Morning light filtered into the penthouse in soft golden strips. Anqi woke before the others, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she padded toward the kitchen in her bunny slippers. She expected silence.
She did not expect her phone to vibrate with a private message from an account she didn't have the courage to believe at first.
[FelixV_Official: Thank you for your message yesterday.]
She froze mid-step.
She blinked.
Then blinked again.
"Impossible…" she whispered.
She stared for several seconds before tapping the screen.
[FelixV_Official: You appeared in chat for the first time. I noticed.]
[FelixV_Official: It helped. Yesterday was difficult.]
Her breath caught.
Felix Valentine — the legendary, unreachable, untouchable Felix — was messaging her directly.
Her heart thumped loud enough she worried Shen Zhi might hear it from his room.
She typed carefully, fingers trembling in excitement.
[GuAnqi_: I didn't think you'd see it. Or remember my username.]
His reply came surprisingly fast.
[FelixV_Official: I remember things that feel sincere.]
The words were simple.But they carried a heaviness she knew well — the heaviness of someone who rarely received sincerity.
She pressed her lips together, warmth blooming quietly in her chest.
Before she could type again, another message arrived.
[FelixV_Official: Are you attending Orange TV's Creator Gala next week?]
Anqi choked on air.
"What? What? WHAT—"
The Creator Gala. The biggest event of the year. Every major streamer invited. Every rising creator hoping for recognition.
But she had never been invited.
Before she could spiral, a new notification arrived.
Not from Felix.
From Orange TV's official account.
[OrangeTV_Official: Dear Gu Anqi, we are pleased to invite you as a special guest for the upcoming Creator Gala.]
She nearly dropped the phone.
"When did my life become a drama?" she whispered.
She reread the message several times. Her heart raced. Her palms were sweaty. Excitement lit up her whole face like fireworks.
Felix reached out.The platform invited her.Things were finally starting to look like her dream.
She let out a scream of joy into a pillow so she wouldn't wake Shen Zhi.
Shen Zhi walked into the kitchen moments later, hair slightly tousled from sleep, wearing a shirt that was entirely too casual for someone with his face. His eyes softened when they landed on her.
"You're up early," he said quietly.
"I'm excited," she burst out.
"About what?"
"Nothing!" She immediately backpedaled.
He stared at her. She stared at the floor.
She folded under his gaze like wet cardboard.
"Fine," she muttered. "I got invited to the Creator Gala."
His eyebrows lifted slightly. "Congratulations."
"And Felix messaged me."
That made him freeze.
"…Messaged you."
"Yes. Privately. Directly. Personally. He said he noticed me in chat."
There was a moment where time in the penthouse seemed to pause.
Shen Zhi's expression didn't change dramatically — but something sharpened.The smallest shift.Barely noticeable unless someone knew him well.
Anqi didn't notice. Lin Xu, suddenly awake behind them like a raccoon summoned by chaos, did.
He whispered, "The CEO is jealous again. Oh, the flavor of this drama is exquisite."
Shen Zhi placed a glass on the counter with careful precision.
"I see."
"Isn't it crazy?" Anqi went on, oblivious. "He actually thanked me. Me! He must have been having a rough day. His tone felt different."
"Different how?" Shen Zhi asked.
"Tired. Lonely. Like he doesn't sleep much."
Shen Zhi inhaled quietly. "I did not realize you paid such close attention."
"I do," she admitted. "I admire him. He taught me a lot, even without knowing me."
Shen Zhi looked away.
Lin Xu whispered at his ear, "Your rival is a sad boy with good eyebrows. Good luck."
Later that afternoon, Shen Zhi had to visit the company headquarters. Anqi stayed in the penthouse with Lin Xu, who was attempting to rescue a croissant from the oven like it was a hostage situation.
Around noon, the internet erupted again.
A video clip surfaced.
Shen Zhi, in the lobby of the Shen Group, speaking to reporters. Standing beside him was a familiar woman.
Xu Ruyan.
The reporters asked questions, flashing cameras blindingly.
One question cut through the noise:
"CEO Shen, your fiancée posted earlier about false rumors. Would you like to clarify your relationship with Miss Gu Anqi?"
Xu Ruyan's gaze sharpened. She stepped closer to Shen Zhi, her smile poised, serene, dangerous.
"You don't need to answer that," she said loudly enough for the cameras.
Shen Zhi turned toward her, expression unreadable.
"I was not planning to answer," he replied.
His tone was calm.
His words were an earthquake.
The reporters exploded with whispers.
Xu Ruyan's smile thinned by a fraction. "Zhi, we should present a united front."
"We are not united," he said, voice steady as stone.
Anqi watched the clip from the penthouse, eyes widening.
"Oh no," she whispered. "He said that in public. In front of everyone."
Lin Xu paused mid-bite. "He really did. Your man woke up choosing violence."
"He is not my man," she squeaked.
"He is acting like he is," Lin Xu countered.
Anqi paced the living room, chewing on her thumb. "Xu Ruyan is going to go nuclear. This is bad. I should talk to him. I should tell him not to escalate things because of me."
She grabbed her jacket.
Lin Xu blocked her path with both arms spread out dramatically. "No. You are not going to run into a corporate battlefield to plead for peace. This is not a K-drama where you can throw yourself between camera flashes."
"But I cannot let him burn bridges because he defended me."
Lin Xu put his hands on her shoulders. "Anqi. Listen. He made a decision. You are not forcing him. You are not ruining him. He is choosing where to stand."
Anqi hesitated.
Lin Xu added with a grin, "If you do not believe me, then believe this: Shen Zhi would rather punch the sun than let someone corner you."
She stopped pacing.
Her eyes sharpened.
"I'm not hiding," she said. "I am not ashamed of knowing him. And I am not letting anyone say I'm dragging him down."
Lin Xu nodded proudly. "There's my fire."
Shen Zhi returned to the penthouse late in the evening, exhausted but composed. He removed his coat and loosened his tie, stepping inside quietly.
Anqi stood near the window, waiting for him. The city lights painted her hair gold.
"You did not have to defend me like that," she said softly.
He met her eyes. "I did."
"It will cause problems."
"I am used to problems."
She stepped closer. "But you are dealing with them because of me."
"Because of us," he corrected.
Her breath hitched.
For a long moment, they simply stood there. The room felt smaller, closer, warmer. The heaviness of the day hung between them like an invisible thread tugging them together.
Anqi whispered, "Shen Zhi… why are you doing this?"
"Because when everyone pushes you away," he said, "I want to be the one who steps closer."
She swallowed hard. "That is… not fair. You cannot say things like that."
"I am not taking it back."
She looked up, heart pounding. He stepped forward, slowly, cautiously, like a man approaching the edge of something life-changing.
The distance between them vanished until they could feel each other's breath.
His hand lifted, stopping just before touching her cheek.
He hovered there, trembling faintly. She did not step back.
"Anqi," he said quietly.
Her lips parted. "Yes?"
Their foreheads almost touched. Her heart hammered. His breath warmed her skin. The world felt suspended on a single point of softness.
He leaned in—
And then Lin Xu shrieked from the hallway.
"THE OVEN IS ON FIRE AGAIN!"
They jumped apart as if struck by lightning.
Shen Zhi closed his eyes.
Anqi covered her face with both hands.
Lin Xu ran around waving a towel.
The moment shattered. The tension remained.
And the storm between them grew stronger.