Have you ever seen a sheep get electrocuted? The female customer's reaction reminded Zhou Zhi of this saying.

The woman trembled, her hand shaking so violently that several items fell to the ground. Wasabi Flavored Crisps, Kinder Bueno, Shrimp Sticks... a chaotic mess of snacks scattered everywhere.

It was hard to believe she had already grabbed so much. How had Zhou Zhi not noticed earlier?

Her rare attempt at being cute had backfired. Zhou Zhi hurriedly picked up the items and handed them back to the customer, inwardly grumbling: What an exaggerated reaction.

The woman didn't take them. Instead, she stared at Zhou Zhi from behind her sunglasses for a long time.

The reflective lenses only showed Zhou Zhi's own apologetic eyes, full of sincerity. For a moment, Zhou Zhi couldn't tell if the woman was genuinely blind or just angry, so she pushed the items forward again.

"I also like the wasabi-flavored crisps..."

No sooner had she spoken than the woman adjusted her glasses, tossed her head, turned around, and walked away.

Baffled, Zhou Zhi returned the snacks to their original places.

A wolf in sheep's clothing might also be a hedgehog.

At the checkout counter, Zhou Zhi ordered the last few pieces of Oden. The FamilyMart clerk glanced outside and asked, "Do you think that woman might be some big celebrity? Wearing sunglasses out in the middle of the night."

A big celebrity buying snacks at FamilyMart?

Zhou Zhi laughed. "Maybe she's been crying and doesn't want anyone to see her puffy eyes. Think about it—big celebrities have assistants. Why would they run errands themselves? Wouldn't the assistants be slacking off if they didn't do the legwork?"

The FamilyMart clerk nodded. "True. Capitalists always squeeze every last drop of blo.od from you."

Zhou Zhi chatted while eating. "As long as the pay is double, it's fine."

Mentioning double pay made the clerk grin sheepishly. After a while, he added, "But that person looked really familiar."

Familiar? Dressed so meticulously from head to toe, even her own mother might not recognize her, Zhou Zhi thought.

"Could she be some internet celebrity?" the clerk wondered, still hopeful.

It must be the loneliness of working alone on New Year's Eve, with the cold outside adding to the gloom. Zhou Zhi kindly explained, "Usually, when internet celebrities go out, they pick a spot to take selfies. Did that woman take any selfies?"

The clerk shook his head. The woman had headed straight to the back of the store after entering, without striking any poses for photos. Finally, he sighed and said, "I thought I might have a chance encounter."

Realizing his words might have been inappropriate to the woman before her, he quickly added, "Actually, I guess this still counts as a chance encounter."

Zhou Zhi burst out laughing and stuffed the remaining fish balls into her mouth. She knew her own situation well. Compared to the fashionable woman disguised as a sheep, her thick Assault Clothing and Lei Feng Hat made her look like a visitor from the Tianshan Mountains. If she took off her hat, the clerk would probably be startled.

As they chatted and laughed, neither of them realized that tonight would indeed bring a chance encounter.

The woman got into an Audi, took off her sunglasses, and revealed a pair of captivating eyes and half of a beautiful face. If the two had watched Tomato TV's New Year's Eve Gala a few hours earlier, they would have recognized her as Fang Jiang, the guest who had sung a song at the event.

It's no longer surprising for film and television stars to sing on variety shows. In the past, it was "act well, then sing." Now, it's "if you're popular, you perform." No matter how terrible the singing, it can be auto-tuned or lip-synced. Everything is a technical issue, requiring no effort from the star. Stars and their agents only need to decide which show to appear on this year.

During holidays, every TV station would compete over which popular celebrities would appear on their programs. For Fang Jiang, things were simpler. Everyone knew she had long established her rule—she would stay in Shanghai during festive seasons without exception. For her, there were only two options: if conditions were suitable, she would participate in Tomato TV or other local station programs; if not, she would simply go home and rest. This year, the station's leadership had already informed her that she would perform Chen Shu-hua's original song "As You Wish" at the gala. She believed she could deliver the song with genuine emotion and confidence.

