What made Qin Ran feel most uncomfortable was that Yu Shuman had no plans the next day, so she stayed home and made breakfast. When Qin Ran woke up, she saw Yu Shuman taking off her apron and inviting her to have breakfast.
Qin Ran hesitated for a moment. It was Saturday. She slipped on her slippers and walked over to the dining table, then sat down. After watching the CP video last night, she still felt down. She wanted to smile at Yu Shuman, but every time she looked at her, she was reminded of the scenes from the edited video.
In the video, Yu Shuman's eyes sparkled with love, which was originally meant for the young general in the drama but had been cleverly edited to show affection for another woman. That gaze burned Qin Ran's heart, making it hard for her to control her expression.
Thankfully, her glasses helped to mask some of her thoughts behind their cold lenses.
Even so, Yu Shuman immediately noticed that Qin Ran wasn't herself. She served Qin Ran a bowl of porridge and couldn't help but ask, "Junior, are you okay? Did you not sleep well last night? Are you feeling sick? Do you have a fever?" After asking, she reached out to check Qin Ran's forehead.
Normally, Qin Ran would have allowed Yu Shuman to touch her forehead without hesitation and might even have felt a little thrill from the contact. But today was different. She instinctively leaned back, avoiding Yu Shuman's touch.
Seeing the surprise in Yu Shuman's eyes, Qin Ran hurriedly tried to explain, "No… I just didn't sleep well last night. I'll be fine after a nap this afternoon." After saying this, she lowered her head and began to stir the porridge with her chopsticks.
Yu Shuman must have started cooking right after she woke up. The porridge was more watery than usual, which actually suited Qin Ran's taste. On any other day, she would have eaten it happily, but today, every bite was tinged with bitterness.
When she saw that CP video, she realized that she and Yu Shuman were impossible. The hope she had entertained—that maybe there was a chance for them—felt like a cruel joke. Even the fans who shipped the CP knew it was just fiction; they were careful to include a disclaimer in the video description: "This CP is just for fun. It has no relation to the real actors or the show. Please do not bother the actors or discuss this in their official spaces. Thank you."
Everyone knew it was fake. Ronghua and Yu Shuman were never going to be together, and by the same token, neither were she and Yu Shuman.
The more she thought about it, the more depressed Qin Ran became.
Living in the same house with Yu Shuman, Qin Ran had once thought that if they could share a home, maybe that meant there was a possibility for something more between them. When the dream of living together became a reality, her heart began to yearn for more. The decision to be just good friends quietly gave way to more fanciful thoughts, and unrealistic hopes began to creep into her mind.
What if… what if they could really be lovers?
The bitterness of unrequited love was overwhelming, especially when the person you longed for was right beside you. Qin Ran could barely swallow the porridge, finding it unbearably bitter. She ate her breakfast in silence, responding to Yu Shuman's attempts at conversation with nothing more than monosyllabic grunts.
After finishing breakfast, Qin Ran made an excuse about needing to go to the office and fled the apartment.
She sat by the flower bed downstairs, waiting for Assistant Wu to pick her up. Once she arrived at the company, she threw herself into a flurry of work, scheduling a video conference with the overseas companies she was acquiring. She used work to numb her feelings. During a break, Assistant Wu brought over several event invitations for her to review.
Qin Ran couldn't be as dismissive of these invitations as she had been before. Since she had already attended one event, she had to select other brands' events to attend as well. Otherwise, those brands might feel disrespected if she declined after having accepted another invitation.
Qin Ran could have rejected all the brands; she didn't need to respect them. But her company, 99 Entertainment, and her artists couldn't afford to make enemies with every brand out there. As a seasoned businesswoman, Qin Ran knew exactly what she needed to do.
She sat in her office, carefully selecting a few suitable brands and declining the rest, citing scheduling conflicts and promising to attend next time.
One of the events was just two days away, and Qin Ran noticed that Yu Shuman was also on the guest list. She hesitated, thinking about skipping the event, but it would seem odd to avoid it, especially given her strange behavior that morning. If Yu Shuman found out that she had attended other brand events but deliberately skipped this one, it would only raise more questions.
When she had attended the last event, Qin Ran had ordered plenty of outfits, so she wouldn't need to worry about what to wear for the upcoming ones.
Casually, she asked, "How's Pei Qi doing?"
Assistant Wu was caught off guard for a moment before responding, "He's been overwhelmed with the fallout from Director Sun's issues, and he's had to cede some of his authority as an apology. He probably won't have time to bother us for a while."
Qin Ran felt uneasy and wanted to do something to make herself feel better. She smiled and said, "Then he's still too comfortable. Aren't there a few brands that are about to replace their spokespersons? I've heard his company's artists are strong contenders. But our artists are just as good, if not better. We should be able to secure those deals, don't you think?"
