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

At 2 p.m., the crew was setting up the ingredients for the hot pot dinner, and the atmosphere in the villa was relaxed and comfortable.

Shuzi changed out of her Shiba Inu pajamas and put on a loose white T-shirt and black casual pants. Her hair was still messy, but she looked more presentable than she had in the morning.

She nestled on the sofa in the living room, covered with a blanket, holding the phone provided by the production team, idly scrolling through the news.

Su Yanhuan sat next to her, holding a bag of potato chips and eating them with relish.

Jiang Yunyou sat on the carpet, holding a guitar, and strummed the strings idly.

Han Jingxue was reading on the balcony, and Shen Yihuai sat opposite her with a cup of coffee. Neither of them spoke, but neither of them left.

Gu Yan sat on another sofa, holding a magazine in his hand.

Everything was peaceful.

Then Shuzi's phone vibrated.

She glanced down and saw a news notification.

Her finger paused on the screen for a second, then slowly slid down, her thumb pausing for a moment, and her brow furrowing slightly.

Su Yanhuan noticed her expression had changed and leaned closer to ask, "Sister Zizi, what's wrong?"

Shu Zi didn't say anything, but handed her the phone.

Su Yanhuan took the phone, glanced at it, and her eyes widened: "...Sister Yutong and Teacher Yu broke up?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but the living room was quiet, and everyone heard it.

There was a moment of silence in the living room.

Su Yanhuan realized she had let something slip and quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late.

Shu Zi took the phone back from her hand, scrolled through a few more posts, and said expressionlessly, "Number one trending topic, it's gone viral."

What?! Fang Yutong and Yu Shize broke up?!

[Trending at number one! It's really gone viral!]

Wait for me, I'll go check Weibo right now.

Weren't they always rumored to be a couple? When did they get together?

[People had been saying they were together for a while, but they hadn't gone public with it.]

So Fang Yutong's crying during her previous live stream wasn't because Shu Zi interfered in her relationship, but because they broke up?

Why did she bring up "a certain celebrity in the industry stole my boyfriend"?

Jiang Yunyou put down his guitar, which landed on the ground with a dull thud. He leaned closer, craning his neck as if to look down:

"Really? Let me see!"

Shu Zi handed him the phone, and Jiang Yunyou took it and looked at it for a few seconds. His mouth gaped open into an "O" shape, big enough to fit an egg:

"...That's true."

He handed the phone back to Shu Zi and scratched his head:

"So...when exactly did they get together? I have absolutely no idea."

Su Yanhuan said softly, her voice low:

"It seems like it's been a long time, right? I saw a gossip account dig up some information before, saying they've been together for several years, starting from their school days."

Jiang Yunyou looked shocked: "Several years? How come you suddenly broke up? You seemed to be getting along well on the show just a few days ago?"

Su Yanhuan shook her head: "I don't know. The marketing accounts didn't say why, they just broke up with him and didn't write anything else."

The living room was quiet for a few seconds.

Shu Zi put her phone on the coffee table, picked up the blanket and covered herself up again, her tone as indifferent as if she were saying the weather was nice today: "It has nothing to do with me."

Su Yanhuan glanced at her but didn't dare to reply.

After spending these past few days together, she believed that Shu Zi wasn't that kind of person.

You can tell from Shu Zi's attitude towards Shi Ze that her disdain was not feigned, but genuine, undisguised, and she wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.

[Shu Tzu said, "It has nothing to do with me"—is she afraid that netizens will blame her again?]

Are you scared of being cyberbullied last time?

[It had nothing to do with her in the first place. Yu Shize was already with Fang Yutong when he tricked her into signing the contract. She was also a victim.]

Fang Yutong's fans previously accused Shu Zi of being a homewrecker, but now they've been proven wrong.

Who knows if they really broke up? Maybe it's just a publicity stunt.

The second floor, Fang Yutong's room.

Fang Yutong sat on the edge of the bed, holding the phone given to her by the production team. The screen showed the trending topics page.

Her face was very pale.

The top trending topic: #FangYutongAndYuShizeBreakUp#

Second trending topic: #Fang Yutong framed Shu Zi#

Third on the trending topics list: #Fang Yutong cried during her live stream, claiming it was a publicity stunt#

Her finger slowly slid across the screen, scrolling down each line.

