Qin Ran spent quite some time refreshing the trending topics, giving a like from her alternate account on a comment under a sour post because she was envious and jealous but couldn't express it publicly. Forget about publicly revealing her relationship with Yu Shuman; she didn't even have an official Weibo account. If she were to verify her current Weibo as the boss of 99 Entertainment, all the mischievous things she's done would be exposed to countless netizens.
What had Qin Ran done exactly...
Liked sour comments from rival companies, secretly replied to comments about how close the 99 Entertainment boss and Yu Shuman were, occasionally fangirled over Yu Shuman's beautiful photos, and randomly handed out red envelopes in large amounts.
Thinking about it this way, she felt a bit embarrassed about being the boss.
As Qin Ran was deep in thought, Yu Shuman got up. Although she didn't get up late, it wasn't early either. It was already 8:30 AM as Yu Shuman came out of her room, yawning. Even though she had freshened up, the dark circles under her eyes showed she hadn't slept well.
Seeing Yu Shuman come out, Qin Ran quickly put away her phone, her eyes full of joy. "Senior, you're up? I made breakfast for you, come and try it." She turned off the heat-preserving mat on the dining table and used a ladle to serve Yu Shuman a bowl of porridge.
Aside from the porridge, there were also air-fried youtiao, steamed custard buns, and a few ready-made side dishes from the supermarket.
Yu Shuman glanced at the time. "Junior, haven't you gone to school yet? Do you not have classes this morning?"
Qin Ran's eyes flickered a bit. "I... I took a leave of absence." She wanted to lie and say she really didn't have classes, but lying on the first day of confirming their relationship with Yu Shuman felt wrong. She figured that years from now, she'd regret it and wish she could slap herself for lying.
Yu Shuman paused with her spoon, her face serious. "Junior, you can't neglect your studies. Even though you've inherited a large fortune, if you keep spending, it'll eventually run out. What the school teaches is important, you need to take your classes seriously."
—It wouldn't run out. With the system, her money was endless.
But since Yu Shuman said so, she had to listen. So on the first day of their confirmed relationship, after breakfast, Yu Shuman pushed Qin Ran out the door, and she obediently went to class.
In the days that followed, Qin Ran felt that nothing much had changed compared to before they confirmed their relationship. Yu Shuman was still very busy, especially after taking a two-week leave; she had a mountain of work to catch up on. Even when they occasionally met, Qin Ran couldn't say much seeing how exhausted Yu Shuman looked. She just hugged her to give her some warmth.
But in fact, there were changes. When holding Yu Shuman, Qin Ran no longer felt a small, fleeting joy but rather a warm, full heart. She held Yu Shuman close, wrapping her arms around her waist, with Yu Shuman resting her head on her shoulder.
They were so close that Qin Ran could feel Yu Shuman's heartbeat strongly against her own chest. Slowly, Qin Ran's heart started beating in sync with Yu Shuman's, as if their hearts were connected.
Sometimes, they would kiss. Yu Shuman's kisses were inexperienced, awkward, and filled with nervousness. But Qin Ran was different. She had imagined Yu Shuman's lips countless times in her dreams, and each kiss was so passionate it felt like she wanted to devour Yu Shuman.
But beyond that, Qin Ran hadn't done anything too forward. She was patient and restrained, in no rush. She had waited four years; she could wait a bit longer. She wanted everything to happen naturally, with a bit of ceremony when the time was right.
Before Qin Ran could make any plans, Yu Shuman had to leave for an extended filming session. When Qin Ran learned that Yu Shuman would be gone for quite a while, she was stunned. They had just started their sweet relationship, and now Yu Shuman was leaving with her suitcase? In the living room, Qin Ran clung to Yu Shuman's waist, her voice filled with obvious pouting.
"Senior! Manman! Don't go! Please!"
Yu Shuman sighed, patting Qin Ran's hands wrapped around her waist. "Junior, I thought you knew. I accepted this variety show before taking my leave. I'm leaving for the shoot tomorrow."
Qin Ran was dumbfounded; she vaguely remembered something like that. But so much had happened in between, especially getting together with her senior, that it completely slipped her mind. Even so, Qin Ran shamelessly refused to let go of Yu Shuman.
"But! But we just confirmed our relationship! It hasn't even been a week!"
Qin Ran whined, leaving Yu Shuman with no choice but to lift Qin Ran's chin. Qin Ran was a bit confused, not knowing what Yu Shuman was up to. The next second, Yu Shuman's lips landed on hers.