Assistant Wu hesitated. "Are you suggesting…"
"Pei Qi used certain tactics on Whitney before, and we can do the same. I have many companies under my control, including foreign ones. I'm sure we can negotiate some deals. If necessary, we can even offer some concessions. Of course, I don't want our people to suffer, so I'll personally make up for any losses."
In this process, the only one at a loss would be the system. If Pei Qi made this kind of decision, his company would bear the losses, but for Qin Ran, this was a win-win situation with no real cost.
Assistant Wu didn't fully grasp the intricacies but was taken aback by Qin Ran's offer. She wanted to advise caution but saw that Qin Ran was firm in her decision and had no choice but to comply. "Yes, boss. I'll take care of it." Assistant Wu sighed internally, thinking that Qin Ran must have too much money to burn, but if the boss was willing to pay, there was nothing more to say.
Under Assistant Wu's direction, Pei Qi soon found himself in a difficult situation. Even so, he still attended the upcoming brand event.
Qin Ran stood in the waiting area with Assistant Wu, holding a glass of wine, when she saw Pei Qi approach with his own glass. 99 Entertainment had snagged several endorsements from him in the past couple of days, causing him significant trouble. Now he was coming over to see what was going on.
"Miss Qin, is there some kind of misunderstanding between us?"
Seeing how uncomfortable Pei Qi had been lately, Qin Ran felt much better. Today, she was wearing a soft, flowing dress, and as she turned, the hem swayed gently. "President Pei, in business, there are no misunderstandings."
Her words caused Pei Qi's expression to darken. "But I don't think our relationship has reached the point where you would go to such lengths, spending so much just to take deals from me, has it?"
Qin Ran swirled her wine glass, watching the rose-gold liquid dance along the rim. She met Pei Qi's gaze, her eyes full of mockery. "Are you sure about that?"
With Qin Ran's "friendly" reminder, Pei Qi quickly recalled the relationship between Yu Shuman and Qin Ran, as well as the traps he had set for Yu Shuman. Pei Qi frowned slightly. From their previous interactions, he had pegged Qin Ran as someone like himself—a pure businessperson who would always weigh the pros and cons. This was something ingrained in every businessperson's bones.
Even Pei Qi's actions for Ling Miaohan were driven by one motive: he wanted to marry her, which would bring him significant benefits.
But why would Qin Ran go to such lengths to help Yu Shuman, even retaliating by snatching resources from him and giving them to other artists? Pei Qi couldn't figure it out, but he believed that Qin Ran, being a businessperson, would abandon Yu Shuman if offered enough profit.
"I realize I was wrong before, and I apologize for any offense I caused. Here's a small gift to make amends, and I hope you'll accept it." He gestured to his assistant, who immediately produced a jewelry box and opened it in front of Qin Ran.
Inside the box lay a large, flawless pink diamond, sparkling under the chandelier's light, casting colorful reflections. Qin Ran glanced at it but didn't react the way Pei Qi had expected. His intelligence had told him that Qin Ran was a poor student who grew up in an orphanage and had come into some money by chance after graduating from high school.
But Pei Qi didn't believe that. He thought it was a smokescreen, a cover story. No matter how genuine the information seemed, Pei Qi didn't buy it. He believed that only someone nurtured in a wealthy family could possess Qin Ran's grace, business acumen, and aura. He suspected she had to be from a powerful family, and this was just a disguise.
However, Pei Qi hadn't anticipated that Qin Ran would remain unfazed by the sight of an eight-figure diamond.
In Pei Qi's eyes, no woman could resist the allure of such a diamond. Even Ling Miaohan, the daughter of the Ling family, had been captivated by it when she saw the auction catalog. Pei Qi had planned to give it to her today as a surprise, but he was willing to offer it to Qin Ran if it meant easing tensions between them and stopping her relentless pursuit.
Yet, the expensive pink diamond failed to elicit any reaction from Qin Ran.
With a derisive smile, Qin Ran said, "President Pei, you'd better save that pink diamond for Ling Miaohan. As for me, I'm too ordinary. I prefer gold."
She set her wine glass down and walked past Pei Qi with Assistant Wu, heading toward the banquet hall. The staff had already opened the doors and were guiding the guests inside. By rejecting Pei Qi's gift, Qin Ran made it clear that there was no room for reconciliation between them—it was a fight to the finish.
But Qin Ran wasn't lying when she said she didn't care for diamonds. After years of living in poverty, both she and Yu Shuman had come to realize that diamonds, which could be artificially produced and didn't hold their value, held no appeal.
Gold might be seen as tacky, but it retained its value!
Qin Ran: Diamonds may last forever, but they depreciate. Gold, however, is my true love.