Two cakes, from the same dessert shop and made by the same baker, looked almost identical on the outside.

But to Ning Qiuxiu, the cake from Fan Yanli was an eyesore, while the one from Zhan Qingyue seemed to radiate happiness.

She was blatantly double-standard about it.

Don’t ask why—appearance is justice.

Ning Qiuxiu had Xiao Chi get rid of the cake from Fan Yanli.

That guy was too obvious; after just one meeting, he was already interested in her?

This plot twist was too strong.

In the book, Fan Yanli originally liked the original owner of the body.

According to the novel, Fan Yanli was attracted to her beauty and was willing to marry her and pay off her debt.

But if it was just about her looks, supporting her financially would have been enough.

The previous owner was so down-and-out that it wouldn’t have taken much to win her over.

Why sacrifice his own marriage?

It was clearly out of affection.

However, the previous owner was set to like the male lead and was constantly causing trouble for the female lead.

Even after marrying Fan Yanli, she wanted him to help her deal with Ji Weiliang.

Fan Yanli initially pampered her and agreed.

But soon, the previous owner’s feelings for Zhan Qingyuan were revealed.

Fan Yanli, being narrow-minded, could not accept this and was furious when he realized he was being used.

His true nature was exposed, and the previous owner fell into deep trouble.

Whether Fan Yanli was genuinely interested in her or just wanted to pursue her like many in the entertainment industry, Ning Qiuxiu had no good feelings for him and didn’t want further contact.

She was content with just having Zhan Qingyue.

Ning Qiuxiu took out the cake Zhan Qingyue had ordered for her and even took a selfie with it.

She wanted to post it on Weibo, just to show off the gift from Zhan Qingyue, even if it was just a cake.

But since Fan Yanli had also sent a cake, she didn’t want people to mistakenly think she liked his gift, especially since her relationship was not publicly known.

She couldn’t clarify that it was from Zhan Qingyue.

So, she settled for posting it on her Moments.

After showing it off, Ning Qiuxiu had Xiao Chi cut the cake and share it with everyone.

She could only have a small piece—maintaining her 85-pound figure was tough for a female artist.

When Zhan Qingyue saw Ning Qiuxiu’s Moments, he knew he had picked the right cake.

Indeed, Zhang Qingyuan is quite something.

Although he can be a bit obsessed with romance, to the point where he sometimes makes me want to give him a good talking-to, he certainly knows a thing or two about pursuing girls.

He used to constantly speculate about Ning Qiuxiu’s thoughts.

Now, it seems, the best approach with girls is not to guess their feelings but to cater to them.

“Women adorn themselves for those who delight them,” as the ancients said, and it appears they were right.

Finding the key to this, Zhang Qingyue felt as if a light had been turned on for him, and his work became much smoother.

Even though the new entertainment company was under Ning Qiuxiu’s name, Miss Ning didn’t even understand basic management.

In the early stages, she could only serve as a mascot.

Everything had to be handled personally by Zhang Qingyue.

Before the New Year, Zhang Qingyue had already hired a team.

After the Lantern Festival, they would officially start working.

He merged the personnel and resources from the film investment company Zhang Qingyuan had invested in before.

They began with film investment, which was the most solid resource, especially since their biggest feature was having money, giving them a high starting point.

Then came talent management.

He recruited several capable agents to sign new talents, develop trainees for reality shows, or find actors to star in their invested film and television productions.

These two areas were their main focus in the early stages and also the core development directions of the company.

After bathing, Ning Qiuxiu lay on the bed, next to her professional book she had been too lazy to read since joining the crew.

She was video chatting with Zhang Qingyue.

After Zhang Qingyue explained the preliminary plan to her, she said, “I know a few TV dramas and movies that will be very popular. I’ll list them for you later; remember to invest, and you’ll definitely make a profit.”

Zhang Qingyue was silent for a moment. He neither agreed nor disagreed but said, “A few days ago, my phone recommended a novel to me. It’s quite interesting.”

“… You’re reading novels?” Ning Qiuxiu was incredulous. Zhang Qingyue, who usually only reads news and not novels, piqued her interest. “What’s the novel? I’ll check it out later!”

“‘The Fairy Wife at Home.’”

Ning Qiuxiu: “…”

Could you be any more obvious?

However, Ning Qiuxiu thought Zhang Qingyue should be reading ‘The Love Across Time and Space’ instead of this novel.

Zhang Qingyue noticed the subtle change in Ning Qiuxiu’s expression, which became even more refined and attractive with the beauty filter, and he vaguely understood something.

Though Ning Qiuxiu’s ability to draw symbols was already quite strange, Zhang Qingyue, who had a strong capacity to accept new things, didn’t find it particularly odd.

In fact, once he accepted this setting, he even found it quite interesting.

He was just a bit curious about what kind of person Ning Qiuxiu really was.

Ning Qiuxiu wasn’t sure how to respond to this. If she honestly explained to Zhang Qingyue, regardless of whether he could accept it, he would probably still worry about whether she might suddenly disappear.

She decided to play dumb and said, “Zhang Qingyue, I’ve been researching an amnesia spell lately, and it seems like I’m close to succeeding.”

Zhan Qingyue: “……”

Ning Qiuxiu grinned wickedly: “When the time comes to choose a cute guinea pig, you, Mr. Zhan, have the priority as someone in the know~”

Zhan Qingyue: “……”

“You,” Zhan Qingyue laughed helplessly, unsure how to respond to her.

