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

The door was pushed open, and Gu Yan walked in.

He was wearing loungewear, and the morning light shone through the gaps in the curtains, outlining his handsome features.

His gaze fell on her face, calm, unlike the look in his eyes he had given her in the car last night.

Shu Zi's heart was pounding, and she didn't dare to look him in the eye. Her gaze drifted to the second button of his shirt, then slowly moved upwards.

Hiss! That Adam's apple...

No, Shuzi, what are you thinking?!

Is now the time to look at Adam's apples?!

She abruptly lowered her head, her cheeks uncontrollably starting to heat up.

There seemed to be a silent, subtle tension in the air, one that only she could feel.

Gu Yan's gaze lingered for a moment on the tips of her slightly reddened ears, his eyes deepening almost imperceptibly. "You saw about the trending topics?"

"Huh?" The sudden change of topic startled Shu Zi.

She looked up at Gu Yan: "Huh?"

"Trending topic." Gu Yan looked at the bewildered expression and repeated it helplessly.

"Ah! Right! It's trending!"

Shu Zi's attention was instantly drawn away, and all her previous ulterior motives were instantly forgotten, replaced by a renewed surge of anger.

She unconsciously knelt up from the bed, her voice rising two octaves:

"I saw it! I'm so angry! You saw it too? These paparazzi are unbelievable! A few photos and they can make up an 80-episode soap opera! And those comments, they're unbearable to look at! They actually said things about me..."

She rattled off a string of words at lightning speed, her cheeks flushed red with anger, completely forgetting the embarrassment she had just felt, and utterly forgetting that the man in front of her had just made a grand confession to her the night before.

Gu Yan listened quietly, his gaze falling on her chest, which was rising and falling slightly with excitement, and her small face, which was so lively with anger. The deep emotions hidden in his eyes slowly relaxed.

He didn't interrupt her, but only spoke softly when she paused to catch her breath:

"The PR team is ready. All related false keywords and malicious discussions can be cleaned up in a very short time. How would you like to handle this?"

"No, no!"

Without a second thought, Shu Zi immediately shook her head, waved her hand with an air of "I'll handle this" confidence:

"It's a piece of cake, I can handle it myself! Removing it from the trending topics list is pointless, it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause, and it makes me look guilty, as if I've really done something shameful."

"This time I'm going to personally take the field and give them a real beating!"

Gu Yan didn't speak, he just looked at her quietly.

Shu Zi knew what he was thinking. She touched her nose, and the aura that had risen because of the trending topic subsided slightly.

"I didn't want to reveal that I was Aci before, simply because I found it troublesome and wanted to keep a low profile."

She shrugged, her expression becoming somewhat lazy and disdainful. "Being a celebrity is exciting enough. You're under constant scrutiny from the cameras, always rushing through your schedule, and surrounded by scandals."

"If people find out I'm Aci, well, the art world, the entertainment world, big shots and fans from all three circles, plus bystanders watching the show, they'll dig up my underwear... no, my whole past."

"I just want to quietly paint, record shows, act, and relax in peace and quiet. Who wants to be constantly under pressure?"

She pouted, her little expression both smug and a bit aggrieved: "I just wanted to be a pretty, carefree nobody on the variety show, but someone insisted I show my ID! Forcing me to go all out!"

"So," he began, "you're planning to fight back yourself?"

"Absolutely!"

Hiding it is being low-key; showing it off is showing confidence.

She just wanted to have a quiet meal with her fellow disciples, but it was twisted into a late-night rendezvous.

This is intolerable! Shu Zi cannot tolerate it!

Shu Zi clenched her fist and slammed it on the blanket. "Everyone's already throwing mud at me like this. If I keep quiet, do they really think I'm Hello Kitty with no temper?"

"Instead of my studio issuing a cold, dry statement to try and clear my name, I'd rather go live myself and chat for a bit. Perfect, aren't they curious? Aren't they fond of making things up? Aren't they always guessing who Aci really is?"

"Today I'll give them a good look, and I'll slap their faces until they're swollen!"

Gu Yan looked at her profile, which was a little arrogant and cunning, and a smile gradually spread in his eyes, full of indulgence and tenderness.

His girl was never a canary that needed to hide under his wings.

She has her own sharp edge, her own pride, and the confidence to shake all doubts.

His voice was a few degrees gentler than before: "Okay, I'll keep an eye on the live stream for you."

"Yes!" Shu Zi nodded vigorously. With Gu Yan watching over her from behind, she felt even more confident to get things done.

Gu Yan didn't say anything more, turned around and left the room, gently closing the door behind him.

Shuzi was left alone in the room again.

She maintained her previous defiant posture, staring at the closed door, and blinked.

Wait a minute...

Just now...did they have a...very natural, very smooth conversation about how to handle a public relations crisis?

Have you completely forgotten about confessing your feelings last night?

They discussed it very naturally, assigned tasks very naturally, and then... it ended very naturally?

Hmm... Can someone tell her if this is right?

Shu Zi belatedly touched her still slightly feverish cheeks.

It seems... the first meeting after being confessed to wasn't as scary and awkward as I imagined? Gu Yan didn't seem to mention last night either, and acted perfectly normal?

This realization made her quietly breathe a sigh of relief, but then she felt a little awkward.

How can he be so calm? It's like nothing happened last night?

Oh dear, oh dear! Never mind, now's not the time to dwell on this!

Shu Zi shook her head, temporarily putting aside those messy thoughts, and picked up her phone again.

Fight mode activated! All activated!

Her eyes were so determined, as if she were about to join the Party, carrying a kind of "I'm going all out" ruthlessness and a hidden excitement.

There was no prior announcement, no glamorous opening, and not even the best angles and lighting were adjusted.

With a touch of languor from just waking up and lingering anger, she pressed the "Start Live Stream" button.

Live stream title? Anything.

Cover? Too lazy to do it.

As soon as the show started, it was flooded with haters and bystanders who had come after hearing the news. The barrage of comments was incredibly fast, and almost all of them were sarcastic.

Wow, the person involved still dares to go live? That's pretty brave.

[A chaotic private life and trying to elicit sympathy through live streaming? Absolutely not! We don't accept that.]

[Come out and explain your late-night rendezvous with a mysterious man!]

I get annoyed by people like this! What's with the innocent act? They're up to no good behind the scenes.

Shu Zi stared at the scrolling comments, raised an eyebrow, and said in a lazy yet amused tone:

"In the early morning, instead of sleeping, going to class, or going to work, everyone's just sitting in my live stream eating melons. You guys must have a lot of free time."