CHAPTER 15: Double Update Combined

“Why is Wen-ge still lying there?”

“Shh, these good actors are always like this. They really get into the role.”

“Then let’s not disturb him. Let him stay quiet for a bit.”

“Yeah yeah, don’t go over…”

As a renowned artist in the industry, Wen Heng was famous for his deep immersion into roles and his sharp understanding of characters. So even though the filming of Farewell, My Lord had ended, his assistant and others didn’t dare go over to help him up.

Gu Sheng wiped the tears off her face, replaying her excellent performance in her head, then finally looked at Wen Heng.

As the only person who knew the truth, she seriously came to a conclusion: Wen Heng had actually coughed up blood!

After all, the props team hadn’t given him a blood pack just now, and there wasn’t even a scene in the script where he was supposed to cough blood. Looks like “heartbroken” had a similar effect as that earlier “stomach cramp” one—it made him cough up blood again.

Gu Sheng asked the system with concern, “Should we call an ambulance?”

The system roared, “I think it’d be faster if you just went over and stopped the pain directly—!!”

Gu Sheng clicked her tongue and walked over in a few steps, crouching down next to Wen Heng.

To be honest, Wen Heng’s current appearance really stirred up a destructive impulse in people.

His face was exquisite like a museum treasure—beautiful, noble, the kind that should be displayed behind glass, untouchable. But now, that treasure had been shattered, porcelain shards scattered. His pale face was streaked with blood, radiating a kind of devastating, near-ruinous beauty.

Gu Sheng thought, If I were a pervert, I’d probably fall for him right now.

But I’m not—eh-heh.

She was just about to poke him with a finger when Wen Heng suddenly opened his eyes and reached out, grabbing her wrist.

Wen Heng looked like he was finally relieved, slowly sat up, and coughed out one last mouthful of blood before lifting his hand to wipe it away.

The pain in his abdomen was finally gone, and only now could he replay the previous scene in his mind.

…It wasn’t the first time Gu Sheng had amazed him.

Such intense empathy, such precise grasp of character emotions in the blink of an eye—even in his painful state, he had managed to glimpse it and feel a jolt.

He even felt that in that scene just now, Gu Sheng had outshined him.

As unbelievable as that seemed, this wife of his… really did seem to be quietly, little by little, revealing her beautifully honed claws, claiming the attention that was rightfully hers.

Right now, the two of them were occupying the center of the studio, but not a single person came forward to interrupt.

Wen Heng’s face was battered and bloodstained, making the usually aloof flower-on-a-high-cliff suddenly seem wild and untamed. His masculine charm radiated in waves, making even the staff nearby go weak in the knees from his sheer attractiveness.

Only Gu Sheng remained completely unaffected. She lowered her head and shouted, “Wen Heng, you got blood on me!!”

He had indeed gotten blood on Gu Sheng’s snow-white wrist, nearly staining her precious mink fur trim. Wen Heng’s fingertips brushed over it lightly and said, “It’s fake blood.”

Gu Sheng paused, then quickly reacted: “Even if it’s fake, you can’t just wipe it on me! Get up—!”

There were still about twenty seconds left on the pain relief timer, and for whatever reason, Wen Heng decided to start playing dirty: “You pull me up.”

Gu Sheng: “?? You’re so heavy, how am I supposed to pull you?”

Wen Heng: “I’ll control my weight when we get home.”

Gu Sheng: “…!!” I’m gonna explode!

She should’ve just left him lying there to suffer! This damn man!

The two of them squabbling in hushed voices was all captured in full by the filming crew as behind-the-scenes footage. The staff were quietly certain this would end up in the final cut.

Because the director, assistant director, producer, and writers were all sitting behind the monitors, watching these two absurdly good-looking people bicker, each of them sporting a “I’m being fed to death by this CP” kind of expression.

“Ughhh they’re too sweet!”

“Won’t even get up unless his wife pulls him—”

“So this is what it’s like when top celebrities date?? Oh my god I’m obsessed!”

….

The Happiness Four Laws drama reenactment clips once again became a viral moment on the show. Several couples’ clips were edited and released at the same time, racking up tens of millions of views on Weibo and landing multiple trending spots.

Originally, for Jiang Luwei and Song Qingzhi, this was supposed to be the “Gu Sheng public humiliation hour” they had long awaited.

Who would’ve thought that in a flash, the tables would turn—and they would be the ones publicly humiliated??

