Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

Li Li, who rushed out of the apartment in a disheveled state, did not go far.

She jumped into her white Audi A3, gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands until her knuckles turned white from the force.

Her chest heaved violently; she felt like she was about to explode.

On what grounds?

Why should Gu Ming treat her like this?

Just because I told a few truths during our blind date?

Shouldn't a man who has been fired from his job and has accomplished nothing be looked down upon?

Li Li comes from a wealthy family, graduated from a prestigious university, and is a tenured teacher. She is never short of suitors.

She should be the one who is fawned over.

But now, everything she was so proud of has become a liability that Gu Ming needs to sever ties with.

Meanwhile, Xiao Tong, the poor relative she had always looked down upon, was elevated to stardom by him and became an overnight sensation.

This is not fair.

Li Li didn't want to leave in such a dejected manner.

She decided to stay and see with her own eyes how Gu Ming was brought back to reality.

So she sat in the car, staring intently at the apartment building entrance.

Not long after, Gu Ming and Xiao Tong came out together.

Gu Ming was still talking to Xiao Tong, while Xiao Tong nodded frantically beside him.

Li Li's gaze was fixed on Xiao Tong's back.

She resisted the urge to open the car door and rush in, instead rolling down the window and forcing what she thought was a fairly natural smile.

"Xiao Tong, let me give you a ride; it's on my way."

Xiao Tong was taken aback when she saw that Li Li was still there, and subconsciously looked at Gu Ming.

Gu Ming seemed not to see Li Li or hear her words.

He simply said to Xiao Tong, "Did you understand the script? Ask me any questions now."

"No...no problem, Brother Gu," Xiao Tong quickly replied.

"The angle at which the bottle of wine is placed, the posture of your fingers when you hold it, the speed at which your eyes move from the label to the window—I personally oversaw every single detail during the afternoon shoot. All you had to do was maintain the feeling from the previous music video."

When Gu Ming discussed work with Xiao Tong, he scrutinized every single detail.

He discussed the use of light and shadow, the progression of emotions, and the subtext of cinematic language.

Li Li couldn't understand most of the technical terms they used.

But she could sense that it was a world she could never reach.

In that world, Gu Ming is the king.

She didn't even have the right to enter.

This complete disregard was even more painful for Li Li than the humiliation she had just received.

She felt like she didn't exist.

Gu Ming finally finished explaining everything. He glanced at his watch and said to Xiao Tong, "Wang Min will pick you up downstairs in five minutes. I'm going to the company to get ready."

After saying that, he walked straight to the other side of the parking lot, never once giving Li Li a second glance.

Only after Gu Ming's figure disappeared around the corner did Li Li seem to regain the ability to breathe.

She was breathing heavily, her face pale.

Xiao Tong walked over somewhat awkwardly and opened Li Li's car door.

"Sister Lily, you...you haven't left yet?"

"I've been waiting for you," Li Li forced a smile, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I saw you talking to President Gu about work, so I didn't want to disturb you. Get in the car, I'll take you to the company."

Xiao Tong got into the passenger seat.

The car slowly drove out of the residential area.

Li Li asked casually, "What were you guys talking about just now? What big movie were you filming?"

There was a hint of bitterness in her tone that she herself was unaware of.

"Yes, Brother Gu has assigned me a new video script."

When work was mentioned, Xiao Tong's eyes lit up again.

"Brother Gu is amazing, Sister Lily. You have no idea how professional he is. He can break down a fifteen-second shot into dozens of details, arranging every step clearly. Working with him, I feel like I'm improving every day."

This heartfelt admiration sounded particularly jarring to Li Li.

"Really?" Li Li replied dryly, her foot unconsciously pressing the accelerator harder.

"Oh, right," Xiao Tong said mysteriously, as if she had just remembered something, with a hint of girlish boasting, "Sister Lily, do you know what we're going to do next?"

"what?"

"We want to help Longquan Winery, the one that recently had problems, with its brand upgrade!"

"What?!" Li Li nearly slammed on the brakes. "You guys? Longquan Winery is such a mess right now, even a god couldn't save it!"

"Brother Gu can do it!" Xiao Tong's tone was filled with blind trust. "If he says he can, he definitely can!"

Li Li scoffed, finding it absurd and laughable.

Does Gu Ming really think he's a god?

"And also..." Xiao Tong lowered her voice even further, with a hint of shyness and pride, "You've heard of Zhou Tianhao, the young master of Longquan Winery, right? He's that good-for-nothing... But now, he listens to me."

"What did you say?"

Li Li suddenly turned her head and stared at Xiao Tong in shock, even swerving the car a little.

Zhou Tianhao?

He was a notorious playboy in Hegang, and the landlord's foolish son whom she and her friends had mocked behind their backs more than once.

Although he's a good-for-nothing, he's rich; he's the heir to Longquan Winery.

Countless scheming women in her circle tried to hook up with him, but all failed.

Now... this good-for-nothing has actually been tamed by Xiao Tong?

"How could he... how could he listen to you?" Li Li's voice trembled.

"I don't know either," Xiao Tong said innocently, completely unaware that Li Li's face had turned extremely pale. "He used to bother me all the time, but now it's great. Whatever I say goes. Brother Gu let me use him as an assistant, and he's quite happy about it."

Have you achieved both career success and love?

A buzzing sound went through Li Li's mind, as if something had exploded.

Her poor relative, whom she had always looked down upon, not only became a superstar overnight, but also easily won over a rich second-generation heir whom she and her friends could never even dream of.

And all of this is because of Gu Ming.

On what grounds?

Why do all the good things go to these two people she looks down on?

In what way does Li Li fall short of Xiao Tong? Family background, education, appearance—in every aspect, she is superior to Xiao Tong.

But why was she repeatedly humiliated by Gu Ming, watching them achieve success?

Why would Gu Ming rather promote Xiao Tong, who is nobody, than ever give him a second glance?

Just then, she saw Gu Ming's black Audi A6 slowly drive past her, preparing to merge into the main road.

This man destroyed all her pride.

In an instant, all reason crumbled.

Li Li slammed on the brakes and brought the car to a stop on the side of the road.

She didn't even have time to turn off the engine before she pushed open the car door and rushed out.

She spread her arms and blocked Gu Ming's car without hesitation.

"squeak--!"

A screeching sound of brakes rang out.

Gu Ming's car stopped less than ten centimeters from her knees.

The car window slowly rolled down, revealing Gu Ming's expressionless face, which even carried a hint of impatience.

"What's wrong with you?"

Looking at that face, at those still indifferent eyes, tears welled up in Li Li's eyes.

She screamed at the man in the car with all her might, crying out.

"Gu Ming!"

Why don't you like me?