Maybe everyone has a bit of a cheeky streak. Back when we were constantly bickering, I never paid this much attention.
When did I start sneaking glances at them?
For Wang Shuang, this question was harder than solving a maths problem!
As Wang Shuang’s eyes trailed someone, Wen Ying, holding a glass of juice, was observing the crowd at the event.
When someone approached her to chat, she’d engage; when no one did, she wasn’t fazed.
To create as a writer, beyond reading and accumulating knowledge, life experience is key. This kind of celebration was novel for Wen Ying. Take the host who’d just chatted with her—in her past life, she’d only seen them on TV, but now she was interacting up close.
At first, it was exciting, but after a while, it got rather dull.
“Tonight’s celebration has Cao Shao and General Manager Guan here, and Yu Tianlin showed up, but no sign of Xu Mei and her lot!” Wen Ying remarked.
She didn’t have much of a grudge against Xu Mei, but she really disliked Xu Mei’s assistant, Pan Li, and wasn’t fond of Xu Mei’s agent, Professor Fang, either.
Tonight was something of a small triumph for Wen Ying, and with the people she disliked absent, it felt a bit like parading in fine clothes under the cover of night.
Xie Qian hit the nail on the head, “Xu Mei’s status isn’t high enough to get in.”
Tonight was, after all, the ratings celebration for *The Princess’s New Clothes*. Who could attend was carefully curated. Yu Tianlin got in because his fame was too big for Hunan Satellite TV to refuse.
Cao Bo and General Manager Guan had their own clout, too, to some extent.
Xu Mei, who couldn’t even snag a spot as a National Day gala performer, wouldn’t be invited!
“But Liang Dan isn’t here either,” Wen Ying noted, then laughed at her own snark. “Fair enough. *The Princess’s New Clothes* soared by trampling *Emerald Forest*. No wonder they’re too embarrassed to show their faces.”
Showing up would mean getting slapped in the face, so they stayed away.
Still, Xu Mei’s career wasn’t exactly thriving.
Wen Ying couldn’t help but wonder if Xu Mei ever regretted her choices.
Qin Yi, on the other hand, had already moved on to a new chapter, brimming with energy as a major shareholder of “Shrimp King.”
Just as Wen Ying was disappointed that no villains had shown up for her to outshine, she suddenly spotted a sneaky figure skulking near the venue’s side door, looking awfully familiar!
The shadowy figure craned their neck, scanning the room as if searching for someone, then took a phone call, their face lighting up with joy. They abandoned entering and slipped back out the side door.
Wen Ying perked up, glancing at Xie Qian, who gave a slight nod.
—Bingo, they hadn’t mistaken the person.
“Are we thinking the same thing?” Wen Ying asked with a grin.
Xie Qian looked resigned.
His thoughts weren’t quite the same, but he couldn’t stop Wen Ying!
“What are you two on about?” Wang Shuang asked, puzzled, unable to pick up on their coded exchange.
“This celebration’s getting old. We’re bored and want some fresh air. Coming along?” Wen Ying asked him.
Wang Shuang actually wanted to stay inside.
But Yuan Fenghui had tasked him with sticking to Wen Ying and Xie Qian, and he had a duty to uphold.
“Fine, let’s go,” he said.
He wasn’t the type to ditch friends for a crush.
Wen Ying led the way, followed by Xie Qian, with Wang Shuang bringing up the rear.
The trio slipped out the side door without drawing attention, but Yu Tianlin, who’d been keeping an eye on Xie Qian, noticed.
He whispered a few words to his assistant, who nodded repeatedly and trailed after them.
Wen Ying’s group was tailing someone, while Yu Tianlin’s assistant was tailing them.
Wang Shuang sensed the unusual vibe, his heart pounding.
Sneaking around like thieves—how thrilling!
After turning a corner, Wang Shuang caught sight of a pink skirt hem.
A young woman in a pink dress ducked into an office.
“That’s Pan—”
“Shh!” Wen Ying hushed Wang Shuang. “I recognised her earlier, sneaking around the venue. Let’s see what she’s up to.”
