Before long, a man wearing a mask and acting suspiciously peeked out from the second floor of the restaurant and walked downstairs.

As soon as Zhong Xiao saw him, he eagerly asked, “Did you get the shot?”

“The time was too short, but I took several photos. Mr. Zhong, take a look.”

Zhong Xiao took the camera and looked through the photos. Many of them were blurry due to the brief moment Bai Tao had removed her sunglasses, but…

“This one is good!” Zhong Xiao pointed to one of the photos, very satisfied. “This one captures her features clearly, and her expression is perfect.”

The man across from him grinned, “So, about the payment?”

“No problem!”

Zhong Xiao took the photos, humming a tune. He had also secretly recorded the conversation. Now, he checked the recording, and Bai Tao’s voice played clearly—

“I like someone like Pei Shi…”

Zhong Xiao frowned and turned off the recorder, feeling a bit displeased. Pei Shi, Pei Shi, Pei Shi. It was always about Pei Shi. Everyone praised Pei Shi, and Bai Tao was no exception. Previously, her relationship with Pei Shi seemed terrible, and Zhong Xiao never understood how these two unrelated people suddenly got married. He had thought it was a business marriage, but now he realized he was wrong?

Was Bai Tao’s marriage to Pei Shi really out of love?

But who cares!

Bai Tao remembered nothing and seemed not very clear-headed. It was as if heaven was helping him!

---

After dealing with Zhong Xiao, Bai Tao felt refreshed. Although Zhong Xiao’s appearance, physique, and temperament couldn’t compare to Pei Shi’s, he at least had the sense not to linger or make a fuss. It seemed Bai Tao’s taste in men wasn’t entirely bad. She had successfully defused a potential marriage time bomb.

Now, her task was to treat Pei Shi better, better, and even better.

Bai Tao was filled with guilt towards Pei Shi. The comparison with Zhong Xiao made her realize how precious a man like Pei Shi was.

Bai Tao decided to draft a five-year plan to save her marriage, then make a plan for this year, and finally break it down step by step. She had just refined it to a weekly plan when she received a call from Yu Guo—

“Bai Tao, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Could Yu Guo know that she had met Zhong Xiao?

Yu Guo seemed relieved at Bai Tao’s tone, “That’s good. I said you wouldn’t care about such things with your personality…”

Bai Tao continued writing her weekly plan, pondering how to ask Yu Guo to keep her secret. Just as she was about to speak, Yu Guo continued—

“Pei Shi’s situation is likely just for show. You know how men are, even if they love you the most, they can’t avoid such things in the business world. But don’t be too carefree, you should keep an eye on him. Pei Shi has a lot of female admirers. I heard a female director at our company likes him a lot. Even though they know he’s married, they can’t help themselves…”

Bai Tao frowned, “Wait, what are you talking about?”

“The news about Pei Shi’s affair!” !!!

Bai Tao was stunned, instinctively saying, “Huh? Pei Shi’s affair? I thought it was about me?”

“Pei Shi!” Yu Guo was shocked, “It’s trending right now. Haven’t you seen it?”

Bai Tao hung up the phone and immediately opened Weibo, stunned. To be precise, Pei Shi wasn’t trending alone; he was trending along with three others—

“Rising star Huang Yueran reveals relationship; boyfriend identified as Pei Shi from Shilai Tech.”

“Is the young actress in love with a married man? Caught at a hotel late at night, why didn’t Pei Shi go home?”

“Huang Yueran vs. Bai Tao: Has the ‘Huang-Bai Battle’ begun?”

…

The media clearly wanted to compare Huang Yueran’s photos with Bai Tao’s, but since Bai Tao had never appeared in public, there were no photos available. The editor, trying to be creative, drew a peach where Bai Tao’s head should have been, adding a big question mark to it, thinking it was quite witty.

Bai Tao read through several trending articles with her lips pressed tightly together. Without exception, her previous affair rumor, which had finally been suppressed, was now dragged out again. Most media outlets suggested that Bai Tao and Pei Shi’s marriage was on the brink of collapse. Alleged “insiders” claimed the two were already separated and negotiating a divorce, their relationship long broken. It was said that Pei Shi met Huang Yueran only after being “betrayed” by Bai Tao, and therefore, Huang Yueran couldn’t be considered a “mistress.” The articles would then abruptly switch topics to list Huang Yueran’s recent impressive on-screen roles…

Clearly, this was a PR article bought by the little star. Bai Tao flipped to the comments section, and sure enough, it was full of manipulated comments from paid users—

“Not to brag, but Huang Yueran is truly beautiful. As for Bai Tao, I’ve never known what she looks like.”

“Bai Tao has the backing of the Bai family, a prestigious lineage, while Yueran is a child of an ordinary family, making her way up on her own. Don’t spread rumors that hurt others!”

“Who even is Bai Tao? I only know Huang Yueran, great acting, excellent lines, I support her!”

…

Feeling frustrated, Bai Tao opened her own Weibo, only to find it had been taken over by Huang Yueran’s fans. Some demanded she make a statement to clarify if she was already divorced, while others warned her to keep her husband away from Huang Yueran…

Although Bai Tao was a well-known manga artist, her popularity was nowhere near that of a rising star. Her few fans were no match for the onslaught of Huang Yueran’s fans. Some of Huang Yueran’s fans even shamelessly promoted her new drama in the hot comments on Bai Tao’s Weibo.

Damn.

In response to her previous affair rumors, Pei Shi’s recent photos were much clearer, making it almost impossible to deny any mistaken identity. The paparazzi had clearly been following Pei Shi for some time, providing photos of him and Huang Yueran together dating back two months. Although there were no overtly intimate actions, they had been photographed together multiple times in various settings, from Pei Shi’s company to restaurants and even once at a hotel entrance. Even Bai Tao had to admit the reports seemed accurate.

Damn it, Pei Shi was tainted.

Bai Tao tossed aside her phone, shut off her computer, and slumped onto the couch, feeling utterly deflated.

The happiness she had felt moments ago while making her weekly plan vanished. She felt as if she had fallen from the clouds, not only dejected but also deeply upset.