The family dinner that evening was exceptionally lavish. At the table, Yu Wanwan watched her parents continuously heap food onto Zhang Jingxu's plate and felt a twinge of jealousy. This guy could always win her parents' favor no matter what. When they were kids, every time Zhang Jingxu came over, her parents would be extraordinarily warm, making it seem like he was their real son. Afterward, her father would always nag her, saying things like, "Learn from Xiao Xu." In short, wherever Zhang Jingxu was, Yu Wanwan was always overshadowed, so much so that she once regarded him as a thorn in her side, her lifelong rival. When she heard his family was moving abroad after middle school graduation, she couldn't have been happier, thinking she would never have to live in his shadow again. Little did she expect that years later, she would end up marrying her lifelong rival. And the kicker was, she was the one who proposed.
Suddenly, a heavy downpour began outside, accompanied by rumbling thunder. Xu Xiangsi glanced at the rain and said to the couple across the table, "Why did it start raining so hard? Xiao Xu, why don't you two stay here tonight?"
"Mm," Yu Wanwan said, chewing on a shrimp, nodding slightly. "Gui Auntie, could you please tidy up the guest room?"
Xu Xiangsi was puzzled. "Why tidy the guest room?"
"For him to sleep in, of course," Yu Wanwan said, motioning toward the man beside her, not seeing anything wrong with her words. "You don't expect him to sleep on the sofa, do you?"
Yu Suisui gave her a scrutinizing look. "Aren't you two married?"
Yu Wanwan: "..."
Dammit.
Yu Wanwan cursed inwardly. How could she forget that? After a moment, she forced a polite smile and said reluctantly, "Oh, I almost forgot. In that case... you'll sleep with me tonight."
Having said that, she awkwardly lowered her head and resumed eating. She felt like she had dug a hole for herself.
After dinner, Yu Wanwan was the first to freshen up in the bathroom before letting him in. Listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom, she began to fret. Too agitated to sit still, she paced around the room, wondering how they would sleep together tonight.
"Should I threaten him to sleep on the floor like we did when we were kids?"
"No, no. He's married me and helped me out. I can't make him sleep on the floor."
After much deliberation, Yu Wanwan went to the walk-in closet and grabbed two brand-new pillows. She placed them in the middle of the bed as a boundary, thinking that should be fine. Anyway, she doubted he would dare cross the line.
With that done, she happily slipped under the covers, pulled out her phone, and opened her Douya account to check how the video she posted earlier was doing.
To her surprise, the subtly affectionate video had blown up. It had been only a little over two hours since she posted it, yet it already had 1.03 million likes and even gained her a small wave of followers. Staring at the astonishing view count, she was taken aback.
Ever since she broke up with Lu Peizhi last year and fell into a slump, Yu Wanwan had completely abandoned her career as a foodie blogger. When she finally decided to bounce back a while ago and posted a food review video, she sadly discovered that the internet had moved on quickly. With countless new food bloggers emerging, her first video in a year and a half barely got 100,000 likes after three days. What's more, the subsequent videos performed even worse. Back in her heyday, her videos averaged 500,000 to 600,000 likes. At that moment, she realized that in this fast-paced era of self-media, if you can't keep up with regular updates, you'll soon be abandoned by fans and algorithms.
Little did she expect that after only two months of falling from a top-tier blogger to a nobody, a casual video she shot today would bring her back to her peak traffic. Could it be that she was hitting rock bottom and bouncing back?
Lost in thought, Yu Wanwan started scrolling through the comments.
[Long time no see, Little Fish. I thought you'd forgotten this account. (excited)]
[Ahhhhh! My fossil blogger actually updated!]
[This guy is so handsome!!!]
Reply to OP: [Uh... he didn't even show his face. How can you tell he's handsome?]
Reply to 1st floor: [Even without the face, you have to trust Little Fish's taste. She only dates handsome guys. (dog head)]
[So was our blogger dating during her absence? Suddenly curious who this silhouette is.]
Reply to OP: [Whoever it is, it's definitely not Lu Peizhi.]
OP replies to 1st floor: [Ah, so the blogger really broke up with CEO Lu? Actually, I kinda liked CEO Lu's looks. Is that okay to say?]
1st floor replies to OP: [Me too. They were such a perfect match—handsome guy, pretty girl. CEO Lu was the only man unafraid of her widower's curse. I always thought they were made for each other. Can't believe they broke up. Sigh, I feel like someone set CEO Lu up.]
