System: [", you, host, #￥……￥%&……%&"]
Shen Ying: "System? System, are you okay? You’re not so secondhand, outdated model, are you? If you need to go back to the factory for repairs, just go. I can manage without you for now."
The system spat out another mouthful of blood—this woman was actually trying to get rid of it?
If she could pull this kind of stunt while it was watching, who knew what would happen to the target of her sches if it left for even a mont?
The system stubbornly held its ground: ["No need, host. I’m fine."]
Shen Ying sounded genuinely concerned, but before she could press further, Gao Yingli grabbed her face and forced her to look at him—
"You used as a stand-in to take engagent photos with Lu Linwei? How could you do sothing like that?"
Shen Ying swatted his hand away. "I told you, desperate tis call for desperate asures. My fiancé is still waiting for to go back and take the real ones with him."
"So? Are you letting go? If you’re fine with it, arrange a car now. I’d rather not risk getting caught for using photoshop later."
There was no way Gao Yingli would let her go. He’d sooner see Lu Linwei drop dead, so she wouldn’t have to cling to that "fiancée" title anymore.
Swallowing the tallic taste in his mouth, he said, "So that’s why you complained about the outdoor lighting and complex background. You were worried about making the editing harder for Lu’s retoucher?"
Shen Ying: "Of course. I never make things difficult for working people."
Gao Yingli: "Then why don’t you show the sa consideration? How could you do this to ?"
"You made think we were taking engagent photos, only to find out I was just a stand-in for soone else’s photoshop job."
Shen Ying’s face softened with remorse. "Oh, so that’s what’s bothering you."
"Right, you’ve always been proud. You’ve never had to do sothing like this before. It’s my fault for overlooking your dignity."
"I’m sorry. Can you forgive ?"
Seeing her sincere apology, Gao Yingli felt slightly better.
Just as he was about to leverage her guilt to make demands, Shen Ying turned to Assistant Liu—
"Call the gardener over for . His build isn’t too different from Lu Linwei’s."
"Oh, and he has short hair, so it’ll be easier to edit."
Then she addressed the photographer: "Could you retake a few shots, please?"
Assistant Liu glanced at Shen Ying and silently reached for his phone to make the arrangents—
Only for his hand to be pushed down.
He looked up and froze under Gao Yingli’s deranged glare.
Gao Yingli forced Assistant Liu to back off, then stepped in front of Shen Ying—
Forcing a strained smile, he said, "No need. It’s not a big deal. No reason to go through all that trouble again."
"I thought about it. Given Lu Linwei and I have known each other since childhood, helping him out with an engagent photo is the least I can do."
"Honestly, if this were ancient tis and he were bedridden, I’d even step in to take his place at the wedding."
"It’s fine. I’m not angry. So what if there are three people in a two-person engagent photo? Just send it to him."
Inside, Gao Yingli was seething with venom.
But Shen Ying, oblivious, nodded. "See? I knew you wouldn’t mind."
"You’ve always enjoyed stealing Lu Linwei’s things. This’ll be sothing you can brag about for the rest of your life."
"Don’t you think such a long-term victory deserves a little compensation?"
Gao Yingli gritted his teeth. "Fine. You’ll get paid—a big payout this ti."
Shen Ying bead, selecting a photo before instructing the staff, "Blur Gao Yingli’s face with a mosaic, then send it to Lu Linwei."
Gao Yingli: "...Mosaic? You’re putting a mosaic over my face?"
Shen Ying: "Or... black bars over the eyes?"
Gao Yingli: "Am I a wanted criminal?"
Shen Ying: "Would cropping your head out entirely look too creepy?"
In the end, Gao Yingli, unwilling to reveal Shen Ying’s location, had no choice but to endure the humiliation of watching his face turn into a blurry ss.
He was convinced this was the most degrading day of his life.
But soon, Gao Yingli realized he wasn’t alone in his misery.
Over at Lu Linwei’s place, an entire photography studio had been set up at ho. Makeup artists, stylists, photographers, and lighting technicians filled the room.
