It was obvious that she was trying to please him. Shen Xiuqi gave her a long, thoughtful look as a slight smile playing on his lips. “Okay.”

So, Su Yaya stayed in Shen Xiuqi’s office.

While he worked, she quietly sat on the sofa beside him, scrolling through her Weibo.

After a while, boredom set in, and she yawned, feeling drowsy.

Just as she yawned, Shen Xiuqi turned around and caught her in the act. Startled by his sudden movement, she quickly shut her mouth, nearly spraining her jaw in the process. Her bright eyes welled up with tears.

Seeing this, he pointed to the lounge next to his office and said, “There’s a bed in the lounge. You can rest there if you’re tired.”

That sounded perfect. Su Yaya had been hoping for this, so she waved at Shen Xiuqi and softly said, “I’ll go take a nap, then.”

Shen Xiuqi nodded, and as she turned away, she stifled another yawn and headed straight for the lounge.

The lounge was bigger than Su Yaya had expected. It was impeccably clean, with someone coming in every day to tidy up. Everything was neatly arranged, from the bed, chair, and closet to the bathroom—everything she might need was there.

The bed was soft and comfortable, with a faint, soothing fragrance. As soon as Su Yaya lay down, she quickly drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, the TV show Flourishing Palace announced its main cast on its official Weibo account.

Flourishing Palace: “The show, produced by Sheng Shi Entertainment and directed by Zhou Tongguang, will star Shen Yan as the female lead, Xu Chaoran as the male lead, Su Yaya as the second female lead, and Zhang Yue as the second male lead. The series delves into themes of love, hatred, and revenge within the palace.”

As soon as the official announcement was made, it was widely shared—except by Su Yaya, who was still fast asleep and unaware.

…

Last time, An Yuting had asked ShenXiuqi for the role of the second female lead, Imperial Concubine Shu, but her wish wasn’t granted. Furious, she tried to complain to her sister, An Yutong, who was abroad, but when her sister didn’t answer the phone, An Yuting nearly smashed it in a fit of rage.

After a few days, her anger finally subsided. Following her manager’s advice, she decided to go to Shen Company to confront Shen Xiuqi again. She was determined to secure the second female lead role, no matter what.

But just as she got into the car and was on her way to Shen Company, she saw the TV show had announced its cast. To her shock, the second female lead role had already been given to someone else—Su Yaya, the person she disliked the most!

An Yuting stared at Su Yaya’s name in disbelief and quickly clicked on her Weibo. Scrolling through Su Yaya’s selfies, she confirmed it was indeed her.

Su Yaya as the second female lead?! How could it be her?

This had to be a mistake. She couldn’t believe it! She had to confront Shen Xiuqi about this immediately!

—