In this situation, Qin Ran didn't even need to take action; the various news from Fashion Week was enough to overshadow Ling Miaohan's situation. The outfits worn by A-list celebrities on the red carpet were hotly debated topics, and Yu Shuman's expensive emerald jewelry drew a lot of attention both domestically and internationally. Apart from that, there were plenty of other eye-catching news from Fashion Week.
With so much news in the spotlight, the exposure of Ling Miaohan's secret identity seemed insignificant. Interestingly, the public's interest in the entertainment industry wasn't particularly high. Whether Ling Miaohan was a well-known designer didn't matter much to the majority of gossip-hungry netizens. At most, it added a "talented woman" label to her identity.
Just as Qin Ran expected, aside from Ling Miaohan's fans, almost no one cared about her fashion designer identity, which was quite different from the portrayal in the original novel.
Qin Ran couldn't remember much of the original novel, but one thing left a deep impression: every time one of Ling Miaohan's identities was revealed, it would cause a huge sensation, boosting her popularity among netizens.
To Qin Ran, this was quite unbelievable. In essence, she was just a minor fashion designer who had won only one or two awards compared to the dedicated professionals in the industry. Qin Ran even suspected that her entry into this Fashion Week was bought by the Ling family.
Since Ling Miaohan's matter couldn't stir up much attention, Qin Ran pretended not to know and spent two more days in London before taking Yu Shuman back to China. Shortly after returning, Yu Shuman was whisked away by Xiao An to dive into filming, and Qin Ran returned to school to prepare for the new semester.
She resumed her routine of commuting between school, the company, and home. Occasionally, when she saw the Fengshen parked downstairs at the company, Qin Ran would sigh involuntarily. Yu Shuman was so busy that she hadn't even had time to learn to drive, so Qin Ran couldn't gift the Fengshen to her yet. Fortunately, Wu Assistant arranged for someone to take the Fengshen out for a spin and maintain it occasionally, preventing the luxury car from gathering dust.
The task of taking the Fengshen out was eagerly fought over by the young ladies of 99 Entertainment's assistant studio. Who wouldn't like a luxury car? Driving that bright red sports car down the road was incredibly impressive. Although the fact that Yu Shuman hadn't driven it even once before others got the chance made Qin Ran feel a bit complicated, neither she nor Yu Shuman had a driver's license yet.
A few days into her routine, Qin Ran received a call from the Red Guest Alliance. As expected, Ling Third Young Master couldn't change his ways and relapsed over the New Year, hacking into 99 Entertainment's internal system again. He didn't do anything this time, just took a look around and left.
Qin Ran knew he hadn't done anything because 99 Entertainment hadn't taken any action against Ling Miaohan lately, so he left quickly. But Qin Ran didn't want to let the Ling family off so easily. Did they think 99 Entertainment was their backyard to come and go as they pleased?
Coincidentally, Yu Shuman wasn't around much lately, and Qin Ran was bored to death. With something interesting to do, she decided to find some fun. As the saying goes, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." This also applied to Qin Ran.
As for who the enemy's enemy was... Qin Ran didn't know about others, but she was quite clear about Ling Miaohan's situation.
Ling Miaohan's biggest enemies were her three sisters-in-law. It sounded a bit ridiculous, but it was true. In this reverse harem story, the brothers' sister was the center of their world, and compared to her, everyone else, including their girlfriends, fiancées, and even wives, came second.
The novel depicted harmonious sister-in-law relationships, with all of them treating Ling Miaohan very well. But Qin Ran believed it wouldn't be so simple in reality, especially since Ling Miaohan's eldest and second sisters-in-law were pampered rich ladies themselves. How could they possibly have no temper?
Oh—actually, they couldn't be called the eldest and second sisters-in-law yet since they weren't married.
Qin Ran had an idea that this was a wedge she could drive in, at the very least to make Ling Miaohan uncomfortable.
She arranged a meeting with the fiancée of Ling Eldest Brother, Miss Zhao of Zhao Group.
At first, Miss Zhao didn't want to entertain Qin Ran because she was well aware of the conflict between the Ling family and Qin Ran. How could she side with 99 Entertainment over her fiancé's family? She wasn't foolish enough to agree to meet Qin Ran.
Qin Ran's approach was straightforward: she set a trap for Miss Zhao's company and intercepted her business halfway. She didn't touch the Zhao family's business but specifically targeted Miss Zhao's personal interests. Messing with Miss Zhao left room for negotiation; messing with the Zhao family would make her an enemy.
Having her business blocked naturally infuriated Miss Zhao, but she quickly realized what was happening. Qin Ran had contacted her before, but she hadn't responded. Now, she could only extend an invitation to Qin Ran, hoping to meet with her.
