Chapter 15

The video showed events at the restaurant after Shen Youwei had left.
Jiang Peipei stood at the front desk, asking the waiter: “This egg is guaranteed to have a prize, right?”
“Yes,” the waiter said.
He picked up the hammer to smash it. “Then I’ll hit it.”
The waiter quickly shielded the egg. “Sorry, you must spend at least a thousand to participate.”
Jiang Peipei frowned. “Isn’t this just playing with numbers? You charge 498 per person. Two people come, and it’s just four short?”
“I’m really sorry, but the restaurant’s rules are set this way,” the waiter said apologetically, still shielding the single golden egg on the table.
Jiang Peipei, clearly feeling embarrassed, turned to the manager who had come over earlier: “You’re the manager, right? Call your boss here, I want to file a complaint for false advertising!”
The manager smiled calmly. “You can just tell me what the issue is.”
“You have no authority to discuss this with me. Call your boss, or this isn’t over today.”
“I am the owner here. Sir, how can I help you?” A woman in a professional suit came out from inside. The staff at the front called her President Yu.
President Yu had a strong presence, clearly someone experienced in the business world. Jiang Peipei sized her up, his arrogance slightly subdued. “President Yu, perfect timing. I think this lucky draw is a scam.”
Yu smiled at him. “Sir, all our promotional materials, including posters at the front desk, clearly state that customers must spend at least 1,000 yuan to participate. The buffet is priced at 498 per person, everything is clearly listed.”
“Stop with the useless talk. The price is 498, but you need to spend over 1,000 to enter. Isn’t that just playing with numbers?”
Yu’s expression remained calm. “As a restaurant, the lucky draw is meant to reward customers. As long as the rules are clearly communicated, we are free to set them as we wish.”
“Right, deliberately making consumers struggle over four yuan is also your freedom.”
“What’s going on? Can I still participate?” Another man walked into the frame; the video poster censored his face for privacy.
The front desk checked his bill, handed him a hammer, and let him smash the golden egg.
Everyone focused on the egg. When it was smashed open, the front desk took out the voucher inside and their expression changed slightly: “President Yu…”
She called Yu over. Yu looked down at the voucher in her hand.
Jiang Peipei leaned in as well and, reading the voucher aloud, laughed loudly: “I knew it was a scam! You said it was guaranteed to be a grand prize, so how come it’s just a 200-yuan voucher?”
Yu ignored him and first explained to the man: “Sorry, this was indeed a staff error. Please register with this manager, and we will deliver a one-year free buffet voucher to you shortly.”
The manager tried to lead the man away, but Jiang Peipei stopped him. “Don’t go! Call the police for fraud, you might get more compensation.”
Following Yu’s signal, the restaurant’s security separated Jiang Peipei from other customers. “Sir, if you continue to act disruptively, we will call the police.”
“You want to arrest me?” Jiang Peipei shouted, breaking down, “I told you women shouldn’t be in business. What kind of nonsense, turning a lucky draw into fraud!”
The girl with him seemed unwilling to escalate things. She apologized to the others and dragged Jiang Peipei away.
The video ended there. Shen Youwei watched in awe.
Jiang Peipei had put on such a spectacle after she left, and yet he had the audacity to post online claiming she caused a scene???
And of course, it was him.
The comments under the video were just as entertaining as Shen Youwei had anticipated:
[Thanks to Jiang Peipei for a live demonstration of what ‘causing a scene’ really looks like.]
[Wow, he pretends to be a woman, makes money from women, and still insults a woman? I wish I had such thick skin!]
[The video shows it was the restaurant’s error; otherwise, customers wouldn’t have been allowed to smash the egg in public [facepalm].]
[Poor Shen Youwei, the beautiful lady suffering undeservedly [smile].]
[Didn’t you notice the girl who dragged him away? They were wearing couple outfits! Isn’t this guy usually flirting with his roommate? [vomit]]
[LOL, losing it over not winning a draw? Fits some of my stereotypes.]
[He lost it because he knew the egg had a grand prize but couldn’t benefit [dog head emoji].]
The video quickly surpassed Shen Youwei’s own in popularity. Criticism of Jiang Peipei for gender bias and trying to act gay flooded in, leaving his reputation in ruins.
Shen Youwei gleefully posted to her circle: [Congrats to Jiang Peipei, finally outshone me once in his life.]
He Man: “…”
How shameless.
She instantly liked her post.
He Man: [Why not post this on Weibo? [picking nose]]
Shen Youwei: [I was too kindhearted. Not being shameless is my biggest flaw.]
He Man: [From today, your nickname is Kindhearted Sis.]