Wang Shuang muttered, “What could a woman like her be doing? Nothing good, that’s for sure!”
Wherever Pan Li was, Professor Fang and Xu Mei weren’t far behind.
Wang Shuang disliked all of them!
“Is she plotting something nasty?” Wang Shuang tensed, his mind racing with sabotage scenarios. Had Pan Li tampered with Li Mengjiao’s drinks?
What if she’d drugged Li Mengjiao?
After all, Li Mengjiao and Xu Mei had been rivals since last year’s competition. Now with different companies, and Li Mengjiao soaring while Xu Mei floundered, Xu Mei must be insanely jealous!
Wang Shuang’s imagination ran wild, and he was itching to call Yuan Fenghui to warn her when Xie Qian steadied his trembling hand. “Let’s wait. I think she’s meeting someone.”
Pan Li seemed awfully familiar with Hunan Satellite TV’s layout.
She’d been poised to sneak into the celebration but backed off at the last second—why?
If she was about meeting someone, who was it?
Xu Mei? Professor Fang?
Whatever they were up to, you needed evidence to catch a thief. Xie Qian decided to bide his time.
Xie Qian was sharp and thought things through.
But some people’s lack of morals went beyond even his imagination. He’d miscalculated. A few minutes later, someone did show up—not Xu Mei, nor Professor Fang, but…
“Director Duan?”
Wen Ying’s gossip fire ignited on the spot.
It was Director Duan!
Pan Li was meeting Zhang Yi… was anyone else in that room?!
Back when Li Mengjiao and Xu Mei were recording albums, Wen Ying had noticed Pan Li using subtle tactics to flirt with Zhang Yi. If Director Duan’s resolve wasn’t strong, they’d inevitably end up.
That wasn’t the main issue. The real shock was their audacity—were they this reckless? If they wanted to do something, there were hotels! This wasn’t a hotel, nor Sichuan Provincial TV, but Hunan Satellite TV—someone else’s turf!
—Playing this wild?
Wen Ying’s mind was already racing with scenarios. Wang Shuang, pure-hearted, hadn’t yet connected the dots to a secret rendezvous. He moved to eavesdrop, but Xie Qian held him back.
“Not appropriate.”
“…What’s not appropriate?”
Xie Qian thought seriously, then warned, “You might get a stye.”
Wang Shuang’s expression shifted from confusion to embarrassment.
A stye!!
The shrimp-washing expert’s face turned redder than a boiled prawn.
Blazing hot.
Yet Wen Ying and Xie Qian seemed completely unfazed, making Wang Shuang feel like he’d lost face. He, a self-proclaimed romantic with plenty of “girlfriends,” was being outdone by these two?
Trying to act mature, Wang Shuang asked what they planned to do.
Wen Ying gave him an odd look. “What do *you* want to do?”
“…Aren’t we exposing them?”
Director Duan was Professor Fang’s husband, Professor Fang was Xu Mei’s agent, and Pan Li was Xu Mei’s assistant and Professor Fang’s protégé. If Professor Fang found out about Pan Li and Director Duan, it’d be chaos!
“And then?”
“And then—”
Wang Shuang racked his brain but came up empty.
Would it affect Xu Mei?
Probably.
But so what if it did?
Xu Mei wasn’t even a worthy rival for Li Mengjiao.
Oh, what a pity—Pan Li wasn’t hooking up with General Manager Guan.
Now *that* would’ve been a spectacle!
Pan Li was such a letdown.
“Forget it, no fun. Let’s go!” Wang Shuang, unimpressed by Pan Li’s scheming, dragged Wen Ying and Xie Qian away.
Yu Tianlin’s assistant, who’d been tailing them, was baffled. He hadn’t seen Pan Li or Director Duan. After Wen Ying’s group left, he lingered at the corner where they’d stood.
—What on earth were they looking at?!
The assistant’s feet, as if with a mind of their own, edged toward the closed office door.
