Chapter 22

When Cheng Mushi said “viral,” it wasn’t exactly true in the strictest sense.

In today’s fast-paced world of new media, where trends come and go in the blink of an eye, something unique might only shine briefly. Tang Ruan hadn’t truly “blown up,” but for an ordinary person, her first video garnering thousands of comments and shares was undeniably impressive.

When Tang Ruan posted her video on Weibo, it initially received no attention. After all, it was a brand-new account with zero followers, which was perfectly normal.

Her followers included the automated “zombie fans” provided at registration and Cheng Mushi, who had only followed her that afternoon. After Cheng Mushi followed her, some of Cheng Mushi’s fans trickled over to check out Tang Ruan’s profile. However, Cheng Mushi wasn’t particularly famous, and her most loyal fans—those who monitored her every move—numbered only a few dozen. That wasn’t enough to create any significant buzz.

Once Tang Ruan posted her video, Cheng Mushi immediately reshared it, captioning it: “A makeup tutorial by a stunningly gorgeous lady! Anyone interested? By the way, the photos I posted this afternoon were taken by her.”

Earlier that afternoon, Cheng Mushi had uploaded a set of selfies on Weibo. The makeup in those photos was exquisite, prompting many fans to ask about it. At the time, she had cryptically replied that her makeup was done by a friend.

Now that the “mystery” had been revealed, her female fans, intrigued, clicked on the short video.

And that’s when things took off.

The person in the video—Tang Ruan—appeared onscreen looking like an absolute goddess. She was undeniably beautiful. Who wouldn’t spend a few minutes watching someone that stunning? Many fans ended up rewatching the video multiple times—some for her face, some for her hands, and others for her makeup techniques.

Naturally, when people loved something, they shared it.

Moreover, Tang Ruan had added the hashtag “100 Days of Makeup Challenge,” which increased the visibility of her video. As it gained traction, it made its way into the trending section under the hashtag. Popular entertainment bloggers with millions of followers jumped on the bandwagon, sharing her video to ride the wave of its popularity.

In just two hours, Tang Ruan’s Weibo account saw a surge of followers. Those who watched her video often left comments and shared it with their own followers.

—”Just discovered an incredibly gorgeous lady! Is she a fairy? Stunning face, elegant hands, and flawless makeup techniques. Sharing this treasure with everyone!”
—”Where did this goddess come from?! Is she a celestial being?”
—”I was recommended this video and have already watched it five times… Wasted half an hour staring. First watch: her face. Second watch: still her face. Third: her hands. Fourth: her makeup techniques. Fifth: listening to her voice. Am I obsessed?”
—”OMG, how is her bare skin so flawless even without makeup? I need to share this with everyone!”

And just like that, Tang Ruan found herself unexpectedly going viral.

—

After hanging up the phone, Tang Ruan logged into Weibo.

Since her account had no restrictions, she could see all the likes, comments, and shares. The moment she logged in, her phone began buzzing nonstop with notifications, drawing Ji Jing’s attention. He glanced sideways at her phone.

Tang Ruan quickly switched her phone to silent mode before lowering her head to check.

Her very first post had over 1,300 comments, 1,500 shares, and 3,500 likes. That meant at least 3,500 people had seen it. For a newcomer, Cheng Mushi hadn’t been exaggerating—Tang Ruan had indeed gone viral.

She scrolled through the comments, noticing many curious inquiries about her identity. Reading the compliments made her feel genuinely happy.

—

Ji Jing observed her smiling face, his expression darkening slightly. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Tang Ruan replied, her voice soft and cheerful as she put away her phone. “I’m just in a good mood.”

She looked at Ji Jing, remembering the earlier incident at the bar. In a quieter tone, she asked, “Will there be any trouble with Dai Jun? We did beat him up.”

And they had injured him quite badly, too.

Ji Jing nodded, recalling the man who definitely deserved the beating, and sneered, “The lawyer will take care of it.”

“That’s good,” Tang Ruan said with a sigh of relief. As expected of a wealthy family—problems like these could easily be handed over to a lawyer.

Ji Jing frowned slightly, his tone laced with subtle annoyance. “What kind of judgment did you even have before?”

