The gossip about the online streamer Gu Ran and the CEO of Xinbo Company swirled for a whole day. The story evolved from the exposure of the CEO and the streamer's secret affair, to a tale of a master manipulator streamer toying with the CEO—the ultimate heartbreaker woman. Finally, after understanding the full context, people realized this was actually a story of a scumbag man chasing his wife into a crematorium (a metaphor for an extremely difficult and regretful pursuit after a breakup).
The fans in the live stream room had practically watched Gu Ran progress step by step. From initially living in a dark, damp motel, having to interrupt her stream for two minutes mid-broadcast to kill a cockroach, wanting to earn money but constantly being mocked by forum trolls and basement-dwelling guys in the chat, to now gradually becoming the top female streamer on Cat Paw Platform, moving to a better apartment, and gaining more exposure through increasing advertisements and variety shows.
So, according to the timeline, when Gu Ran first started streaming, it should have been right after she broke up with her ex-boyfriend who didn't love her.
Because he didn't love her, she chose to leave.
Before, everyone knew Gu Ran had an ex-boyfriend but always assumed he was just an ordinary person. It wasn't until today that they discovered this ex-boyfriend was anything but ordinary.
Then someone dug up an old photo.
It was from last year's Paris Fashion Week. A certain domestic starlet was invited by the brand to sit in the front row for the show. However, in the photos from the event, she was completely outshone in every aspect by a mysterious woman sitting next to her. The starlet's team was so panicked they scrubbed the photos from the entire internet overnight. The one circulating now was saved back then by an anti-fan of that starlet.
Now, everyone looked at this old photo that the starlet's team had desperately tried to delete.
"..."
Wasn't the mysterious woman sitting next to her none other than Gu Ran?
Comparing this to the later image of Gu Ran, reduced to living in a motel and asking for leave during a stream to kill a cockroach...
Falling from heaven into the mud—such a drastic rise and fall was truly tragic.
This also indirectly confirmed one fact: after being with Ji Shiyu for so long, Gu Ran ended up having to live in a motel after leaving him. Who knows if she was just naive, foolish, or truly had no ulterior motives and was only with him because she liked him? She hadn't even taken any assets from him.
Just moments ago, there were still people in Gu Ran's Cat Paw and Weibo comments calling her a "tea girl" (a manipulative woman). Now, they all flocked to the official Xinbo Company Weibo:
[Will you look, you ungrateful man? You definitely will.]
[How much courage does it take to leave after already trying on the wedding dress? Ji Shiyu, you have no heart!]
[Now you know regret? Now you want to chase her back? Where were you when Gu Ran was streaming from that motel?]
[Thanks to your CEO for gifting the streaming world a bright new star :)]
[That scumbag man infuriates me! Go be a bachelor for the rest of your life!]
[Think sending some gifts and chasing her to a show is enough? No way!]
[The top female streamer now has money and looks, she doesn't give a damn about some people's pursuit, hmph.]
[Friends who support Gu Ran toying with this ungrateful man, give this comment a like! One like = she toys with him for one more day.]
[Like +1]
[Like +234]
[Like +5733]
[Like +16844]
...
Xu Hui looked at the comment under Xinbo's official Weibo that said "one like = Gu Ran toys with him for one more day." It had already been liked over thirty thousand times and was still rising steadily. His facial expression twitched uncontrollably.
He counted on his fingers: over thirty thousand likes, rounding up... that amounted to nearly a hundred years.
A lifetime would pass in the blink of an eye.
"..."
Xu Hui quickly shook his head to dispel this terrifying thought, then contacted the production team of "Our Little Cabin."
Gu Ran and Ji Shiyu did not participate in the rest of today's program recording. Fortunately, it was the final episode, so the impact on the whole season wasn't significant.
The production team also seemed not to have expected that randomly selecting a lucky fan would bring Gu Ran's CEO ex-boyfriend, who was currently in the midst of a "chasing wife into the crematorium" phase. However, communication went relatively smoothly. They could handle it with some post-production editing.
After finishing the recording for "Our Little Cabin," Gu Ran flew back to City A.
Logically, after completing this gig, she should resume her daily streaming schedule.
Gu Ran stared at the "Start Streaming" button on her Cat Paw homepage, hesitating.
The upheaval of the past few days was too great. She had seen her "Little Fish" fans choosing to unfollow her in many places.
Some people simply couldn't accept it. They followed a single, fantasy girlfriend who catered entirely to them and couldn't accept her being ambiguously linked with Ji Shiyu.
That was fine. What saddened Gu Ran was that some former fans, after unfollowing, went to the Cat Paw forums, sent private messages, posted on Weibo, and used various platforms to curse at her, using many foul words.