Jiang Luwei had clearly failed to keep up with Du Yanzhi’s performance, dragging him down badly. All the mocking comments she’d previously made about Gu Sheng now bounced right back onto her.

And Song Qingzhi’s situation was even more awkward. Before the Farewell, My Lord clip aired, Weibo had been flooded with PR from “Qingtian Couple” fans hyping their acting as “evenly matched” and “perfectly suited.” Their shippers were also extremely arrogant. They didn’t dare trash-talk Wen Heng directly, but they certainly threw a lot of shade at Gu Sheng.

But now that all four clips had dropped, the stats for WenSheng’s video completely crushed theirs—by four times. It was reposted and praised wildly, even drawing attention from professional film critics.

One popular account launched a poll: “Which classic scene from Happiness Four Laws do you like best?”

Tens of thousands of Weibo users voted—80% chose Farewell, My Lord.

The hashtag #QingtianCoupleChemistrySoSweet# was still trending prominently, but the suggestive comments under the hot posts had suddenly become very awkward.

Song Qingzhi’s expression turned extremely stiff. Qin Tian, who was next to her, clueless as ever, asked with concern, “Qingzhi, are you okay?”

Song Qingzhi couldn’t pretend to be all sweet and innocent anymore. She snapped, “Do I look okay to you?!”

Gu Sheng was clearly a rookie with zero experience—how could she have that level of acting skill?! How could she go toe-to-toe with Wen Heng, and even, in that last scene, vaguely overshadow him?!

A chill ran through Song Qingzhi’s heart. She had a vague premonition: Gu Sheng didn’t seem like someone just playing around. If she stayed in this industry, with that face, her evident command of dialogue and acting skill—wouldn’t she always outshine her?

Then when would she ever reach the top tier?

When Gu Sheng came out after changing out of her costume, Song Qingzhi saw her and couldn’t hold back a jab: “Gu-jie’s acting really surprised me. You must have begged Teacher Wen at home to teach you, huh?”

Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow and said generously, “What, you want to learn too?”

Song Qingzhi was stunned, not expecting her to admit it. For a second, she foolishly felt tempted—

Well, of course she did. That was a triple-award-winning Best Actor, a top-tier performer. Where else would she find someone like him?

But the next second, Gu Sheng pulled out her phone, brought up her payment code, and said, “Pay up properly, and I’ll pass the teachings on to you.”

Song Qingzhi: “……”

Her face turned red and green, and in the end, she stormed off in a rage.

Gu Sheng, you’re just a rookie in the industry—just wait!

…

Amid widespread discussion online, the second livestream of The Four Laws of Happiness basically came to an end.

The audience still hadn’t fully recovered and immediately let out a collective wail.

In the closing remarks, the director spoke about the rise and fall of domestic film and television, tied to the growth of the film base itself, and emphasized how the efforts of the talented actors present had contributed to the industry. Director Zheng also encouraged everyone to support local productions and visit the filming base if they had the chance.

“And that’s it for this episode~ The full version will go live in three days! Big thanks to our sponsors, and viewers can look forward to bonus private livestreams from our featured couples~”

[Ahhh there’ll be more livestreams!]
[I’m already waiting!]

“And next episode, we’re heading to a seaside tourist city—Liancheng! The Four Laws of Happiness will launch a special theme—‘Creating Romance.’ Stay tuned~”

The moment they heard the theme “Creating Romance,” full of pink bubbles, the audience got fired up.

[Ahhh this is what a romance variety show should be!]
[I’m dying to see more! Hurry up with the next episode!]
[I’m no longer satisfied with just the visuals! I want! More! Content!]
[Can’t wait for the next one!]

…

Another day of filming wrapped up. Just as Gu Sheng was about to leave, she received a business card from Director Zheng Bin.

Wen Heng was standing right beside her at the time, but Zheng Bin wasn’t giving it out just because of him—he genuinely saw potential in Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng accepted the card politely, her tone sincere. “Thank you, Director Zheng.”

For someone like her, still technically an industry outsider, this was a weighty recognition.

“I look forward to seeing more from you,” Zheng Bin said with a wink.

Gu Sheng understood what he meant—it wasn’t the “seeing you on screen” kind of casual comment, but a hope that she’d have real, presentable work to show.

“I will.” She smiled.

Getting a moment in the spotlight through The Four Laws of Happiness was only the beginning. She’d always been career-focused—she was before, and she still was now.

