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“Are you really scared?”
The morning light streamed through the corridor, suddenly illuminating Chen Shu Yin and Pei Yu’s faces. She stood frozen, staring at him, as if truly shocked.
Pei Yu lowered his gaze and chuckled softly, the strands of hair on his forehead trembling slightly. After laughing enough, he pinched her cheek. “Alright, I was just teasing you.”
Chen Shu Yin half-believed, half-doubted him, gripping his fingers.
“Aren’t you still in the election?” Pei Yu patted her shoulder, his thumb brushing lightly under her eyes. “You’ve already got dark circles. Don’t let me affect your performance.”
Chen Shu Yin pulled out a thick notebook from her bag, speaking quickly, “I just think the atmosphere here is quite suitable for my preparation. Who cares about you? I was reciting my script all night.”
Pei Yu tilted his chin and gave a thumbs-up. “That’s my wife, so cool.”
“Don’t change the subject. Was someone really trying to set you up?” She gave him no chance to speak before adding, “I—I’m just afraid it’ll be like Wei Qi…”
Pei Yu pulled her up, massaging her tensed shoulders a few times before pushing her out. “So what you need to do now is go back to the TV station and focus on your work. Don’t interfere or get involved in anything related to me, got it?”
“Wei Qi doesn’t know about our relationship. He’s just a middleman following orders.” For once, Pei Yu, who had always been impatient to announce their relationship to the world, was serious. “If anyone asks, say you don’t know me. That would be best.”
A nameless frustration pressed against her chest. Chen Shu Yin frowned. “Why is it that when you say we go public, we go public, but when you say we deny it, we deny it? If something really happens, as your legal wife, do you think I can escape it? Stop acting like you’re the only one carrying the burden. I’m not some coward afraid of death.”
She gathered her things and casually asked, “Do you have food here? Don’t starve and make the police call me to collect your body.”
Pei Yu gazed at her thin, exposed neck. “I do.”
“Do you have air conditioning where you sleep? Will you die from the heat?”
“I won’t.”
Chen Shu Yin took a few steps out before turning back again. “Do you have a place to shower? Will you be locked up with others? Will they bully you?”
Pei Yu laughed, mixed with a hint of helplessness. Chen Shu Yin quickly corrected herself. “I’m just worried you’ll stink in this heat. Or get beaten to death or something.”
“Chen Shu Yin.”
“Mm?”
“You really are afraid that I’ll die.”
“I—I’m not a forensic doctor. Of course, I’d be scared of dead bodies,” Chen Shu Yin muttered. “You’ve already ‘died’ twice in front of me.”
Pei Yu raised an eyebrow. “With a wife who still cares about me, how could I bear to die so easily?”
“Who’s caring about you?” Chen Shu Yin, afraid he’d get even more self-absorbed, quickly hurried back to the TV station.
The building was quiet before work hours. Chen Shu Yin pressed the elevator button and unexpectedly bumped into Zhu Fang Ning inside.
Zhu Fang Ning scanned her from head to toe, stopping at her bare face and the faint dark circles around her eyes. She pursed her lips and sneered. “You’re competing with that look? Do you not take this seriously, or do you just look down on everyone else?”
Chen Shu Yin smiled silently and pressed her floor button, folding her arms.
“Hey, I’m talking to you. Did you not hear me?” Zhu Fang Ning grew irritated at her silence.
Chen Shu Yin, still drowsy, yawned lazily. “I don’t need to explain myself to others.”
Zhu Fang Ning fumed, unwilling to let it go. “You think just because you were on a show with Pei Yu, you have a guaranteed win? After last night’s report, Pei Yu was taken to the police station and hasn’t come out. You were questioned too, weren’t you? If anything happens, the station won’t count your participation points.”
Chen Shu Yin “tsk”ed, glancing at her sideways. “You reminded me—when I left, Pei Yu was still inside.”
Zhu Fang Ning immediately stepped closer, eager. “How is he? Did the police give him a hard time?”
“Not looking great.” Chen Shu Yin shrugged, teasing like she was playing with a child. “Isn’t that what you wanted? That way, I wouldn’t have an advantage.”
Zhu Fang Ning turned red. “I—I was just being kind and warning you. Pei Yu has done so much charity work, he’d never do something like that. It’s you careless people dragging him down.”
“You think everyone around him is just benefiting from his success?” Chen Shu Yin’s tone grew sharper. “You like someone, so you see only their strengths, but does that mean you have to discredit everyone else’s efforts?”
The elevator doors opened. Without another glance at her, Chen Shu Yin strode to her workstation.
The station’s upcoming event was a major one, with sponsorships and an intent to showcase fresh faces. Besides professional hosts, one slot was left open for new talent to gain experience.
After several rounds of elimination, only Chen Shu Yin and another female contestant remained.
The girl walked out of the interview room, looking dejected. When she met Chen Shu Yin’s gaze, she whispered, “One of the judges is really tough. Their questions are tricky. Good luck.”
Surprised, Chen Shu Yin paused, then smiled and bumped fists with her in encouragement.
Inside the conference room, three judges sat behind a long row of chairs. The space was empty, making every word echo. She stepped forward confidently and greeted them.
One woman in the center lifted her gaze and studied her intently—an unfamiliar face in the station. Dressed in a dark green cheongsam, she exuded no warmth. On the contrary, Chen Shu Yin sensed hostility in her scrutiny.
She quickly refocused.
The evaluation had three parts: self-introduction, presentation skills, and an impromptu Q&A.
Though she hadn’t taken the traditional hosting path, she had a deep interest in it and had trained extensively in private. The first two sections were no challenge.
She handled the impromptu questions fluently, impressing two of the judges. They exchanged approving glances before turning to the woman in the middle.
The woman, with sharply winged eyeliner that gave her a fierce look, finally spoke. “As a reporter at a life-or-death scene, your loved one is on the brink of dying before your eyes. You have the opportunity to save him. Do you continue reporting or save him?”
It was a moral trap, completely unrelated to hosting.
Chen Shu Yin clenched her fingers against her skirt, taking a steady breath before smiling. “Philosophers have debated similar dilemmas—whether to save one person or five by diverting a train. People argue endlessly, with no definitive answer.
“As someone with both a husband and professional ethics, I can’t give a perfect solution. I couldn’t just stand by and watch my loved one die, but neither could I abandon my duty as a journalist. Even in the face of storms or bullets, I have the responsibility to report the truth immediately—”
She hesitated for a moment, Pei Yu’s face flashing in her mind. Her tone firmed. “But my husband wouldn’t put me in that position. He would do everything he could to save himself and escape that situation.”
The woman scoffed. “And how can you be sure?”
“Because I know and trust him.” Chen Shu Yin held her head high, unwavering. “Love can cause chaos, but it can also help us overcome challenges. The key is to seize control of the crisis at hand. That is my standard for choosing a partner.”
The woman smirked. “Alright, I understand. You may go. Wait for the results.”
After the interview, the woman, Pei Wei, revealed herself as Pei Yu’s aunt and proposed a deal:
If Chen Shu Yin publicly condemned Pei Yu at the event and divorced him, she would ensure her career took off.
Feigning enthusiasm, Chen Shu Yin played along. But in her mind, she had already begun planning how to turn the tables.