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

Only the two of them remained in the rainy night.

Gu Yan didn't say anything more, but put his arm around her shoulder and led her towards the car.

"Get in the car first. You're soaked to the bone. If you stand there any longer, you'll catch a cold."

The car was still parked in the same spot, with its headlights on.

Wu Qiwei was already standing by the car. When he saw Gu Yan bringing people over, he opened the back door without saying a word.

Gu Yan bent down to help Shu Zi inside, then got in himself and closed the car door behind him.

Once the car door was closed, the sounds of rain and wind were shut out.

Wu Qiwei got into the car, started the engine, and pressed a button. The partition between the back seat and the front seat slowly rose, separating the front and back into two independent spaces.

Warm air blew gently out of the vents, and the carriage quickly warmed up.

Gu Yan took a bag from the side and handed it to Shu Zi: "Change out of your wet clothes first, so you don't catch a cold."

Shu Zi took the bag, looked down at her still dripping costume, then looked up at him: "Turn around."

Gu Yan glanced at her, said nothing, and turned to face the car window.

Shu Zi opened the bag; inside was a gray sweatshirt and a pair of dark sweatpants—it was his.

She quickly took off her soaked costume, put on dry clothes, and breathed a long sigh of relief as the familiar scent enveloped her.

"……alright."

Gu Yan turned back, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.

The hoodie was too big; the shoulder seam slipped down to her armpits, and the sleeves were too long, making her look even smaller.

He didn't say anything, but simply reached out and put his arm around her waist, gently lifting her from the seat next to him onto his lap.

Shu Zi was stunned for a moment, then leaned into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder and curling up into a ball.

Gu Yan lowered his head and grasped her fingertips that were sticking out of her sleeve; they were icy cold.

He didn't say anything, but simply rolled up her overly long sleeves, revealing her slender wrists, then switched to the other sleeve and continued rolling.

Shu Zi looked at his lowered eyes and her nose started to sting again.

She spoke softly, "Why did you suddenly come back... without even telling me beforehand?"

Gu Yan's gaze fell on her face: "After the video call ended that day, I went to book tickets."

Shu Zi looked up at him, her eyes starting to redden again: "It's four in the morning where you are..."

"Hmm." Gu Yan's voice was very soft, "But I can't wait any longer."

Shu Zi's tears finally fell.

She didn't cry out loud, but tears fell one by one, landing on the back of Gu Yan's hand.

All the things that had been building up inside her found an outlet at this moment.

Gu Yan didn't say anything, but simply pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

Shu Zi buried her face in his chest, her shoulders still twitching slightly, before gradually calming down after a while.

She sniffed, her voice muffled and heavy with nasal tone: "I'm so tired, Gu Yan."

Gu Yan lowered his head and kissed the top of her head, his voice softening even more: "I know, that's why I came."

Neither of them spoke again.

He wrapped one arm around her waist and gently patted her back with the other, slowly and deliberately, like coaxing a child.

The only sound in the carriage was the gentle whistling of the warm air.

Shu Zi nestled quietly in his arms for a while before raising her head. Her eyes were still red, but she had stopped crying.

Gu Yan looked down at her and asked softly, "Are you hungry?"

Shu Zi nodded. "Hungry."

"What would you like to eat?"

"I want to eat what you make."

Shu Zi looked at him and said, "Doesn't the hotel have a small kitchen? Just cook me a bowl of noodles."

Gu Yan's gaze softened, and he lowered his head to place a kiss on her forehead: "Okay, I'll cook for you when we get back."

Shu Zi was finally satisfied. She leaned back into his arms, buried her face in his chest, and added, "I want eggs."

Gu Yan chuckled softly: "Add two more."

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the hotel.

Wu Qiwei turned off the engine and whispered to the other side of the partition, "President Gu, we've arrived."

Gu Yan looked down at the person in his arms.

Shu Zi was already asleep, her breathing steady, curled up in his arms like a cat that had finally found its nest.

He didn't move immediately, but held her quietly for a while before softly calling her, "Nuonuo, we're here."

Shu Zi mumbled an "Mmm" in a daze, without opening her eyes.

Gu Yan didn't call her a second time. He gently adjusted his position, held her securely, and got out of the car.

After taking only two steps, Shu Zi stirred in his arms and woke up.

"I'll walk by myself."

She tugged at his collar, her voice still sleepy, "You've been flying for so long, stop hugging me."

Gu Yan glanced down at her, but didn't insist. He gently put her down, then put his arm around her shoulder and led her into the hotel.

Upon arriving at the room door, Shu Zi entered the password and pushed the door open.

Gu Yan followed behind her and closed the door.

"Go take a shower first." He glanced at her still-wet hair. "Don't catch a cold."

Shu Zi nodded, took her pajamas from the closet, and turned to walk into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, in a secluded corner near the hotel, a figure wearing a baseball cap glanced down at a camera screen and zoomed in on the photo.

In the scene, Gu Yan leads Shu Zi into the hotel, their profiles clearly visible.

He smiled with satisfaction, quickly opened Weibo, edited a post with a photo, and sent it out.

However, less than 30 seconds after the post was published, the page suddenly displayed "Content has been deleted".

He paused for a moment, thinking it was a network problem, and sent it again.

This time it was even faster; almost the instant you clicked send, the page redirected to "This content does not exist".

He frowned, switched to another account, and tried to upload again, only to find that the account had been frozen.

His heart skipped a beat, and he checked several other channels that were posting simultaneously.

Without exception, they were all cleaned up completely, as if they had never existed.

Before he could even take a screenshot, all traces had already been completely erased.

He looked up at the direction of the hotel building and suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

When Shuzi came out of the shower, her hair was wet and clung to her face and neck, with water droplets dripping down her hair and leaving a small dark stain on her light-colored pajamas.

She walked behind Gu Yan without saying a word and simply leaned her wet head against his back.

Gu Yan paused in his action of unpacking the noodles, turning his head to look at her: "You came out with your hair still wet?"

Shu Zi didn't move, but wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, her voice soft and gentle:

"I don't want to move, you blow on it for me."