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

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Shu Zi was woken up by a series of phone calls from Sister Wen.

She squinted as she reached for her phone. The moment the call connected, Lan Manwen's anxious, raspy voice pierced her ears:

"Shuzi! Whatever you do, don't go on Weibo! It's trending! Paparazzi are maliciously taking photos and spreading rumors. Don't go online, don't let it affect you!"

Shu Zi's mind went blank, and she remained motionless on the bed for three seconds.

What? What is that?

The trending topics are exploding? What's going on? Did she do something earth-shattering this time?

She doesn't remember.

Could it be that her affair with Gu Yan was photographed yesterday?

That won't do.

Are paparazzi this powerful these days?

Shu Zi hung up the phone, her hands moving faster than her brain, and opened the Weibo homepage.

Good guy.

The top three trending topics were all negative ones about himself.

#Shuzi's Late-Night Rendezvous with a Mysterious Man# Boiling

#Shuzi's Private Dining Meeting# Boiling

#Popular actress's private life is chaotic# Boiling

She instantly snapped awake, sprang up from the bed, and was as energetic as if she had just finished military training.

In the high-definition photos released by the paparazzi, Shu Zi is wearing a smoky pink dress. She gets out of the car at the entrance of Qishan Restaurant, smiles and talks to Zhou Yan. Her eyes are curved, her posture is intimate, and the angle is just right.

There's an even more amazing picture: after she finished eating, she walked alone towards Gu Yan's car. The angle was strange and tricky, creating an ambiguous feeling of "the rendezvous is over, and she's sneaking away."

The accompanying text is a classic template for spreading rumors, sarcastic and highly suggestive:

"Top-tier variety show star Shu Zi was spotted late at night at a high-end private restaurant, dining alone with a mysterious man. Their intimate behavior has sparked rumors of a new romance, and the relationship between them seems more than just casual!"

In an instant, a torrent of abuse swept across the internet, with haters, passersby, and marketing accounts flocking to the scene, and the insults in the comments section were simply appalling.

[I'm disgusted. I used to quite like her, but I never expected her private life to be so messy! Fans whose values ​​are dictated by looks, wake up!]

[As expected, there are no clean people in the entertainment industry. What's with all this pretending to be an innocent, pure flower? The previous stalker incident might have all been a publicity stunt to gain sympathy!]

[My heart aches for Gu Yan. All his favoritism on the show was misplaced. Shu Zi enjoyed his affection while secretly dating him. Her character is questionable!]

[Yan Shen, run! Don't let this kind of person drag you down!]

[I'm unfollowing this show! I'm never watching dating reality shows again. They're all scripted and full of scandal-ridden celebrities.]

[Ban him immediately! How can there be such a morally corrupt artist in the entertainment industry? He's completely ruining the moral atmosphere!]

[Qishan isn't a place just anyone can enter. This mysterious man's background must be extraordinary. Has Shuzi managed to get on his good side?]

【Did Xiao Zizi give up today?】: Don't spread rumors! Our Zizi is innocent, and these two photos don't prove anything! You just open your mouth and start spouting nonsense everywhere!

【Comfortable10086】: Please everyone be rational when following this story. Don't make accusations without understanding the situation. Zizi is not that kind of person!

The few fan comments were drowned out by a barrage of insults and couldn't be recovered.

A rational comment tentatively appeared: "Don't you guys think the guy in the photo looks familiar? He looks like Zhou Yan, Han Lao's top disciple and a well-known illustrator in China."

The next second, it was completely buried at the bottom by mindless negative comments, and you couldn't even see a ripple.

Shu Zi stared at the screen and burst out laughing in exasperation.

She sat on the bed, holding her phone, growing angrier the more she looked at it. Her fingers flew across the screen, her face tense, and she couldn't help but mutter curses under her breath.

"Are these people crazy! If you're so good at making up stories from pictures, why don't you go write novels! You can make up a secret rendezvous with a big shot just by having a meal at Qishan? My senior brother's kid can talk back to me and have a battle of wits now!"

"And this is such an angle... Gu Yan's car was clearly waiting by the roadside! How could he possibly sneak away like that!"

She was just getting ready to roll up her sleeves and fight the haters for nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine hundred rounds when her phone vibrated again; it was Lan Manwen again.

Her voice was filled with suppressed anger, laced with gritted teeth:

"Do not open the comments, do not reply to any private messages. I have already contacted the legal department and am preparing to send a lawyer's letter and a clarification statement! These marketing accounts are maliciously spreading rumors, and they must be brought to justice!"

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Shu Zi made a gesture like Er Kang.

"Sister Wen, I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush! Let's not post it yet!"

Lan Manwen paused for a moment, wondering if she had misheard: "? The entire internet is attacking you relentlessly. If you don't clarify, you'll be ruined by this?"

Shu Zi fiddled with the bed sheet, then coughed lightly, feeling guilty. "Um... Sister Wen, there's something small I've been meaning to tell you."

A crisp sound of a bottle cap being twisted came from the other end of the phone.

It should be, probably, maybe, perhaps... it's a quick-acting heart medicine.

Lan Manwen's tone was icy: "Speak."

"The man in the photo is my senior brother. He's married, and his kids are old enough to run errands."

Lan Manwen: "Hmm, what senior brother?"

"An artist."

Lan Manwen: "???"

Shu Zi looked innocent and confessed softly, "Actually... I'm Aci, hehe."

Click—

Another sound of the bottle cap being twisted open.

Shu Zi asked cautiously, "...Um, Sister Wen, are you alright?"

Lan Manwen remained calm, her tone numb: "Dead."

She had heard of Aci, the artist in the art circle. He was a genius artist with unparalleled skills, a versatile style, and immense fame.

She thought they were just acquaintances...

"No, no, no!"

Shu Zi quickly tried to salvage the situation, "I really didn't mean to hide it from you! There were six of us at the dinner yesterday, a whole room full of people who were painting. Who knew the paparazzi would capture it as a scene of infidelity!"

On the other end of the phone, Lan Manwen took several deep breaths and frantically chanted in her mind, "Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm."

In all her years in the entertainment industry, she's never managed an artist as extraordinary and capable of hiding their true intentions as this!

"So, what are you planning to do?"

"I have a clever plan."

After hanging up the phone, Shu Zi leaned lazily against the headboard, her fingertips casually swiping across the screen. Looking at the comments, the anger in her eyes had faded, replaced by a hint of schadenfreude.

She even started mentally awarding prizes to the most outrageous comments.

Hmm... this is the "Best Imagination Award of the Year".

Tsk, this "Best Picture Description Award"...

As they were looking around, there was a gentle knock on the door, followed by Gu Yan's deep, steady voice coming through the door: "Nuonuo?"

"Mmm." Shu Zi's gaze was still on the comments, and she responded almost subconsciously.

One second later.

!!!

She abruptly shoved her phone screen face down into the blanket and sat bolt upright.

Gu Yan?!

Good heavens! How could she forget that!

Oh no! She's not ready yet!

What to do? What to do?

What should we say when we meet?

Hi? Good morning? Have you eaten? How did you sleep last night?

Oh no, this feels like I'm seriously out of my mind.

If all else fails, pretend to be asleep? You already responded earlier.

Should she just confront them directly? But she hasn't thought of an opening line yet!

"Nuonuo, are you awake?"

Gu Yan's voice rang out again, revealing no particular emotion, just like when he usually woke her up.

Shu Zi took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. It's okay, it's okay, it's okay!

But her voice still carried a barely perceptible tension and a slight tremor:

"...Yes, you're awake. Come in."