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

Shu Zi paused, not turning around, but her back tensed slightly. "...What?"

"The dress is in the dressing room."

Shu Zi nodded haphazardly and replied, "Oh, I understand."

As soon as she finished speaking, she practically fled into the bedroom.

The door clicked shut, and with her back pressed against the cool door panel, she finally let out a long sigh of relief and raised her hand to cover her still burning cheeks.

This is insane! This is insane! This is insane!

This is insane!

Gu Yan actually likes her! And he even admitted it himself!

She slid down to the floor, buried her face in her knees, and let out a muffled wail.

What should she do? What should she do?

Accept? But she hadn't figured out exactly what her feelings for Gu Yan were.

Refuse? But she seemed to have a hard time saying "no."

The thought that Gu Yan would treat others with gentleness in the future, and give all the favoritism that was reserved for her to someone else, made her heart feel heavy, sour, and awkward.

"Ugh—this is so annoying!"

She scratched her hair, got up from the floor, threw herself onto the bed, and grabbed her phone.

Gu Yan, who happened to be passing by outside the door, clearly heard the faint noises coming from inside the room, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

It seems this kitten has really been pushed to its limit tonight.

Shu Zi hovered her finger over the screen, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally opened the "Plastic Sisters" three-person group chat.

The group chat was quiet; the last message was still about Fang Ran and He Yuzhuo... (you know what I mean).

Her fingers tapped and typed on the screen, deleting and rewriting repeatedly, finally sending out a message:

A little girl:

"What if—and I mean, what if—someone you've known for a very, very long time, so long that you thought they'd always just be friends, suddenly tells you they like you…?"

Less than five seconds after the message was sent, my phone started vibrating incessantly.

The sleepiest person within a hundred miles: "?????????"

The sleepiest person within a hundred miles: "Who?! Gu Yan?!"

Cute and clueless: "!!!!!!!"

Cute and clueless: "My brother confessed his feelings to you?!"

Cute and clueless: "When? Where? What did they say? Details?! Is there video or audio recording?!"

Shu Zi: "..."

She knew it.

A little girl: "...I haven't said who it is yet."

The next second—

Fang Ran invites you to join a voice call.

Shu Zi: "..."

She glanced towards the door to make sure there was no noise outside before answering the call.

With a soft "beep," the voice call was connected.

Fang Ran's voice drifted over slowly, a knowing smile playing on her lips:

"Shu Xiaozhi, this is your late-night emotional hotline, please speak~"

"Did our CEO Gu finally lose his temper and corner that slow-witted little kitten?"

Qiao Yueke's voice followed closely behind, filled with shock and curiosity:

"Zizi! Really? Really? My brother really... confessed to you?! Oh my god! When did this happen? Just now? What did you say?!"

Shu Zi moved her phone away a little, and only after the barrage of questions from the two of them had subsided slightly did she put the phone back to her ear and weakly hummed in agreement.

Her voice held a hint of self-deprecating frustration: "You guys...did you already know?"

"Nonsense!" Fang Ran retorted without hesitation, "I knew it! I knew this day would come!"

"You're blind and heartless, using your childhood sweetheart as a shield. Anyone could see something was off about the way Gu Yan looked at you, okay? Only you, Shu, the straight-laced, iron-willed woman, could mistake his deep affection for brotherly love!"

"You! Confess right now! Details! Not a single punctuation mark is allowed to be missed!"

"Ahhhhhh—!" Qiao Yue let out an excited scream on the other end of the phone, urging him on excitedly:

"Yes, yes, yes! Zizi, tell me quickly! What did my brother say? Was he really serious and handsome?"

Shu Zi: "..."

What goes around comes around; no one escapes the wrath of Heaven.

The previous Fang Ran, the next her.

Shu Zi lay sprawled on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Sure enough, everyone in the world saw it, only she herself was completely oblivious.

She mumbled a retelling of the conversation in the car, omitting the beginning and end, emphasizing Gu Yan's crisp "Yes" and her own cowardly "I need time to think about it" at the end.

"In the car?!"

Qiao Yueke's voice suddenly rose, filled with unspeakable excitement: "And then? What did he say? What did he say? I thought he was going to keep it to himself forever!"

"Have you... have you... um?"

The last "hmm" sound, with its rising tone, is full of ambiguous implications.

Shu Zi's face flushed red instantly: "Qiao Yueke! Did Huo Fei corrupt you?! How come your mind is full of unclean and unhealthy things?! No! Nothing at all!"

"Tsk tsk tsk," Fang Ran shook her head, "Not bad, Gu Yan, you're not pretending anymore, are you? But Shu Zi, your answer... is official enough, and cowardly enough."

Shu Zi got annoyed: "Then what can I say back? Should I just pounce on you and say 'I like you too'? I... I never even thought about it that way! I always thought we were... we were like that!"

"What kind?"

Fang Ran hit the nail on the head, "Do you think it's only natural that he's good to you, that there won't be anyone else by his side, and that things will continue like this forever?"

"Zizi, that's the problem. You've gotten used to his absolute specialness and uniqueness in your life, but you've never labeled that specialness and uniqueness with love."

"You depend on him, trust him, and even... possess him, but you refuse to admit that it's love."

"Tell me honestly, you really have absolutely no feelings for Gu Yan? You just see him as 'the older brother you grew up with'?"

Shu Zi fell silent.

Feel?

What are her feelings for him?

All she knew was that she didn't hate his proximity, nor did she hate any of his touches.

Does this count as...liking it?

she does not know.

She seems to be subconsciously avoiding this question.

"I...I don't know."

Shu Zi said honestly, her voice filled with confusion and a hint of vulnerability, "Ranran, Qiaoqiao, I've never thought about it that way."

"He has always been Gu Yan, the one who would take the blame for me, cook for me, and be the first to stand up for me when I was bullied, the one who has been by my side since I was a child."

"I got used to him in every corner of my life, so used to it that... I thought this state would continue forever and would never change."

"But now he's telling me, telling me..."

Shu Zi's voice lowered, "I'm a little confused. I don't know how to face him or how to respond."

"I can't bring myself to refuse, and I don't want to."

"But accepting... I'm not sure. Is my feeling for him just habit, dependence, or...?"

It's still about love.

She didn't say the last two words, but Fang Ran and Qiao Yue both understood.