To be fair without exaggeration or understatement: her live singing was karaoke-level, while her lip-syncing matched studio recording quality.

A compilation had circulated online featuring various popular celebrities and rising starlets performing live on variety shows. Honestly speaking, compared to most people's "five-yuan-a-song" standard, Fang Jiang was undoubtedly at the level of Cashbox or Taipei Pure K.

When assistant Song Yuan saw her boss emerge empty-handed with a displeased expression, the chill in her eyes colder than the winter air outside, she thought Fang Jiang had been harassed and immediately sat up straight. "Ms. Fang, what happened?"

After settling into her seat and taking off her coat, Fang Jiang said bitterly, "My plan was ruined, another failure. I don't know what that person was doing—not staying home eating, drinking, and sleeping during the New Year, but going to a convenience store to buy something. Doesn't everyone stock up on holiday supplies in advance? What could be so urgent that they had to go out despite having enough food and drinks? Condoms, probably!"

Song Yuan coughed lightly. Watch your words, Ms. Fang, watch your words.

"I'm just venting. You've been with me long enough to know I'm always discreet in public. Hmph, that person was well-covered with a mask hiding their face, so I couldn't see what they looked like. Do you think it could have been a paparazzi?" If Fang Jiang's senior fans saw her in this picky state, they would all be shocked. Was this still the intellectual and mature goddess they admired?

Song Yuan gasped. "Man or woman?"

Fang Jiang shot her a sidelong glance. "Woman."

Song Yuan relaxed slightly. "Then it probably wasn't a paparazzo."

"That's gender discrimination. Can't women be paparazzi?"

"Do you think she was one?"

"Was she what? I think that person was a lunatic. She deliberately walked right up to me, looked at me several times, made a weird noise, and made me drop everything." Fang Jiang's tone was indignant, as if what she had dropped weren't snacks she intended to steal but gold bricks.

Song Yuan's heart, which had just settled, leaped to her throat. "Y-you... Ms. Fang, did you take them?"

The question only made Fang Jiang angrier. "Of course not! I had finally mustered the courage, burned my bridges, with success or failure hanging in the balance, and someone ruined it! Do you think that person recognized me?"

Under such intense scrutiny, naturally, she couldn't go through with it.

She was bored, she was listless, she wanted to stir up trouble—but she wasn't stupid.

The headline "Celebrity Fang Jiang Arrested for Theft on First Night of Lunar New Year" appearing on trending searches would be utterly ridiculous. If she were stealing something like the Heart of the Ocean, that would be one thing. But if entertainment reporters investigated—what did Ms. Fang steal? Chocolate, gum, Shrimp Sticks, Paoba Crisps... She couldn't bear that humiliation.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness." The assistant patted her chest, clicking her tongue, looking thoroughly shaken. If something like that had really happened, she would have been torn to pieces by their manager, Meng Shizhen. Thanks to Ms. Fang's restraint, her job was safe.

Fang Jiang scoffed, "Coward. What are you afraid of? I didn't take anything anyway. If that person dares to expose it, we'll just say I'm preparing for a thief role, getting too immersed in character. Hmph, that person clearly wasn't any good, hiding their face like that, probably wanted to steal something herself."

After the fright passed and her soul returned to her body, Song Yuan finally remembered to start the car. It was the first day of Lunar New Year, and Fang Jiang only had one satellite TV performance scheduled. She'd already sent her driver Xiao Liu home early for the holiday, so Song Yuan was serving as both assistant and driver. Only after delivering Fang Jiang home would her Spring Festival vacation truly begin.

After venting her complaints, Fang Jiang finally calmed down, leaning against the back seat in a daze. Her serene appearance resembled the elegant Teacher Fang seen on camera, as if those earlier words hadn't come from her mouth. It was remarkable how she maintained her aloof, intellectual persona consistently in front of the media.