In the comments section, some people felt sorry for her, some people scolded her, and some people dug up her previous live broadcast clips and analyzed her expressions frame by frame, saying that she "cried fake" and "her eyes were peeking at the teleprompter."

Fang Yutong placed her phone face down on the bed, screen down, and closed her eyes briefly. Her eyelashes fluttered twice, and her lips pressed into a thin line.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor.

The high heels clicked on the floor, tap, tap, tap, in a fast rhythm.

Fang Yutong opened her eyes, stood up, walked to the door, and opened it.

In the corridor, a woman in a black suit jacket was walking quickly, her expression both anxious and angry.

Her hair was neatly combed, and she wore a pair of small diamond stud earrings that sparkled as she walked.

She is Fang Yutong's agent, Zhou Min.

Zhou Min walked up to Fang Yutong and lowered her voice: "You saw it?"

Fang Yutong nodded, her voice very soft: "I saw it."

Zhou Min glanced behind her and said, "Turn off the camera and let's go inside and talk."

Fang Yutong stepped aside to let her in, walked to the bedside table, picked up the remote control provided by the production team, and pressed a button.

The little red indicator light in the corner went out, and the microphone was turned off.

[Did Fang Yutong mute her microphone? What did she say to her manager that we can't hear?]

[Mic is off! You can't see it!]

[They're probably talking about the trending topics, and they don't want to be recorded.]

[Pshaw, what's so shameful about it?]

Zhou Min then spoke, arms crossed, fingers tapping lightly on her arm, her brows furrowed in a frown:

"Tell me yourself, is it leaking from your side?"

Fang Yutong sat on the edge of the bed, her hands on her knees, her fingers interlaced, her knuckles slightly white:

"No, I can't contact the outside world, you know that."

"What about Yu Shize?"

Fang Yutong thought for a moment and shook her head: "He wouldn't dare. His reputation is already ruined. It wouldn't do him any good to expose something like this again."

Zhou Min paced back and forth a couple of times, her high heels clicking on the floor.

"That's strange. There are only a few people who know the truth. If it's not you, not him, not either of their teams, then who could it be?"

Fang Yutong raised her head and looked at Zhou Min.

"Sister Min," she said softly, as if she were talking about something unimportant, "can you investigate two people for me?"

Zhou Min stopped in her tracks: "Who?"

Fang Yutong: "Han Jingxue, and Shu Zi."

Zhou Min was taken aback: "Han Jingxue? The actress who won the Best Actress award? What are you investigating about her?"

"identity."

Zhou Min frowned: "You suspect they leaked the information? How did they know about your breakup?"

Fang Yutong did not answer the question.

She stood up, walked to the window, and reached out to pull open a crack in the curtains.

Sunlight streamed in, and she squinted.

Downstairs, Yu Shize was walking back from the direction of the garden, head down, his steps quick.

Fang Yutong watched his retreating figure, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

It wasn't laughter, but a sense of relief after confirming something.

"They don't need to know."

Fang Yutong loosened the curtains, turned to look at Zhou Min, and said, "As long as they have something to talk about, the trending topics will follow them. No one will care if something happens to me."

Zhou Min looked at her, remained silent for a few seconds, and then nodded: "Okay, I'll check, but it will take time."

Fang Yutong: "No rush, the first episode still has a few days left. Just make sure you find out before I get back."

Zhou Min turned to leave, but stopped at the door and looked back at her:

"Be careful, that Shuzi is no pushover. Also, Shuzi's popularity has been rising recently, and the company may be promoting her."

Fang Yutong smiled and said softly, "I understand."

Zhou Min opened the door and left.

Fang Yutong picked up the remote control and pressed a button.

The small red indicator light in the corner lit up again.

She sat back down on the edge of the bed, her hands on her knees, her back straight.

Her expression remained unchanged, but she tapped her fingers lightly twice on her knee.

Once, twice.

Then it stopped.

The microphone is on again, but I still don't know what they're saying.

[Fang Yutong's expression... I always felt like she was plotting something.]

Stop with the conspiracy theories, they're probably just discussing how to handle public relations.