The undercover agent's loud splatter of soup across the table drew too much attention, prompting Chu Yanze to glance over with his phone still in hand, eyeing her with slight suspicion.
Remembering she was a customer, he grabbed a few tissues from nearby and handed them to her, asking, "Are you okay?"
The undercover agent froze, her face a mess as she frantically searched for something to wipe the table. Yet, it was Chu Yanze who ended up passing her the tissues.
She stared at him, dumbfounded.
She had genuinely believed he would ignore them—that this was all just a staged act for publicity.
But he was taking it so seriously.
After handing her the tissues, Chu Yanze heard the voice on the phone still speaking. He tilted his head slightly, listening, murmured a few "mm-hmms," then hung up and slipped the phone into the front pocket of his apron. Rolling up his sleeves with deliberate care, he grabbed a cloth and thoroughly cleaned the table.
His movements were swift, fully immersing himself in the role of a diligent café employee before stepping away to take the call elsewhere.
The undercover agent kept staring at him.
A strange feeling prickled in her chest.
Now wasn’t the time to dwell on it, though. She shook her head, forcing the unsettling thoughts away, and pulled out her phone to check for updates—what on earth was happening with Ruan Nian?!
Thud!
The camera hit the floor, shattering instantly into pieces.
The director’s eye twitched violently, stunned for a second.
As someone in the industry, he knew exactly how expensive equipment could be—especially for hardcore fans who spared no expense to capture their idols from afar. The camera body alone was pricey, but the lens? A small fortune.
After a closer look, his pupils constricted, his heart skipping a beat.
The kind of fans who could chase Ruan Nian around like this were undoubtedly loaded.
Camera body: 50,000.
Lens: 100,000!
He nearly collapsed on the spot, almost in tears. Seriously, rich girls, with that kind of money, why not do something better? Why stalk celebrities and sneak into private spaces like this?!
The two fans were equally stunned. They stared at the broken camera on the floor, still clinging to a sliver of hope as they looked up at Ruan Nian, waiting for her to say something—to make this right.
But in the heat of the moment, Ruan Nian’s mind went blank. Panic was her first reaction before she finally blurted out, "Please don’t leak this, okay? We’ll pay you whatever you want for your silence!"
They had locked the door, yelled at the fans, and now smashed an expensive camera—Ruan Nian’s vision nearly darkened at the thought of the scandal if this got out. She couldn’t even imagine the backlash.
Yet, hearing her offer, the light in the fans’ eyes dimmed. They hadn’t gotten an explanation, let alone an apology.
If they could afford a camera this expensive, did they look like they needed money?
They had chased Ruan Nian purely out of love.
Now, seeing her like this, their hearts turned ice-cold. Everything they’d done suddenly felt meaningless.
One of the fans just sighed in disappointment. "Forget it. Let’s go."
But they didn’t get far. The director snapped back to reality and quickly grabbed her arm.
"Let go of me! I'm warning you—if your production team stops us from leaving, that's restricting our personal freedom! We'll call the police!"
Amid the tug-of-war, a fan shouted this threat, and the director grew frantic too, yelling, "You can't leave! The issue isn't resolved yet!"
Li Xunxi, who had been watching impatiently from the side, rolled her eyes and shot Ruan Nian a fierce glare before shouting, "Go ahead, call them! Call the police!"
"Let go!"
"No!"
"Call the police!"
The group wrestled back and forth inside the room when suddenly, someone with sharp ears seemed to catch the faint sound of sirens. A staff member from the production team received a call and gasped in shock:
"What? The police are here?"
The entire room froze instantly, everyone turning to stare at her in unison!
Then, all eyes snapped toward the fan.
The fan was stunned too.
She was baffled and even a little frightened—she had been too busy grappling with the director to even reach for her phone. What was going on? A supernatural event? Or had some fan outside overheard and called the police?
When the officers stepped out of their patrol car and took in the scene, one couldn’t help but blurt out, "Holy—!"
A sea of people!
How were there so many? Was there some major event happening nearby?
A gathering of this scale hadn’t been reported or filed for approval—this was a serious violation!
The police worked to part the crowd, setting up barricades and directing people to disperse before heading to the 20th floor as described by the caller. The moment the elevator doors opened, they froze again.
Holy—!
Why were there even more people up here?!
What the hell is going on?!
