Beyond Romance – Xiao Muchen, Zhang Xinyi

After graduating from the performance major, Gu Zhenzhen was ready to embark on a career in performing arts with both virtue and talent. However, the reality was harsher than her expectations. The budding actress was hurt by ruthless unspoken rules in the industry. Her agent told her that if she could accompany a big shot, she would have a chance to make it big. But Gu Zhenzhen refused to sell herself out and chose to jump off a building instead of being forced to accompany someone. As a result, her agent abandoned her and the company demanded compensation for breach of contract. Unscrupulous journalists pushed her into the abyss with endless rumors, casting a thick shadow over Gu Zhenzhen’s acting career.

Gu Zhenzhen found herself in a difficult situation. Her younger sister Gu Xinxin needed a heart transplant due to congenital heart disease. Since their parents had passed away, she took on the responsibility of taking care of her sister. Her sister wanted her to give up on herself, but Gu Zhenzhen refused. Just when she was at her wit’s end, she met Lu Yunchen, who was known as the cold-blooded CEO and was obsessed with money. He proposed a deal to Gu Zhenzhen: he would give her 30 million yuan to pay off the breach of contract fee owed to her agent and help her sister complete the heart transplant surgery if she agreed to sign a hidden marriage agreement with him.

Lu Yunchen had his own reasons for doing this. He did it to please his beloved grandmother. Gu Zhenzhen didn’t want to deceive his grandmother, but she had no choice but to agree because of this tempting offer. However, she also had some conditions: first, he could not interfere with her work and life; second, there could be no physical relationship between them; as for the money, she wrote an IOU and paid it back in installments over thirty years. The hidden marriage with Lu Yunchen was considered as interest on the loan. The two reached an agreement.

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Gu Zhenzhen decided to let Lu Yunchen give up on her by pretending to be a bad girl who smokes, drinks and dresses sexily. Lu Yunchen saw through her plan but didn’t expose her. Gu Zhenzhen took Lu Yunchen to a nightclub and pretended to be familiar with the place. However, when her backup plan arrived, it turned out that the man was Lu Yunchen’s employee and he ran away after seeing Lu Yunchen’s business card. After the incident, Lu Yunchen asked Gu Zhenzhen if she had enough fun and if she did, he asked her to go back with him. On their way back home, they were stopped by a gangster who wanted Gu Zhenzhen to accompany him for drinks. When Gu Zhenzhen refused, Lu Yunchen came to her rescue and they left the nightclub together.

After returning home, Lu Yunchen put Gu Zhenzhen on the sofa. When Gu Zhenzhen tried to get up, she accidentally kissed Lu Yunchen and things got a little ambiguous. At that moment, the doorbell rang and it turned out to be Lu Yunchen’s biological mother, Lu Fangfang. She came to take advantage of Lu Yunchen’s amnesia and make some money. Gu Zhenzhen knew that Lu Fangfang had no relationship with Lu Yunchen other than being his biological mother. She could spend a lot of money on plastic surgery but refused to pay for Lu Yunchen’s upbringing. Later, when Lu Yunchen grew up, he often gave her some living expenses but she was never satisfied and kept pestering him. Lu Yunchen had no good feelings for her.

Lu Fangfang brought in a pregnant woman and claimed that she was Xu Moyin’s cousin and that the child in her belly was Lu Yunchen’s. Gu Zhenzhen was secretly happy when she heard this because now she had a reason to leave. She ignored Lu Yunchen’s retention and left with her luggage. However, outside the door, she didn’t feel as relieved as she thought she would be and instead worried about Lu Yunchen who had helped her when she was in trouble. After all, he had a conscience and couldn’t let it go. But in the end, she still chose to leave.

Lu Fangfang asked Lu Yunchen to take care of the pregnant Mo’er first and hinted that he could give her some money first. However, Lu Yunchen was not moved by her words and asked them to provide evidence. Although he had amnesia, he was not senile and could not be deceived by anyone. Mo’er claimed that she had gotten up early to make his favorite peanut pastry for him so he took one and threatened them that if they didn’t leave soon, he would call his lawyer. At this moment, Gu Zhenzhen rushed back in a hurry and saw Lu Yunchen eating peanut pastry which scared her so much that she slapped him.

Gu Zhenzhen slapped Lu Yunchen on the back, causing the peanut pastry in his mouth to fly out. Mo'er was frightened and complained of stomach pain, while Lu Fangfang accused Gu Zhenzhen of seducing her son and tried to hit her. Lu Yunchen stopped her and scolded both women for not knowing about his allergy to peanuts, which could be fatal. He threatened to sue them for fraud and murder. Lu Yunchen and Gu Zhenzhen then kicked Lu Fangfang and Mo'er out of the house.

Gu Zhenzhen found medicine for Lu Yunchen and scolded him for being careless. She had initially thought he was faking his amnesia, but now she realized it was real. Lu Yunchen took the medicine obediently and hugged Gu Zhenzhen. He said that his mother must have a bad relationship with him because she didn't recognize Gu Zhenzhen when she entered the house and didn't ask how he was doing. Only Gu Zhenzhen cared about him after his car accident and amnesia, and he only recognized her.

Gu Zhenzhen felt sorry for Lu Yunchen and agreed to continue playing her role until Xu Moyin returned, doing her best to help him regain his memory. The conditions were the same as before, but most importantly they had to sleep in separate rooms. Lu Yunchen learned from his assistant that Gu Zhenzhen deposited money into his account every month, proving that she wasn't after his money. He also wanted to find out Gu Zhenzhen's preferences to give her a big surprise.

Gu Zhenzhen received a phone call to play the leading role in an advertisement, and she was immediately excited. Little did she know that it was all arranged by Lu Yunchen's assistant. The next day, Gu Zhenzhen arrived at the filming location, and the staff treated her like a big star, surprising her. All the clothing was from top brands, and the makeup artist and stylist made her look stunning. Gu Zhenzhen memorized her lines and even prepared several ways to shoot the scenes, but to her surprise, the director asked her to improvise.

Gu Zhenzhen had never filmed so easily before. Everything was done in one take, and she even wanted the director to film another, but he said it was already excellent. The staff congratulated her with flowers, and Gu Zhenzhen was very happy. At this moment, a girl barged in and accused Gu Zhenzhen of taking her role, saying that she relied on her financial backer to get the part. Gu Zhenzhen was confused and didn't know what was going on. She then asked the director about the company behind the advertisement.

Lu Yunchen increased work efficiency, saying it was to save time so that he could spend more time with Gu Zhenzhen. Gu Zhenzhen hurriedly rushed to the set without changing her dress, just to confirm the results. She was disappointed to find out that Lu Yunchen was the financial backer behind the advertisement. Gu Zhenzhen emphasized that she could accept fair competition, but not this kind of easy gain without effort. She turned and left.