"Mom, I want to eat that..."
"Sugar painting? What's so good about that! Too much sugar isn’t healthy for kids. Don’t you see this stall has no customers? Let’s go buy a toy up ahead."
...
Tonight’s first potential customer—possibly the last—had vanished into the crowd.
It had been two months since Li Sui took over her grandfather’s small shop, and she’d heard variations of this exchange countless times. By now, it barely fazed her.
Across the cobblestone path, the plane trees sprouted tender buds of early spring. The sunset gradually faded, and though night hadn’t fully descended, colorful lights already twinkled in the branches.
The chatter of tourists filled the air, mingling with unintelligible dialects, while the scent of various foods wafted by, tantalizingly delicious.
Li Sui rubbed her empty stomach, thinking she might as well close early.
Another day in the red.
With a sigh, she reached up to remove her mask when suddenly, the light before her dimmed.
She looked up and met a pair of smiling eyes.
The girl was delicate and fresh-faced, no older than a high school student, dressed in a school uniform. A little red warrior charm dangled from her phone—a Q-version of the heroine from a recently popular historical drama. Li Sui found it familiar and stared for a moment before recognizing it.
"Hello~ Simple designs are 6 yuan, complex ones 11. You can pick randomly or choose one." Li Sui smiled, nudging the zodiac-themed spinning wheel forward.
The girl hesitated, then asked, "Miss, can you only draw the zodiac animals? Could you do this instead?" She waved her phone lightly, the little warrior swaying before Li Sui’s eyes.
"Sorry, I only just took over my grandpa’s business, so I’ve only mastered the zodiac so far." Otherwise, she wouldn’t be losing money every day.
Li Sui’s hair was neatly tied into a bun, her black mask covering most of her face. Only her dark, gleaming eyes—warm and sincere, like amber polished by spring water—shone under the cool white lights, making it hard for anyone to fault her.
"Alright," the girl sighed in disappointment but still offered enthusiastically, "Miss, I think you should modernize a bit. The zodiac is so old-fashioned. The sugar painting stall at the market entrance even does Ultraman."
"Thanks, I’ll practice." Li Sui’s eyes crinkled with a cheerful smile as she chatted, though she made no effort to press further.
Surprisingly, the girl didn’t leave. Instead, she suddenly asked, "Can you write words?"
"Words?"
Li Sui wasn’t entirely incapable of drawing non-zodiac designs or writing—she just wasn’t skilled enough yet. Messy work could lead to disputes, and since she didn’t rely on the shop for income, she saw no reason to invite trouble.
But this was the first time in ages she’d met someone so genuinely interested in sugar painting. Li Sui couldn’t bear to disappoint her again.
"What do you want me to write?" She picked up the copper ladle, scooping half a spoonful of molten sugar syrup.
The girl’s dark eyes sparkled as she declared firmly, "Write—'Huai Hen Zai Xin CP becomes real!'"
"'Harboring resentment in your heart'? That’s... quite a unique ship name."
"Not 'harbor'—it’s 'Huai,' as in Zhou Jinghuai."
"..."
Li Sui paused her movements. Perhaps thinking she hadn’t understood, the young girl added, “Ah, you might not know, Zhou Jinghuai is—”
“I know.” Li Sui nodded as the syrup in the copper spoon slowly dripped down. “The CEO of Sudden Rain Tech, right? I just saw it on the trending list.”
“Yes, yes!” The girl shook the Q-version keychain on her phone again, her young face already wearing a motherly sort of pride. “My ‘daughter’ is famous for her terrible taste in men, but this time she’s finally found someone handsome, highly educated, with a clean personal life and a thriving career!”
The scorching syrup dripped onto the pure white stone slab, as if coming to life, following her not-quite-skilled hand movements—sometimes straight, sometimes curving, shifting in various directions.
Soon, the design was complete.
The amber syrup had formed a neatly written blessing, divided into two lines, with the last strokes of each character connecting them.
Li Sui picked up a bamboo stick and pressed it onto the syrup before it hardened, then used a spatula to slowly separate it from the slab.
