CHAPTER 7: The Pain Continues

[She’s here, she’s here, she brought her loud mouth with her!]

[OMG sorry Wen-ge, I lost respect for you for like one second.]

[Was that supposed to help him? Wen Heng must be thinking: please, for the love of God, just don’t help.]

[If Gu Sheng doesn’t know how to talk, maybe she should donate that mouth of hers.]

[But wait—Wen-ge isn’t even denying it HAHAHA.]

[OMG I’m shipping again! He just lets her do whatever she wants!]

Under the weight of everyone’s awkward stares, Wen Heng was starting to feel the early signs of a stroke.

But years of self-control kept him composed. He turned to look at Gu Sheng—just in time to catch a glimmer of mischief in her eyes.

This woman… she did that on purpose, didn’t she?

After a brief pause, Wen Heng slowly reached out, his long fingers resting over Gu Sheng’s hand.

Her sly little smile froze in place.

「Beep—8-second countdown complete. Pain Instance #4 relieved.」

「Please maintain contact with your antidote. 1-minute countdown begins—」

The pain disappeared entirely. The hand under his palm was small, soft, and smooth… not unpleasant at all.

With his voice restored, Wen Heng curled his lips into a faint smile and said, “I’m not having any… digestive issues, but thanks for the concern.”

Gu Sheng gave him a tight, polite smile. “No need to be so formal.”

Okay but… maybe let go of my hand now??

The other guests finally relaxed. Now that’s more like it. After all, Wen Heng was practically a work of art in the entertainment world—the untouchable, ice-cold god-tier male idol. There was no way, absolutely no way, that he would… you know. Impossible!

The mood at the table lifted.

Seeing that Wen Heng looked better, Song Qingzhi tried to pivot the attention again. “Wen-ge, this soup should taste pretty good.”

Gu Sheng leapt up, eager to help—and also use the opportunity to wiggle her hand free.

“Yes yes, try it!” she said brightly.

But as soon as she let go, Wen Heng’s throat tightened again. After a few seconds of silence, all he managed was: “…Mm.”

Two awkward “mms” later, Song Qingzhi was starting to question reality itself. And every time she caught sight of Gu Sheng’s smile, she couldn’t help but feel mocked.

And of course, the viewers had already caught on:

[LMAO if he’s not into you, stop forcing it.]

[Fun fact: Song Qingzhi made Gu Sheng carry that heavy box yesterday—ended up injuring Wen Heng.]

[Honestly? After seeing how SQZ acts, I kinda agree with Gu Sheng’s “blacklisting” comment from before.]

[Not saying Gu Sheng’s an angel, but she’s definitely less fake than Song.]

[Okay but is it just me or did Wen-ge totally hold Gu Sheng’s hand just now? And he only paid attention to her the whole meal! I’m losing it! ‘WenSheng’ supremacy!!!]

Wen Heng, realizing the pain relief timer had started, decided to go all in.

He passed Gu Sheng a bowl. Gave her a slice of watermelon. Casually brushed her hand here and there—cobbling together enough “accidental” contact to keep the countdown going.

When the system finally chimed in, 「Timer complete. Pain Instance #5 relieved」, Wen Heng exhaled in relief.

Little did he know, every single one of those “subtle” moves had been caught by the sharp-eyed fangirls watching under a digital microscope.

[Touched his wife’s hand again +1]

[Asked her if she wanted watermelon TWICE!!]

[Omg, this kind of lowkey emotional turmoil is just too good!!]

Meanwhile, the CP system in Gu Sheng’s mind was screaming: “Aaaaah I’m shipping this so hard!!”

Gu Sheng rubbed the back of her hand. Tch, he just couldn’t hold it in anymore. That’s all.

[Ding ding ding~ Congrats, Host! Pain reduction success for Episodes 04 and 05!]