The original host’s fate as a doomed side character wouldn’t hold her back. Gu Sheng would absolutely reach the place she wanted to be.

Wen Heng stood silently beside her, watching the curve of her smiling profile, and felt a tangle of emotions he couldn’t quite name.

But just as Zheng Bin left, another business card was handed to Gu Sheng.

Both Gu Sheng and Wen Heng turned to look—and were met with Du Yanzhi’s gentle, cultured smile.

Wen Heng’s brow furrowed ever so slightly.

Like Zheng Bin, Du Yanzhi had seen Gu Sheng’s potential.

If she could keep up the performance level she showed just now—especially that controlled, emotionally charged crying scene—there were barely any actresses her age in the industry who could compare. And with her looks, she could even hold up under the harshest beauty test: CCTV-6’s ultra-HD cameras.

As a shareholder of their media company, Du Yanzhi had come to recruit her directly. After all, Gu Sheng didn’t have an agency yet, right?

“If you’re really planning to go down this path, consider joining our company,” Du Yanzhi said with a smile. “Feel free to contact me anytime.”

Yu Shanbei behind him eagerly added, “Sheng-jie, our company’s actually pretty good! Well, except for the contract length—”

Lu Yiyi quickly elbowed him. “Shut it!”

Gu Sheng accepted the card with a smile. Judging by the interaction, their company’s atmosphere really did seem decent.

“I’ll consider it,” she said.

Next to her, Wen Heng turned his face away coldly.

When Chang Yan arrived with the driver and pulled up the nanny van to pick them up, he saw Gu Sheng with a smile at the corner of her eyes, and Wen Heng surrounded by a cloud of cold air.

The assistants loaded the luggage. Wen Heng got into the car without saying a word, and Gu Sheng followed.

Chang Yan had been monitoring the livestream outside these past few days, and seeing Gu Sheng now felt different again.

With the show’s popularity rising, he was getting more and more work requests every day. Before, they were all for Wen Heng. Now, people were contacting them specifically to discuss collaborations with Gu Sheng!

But because Gu Sheng didn’t have a management team, everyone followed the trail to her husband’s agency—after all, in the current public opinion climate, everyone assumed Wen Heng really did love Gu Sheng, so approaching her through her husband seemed like a safe bet.

Chang Yan also believed Wen Heng had really fallen—had really caught feelings! But one glance in the rearview mirror now showed their “Wen-god” sitting with his arms crossed and a face of ice… so maybe he didn’t like her that much after all?

Gu Sheng didn’t care about Wen Heng’s mood. She took the two business cards and added both Zheng Bin and Du Yanzhi on WeChat, and through them also connected with Yu Shanbei and Lu Yiyi.

Her WeChat Moments feed instantly became more interesting—not just those fake socialite “friends” from the original host’s past who used to trash-talk her behind her back.

“—Oh, right,” Chang Yan suddenly remembered something. From the passenger seat, he turned to look at Wen Heng. “Your dad’s birthday is coming up. That circle is throwing a banquet, are you…”

His eyes darted between Wen Heng and Gu Sheng.

Even if the two of them looked like a real couple now, no one knew the truth better than he did.

In the Wen family, Wen Heng’s relationship with his father was just so-so. As the heir of a financial conglomerate, he went off to do acting instead of following the business path, which his father considered completely unserious.

And Wen Heng wasn’t the type who could fall back on the family business if he failed. From the moment he debuted, his first project was a hit, and his second launched him straight to stardom. He’d stayed at the top ever since.

Wen Heng’s family, seeing that he clearly wasn’t coming back to inherit the family business, had no choice but to pressure him into a marriage alliance. Unable to stand the endless bother, Wen Heng agreed to a contract marriage with Gu Sheng.

When Gu Sheng heard Chang Yan’s words, she also recalled this part of the plot.

Although Wen Heng’s relationship with his family was just so-so, he would still attend his biological father’s birthday celebration. At this point in the story, the original Gu Sheng had already become a universally hated figure on the internet after two episodes of the show. Still, she insisted on attending the banquet. Most of the people in their social circle were supporters of Jiang Luwei, so during the banquet, they naturally took every chance to criticize the original Gu Sheng to elevate Jiang Luwei.

Now, after this latest episode, how exactly were they going to find a new angle to criticize her?

Wen Heng listened, then quietly glanced at Gu Sheng.

Seeing no reaction from her, he gave a low “Got it.”

Chang Yan couldn’t read from his face whether or not he planned to bring Gu Sheng along, so he had to turn away.