From the mont he woke up, Lu Linwei had been checking the ti, eagerly awaiting Shen Ying’s return.
But by 9:30 AM, instead of her arrival, he received a photo—
An engagent photo of Shen Ying with another man, ant to be the official announcent image.
Lu Linwei’s blood pressure spiked, going through the sa emotional rollercoaster as Gao Yingli.
Once the black spots cleared from his vision, he called Shen Ying via video chat.
The mont the call connected, he growled through clenched teeth, "Explain. Now."
Shen Ying sounded impatient. "It’s an engagent photo. Since I couldn’t make it, I improvised."
"You and I take separate shots, then have one of your million-dollar retouchers rge them. Problem solved."
"And to make sure our poses match, I even got soone to stand in for you as a reference."
"You can either pose exactly like this for your half, or skip the hassle and just edit it. Pretty thoughtful, right?"
Lu Linwei’s first instinct was to scream, but he held back, terrified of scaring off his fiancée.
Instead, he redirected his fury: "So that’s your excuse for taking engagent photos with another man?"
"Our engagent announcent photo has three people in it. How does that even make sense?"
"Never mind. Who is he? He won’t live to see tomorrow."
Gao Yingli, listening in, felt a twisted satisfaction.
If not for the risk of Lu Linwei recognizing his voice and tracking him down, he’d have already taunted the idiot to soothe his own wounded pride.
But Shen Ying remained unruffled. "I didn’t realize you’d be so hung up on a reference model."
"I thought your first reaction would be to complint how good I look. But I guess your attention really does drift away from easily."
"Maybe that’s why you keep losing ."
Her tone turned disappointed. "Fine. Take your ti obsessing over the other guy. We agreed to announce the engagent by 2 PM."
"If I don’t see it by then, don’t bother announcing it at all."
Lu Linwei panicked. "No, that’s not—I didn’t an—"
Before he could finish, Shen Ying hung up.
Gao Yingli burst out laughing. "What an idiot. Only he could ss this up..."
But his laughter died when he caught Assistant Liu’s gaze—full of pity, as if watching soone laugh at another’s misfortune while ignoring their own.
Gao Yingli’s smile vanished. "What’s that look? What are you implying?"
Assistant Liu quickly lowered his head. "Nothing at all, Mr. Gao. You’re absolutely right."
Gao Yingli: "..."
anwhile, Assistant Fang approached his boss with trembling steps, cautiously asking under the weight of Lu Linwei’s stormy expression:
"Sir... should we still proceed with the editing?"
Lu Linwei suddenly looked up: "What do you an 'edit it out'? Not a single strand of another man's hair should appear in my wedding photo."
"Re-shoot it with in the exact sa pose. Replace the entire person with ."
Lu Linwei declared loudly: "Even if it's photo editing, I want every trace of him gone."
Assistant Fang: "..."
Even when reduced to such desperation, how could his tone remain so domineering and stubborn?
The photographer, following the composition of the photo Shen Ying had sent, arranged for Lu Linwei to strike the most fitting pose.
He joked, "Miss Shen is quite considerate. She knew dealing with tricky lighting, complex backgrounds, and elaborate outfits would be troubleso. She specifically chose an indoor shoot with a blank backdrop, wore a simple-cut dress, and avoided excessive jewelry—making it easier for us to work with."
Hearing this, Lu Linwei sneered, "At least she has so conscience, sparing a little effort."
Assistant Fang: "..."
Once Lu Linwei's photos were ready, the team imdiately began post-production.
Assistant Fang supervised the process but soon noticed sothing odd.
He spoke up, "Sir, I hope I’m not mistaken, but... doesn’t the man in Miss Shen’s photo seem to have long hair?"
Lu Linwei imdiately strode over to the computer.
Assistant Fang pointed at a section: "A tiny part of the mosaic was missed here. Look—"
"At first, I thought it was the black collar, but then I realized his outfit had a matte texture. This patch of black has a smooth, glossy sheen."
"It looks like—"
"Like slicked-back long hair," Lu Linwei finished for him.
Gao's father had returned ho the previous night, stewing in dissatisfaction.