Ning Qiuxiu proudly declared: “Yes, I’m a unique woman with both a cheat code and a shameless side, so I’m fearless and spoiled by affection.”

“……” Well, faced with Ning Qiuxiu’s shameless declaration of being spoiled, what could Zhan Qingyue do but believe her? “I won’t ask further; I trust you, Qiuxiu.”

Ning Qiuxiu sighed in relief and said after a pause: “There are things I really can’t explain honestly, but one thing is certain—I would never harm you.”

Zhan Qingyue nodded.

If she wanted to harm him, she would have done it while he was in a coma.

There was no need to save him first.

Since she didn’t want to say more, Zhan Qingyue wouldn’t press her.

They chatted for a bit longer until Ning Qiuxiu suddenly jumped up: “I can’t chat anymore. I need to review my lines. This part of the script has been revised, and I haven’t had the chance to look at it yet!”

“Go ahead,” Zhan Qingyue also had his own tasks to handle.

Before ending the video call, he suddenly remembered a question: “Does your script have any kissing scenes?”

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

Zhan Qingyue understood her silence immediately: “……”

“Haha, kissing scenes are just a few lip touches, often misplaced,” Ning Qiuxiu awkwardly laughed, “Very pure.”

“Hmm, very pure.” Zhan Qingyue’s tone was meaningful.

Ning Qiuxiu: qaq

“Mr. Zhan, don’t be like this. I’m scared.”

Having discovered the secrets to pursuing a girl, Zhan Qingyue quickly grasped Ning Qiuxiu’s preferences.

Despite the distance, he began sending small gifts and subtly complimenting her more frequently, causing their feelings to grow rapidly.

However, far away in City A, President Zhang never expected that someone else would have the same thoughts as him.

After the cake incident, Fan Yanli sent another romantic gift box made of roses arranged to spell “love.” However, Ning Qiutiao directly refused to accept it.

If Fan Yanli had come to deliver it in person, she would have made it clear that she had a boyfriend.

If that scoundrel was willing to pursue someone who already had a boyfriend, then she wouldn’t hold back either—there was no need to be afraid.

However, Ning Qiuxiu did not receive a personal visit from Fan Yanli.

Instead, she was met with… scandal.

The incident began with a post on a celebrity gossip forum.

Title: nq.q Suspected of Being Kept by a Rich Man

Content: RT, I heard from friends in their current drama crew that Ning Qiuxiu has been receiving various gifts from an unknown gentleman almost every day since she joined the crew.

It is suspected that this person is an investor.

It’s said that the investor even treats the crew to afternoon tea, and Ning Qiuxiu gets luxurious love-themed cakes all to herself~

1L: No pictures, just a claim. I don’t have pictures, but I have screenshots (Ning Qiutiao’s social media posts).

Ning Qiuxiu had recently become a hot topic as a rising star.

As soon as the post appeared, it quickly drew attention from all sides.

5L: The poster is crazy, case closed.

9L: It could also be a suitor. Always jumping to conclusions about being kept or being a mistress—how bleak is the poster’s view on love that they don’t even understand what liking someone means?

20L: Even a tough woman like nq.q gets pursued? Isn’t there a fear of domestic violence?

55L: nq.q’s social media posts have shown it? The relationship seems confirmed.

67L: Tsk tsk tsk, still denying it on Weibo on Valentine’s Day, and now they’ve been slapped in the face.

…

The thread quickly derailed.

Although the original poster intended to discuss Ning Qiuxiu being kept by a rich man, most people didn’t believe it.

Ning Qiuxiu had clearly shown that she was wealthy and affluent since her debut, so the idea of her being kept didn’t seem to fit.

But the fact that she had a boyfriend was also a big scoop, and with such solid evidence, it quickly made its way to Weibo and topped the trending searches.

Whoa, the celebrity face-slapping scene, must watch!

[Commoner Science: Here’s some info about the major investors of ‘My Campus Bully Girlfriend’: Fan Yaoxinghui, Fuying Culture Investment, Can Vision Media, with Fan Yaoxinghui holding the largest share.]

[Gossip Commoner: I specifically asked a friend in the ‘Campus Bully’ crew. The afternoon tea was indeed hosted by Fan Yaoxinghui’s main person, President Fan.]

[Kind Commoner: Recent photo of President Fan Yaoxinghui (Image)]

Although President Fan isn’t the most handsome, this photo seems to be a promotional one for the company.

The image is retouched, so his hairline issue is not very noticeable.

Dressed in a suit, with a slightly plump figure, he appears refined and steady, exuding the kind of affluent charm typical of successful men.

Many young girls find this appealing.

[Wow, I actually think these two look quite compatible! Rich big shot and his young, delicate wife—this is the most common trope in romance novels.]

[This President Fan looks a bit old. Is he married? Is nq.q a mistress?]

[Pay more attention to the work and less to private lives… By the way, does nq.q have any works? (No)]

[I ship this CP! From now on, I’m a “fan CP” fan!]

[Even though “fan CP” sounds weird, “fan CP” fans are under the clear sky~]

Thus, Ning Qiuxiu’s romantic life quickly heated up on Weibo.

Qu Hua swiftly got one of the posts removed, and another “fan CP” was pushed to the top of the trending searches.

Ning Qiuxiu, who had been caught up in the gossip of others, sighed: “……”

President Zhang, who had unwittingly become a part of the spectacle, was left bewildered: “？？？”