Though he didn’t realize it, his words carried a tinge of jealousy. Tang Ruan, however, interpreted them as mere mockery, as if he was criticizing her poor taste. In the front seat, Gu Tian and Ding Zerui exchanged a glance but said nothing.

Tang Ruan chuckled. “Don’t worry, my judgment will be much better in the future.”

Ji Jing: “…”

Future judgment? The suffocating feeling in his chest wasn’t going away anytime soon.

—

The group got out of the car to eat barbecue. Initially, Tang Ruan thought that people like these wealthy young masters would only eat barbecue at upscale restaurants. Surely they wouldn’t step into a street-side night market, right?

She was wrong.

She froze for a moment, visibly surprised.

At that moment, Gu Tian was practically worshiping Tang Ruan, eagerly moving closer to ask, “Sister-in-law, how about eating here? Don’t be fooled by the environment—there’s a barbecue place here that’s absolutely amazing.”

Tang Ruan chuckled and nodded. “Sure.”

The group made their way forward. The street was admittedly a bit messy, and Tang Ruan couldn’t imagine how someone with obsessive cleanliness, like Ji Jing, would have discovered this spot. She could easily picture his reaction on his first visit—he must have been entirely against it.

And she was spot on.

…

Behind this street was a middle school in a prime location. Back in the day, Ji Jing hadn’t attended a prestigious private school during his middle school years. Due to the Ji family’s prominent reputation, Ji Jing, whose identity attracted too much attention, was sent to this middle school for his second and third years to avoid unnecessary trouble. Accompanying him were Gu Tian, Ding Zerui, and the rest of their “Four Musketeers”—their crew was never incomplete.

This night market street was initially discovered by Gu Tian. Although his family was wealthy, he had an undeniable love for street barbecue and night market food. Whenever he had free time, he’d scour the city for delicious eats, and if you asked him, he always knew where to go.

The first time Gu Tian brought Ji Jing here was after school. The cafeteria food wasn’t appealing to their group of middle schoolers, and they often sought meals outside. On that particular day, the restaurant Ji Jing wanted to go to happened to be closed, so Gu Tian suggested this spot. Ji Jing’s reaction? He hesitated at the night market entrance for half an hour. Once inside and at the barbecue stand, he stood frozen for another hour. Finally, Gu Tian had to ask the staff to clean their table and chairs four or five times before the young master begrudgingly sat down.

As for eating? Gu Tian preferred not to think about it.

Back then, Ji Jing had watched them eat until only one skewer was left. Then, with a resigned tone, he asked, “I’ll just have one bite. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll go to a hotel for another round.”

Under their relentless teasing, Ji Jing finally took one bite. That bite changed everything. They ended up ordering another round at the barbecue stall.

Over time, Ji Jing stopped resisting places like this, especially since the barbecue here was genuinely excellent. The shop had been around for over a decade, and they were now loyal patrons.

…

Gu Tian sat at the table, recounting the tale to his newfound “goddess,” Tang Ruan. “Sister-in-law, you wouldn’t believe how conflicted Ah Jing was back then. He looked like he was being tortured.”

Ding Zerui chimed in, clearly enjoying the nostalgia.

“Back then, Ah Jing and Zijin looked just like aggrieved little wives, fidgeting at the entrance and refusing to come in. The shop owner even thought we were bullying them.”

“Zijin was better; he only hesitated for about ten minutes. But this young master here? He stood there for over an hour, all the way until evening classes at school were nearly over, before he finally took a bite.”

Tang Ruan listened, finding the story hilarious. She couldn’t help but smile. “And then? Didn’t he end up eating another round?”

Gu Tian let out a snort. “Then we had to climb over the school wall to get back in. The dormitory doors were locked, so the four of us ended up checking into a hotel for the night.”

The next day, they were punished by their homeroom teacher.

Tang Ruan: “…”

Just as Ji Jing returned to the table with drinks, he caught the tail end of his own embarrassing story. Setting the drinks down, he shot Gu Tian a cold look. “Haven’t you had enough?”

Gu Tian froze. “…Enough. Let’s drink.”

Tang Ruan raised her eyebrows. “Aren’t you guys driving back later?”

“We’ll call a driver.”

“That works.”

Tang Ruan instinctively reached for a bottle of beer, only to have Ji Jing take it away.

“What are you doing?” She frowned, puzzled.

