Gu Shengsheng’s eyes lit up. She quickly asked:
“But what?”
Shen Wang said:
“I want to take a bath.”
He had sweated heavily during the high fever. Even though it was winter, for someone with severe mysophobia like Shen Wang, it was unbearable.
Gu Shengsheng let out an “Ah,” her tone full of difficulty:
“But you’re still running a high fever. Taking a bath will definitely make it worse. If you get sicker, you’ll have to keep drinking plain congee. Congee has no nutrition, so your body won’t recover, and the fever won’t go down either…”
She had fallen into another logical loop.
Shen Wang cut her off:
“Do you want to sleep on the floor?”
“…No.” Her imaginary little tail drooped.
The corner of Shen Wang’s lips curved in a faint victorious smile.
But then Gu Shengsheng continued:
“But I also don’t want you to get sick.”
Shen Wang froze.
The words were so sincere and straightforward — like a tiny milk kitten had gently scratched the softest part of his heart with its paw.
Before he could fully process it, Gu Shengsheng had already rolled out of his arms on her own. She slowly moved outside the blanket, though one hand still quietly clutched the hem of his shirt.
Shen Wang came back to his senses and pried her little claw off:
“Get down.”
“I don’t want to.” Under someone else’s roof, Gu Shengsheng had zero backbone:
“Wait until your fever breaks completely. Then I’ll let you take a bath. Okay?”
Her voice was soft, sweet, and sticky — the ending note curled like a little hook. No man could bear to refuse it.
Shen Wang said:
“Come here.”
“Huh?” Gu Shengsheng thought she had convinced him. She happily leaned closer.
She bent over him through the blanket, her cool, silky hair falling across his cheek and onto the pillow, carrying a faint rose fragrance.
Shen Wang suddenly pinched her chin. His breath was scorching, his voice cold and thin:
“Stop acting cute with me. Otherwise…”
He paused. His thumb unconsciously stroked — and felt something strange.
Gu Shengsheng slapped his hand away fiercely. The mattress bounced hard, like a startled rabbit had been launched.
Gu Shengsheng shouted, red-faced and furious:
“What are you doing?! Pinching someone’s chin like that!”
Shen Wang’s expression wasn’t pleasant either. That strange texture was clearly filler — reminding him that this woman wasn’t just vicious and foolish; she also had a cheap, plastic-surgery face.
Gu Shengsheng checked the mirror, tenderly touching her chin like it was a treasure. Luckily, it hadn’t been pinched crooked.
While letting out a sigh of relief, tears welled up again: Too ugly… every time she looked, she cried from the ugliness!
Shen Wang said coolly:
“Ugly freak, come here.”
Gu Shengsheng jumped:
“You’re the ugly one! You’re the ugliest!”
A sudden thunderclap exploded outside the window.
Gu Shengsheng shuddered violently and burst into loud sobs:
“Wuwuwuwu… you’re not ugly… it’s me… I’m so ugly…”
A low chuckle sounded — like metal striking stone, enchanting and dangerous.
Gu Shengsheng instinctively turned her head, but Shen Wang’s face remained expressionless. The laugh felt like an illusion.
He ordered:
“No crying. Come here.”
His tone was careless, yet carried an oppressive authority that no one dared disobey.
Gu Shengsheng swallowed her sobs and hiccupped. She resisted passively:
“No… you called me ugly… wuwuwu…”
Shen Wang said impatiently:
“Cry one more time, and you sleep on the floor tonight.”
“I was going to sleep on the floor anyway… uh, wait—you’re letting me sleep on the bed?” Gu Shengsheng reacted half a beat late, her voice rising in pitch.
Shen Wang felt a flash of annoyance. The words had slipped out before his brain could catch them:
“Shut up. You sleep on the floor.”
“I want the bed! I want the bed!” Gu Shengsheng pattered over to the bedside, lifted the blanket, and dove right in. “Shen Wang, you really—”
“Shut up. One more word and you’re out.” Shen Wang’s voice was ice-cold. “Turn off the light.”
Gu Shengsheng was surprised:
“How did you know I didn’t turn it off?”
Shen Wang raised his hand. Gu Shengsheng quickly flicked the switch—click—the room plunged into darkness. She shrank back under the covers and lay perfectly still, quiet as a quail.
Shen Wang’s ears finally enjoyed some peace. He settled down to sleep.
But soon Gu Shengsheng started rustling again. She slipped her ice-cold feet against his calves for warmth. She had always been frail and sensitive to cold, while Shen Wang’s body radiated heat—endless waves of blazing yang energy.
After warming her feet for a while and seeing that he didn’t move, a tiny thread of guilt crept into her heart for taking advantage. She poked his arm gently, asking permission:
“Shen Wang, Shen Wang… can I say one thing?”
“No.”
Gu Shengsheng whispered:
“Just one sentence. Tomorrow I’ll make you a meat dish.”
“Steak.” Shen Wang answered without hesitation, then added, “The kind you ate today.”
“Wow, your nose is sharper than a dog’s!” Gu Shengsheng praised cheerfully.
“…You just lost your chance.”
Gu Shengsheng quickly promised to make him another plate of the milk-scrambled eggs he hadn’t gotten yesterday before finally earning her second speaking turn:
“I want to go out tomorrow.”
The moment the words left her mouth, the warmth inside the blanket seemed to freeze solid. Gu Shengsheng waited a long time, then pressed:
“Can I? I haven’t been out in forever. I want to meet some friends… and buy some kitchen spices.”
In the darkness came a long silence.
So that was it.
All the unusual closeness, the attentiveness, the sudden kindness—everything had an explanation now. How laughable that he had wavered, even for a second.