This was the second time Yu Shuman had initiated a kiss. When she leaned down, the sweet, lingering scent of gardenias on her filled the air, wrapping around Qin Ran. The intoxicating fragrance made Qin Ran's mind go blank, and she instinctively returned the kiss. When their lips parted, Yu Shuman said, "Junior, be good and stay home, okay?"
Qin Ran, grinning like a naive girl bewitched by a demon, happily agreed, "Okay."
By the time she realized what she had agreed to, Yu Shuman had already pushed her back into her room and gone to bed herself. The next morning, Yu Shuman had already packed up everything she needed to bring. Qin Ran, yawning, saw the film crew with their cameras rolling as she stepped out.
Qin Ran stayed out of the frame, standing on the other side of the camera, asking Yu Shuman, "Senior, are you starting the shoot now?"
"Yes, we're about to leave."
Qin Ran tried not to show too much sadness, even though she wasn't on camera. She made sure her voice was calm. "Then, come back soon, okay?"
Yu Shuman smiled brightly, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon!" With that, Yu Shuman waved goodbye to Qin Ran, pulling her suitcase and heading out with the filming crew. Qin Ran stood at the door, watching until they all got into the elevator before she pulled out her phone, quickly found Yu Shuman's Weibo, and joined the live stream.
Once in the stream, she could see Yu Shuman, who had just left her, in the elevator, smiling at the camera. "That was my junior just now. We're currently living together!" She said this with a bright smile, and the comments were filled with:
[Wow, it's the junior!]
[Isn't she also the boss? That big house can't be just a regular junior. Didn't someone dig up that the boss of 99 Entertainment and her are best friends? I'll bet a coin that she's the boss of 99 Entertainment.]
[Whether she's the junior or the boss, I'm so jealous she gets to live with Manman!]
[She looks so sweet. Manman, you look great today. Let me fangirl a bit.]
Qin Ran didn't join in the fangirling but went to the balcony instead, pressing herself against the large glass window, watching the production crew's vehicle drive off with Yu Shuman inside, heading off to shoot the reality show.
This is a rural life variety show. Each season, aside from a few fixed main guests, there are new guests added, and sometimes there are even guest appearances for two episodes. This show is also known as the "Celebrity Transformation Program" because many celebrities who have never done any chores before expose that side of themselves completely when they come to live a rural life.
For example, in the first season, there was an artist who didn't even know how to wash dishes, but by the end of the season, they could cook and clean, successfully turning their public image around.
Yu Shuman didn't need any transformation, having done all sorts of chores and cooked delicious meals since she was young. Among the regular guests, her skills were some of the most well-rounded. She wasn't there to gain publicity through scandals but rather to increase her exposure.
After watching Yu Shuman leave, Qin Ran continued watching the live stream, quickly joining the fangirling in the comments.
The car Yu Shuman was riding in belonged to the production team, and just by looking at the interior, Qin Ran thought it seemed a bit shabby. Just then, Assistant Wu called to discuss the car purchase she had been planning. Qin Ran had no choice but to pause the live stream to meet Assistant Wu.
When Assistant Wu arrived, she saw Qin Ran engrossed in her phone. At first, she didn't know what Qin Ran was watching, but as she got closer, she heard the sounds from the phone. She thought Qin Ran was watching some variety show, but then it clicked—Yu Shuman's live reality show started today. At that moment, Assistant Wu understood: Qin Ran was watching the live stream.
"Boss, let's go," Assistant Wu said. Qin Ran nodded and got into the nanny van with her.
Generally, there are three ways to buy luxury cars. The simplest is through a 4S dealership, which is more expensive than the other two options, but for Qin Ran, money wasn't an issue. The only problem was that 4S dealerships were slow. Their cars often needed to be ordered, so no matter what you bought, you'd have to wait a month or two, unless you didn't mind taking the showroom model.
Qin Ran wasn't planning on taking a showroom car, nor did she want to wait that long.
The second option is an auto trade company, which is faster, and all the paperwork is included in the price. The last option is a resource dealer, which ordinary consumers rarely have access to. They have all kinds of cars, and if you want an imported car, they can get it the fastest and most complete.
Assistant Wu had contacted the third option, having already booked several models of business cars, just waiting for Qin Ran to have time to look. Qin Ran had told her a few days ago that she would be checking out cars today, so Assistant Wu was fully prepared. However, even after arriving at the location, Qin Ran was still glued to her phone.
"Boss, we're here. We should get out now."
Reluctantly, Qin Ran tore her eyes away from her phone. The current content wasn't that exciting; it was just Yu Shuman sitting in the production team's car, heading to the airport before flying to the filming location. It was a bit dull, with fewer comments as well. But Yu Shuman, ever good at entertaining, started chatting with the viewers.