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

Downstairs, in Yu Shize's room.

Yu Shize sat at his desk, holding the phone provided by the production team. The screen displayed the trending topics page.

His face was ashen, as if a layer had been scraped off.

His agent, Zhao Qihang, sat on the edge of the bed, both of their microphones off.

Zhao Qihang lowered his voice: "Did you say that?"

Yu Shize shook his head: "No."

"How did it get leaked?"

"I have no idea."

Zhao Qihang stared at him for a few seconds, then sighed: "Alright, now is not the time to investigate who leaked it, but to figure out how to deal with it."

Yu Shize remained silent.

Zhao Qihang stood up: "You stay calm and don't say anything wrong on the show. I'll go out and handle this."

Yu Shize nodded.

Zhao Qihang walked to the door, glanced back at him, and said, "About you and Fang Yutong, just handle things as they come, and don't say too much. The more you say, the more mistakes you'll make."

Yu Shize: "Understood."

Zhao Qihang opened the door and left.

Yu Shize reached out and turned on the microphone, placed the phone on the table, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

[Yu Shize also muted his microphone? What are they talking about?]

They must be discussing how to respond to the breakup.

Yu Shize's face looks so gloomy.

Downstairs living room.

Shuzi turned over, and the blanket slid down halfway.

She smacked her lips and mumbled something in her sleep: "...sweet potato...the kind that's dripping with sugar..."

Su Yan smiled as she ate.

Jiang Yunyou heard it too, and the guitar music stopped: "Sister Zizi is amazing, she dreams of roasting sweet potatoes (thumbs up)."

Han Jingxue happened to walk in from the balcony. As she passed by Shu Zi, she glanced down at her, then picked up the blanket that was about to slip to the floor from the sofa armrest and covered her up again.

Because of Fang Yutong and Yu Shize's matter, the afternoon was free time.

At 4:30 pm, Jiang Yunyou was the first to get restless. He put his guitar on the sofa, stood up, and stretched.

"I'll go down and check. Director Liu said there will be roasted sweet potatoes tonight. When exactly are they being roasted?"

Su Yanhuan followed, saying, "I'm going too!"

The two left the living room one after the other.

On the balcony, Han Jingxue closed the book in her hand, looked up at Shen Yihuai who had been sitting opposite her, and asked, "Aren't you leaving?"

Shen Yihuai raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not leaving."

Han Jingxue didn't say anything more, picked up her book, stood up, and went back to the living room.

Shen Yihuai sat there, watching her back, a slight smile curving his lips.

In the living room, Shu Zi finally woke up.

She sat up groggily, the blanket slipping off her shoulders, her hair sticking up even more, as if she had just been struck by lightning.

She rubbed her eyes and asked, somewhat indistinctly, "...Have the sweet potatoes arrived?"

Su Yanhuan had just run back from outside when she heard this and couldn't help but laugh: "Sister Zizi, you're dreaming about eating sweet potatoes!"

Su Yanhuan handed her a glass of water: "Director Liu said they're already grilling it in the backyard, and Jiang Yunyou is guarding it there, not letting anyone get close."

Shu Zi took the water glass, took a sip, stood up, her hair sticking up, her T-shirt wrinkled, and walked towards the backyard in her slippers.

Her hair sticks up like antennas.

backyard.

A tin oven was placed on a brick platform, with charcoal burning bright red underneath. Seven or eight sweet potatoes were placed on top, and the sweet, charred aroma filled the entire yard.

Jiang Yunyou squatted next to the oven, staring intently at it.

Shu Zi walked over and squatted down next to Jiang Yunyou, also staring at the sweet potato.

The two people squatted side by side, all four eyes fixed on the oven.

Jiang Yunyou: "Sister Zizi, which one do you think is the most delicious?"

Shu Zi pointed to the largest one in the middle, whose outer skin had cracked open and from which the syrup had flowed the most: "That one, with the most cracked skin and the most syrup flowing out, is definitely the sweetest."

Jiang Yunyou: "I think the one on the left is better, because it heats up more evenly."

Shuzi: "You don't understand. The point of roasting sweet potatoes is that they're uneven. Some parts are burnt, some parts are soft, that's what makes each bite have a layered texture."

