Everyone was waiting to see the Gu siblings make a fool of themselves—there’s no way he’d call her “sis” like that.
So, this person was probably just a random, mentally unstable tourist.
Maybe his resemblance to Gu Zhaoping was why he inexplicably clung to her.
The weather today was unfortunately worse than the forecast had predicted.
Before long, dark clouds gathered overhead, seemingly brewing a snowstorm.
Theodore squinted up at the sky and said,
“The weather doesn’t look good today. We might need to head back.”
“We should get off this mountain soon; the snow’s coming down fast,”
Gu Zhaoping said, accelerating and sliding downward.
Theodore watched her back, only now realizing how exceptional her skills were, along with her unusually calm and composed demeanor.
Even after such a major incident, she wasn’t affected at all and continued down the mountain calmly after saving someone.
His interest in Gu Zhaoping grew, and he also understood why someone as young as Valentine would so quickly develop a unique fondness for her.
Sometimes, even he found it hard to resist.
He paused, watching Gu Zhaoping’s back, then followed her down.
At the base of the mountain, the crew of the Four Seasons of High Society program was preparing.
They had reserved a row of cabins at the foot of the mountain.
The intense and exciting filming was about to begin.
Compared to the treacherous cliffs, the ski area here was much simpler, a public-friendly enclosed ski field.
Many beginners were learning here, including Liang Zhiwei.
Though it was a last-minute effort, it was better than nothing, and Chu Yanzhe was patiently watching over her nearby.
Ruan Nian glanced at the cabin nearby.
That was where Gu Zhaoye was staying—the crew had arranged the largest cabin for him.
But, of course, for Gu Zhaoye, this environment was still considered harsh.
He had stayed inside without coming out, and naturally, no one dared to call him out, especially since the current activities weren’t anything critical.
Ruan Nian looked around, found a secluded spot, and contacted someone to send a message.
This was a rare opportunity she had painstakingly seized.
Taking advantage of the time difference with their home country and everyone being busy practicing skiing, she would stir up public opinion back home.
By the time they reacted and responded, it would already have gone viral—too late to stop.
After enduring criticism for the past two episodes, Ruan Nian had had enough.
She was waiting for this one move to completely turn her image around.
After sending the message and receiving confirmation from the other side, explosive tidbits began trickling into the hands of major gossip accounts and bloggers, quietly starting to spread.
At this moment, everyone present and the public had no idea what was about to unfold today.
The previous episode had caused a huge stir, and though it had only been a few days, the online buzz was still massive.
Any website you opened had plenty of people discussing the content of this episode, with the most focus, of course, on the conflict between Gu Zhaoping and Gu Zhaoye, and her standing up for Liang Zhiwei.
Next was the question of what exactly was going on with the love triangle between Liang Zhiwei, Ruan Nian, and Gu Zhaoye.
Was it Liang Zhiwei who came first, and after their breakup, Ruan Nian took her place?
Or was there something more complicated?
These kinds of relationship issues were always the gossip the public relished most.
Suddenly, a piece of explosive news quietly emerged.
It was a detailed exposé about how Liang Zhiwei and Gu Zhaoye had stayed in contact during Ruan Nian and Gu Zhaoye’s relationship.
It included evidence like matching items from the same date and videos of them appearing at the same locations.
In short, the post laid it all out and reached one conclusion: Liang Zhiwei was the interloper!
According to the post, Ruan Nian and Gu Zhaoye had been in a relationship long before, and during their fights, Liang Zhiwei swooped in, lingering by Gu Zhaoye’s side.
Later, when Ruan Nian and Gu Zhaoye reconciled, Liang Zhiwei still didn’t give up, continuing to interact with Gu Zhaoye.
Even after Gu Zhaoye humiliated and rejected her multiple times, she still kept meeting him, perhaps unwilling to walk away empty-handed.
In every breakup and makeup between Gu Zhaoye and Ruan Nian, Liang Zhiwei’s shadow loomed, though it’s unclear what exactly she did.
The moment this exposé appeared, it set the internet ablaze like wildfire.
“Holy crap, what’s going on? This looks so well-supported. Didn’t they say before that Liang Zhiwei was the original one, but Gu Zhaoye gave her nothing?”
“Didn’t Liang Zhiwei tell Gu Zhaoye to stop bothering her and to be with Ruan Nian? So what’s this about? This evidence doesn’t look fake either.”
