No. 18 Yulin Garden was quiet that night.

Auntie Liu sat in the living room, gazing at the crescent moon hanging in the night sky, and let out a long sigh.

The master wasn’t home tonight, and to her surprise, neither was the madam. The house was left with only Guangzong and Yaozu.

Out of the corner of her eye, Auntie Liu glanced at the dining table where Guangzong was having dinner. It ate slowly and daintily, occasionally licking its paws. Unhurried and composed, it looked like a little aristocrat.

Yaozu, on the other hand, was in a rush. Its head was buried deep in the food bowl, its rear end stuck up high in the air, and its mouth moved quickly, as if afraid the dog food would vanish if it didn’t eat fast enough.

In the vast villa, aside from the servants, there was only one cat and one dog.

Auntie Liu sometimes browsed the internet. She knew that some wealthy families abroad bought entire villas just for their pets, complete with a full team of staff.

Dozens of people in the house all served the pets. Auntie Liu had a feeling that her future might very well be the same.

Suddenly, the screech of brakes sounded outside. Auntie Liu straightened her clothes and respectfully walked to the door.

Her eyes lit up, and her energy surged.

Wonderful! She no longer had to be a servant catering solely to cats and dogs!

Xie Zhixing walked into the living room, casually handing his coat to Auntie Liu.

“Where’s my wife? She’s not back yet?”

Auntie Liu didn’t know about the contractual marriage between Xie Zhixing and Xia Chengcheng, so in front of her, Xie Zhixing still referred to Xia Chengcheng as his wife.

With a pleasant smile, Auntie Liu tidied Xie Zhixing’s coat and handed it to the young maid behind her.

“Yes, Sir. At the moment, only the young master and young miss are at home.”

Xie Zhixing paused. “Young master and young miss?”

Auntie Liu scooped up Guangzong and Yaozu, who were still eating dinner. “Young Master Xie Guangzong and Young Miss Xie Yaozu.”

Guangzong looked baffled. Its round eyes filled with confusion as its short legs flailed in the air, trying to find support. Yaozu still had a chunk of meat in its mouth and kept chewing even as it was lifted.

Xie Zhixing looked at Guangzong and Yaozu in silence.

Giving them his surname really wasn’t necessary.

Another screech of brakes came from outside.

A Beetle stopped in front of the villa, and Xia Chengcheng entered the living room, lugging a bunch of covert photography equipment— only to bump straight into Xie Zhixing, who had been about to head to his study.

Xie Zhixing looked at Xia Chengcheng. Xia Chengcheng looked at him too.

Xia Chengcheng: “???”

Why’s he looking at me like that? I’ve already changed into normal clothes!

Then it hit her. Xie Zhixing was looking at the camera on her back.

As a top celebrity, whenever Xie Zhixing saw a camera, his first thought was bound to be of entertainment reporters or paparazzi.

〖You’re about to be exposed!〗 The system gloated.

“It’s a camera.” Xia Chengcheng’s expression remained calm and composed. “I bought it specially to take growth photos for Guangzong and Yaozu.”

As she spoke, she lifted the camera and took a few shots of the two pets happily eating at the dining table. Then she stepped up beside Xie Zhixing and showed him the screen.

“Husband, look! Which one do you think looks the best?”

Xie Zhixing: “……”

She was perfectly normal on the phone earlier, now she was back to acting again?

Originally, Xie Zhixing had no interest in such things. But as he glanced at the photos Xia Chengcheng had taken, he had to admit her photography skills were excellent. Though casually snapped, the composition and angles were flawless.

He reflexively pressed the toggle button to browse through the pictures.

The system’s heart rate instantly skyrocketed.

Xia Chengcheng had only taken three shots just now. If he kept flipping back, he’d see the images from earlier at Boli Hotel!

Fortunately, after pressing three times, Xie Zhixing pulled his hand back.

“The first one.”

“Really?” Xia Chengcheng beamed. “I thought so too~ We’re such a good match as husband and wife, so in sync~”

Auntie Liu watched the scene and couldn’t help but smile.

