Lin Zhenzhen left the company at four o'clock. Her rented apartment was not far from the company, only a fifteen-minute walk away.

As I passed the bus stop, two girls who looked like students were discussing a program that had been discontinued.

Girl A: It's a complete reversal! The just-released announcement says that Ruan Bai was indeed almost assaulted. It's not a publicity stunt; Lin Zhen really saved her!

Girl B: Really? That can't be right! How could Lin Zhen be that brave?

Girl A: If the person involved has admitted it, how could it be false? The vice president of Chen's Industries wouldn't risk his own reputation just to cover for Lin Zhen. Since this incident came to light, Chen's stock has been plummeting. Oh my god!

Girl B: What's your name? You scared me!

Girl A: Look at this! Zhou Gan's company terminated all cooperation with Chen's Industrial three days ago. Oh my god, could this be true? Is Zhou Gan standing up for Lin Zhen? It must be, it must be!

Girl B: You've been reading too many Mary Sue novels? Zhou Gan already has a girlfriend. Wait, I'll look up that post for you.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhenzhen slowed her pace, pretending to avoid the sunlight, and slowly approached the two of them.

Her sunglasses and sun-protective mask completely covered her face, so she didn't have to worry about being recognized.

Lin Zhenzhen glanced sideways at a few words on her phone screen, then turned to open her phone and typed them into the search bar.

I had just started watching when Zhou Gan called.

He might have the speakers on in his office, and the sound of his fingers tapping on the keyboard could be heard between his words.

"Have you finished work? Are you free to have dinner together tonight?"

"Tonight?" Lin Zhenzhen lowered her voice, covered her mouth, and quickly walked away. "Not tonight, I have to work overtime."

Zhou Gan paused for a few seconds before asking, "What kind of work requires working overtime at night?"

"Who knows, I just went because my agent told me to. I guess it was just to talk to the director and screenwriter about the script."

Seeing that there was no response from the other end, Lin Zhenzhen asked casually, "What's wrong?"

"It's alright, then remember to go home and rest early."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Zhenzhen opened the door, rushed into the bedroom, and collapsed onto her big bed, engrossed in reading the gossip article.

When I looked up again, the sky outside had darkened.

Rong He was already sending messages to urge her on, and Lin Zhenzhen calmly replied: "Traffic jam, almost there." Then she slowly went into the bathroom to take a shower.

When she finished tidying up and came out, her phone had been ringing off the hook with over thirty missed calls and more than a dozen offensive text messages.

Lin Zhenzhen selectively ignored these details. She switched to her alternate forum account and posted a status update with a picture of a candlelight dinner, along with the hotel's address.

He then changed his phone number, edited a whistleblower text message, and sent it to the entertainment editors of major newspapers.

Everything was ready except for the final push. Lin Zhenzhen got into the car on her way to the hotel, full of confidence.

She counted on her fingers, waiting and waiting, and finally the phone call came.

"Still working overtime?" Zhou Gan's voice was calm, revealing no extra emotion.

Lin Zhenzhen pretended to be naive and said, "Yes, I secretly went to the bathroom to answer your call."

"Have you got a meal yet?"

"I'm starving! They're so talkative, I'm getting sleepy listening to them."

Zhou Gan's voice turned noticeably colder, but he still suppressed his anger and said, "If you're tired, go back and rest. Give me your address, and I'll come pick you up."

Lin Zhenzhen hurriedly refused, "No, everyone else is still here. Someone is looking for me. I'll hang up now."

Her superb acting skills even made the taxi driver glance at her a couple more times in the rearview mirror.

[Host, we have detected a sharp increase in the male lead's anger level, which may affect his affection level.]

Oh well, never mind him.

Lin Zhenzhen took out her phone and started scrolling through gossip.

You clearly knew Zhou Gan knew about your alternate account and would see that post, so why did you lie and cause him to misunderstand you?

Lin Zhenzhen put down her phone.

Imagine how Zhou Gan would feel if he found out he had misunderstood me.

Logically, he should feel guilty.

[What if Zhou Gan thought I had lied to him and stormed over to catch me in the act, only to find out that I had done all this to surprise him? How would he feel then?]

The system understands.

No wonder you booked dinner at the same hotel in advance.

Lin Zhenzhen smiled but didn't say anything.

The hotel is located in the city center. Lin Zhenzhen arrived at the private room according to the address given by Rong He. Inside, she could hear laughter and the clinking of wine glasses.

She pushed open the door, revealing a restrained expression: "I'm sorry I'm late."

All eyes turned to her. Rong He, who was holding a glass of wine, suddenly turned pale.

"Lin Zhen, you actually knew to come!" If there weren't other people with her, Lin Zhenzhen suspected that she would have rushed over and slapped her twice in the next second.

"Of course I know! You said there's a script reading tonight, I definitely won't miss it."

Everyone present looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Studying the script? She's insane!

The man in the black t-shirt exchanged a glance with the person next to him and revealed a meaningful smile.

He waved to Lin Zhenzhen: "Well said. The entertainment industry needs good actors like you who love their jobs. Come over here, let's have a good chat."

People burst into laughter, and Rong He softened her tone, half-pushing Lin Zhenzhen in front of the man: "Why don't you hurry up and have a good chat with President Li?"

Lin Zhenzhen sat down, and President Li immediately brought out two glasses of wine, one red and one white.

"Xiao Lin, since you're here to learn today, you need to be determined. This glass is your tuition fee." He placed the red wine in front of Lin Zhenzhen.

"And look, you're late and made us all wait so long. How can you not apologize? This glass is your way of showing your sincerity." He then placed the liquor in front of Lin Zhenzhen.

"Since that's the case, why don't we mix the two drinks together, so that good things come in pairs? Let's see how much you can drink—do you drink slowly or gulp it down?"

"How could Zhenzhen refuse the wine that President Li poured? Of course she drank it all in one gulp, right?" Rong He put on a fawning smile, but when she met Lin Zhen's gaze, her eyes instantly turned threatening.

Lin Zhenzhen glanced at the wine glass in front of her, revealing a mysterious smile. She looked up at President Li, her eyes full of allure.

"To be honest, Mr. Li, I can't drink alcohol. I tend to get drunk and act crazy. But on such an important day, I'll risk my life to accompany you, my hero."

She suddenly turned her head, raised her glass to Rong He, and said, "Rong Jie, I'll drink as much as you drink, let's toast President Li together!"

Rong He was dumbfounded. How did the fire turn back on her? She gritted her teeth and replied, "Fine, you said it."

She was determined to drink; she refused to believe that her alcohol tolerance couldn't handle Lin Zhen!