Shen Xiaoyu opened the door and met Su Huan's gaze.
Something seemed to have happened; Su Huan's face was deathly pale, her eyes looked at Shen Xiaoyu with despair, as if she had encountered something terrifying. Her entire body was trembling.
Shen Xiaoyu's hand gripped the doorknob tightly, the veins on the back of her hand bulging.
She looked at Su Huan, maintaining her composure. "What is it?"
Su Huan gazed at her deeply, her lips moving but unable to utter a word.
A sudden increase in the electric current made Shen Xiaoyu groan, her body leaning against the doorframe. She pretended to impatiently shake her hand, suppressing the trembling of her body with a breath caught in her chest.
"Speak quickly if you have something to say!"
[If I had known Su Huan had this kind of personality, I would have rather died than try to pursue her.] Shen Xiaoyu was extremely irritated.
[Damn system, is it really impossible to change the target?]
The system emitted a loud warning sound. [Host, please mind your language. Also, once a pursuit target is bound, it cannot be changed. Please face your mission target properly.]
Shen Xiaoyu clenched her fist. [One day, I will definitely smash your dog head!]
The system responded with intensified electric current.
Shen Xiaoyu was so immersed in her argument with the system that she completely failed to notice Su Huan's increasingly pale face and unsteady body.
By the time Shen Xiaoyu came back to her senses, the person in front of her had disappeared.
She frowned, looked down, and cursed under her breath, "Psycho."
Why knock on the door for no reason? Didn't she know how busy she was?
Shen Xiaoyu took a step back, and as she closed the door, her body suddenly went limp and she slid to the floor.
"Damn system, just don't let me get my hands on you, or I'll definitely... Aah—" She threw her head back and cried out, almost instantly covering her mouth to stifle the sound.
[Damn system, damn system, damn system! What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger!]
[If you have the ability, just kill me directly! Eighteen years later, I'll still be standing strong!]
Shen Xiaoyu closed her eyes, her brows contorted with pain.
She gritted her teeth and said word by word, "Let the storm come even stronger!"
Almost instantly, the electric current intensified, and Shen Xiaoyu's vision went black as she passed out.
Meanwhile, Tang Tang, who had just exited the elevator, caught a glimpse of something from the corner of her eye. She pushed open the stairwell door and saw Su Huan crouching on the ground.
Su Huan's pupils were dilated, her gaze empty and bewildered, her mouth seemingly murmuring something.
Only when Tang Tang came closer did she hear her voice, "How could this be? Why did it become like this?"
The story wasn't supposed to develop in this direction. Where had things gone wrong? Why had everything turned out this way?
Tang Tang stood behind her, a flash of peculiarity crossing her eyes.
Although she didn't know what had happened, it was clear that Su Huan's condition must be related to Shen Xiaoyu. Had the two of them completely fallen out? If so, did that mean she had a chance now?
Her lips curled slightly, but she quickly concealed her joy, crouched down beside Su Huan, and gently placed her arm on Su Huan's, speaking softly.
"Sister Su Huan, why are you sitting here? Your face looks so pale. Did something happen?"
Su Huan stared vacantly at a spot in front of her, with no mind to respond to the person beside her.
Tang Tang persisted, "If you trust me, you can tell me about it."
"My mother says that when people are sad, they must speak out and not keep it bottled up inside, as it's bad for the body over time." There was a hint of tenderness in her eyes. "I'm willing to be Sister Su Huan's trash can, accepting all the negative emotions."
After speaking, she waited for a moment, carefully observing Su Huan's expression. Seeing no reaction, she frowned slightly, a trace of confusion crossing her eyes.
This wasn't right.
Whether it was good news or bad news, Su Huan would never be this lifeless, as if she hadn't heard her at all.
Tang Tang bit her lip, silently pondering what to do, when suddenly an idea came to her.
"Sister, would you like me to accompany you for a drink?" Her hand gradually moved closer to Su Huan's shoulder, inching upward. "As long as it makes you happy, I'm willing to do whatever you ask."
As Tang Tang spoke, she moved closer. If Su Huan turned her head, their lips would meet.
Something seemed to trigger Su Huan; she suddenly stood up, her shoulder striking Tang Tang's chin, causing her eyes to water with pain.
"Sister..."
"Shut up! Who allowed you to call me that?" Su Huan's face suddenly darkened, her eyes revealing a fierce killing intent. "We only have a working relationship. You've crossed the line!"
Su Huan half-lowered her eyes, looking down at her. The light from above cast mottled shadows on her face, making it difficult for Tang Tang to see her expression clearly, only feeling a chill throughout her body.
"Sister, how did you..."
"I don't want to hear your voice, and aside from work, I don't want you to appear before me again. If there's a next time, I'll terminate the contract directly." Su Huan turned her head slightly. "Do you understand?"
Tang Tang sat on the ground, covering her aching chin, staring at her in shock. "Su Huan..."
She opened her mouth, but the word "sister" wouldn't come out. She could only nod timidly, "Y-Yes, I understand."
