Not only did he know what pants Qin Man wore back in high school, Ji Ran even knew what brand of underwear he wore.

Back when he was living on campus, he had, on many occasions, attempted to steal Qin Man’s clothes. However, for many days, he saw the exact same pants on the balcony and eventually failed to execute his plan. Later on, he found out there was a student in Qin Man’s class who copied him and wore the same clothing everyday.

Ji Ran grew silent for a moment before attempting to shift the focus away. “… I have a good memory, alright?”

When they returned, the cake and desserts had been cleared. Only Yue Wen Wen was left at the table.

Yue Wen Wen saw him and hurriedly explained, “Chen An just got a phone call and left hurriedly. No matter what Cheng Peng said, he refused to stay.”

Ji Ran was startled. “Cheng Peng couldn’t stop him?”

“Probably because it’s Chen An’s birthday and he didn’t want to fight. In any case, they both had a small argument. After Chen An left, Cheng Peng said something came up at work and left. Oh, and the bill has been paid.”

Ji Ran murmured, “…Cheng Peng spent money to serve an ancestor1?”

“Who knows.” Yue Wen Wen rested his chin on his hand. “Before Cheng Peng left, he said he’d be busy for the next few days and told us to play by ourselves. Ran Ran, do you think he’s been wounded by Chen An and went to recuperate?”

“Probably not,” Qin Man sat down, “he’s probably busy with the auction.”

Ji Ran looked at him. “Auction?”

“Yeah. The rights to a good piece of land has been put up. Cheng Peng’s company is most likely going after it.”

“How do you know?” Ji Ran asked.

Qin Man laughed harmlessly, “I heard it from a friend. There are quite a few companies fighting for it. Yong Shi had also intended to do so, but it’s not within the company’s intended development zone this year, so they didn’t join.”

Ji Ran nodded, not thinking much of it.

Cheng Peng also wasn’t one to act impetuously. Moreover, he was experienced and had many ways to control Chen An if he wanted to. There wasn’t a need for him and Yue Wen Wen to worry.

After parting ways, they went home.

Ji Ran picked up his clothes and went into the bathroom. After a few seconds, Qin Man heard the sharp and clear click of a door being locked.

Recalling the scene in the bathroom, his throat rolled. It was as if he could still feel the long and slender legs wrapped around his waist. Back then, the enclosed room had been full of the scent of shower gel, as if exuding from Ji Ran’s body. It was sweet and full of seductive pheromones.

A phone call broke him out of his thoughts.

Qin Man looked at the caller ID and headed for the balcony before picking up.

“Dad.”

“Hmm.” Father Qin’s warm and calm voice sounded. “Have you eaten?”

“I just ate. What about you guys?”

“Your mom and I just came back from a restaurant.” Father Qin paused for a second before asking, “How is the company? Have you gone through the process? Is there anything you need dad’s help for?”

“Not yet. Currently, I still have some personal matters to settle.”

Father Qin hesitated, but ultimately asked the question in his heart. “But why did I hear that you’ve gone over to Yong Shi?”

“It’s only temporary. I have a friend who is working there. He’s new to this and doesn’t have much experience, so I’m helping him.”

This made Father Qin even more puzzled. His son has always been distant to others; he was never this warm-hearted.

“Did Dad’s problem implicate you? I’ve already settled the debts on that side, are they still coming after you?”

“You didn’t, don’t think too much.” Qin Man changed the topic, “How’s Mom?”

“Beside me. Let me turn on the speaker.”

Father Qin’s tone still contained worry.

His son was different from him. Since he was born, Qin Man had never made his parents worry and neither had he experienced the taste of failure. He even inherited his grandfather’s entrepreneurship. He had great foresight and excellent capabilities. It was also due to this that the old man left many things to him.

Father Qin never had much opinions on this. He had adopted a ‘wait-and-see’ approach all along unlike his son’s ambitions. Thus, his only concern after going bankrupt was implicating Qin Man.

“En, take care of yourself. I’ll visit you when I’m free.” Hearing the sound of water stop, Qin Man said. “I still have other things to do, I’m hanging up.”

“Wait.” Father Qin stopped him. “Where are you staying now?”

“At a friend’s house.”

“There’s news from the court that the foreclosure on the house is about to be lifted. We plan to repurchase the house, so you can move back in. It’s not good to trouble others.” Father Qin continued, “Which friend?”

“A junior whom I have a close relationship with. I’m living quite nicely here, I don’t have any plans to go back. You guys don’t have to worry.” Qin Man replied.

“A junior?” Father Qin was surprised. He had never heard of Qin Man keeping in contact with any junior ever since he graduated. He didn’t know where this junior came from. “Aren’t you troubling others too much?”

“I’m not.”

Qin Man turned around and leaned against the railings as he watched the person who’d just come out from the bathroom.

Ji Ran was only wearing a pair of shorts. The moisture on his body had yet to evaporate, outlining the distinct mermaid lines that extended all the way under his waistband. He was currently drying his hair with a towel. Feeling something amiss, he raised his head and locked eyes with Qin Man, his gaze questioning.

