The next day, Su Yiran woke up feeling a bit clearer-headed.

He got up, washed, ate breakfast, and changed into clothes for going out. Grabbing his keys, he headed to the shop to open for business as usual.

On this ordinary morning, like any other, Su Yiran gradually recalled some details he had previously overlooked.

When he arrived at the shop, several employees were already there, preparing for the day’s business. Su Yiran had given a set of shop keys to Zhang Xiaohong, one of the employees, who was responsible for opening and closing the shop when he wasn’t around.

As Su Yiran entered and greeted the staff, he noticed their worried glances and expressions. One employee seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

Thinking they were concerned about his apparent illness from the previous day, he smiled at them. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Seeing that he seemed okay, the employees relaxed a bit. The one who had hesitated let out a sigh of relief before indignantly saying, “Boss, it’s good you’re okay. Don’t pay attention to the online stuff. Those trolls are just spouting nonsense, a bunch of bandwagoners or petty people.”

Su Yiran was puzzled. “Online?”

The employee froze, not expecting the boss to be unaware. Zhang Xiaohong quickly nudged them and changed the subject. “It’s nothing, Boss. Look at these turquoise cakes. Is this amount enough?”

Su Yiran glanced at the baking tray and nodded. “It’s enough.” Noticing the employees clearly wanted to hide something, he didn’t press them about what was happening online.

Seeing his attention diverted, the employees relaxed and began working alongside him.

The morning was busy, and it wasn’t until around 2 p.m. that Su Yiran had a moment to himself. He opened Weibo on his phone.

Although the employees didn’t want him to know, it was clear something bad had happened online. As the shop’s owner, he needed to understand any developments related to the business to respond promptly.

Regarding his situation with Gu Yuanting, he had calmed down. Whatever the outcome, he was prepared to face it. Everything could wait until Gu Yuanting returned.

Even if there were issues in their marriage or emotions, life had to go on. The shop needed to keep running and growing.

Su Yiran logged into Weibo and quickly browsed.

Overnight, the online sentiment had shifted dramatically. The netizens who had pushed him to the top of the trending list with praise yesterday seemed to have vanished. Now, anything related to him was flooded with negative comments, roughly divided into four types:

1. Apple Live Insider Info! Small-time streamer rises through connections, Apple exec opens backdoors for him. (Attached: a seemingly intimate photo of Su Yiran and his senior.)
2. Rich persona collapses: “Million-yuan” wood carving revealed as fake, a sham hype by a fake tycoon.
3. Hair and nails in the cake? Can we still visit the trending Yiting Desserts?
4. ZeroDegree Desserts: Heavy launch of unlimited Dirty Buns! Come try them.

Su Yiran frowned at the supposedly intimate photo. He recognized the background from the anniversary event’s backstage, where he had gone to thank his senior. Someone had sneakily taken the photo from an angle that made it look like they were kissing.

Later, someone dug up that he and his senior were alumni, claiming they had been close in school. Some streamers personally questioned whether his senior had given him preferential treatment, alleging his live-stream data was faked, that she used her authority to push him as “Best Lifestyle Streamer of the Year,” and that recommendation slots were unfairly allocated.

Others claimed his on-stream personality was a facade, that he had a bad temper, acted like a diva after gaining fame, and mocked smaller streamers backstage at the anniversary event, with vivid details.

Then there was the “rich persona” issue. Regarding the wood carving, he had previously clarified in a comment that the carving in his shop was unrelated to the million-yuan rosewood piece from an auction. However, many didn’t believe him, preferring “professional” analyses that suggested he was hiding his wealth.

Now, Su Yiran recalled the stranger from yesterday calling Gu Yuanting “President Gu”…

He didn’t dwell on it, focusing instead on the last two issues.

One questioned the hygiene and quality of his desserts, while the other was about counterfeit versions of his shop’s signature desserts appearing on the market.

Overnight, these negative stories had erupted all at once, hitting hard. Just yesterday, he had topped the trending list, and many new followers felt deceived, joining the wave of criticism.

A small group of “appearance fans” supported him, claiming looks justified everything and that he could do no wrong. Another small group of loyal fans, who knew him better, didn’t believe the rumors and stood firmly by him.

After getting a sense of the situation, Su Yiran turned off comments on his Weibo and logged out.

He knew this was a targeted attack. The sudden flood of negative posts, some clearly driven by bots and marketing accounts, couldn’t be a coincidence. He just didn’t know who was behind it yet.

In his previous life, Su Yiran had faced similar crises, though not as intense. With more experience now, he knew how to handle it.

The first issue, about fairness at Apple Live, would likely prompt a swift response from the platform, as they’d be more anxious than him to address it. The second issue, about the “fake tycoon” and wood carving, wasn’t a big deal.

