer to him, his voice low and husky with satisfaction: "Just a little longer, just a little while."

Shu Zi was too exhausted to reply, and even glaring at him was too much of a struggle. She simply buried her face in the pillow and let out a muffled, weary groan, as a final protest.

She has almost no recollection of what happened after that.

She only vaguely remembered someone lifting her out of bed and carrying her into the bathroom, after which there was only deep darkness.

The next day, Shu Zi was awakened by the bright light.

The curtains weren't fully drawn, and a ray of bright sunlight slanted in through the gap, falling on the side of her face.

She frowned and instinctively tried to roll over to avoid the light. As soon as she moved, her whole body felt like it had been disassembled and reassembled, with every muscle protesting.

She gasped, frozen in place.

Then she realized that she was being hugged from behind, with her back pressed against a warm chest. The other person's breathing was steady and long, indicating that they were still fast asleep.

Shu Zi turned her neck with difficulty and glanced at the phone on the bedside table. The screen was lit up, showing the time: 1:03 PM.

!!!

She was stunned.

It's one o'clock already?!

It's over, it's over, it's over!

She tried to sit up abruptly, but her waist went weak as soon as she tried to exert any strength, and she fell back onto the bed with a muffled groan.

The commotion successfully woke up Gu Yan behind him.

His arms tightened, pulling her back. His voice came from behind her head, low and deep, with a hoarse tone from just waking up:

"woke up?"

Shu Zi opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but found her throat so hoarse she could barely make a sound, managing only a breathy whisper:

"……water."

Gu Yan released her, propped himself up, reached for a glass of warm water from the bedside table, and handed it to her lips.

She took a few sips from his hand, and the warm liquid slid down her dry throat, finally allowing her to regain a little voice.

Gu Yan lay back down, wrapped his arms around her waist, and spoke with a languid tone, as if he had just finished eating:

Good morning, baby.

Shu Zi: "Early my foot!"

Shu Zi looked down at herself and saw that she was wearing a white T-shirt that didn't belong to her, which was loose and oversized.

She tugged at her collar and peeked inside.

!!!

She quickly loosened her collar and pulled her hem down a bit, mentally beating Gu Yan eighty times before turning her head to look at the culprit who was staring at her sideways. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke:

It's one o'clock now.

"Um."

"I need to sign the contract at 3 PM."

"Um."

"My whole body aches right now."

"Um."

"My voice is hoarse too."

"Um."

Looking at his expression that said, "I know all this, but I have no regrets," Shu Zi took a deep breath and said, word by word:

"Gu Yan, you're not human."

Gu Yan looked at her sincerely and said, "I was wrong. I'll be more careful next time."

Shu Zi glared at him, clearly not believing a word of his answer.

She tried to sit up, supporting herself on the edge of the bed, but her back ached so badly that she winced and froze in mid-air, unable to move forward or backward.

Seeing this, Gu Yan reached out and supported her waist, lifting her up steadily, and then placed a pillow behind her.

Shu Zi leaned back, took a couple of breaths, and then asked, "What time is it?"

"1:20".

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, I'm really doomed! I still need to shower, put on makeup, and pack my things..."

She struggled to get up, crying, "It's too late, it's too late—"

"There's still time."

Gu Yan pressed her shoulder and made her sit down again. "Don't worry about the contract, I've taken care of it for you."

He slowly lifted the covers and got out of bed, walked to the wardrobe, took out a neatly pressed shirt, and looked at her as he put it on.

Shu Zi was taken aback: "It's all taken care of? What do you mean?"

"I called your agent while you were still asleep this morning."

Gu Yan buttoned up his shirt and his gaze fell on her face:

"Have her send over the electronic version of the contract first. I'll go through it for you, and once it's okay, have her bring the paper version to Park Hyatt Yunqi."

Shu Zi blinked: "...Then what about the signature?"

"Of course you signed it yourself."

Shu Zi looked completely bewildered: "How come I don't remember this?!"

"Because you were only awake for about thirty seconds."

Gu Yan looked at her, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly:

"I helped you sit up, handed you a pen, pointed to the signature area and said, 'Sign here.' You closed your eyes, signed it, and then fell asleep again. The whole thing took less than a minute."

Shu Zi froze.

Her mind raced, and she vaguely remembered something.

Someone whispered in her ear, and she was groggily helped up. A pen was placed in her hand, and she scribbled a few lines on a piece of paper... She thought she was dreaming.

"...Gu Yan."

"Um?"

"Are you fucking a genius?"

Gu Yan chuckled, walked to the bedside, bent down, and placed a kiss on the top of her head:

"Get up. I've cooked you some porridge. The contract is signed, and you're free this afternoon. You can rest a bit after you eat. Your agent said they'll pick you up tonight."

Shu Zi nodded, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, didn't Sister Wen say anything?"

"no."

Gu Yan paused for a moment, then said, "He only glanced at me as he left."

Shu Zi: "..."

She remained silent for a long time, then buried her face in the covers.

"...I've lost all face in my life today."

Gu Yan watched her bury her head in the blankets, and the corners of his mouth never left his lips.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out to pat the back of her head through the blanket.

"Alright, get up and have some porridge. If you stay cooped up any longer, you'll suffocate."

A desperate wail came from under the covers: "...Just let me suffocate."

"That won't do."

Gu Yan's voice held a hint of amusement, "You have a dinner appointment tonight, who's going to go if you're bored to death?"

Shu Zi was silent for two seconds, then peeked half her face out from under the covers, revealing only her eyes, and looked at him with a deep, melancholy gaze:

"...Did you just laugh?"

"no."

You smiled!

Gu Yan pursed his lips, finally unable to hold back:

"Okay, I laughed. My girlfriend is just too cute, there's nothing I can do about it."

Shu Zi: "..."

She looked at him expressionlessly, remained silent for three seconds, and then spoke:

"The porridge is here, I'll go down and have some later. You can go to the company now, I don't want to see you for the time being."