“This one’s just five yuan.” Li Sui handed it to her with a smile. “May your ship sail!”
“Thank you!” The girl happily scanned the QR code to pay, even taking a photo with her phone as a keepsake before leaving.
Li Sui removed her mask and gloves, rubbing her cheeks, stiff from maintaining a smile for so long.
Remembering the earlier conversation, she pulled out her phone and glanced at Weibo. The rumors about Su Yinxin and Zhou Jinghuai were indeed still trending, marked with a blazing “Explosive” tag.
She had skimmed past it earlier without paying much attention, but the girl’s words had piqued her interest. When she tapped into the hashtag, she realized the most viral post had already surpassed 50,000 reposts.
Paparazzi Little Star:
#SuYinxinZhouJinghuaiRomance
Su Yinxin might just be the biggest waste of beauty in the entertainment industry—always falling in love! And she’s done it again! Today, Little Star caught her and Sudden Rain Tech CEO Zhou Jinghuai on the same flight back from the Maldives! Though they exited the airport separately (clearly trying to avoid suspicion), even the usually icy Su Yinxin couldn’t hide her smile today. Add in the monochrome matching outfits, and it’s hard not to wonder—did they vacation together? Looks pretty sweet~
The comments section erupted:
“Since when are paparazzi this dedicated? Even dropping airport candids of a gaming CEO—Zhou Jinghuai, you’ve really made it!”
“Zhou Jinghuai, you can finally stop ruthlessly taking my money, because your heart has arrived (heart emoji).”
“That face, that build, that aura… No wonder I lost my appetite at lunch—my ideal type was right here!”
“Since when do IT guys try to break into showbiz? Stop clout-chasing!”
“Let’s not forget Zhou Jinghuai graduated from an Ivy, runs a booming company, and his mom is literally the ‘Star-Making Queen’ of the industry. If he wanted fame, why would he need Su Yinxin? Be serious.”
Curious, Li Sui tapped on the video. The scene was packed, fans swarming toward Su Yinxin from all sides. The paparazzo seemed jostled, the camera shaking wildly. Amid the fans’ screams, a few curses could faintly be heard.
Zhou Jinghuai stood at the center of the crowd, towering at well over 185 cm. His fair skin, high nose bridge, and finely sculpted features—from his brows to the contours of his face—were flawless, especially under the glaring contrast of the two paparazzi uncles beside him, making him all the more striking.
He carried nothing in his hands, dressed in a white T-shirt layered with a black thin jacket and matching casual pants—the epitome of a youthful college guy.
Though his outfit screamed "just back from vacation," there was no trace of relaxation in Zhou Jinghuai's expression. Instead, he looked serious, his natural aura creating an invisible barrier around him even without the presence of bodyguards or assistants.
Head lowered, he strode briskly toward the airport exit, eyes glued to his phone, ignoring everything around him.
Yet, some were quick to point out: since both were on their phones, they must be secretly messaging each other.
Some bloggers even published detailed analyses tracing the timeline of their rumored romance. Riding the wave of the top trending hashtag, the article's shares, comments, and likes skyrocketed like a rocket.
How to put it?
Individually, the words were unremarkable, but strung together, they created a jaw-dropping spectacle.
In the analysts' eyes, Su Yinxin's white maxi dress and Zhou Jinghuai's white T-shirt at the airport became "couple outfits" from the same brand.
A month ago, a plushie shadow in Su Yinxin's Weibo selfie was "reasonably speculated" to be a character from a game under Zhou Jinghuai’s company, Torrent Tech.
Most damningly, the black bracelet on Zhou Jinghuai’s wrist was verified to be from a luxury brand—one that Su Yinxin had recently visited with her best friend, as caught by paparazzi.
...
In this era of entertainment-driven information overload, the ocean of news is vast and boundless.
Rather than scrutinizing the truth and logic behind every headline, most prefer to sit back and enjoy the drama.
So much so that repeated rumors became "facts," and the article's comments section had practically turned into a CP fan haven.
So sweet.
Li Sui was almost convinced.
Until her phone pinged, the screen lighting up with a message—
Zhou Jinghuai: Did you change the locks at home?
