Gu Ran had calculated everything, thinking that given the circumstances and your status, you surely couldn't start a fight with me here. However, she failed to account for the glass of wine in Qin Wenyi's hand.
The moment Qin Wenyi prepared to fling the wine towards her face, Gu Ran closed her eyes. It was too late to dodge. Her mind raced—Damn it, I was careless. I should have grabbed a glass myself to splash back at this nasty woman. And this dress is new, first time wearing it. If it gets stained with red wine, it'll definitely be ruined. So infuriating.
Then, she heard the crisp sound of glassware hitting the floor.
The anticipated splash of wine never came. Gu Ran opened her eyes to see the tall figure of a man.
Ji Shiyu had appeared out of nowhere, positioning himself squarely in front of her.
He was gripping Qin Wenyi's wrist tightly, only letting go when she cried out in pain.
Qin Wenyi looked at her own wrist, still marked with the man's fingerprints, then glanced down at the wine that had never left the glass.
The wine had spilled from the glass; half was quietly absorbed by the carpet, the other half splattered all over her shoes and calves.
Her wrist bone still throbbed faintly.
It was because Ji Shiyu had used such force that the glass had slipped directly from her grasp.
Qin Wenyi looked at Ji Shiyu with disbelief, her lips trembling slightly. She watched him shield Gu Ran in front of everyone, crush her wrist, and stare at her with icy eyes.
His arrival was impeccably timed, as if he had come specifically to protect Gu Ran.
"A-Yu," Qin Wenyi's voice trembled, seemingly unable to believe that Ji Shiyu would treat her this way for Gu Ran's sake.
After all, judging from their earlier exchange, she could easily frame it as her merely offering casual concern while Gu Ran was the one being aggressive and unreasonable. Even if she had thrown that red wine, she could have easily justified it.
Taking a step back, she and Ji Shiyu had genuinely dated, while Gu Ran was just a kept woman—a canary in a gilded cage. Back then, the entire school knew Ji Shiyu was Qin Wenyi's boyfriend. At friends' gatherings, she would lean on Ji Shiyu's shoulder, and everyone said they were the perfect match, so perfect that even after she faked her death, she remained the white moonlight he pined for.
Ji Shiyu's frosty gaze swept directly over Qin Wenyi.
"Miss Qin," he used the most distant form of address, enunciating each word with icy clarity. "It seems you still fail to remember one thing."
"Before the Qin family staged that fake death incident with the helicopter crash, we had already broken up completely."
"You and I have had no connection for a long time. It is inappropriate for you to address me that way."
"I hope this is the last time. Starting today," he glanced briefly at those looking in their direction, his eyes when he looked back filled with thick impatience, "you will remember that clearly."
Facing the utterly merciless man before her, hearing his every word, Qin Wenyi staggered back a step, feeling the skin-peeling, marrow-sucking stares from all around.
She wanted to ask Ji Shiyu why he was doing this, but the words caught in her throat as she belatedly remembered that Ji Shiyu had always been like this—showing no mercy to those he disliked.
When Qin Wenyi looked past Ji Shiyu at Gu Ran again, the smile that seemed permanently etched on her face finally vanished completely, replaced by blatant, undisguised loathing.
Seeing Qin Wenyi's expression, Gu Ran actually found this version of her more satisfying. Finally, she didn't have to swallow her anger facing that hypocritical facade. She even smiled back at her.
Qin Wenyi bit her lip tightly, lowered her flushed face, and turned to leave on her own.
The air fell quiet, with musicians playing a soft melody in the background.
Having seen off Qin Wenyi, Gu Ran stood behind Ji Shiyu, watching the so-called "plastic sisters" who were staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed, utterly engrossed in this juicy scene.
If pulling out their phones wouldn't have been too blatant, given the chance, Gu Ran thought these plastic sisters would definitely have wanted to record everything that just happened.
Although Assistant Xu had previously subtweeted about "dead exes" on social media, today's was the live version. Ji Shiyu suddenly appearing to draw a clear line with Qin Wenyi, stating in front of everyone that they had broken up long before her faked death, reminding someone that it was inappropriate to call him "A-Yu" or cling to the "white moonlight" identity.
So shocking!
After taking in the stunned expressions on her plastic sisters' faces, Gu Ran turned back to find Ji Shiyu looking at her.
...
This seemed to be just an interlude.
The brand director, who clearly knew Ji Shiyu, came over to greet him.
The fallen glass and wine stain were promptly cleared away by a server, leaving almost no trace of what had just transpired.
Gu Ran was immediately surrounded by the plastic sisters. Chattering away, they eagerly rehashed everything that had just happened.
And Gu Ran knew their recap would soon appear in various group chats for the sisters who couldn't make it today to read.
"Ugh, it's not like anyone's being discriminatory, but for an adopted daughter to look down on someone else's background is just too much. What's that saying? Some people are just obsessed with and vain about what they lack."
"Exactly, I saw through her 'green tea' act long ago. So hypocritical. Loves playing the kind-hearted saint so much, acting like anyone who doesn't like her is an outcast. Only the fools back then fell for that."
"Broken up ages ago and still pretending to be the white moonlight? Did she think faking her death would blur over the fact they'd split? The Qin family really does specialize in these sneaky, underhanded things that can't see the light of day."
"It's been so long, he clearly forgot about her centuries ago. Still calling him 'A-Yu'? So disgusting."