While his ex-wife’s years-long delusion of "true love" turning out to be a farce gave him so satisfaction, he wasn’t much better off himself.
Forced to relinquish power to his son at an age when he wasn’t ready to retire, his second son was disappointingly dull—a grown man in his twenties who acted like a simpleton, obsessed with food.
Before, he’d thought a hearty appetite wasn’t a bad thing—better than the wild antics of other rich heirs. At least he wasn’t causing trouble.
But comparisons were inevitable. As a child, it hadn’t been obvious, but the older he got, the more unbearable he beca next to his older brother.
Both were his sons, and while one’s incompetence was embarrassing, at least the winner was still his own blood.
But even in retirent, when all he had left was raising a turtle—no, a tortoise—he still couldn’t asure up. That was downright humiliating.
So Gao's father spent half the night scrutinizing his tortoise, convinced it couldn’t possibly be inferior.
The next morning, he called Lu's father and invited him over to "appreciate the tortoise."
Lu's father knew exactly what the old fox was up to—there was no way he’d back down.
He accepted with a cold smirk.
That morning, he carefully packed his finest tortoise into an aquarium, complete with snacks and accessories, arranging transportation more ticulous than for a newborn’s outing.
With great fanfare, he arrived at Gao's estate. The two old n exchanged insincere pleasantries before heading to the tortoise pond to show off their prized pets.
Gao's father boasted, "Old Lu, take a look at this tortoise. I’ve raised it myself—from the size of a palm to this. Its shell is glossy and perfectly rounded, more refined than a polished walnut."
"I’ve never put this much effort into either of my sons."
Lu's father offered a hollow complint: "Fine tortoise. The shell is lustrous, the eyes lively. You’ve raised this 'son' well, Old Gao."
Gao's father: "..."
Lu's father continued, "Funny enough, I’ve also taken up tortoise-keeping these past few years. But I’m not as hands-on—just toss them in the pond and let fate decide how they turn out."
His assistant then brought over the aquarium.
Lu's father glanced at it and said dismissively, "When you ntioned 'appreciating tortoises,' I just had them grab one at random."
"Didn’t expect it to be this big. Old Gao, if this tortoise joined your sons’ ranks, where would it place?"
Gao's father examined the tortoise Lu's father had brought—its shell radiant, its size impressive, its vitality obvious even in confinent.
He cursed inwardly: This sly old dog is still putting on airs.
No doubt he’d spent hours squatting by the pond, ticulously selecting the finest specin, only to pretend it was a random pick.
But the tortoise was bigger than his—sa breed, undeniable superiority.
So Gao's father shifted tactics, nitpicking over color, shell patterns, and limb proportions to find so advantage.
The argunt grew heated. Just as the two were about to asure the tortoises’ toenails, their assistants approached.
"Sir, Lu Linwei has just announced his engagent."
Lu's father wasn’t surprised. That woman was shrewd—his son was already wrapped around her finger.
He’d braced himself for this, so while the news still displeased him, it wasn’t a shock.
Gao's father, however, had a far more entertaining reaction.
He took the tablet from his assistant, and before even reading the text, his eyes locked onto the most prominent part of the announcent—the engagent photo.
"Why does that little Lu’s fiancée look so familiar?"
Lu's father assud he’d seen Shen Ying at so business event with Lu Linwei.
But then Gao's assistant whispered, "Sir, we saw her just last night."
Gao's father nodded absentmindedly before it hit him: "Right, last night."
Last night had been his family banquet—and she’d been in his son’s ho.
If she was living there, even without a formal introduction, wasn’t it obvious she was his son’s woman?
Gao's father gasped: "How is Yingli’s woman suddenly engaged to the Lu brat today?"
Even if Lu's father disliked Shen Ying, he wouldn’t tolerate this.
"What nonsense is this? Lost the tortoise contest, so now you’re pulling dirty tricks? Pathetic."
Gao's father fired back: "Who’s the real scher here? Yingli was happily dating her, and your son snuck into his house to steal her?"
He stood up. "I’m calling Yingli right now."
Lu's father watched with a cold smile as Gao's father dialed.