Someone claiming insider knowledge chimed in,
“Finally, she’s exposed! I’ve been waiting for this day forever. Liang Zhiwei is no saint. Otherwise, with her status, fame, and background—all inferior to Ruan Nian’s—how could she possibly have gained favor with Mr. Gu? She used Ruan Nian’s name to get close to him, thinking she could replace her, only to be crushed by the real deal in the end, kicked aside like she was nothing!”
This was the charm of words.
To say these claims were entirely fabricated would be untrue.
During Ruan Nian and Gu Zhaoye’s on-and-off relationship, Liang Zhiwei did frequently appear between them, like a wedge affecting their romance.
But in reality, it was Gu Zhaoye who sought out Liang Zhiwei for comfort every time his relationship hit a rough patch.
This exposé simply flipped the instigator.
But people didn’t care much about the truth.
Those watching the drama only craved a plot twist.
A wealthy heir with influence in the entertainment industry, controlling countless resources, and with a volatile personality—
Liang Zhiwei, facing him alone with no one to back her, how could she possibly stand up to him?
Even her own company was unreliable, the kind that would sell her out for money.
How could she resist Gu Zhaoye?
Liang Zhiwei had lived this frustrating life for years.
Finally, this time, meeting Sister Zhaoping, who unexpectedly stood up for her, gave Liang Zhiwei the courage to tell Gu Zhaoye to get lost for the first time.
But how could that be the truth?
That was too simple.
Liang Zhiwei was cautiously skiing forward with her snowboard, completely unaware that the internet back home was erupting with so-called dirt about her.
Whoever was behind it had been watching her for who knows how long, knowing every detail of her life, editing and fabricating it into a so-called exposé.
Thousands of words long, paired with various pictures and videos, it painted her as a despicable, shameless opportunist.
As if she was someone who inserted herself into others’ relationships, resorting to any means for resources.
Even the incident in the restaurant where Gu Zhaoye confronted her was framed as mere angry words, a deliberate provocation on her part.
Watching the sympathy points in the system skyrocket, Ruan Nian finally let out the breath she’d been holding.
She wanted to laugh and cry with relief—finally, it was back, and she had charm points to use again.
This was a PR battle she’d prepared for a long time.
With Liang Zhiwei’s company background and her completely unreliable management team, how could she possibly navigate this crisis?
As Ruan Nian watched her sympathy points rise, she finally exchanged them for luck points again.
But when she considered pouring all her points into luck, she hesitated, gritted her teeth, and cut it in half, redirecting the rest to her appearance.
Appearance was her foundation for survival—she absolutely couldn’t lose it.
The damage to her image from before had already taken a toll, and the public’s quick shift in opinion might partly be due to her declining looks.
Ruan Nian didn’t dwell on it further and immediately boosted her appearance points.
She also increased her luck points slightly—not much, but it should be enough.
“Now, let’s start assigning the official tasks.”
The director’s team, holding task cards, shivered in the cold wind as they read out the activities for this episode, saying mysteriously,
“This is the toughest task of the episode. The person who draws it might face an extremely challenging solo mission, so be careful.”
A task tied to extreme sports—how tough could it be?
Everyone could guess with their toes.
So, they braced themselves, wary of drawing that card.
The director’s team went to great lengths to finally get Gu Zhaoye to come out.
He was positioned right in front of Liang Zhiwei, who immediately stepped back, keeping a three-meter distance between them.
The awkward gap silenced everyone.
They wanted to sneak glances but didn’t dare look too openly, lest Gu Zhaoye notice.
Ruan Nian was first in line.
She drew her card and confirmed her task—phew, not too hard.
She sighed in relief.
It was just navigating a snowboard into the woods to pick up some items.
Her luck points were working.
As the line grew shorter, it was Gu Zhaoye’s turn.
His hand hovered over a card.
Suddenly, a scream from Ruan Nian echoed in the distance.
He looked up, frowning.
Someone nearby quickly said,
“It’s nothing, nothing! Just a small animal that startled Teacher Ruan. Let’s keep filming.”
But Gu Zhaoye, as if he hadn’t heard, lifted his hand, turned, and strode straight toward Ruan Nian.
Of course, the domineering CEO had to protect his beloved woman, whether it was a small animal or a fall.
“Something’s up. I’ll draw later.”
Director: “…”
This guy was really something else, but there was nothing he could do.
Speechless, he called the next person to draw.
Liang Zhiwei was next.
Following the order, she picked the top card, flipped it over, and froze.
It was the toughest one.
Ski down from the top of the slope…and complete an independent turn?
The director was stunned too.
In other words, if Gu Zhaoye hadn’t left just now, this card would have been his?