……

The plane flew smoothly toward A City.

Their first-class seats were next to each other. Wen Heng had his eyes closed, resting, seemingly deep in thought.

Beep—

“14: Varicose veins in the leg. Pain level: 8.”

Wen Heng’s eyes flew open.

Beside him, Gu Sheng also received the notification, but she didn’t show any sign of change. Quietly, she just shifted her butt a little farther away from him.

Wen Heng continued listening to the system:
“Pain relief duration: 30 seconds.”

“Beep—Your Time Bottle has been used to offset the pain. Pain relieved.”

After that whole “heart-wrenching pain” incident, his bottle had been upgraded—just enough for exactly 30 seconds.

So the system wasn’t always totally heartless after all.

Wen Heng let out a low chuckle.

Gu Sheng: “?”

What the hell? This guy’s hardcore now? Level 8 pain and he’s not only chill about it—he’s laughing??

She asked her system, “Did the pain mess up his brain or something?”

System: “…According to diagnostics, not currently.”

Wen Heng curled his lips in a smirk, looking over at Gu Sheng with a bit of smug satisfaction.

His side profile was flawless—everything about the lines and proportions was perfect. Honestly, very easy on the eyes.

But all Gu Sheng could think was:
What the hell are you so proud of??

The plane continued cruising steadily.

After a while, Wen Heng suddenly felt another sharp pain.

Not in the same leg as the varicose veins earlier—this time it was in his foot.

With all his previous experience, his first reaction wasn’t to check the system, but to stay composed and pretend like nothing was wrong.

But after a couple of seconds, he suddenly realized—

The system hadn’t given him any kind of alert?

Expressionless, Wen Heng slowly lowered his head to look.

It was only then that Gu Sheng suddenly “realized” what had happened and let out a cute little “Oh no!”

“I accidentally stepped on you!”

Wen Heng: “……”

You look like you did it on purpose, okay??

……

By the time they left the airport, it was already late at night.

They took the staff passage, which meant there was still some distance between the exit and the crowd-control barrier outside. Fans couldn’t get too close. Even so, a good number of them were waiting to greet them.

“They’re coming out, they’re coming out!”

“Ahhh, gege, thank you for your hard work!”

“Jiejie, look over here!”

“You were amazing! Your acting was so good!”

Usually, celebrities would take the staff passage to avoid crowding. They’d give a little wave at the exit and then head straight into the car. But when Gu Sheng heard her fans calling out to her, she paused for a moment, then tiptoed and walked straight over to the barrier.

The crowd erupted in high-pitched screams.

Chang Yan instinctively wanted to stop her, but Wen Heng raised a hand to hold him back—and then followed her, taking a few slow steps in the same direction.

Now the screaming got even louder. The sound of camera shutters from the fan sites filled the air.

There was a noticeable difference in the number of fans on each side, but Gu Sheng looked at her group with a bright smile. “It’s really late. Are there still any airport express trains running?”

Her fans hadn’t expected her to be so down-to-earth. Staring at her breathtaking face up close, they were too flustered to speak properly.

“Y-yeah—wait no, they’ve stopped—”

“We’re carpooling back into the city!”

They never thought they’d get to talk to Gu Sheng in person. Everyone was super excited: “Jiejie, your supertopic’s been created! You’ve gained so many fans in the past couple days! What do you want your fandom name to be?”

Gu Sheng blinked, then smiled. “Let’s call it… Echo.”

Back then, her tens of millions of fans were called Echo. And now, even in this new world, as she made her voice heard again, she still wanted to hear their echo.

“Ah! That sounds so good!!”

“We’ll be your Echo!”

Wen Heng stood quietly not far away, listening. Not just him—everyone else nearby, even his own fans, the “Stars,” had also heard Gu Sheng’s conversation with hers.

There was something so respectful and sincere in her tone, it was hard not to be moved. The Stars unconsciously edged a bit closer, wanting to hear more clearly.

A young girl got jostled into Gu Sheng’s side. Gu Sheng thought she was one of her own fans at first, but on closer look, she was holding a Wen Heng banner.

Gu Sheng smiled, “You’re here for Wen Heng—go a little closer that way, it’ll be better.”

The Stars were stunned.

—Gu Sheng has no possessiveness over Wen Heng??

—She’s nothing like the rumors say! And… wow, her smile is seriously beautiful!

The girl blushed furiously and froze for a few seconds. Under the visual assault of that god-tier face, she blurted out, “I-I’m an Echo now too!”

