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

He gently placed her on the bed and pulled the blanket over her.

Shu Zi was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open. The moment her head hit the pillow, she mumbled something, turned over, and curled herself up into a ball.

Gu Yan stood by the bed and looked at her for a few seconds, then smiled and leaned down to kiss her behind the ear. He then moved to the other side, pulled her into his arms, and turned off the light.

In the darkness, Shu Zi nestled against his chest, her voice barely audible:

"……Good night."

Gu Yan tightened his arms around her waist, gently rested his chin on the top of her head, and whispered a reply:

Goodnight, baby.

Shu Zi softly hummed in agreement, snuggled closer to him, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

***

The next day, Shuzi woke up naturally.

The seat next to her was empty. She reached out and touched the sheets; they were cold, indicating that Gu Yan had clearly been gone for some time.

She lingered in bed for a while, scrolling through her phone, before slowly sitting up.

After washing up and going downstairs, I found a warm breakfast on the dining table, along with a glass of warm milk and a note.

She picked up the note and glanced at it; it was in Gu Yan's handwriting:

"At the company, call if anything happens. The food is on the table; remember to eat when you wake up."

Shu Zi smiled slightly, put the note back on the table, and sat down to quietly finish her breakfast.

After cleaning up the dishes, she went back to the living room, nestled on the sofa, opened her tablet, and pulled out the script Lan Manwen had sent her, starting to read it seriously.

This can be done for an entire day.

She ordered takeout for lunch and then continued reading the script after finishing her meal.

My fingers slid across the tablet, my eyes scanning line after line of dialogue on the screen, completely immersed in the world of the script.

She only looked up from her script and followed the sound when she heard a noise coming from the entrance.

Gu Yan pushed open the door and walked in. After changing his shoes, he looked up and met her gaze: "You've been watching all day?"

Shu Zi blinked, as if she had just come to her senses. She glanced out the window; it was already dark.

She put the tablet aside, stretched, and rubbed her neck. "Hmm, I've been looking at it all day."

Gu Yan walked to the sofa and sat down beside her: "Are you hungry?"

Shu Zi nodded: "Hungry."

Gu Yan chuckled softly and patted her head: "I ordered from your favorite restaurant, it should be here soon."

The doorbell rang as soon as he finished speaking.

Gu Yan got up to open the door, picked up the two food boxes, and opened them one by one on the dining table.

The aroma instantly filled the air. Shu Zi's eyes lit up when she smelled it, and she jumped up from the sofa and quickly walked to the dining table to sit down.

The two sat facing each other, eating and chatting casually.

Shu Zi picked up a piece of steamed sea bass, took a bite, and nodded with her mouth full.

"This place is the best! When did you order it?"

"I figured you must be hungry, so I ordered it in advance."

Shu Zi gave him a thumbs up, then lowered her head and ate another bite of rice.

After finishing her meal, Shu Zi tidied up the table and was about to curl up on the sofa to continue reading the script when her phone vibrated on the coffee table.

She picked it up and saw it was a message from Lan Manwen.

Big Sister: "The production team will officially announce it at 8 PM, don't forget to share."

Shu Zi glanced at the time: 7:50.

She replied "Received," then switched to Weibo, opened the official Weibo page of the production team in advance, and waited for the official announcement to be posted.

At 8:00 AM sharp, the production team's official Weibo account posted a new message.

Shu Zi immediately reposted it, adding a short caption.

Not long after, Qi Yu and Qu Xuan also forwarded it.

Shu Zi put her phone aside, leaned on Gu Yan's shoulder, and let out a long breath.

Gu Yan glanced at her and fed her a grape: "Finished?"

"Okay, all done," she said, chewing between bites.

"How's the response?"

Shu Zi picked up her phone again and glanced at it: "It seems okay so far, there aren't any major negative comments."

She paused, then turned her head to look at him:

"Let's wait and see tomorrow. In dramas with two female leads, netizens love to analyze the billing order. I reckon someone will jump out tomorrow and say I replaced Qu Xuan."

Gu Yan raised an eyebrow: "Are you so sure?"

Shu Zi slumped onto the sofa, crossed her legs, grabbed a grape, popped it into her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and then slowly opened her mouth:

"Of course, that's the way things work in the entertainment industry. I've been in this business for a while now, so I have a good sense of it."

As she spoke, she pointed to her nose with two fingers and then to her phone screen:

"I can smell it all and tell what tomorrow's trending topics will look like."

As it turns out, Shuzi's prediction was correct.

The next morning, before she was even fully awake, her phone started vibrating incessantly on the bedside table.

She groped her way over in a daze and saw that it was Lan Manwen's phone call, along with a barrage of WeChat messages.

Before she could answer, the call was disconnected. Instead of calling back, she opened Weibo.

As expected, almost all the entries on the entertainment charts were about her.

#Shuzi replaces Qu Xuan as lead actress# Breaking News

#Controversy over billing order in Fei's new film#

#Shuzi brought her own investment to the production team# Explosive

She raised an eyebrow and clicked on the first topic. The top-pinned post from a marketing account was full of detailed and seemingly convincing information:

According to sources, Qu Xuan was originally slated to be the lead actress in Director Fei's new film, and Shu Zi auditioned for second lead. However, just before the official announcement, the lead actress was suddenly changed to Shu Zi.

An insider revealed that Shu Zi has a powerful background, brought her own investment to the production, and secured the role by virtue of her family connections, replacing Qu Xuan.

The comment section below has exploded.

[Holy crap, holy crap, a replacement? No wonder I heard Qu Xuan was originally slated for lead role, and then suddenly she was changed.]

Who is Shu Zi? I've never heard of her before. What are her representative works that made her a lead actress?

[Just because you're rich doesn't mean you can steal other people's roles!]

What did Xuanxuan do to deserve this role?

[Another one with connections, disgusting]

What's Qu Xuan's status overseas? She just returned to China and got overtaken by a rich young lady? Hilarious!

[Those who say Shu Zi has no representative works should go watch her drama from last year, okay? She was nominated for Best Newcomer Award. Don't spout nonsense when you know nothing.]

[Exactly! Director Fei always chooses people based on ability, okay? When has he ever used connections? What are some people complaining about? Is it a sin for someone to be rich?]

[Wait for a plot twist, don't take sides yet]

Shu Zi lay in bed, scrolling through the comments one by one:

"Another one with connections," tsk, I wish I could be one with connections, my dad should give me the resources, they can't wait for me to come home and inherit the family business.

She rolled her eyes and scrolled down another page:

"So what if you're rich?" Sorry, being rich is indeed impressive, but your sour grapes attitude won't change anything.

As she read, she muttered her own retorts, her tone relaxed, completely unaffected by the negative comments.

The blanket beside her shifted, and Gu stretched out his arm to wrap around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. He glanced at the contents of her phone screen, his voice still hoarse from just waking up:

"They've already started fighting so early in the morning?"