Chapter 25

Tang Ruan froze after saying that, realizing her mistake.

She glanced at Ji Jing, then shifted her gaze toward the wide-eyed Ji Ling. She opened her mouth to explain, but no words came. Anything she said now would only make things worse.

Ji Ling was utterly baffled.

She had only come to learn some makeup tips from her sister-in-law—so how did she end up hearing this?

Did she hear what she wasn’t supposed to?

Apparently, yes.

She had always known that her brother and sister-in-law weren’t in love. After all, Tang Ruan’s former personality wasn’t exactly endearing, and Ji Jing’s attitude was even colder—he lacked any sense of tenderness or care for women. Frankly, Ji Ling hadn’t held much hope for their relationship.

In a family like theirs, marriages of convenience were common. It wasn’t unusual for couples to remain polite strangers within high society. Ji Ling had grown up in this environment and didn’t think much of it.

What she hadn’t expected, however, was that after half a year of marriage, the two were still sleeping separately.

She looked from Tang Ruan to her brother, both of whom seemed equally stunned. Waving her hands frantically, she said, “I didn’t hear anything! I didn’t see anything!”

Tang Ruan: “…”

Ji Jing: “…”

He cast a cold glance at Ji Ling. “I was asking her. You have class tomorrow—shouldn’t you be in bed by now?”

Ji Ling: “…”

Since when did he care about her bedtime?

Her brain worked quickly. As a first-year college student, she was no stranger to dramatic love stories. Ever since that afternoon, something had seemed off between her brother and Tang Ruan, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. With a quick roll of her eyes, she smiled. “We’ll definitely be in bed before midnight. You go rest.”

Ji Jing narrowed his eyes. “No one’s driving you to school tomorrow.”

Their home was very far from Ji Ling’s campus.

She grinned. “That’s okay! My sister-in-law said she’s interested in visiting my school, so she can come with me. Right?”

Tang Ruan paused, then nodded. “Yes, I’m free tomorrow. I can take Ji Ling to school.”

She turned to Ji Jing with a smile. “You must be tired. Go to bed. Good night.”

Ji Jing: “…”

He swallowed his words, realizing he couldn’t argue. Tang Ruan wasn’t even pretending anymore—she had thoroughly dismissed him.

“Fine. Sleep early.”

“Mm.”

As soon as Ji Jing left, the attic buzzed with chatter again.

—

That night, Tang Ruan and Ji Ling stayed up until midnight before finally going downstairs to wash up and go to bed.

When women find common ground, nothing can stop them from talking.

Before sleeping, Tang Ruan checked her Weibo account. Her beauty video had garnered praise, with people complimenting her looks and skills. Of course, a few sour comments appeared as well, but she ignored them.

Having faced much harsher criticism in her past life, this level of negativity didn’t faze her.

—

The next morning, Tang Ruan really did accompany Ji Ling to her university. She didn’t have much else to do, so getting out was a nice change of pace.

“Sister-in-law, our campus is actually pretty fun. The military training just ended, and there are already a few couples in my class,” Ji Ling said excitedly.

Tang Ruan smiled. “What about you? Is there anyone you like?”

“Nope.” Ji Ling grinned. “They’re all not handsome enough.”

“So, you’re into looks?”

Ji Ling giggled. “Not exactly. I’ve just been around too many amazing guys. Compared to them, college boys seem immature.”

Tang Ruan nodded knowingly. Indeed, Ji Ling had grown up surrounded by outstanding men like Ji Jing. Compared to them, most college boys seemed far less impressive, though there were always a few exceptions.

Back when Tang Ruan was in university, she barely paid attention to her peers. Between classes, part-time jobs, and even helping others write assignments and papers, she had little time for socializing.

Ji Ling glanced at Tang Ruan, feeling unexpectedly close to her. Just yesterday, she had no strong opinion about her sister-in-law. But now, she felt like she could talk about anything with her.

It was a strange, comforting feeling—like being truly understood.

“For now, focus on your studies,” Tang Ruan advised with a smile. “If you meet someone you like, college romances can be fun.”

“Yeah!”

After dropping Ji Ling off at school, Ji Ling suggested, “Why don’t you join me in class? You’ve got nothing to do at home while my brother’s working, right?”

“Pretty much.”

“Come on! You can sit in and we can keep talking about makeup!”

Tang Ruan: “…”

—

Though continuing their makeup chat wasn’t feasible, sitting in on a class was.

Tang Ruan followed Ji Ling to her dormitory, where Ji Ling introduced her as a friend instead of her sister-in-law. Tang Ruan didn’t mind and found the situation rather amusing.

She never expected to return to school and sit in a classroom again, experiencing the lightheartedness of campus life.

The campus was filled with young students, each radiating the vitality of youth, their faces showing the carefree spirit of university life.

“So, how do you like it? Fun?”

Tang Ruan chuckled softly and nodded. “Not bad at all.”

She felt a tinge of nostalgia. The original Tang Ruan had just graduated from university, but she herself had been out of school for several years. Being back here made her feel a special sense of appreciation.