Just as Gu Shengsheng was about to drift off to sleep, a cold voice finally spoke:
“Do whatever you want.”
Gu Shengsheng lit up:
“Really?! That’s great! Then… can I have my phone back too?”
Shen Wang ignored her.
He was always this cold, so Gu Shengsheng didn’t think much of it. After waiting a while and deciding he must be asleep, she quietly reached out to hook his fingers—intending to regulate his qi again.
The moment her fingertips brushed his, he flung her hand away.
Gu Shengsheng jumped in fright. This time she stayed perfectly still, closed her eyes, and didn’t dare move again.
======
Winter morning sunlight slanted through the large kitchen windows onto the cutting board. A pair of slender hands kneaded snowy-white dough until it was smooth and fluffy, then rolled it flat, sliced it, and stretched the noodles in one fluid sequence—graceful and pleasing to watch.
Deep red tomato broth bubbled vigorously in the pot. The noodles went in. After two rolling boils, a sprinkle of finely chopped tender celery lifted the aroma to something extraordinary.
Sister Li watched the entire process and was utterly impressed:
“Madam, your skill is no worse than the Shen family’s head chef! But why are the noodles so short?”
Gu Shengsheng covered the bowl to keep it warm and smiled:
“Shen Wang can’t see well. Short pieces are easier for him to eat.”
Each noodle was cut to roughly one mouthful—perfect for him.
Sister Li suddenly understood. Her eyes quietly reddened. What a gentle, kind-hearted madam. She only hoped the young master’s health would improve and that her care wouldn’t be in vain.
Gu Shengsheng had no idea what was going through Sister Li’s mind. She personally carried the bowl upstairs, bubbling with excitement to exchange it for her “exit pass.”
A steaming bowl of tomato-egg hand-pulled noodles: fragrant, chewy noodles; rich, slightly tangy tomato broth that could instantly awaken the dulled appetite of someone long ill. The touch of minced celery was the perfect finishing flourish—texture and flavor in exquisite harmony.
On a winter morning, the thin sunlight felt cold and brittle against the skin. A bowl of hot noodle soup at that moment warmed the hands, filled the stomach, and sent blood flowing freely through the body—pure comfort.
After eating her fill, it was impossible to stay in a bad mood. Shen Wang’s brow finally relaxed. He leaned against the headboard to rest, then—after a long while—pressed the bell.
The intercom beside the bed crackled to life with a bodyguard’s respectful greeting.
Shen Wang said coldly:
“Let Madam leave.”
A small tug on his sleeve. A delicate voice whispered a reminder:
“My phone… my phone!”
After a pause, he added:
“Give her the phone.”
Gu Shengsheng let out a joyful cheer and dashed around the bedroom changing clothes and checking the mirror, chattering nonstop as though this were her very first time going outside.
Fortunately Shen Wang was in a decent mood. He only said faintly:
“Run around again and I’ll break your legs. No need to go out then.”
The patter-patter-patter stopped instantly. Gu Shengsheng gave up on changing into yet another outfit:
“I’m all ready! I’m heading out!”
Her tone was so happy—like a little bird finally escaping its cage, never to return.
Shen Wang rubbed his fingers together, remembering the bowl of noodles—each piece cut to the perfect size for easy eating—and finally uttered a single word:
“Hm.”
Gu Shengsheng rattled off a long list of reminders:
“I prepared lunch ahead of time. Tell Sister Li to heat it up for you at noon. Your medicine is right here—remember to take it on time. Is there anything you want? I can bring it back for you.”
Shen Wang suddenly felt it might be better if she never came back:
“Nothing. Go.”
“Be good and stay home. I’ll come back tonight and pan-fry you a steak!” Gu Shengsheng left those last cheerful words and skipped happily away.
This time there was no obstruction. The villa’s grand doors opened wide for her. A Lamborghini waited outside. The bodyguards—who had stopped the original owner more than twenty times—now respectfully opened the car door for her.
Gu Shengsheng extended one elegant, aloof hand:
“Phone.”
The bodyguard presented it with both hands, looking slightly embarrassed:
“Madam, I was only following orders.”
Gu Shengsheng gave a small huff through her nose—like a milk kitten trying to puff itself up with borrowed majesty—and slid into the car:
“To Mingzhu Plastic Surgery Club.”
The car’s air conditioning hummed softly. A light bergamot fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose. Gu Shengsheng crossed her legs and opened her phone.
The moment it powered on, countless messages flooded in like an explosion, nearly freezing the screen.
Gu Shengsheng dismissed the notifications and immediately dialed a number.
The call connected almost instantly. A sharp scream burst through:
“Gu Shengsheng! You finally picked up! Where the hell have you been? I was about to call the police! Do you know that little bitch Gu Yunyan stole your role? She even—”
Gu Shengsheng cut in:
“Meet me at Mingzhu Club in half an hour. You tell An He.”
“Holy shit, girl, your mentality is steel!” Xi Xue’er instantly forgot her rant and got excited:
“Right! Let’s get our faces fixed up gorgeous — who’s afraid of that stick-figure Gu Yunyan? But didn’t you just do your nose last time? Where are you doing this round? Camel-hump nose is trending — should we all get one together?”
Gu Shengsheng interrupted again:
“Just tell An He.”
Xi Xue’er agreed enthusiastically:
“Got it! Orange Lemon Sisters — no one gets left behind on the glow-up!”
Gu Shengsheng, Xi Xue’er, and An He were all artists under Orange Lemon Entertainment. Their personalities were completely different, yet they clicked perfectly — especially when it came to beauty standards.
They called themselves the Orange Lemon Sisters.
But on Weibo, they were far more famously known as: the Fake Face Sisters.
Thirty minutes later, the Fake Face Sisters gathered in full force.