They arranged to meet at a café Miss Zhao frequented. The booth was one she usually sat in, by a large floor-to-ceiling window. Inside, the lush pothos looked vibrant, and the early spring sunlight filtered through the window, casting its warm glow on both the plants and the people.
Miss Zhao got straight to the point, "So why did you go to all this trouble to find me?"
Straightforward as she was, Qin Ran didn't beat around the bush either. She stated her purpose directly: "I want to cooperate with you."
Miss Zhao was taken aback and blurted out, "Are you crazy?" Realizing this didn't align with her upbringing, she awkwardly took a sip of her coffee. Brushing her hair back, she spoke again, "I don't think we're in a position to cooperate. You know the situation between you and the Ling family, right?"
"Of course, I'm very aware, but perhaps Miss Zhao isn't aware of her own situation with the Ling family."
"What...?" Qin Ran's words clearly caught Miss Zhao off guard. She was genuinely curious about what Qin Ran meant by her "situation with the Ling family." Seeing Miss Zhao's curiosity, Qin Ran got straight to the point: "Simply put, Miss Zhao only needs a suitable marriage partner. And that person doesn't necessarily have to be the eldest son of the Ling family, does it?"
"It can't be that you're truly in love with him, can it?"
Miss Zhao's fingers tapped the coffee cup, and she changed the topic instead of responding, "So, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Qin Ran chuckled lightly, "I don't believe Miss Zhao is unaware of how much the eldest son of the Ling family adores his sister. I remember the time when he abandoned your date because the Ling family princess was sick, making headlines. For a while, rumors of you two having relationship troubles and a possible broken engagement even affected the stock prices of both the Zhao and Ling families. With all due respect, I don't think Miss Zhao sees the eldest son of the Ling family as an ideal marriage partner."
Miss Zhao frowned but remained silent.
"Marriage alliances are a thing of the past. Adding a marriage contract to a business partnership makes it the least trustworthy form of cooperation. Instead of relying on a vague, untrustworthy contract like marriage, isn't a well-crafted agreement with sufficient benefits more reliable?" Qin Ran picked up a folder from the adjacent seat, placing it on the table and pushing it toward Miss Zhao. "I believe this is what Miss Zhao needs most."
With that, Qin Ran got up from her seat and walked away. Wu Assistant and the bodyguard, who were sitting in the adjacent booth, followed her out.
Miss Zhao's secretary leaned in and whispered, "Miss..."
Miss Zhao shook her head, signaling the secretary to stay quiet. She opened the folder and saw its contents. Qin Ran's proposal was indeed very tempting. However, it was hard to trust someone who suddenly came forward with such an offer.
The secretary reminded, "Miss, you have an appointment with Mr. Ling tonight."
Miss Zhao nodded but didn't seem very interested. She'd been stood up too many times. Apart from what Qin Ran had just mentioned, ever since becoming engaged to the eldest son of the Ling family, every date had been disrupted by various incidents, most often involving the Ling family princess.
It's impossible not to hold any grudge against Ling Miaohan, but the eldest son of the Ling family had made it clear that theirs was merely a business marriage. They never had any feelings for each other, and dating was just a formality. Miss Zhao used to think the same way, but Qin Ran was right about one thing: what kind of business cooperation is worth sacrificing Miss Zhao's marriage?
Moreover, marriage doesn't guarantee a business partnership will be trustworthy or free from betrayal. While there are couples in their circle who are a power couple and go the distance, there are also plenty who part ways or even betray each other along the way.
Besides... Miss Zhao didn't love the eldest son of the Ling family. She had no other options, so she decided to get engaged to him. But now, Qin Ran was offering her another path, a chance to take the helm of Zhao Group herself, leaving her useless brother to his own devices.
Miss Zhao had always thought her brother was a fool, with nothing going for him besides being a man who could inherit the family business. Marrying the eldest son of the Ling family to become the mistress of the Ling family would ensure a comfortable life, but becoming the head of Zhao Group could do the same.
Miss Zhao was tempted, but this path was filled with uncertainties. She hadn't yet decided whether to take it. That evening, she went to the restaurant as scheduled but waited for two hours before learning that the eldest son of the Ling family wouldn't be coming.
As usual, he had no respect for her. Her secretary informed her that the Ling family princess had accidentally fallen while filming, and both the eldest and third sons of the Ling family had rushed to the set. Miss Zhao lifted her glass of red wine and took a sip. She could almost envision her future life after marriage, likely spent dining alone.
She raised her glass and made a toast to the empty air, "Deal."