Ji Ling only had two afternoon classes, so her schedule was quite relaxed. When she brought Tang Ruan to her class, a few familiar boys in the front row noticed Tang Ruan and stared in astonishment, their eyes wide with admiration.

“Wow, is she the beauty of our class?”

“Ji Ling, is this your friend?”

“Why aren’t you introducing her to us?”

Ji Ling smirked and glanced at the boys. “She’s my friend. What’s the point of an introduction? You wouldn’t have a chance anyway.”

Although Ji Ling didn’t have a brother-complex, she certainly wasn’t going to let any guy covet her sister-in-law. Tang Ruan belonged to her brother.

Tang Ruan stifled a laugh and offered a polite smile. “Hello.”

“Hi there, are you a freshman too? Which class are you in?”

“Yeah, why haven’t we seen you around before?”

If someone like her had been on campus, they would have noticed long ago.

Tang Ruan was undeniably beautiful. Her cool, serene demeanor gave her a unique charm. Her delicate features, enhanced with subtle makeup, made her even more stunning. If beauty were scored out of a hundred, she would easily score a hundred and one without exaggeration. In the past, many had acknowledged her looks, but her poor personality had made compliments rare.

Tang Ruan smiled and explained, “I’m not from this school.”

“Then which school are you from?”

Before they could ask more, Ji Ling cut in, “Class is starting! And don’t even think about hitting on my friend—she has a boyfriend, so don’t waste your time.”

Tang Ruan laughed quietly, letting the matter drop.

…

Ten minutes later, Ji Ling sneakily snapped a picture and posted it to her social media with a caption: My sister-in-law came to class with me! So many guys asked for her number!

—

On Monday morning, Ji Jing had an important meeting at the Ji Group headquarters and arrived early.

His assistant, Ning Ming, briefed him on key points and reminded him, “President Ji, there’s a ribbon-cutting ceremony this afternoon, and in the evening, there’s a networking event hosted by President Chen. Many notable figures will be attending. It’s customary to bring a female companion. Should I arrange for one of the secretaries?”

Hearing this, Ji Jing paused briefly as he flipped through his documents, then replied, “I’ll decide later.”

The President Chen mentioned was a film and television investor. Though Ji Group’s entertainment division held a minor market share compared to industry giants like Gu Tian, these events were still important. Their recent collaboration made attending a necessity.

After the morning meeting, Ji Jing ate lunch in his office and texted Ji Ling but received no reply.

It wasn’t until the ribbon-cutting ceremony that Ji Jing finally got a message from Ji Ling. It contained several photos and a caption:

Wow, bro, do you know how popular my sister-in-law is? The boys in my class were all asking for her number and flirting with her! That last photo totally has a romantic campus vibe, doesn’t it?

The photos showed Tang Ruan smiling while talking to a boy, sitting in the sunlight with a casual charm that perfectly captured the sweet, idyllic atmosphere of a campus romance.

Ji Jing snorted softly.

Campus romance, my foot.

That boy should take a good look at himself.

Hmph.

He replied: Tang Ruan agreed to go with you to class?

Ji Ling: Yep! She’s super easygoing. She even told me to enjoy university life and maybe even fall in love if I meet someone I like. She said college romance is wonderful!

Ji Jing: Hmph.

Ji Ling: Are you regretting not dating in college? Too bad for you.

Ji Jing: Your allowance must be pretty generous lately?

Ji Ling immediately backed down: Brother, dearest brother, don’t be like that! I’m just helping you realize how great your wife is. Are you really going to keep sleeping in separate rooms forever? I’m telling you—her personality has improved a lot, and now she’s super popular!

Ji Jing stared at the message but didn’t reply.

Ji Ling sent another one: Go check my social media! Make sure to like my post. I’m logging off now.

After sending it, Ji Ling swiftly exited WeChat and even put her phone on silent mode.

—

Ji Jing narrowed his eyes at her last message before finally tapping into her social media feed. Ji Ling’s friend list included many of Ji Jing’s childhood friends and family members. Unsurprisingly, the post attracted plenty of comments.

Gu Tian: Wow, Ji Ling, aren’t you afraid your brother will block you? But I have to admit—your sister-in-law is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

Ding Zerui: Great photo! She really went to class with you? Your brother allowed this?

Ding Chenyi: OMG! Another gorgeous woman! Ji Ling, give me her number, please!

Grandfather: As expected, my granddaughter-in-law is stunning. I have excellent taste.

Mother Ji: What about your mother? Am I not popular anymore?

Father Ji: ?

…

In addition to Ji Ling’s family, several familiar people left comments, all focused on one thing—asking for Tang Ruan’s phone number or WeChat ID.

Ji Jing stared at the photo for a long moment, then scoffed coldly and shut his phone with a grim expression.

Beautiful?

He didn’t see what was so special about it.

After a moment’s thought, he sent Tang Ruan a message: “What are you doing? Are you home?”

It took half an hour to receive her reply—two cold, emotionless words: “What’s up?”

Ji Jing let out a quiet laugh, recalling the warm smile she had when speaking with the young boys earlier. He typed: “Your makeup looks a bit ugly today.”Tang Ruan: “…? What are you talking about?”