Sheng Qianyu opened her eyes, cautiously surveying her unfamiliar surroundings.
She was a wandering soul, with no memories of her past, unsure of where she came from.
After steadying her mind, the memories of the original host flooded in.
The original host was a wealthy heiress, with a childhood sweetheart fiancé—Duan Ziheng.
When the Duan family’s business failed when he was fifteen, the family nearly jumped to their deaths.
Duan Ziheng stepped up.
He was a child star, originally entering the entertainment industry out of childhood interest, but after the Duan family’s bankruptcy, Duan Ziheng began taking on roles and advertisements to fill the family’s financial hole.
The original host wanted to help using her family’s resources, but Duan Ziheng refused. However, the two had an engagement, and the Sheng family didn’t take advantage of the situation to cancel it. In the eyes of the public, the relationship between the Sheng and Duan families remained stable, and out of respect for the Sheng family, they still gave Duan Ziheng many resources.
Of course, Duan Ziheng proved his worth, demonstrating his commercial value.
He didn’t get involved in the darker, more corrupt side of the entertainment industry, instead working cleanly within the circle. By the age of 28, he had already won the Film Emperor award, paid off his family’s debts, and had spare funds to invest in film and television projects, even establishing his own studio.
Lu Wanwan was the first artist signed to Duan Ziheng’s studio and also the female lead in his directorial debut.
When the drama aired, Lu Wanwan became an overnight sensation, and gradually, rumors of a relationship with Duan Ziheng began to spread.
Upon hearing the news, the original host called to inquire, but Duan Ziheng told her not to overthink it—it was all just publicity. The more he explained, the messier it would become, especially since Lu Wanwan was a signed artist under his studio, and his studio relied on her earnings in its early stages.
Duan Ziheng genuinely believed this. He felt a sense of responsibility toward the original host but no romantic feelings, while his relationship with Lu Wanwan was purely professional—as long as she could make money, that was enough. There was no conflict between the two.
To have more meaningful interactions with Duan Ziheng, the original host had also entered the entertainment industry early on. She didn’t want to rely on her family connections, instead starting from the ground up with street performances. Gradually, she became an eighteen-tier actress, getting roles in scripts that weren’t particularly good, but she fell in love with the profession nonetheless.
Duan Ziheng had always admired what the original host was doing, watching her from a distance, neither too close nor too far.
It wasn’t until the original host learned that Duan Ziheng and the rumored actress were appearing on the same dating reality show that she used her family connections for the first time, replacing Wang Yujun, who was originally scheduled to appear, and taking the spot herself.
The original host compensated Wang Yujun with other family resources and went on the show.
This was a live-streamed dating reality show. On the first day, the original host received little screen time due to her reserved personality, but she didn’t mind, as she wasn’t there for the fame.
What troubled her was that Duan Ziheng didn’t choose her on the first night but instead chose Lu Wanwan. She spent the entire night having nightmares and woke up as Sheng Qianyu.
With dark circles under her eyes, she glanced around, rubbed her temples, took a few calming pills, washed up, and went downstairs.
She wasn’t the first one awake.
There was already a tall figure in the kitchen, working methodically.
The kitchen was spacious. She chose a spot neither too close nor too far, glanced at the ingredients that were only enough for one meal, placed a clay pot on the stove, and began simmering a light porridge.
She opened the refrigerator, took out all the potatoes, and asked, “Should I prepare portions for the others?”
It was only the first day, and everyone’s professions were kept confidential unless they were public figures. However, the live chat had already uncovered Sheng Qianyu’s identity as an eighteen-tier actress.【Hitting on someone right after arriving? I’m out, I’m out.】
【Wait, what are you talking about upstairs? This is just normal conversation, isn’t it? How is this hitting on someone? Don’t be so obvious about pandering to men!】
【Looked it up—Sheng Qianyu, an 18th-tier actress with few resources. She’s only been in web dramas with mediocre scripts, but I checked out her work, and her acting actually has a certain spark.】
…
The man being asked was named Wen Yiquan, who carried himself with the air of a refined young master. Sheng Qianyu only needed a glance at his cuff to know it was custom-made abroad, starting at a million per piece.
It seemed Wen Yiquan, like the original host, was born into a wealthy family. However, in the capital, the original host had never heard of this person.
The Sheng family was a top-tier wealthy household.
If he wasn’t from a wealthy family in the capital, then he must have returned from overseas. But why would someone of such status participate in an entertainment industry variety show? Could it be, like the original host, he came for someone? Or…
Did he invest in this show?
That didn’t seem likely either.
The original host herself had many small companies gifted by her parents—she couldn’t possibly inspect each one in person, could she?
Sheng Qianyu reined in her thoughts and heard the man’s voice, slightly hoarse from waking early, say, “Watching you.”
Sheng Qianyu, mindful of not wasting ingredients, had only cooked enough porridge for three people. There were plenty of potatoes, though, which she peeled and sliced into shreds.
Wen Yiquan took a moment to glance over and said, “Impressive knife skills.”
Sheng Qianyu was taken aback.
The original host had never lifted a finger in the kitchen—with a housekeeper at home, she never cooked. But as soon as she picked up the potato, her mind filled with a recipe for a delicious and refreshing cold shredded potato salad.
She concealed the thoughts in her eyes. She couldn’t reveal too much in front of the cameras, especially since the original host’s parents were watching. If they discovered she wasn’t the original, who knew what chaos might ensue.
The Sheng household.
The two parents clasped their hands together excitedly, their eyes sparkling with admiration. “Our daughter is so amazing!”
“Wah, it’s our daughter! So impressive!”
The little boy holding the remote control sighed helplessly. “Dad, Mom, you’re blocking my view of Sister.”
Having known since childhood how capable Sheng Qianyu was, the family of three never doubted her knife skills. After all, their daughter/sister was a role model in the wealthy district—she could pick up anything on the first try and never failed.
They only regretted that their daughter/sister had chosen to venture into the entertainment industry for that fiancé of hers, refusing to rely on the family’s resources!
They never should have arranged that engagement in the first place!
…
Sheng Qianyu soaked the shredded potatoes in water to remove the starch. After blanching them for a few minutes, she could prepare the seasoning. The potato shreds she cut were even finer than those made with a grater, so they didn’t need to be blanched for long. If they became too soft, they’d lose their crisp texture; if taken out too early, they’d be undercooked. She had to control the timing and heat herself.
She glanced at the seasonings in the kitchen and frowned slightly.
Wen Yiquan, who had just finished making sandwiches, asked proactively, “What’s wrong?”
She was startled.
“Nothing.”
The seasonings in the kitchen couldn’t achieve the delicious flavor she wanted for the cold shredded potato salad…
Oh well, she’d just have to make do with whatever the show provided.
After mixing the seasoning and bringing it out, she saw Wen Yiquan sipping black coffee while reading a newspaper, having only taken a small bite of his sandwich.
She placed the large bowl of cold shredded potato salad on the table, then went to check on the simmering porridge. Stirring the bottom of the pot twice with a spoon to prevent sticking, she came out and struck up a casual conversation with Wen Yiquan.In both the original owner’s and her own first impressions, this man seemed like the quiet type. She hadn’t expected him to initiate conversation in the kitchen earlier, so she had been quite surprised at the time.
“Poor appetite?”
Wen Yiquan: “Yes, not much appetite.”
“Black coffee suppresses appetite, and you added ice. Drinking something cold first thing in the morning isn’t good for your stomach.”
“Got used to it abroad.”
Sheng Qianyu: “Overseas Chinese?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like to try some Chinese food later? It might help improve your appetite.”
“Alright.”