Even though many people defended her—pointing out that since starting her stream, she never accepted large donations nor exploited fans for money, and seeing the critic's ID hadn't even gifted the cheapest "lollipop," they were just freeloading on a beautiful streamer's broadcast, which was fine, but to curse at someone who never took a penny from you over her personal life, complaining about free food—they must have some serious issues.
Although those abusive posts were quickly deleted for violating rules, they had still existed.
This was her first time experiencing a loss of fans.
Ding Ze also didn't push Gu Ran to start streaming again, messaging her: [Maybe you should take a break for a while.]
[Give yourself a vacation, adjust.]
For the first time, Gu Ran began to contemplate her career and future, asking Ding Ze: [What if one day I'm not the top female streamer anymore?]
This industry changes rapidly. Just as she once replaced "Meng Miaomiao," perhaps one day in the future, fewer people would like her, and a more outstanding, more likable streamer would appear.
Ding Ze: [Why ask this suddenly?]
Gu Ran: [Just wondering. Would the company abandon me then? Sad.jpg]
Seeing Gu Ran's serious question, Ding Ze said a lot: [How to put it... The streaming industry is similar to actors and idols; there's a career lifespan. Can anyone play the female lead forever and always win Best Actress? No.]
[But why do so many people still rush to do it knowing the career lifespan is limited? To put it bluntly, for the money. Under the premise of not breaking laws, what else can an ordinary person do to earn this much money? Earning for two years is enough for a lifetime.]
[To put it less bluntly, the career ceiling is high. Even if you feel overwhelmed and retire in a couple of years, so what? Your past achievements are already here. As long as the streaming industry exists, even if you're not around in the future, people will still remember you.]
[Look at how every time they list classic scenes in film and TV, those Hong Kong stars from the last century are always mentioned. It's been years, and people still talk about them. That's "leaving the arena, but legends of you remain in the arena."]
[But there's no need, no need to write yourself off before your rival even appears.]
Gu Ran looked at Ding Ze's words and pondered for a moment.
[Thank you.]
[I've had another revelation.]
No matter what, actively seizing the present is the most important thing.
Gu Ran immediately posted a streaming announcement on Cat Paw, tidied up and made some preparations, then sat in her usual spot and started the stream.
Although fans could watch the live stream daily when she was participating in "Our Little House," this kind of proper, dedicated live stream still felt different.
As soon as Gu Ran's live stream started, the comments section was immediately flooded:
[Ahhhhh Ran Ran is back!]
[I'm still more used to seeing Ran Ran this way~]
[Wife is so beautiful today too]
Gu Ran saw that the viewer count in the upper right corner was even higher than before.
Although she had lost some followers, she had also gained many new fans from participating in the show.
Gu Ran took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and looked at the camera with a sincere expression.
"I'm really grateful for everyone's support."
"Regarding what has happened these past couple of days, I still want to apologize to everyone here, and also say a few things that are on my mind."
After saying this, Gu Ran pulled out a piece of paper from behind her.
She unfolded it, and the backlight revealed the page was densely covered in handwritten characters.
Gu Ran: "I was afraid I might miss some important points while speaking, so I prepared in advance and wrote a draft."
Then she cleared her throat and began to read the content of her apology letter word for word.
Seeing the densely written draft paper from behind, fans first typed a "?", but upon hearing her earnestly reading her apology letter, they found it both funny and heart-wrenching.
Comments:
[You don't need to apologize, it's all that scumbag's fault! Our Ran Ran did nothing wrong!]
[Wuwu how can there be such a lovely girl, how could anyone bear to hurt such a lovely girl, Ji Shiyu truly has no heart, chasing him for ten thousand years wouldn't ease the hatred in my heart]
[Those yelling about unfollowing and cursing aren't real fans anyway! Ran Ran, ignore them!]
[Yeah yeah, a bunch of creepy losers started hurling insults after realizing Ran Ran wasn't a girl they could trick with their measly salaries]
[Gu Ran really values her fans so much, and I don't mean the kind of valuing that treats fans as ATMs, but genuinely cherishes them from the bottom of her heart]
[The love between Little Fishies and Ran Ran is mutual~]
In her apology letter, Gu Ran read that the responsibility for past events did not lie entirely with her ex-boyfriend. The reason they broke up was also because she had made many mistakes and acted immaturely in handling certain matters. She admitted to being a bit vain and often insecure and anxious, which were her own issues and had nothing to do with her ex-boyfriend. She hoped everyone wouldn't overly blame her ex-boyfriend just to defend her.