Jiang Yunyou was taken aback: "...A sense of layering?"

Shu Zi: "Yes, just like life, there are sweet and bitter moments, burnt and tender ones."

Su Yanhuan, who was listening nearby, couldn't stand it anymore: "Sister Zizi, do you have to preach life lessons just by eating a sweet potato?"

Shu Zi didn't even turn her head: "This isn't logic, this is truth."

"Roasted sweet potatoes should have layers of texture" - Shu-Tzu, are you a food connoisseur?

[Jiang Yunyou: I just wanted to eat a sweet potato, and you're giving me a lecture on life]

Fang Yutong walked out of the back door of the villa, stood on the steps, glanced at Shu Zi and Jiang Yunyou who were squatting by the oven, her gaze lingered on Shu Zi for a moment, and then looked away.

She was wearing a cream-colored knitted cardigan, her hair was loose over her shoulders, and her makeup was exquisite, showing no trace of the paleness she had shown at noon.

She stood on the steps, holding a glass of warm water, neither going down nor going back.

Yu Shize also came out.

He changed into a dark gray hoodie, without a hood, and his hair was a bit messy, making him look listless.

He walked to a stone bench in the corner of the backyard and sat down, a little distance away from everyone, looking down at his phone.

People gradually arrived at the backyard.

Director Liu came out of the kitchen, holding a pair of thick gloves, walked to the oven, and shooed Jiang Yunyou and Shu Zi aside.

"Move aside, move aside, don't block the way."

Jiang Yunyou and Shu Zi obediently took two steps back, but their eyes were still glued to the oven.

Director Liu put on gloves, opened the oven lid, and a wave of heat carrying the sweet aroma of caramel wafted out.

He used tongs to pick out the sweet potatoes one by one and placed them on the iron plate next to him.

The sweet potatoes have a charred black skin, and in some places they are even roasted to a crisp. The golden flesh at the cracks is slightly swollen, and the sugar juice is still seeping out.

Shu Zi swallowed.

Jiang Yunyou also swallowed.

Su Yanhuan whispered from behind, "You two are practically drooling on the floor."

Shu Zi ignored her and stared at the fire tongs in Director Liu's hand: "Director Liu, give me the biggest one."

Director Liu glanced at her and said, "Everyone gets a share; no one is picky."

Shu Zi: "Then I'll switch with someone else."

Director Liu: "...Whatever."

Then, through Shuzi's actions, she successfully ate the biggest one.

At six o'clock in the evening, the long table in the backyard was filled with all kinds of hot pot ingredients.

In the middle of the courtyard stood a large copper pot, with a charcoal fire burning brightly underneath, and the red oil at the bottom of the pot was bubbling away.

Jiang Yunyou, wearing an apron, stood in front of the long table, holding a kitchen knife and gesturing at a white radish.

Su Yanhuan stood next to him, holding a pair of scissors, and was cutting the roots of enoki mushrooms.

Shu Zi walked over and glanced at the radish in Jiang Yunyou's hand: "How do you plan to cut it?"

Jiang Yunyou confidently declared, "Slice it! Slice it very thinly!"

"Have you ever cut it?"

"...No, but I've seen the video."

Shu Zi paused for a second, took the cleaver from his hand, and quickly sliced ​​the radish into evenly thick slices, arranging them neatly on a plate.

She handed the knife back to him: "You're in charge of plating."

Jiang Yunyou looked down at the knife in his hand, then at the neatly arranged radish slices on the plate: "...Sister Zizi, did you secretly practice?"

Shu Zi: "No, it's a talent."

In the past, she would always help Gu Yan with his cooking, so although she couldn't cook, she could chop vegetables.

Su Yanhuan laughed out loud.

At this moment, Fang Yutong walked to the long table and asked softly, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Su Yanhuan looked up and saw her, then smiled and handed her a pair of scissors: "Sister Yutong, could you help me cut off the roots of this box of enoki mushrooms?"

Fang Yutong took the scissors, nodded, sat down beside her, and began cutting enoki mushrooms.

He moved slowly and deliberately, cutting each enoki mushroom neatly.

As Shu Zi passed by her to get a plate, she glanced at her, said nothing, and walked away.

Fang Yutong didn't look up either.