[Here’s your reward — “Fashionable Fit (For the Living)” (a bonus to help dodge those absolutely tragic, fashion-fail looks that not even good looks can save you from)]

That perk instantly perked Gu Sheng up. In the original plot, the OG her and Wen Heng totally flopped in a styling battle — he didn’t even wear the outfit she put together. Now that they were doing a VOL shoot together, this was new territory. Given her cannon-fodder status, it wasn’t crazy to think she’d end up in some utterly cursed ensemble.

She was very satisfied with this reward. When it was time for them to go head-to-head under the same camera again, she was gonna absolutely wreck that smug face of his!

….

Dinner ended on a surprisingly warm and fuzzy note.

Happiness — what is it, really? Even for celebrity couples, it’s something they have to keep figuring out, day by day. The host’s scripted closing monologue signaled the end of the episode. The livestream comments were flooded with:
[Not enough!!]
[Don’t want it to end!!]

The director was thrilled with how the first episode had turned out. Throughout the livestream, The Four Laws of Happiness had dominated the trending charts on YuzuTV, totally crushing the competition.

And with viral clips like the “Wen Heng gets kicked,” their “soft J-style couple look,” and a few other golden moments, all the cast members ended up trending. Online voting hit over a million in no time. It was safe to say: The Four Laws was off to a fantastic start.

“We’ll continue following each couple’s day-to-day for behind-the-scenes footage and post-interviews. The next few episodes won’t be as gentle as this one, though — we hope all our guests stay in top form! A sneak peek: next episode’s setting is X City’s iconic film set. A few of our cast members might feel right at home there~”

[Aaaahhh I’m begging for ancient costume Wen Heng!!]
[It’s gotta involve acting right?! I’m hyped!!]

Several cast members who had acting experience laughed and called it their “second home.” Song Qingzhi casually glanced over at Gu Sheng, noticing she wasn’t smiling. She felt smug instantly. Gu Sheng’s probably panicking now, huh? What if she has to act opposite Wen Heng? The internet would roast her alive.

One way or another, the director’s teaser definitely did its job.

“Alright, that wraps up our first episode: ‘Villa Life.’ See you next time on The Four Laws of Happiness!”

[Nooo I won’t see my fave for a whole week!]
[Bring on the next episode and more CP moments!!]
[Can’t wait for more sugarrr!!]

….

The nanny van pulled up behind the villa, far from the crowd of fans.

Wen Heng’s manager, Chang Yan, had been waiting for a while before finally seeing him walk out in long strides.

The first episode was over, and Wen Heng had something important to take care of.

Gu Sheng followed a few steps behind. She looked no different than when they arrived, but after just two days, no one dared to look at her the same way.

The premiere had been a huge win for her. Not only did she silence some of the online hate, she gained a wave of new fans for her looks alone. And more importantly, the so-called “plastic marriage” between her and Wen Heng? Suddenly, people were shipping them.

The “WenSheng Couple” supertopic had already been approved and was quickly gaining followers. There was a rule now that supertopics couldn’t be ranked anymore, but if they could, “WenSheng” would definitely be climbing fast.

Still, Chang Yan knew it wasn’t just Gu Sheng’s actions that made this possible. He’d watched the whole livestream — and honestly, it was Wen Heng’s behavior that had raised eyebrows.

Gu Sheng was humming happily to herself.

Work was over, and she still had a couple days before the VOL shoot. She could finally binge all those movies and dramas on her list!

She was just about to walk over to her assistant, Xiao Tang, when Wen Heng grabbed her wrist.
“Come with me.”

Both Chang Yan and Xiao Tang looked stunned — Wen Heng was the guy who wouldn’t even ride in the same car with her before. Were the netizens… actually onto something?

Gu Sheng frowned. “Why? I’m going home.”

Wen Heng lowered his dark eyes and said, “We’re going to the hospital first.”

Gu Sheng: “??”

She turned to the system. “What in the comedy is this? Does the male lead think he’s sick now?”

The system, long used to her sarcasm, muttered: “…Honestly, you should probably get checked too.”

Chang Yan, already briefed by Wen Heng in advance, had the private hospital lined up. Still, he lowered his voice with concern: “You’re in a rush to get tests done… Did something happen? Are you feeling unwell?”

