Watching Sheng Wenzhi write is the most boring thing in the world.

Shang Yechu stared at him until 5 a.m., when Sheng Wenzhi finally slowly finished revising the first draft and sent it to Shang Yechu's phone.

Shang Yechu didn't want to spend the night at Shengwen's house, so even though her eyelids were drooping, she stubbornly asked Aunt Cai to drive her home.

The car drove very smoothly, but Shang Yechu, who was in the car seat, did not sleep soundly.

The deal with Gu Wenhua has probably fallen through, so Shang Yechu and Ji Juntao need to find a backup director. As for the quality of that potential partner…

Half-asleep, Shang Yechu dreamt that "The Rules General Store" flopped, and then she dreamt that the backup director was adding and rewriting scenes indiscriminately, including many vulgar and tasteless elements, causing viewers to hurl insults and Shang Yechu's reputation to plummet. Some fans, so disappointed, even went to Shang Yechu's place and threw rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs in her face…

"Clatter".

In her dream, a banana peel landed on her face, its wet and sticky texture unpleasant. Shang Yechu suddenly opened her eyes, touched her face, and realized she was covered in sweat.

"Aunt Cai, the air conditioner is too hot." Shang Yechu pulled out two tissues to wipe her sweat.

"You need to sleep warmly," said Aunt Cai. "Should we go straight back to the apartment, or go eat?"

Shang Yechu was fuming, but nothing else mattered: "Let's go eat first."

There are many restaurants outside the residential area where Shang Yechu lives. Aunt Cai drove directly to the one closest to the residential area.

"We've arrived. Let's dry off the sweat before getting off the bus."

Her phone beeped, and Shang Yechu looked down. It was Ji Juntao asking if Gu Wenhua had contacted her.

Shang Yechu helplessly sent a voice message: "How could that be? Xiao Gu clearly doesn't mean it. Besides, even if they did contact each other, it's seven in the morning, isn't that a bit too—"

"Clatter".

The car door opened, and Shang Yechu got out while pressing the voice recorder. In the instant she looked up, she lost her focus, her hand slipped, and the half-recorded voice message was sent out.

There was something squatting in front of the "Genting Morning Light" restaurant, wrapped in black, looking like an oversized garbage bag.

Having stayed up all night with Sheng Wenzhi, Shang Yechu's eyesight was failing, and she thought the restaurant had thrown away its food waste at the entrance. She blinked hard, and the world before her became much clearer; the outline of the dark object sharpened: it looked like a person.

Who is this?

Shang Yechu's first thought was of sasaeng fans. Just as she was about to retreat, the black thing had already stood up.

"Ye Chu?"

The dark thing made a familiar sound.

Shang Yechu was startled. This dark thing was actually Gu Wenhua!

—————

"Xiao Gu, have some water."

Gu Wenhua took the water glass and gulped down two large mouthfuls. After finishing, he wiped his mouth and said, "Did I scare you?"

Seeing an acquaintance squatting at the restaurant entrance early in the morning was indeed surprising, but not frightening. What surprised Shang Yechu was Gu Wenhua's change.

It had only been a few months since they last met, but Gu Wenhua seemed to have grown considerably taller. Shang Yechu observed him for a while before realizing that Gu Wenhua, who used to be a bit hunchbacked, had somehow corrected his posture over the past few months. With his posture straighter, he had grown taller.

The biggest change was in his face. Gu Wenhua's acne scars were almost completely gone, and the excess soft flesh on his face and body had also disappeared without a trace. He had become dark-skinned and lean, with his hair shaved into a short stubble close to his scalp, making him look even more capable. To be honest, if it weren't for his unchanged voice, Shang Yechu would have thought that the person greeting her was a dark-skinned monk from the south.

"No. Here, have some porridge." Shang Yechu pushed the bowl of porridge towards Gu Wenhua. "What are you doing here?"