Zhou Yichen and Su Jin’er must have bought their way onto the trending list. The entire trending feed was filled with praises for the sweet couple “Perfect Match,” while rumors about the “Rock Sugar Couple’s” relationship breakdown were being trampled.
They didn’t buy the trending spot earlier, nor did they do it later—they specifically chose this moment to climb the charts. What a clever marketing move! Riding on Lu Shiyu’s popularity to boost themselves, shamelessly crafting their image as the “Sweetest Celebrity Couple in the Entertainment Industry.”
Ming Shu was seething with anger. She dashed to the kitchen, determined to take a photo with Lu Shiyu and post it on Weibo.
At this point, she no longer cared whether netizens would criticize her.
Lu Shiyu gently grasped her hand, his voice warm and soothing. “Don’t be angry. I’ve already asked Pei Sen to handle it. Everything is under control now.”
“But… but…”
Ming Shu was so agitated she could hardly speak. In this whole messy affair, the ones who ended up benefiting were Zhou Yichen and Su Jin’er. How could she not be furious?
Lu Shiyu persuaded her to leave the kitchen. His dark, gentle eyes held a hint of amusement as the corners of his lips curved slightly. He pretended nothing was wrong and continued cooking. If Ming Shu had seen this expression, she would never have dared to label him a “gentle, mature man.” Instead, she would have kept her distance from this cunning, scheming “bad dog.”
He didn’t want to manipulate his adorable, sweet wife, but she was so resistant to showing affection publicly with him. She was always looking for an escape route, always planning to leave him. Lu Shiyu would never allow that to happen. However, forcing her to post about their love on Weibo would be too domineering and inconsistent with the persona he was maintaining. So, he had no choice but to resort to a little trickery to make her take the initiative herself.
With the option of posting photos to flaunt their love blocked by him, he wondered what she would come up with next. Lu Shiyu narrowed his phoenix-like eyes, a thoroughly mischievous smile playing on his lips.
Ming Shu spent the entire day torn between anger and guilt, her mind in a daze.
When Lu Shiyu headed to his study to handle some documents, she eagerly followed him, volunteering to be his human-shaped pillow.
The man kissed her forehead gently and said, “I have quite a few documents to go through today, along with some miscellaneous tasks. Be a good girl and entertain yourself. It’s going to be dull and boring here—no need to keep me company.”
The more he said this, the guiltier Ming Shu felt, and she insisted on staying with him.
Lu Shiyu had no choice but to agree, his gentle smile masking the dark, twisted thoughts swirling in his eyes.
During the days when Ming Shu had sprained her ankle, she had relied on him even to walk. But once her foot healed, she started making excuses to avoid accompanying him to the study. If he forced her, it would turn into a stormy, coercive situation. He had grown accustomed to her neglect and indifference, yet a faint, desperate longing lingered in his heart—the hope that she would fall in love with him and stay by his side forever.
Ming Shu nestled in Lu Shiyu’s arms. His frame was broad and muscular, and when she sat her soft little bottom on his lap, there was still plenty of room to spare.
She couldn’t understand the documents in Lu Shiyu’s hands, but she stared at them intently for a long time anyway. Eventually, she rubbed her eyes, which had grown dry and teary from the strain.
Lu Shiyu took her hand and wiped her tears with a tissue.
His lazy, seductive voice teased, “Such a messy little girl. Your hands are full of germs.”
Ming Shu puffed out her fair, tender cheeks. “I’m keeping you company while you work, and you’re making fun of me! Fine, I won’t stay with you anymore!”
Lu Shiyu frowned in regret, setting aside the documents in his hand. Just as he was about to coax her and beg her to stay a little longer, he saw Ming Shu effortlessly turn around in his arms, facing him with her back to the documents.
Seeing him stunned, Ming Shu smugly curled her lips, kissed him, then leaned against his broad chest to play on her phone.
Her clear, watery fox-like eyes occasionally glanced at Lu Shiyu’s abs, not daring to stare directly for fear of being caught, her fair and delicate face flushing red with restraint.
But after all that shyness, she actually saw nothing—abs, shark lines, all blocked by the black shirt, completely invisible.
What a shame.
She really wanted to touch them.
But if she dared to touch, Lu Shiyu would definitely think she agreed to “marital relations.”
Lust is a dangerous temptation; she had to resist!
Ming Shu hadn’t forgotten today’s hot search, and the thought of it reignited her anger.
She closed the game and sent a message to Li Xiaole.
Ming Shu: You there?
Li Xiaole: Of course I’m here. You’re my only artist, so I’m pretty free. I’m laughing but pretending.jpg
Ming Shu: Stick with me, and your good days are ahead!
Li Xiaole: Thank you, my liege! I will serve you with all my heart, even unto death!
Ming Shu: Let’s get serious. I saw today’s hot search. What’s up with Zhou Yichen and Su Jin’er? Stepping on me is one thing, but how dare they step on Lu Shiyu and push the “sweetest celebrity couple in the entertainment industry” persona?