At the sight of the officers, the fans crammed onto the 20th floor scrambled nervously to clear a path, though none seemed to know exactly what was happening.
The security captain, who had nearly lost his voice from shouting, finally lowered his phone in relief when he saw the police arrive.
Man, if this kept up, he’d be out of a job!
His small team of guards had been doing their best to control the chaos and push fans out, but no one listened! Just when things started to quiet down a little, Ruan Nian showed up, and the crowd surged again like a tidal wave.
And once Ruan Nian went upstairs? Absolute madness. Fans crammed into elevators, and those who couldn’t fit raced up the stairs—twenty-plus floors, and they still charged up like maniacs!
These people were ruthless!
No choice—maintaining order was priority. Drenched in sweat, he turned and dialed the police.
By the time the officers finally pushed through the crowd and reached the small restaurant, knocking on the door revealed the scene inside.
"What’s going on here? Why is there such a huge gathering?"
One officer turned and spotted Ruan Nian, her expression dazed. After a pause, it clicked—ah, a celebrity. That explained the mob.
His face hardened. "Who organized this large-scale gathering in such a cramped space? This violates fire safety regulations!"
"And why weren’t barricades set up outside the building to control the crowd? The elevators are completely paralyzed now, disrupting normal operations for everyone in the building. We’ve already received multiple complaints."
Ruan Nian's face turned pale, and she stammered nervously before hastily explaining, "I'm not the organizer. We were filming a show here, and the fans rushed over after hearing the news. We had no idea this would happen..."
"Officer!" The fan whose camera had been smashed suddenly spoke up with determination. "That's not true! They are the organizers. They arranged for us to come here!"
Ruan Nian froze, her pupils shrinking in shock as she stared at the fan in disbelief. Even she had turned against her!
In an instant, she felt her "sympathy points" plummeting rapidly—dropping to a terrifyingly low level.
"It was Sister Li, Ruan Nian's manager, who told the fan club that Ruan Nian had an event here today and needed us to come support and spend money. Each group even had a spending quota!"
"What?"
Even the police were stunned. Organizing fans to spend money for a restaurant-themed show? That was beyond absurd.
Ruan Nian’s face drained of color as she desperately avoided eye contact, silently praying for someone to swoop in and save her.
Lately, her sympathy points had been dwindling, leaving her unable to use any of the system’s cheat codes or tools. She felt utterly hopeless—this was the first time she had ever experienced such despair. Despite always relying on countless tools and connections, she was now stripped of all support, left to fend for herself.
It was terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
Her frantic gaze landed on Li Xunxi, her mind racing chaotically. She must have a way out. Li Xunxi was a wealthy heiress—she had to have a solution, right?
Could they settle this privately? She couldn’t afford for this scandal to blow up!
But Li Xunxi only took a deep breath, looking at her as if she were some repulsive, foolish nuisance—even seeming like she wanted to slap some sense into her.
Without hesitation, Li Xunxi turned to the police and said, "This was entirely Ruan Nian’s doing. We had no part in it. Our restaurant had a clear business plan—we intended to attract customers through our brand reputation, not by disrupting public order with fan gatherings!"
She pulled a notebook from her bag and showed it to them, slapping it emphatically. "Here’s our business proposal. It clearly proves we never planned to involve fans. This is all Ruan Nian’s fault!"
Ruan Nian’s eyes widened in shock. What? They were pinning everything on her now? Just yesterday, they had encouraged her to bring in as many fans as possible!
Meanwhile, the two fans watching her now had nothing but disappointment in their eyes.
Outside, the remaining fans buzzed with confusion.
"What’s going on? Why are the police here? Did something happen to Nian Nian?"
Finally, an officer stepped forward with a megaphone, sternly directing the crowd to disperse. "No loitering in the hallway! Exit in an orderly fashion using the emergency stairs!"
A few reluctant fans lingered, hoping for one last glimpse of Ruan Nian, but under the circumstances, they had no choice but to murmur among themselves and file out.
At this moment, the fan who had broken the camera seemed to have made up their mind. They raised their head again and declared, "And one more thing—the production team smashed my equipment worth 150,000 yuan! And they even tried to restrict my freedom!"
"I’m going to hold them accountable!"
The director’s eyes widened in shock.
Li Xunxi sharply closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and clenched her teeth to suppress her temper.