Gu Sheng blinked, then burst out laughing.

“Hahaha you’re switching fandoms on the spot!”

“Wen Heng’s still here! Can you not?!”

Both the Stars and the Echoes were laughing, and Gu Sheng laughed too, waving goodbye as she headed back to the car. “Good night, everyone!”

“Good night, jiejie!” “Good night!”

After she got in, Wen Heng also stepped into the car. The tinted black windows rolled up, blocking them from view.

But outside, the discussion was still going strong:

“Just now, was Wen Heng smiling?? When Orange jumped ship??”

“Help, this is too sweet! Watching my own idol fall for Gu Sheng while laughing—”
“I’m done for, I’m falling into the pit too…”
“WenSheng is just too damn shippable! Ahhh!”

…

That night, the video of them at the T3 terminal exit blew up all over again.

Those few lines from Gu Sheng instantly won over countless fans. The freshly updated fandom name, “Echo,” was followed by a crazy surge of followers.

On the CP forum, fans scrubbed the airport footage frame by frame, digging out all the hidden sweet moments—buzzing with glee.

But back at Huating Yuefu, Gu Sheng was completely unaware.

Wen Heng had been staying at Huating lately, and Gu Sheng was already used to it. The place was big enough that they might not even run into each other.

But today, after her shower, she walked out and saw Wen Heng in loungewear, pouring himself a glass of water in the kitchen.

His black hair was slightly messy. When he saw her, he raised an eyebrow slightly, as if he had something to say.

Gu Sheng had the feeling he’d wanted to say something ever since before they left for the airport, but he’d stayed silent the whole way—who knows what kind of nonsense he was stewing over.

—Playing mysterious? Gu Sheng couldn’t be bothered.

Wen Heng cleared his throat and said, “You could sign with my studio.”

Gu Sheng hadn’t expected that this was what he’d been holding in all this time. She looked surprised. “Why?”

Wen Heng’s studio was technically under Wen Corporation, but he had full control. Backed by his years of accumulated wealth and sharp instincts, he hadn’t invested much, but every project was a hit. He only signed a few artists, but every one of them was a long-term success.

He was actively trying to sign her now—was it because he was completely won over by her acting?

This man might be a jerk, but his taste wasn’t bad.

Wen Heng spoke evenly: “There won’t be a twenty-year contract like a slave agreement. Resource distribution will be as fair as possible, mainly based on your preferences. You’ll get full benefits, and even if you don’t have gigs, there’s still a base salary.”

Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow and asked the system, “Is this still a capitalist? Isn’t this a little too kind—he’s definitely up to something, right?”

But the CP system had already sensed Wen Heng’s mood shift when Gu Sheng exchanged contact info with Du Yanzhi at the airport.

Now, it clucked loudly: “He’s just trying to keep you! Keep love alive! Aaaah—”

The system had made up its mind to secretly help out.

Wen Heng looked at Gu Sheng’s fair face—still slightly flushed from the shower, skin dewy and soft. She was staring at him blankly, without her usual calm or the occasional mischievous glint. For a moment, she actually looked… kind of cute.

“Moved, aren’t you?” Wen Heng lowered his gaze, speaking arrogantly. “—Then come with me to the birthday banquet.”

Gu Sheng blinked, completely thrown off by this dog man’s sudden change in subject.

But before she could say anything, the system’s alert suddenly popped up—

“Love’s 15th Pain: Feels like a knife to the heart.”

“Pain level: Around 8.”

Wen Heng was caught off guard and immediately felt a knife stab straight into his chest.

But he’d been through this before. He was adapting quickly and had props to help—so the pain, while sharp, was bearable.

…He just needed to find time to recharge the Time Bottle. It’d be fine.

Expression unchanged, he took a sip of water—only to hear the system chime again.

“Note: Every 15th pain trigger comes with a special requirement.”

“The affected area must make contact with the corresponding area on the ‘antidote’ to stop the pain—”

Wen Heng slipped slightly and nearly choked on his water, coughing against the wall for half a minute.

He couldn’t help it—his heart felt like it had been stabbed a dozen more times.

Gu Sheng eyed him suspiciously. He’d laughed through that level-8 pain on the plane, so why was he reacting so strongly now? Was he sick?

Wen Heng, unusually flustered, asked the system, “W-which part needs to match?”

“The heart.”

“In simple terms: Physical heart-to-heart contact.”