Comments: [What the hell did Ji Shiyu do to deserve this]
[Ran Ran has grown up, summarizing life with maturity and grace]
[I was planning to go dig up and curse at that bastard today, but forget it now]
[Not avoiding or playing dead, responding seriously like this really builds goodwill]
[It's your freedom to be with anyone, Ran Ran! Ignore those trolls!]
[Wife, come marry me, I promise a lifetime of super security]
...
After finishing reading her densely written apology letter and saying what she wanted to say, Gu Ran finally let out a long sigh of relief.
She hadn't set a theme for tonight's live stream, planning to just chat with fans.
She patiently answered the myriad of questions in the comments, occasionally encountering one or two unfriendly ones, which she selectively ignored.
Today was her first live stream since returning from the show. Gu Ran didn't stream for long, starting at 9 PM and ending at 10 PM.
Downstairs, the former Maybach had been replaced by a less conspicuous ordinary Mercedes.
Ji Shiyu sat in the driver's seat, listening to Gu Ran's entire live stream.
On the passenger seat was a paper bag, insulated by the shop, containing the most famous brand of spicy crayfish.
Ji Shiyu sent a message first, then carried the bag upstairs.
Gu Ran was waiting by the door to open it:
"Thank you."
She hugged the bag of food and looked at Ji Shiyu, then pursed her lips.
Remembering Gu Ran's live stream just now, Ji Shiyu felt a pang of sourness in his chest.
Gu Ran turned and went inside. Ji Shiyu followed. As Gu Ran placed the bag on the dining table, he said: "Gu Ran."
Gu Ran turned around.
After getting used to this person shamelessly calling her "Ran Ran," hearing "Gu Ran" suddenly felt a bit unfamiliar.
Ji Shiyu took two steps closer and suddenly asked her: "Can you tell now that I like you?"
Gu Ran was stunned for a moment, not expecting him to say this to her.
He asked if she could tell now that he liked her.
She had once sarcastically asked Ji Shiyu, who was waiting at her door, "Do you like me or something?" and Ji Shiyu had answered "Yes."
Later, on that night when she was drunk, she said she forgot, but she actually remembered—Ji Shiyu whispering in her ear over and over, "I want you, I only want you."
His repeated refusals to let go, from initially waiting downstairs asking her to come back, to now delivering all sorts of things, or even attending her variety show.
Ji Shiyu tentatively moved closer, finally reaching the closest distance to Gu Ran. He looked down at her, his eyes filled with an intensity that wouldn't dissolve.
He once thought it was so difficult for someone of his age and status to utter the word "like," only to realize later how important those words were.
Ji Shiyu opened his mouth, saying his feelings for the person before him over and over, until she grew tired of hearing it.
Gu Ran initially felt uneasy and struggled to accept it. Then she looked up, gazing deeply at Ji Shiyu's face, before lowering her eyes again, a tear plopping down.
She still remembered Ji Shiyu's youthful appearance—aloof and proud, the center of everyone's attention, like a dream she could never touch.
Even later, when she was by his side, this dream remained elusive. It felt like she had grasped something, only for it to slip through her fingers the next second.
Now, he was telling her he liked her, saying he only liked her, saying he was hers, forever hers.
Ji Shiyu used his thumb to wipe the tear from Gu Ran's cheek.
Gu Ran sniffled, still feeling wronged: "But I still don't want to forgive you."
"And so many people, my fans, all tell me not to agree to be with you. If I got back together with you now, they would definitely be angry and upset. I don't want to lie to my fans, and I don't want to disappoint or upset them."
She rambled on until the end, then looked at Ji Shiyu with teary eyes, asking bitterly: "Would you be willing to be my part-time housekeeper?"
Ji Shiyu: "..."
A trace of a helpless smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he reached out to dry Gu Ran's tear-stained face. "It's fine. I can be a part-time housekeeper for a lifetime."
Gu Ran instantly couldn't hold back.
She had a runny nose and felt somewhat disgusted with herself, starting to look for tissues.
Ji Shiyu pulled out two tissues and wiped the snot from Gu Ran's face.
This scene suddenly reminded Gu Ran of something.
That last time she got drunk, crying her eyes out late at night, and then Ji Shiyu kissed her, got caught by paparazzi, and became known as that "inappropriate ordinary man."
Did Ji Shiyu wipe her snot before kissing her that time?
Ji Shiyu looked at Gu Ran: "What are you thinking about?"
It was too embarrassing. Gu Ran quickly snapped back: "Nothing."
Ji Shiyu didn't press further, just tentatively asked her: "Since I'll be a part-time housekeeper from now on, can I ask for a salary for the job?"
Gu Ran frowned, thinking he was pushing his luck: "You still want a salary?"
"Mmm." Ji Shiyu lowered his head and placed a soft kiss on Gu Ran's lips. "This."
