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

She turned around, but Gu Yan didn't say anything. He just led her to the folding chair next to him and pressed her shoulder to make her sit down.

Before she could react, he had already squatted down, taken out an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel, and gently pressed it onto the red mark on her face.

A sudden, icy touch struck her, and Shu Zi hissed. She instinctively tried to back away, but his hand held her chin, holding her still.

"Don't move."

Shu Zi sat obediently without moving.

The gazes of several staff members drifted over almost imperceptibly, then quickly looked away, pretending to be busy with their own affairs.

Fang Zhizi stood three steps away, holding a thermos in her hand, caught in a dilemma. She simply turned around and pretended to be examining a box on the prop table.

Shu Zi lowered her voice: "Where did you get the ice pack?"

Gu Yan didn't say anything, but simply changed the angle of the ice pack and continued to apply it.

Shu Zi waited a few seconds, and seeing that he still didn't speak, she couldn't help but laugh:

"Gu Yan, are you made of ice? You haven't said a word."

Gu Yan finally raised his eyes, glanced at her through the brim of his hat, and asked in a low voice, "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt."

He looked at her for two seconds, then pressed the ice pack back down: "Liar."

Shu Zi didn't speak, but lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

She wouldn't have made a fuss over such a small thing in the past. Getting hit while filming was a common occurrence, and she would just get over the pain quickly.

But today, with Gu Yan by her side, he squatted down in front of her, holding her chin and applying an ice pack to her face. His careful manner made her nose suddenly tingle with emotion.

She blinked, trying to force back the sour feeling, but her eyes still involuntarily reddened.

Gu Yan paused for a moment.

He saw it.

The next second, he raised his hand, took off his hat, and gently placed it on her head.

The brim of her hat was pulled down, completely obscuring most of her face.

Shu Zi was startled by the sudden darkness and asked, "...What's going on?"

"Block it."

His voice came through the brim of his hat, "It looks good even when it's red, but I won't let them see it."

Shu Zi hid under her hat, her nose stinging even more, but she couldn't help but smile.

Not far away, two staff members were huddled together looking in this direction. One of them covered his mouth, while the other stared wide-eyed, clearly trying to identify something.

Immediately following was a suppressed gasp: "That...is that Gu Yan?!"

Upon hearing this, several people around them turned around simultaneously, their gazes all falling on the man squatting in front of Shu Zi.

"My God! It really is Gu Yan!"

"Wow, so handsome! You can feel his handsomeness even through the mask!"

"So Gu Yanshu and Zi are... together?!"

"Aaaaaah, my favorite couple is real! I knew they were acting strange on the variety show!"

Shu Zi blinked under her hat, then reached up and lifted the brim a crack, revealing her eyes as she looked at Gu Yan:

"Oh no, you've been recognized."

Gu Yan didn't turn around, nor did he even frown. He simply reached out and gently pulled her hat brim back down, his tone indifferent:

"Yeah, if you recognized it, you recognized it."

"Aren't you afraid of being photographed?"

Gu Yan met her eyes and said helplessly, "Baby, I'm not here to have an affair."

Shu Zi blushed under her hat and reached out to slap him: "...Can you be serious for once?"

Gu Yan didn't dodge; a slight smile played on his lips. "Apply it, don't move."

More and more people were staring at them, and some had already taken out their phones, but they didn't dare to take pictures too obviously. They could only pretend to be looking down and replying to messages, but their cameras were secretly pointed in that direction.

Gu Yan seemed oblivious, still squatting in front of Shu Zi, the ice pack in his hand firmly pressed against her face, showing no intention of getting up and leaving.

At this moment, Director Fei's voice came from behind the monitor, tinged with helplessness:

"Alright, alright, stop watching the commotion and go about your business! It's just someone visiting the set, what's the big deal?"

As soon as Director Fei spoke, the staff members all looked away and pretended to bury themselves in their work.

But the excitement hadn't dissipated yet. Several young women huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, occasionally letting out suppressed laughter.

Gu Yan finally removed the ice pack and looked closely at her face.

The red marks have mostly faded, leaving only a faint imprint.

Shu Zi stood up, took off her hat, and put it back on his head, gently pressing down the brim for him.

She glanced around at the furtive glances still directed at them, and lowered her voice to say to him:

"Go wait for me in the RV."

Gu Yan glanced at her but didn't move.

Shu Zi added, "If you stand here like this, they can't concentrate on filming, and neither can I."

She paused, then gently tugged at his sleeve, her voice softening slightly:

"Go wait for me in the car, I'll come find you after I'm done filming, okay?"

Gu Yan remained silent for a while, then finally nodded and turned to walk out of the film set.

Everyone's eyes followed his retreating figure until he was far away, at which point the murmurs on set gradually grew louder.

Director Fei stood up from behind the monitor. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the room could hear him clearly.

"Everyone knows what happened today. I don't need to say more about what should and shouldn't be posted."

After Director Fei finished speaking, the film set fell completely silent.

No one responded, and no one looked in that direction anymore.

At least not on the surface.

Shu Zi turned around and walked back in front of the camera. The red marks on her face had faded a lot, and a thin layer of powder covered them up.

She stood still, took a deep breath, and nodded towards the director:

"Director Fei, that's enough, let's continue."

Director Fei glanced at her, made sure she was alright, then picked up the walkie-talkie: "All departments, prepare, next."

Shu Zi filmed the next few scenes exceptionally smoothly.

Whether it was because Gu Yan's arrival made her feel at ease, or because the slap she had just received had completely immersed her emotions into the role, she was in an exceptionally good state, and almost all of her scenes were completed in one take.

Lin Man, on the other hand, was clearly distracted in the later scenes, her eyes always drifting towards the entrance of the set. She only managed to stay focused after two takes.

By the time the last scene wrapped up, it was already dark.

Shu Zi greeted the staff and walked out of the film set.