The master and the madam were truly a loving couple! Looked like they wouldn’t be moving out of the villa anytime soon, which meant she wouldn’t be reduced to a mere pet caretaker! Oh yeah!

“Sir, Madam, shall I prepare dinner?” Auntie Liu asked respectfully.

Xie Zhixing didn’t respond, but Xia Chengcheng’s eyes lit up. “Can you make braised prawns and bullfrog with pickled chili?”

Auntie Liu replied with a perfect service smile. “Yes, we can.”

“Great! One plate of each!” Xia Chengcheng said cheerfully, then slung her camera over her shoulder and headed upstairs to change into loungewear.

Xie Zhixing watched her retreating figure, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

Xia Chengcheng had really…… changed.

Would the old her have cared about pet photo albums or braised prawns?

Xie Zhixing didn’t have a strong impression of the past Xia Chengcheng, but he found it hard to reconcile her with the person she had become.

Could it be that he simply hadn’t lived with her before, so he never saw her many sides?

……

Half an hour later, Xia Chengcheng and Xie Zhixing went to the dining room. They sat across from each other at the table, which was now laid with Xia Chengcheng’s braised prawns and bullfrog with pickled chili, along with a healthy salad.

The salad was Xie Zhixing’s. Xia Chengcheng happily dug into her bullfrog and prawns.

Just one glance at the salad made her lose interest. It looked tasteless. She didn’t bother looking at it again, turning instead to her newly bought iPad. Quietly, she began eating dinner while watching her drama.

During the meal, Xie Zhixing remained quiet, not saying a single word the entire time.

Xia Chengcheng was watching a currently popular school drama. The male lead was Jin Yifan, a steadily rising actor who had shot to fame after a cameo in a wuxia series. This school drama was his second project.

As she was watching, Xia Chengcheng couldn’t help glancing at Xie Zhixing.

She still remembered a comment she had once seen online from Little Rascal Classmate, 【Jin Yifan’s acting in a school drama? He’s pretty good, this could work! ＾-＾】

Clearing her throat, Xia Chengcheng asked, “Husband, have you seen the school drama 《Sweet Times with You and Me》?”

Xie Zhixing paused slightly and looked up at her with a bit of confusion.

“I have.”

Xia Chengcheng’s eyes lit up with excitement as she followed up, “Then do you like Jin Yifan? What do you think of his acting?”

“Not much.” Xie Zhixing commented blandly, “Only good enough for idol dramas.”

“Is that so~” Xia Chengcheng deliberately stretched out the tone. “But I think his acting is great! And there’s also the cameo by TV Drama King Zhang Song. I heard he broke up with Zhao Qing recently. Ugh, the CP I shipped broke up! I’m so sad! And that guy Bai Xuchang who sang the OST, he looked like a bachelor, but turns out he already has a kid!”

As Xia Chengcheng rambled on, Xie Zhixing listened without any change in expression. He calmly finished his salad, then elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“You enjoy online gossip?”

“You don’t?” Xia Chengcheng replied with a sweet smile. “Eating melon^[1]being a bystander or onlooker, particularly when watching or following gossip, scandals, or entertainment news is human nature.”

“Not interested. You go ahead and finish your meal.” With that, Xie Zhixing stood up and left the dining room.

Xia Chengcheng pouted unhappily as she watched his back.

“System, this Xie Zhixing really keeps it together. He doesn’t look like a gossip lover at all!”

The system replied proudly, 〖That’s why he’s a Best Actor! You think you can catch him slipping? Your acting is only good enough to fool amateurs like me!〗

Xia Chengcheng: “……”

There was no need to sound so smug about it.

“It’s fine, there’s still plenty of time.”  Xia Chengcheng said as she leisurely ate her braised prawns. “I’ll find his weak spot eventually~”

────ρя


Meanwhile, the internet was a whole different world.

The online crowd had yet to realize that the female leads 1, 2, and 3 of 《Immortal Vow》 had all been recast. Fans of Ye Shiwen were still excitedly flooding the official account of 《Immortal Vow》, begging for costume photos to be released.