2nd floor replies to 1st floor: [Sis, don't let looks be everything! No matter how handsome he is, it doesn't change the fact that he's a jerk. Please don't whitewash a scumbag.]
[I suddenly notice a lot of gift bags in the living room. Could Little Fish be getting engaged?]
[The tag is actually 'ideal type'! Ahhhh! This video is packed with info!]
[I wonder what CEO Lu thinks when he sees this video.]
...
Yu Wanwan devoured the comments, thrilled by the sudden traffic. At the same time, she couldn't help wondering—yeah, what would CEO Lu think when he saw this video? She was curious too.
Growing more excited, she spontaneously replied to the user who asked if she was getting engaged: [Already married.]
Meanwhile, at the Lu family villa, Lu Peizhi had just finished a drinking party. Dragging his reeking, exhausted body, he collapsed onto the sofa and loosened his tie. After a brief rest, he took out his phone and opened Douya as usual. To his surprise, Yu Wanwan, who hadn't posted to her alt account for over a year, had actually uploaded a daily video today.
Perhaps because he was tipsy, Lu Peizhi watched the video twice without noticing anything unusual. He paused it on the first frame. Staring at the screen at the girl he missed day and night, her lips curled into a smile, he suddenly realized that in this video, Yu Wanwan looked more beautiful and elegant than ever.
She must have dressed up specifically for the video.
Lu Peizhi reached out and touched the screen, as if he could caress her face through it, his eyes full of tenderness. His longing seemed to overflow in that instant.
It's okay, he comforted himself. As long as he made it to the end of the month, he would be able to marry the woman in the video.
But when he opened the comments section, his world collapsed. The most liked comment was from a user asking if Yu Wanwan was engaged. Yu Wanwan had replied beneath it: [Already married.]
Those five short words felt like a red-hot branding iron, searing into his hopeful heart and stinging his eyes fiercely.
What the hell? What happened?
He distinctly remembered that just last night, Yu Wanwan's blind date, the eldest son of the Shen family, had been cursed by her and rushed to the hospital, where he still lay with his head wrapped in bandages like a boiled egg. How could she be married today?
Who the hell did she marry? Aside from him, who else would be fearless enough to marry her?
He exited the comments and re-watched the video, pausing it on the man in the white shirt with a broad back. Lu Peizhi had noticed him earlier but dismissed him as a guest doing business with the Yu family, or maybe a cousin of Yu Wanwan's. He never expected that this man was her new husband!
Even though the facts were right before him and even the person involved had confirmed it in the comments, Lu Peizhi still refused to believe it. He quickly exited Douya and opened his phone contacts to call her for confirmation.
But when he saw the number he had memorized by heart, he remembered that her phone number, WeChat, and all other ways he could reach her had been mercilessly blocked and deleted the day they broke up.
Staring at the unplaceable call and Yu Wanwan's info-packed lovey-dovey video, Lu Peizhi grew more agitated, his breathing rapid. He pulled out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket, put one in his mouth, cupped his hands to light it, and a warm flame shot up.
He took a heavy drag, and the sofa was soon enveloped in smoke. He opened the video again, a pang of bitterness rising in his heart.
It must be because he had been pushing her too hard these past few days. She must have hired an actor to put on this show to spite him. That had to be it. This was all an act, not real.
He began brainwashing himself frantically, until he suddenly heard a soft "Daddy." The sound snapped him back to reality.
Turning around, he saw the little one hugging her beloved blanket, slowly descending the stairs with sleepy eyes. Lu Peizhi quickly stood up, waved away the lingering smoke in the air, crouched down beside the little one, and asked in a very gentle voice, "Why isn't Zhizhi asleep yet?"
The little girl, called Zhizhi, rubbed her drowsy eyes and said in a soft voice, "Grandma went out on business. Zhizhi couldn't sleep alone."
"Then Daddy will tell you a story," he said, gently picking her up and heading upstairs. "How about the story of the Princess and the Pea?"
The little girl leaned her head contentedly against his shoulder, then straightened up with a slightly disgusted expression. "Daddy, don't smoke anymore. Mom says smoking is bad for your health."
"Okay, I won't smoke anymore."
Hearing this, the little girl nodded in satisfaction and leaned back against his shoulder...