Since the first two were about him personally, he could wait for Apple Live’s response before acting. For now, he’d ignore them.

For the shop, the hygiene and counterfeit issues were more serious.

Su Yiran mentally outlined a crisis management plan and made several calls. He spent the afternoon preparing responses, barely making any desserts. The employees, seeing him busy, knew he must have learned about the online situation and didn’t disturb him.

By the time the shop closed in the evening, Su Yiran had nearly finalized his plans. He intended to release a statement tomorrow, followed by further steps.

It was past 9 p.m., and the employees had left. He grabbed his things, locked the shop, and stepped outside.

The cold air hit him, and he shivered. Looking up, he saw what seemed like light snow under the streetlights. He reached out, feeling cold, wet specks in his palm—not snow, but sleet.

Su Yiran pulled his hand back but didn’t return for an umbrella. He walked alone through the sleet toward his car.

Time to go back.

---

Country D

Xiao Zhu entered Gu Yuanting’s office, carrying a black safe.

Seeing President Gu busy, he hesitated before placing the safe beside the desk. “President Gu, the item you requested is here.”

Gu Yuanting glanced at the safe but continued working, not touching it yet.

Xiao Zhu should have left, but he lingered, then mustered the courage to speak. “President Gu, are you… really going to start this early? We’re not fully prepared!”

The plan, originally set for a few days later, had been abruptly moved up. Xiao Zhu wouldn’t question other decisions, but knowing the plan’s risks, he couldn’t help but worry.

Gu Yuanting gave him a look. “Do your job.”

With that, Xiao Zhu had no choice but to leave, still concerned.

After finishing his work, Gu Yuanting opened the safe, glanced inside, and his expression darkened. He closed it slowly, locked it in a cabinet, and resumed working. He had promised Yiran he’d return within a week, so all tasks had to be accelerated.

A call came from Xiao Li, one of the people he’d assigned to protect Su Yiran.

Seeing the caller, Gu Yuanting’s heart tightened—had something happened? He answered quickly. “What’s wrong with him?”

Xiao Li reported the online situation about Su Yiran.

Though it wasn’t part of his duties, after seeing Gu Yuanting’s attitude toward Su Yiran yesterday and learning about the online storm, Xiao Li decided to inform him.

Gu Yuanting hung up, his face grim.

Thinking of Yiran facing this alone in China, hurt and upset, his heart ached.

He made two quick calls to China, giving brief instructions to resolve the issue as fast as possible.

Afterward, he immediately video-called Su Yiran. When Yiran appeared on the screen, he anxiously asked, “Yiran, how are you?”

Unaware that Gu Yuanting knew about the online issues and thinking he was referring to yesterday, Su Yiran smiled. “I’m fine.”

Gu Yuanting paused, noticing Yiran didn’t seem as upset or hurt as he’d expected, almost as if nothing had happened.

A sense of unease crept in, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. He reassured him, “Don’t worry about today’s events. It’ll be resolved soon.”

“Resolved?” Su Yiran froze, realizing Gu Yuanting knew about the online situation.

He had planned to handle it himself without telling Gu Yuanting.

In his previous life, Su Yiran had climbed to success alone, overcoming many challenges independently. Even after crossing into this world, falling in love with, and marrying Gu Yuanting, he had only gradually learned to rely on him under Gu Yuanting’s influence.

Now, with issues between them and not knowing what was happening on Gu Yuanting’s end, he didn’t want to burden him and had intended to handle it alone.

Su Yiran fell silent, not asking how Gu Yuanting planned to resolve it. Instead, he changed the topic. “You said you’d be back in a week, right?”

Gu Yuanting nodded, assuring him, “Within a week.”

Su Yiran relaxed. “Good. We should be able to have a nice holiday together.” He smiled, a faint dimple appearing on his right cheek.

Seeing his genuine smile, Gu Yuanting felt himself relax too. Realizing Christmas was approaching, he added, “I’ll spend Christmas with you.”

Su Yiran paused. “Okay.”

He wanted to enjoy a proper holiday with Gu Yuanting before facing the many issues ahead—Gu Yuanting’s secrecy about his work, finances, and perhaps more.

Their call didn’t last long. After a few more words, they hung up.

Gu Yuanting stared at the ended call, lost in thought.

He suddenly realized that the usual Yiran would have shared such a big issue with him, expressing his pain and seeking comfort, softly asking for a hug.

But just now, Yiran had smiled and said, “I’m fine,” trying to handle it alone.

A panicked unease gripped Gu Yuanting.

It felt like something he had worked so hard to gain was slipping away.

__

Author’s Note:
(Yiran originally wasn’t so soft. It took a lot of effort for the gong to make him rely on him, lol.)