"Yingli, have you seen the news?"
"Isn’t that your woman? What’s going on? Even if you weren’t planning to marry her, you can’t let so Lu punk swoop in and take her."
A pause. Then—
"Oh, you stole her from him? Never mind, then."
He hung up, facing Lu's father with a mix of smugness and awkwardness.
"My mistake, my mistake. I spoke out of turn. Let’s get back to the tortoises."
Lu's father snapped: "To hell with your tortoise—and your son!"
This ti, it wasn’t a veiled insult about the pet. He ant Gao Yingli.
Lu's father imdiately called his son.
As soon as the line connected, he demanded, "You announced the engagent—doesn’t that an she’s back with you?"
"That old Gao claims she was with his son last night. What’s really going on?"
On Lu Linwei’s end, after narrowing down suspects based on the long hair clue, his team had been dissecting the photo for more evidence.
Deep down, he already suspected the truth. His father’s call only confird it.
He hung up, his face contorted with fury—
"Gao. Ying. Li."
Assistant Fang asked, "Should I prepare the car?"
Lu Linwei smirked coldly. "Last ti, he hid her in that villa. He won’t get another chance."
"We can’t alert him. But this ti—"
No one could grasp the unspoken aning behind his words, but the look on his face sent chills down everyone's spine.
anwhile, Gao Yingli also saw the trending topic the mont it blew up.
He couldn’t care less about the sensationalized headlines marveling at the so-called "fairytale romance" between a wealthy heir and a Cinderella.
The explosive online discussions held no interest for him—his focus was solely on the photograph.
With just one glance, Gao Yingli cursed under his breath: "Idiot."
Shen Ying, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoying the flood of comnts. The announcent of the engagent had instantly drawn blessings from countless business tycoons and celebrities, a testant to Lu Linwei’s current influence.
Naturally, curiosity about her—the female lead—followed. Her background was quickly unearthed: born into an ordinary working-class family, with an unremarkable education and a mundane life trajectory. Just months ago, she had been a lowly office clerk at a small, insignificant company.
A textbook rags-to-riches Cinderella story, which only fueled the frenzy of discussion.
As she scrolled through the comnts, Gao Yingli’s voice cut in.
Shen Ying glanced at him, puzzled. "What’s wrong? This is great."
"They didn’t hold back on pushing this to the top of the trends—it even overshadowed several A-list celebrities. Now I’m practically a household na."
Gao Yingli sneered. "If you’d told you wanted this kind of attention, I could’ve kept you trending nonstop."
Shen Ying waved a hand dismissively. "That would take the fun out of it. I prefer staying low-key."
Gao Yingli: "..."
Shen Ying: "So why are you mad? Didn’t you already know this was coming?"
Gao Yingli jabbed a finger at the photo. "That bastard Lu edited out completely."
"After all my hard work, I don’t even get a ntion? Even stunt doubles get credited!"
Shen Ying laughed. "What, did you expect President Lu to add a caption?"
"‘Body double: Gao Yingli’?"
"The internet would lose its mind."
Gao Yingli’s expression shifted. "I wouldn’t mind. What pisses off is that Lu Linwei didn’t leave a single trace of ."
He turned to her, suddenly persuasive. "What do you even see in him?"
"You’re not seriously going to marry him, are you?"
"You don’t seem to like him at all. What if you realize later that there’s soone else you truly love?"
Shen Ying t his gaze. "I like that he didn’t ask for a prenup."
Gao Yingli muttered darkly, "If I ever got married, I wouldn’t make my wife sign one either."
Shen Ying: "Congratulations to your future wife, then."
Gao Yingli’s expression turned icy. "Are you playing dumb with ?"
Shen Ying suddenly looked intrigued. "Is Young Master Gao hinting at sothing?"
"Does this an I’ve won our bet?"
Gao Yingli felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him, snapping him back to reality.
Though this had started with her scheming, she had only exploited his own playful nature.
If he wanted to compete with Lu Linwei openly, he’d have to admit her victory.
But declaring her the winner would an the ga was over.