This was it—everything had spiraled out of control!
Now it was a complete mess!
...
Over at Gu Zhaoping’s side, they had just reached the busiest hour of their lunch service when news broke that Ruan Nian’s manager had been taken in for questioning as part of an investigation.
By then, the entire restaurant was buzzing with chatter about the scandal that had just exploded online.
After working nonstop, they finally had a moment to check the internet. Chu Yanze immediately saw that "Ruan Nian Reported to Police" was trending.
An official announcement had been issued:
"Celebrity Ruan X, during a program recording, had her manager organize fans to gather for support and consumption. Due to failure in crowd control, traffic disruptions occurred, obstructing access to an entire building and disrupting normal operations. Authorities received complaints and have launched an investigation, imposing a fine of X yuan..."
The hashtag exploded!
It spread at an almost terrifying speed. In no time, nearly everyone online—and even passersby in real life—was talking about it.
Ruan Nian—that was Ruan Nian we were talking about!
Her reputation had always been impeccable, so when the negative news first surfaced, hardly anyone dared to believe it.
But once the official statement laid out the entire incident in black and white, and photos from the scene kept circulating, the truth became undeniable.
[What the hell? This many people—are they insane?!]
The photo was taken from an office building across the street, capturing the scene from above. The road below was packed with a dense, suffocating crowd, completely clogging two nearby intersections.
Amid the sea of people, delivery riders in yellow jackets could be seen desperately honking their horns, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t push through—forced to drift helplessly with the human tide!
Someone trying to get to work was shoved relentlessly in the opposite direction!
Others, merely passing by, got swept into the crowd, practically lifted off their feet, unable to escape!
It was horrifying—even more chaotic than some New Year’s Eve gatherings.
People had always known Ruan Nian had a massive following, but no one expected it to be this overwhelming. Only now did the reality truly sink in.
[With this many people gathered, the slightest misstep could lead to disaster. What were they thinking? Did they have zero sense of safety?]
[It might not be Ruan Nian’s fault, right? A big star like her wouldn’t personally organize something like this—it’s probably her manager acting out of line! Didn’t the announcement say it was the manager’s doing?]
Some still rushed to defend Ruan Nian.
[Pfft, yeah right. You really think the manager would do this without the star’s approval?]
[Wait, I just realized they were filming a show. Does this program require them to run a restaurant? Are they competing for sales? And Ruan Nian called in fans to boost her numbers? That’s just pathetic...]
"Not just being a sore loser—I think such methods are downright despicable! The show has its own rules, and her bringing in outsiders is straight-up cheating. Doesn’t that reflect poorly on her character?"
"Is it necessary to attack her character like this? Isn’t it normal for celebrities to have fans showing up to support them? Why aren’t you criticizing other stars?"
"Did other stars cause this level of congestion? Were other stars reported to the authorities? Did other stars get an official reprimand?"
...
The online battlefield was in full swing!
The internet was in chaos, with Ruan Nian’s fans and some of her sympathizers still in disbelief, defending her and shifting the blame to her manager, calling it an unfortunate accident and arguing that one incident shouldn’t define her.
But most people had a strong sense of fairness. Thankfully, the situation was stopped before any accidents occurred. If the crowd had been allowed to keep gathering until Ruan Nian’s restaurant opened, who knows what would’ve happened as fans scrambled for seats.
"She’s so obsessed with flaunting her popularity that she disregards her fans’ safety—and you still support her?"
"Are you kidding? Ruan Nian adores her fans! She just didn’t expect such a huge crowd. If she’d known, she would’ve stepped in to disperse them immediately! Have you forgotten how she’s always patiently organized fan gatherings in the past, gently asking them to leave after events?"
The arguments raged on!
Then, suddenly, someone in the restaurant shrieked, "Holy crap, another bombshell!"
Every head in the room whipped around in unison, and the sheer synchronicity of the movement made everyone burst into laughter—apparently, they were all following the drama.
The person who’d spoken couldn’t help but grin before announcing loudly to the entire room, "I just saw a revelation from one of Ruan Nian’s fans saying she doesn’t care about them at all! She’s been caught badmouthing fans behind their backs, calling them unruly, undisciplined, and selfish for organizing themselves and disrupting her show filming!"