Song Yuan couldn't help but smile slightly. The elegant and intellectual Teacher Fang was captivating, but the fierce and straightforward Fang Jiang was equally endearing. Even if her fans "Ginger (Jiang) Candies" saw this side of her, they would still be utterly charmed.

Before taking this job, Song Yuan had never imagined Teacher Fang would be like this. Just as she never expected that Fang Jiang, after cheerfully greeting every staff member moments earlier, would put on a mask covering most of her face upon leaving the studio and have her expression fall before even reaching the exit.

From beginning to end, she radiated sheer gloom.

Who would have thought the television drama queen Fang Jiang's daily mental subtitles were: So boring.

So boring. Filming was boring, variety shows were boring, commercials were even more boring. After twelve years in the entertainment industry, what initially seemed bizarre and fascinating, filled with handsome men and beautiful women, with different dramatic scenes unfolding every day, had now all boiled down to two words: So boring.

She didn't understand what people found so engrossing on television—dull dialogue, hollow plots, weak acting. It was always the same tired tropes: fools loving fools, or even fools not loving fools. Even the most desperate, tearful performances felt utterly fake.

Occasionally passing by and overhearing snippets, Fang Jiang would get goosebumps.

What nonsense, what absolute nonsense.

Since then, she resolutely refused to watch any movies or TV shows she appeared in.

Noticing Fang Jiang sit up and take out her phone to fiddle with it, Song Yuan called out at a red light: "Teacher Fang?"

"No rumors about me circulating online, so tonight is safe." After searching Weibo and finding nothing related to the earlier convenience store incident, Fang Jiang raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, your job is safe. Shizhen won't fire you. Hey, Xiao Yuan, that person actually didn't recognize me earlier. Am I already outdated?"

If someone recognized her, she'd suspect ulterior motives. If someone didn't recognize her, she'd blame them for failing to recognize greatness. Now completely relieved, Song Yuan didn't mind Fang Jiang's tsundere attitude at all. "Teacher Fang, your disguise was too effective. Even if Grandpa Mao, the beloved elder, dressed like that, no one would recognize him."

Fang Jiang stroked her shearling coat, praising its comfortable texture. "Hey, Xiao Yuan, that woman earlier made a strange sound at me."

"What strange sound?"

Fang Jiang imitated it from memory, perfectly capturing it.

Song Yuan couldn't help but laugh, but Fang Jiang still asked her: "What are you laughing at? What's so funny? What did that person mean? Does she have some... uncontrollable strange condition?"

"Teacher Fang... she was dubbing for you."

"Dubbing? Dubbing what... I get it now..." Fang Jiang suddenly realized—that woman's "baa" sound was treating her like a sheep. Like a sheep! "Xiao Yuan, turn back, turn back, let that woman see clearly. How do I look like a sheep? I'm clearly a fierce tiger descending the mountain, hmph."

"Yes, yes, Teacher Fang, you're a tiger in sheep's clothing. That person is blind and can't see it."

"Right, she's blind, completely blind."

The streets were empty late at night during Spring Festival, and Song Yuan accelerated to 80 km/h. While paying attention to the road conditions on both sides, she couldn't help but think: Who says Teacher Fang's acting is poor? She's sophisticated in public but straightforward in private—such seamless switching between personalities. If it's not multiple personality disorder, then it must be superb acting skills. If one day Teacher Fang could collaborate with her favorite author... Just thinking about this possibility made Song Yuan excitedly stomp on the accelerator.

"Xiao Yuan, slow down, no need to hurry. We must follow traffic rules."

"Yes, sorry. Teacher Fang, where are you going tonight?"

Where to go? Since her parents divorced and each had their own home, this question faced Fang Jiang every year: where to go.

"Home." Fang Jiang said. She wasn't going to either side.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆Charvinovel ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