And then what? Would she even stay?
A wave of regret washed over him. He couldn’t see a way out of this ss.
Flustered, he turned away. "Don’t be ridiculous. All you’ve done is laze around, eating and having fun. How is that winning? It’s far from over."
Shen Ying shrugged, feigning disappointnt. "And here I was, looking forward to seeing how much Young Master Gao would offer as the winner’s prize."
Gao Yingli averted his gaze, his eyes landing on the photo again.
He pulled out his phone, where the original, unedited version of the picture remained. The more he looked at the fake one on the trending list, the more it grated on him.
Yes, it was a fake—both the photo and the relationship it portrayed.
Yet this fabricated reality was an impenetrable fortress to him.
A dark thought crept into Gao Yingli’s mind. Almost involuntarily, he opened his official social dia account.
As the verified representative of the Gao family’s business empire, he had never posted anything personal. The account was managed by his assistant, occasionally sharing corporate updates. Still, thanks to followers from industry peers and celebrities, it had a sizable audience.
Gao Yingli began drafting a post, uploading the original photo.
Just as he was about to hit send, a voice cut through his thoughts—
"Don’t break the rules. That would ruin the fun."
Gao Yingli clicked his tongue, frustration simring.
He could only save the unsent post as a draft.
Grudgingly, he muttered, "I thought there were no rules in this ga."
Shen Ying smirked. "I could’ve reached out to President Lu anyti, but I never directly asked for his help. That’s my rule."
"Similarly, Young Master Gao, you can play this ga with all you want, but sabotaging my marriage into wealth would just be bad sportsmanship."
Gao Yingli: "What if I replaced that wealthy family with mine?"
Shen Ying: "Then we’d be back to square one."
"Have I won or not?"
Gao Yingli opened his mouth, then closed it, utterly defeated as he fled the scene.
His mind was in turmoil, trapped in a cocoon of his own making with no way out.
anwhile, Shen Ying received a ssage from the host club she’d visited before.
In essence, it apologized for their previous rudeness and assured her that, given her status, she was more than qualified to be their esteed client.
They also ntioned a new male model who had recently arrived—exceptionally handso, with an even more impressive physique and top-tier skills. They hoped she’d grace them with her presence soon.
Shen Ying knew exactly who was behind this setup, but she eagerly walked into the trap anyway.
The next day, the mont Gao Yingli left the estate, she turned to Assistant Liu. "Take to the club. They’ve got new stock."
Assistant Liu hesitated. "They won’t let you in this ti. Maybe we should drop it? If Mr. Gao finds out—"
"What’s he going to do if he finds out?"
Assistant Liu: "..."
Right. The worst that could happen was Gao Yingli showing up as the next male model.
Resigned, Assistant Liu drove her to the club.
Oddly, despite Gao Yingli’s displeasure the last ti, the manager didn’t stop them at all today. Instead, they were warmly welcod and led to a private room.
Shen Ying asked eagerly, "Is your new male model in there?"
The manager’s face twitched. "Y-yes. He hasn’t been booked by anyone yet. We’ve been saving him just for you, Miss Shen."
The door opened, revealing the club’s latest addition.
Dressed in a sleek black suit, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, with striking features and an imposing aura—he was indeed top-tier.
He also looked vaguely familiar.
Assistant Liu’s legs nearly gave out. "M-Mr. Lu—"
Lu Linwei ignored him, his gaze fixed on the figure at the door. He gestured coolly.
"Co in. Weren’t you looking for a male model?"
At work, Gao Yingli couldn’t shake the feeling that sothing was off. His eyelids kept twitching, and an unease gnawed at him.
He tried to dismiss it as paranoia—until his assistant spoke up.
"The butler called. Miss Shen took Assistant Liu to the club again."
Gao Yingli scoffed. "Let them go. There’s no way the club would let them in."
The assistant hesitated. "But I checked with the club. They’ve already allowed them inside."
For a second, Gao Yingli was furious at the club’s defiance—until realization struck.
He suddenly stood up without a mont's hesitation: "Let's go, to the club."
Reviews
All reviews (0)