Wen Heng took a deep breath.

Unwell?

Unwell didn’t even begin to cover it.

He closed his eyes for a moment and said with weary resignation, “Let’s go.”

He needed to know — was this still within the realm of modern medicine, or had things already crossed into something science couldn’t explain? The way the pain struck at random, without warning… he was starting to worry he’d develop a psychological dependency on the “cure.” That was the last thing Wen Heng wanted.

“Okay but… why do I have to go?” Gu Sheng asked.

Wen Heng opened his eyes and looked at her. After a beat, he replied,
“Keep me company.”

Xiao Tang had just gotten into the passenger seat but immediately perked up. Chang Yan, halfway into the car, froze and pretended he didn’t hear a thing.

Both of them had the same thought at the same time:
Wait. Wait a minute.
Is this… is this actual sugar?!

….

Chang Yan had everything arranged to a T. The process was private and fast.

Wen Heng got a throat exam at ENT, then had an X-ray done on his right wrist. He wanted to get a gastroscopy but couldn’t since he hadn’t fasted.

Last stop: Neurology. He did an MRI and completed a psychological stability assessment.

Gu Sheng, who had just finished filming and was now being dragged to do all this too, was thoroughly annoyed. She cursed him out in her head the entire time.

The system, however, was thrilled:
“He’ll soon realize — medicine won’t help him! Only you are the cure. Without you, he won’t be able to function!”

“I believe in you two! You’ll definitely reach the top together and be shipped by the masses!”

Gu Sheng: “Were you in a pyramid scheme before?”

System: “…”

The results of the check-ups didn’t take long. The MRI only took about twenty minutes. When Wen Heng received all the reports, his brows furrowed tightly, and he didn’t speak for a long time.

Chang Yan’s heart instantly sank.

Holding back his worry, he comforted him, “So… what’s the problem? It’s okay, we’re still young. With enough rest, you can make a comeback.”

Wen Heng didn’t say a word. The areas where he had felt pain showed no issues at all. Both of their MRIs came back normal. The only mark on his whole body was the bruise on his knee from the day he dropped the box and knelt on the ground.

Everything else had been completely “healed” by Gu Sheng.

Wen Heng closed his eyes. For the first time, he spoke to the system in his mind: “May I ask, how long will this situation last?”

System: “Happy to serve. You need to experience a total of 99 episodes of pain.”

Wen Heng’s vision went black — damn, there were still 94 more to go.

He handed the report over to Chang Yan with a calm face.

Chang Yan’s hands trembled as he unfolded the report. Before he could even read it, someone patted his shoulder.

Gu Sheng sighed and said, “Forget it, I’ll shoot the VOL cover myself. With Wen Heng like this… better let him rest more!”

Chang Yan was touched. So Miss Gu is actually this considerate? I really misjudged her before!

Then he took a closer look—”Wait a minute, everything’s normal?!”

Gu Sheng: Heh. Solo attempt failed.

Unexpectedly, the system, seemingly inspired, cheerfully reminded them of their current bond:

“Ding—Love episode No.06—”

“06: Eye pain. Pain level: 4.”

Gu Sheng: Oh no!

This spot, much like the throat earlier, hit in a similar crucial way.

Wen Heng hadn’t even recovered from the shock of having 94 more episodes to go when he was suddenly hit again and had to bid farewell to this beautiful world.

—He. Could. Not. See. Again!

The fear of blindness was much worse than losing his voice. Wen Heng instinctively reached out, trying to grasp onto something—anything—for hope.

Gu Sheng was right beside him. Seeing this, she quickly placed Chang Yan’s hand into his, saying, “I’m here, I’m here!”

Chang Yan also realized something was wrong. “What’s wrong, Wen-ge?”

Wen Heng tightly gripped the hand, closed his eyes hard, then noticed—the hand felt much rougher, and his eyes still hurt.

His brows furrowed as he immediately flung the hand away. “Not this one.”

Chang Yan: ???

The hell? Got yourself a wife and forgot your old pal? Wen Heng?!

---