Kindhearted Sis: ?
Shen Youwei’s WeChat friends naturally didn’t include Jiang Peipei, but there were busybodies who screenshot her post and sent it to him.
Since Shen Youwei dared to post, she knew he would see it, and he did. But unexpectedly, it seemed to unhinge him again.
Previously, Jiang Peipei recognized that Guan Shanyan had been eating at the restaurant with Shen Youwei. Because Guan was a rising star in the fashion world, Jiang Peipei didn’t want to offend him, so he cut him out of the video. But now, with events escalating, he wanted to expose everything about Shen Youwei.
He posted a video on Weibo of Shen Youwei with Guan Shanyan, claiming she was clinging to his fame to advance herself.
Shen Youwei was slightly impressed.
She felt he truly didn’t fear legal consequences.
She immediately contacted her lawyer. Even if Jiang Peipei deleted the Weibo post, it wouldn’t be over.
Once Guan Shanyan got involved, he too trended. After his last fashion show, his followers had surged, and now more spectators came to watch the drama unfold.
Shen Youwei had been following Guan Shanyan on a secondary account for three years. She knew he rarely posted on Weibo and disliked arguing online. She hadn’t expected him to respond today, but just after she spoke with her lawyer, Guan Shanyan’s Weibo updated.
Guan Shanyan: Shen Youwei is my little sister. We’ve known each other since childhood.
He posted a photo of an eight-year-old Shen Youwei with him, holding balloons and ice cream, sitting by the lake in Lize Park.
Though the photo was over a decade old, it was clear it was Shen Youwei and him. He intended to clarify, but for fans, the childhood photo was a gift.
[So cute! Trying to trick me into having kids again!!]
[Chubby little face, a kiss from mom =333=]
[VV literally grew up proportionally! Who’s still saying she had plastic surgery?!]
[One Weibo post clears up two rumors, hahaha.]
[Big brother! More photos, more photos!]
Gu Fei saw Guan Shanyan’s Weibo and stormed into his office: “Shen Youwei is your sister? What??? You kept this from me for three years!!!”
Even when abroad, it was one thing, but after returning, they had discussed Shen Youwei multiple times, yet he hadn’t explained once!
“You’re happy seeing me embarrassed, huh?”
Guan Shanyan nodded slightly: “Somewhat.”
Gu Fei: “…”
He wanted to slam the door in a dramatic exit, telling Guan Shanyan he was done, but then thought: “Wait, does Shen Youwei have a boyfriend? Can I volunteer?”
Guan Shanyan flatly refused: “No.”
“Fine. I’ll ask later.” Gu Fei finally slammed the door and left.
That afternoon, the trending topics twisted and turned wildly. Even Shen Youwei’s mother, far abroad, called her.
“You’ve been trending all afternoon, exhausted?” Shu Ge asked with concern.
Shen Youwei looked at her mother on the screen and smiled. “It’s okay. Fame comes with controversy. As a female celebrity, I’m used to it.”
“Not seen for months, your face looks fuller.”
“Dear Ms. Shu Ge, we video-called just a few days ago,” Shen Youwei smiled.
“Oh, right. Another black trend, huh?”
“…”
“Maybe go to a temple and pray? Seems unlucky.”
“Once my studio opens, I’ll go.”
Shu Ge asked again: “Decided to open a studio? I thought Xu Qairan left, and you didn’t have enough staff.”
“Yes, but I still want to open it,” Shen Youwei pouted. “And Xu Qairan won’t be back anytime soon.”
Xu Qairan had been Shen Youwei’s close friend for over ten years. Shu Ge hadn’t expected such drama between them.
“She’s caught up in a new relationship. Once she calms down, she’ll figure it out.”
“Let’s hope so.” Shen Youwei chatted with her mother for a while, feeling much more relaxed.
That evening, Xie Mingqiu and Guan Su returned. They discussed the trending drama. Though unaware of who Jiang Peipei was, they happily roasted him online.
Jiang Peipei stayed trending all night. Shen Youwei stopped paying attention; she was more focused on how the timeline had reset.
Both resets happened when she was taking photos. Fifteen years ago, she was also photographing in the mountains at that time!
Was it coincidence, or was it connected to the photos? She had taken countless photos growing up, yet only these three resets occurred.
She began taking photos in her room, testing if anything could trigger a reset. Suddenly, she heard a noise outside and went to check with her phone.
Xie Mingqiu and Guan Su were asleep. The living room light was off. Guan Shanyan crouched by the TV stand, rifling through a medicine box.
Seeing Shen Youwei, he said calmly: “Nothing, just a slight fever.”