Su Huan withdrew her gaze with disgust and left the stairwell.
Su Huan walked toward her room, glancing in Shen Xiaoyu's direction before entering. Her eyes gradually dimmed, and she swiped her card to enter her room, her spirit completely broken.
That night, Su Huan sat on the edge of the bed, wide awake until dawn.
As the sun rose high, Qin Miao's knock sounded at the door. "Su Huan, time to get up. Today's scenes are all yours, so you need to go for makeup first."
Like a robot, Su Huan mechanically moved her limbs, got up, and went out.
At the door, Qin Miao was handling work on her phone. Hearing the door open, she immediately turned her head. "Su Huan, today you..."
Her voice stopped abruptly when she saw Su Huan's face. "Su Huan, didn't you sleep last night? You look terrible."
Su Huan ignored her, raising her eyes to look at the closed door opposite. Her body moved slightly as if wanting to approach, but then stopped in place, as if she had thought of something.
Qin Miao followed her gaze, her eyes darkening slightly.
By the time the two arrived at the set after getting ready, the others had already finished their makeup.
Su Huan sat in front of the makeup mirror, seeing the makeup artist frown as she used concealer to hide the dark circles under her eyes.
Qin Miao chattered beside her, reminding her to rest well, while also arranging a beauty treatment for later that evening after filming.
Su Huan listened quietly to her words without any reaction, now like an empty shell devoid of vitality.
After a full two hours of makeup, it was time for Su Huan's scenes.
Today, once again, there were no scenes for Shi Qiubai. She had gone to the training room to learn the fighting scenes with the martial arts instructor.
As Shen Xiaoyu had said, since she was a newcomer, it was better to do her own stunts if possible, which would give them one more thing to praise during future promotions.
Shi Qiubai listened to Shen Xiaoyu and went to the training room after breakfast.
Shen Xiaoyu had wanted to stay by her side to watch over her, but for some reason, she came out and sat next to the director, scrolling through her phone.
Online, the trending topics were still about Tang Tang and Su Huan. The paparazzi had captured images of the two having dinner last night, and many people were speculating that good news was imminent.
There was even a so-called insider from the industry claiming that Su Huan was already secretly married, though they didn't mention to whom. Many people guessed it was Tang Tang.
Shen Xiaoyu casually skipped past all those messages, checking for information about Shi Qiubai.
However, someone discussing "Huan-Tang" had also mentioned Shi Qiubai. While quickly scrolling through Weibo, Shen Xiaoyu accidentally liked a post speculating that Tang Tang was Su Huan's secret marriage partner, taking the public opinion to a new high.
The hashtag #ShenXiaoyuLikes# quickly began trending, with many people flooding her Weibo asking if she had new information.
[Sister, you weren't saying this a few days ago. How did you change your mind so quickly?]
[Tell me it was a slip of the finger! It must have been a slip! I just started following you, and I don't want to be disappointed!]
[The parasite sister is out to put on a show again, so disgusting.]
[(Haha) Has the parasite sister exposed herself as a clown? Or is she begging for mercy from my sister because she can't survive in the entertainment industry?]
[Key that hides the power of the entertainment industry, show your true power before me. In the name of the fan who made a covenant with you, I beg you, tell me the truth about 'Huan-Tang'!]
Looking at the trouble caused by her accidental like, Shen Xiaoyu held her brow in a headache, angrily patting her hands.
She wished she hadn't scrolled through Weibo. She had finally extricated herself from this mess, and now she was about to be drawn back into the storm.
At this point, no response was the best response.
Shen Xiaoyu put down her phone and looked up at the monitor. Su Huan and Tang Tang were performing a romantic scene.
Su Huan gazed at Tang Tang tenderly, her slender hand gently caressing Tang Tang's cheek, her smile growing increasingly gentle.
Tang Tang stared at her, gradually blushing, like a pure white rabbit, alluring yet timid, with an aura of tender fragility.
Everything around them seemed to slow down in that moment.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Shen Xiaoyu thought she saw Su Huan turn her head to glance in her direction, but it was only for an instant before she returned to the scene, stroking Tang Tang's cheek, her tone gentle and pleading.
"Can you stay for me?"
Something seemed to flash across Tang Tang's face, but all that remained were eyes full of tenderness looking at her as she nodded with a smile. "For you, I'm willing."
Shen Xiaoyu's brows slightly furrowed as she rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
[System, did you notice something odd?] She looked down at the script. [This isn't how the lines go in the script.]
The system was engrossed in the scene, its electronic voice sobbing. [But don't you think the lines are more moving after this modification? Wuu wuu wuu, why can't the female lead stay for her?]
[Life is precious, freedom is pricier, but for love's sake, both can be sacrificed!]
Shen Xiaoyu couldn't help but roll her eyes internally. [The wise don't enter the river of love, the lone king pursues their PhD! Pure, gullible, romance-brained fools will inevitably have their blood drained and kidneys harvested.]
System: ...
Why did she suddenly feel so refreshed?