"And there’s video proof! Apparently, today she and the production team even smashed a fan’s camera worth over a hundred grand!"
Gasps filled the room. A camera worth that much—destroyed just like that? And to trash-talk fans on top of it?
This was a complete betrayal.
This was Ruan Nian?
At that moment, a few people couldn’t resist sneaking glances at Chu Yanze and Liang Zhiwei, who were still hard at work.
They seemed too busy to pay attention to the gossip. Liang Zhiwei was fully focused in the kitchen, sweating so much she needed help wiping her brow, while Chu Yanze tirelessly shuttled between tables, serving dishes without a moment’s pause.
Suddenly, an odd thought struck everyone at once—
If the revelations were true… the contrast couldn’t be more staggering.
How could the gap be this huge? Ruan Nian, with her pristine reputation, was secretly insulting fans and smashing their belongings.
Meanwhile, Chu Yanze—the guy rumored to be arrogant, hot-tempered, and perpetually looking down his nose—was diligently playing waiter, attentively serving customers.
And Liang Zhiwei, accused of riding Ruan Nian’s coattails to fame, was quietly proving herself in the kitchen, cooking up a storm with genuine skill?
Not to mention Gu Zhaoping, who had always been at odds with Ruan Nian.
After arriving at the shop, they realized she had been quietly sitting there the whole time, managing the accounts. Whenever something happened in the store, everyone would call out, "Sister Zhaoping," and seek her help to resolve it.
This was completely different from the image they had heard about.
The rumors they’d picked up seemed so distorted that it left people with a strange sense of unease.
It seemed that only by meeting and interacting with someone in real life could you truly grasp their character—what spread through word of mouth inevitably became diluted along the way.
Just then, at one of the tables, someone silently put down their chopsticks and picked up their phone.
They typed carefully on the screen, hesitating before finally hitting "post."
They didn’t want to hide it anymore—it felt like their years of chasing Ruan Nian had been built on a lie.
Before long, another shocked voice cried out, "Holy crap, another bombshell just dropped!"
The sound of phones being picked up in unison filled the shop. This time, the gossip was even juicier:
"Someone actually saw Ruan Nian yesterday! And she was cutting in line for the elevator with those wealthy siblings! The heiress even complained about how ‘unbearable’ the environment was, rolling her eyes and scolding people for ‘having no awareness’?"
"What? She warned Ruan Nian’s fans not to crowd the place and even called out her behavior, but no one believed her and they doxxed her instead??"
Damn. Everyone was stunned—one scandal after another!
Ruan Nian’s fans were furious, but the first thing they latched onto was the involvement of the wealthy siblings. If there was blame to shift, they’d shift it immediately:
"It’s obviously those spoiled rich kids’ fault—they’re the main problem here!"
"Gu Zhaoping, right? We always said Nian Nian would have to cater to some privileged brat on this show. Poor thing, she probably couldn’t even push back—after all, that’s the CEO’s sister! Nian Nian was stuck in the middle!"
But before the argument could continue, the informant added, "Oh, it was Li Xunxi and Li Xunwen."
Silence.
The heated debate came to an abrupt halt. All the fans fell quiet, staring at the photos she’d just uploaded—actual evidence from the scene.
Even fans eagerly awaiting the show and netizens who loved the Li siblings were dumbfounded.
Wait, those elite siblings? The famously close-knit, charismatic pair from a wealthy family?
The ones who were supposed to be the wholesome counterpart to Gu Zhaoping and her brother on the show?
So they’ve crashed and burned too?
This is their real attitude?
So Ruan Nian really was stuck serving a spoiled heiress—just not Gu Zhaoping, but Li Xunxi?
Were they just faking it in other shows? Was it all an act?
Then came the exposer's next post:
"Gu Zhaoping? People are still dragging her? You have no idea how amazing their shop is! Liang Zhiwei’s cooking is god-tier—I’ve never had health food this delicious! Chu Yanze personally waited on me, and I was their first customer! They even gave me a free gift and shared their seasoning recipe! Gu Zhaoping herself walked me out!"
"All your impressions are wrong—you've been fooled!"
"If anyone's nearby, come try their restaurant for yourself. You'll see what I mean!"
...
Reading those exposés, anyone still supporting Ruan Nian would feel their heart turn cold.
And indeed, among the crowd sat one such person—the undercover fan.