"Ran Ran has such poise. She wanted to throw wine at you; if it were me, I'd have slapped her already."
Listening to their back-and-forth, Gu Ran had to admit, when Ji Shiyu blocked that incoming wine and said those things to Qin Wenyi in front of everyone, she felt a deep satisfaction.
Because from start to finish, she had always seemed one step behind Qin Wenyi—because of her own background, because she had a crush on Ji Shiyu while he dated Qin Wenyi, and even later, when she was with Ji Shiyu, whispers surrounded her that it was "only because Qin Wenyi was gone."
This pent-up frustration was finally released today. Qin Wenyi was nothing special, and her tactics were useless against Ji Shiyu.
Amidst the group's chatter, today's showcase began.
Ji Shiyu had been pulled aside by the brand director for a few words earlier and now returned, walking towards Gu Ran.
The plastic sisters automatically made space.
Gu Ran: "..."
She suddenly remembered her purpose today wasn't to take down a "green tea" but to shop. She lowered her head to flip through the catalog of items for sale.
The items today were sold in a semi-auction format. By the end of the event, Gu Ran discovered that almost anything she showed the slightest liking for or even glanced at favorably was bought by Ji Shiyu.
In the end, she only managed to purchase a pair of earrings, spending far less than the budget she had brought for the day.
At the end, Gu Ran shot Ji Shiyu a glare.
Ji Shiyu said, "I'll have Xu Hui deliver them all to your home."
Although she had anticipated he might say something like this, Gu Ran was still taken aback when she heard it.
Because she had never said what she liked, nor had she revealed which styles she favored. Yet, every item Ji Shiyu had picked happened to perfectly align with her aesthetic taste.
Nevertheless, Gu Ran pursed her lips. "I don't want them."
"Ran Ran." Ji Shiyu seemed to have expected Gu Ran's refusal. He let out a soft sigh and then looked at her earnestly. "These are gifts."
"When pursuing someone, one shouldn't come empty-handed, right?"
Hearing this, Gu Ran was momentarily stunned, her gaze fixed on Ji Shiyu's serious expression.
These weren't just offerings to a pampered little canary; they were gifts from him sincerely pursuing her.
Gu Ran suddenly recalled the description of Ji Shiyu from the public statement: "a certain ordinary citizen whose behavior was improper in his pursuit."
Gu Ran hesitated, finally saying, "Then I... I'll just take one."
"But let's be clear, this doesn't mean I'm agreeing."
Ji Shiyu smiled. "Okay."
Gu Ran picked a bag from the pile of things and took it home.
Recalling the day's events and looking at the bag, she even felt a bit dazed for a moment.
It was almost time for her livestream.
Gu Ran pushed aside thoughts of what happened during the day and sat in her gaming chair playing on her phone. She saw that since the last news broke, although the surface issue was resolved, gossip and rumors had been swirling nonstop lately.
A domineering CEO humbly begging for love—how could a mere streamer resist? Someone dug up the painting "Little Moon Mountain" that Gu Ran had accidentally revealed in her livestream last time. After being discovered, she had claimed it was a fake bought from a certain online marketplace. However, this painting wasn't widely known, and no identical fakes had ever appeared on the market.
The onlookers' feelings were complicated.
They had seen people pass off fakes as real, but passing off the real as fake—this streamer was the first.
News reports stated that "Little Moon Mountain" was bought by a mysterious telephone bidder at a Sotheby's auction. The same buyer also purchased a diamond bracelet worth 198 million Hong Kong dollars.
It must have been for Gu Ran!
The top streamer is poised to marry into wealth any day now!
Gu Ran stared at the news headline "Top Streamer Poised to Marry into Wealth" with the expression of a confused old man looking at a cell phone.
Marry my foot!
Huffing with annoyance, Gu Ran started her livestream. Her first order of business was to debunk the rumors.
"I've recently seen some gossip saying I'm about to marry into a wealthy family."
"Let me state clearly again, it's false."
Gu Ran patted the small blackboard she used for problem-solving. "I, myself, am down-to-earth, hardworking, willing to put in the effort, possess excellent character, and have a substantial income. I don't need to marry into wealth to achieve financial freedom."
Upon hearing this, the fans chattered away in the comments:
【Exactly! Our Ran is the top streamer, would she lack money?】
【Sniffle... Rich lady Ran Ran is her own wealthy family.】
【Some people see a beautiful girl and can only think of her marrying into wealth. Can't girls realize their own value themselves?】
【A certain ordinary citizen whose behavior is improper, please have some self-respect!】
【Beauty Gu Ran is both stunning and rich, lemon emoji.jpg】
【I really want to stop trying and be pampered by Beauty Gu Ran.】
Reading the comments, Gu Ran's anger subsided quite a bit. She smiled and played along with the fans' banter:
"Rather than marrying into a wealthy family and having to watch others' moods, it'd be more enjoyable to keep a few pretty boys myself."
"Those who want me to keep them, line up and sign up below."
After saying this, Gu Ran opened a new fastest-finger-first interactive feature recently added to the livestream room.
An interactive box would pop up on the fans' phones. Whoever had the fastest internet and clicked the most promptly would rank higher.
Gu Ran named the fastest-finger-first interactive box "Sign-up Sheet for Those Wanting to be Pampered by Ran Ran," and clicked start. Soon, the lineup results were out.
First place: wdlpml.
