The wealthy military officer spoils his wife excessively

Surrounded by hundreds of red candles, the two hunched over, carefully tending to their tiny, fragile flames. As the evening breeze blew, the countless candle flames danced and flickered, faintly forming the shape of a heart. Within the heart appeared to be a character, but since they hadn't finished lighting them, and some candles had completely melted and couldn't be relit, the character remained undiscovered.

Su Wen, rubbing her aching back, sat up amidst the red candles, looked around, feeling both satisfied and slightly annoyed: "Sigh, why did you have to name yourself Lu Zheng? The character 'Zheng' has too many strokes!"

It turned out she had placed his name on it.

He could almost picture the tension and loneliness she must have felt, secretly setting up this stall alone before the banquet began. She hadn't even anticipated that tonight's wind would ruin her plan. How foolish, yet so naively, that he loved it.

Lu Zheng patiently lit the last candle before standing up and leaning against Su Wen, embracing her. His face was bathed in a soft glow from the candlelight, the red wax seeming to burn in his eyes, burning intensely and making one's heart tremble.

His voice was thick and cloying, flowing slowly through the night: "'Su' has quite a few strokes, so we're even."

Su Wen stared at him blankly: "Are you going to set off a show for me too?"

"If you like, I'll celebrate your birthday like this again next time."

"No, it's no fun if we know beforehand." She turned her head away coyly, but her heart was pounding like a deer.

He pulled her along and casually sat down in front of the candles. The two leaned against each other, quietly watching the candlelight flicker. Suwen nestled in his arms and whispered, "Make a wish. Isn't today your birthday?"

He nodded, took her hand in his, and closed his eyes as she asked. Countless delicate candlelight flickered and danced, witnessing the tranquility of the moment.

Suwen tilted her head back, staring intently at him. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was her bright, clear eyes, shimmering and soft like the flickering candlelight tonight, dreamlike and ethereal. He couldn't help but lift her chin and kiss those bright eyes. When his lips left her eyelids, Suwen's entire face turned bright red.

These tiny red candles, neatly arranged in a heart shape, seem to burn for who knows how long. Their light may not be dazzling; each candle has only a tiny flame at its tip, illuminating a very small area. Yet, when countless candlelights converge, they warm the entire night as if it were daytime.

Just like the feeling she gave him. Like these candles, though lacking the scorching heat of summer, their small, inconspicuous light has always warmed his heart. Over the years, they have accumulated, gradually leaving an indelible mark.

Such a beautiful time and scenery should be enjoyed in this way.

Lu Zheng hugged her tighter again, pressing her face against his chest. His eyes held a smile, and the candlelight reflected in his pupils, the flickering flame seeming to resonate with his heartbeat.

His fingers gently stroked the tip of her nose, full of affection: "Susu, thank you. This is the best gift I've ever received."

Perhaps it was the alcohol taking effect, or perhaps it was embarrassment, but she buried her face in his chest and mumbled a response.

Within days, the widely circulated rumors of "two actresses fighting over a man" and "a newcomer in the film industry becoming a third party and ruining Xue Dai's marriage" all disappeared. Before Ye Zi could even come up with a crisis management strategy, certain topics about jealousy and using publicity to climb the social ladder seemed to have vanished from her overnight.

Dailin issued a statement through her lawyer condemning the false reports and did not rule out taking legal action to sue for defamation. Shortly afterward, the newspaper that first published the photos published an apology statement for two consecutive weeks. Whether the blurry photo actually showed Nie Suwen and Dailin was long forgotten.

Nie Suwen, who remained inactive, became the biggest winner. Suwen, of course, knew who had swiftly reversed the newspaper's direction. She locked away the feelings of being cared for and cherished that this man had given her in the deepest corner of her heart.

Ye Zi, holding data from various search engines and search rankings, proved to Su Wen: "Look at you, how much attention you're getting now."

Suwen randomly clicked on a search link and was immediately struck by the following: This woman is using our Xuexue to create buzz and grab attention, and she's even promoting her new movie along with it. She's shameless.

Seeing her silence, Ye Zi thought for a moment and comforted her, "Controversy is a good thing; at least it makes people remember you..."

Whether controversy is a good thing or not, Suwen isn't sure, but at least controversy brings exposure, and with exposure, the company can sell her for a good price.

The TV series she was originally going to film, adapted from Zhou Mo's novel, now has the script and crew in place. It's an internal project within the company, and Ye Zi has increased her fee by another percentage point compared to the original agreement.

When Ye Zi handed her the film contract to sign, she whispered to her, "Don't tell anyone, among all these big names, yours is the highest."

After filming Director Wei's movie, she received several movie scripts. In the past, she would have had to beg for roles and still not get any offers. Now, she has the option to be selective.