Li Xiaole: That’s just how the entertainment industry is—they don’t care if they offend people as long as they stay relevant. They’ve always been bold. Back when you married Lu Shiyu, someone behind the scenes spread rumors that it was a contract marriage, and it trended for a whole month! I bet it was Zhou Yichen and Su Jin’er who bought it!
Ming Shu: So it was those two scheming villains behind it all! How despicable! I’ll remember this grudge! Now, there’s another thing I need your help with. The hot search about Lu Shiyu’s affair has been suppressed. How can I salvage his reputation?
Li Xiaole: Netizens don’t actually believe Lu Shiyu cheated. His talent and status speak for themselves—his reputation isn’t something a petty paparazzo can ruin.
Ming Shu: That’s good. I was thinking of taking photos to show off our affection and post on Weibo to clarify.
Li Xiaole: It’s useless. Because netizens have this “contract couple” stereotype about you two, it cuts off any chance of you and Lu Shiyu building a shipping fanbase. No matter what you do, they’ll think you’re just fulfilling the contract.
Ming Shu: …
Wow, others showing affection is feeding sugar to shipping fans, but if she and Lu Shiyu show affection, it’s just fulfilling the contract.
How infuriating!
Ming Shu refused to give up: Don’t we have any shipping fans at all?
Li Xiaole: Well… the “Crystal Couple” supertopic has about a hundred people, but they’re into the “beauty of tragedy” aesthetic. It’s all fanfiction about your divorce and angsty love stories.
Unable to bear this blow, Ming Shu hung up and entered the “Crystal Couple” supertopic.
She first checked the “Perfect Match” supertopic—1.2 million followers, ranking high in any category.
Then she looked at the “Crystal Couple” supertopic’s hundred followers. This wasn’t a shipping fanbase; it was a lonely, brave few in the Arctic Circle!
[When Crystal Is No Longer Sweet]: In the third year after Ming Shu and Lu Shiyu’s divorce, they both became top figures in the industry. In the quiet of the night, looking at the empty pillow beside them, they couldn’t help but wonder: if they had been more proactive back then, would they have ended up like this?
[Putting Rock Sugar into a Hundred Tons of Water]: Years later, Ming Shu suddenly realized that she didn’t actually love Zhou XX that much. What she truly loved was Lu Shiyu, but he already had a lover by his side. Wuwuwu… so heartbreaking.
[Reading Heartbreaking Stories Under a Little Alt Account]: The one above isn’t good. After all, this is the Rock Sugar Couple super topic. I suggest you change it to a broken mirror reunited, or Lu Shiyu finds a substitute but still loves Ming Shu in his heart.
[Has Er Shu Smiled Today?]: Whether it’s broken mirror reunited or substitute literature, I love reading them all. But can you add a little spice? Even though they’re a contract couple, shouldn’t they still do everything that needs to be done? I’ve already thought of their personalities: Lu Shiyu appears refined and elegant on the surface, but he’s actually very scheming. Er Shu is just a naive and innocent airhead. Every time she tries to curry favor with Zhou XX, she gets locked in the Reflection Room by Lu Shiyu for a lesson.
[Starting Today, I’m Not Human Anymore]: I’m writing it, I’m writing it! But in this kind of old-school hurt/comfort literature, Ming Shu always ends up escaping from Lu Shiyu, and Lu Shiyu gives up on himself and dies in the sea.
Ming Shu: ??
She was wrong. These people weren’t brave warriors—they were Fahai!
Although she also thought the Reflection Room plot was thrilling, why did Lu Shiyu have to die in the sea? Couldn’t it be a broken mirror reunited?
Tsk, she was almost swayed.
Ming Shu registered a new account.
[Rock Sugar Couple Super Sweet]: I think the Rock Sugar Couple is super sweet! Isn’t rock sugar supposed to be sweet? Everyone can write some sweet little stories about the two of them.
—Are you new here? Who tricked you into joining?
—As long as they don’t get divorced, I’m satisfied. How could I dare hope for them to be sweet?
—I started shipping Rock Sugar three years ago, and I had the same thoughts as you. Three years have passed, and now I’m into substitutes and broken mirror reunited. Oh, and it seems like they’ve already divorced…
Ming Shu stared at her phone and began to question her life.
How could it be like this?
If she and Lu Shiyu were really a contract couple, then it wouldn’t matter what the netizens said. But the key point was—they weren’t!
Why did the netizens keep calling them a contract couple, talking about divorce and affairs? What’s worse, Liang Chen and Mei Jing weren’t even half as sweet as Rock Sugar!
No, the more she thought about it, the harder it was to swallow her anger.
“Husband…”
“What’s wrong, baby?”
Lu Shiyu put down his pen, his deep phoenix eyes looking at her gently and intently, as if she were his only treasure. And she truly was—nothing mattered more to him than her joys and sorrows. Roses and guns alike stood ready for the little princess in his arms.