【Wenwen and Yu Susu are a perfect match! Can’t wait!】

【I saw behind-the-scenes clips. It was Assistant Director Chen who recommended Wenwen for the audition, right? The man has an eye for talent!】

【Our Wenwen is polite and humble, everyone likes her! That’s why they offered her the role. She totally earned it! She landed the part in just one try!】

【Ye Shiwen is making all the right moves. After 《Immortal Vow》, she’ll absolutely be top-tier among rising actresses!】

【She’s a locked-in number one! With her drama achievements and now a lead role in a soon-to-be hit film, she would outshine every other young actress!】

……

But Ye Shiwen didn’t feel the joy she used to when reading such comments.

The article about her becoming a ‘top-tier young actress’ had been paid for by her studio. Recently, luxury brand D had shown interest in having her as a spokesperson, but they hesitated upon discovering her lack of solid film credentials.

So Ye Shiwen had preemptively released PR to make D Brand feel confident in choosing her— painting herself as the next breakout star, a sure bet.

But now, she had lost the role.

Ye Shiwen couldn’t accept it.

She had been reborn! In novel terms, she was the undisputed female protagonist! Losing the role was bad enough, but how could she also lose the D Brand endorsement?

Even in dire straits, she was determined to make a comeback!

Fortunately, there were still plenty of Xia Chengcheng haters online. Ye Shiwen couldn’t wait for the 《Immortal Vow》 crew to reveal the real reason she was let go. She needed to flip the narrative, use the situation to her advantage, and gain sympathy.

After some thought, Ye Shiwen contacted a marketing account and posted a Weibo essay over a thousand words long.

The post was full of heartfelt emotion, expressing her deep regret about not being able to star in 《Immortal Vow》. She claimed that despite passing the audition and receiving praise from Director Zhou and Assistant Director Chen, the production changed hands and the new executive producer didn’t favor her performance, so she was replaced. Ye Shiwen didn’t elaborate on the details, only emphasizing at the end that the decision to recast wasn’t due to any personal grudge and that she would keep working hard on her acting.

Her fans were outraged. The role had already been officially announced. How could she be replaced?

Sharp-eyed fans quickly caught something suspicious.

【Wenwen said she did great in the audition, but the new executive producer replaced her. So it was the producer who cut her?】

【The new producer must’ve brought in their own people! That’s how this industry works. Connections rule all and there’s no room for actual talent!】

【Isn’t 《Immortal Vow》 funded by Tiancheng? Tiancheng, explain yourselves!】

【Is no one curious who the new executive producer is? I asked a friend at Tiancheng and guess what? It’s Xia Chengcheng!!!】

【You’ve got to be kidding me.】

【It’s bad enough she used her family ties to snatch the second female lead role. Now she’s meddling with production too? Wasted such a good IP!】

【Can Xia Chengcheng please just get out of the entertainment industry already? She’s so annoying!】

……

Soon, the tags related to Ye Shiwen’s recasting from 《Immortal Vow》 started trending, and so did Xia Chengcheng.

The trending page was flooded with posts expressing pity for Ye Shiwen and outrage toward Xia Chengcheng.

Most of Ye Shiwen’s fans were also CP fans of her and Han Jialin. They had long believed that Xia Chengcheng had interfered in their relationship, labeling her a shameless homewrecker. Now that Xia Chengcheng had replaced their beloved idol in the film, they became even more convinced that she was a vicious woman.

Before long, several marketing accounts posted sympathetic articles about Ye Shiwen. Some even included a leaked audio clip of the assistant director. In it, he vaguely implied that a certain investor wanted to be both the second female lead and the producer, and ended up ruining the entire production. These kinds of people, he said, were what destroyed the entertainment industry.

Although he never mentioned Xia Chengcheng by name, netizens instantly knew who he meant. In no time, hordes of them flooded her Weibo, spamming, 【Xia Chengcheng, get out of the entertainment industry!】