Ye Zi comforted her, "No need to rush, take your time choosing. We value quality over quantity; selecting a good script is the most important thing."

Moreover, Ye Zi already has two endorsements with top-tier domestic cosmetics brands. Endorsements are easy and lucrative, so Ye Zi is happy to help her secure them. However, she now needs to be careful when choosing brands; she can't accept those that are too commercial or too mainstream. Ye Zi says, "This is to enhance her image." Her starting point is higher than most people, so she has to be selective in everything she does.

After finishing their business, Ye Zi couldn't help but express her gratitude: "I really have to thank Young Master Lu this time. Although I don't know how you convinced him to help you, you were able to escape this dangerous situation thanks to him."

Although a long time has passed, Suwen still feels warmth when she thinks of the candlelight that lit up the sky that night, and how Lu Zheng held her and sat with her until dawn.

Ye Zi glanced at her a few times, noticing that she kept spacing out, and finally couldn't help but sit down opposite her and lecture her: "But I still stand by what I said. Although Young Master Lu has been very merciful this time and helped you out, and there's a lot of gossip about you and him in the company, I still believe in you. You and Young Master Lu will definitely not cause any trouble."

"Oh?" Suwen stared blankly at Ye Zi, wondering where her logic came from.

Women, when they sit together, always gossip, and the entertainment industry is no exception, with the most gossip in that area.

Ye Zi rolled her eyes at her and continued, "Someone with your personality could never befriend him. Young Master Lu is obviously arrogant and conceited. He doesn't even look down on Miss Xiao, so why would he be interested in someone like us in the industry? Oh, and most importantly, he already has a lover! Why would he be interested in someone as plain as you?"

Then she lowered her voice: "This is my inside information, I heard that Young Master Lu has a new fiancée."

"Who is it?" Suwen asked instinctively.

Ye Zi shrugged helplessly: "I'm not an intelligence officer. But I heard that Young Master Lu is really fond of this woman. At his birthday party, he even carried her upstairs in front of everyone. And this morning when I was at work, Lily told me—Lily, the super talkative secretary in the president's office—that when she brought Young Master Lu coffee, she saw a teeth mark behind his ear..."

Ye Zi's expression was enigmatic, but she spoke with great enthusiasm: "A bite in that spot, obviously left by some intense... you know. I bet if he took off his clothes, his body would be even more spectacular. Young Master Lu is usually so serious and reserved, giving off a sense of asceticism, but I never expected him to be so unrestrained. And logically, someone like Young Master Lu should also have a certain dignified presence in bed, yet he let a woman bite his ear so brazenly. Clearly, he's incredibly indulgent and dotes on that girl."

Ye Zi was talking animatedly, completely oblivious to the fact that Su Wen's face had become unreadable, showing a look of utter shame and indignation. If it weren't for their argument that had kept Lu Zheng abstaining for almost a month, would he have been so relentless in that matter, pushing her to the brink, and finally biting her ear in a fit of rage? Besides, even after biting her, she hadn't been able to assert her female dominance; she was dragged back in, and that heavy weapon of mass destruction was back in place inside her, leaving her unable to get out of bed the next day.

Ye Zi was still sighing to herself, "Sigh, I never thought that someone as calm and detached as Young Master Lu would like someone so rough in bed. People really do have two sides."

After she finished sighing, she noticed Su Wen's expression: "Ah, girl, what's with that look? This is a good thing, it helps you realize the situation. After all, someone like Young Master Lu isn't suitable for you. The news of his engagement can help clear your name of the unspoken rules rumors that smeared you. But you need to be careful with your words and actions in the future. Young Master Lu might help you once, but he won't do it again. If he really marries that skilled fiancée in bed, he'll definitely turn his back on a little flower like you. You'd better watch yourself."

After saying that, he nudged Suwen with his elbow to test her reaction.

Ye Zi's gossip was so full of information that Su Wen hadn't fully processed it yet. She could only take a deep breath and nod vigorously, "Yes, I should learn my lesson. I must never do that again." Even if you're going to bite, you should bite where no one can see you! (Tears welling up)

Director Wei's film has completed post-production editing, and the finished product has been sent to Italy for its premiere at the Venice Film Festival. With the recent gloom over Suwen and Xue Shaofeng's film, the entire crew is excitedly and impatiently anticipating its release. After all, it's the culmination of six months of hard work, especially for the screenwriter and director, who began planning it two years ago. The actors have also put in a lot of effort. Xue Shaofeng's thinning hair at his hairline hasn't fully grown back, making him look several years older, while Suwen struggled to gain weight to fit into her cheongsam, and will have to work hard to lose weight for her next film.