She didn’t want to believe it. But as revelations surfaced one after another, even official statements were released, leaving her no room for doubt.
Was Ruan Nian really this kind of person?
Had everything she’d done before been an act?
She couldn’t accept it, no matter what.
Her appetite vanished.
As she numbly prepared to pay and leave, Chu Yanze seemed to notice her. He walked over, rummaged in his apron pocket, and handed her a mint. "Here, a little gift for our customers."
She froze.
Only then did she realize her every reaction in the restaurant had likely been observed by Chu Yanze.
Clutching the mint, an intense, inexplicable emotion surged through her, swelling rapidly until it burned bright and fierce.
"Th-thank you," she stammered before hurrying out, too embarrassed to stay.
Shame washed over her for her preconceived judgments.
This undercover meal had thoroughly reshaped her perspective, forcing her to reevaluate who she’d been idolizing all along.
Why was the person Ruan Nian and her fans despised so... kind?
By afternoon, the crowd had thinned slightly, giving Liang Zhiwei a chance to speak with Gu Zhaoping.
"Zhaoping-jie, you predicted it perfectly—their side is already falling apart!"
Gu Zhaoping sat behind the counter, calmly tallying the morning’s receipts. "Expected."
Liang Zhiwei leaned in, eager for insight. Gu Zhaoping obliged: "Their first flaw was choosing a cramped location. It can’t handle large crowds, so they’d need a refined, niche approach. But building that reputation takes time and skill—neither of which they had in a single day."
"High foot traffic would expose two issues: space limitations and their lack of capital. They couldn’t hire staff, and with Li Xunxi and Li Xunwen being high-maintenance, avoiding internal conflict would be a miracle."
"Then there’s the second flaw—" Before she could continue, a new wave of customers flooded in. Gu Zhaoping paused, nudging Chu Yanze and Liang Zhiwei. "Business calls. We’ll talk later."
...
Ruan Nian stepped out of the police station, glancing back at Sister Li still inside.
Once again, Sister Li had taken the fall for her. Ruan Nian wanted to feel relieved.
But the looming consequences choked that relief into a suffocating weight in her chest.
Finally breaking, she crouched in a corner and dialed that number.
"Zhaoye..."
Her voice cracked, fragile with tears, barely holding together.
On her own, she truly couldn’t achieve any of her goals anymore. She now needed to accumulate a substantial amount of sympathy points—only then could she use the system’s tools to turn public opinion in her favor.
There was still one last resort, a surefire way to instantly cast herself as the victim.
Gu Zhaoye had been away for a few days to clear his mind and was currently at the shooting range practicing. When his assistant informed him that Ruan Nian was calling, he finally paused, removing his noise-canceling headphones before stepping aside to answer.
Leaning casually against the wall, he lit a cigarette, holding it between his lips as he asked in a low voice, "What’s wrong? You sound upset—did someone bully you?"
He took the cigarette from his mouth and added, "Tell me who it is. I’ll make sure they regret it."
Such a domineering CEO-like declaration.
Seeing that Gu Zhaoye had finally calmed down—unlike his usual impulsive self—Ruan Nian felt a little more at ease. She had initially planned to blame Gu Zhaoping, but Gu Zhaoye had already warned her before not to get involved with him. So she swallowed those words and awkwardly changed the subject instead:
"Do you remember Liang Zhiwei?"
"She’s on the same show as me. Wasn’t she supposed to have no connections? How did she even get in? Zhaoye… are you still in contact with her?"
On the other end, Gu Zhaoye’s hand holding the cigarette stilled, his brow furrowing.
He had personally revoked Liang Zhiwei’s resources—he knew better than anyone that she had no backing.
Ruan Nian continued, "Can you come back soon? I feel like her backer is really powerful. They’ve been smearing me while propping her up nonstop. The sudden shift in public opinion is too suspicious. I’m scared she’ll crush me soon—can you come and help me?"
Gu Zhaoye remained silent, his expression dark, but his thoughts weren’t on what Ruan Nian had just said. Instead, another suspicion took root.
This show was a big deal—how had Liang Zhiwei managed to squeeze her way in?
A dangerous glint flashed in Gu Zhaoye’s eyes.
Had Liang Zhiwei found someone else? Climbed into some big shot’s bed?
"I’ll be back soon," he said, crushing the cigarette underfoot.