Ji Jing pushed a glass of lemon water toward her and said in a low voice, “Drink this.”

Tang Ruan wasn’t one to back down. Shaking her head, she said firmly, “I want beer.”

Ignoring her, Ji Jing opened the beer and drank it himself.

Tang Ruan: “…”

She blinked, her dark eyes rolling in thought. Realizing that reasoning with Ji Jing wouldn’t work and aware of the presence of two men she wasn’t entirely familiar with, she decided to take a different approach.

Ever since she’d arrived here, it had been a long time since she’d had barbecue or beer. The only alcohol she’d occasionally sipped was high-end red wine—the kind she couldn’t even afford to taste in the past. But tonight, being in this atmosphere, she had an unexplainable craving for a bottle of beer to lighten her mood.

Everything here was great, yet it still didn’t feel like her life.

Tang Ruan couldn’t quite describe the discomfort—it was a subtle unease.

And she really, truly wanted a drink.

…

Ji Jing paused, taking a sip of his beer, his eyes lowering as he noticed her pitiful expression.

After a moment of silence, he asked, “You have a strong tolerance?”

Tang Ruan nodded, her slightly reddened eyes looking up at him as she coaxed, “Husband, I just want a little sip, okay? Just a little.” As she spoke, she clung to Ji Jing’s arm, her soft voice carrying a hint of pleading. Feeling the strength of his arm beneath the fabric of his shirt gave her a rare sense of security.

“Pfft.”

Gu Tian, who was mid-drink, burst out laughing, spraying his beer all over Ding Zerui.

“What the hell!” Ding Zerui glared at Gu Tian, cursing.

Gu Tian waved a hand, trying to calm himself down. “I… I’m sorry! My bad!”

He turned his head, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Tang Ruan and Ji Jing.

Ji Jing: “…” Calmly sipping his beer, he thought to himself, thank goodness he was used to this by now.

Tang Ruan wanted to laugh but managed to keep up her act. She continued looking pitiful, tugging gently at Ji Jing’s sleeve. “Husband, just a little, please? I promise I won’t get drunk.”

Ji Jing’s expression softened slightly as he continued to gaze at her.

“Besides, if I do get drunk, you’re here to take care of me!” Tang Ruan held up two fingers as if swearing an oath. “I promise, I won’t drink too much or cause any trouble.”

Before her words even settled, a can of beer was cracked open and placed in front of her. It was Gu Tian, handing it over with both hands pressed together in mock pleading. “Sister-in-law, please, go ahead and drink.”

Tang Ruan blinked in surprise before stifling a laugh and looking at Gu Tian’s exaggerated reaction. “Thank you!”

“It’s the least I could do.”

Ji Jing lifted his eyelids slightly but didn’t say anything to stop her.

As Ji Jing watched Tang Ruan drinking, he found it rather fascinating. She had a way of changing her demeanor—at times sweet and coquettish, and at other times calm and collected. However, no matter which side she displayed now, it felt distinct from the distant coldness she once exuded. He glanced at her for a moment, then shifted his gaze.

Tang Ruan drank quickly, her previous experience showing through. She’d had a solid tolerance for alcohol, mainly because she could only afford beer in the past and drank plenty of it. There was even a time when she worked as a beer promoter, standing at similar night market stalls with crates of beer, persuading customers to buy. To seal the deal and increase her commission, she’d sometimes drink alongside them as a demonstration. Over time, her tolerance naturally improved.

Yet, she wasn’t entirely sure how her current self measured up.

After drinking for a while, Tang Ruan genuinely began to feel tipsy. The barbecue was delicious—so good that even someone as picky as Ji Jing would willingly eat here. After filling her stomach and finishing two cans of beer, Ji Jing refused to let her continue drinking.

“No more.”

Tang Ruan, holding a pair of chopsticks, tilted her head to look at him. Her face was flushed, probably from the alcohol. Whether she was genuinely tipsy or just pretending was unclear, but her gaze was misty, and she stared at Ji Jing with a pout.

Ji Jing coughed lightly, his tone softening. “You’ll get drunk if you drink more.”

Tang Ruan blinked and frowned slightly, glancing at the nearby case of beer. “Why are you so stingy? You won’t even let me have a single beer.”