The corners of Qin Man’s lips hooked up, his mood inexplicably good as he finished the words he was saying. “My junior brother is taking good care of me… he can’t bear for me to leave. Don’t worry.”

Although there wasn’t much to do at work, Ji Ran was feeling annoyed having to be stationed in the office all day everyday.

Especially since a certain date was coming up. His temper was growing increasingly volatile.

It was finally the weekend. Ji Ran thought he could finally have a good rest but didn’t expect to be woken up by a ringtone in the early hours.

His phone was on silent, so it must be…

“Qin Man.” Ji Ran buried his head into his pillow. “Throw your phone out.”

Qin Man flipped his body and took a look. “…It’s Yue Wen Wen calling.”

Yue Wen Wen had called Ji Ran many times without response and finally thought of Qin Man.

Ji Ran took the phone from Qin Man and answered, his voice cold. “What’s the matter?”

Having known him for so many years, Yue Wen Wen knew that this period of time was extremely sensitive for Ji Ran and it was practically a minefield. It was best not to step on it.

However, things had blown up, so he couldn’t not tell Ji Ran.

“Ran Ran, your photos and videos have been circulated by many marketing accounts!”

Ji Ran’s eyes were still shut and didn’t understand. “Circulating what? Is there a new tire in the workshop?”

10 minutes later, Ji Ran was half-laying on the bed, with his phone in hand. Fury exuding from him, he deleted every single one of the messages he hadn’t read.

In the short span of a single night, his Weibo had blown up. All those passing acquaintances from his drinking circle had come to deliver this news to him. They were either praising him or asking if he was preparing to become famous2.

Ji Ran hammered his keyboard: Famous your ass.

Since 8 p.m. last night, his photos and videos had abruptly appeared on Weibo. Countless marketing accounts had posted it at the same time, pushing him onto the top three hot searches.

The photo was from back when he attended Ji Wei’s engagement party. He sported green hair and a suit which accentuated his long legs, and he was currently getting out of a luxury car. The picture captured half of his profile, but even that was enough to feel just how dashing he was.

As for the video, it was the entire process of him taking part in the race, edited only to show him.

[Poke me to see the handsome guy: Is this the prince of our modern world?]

This post was trending and had close to 20,000 comments. It was reposted 50,000 times.

Qin Man’s head rested on his shoulders as he watched Ji Ran scroll through and read the comments. A moment later, his original careless expression gradually grew solemn.

“I unilaterally declare him my new husband.”

“One look and you can see he is rich and handsome! I don’t know if he’s a prince, in any case, he’s definitely a young master! I’m in love!”

“This is my first time seeing someone look so good with green hair! The helmet can’t cover his beauty!”

“It’s been a night, how is this person’s information not yet uncovered? These netizens are useless!”

“No need for information, the hot searches are almost overtaken. It’s obviously the work of some company. It’s either a new idol or someone who wants to be famous. You just need to wait.”

With a dark face, Ji Ran gave Yue Wen Wen a call.

“Help me erase them,” Ji Ran said.

“I’ve tried to contact these marketing accounts, but no one is replying. Forget about the pictures, what’s going on with the video…”

Ji Ran didn’t have the leisure to care about the others. “What must I do to have it removed?”

“Send them a lawyer’s letter under the premise of infringement of privacy.”

However, sending a legal notice also needed time. It also required the other person to receive it before they could proceed.

Ji Ran sat on the sofa, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot. He was talking with a lawyer when Qin Man came out from the bathroom and sat beside him. “It’s alright, it’s been deleted.”

Ji Ran’s actions froze. “… How did you delete it?”

“I contacted the people at Weibo directly,” Qin Man replied.

“Thanks.” Ji Ran hung up, his sleepiness had long vanished. “How much did you spend? I’ll pay you back.”

“I didn’t spend anything, but how did that video come about?”

How else?

Naturally, only the organiser of the competition had recordings of it.

Ji Ran found someone and got Gu Zhe’s number. He immediately called and cursed him. “Gu Zhe, are you tired of living? Do you want your dad to give you an extra life to play around with?”

Gu Zhe was flabbergasted. “… What? Is there something wrong with you this morning?”

The two quarrelled brainlessly for a while before Gu Zhe finally understood what happened.

“That’s not my father’s doing. My card has already been confiscated, where would I get the money to do something big enough to make you famous?”

Although he denied it, he had a faint guess in his heart.

Obviously he wouldn’t share his suspicions with Ji Ran. He only gave a light cough, “… Isn’t this quite good? With your face, wouldn’t it be easier to be an idol? Who knows if you might even fool some brainless fans…”

The implication in these words were akin to a fine needle stabbing directly into Ji Ran’s pain point.

“I see that your brain has shut down.” Ji Ran gnashed his teeth. “Gu Zhe, you’d better pray that this matter has nothing to do with you. If I find anything, I’ll slaughter you.”

Ji Ran’s weekend was fated to not be peaceful. Countless friends came to ask him about this and were scolded into retreat.

Even though the things on Weibo were removed, he still felt uneasy. There wasn’t anyone who’d go onto the hot search just from having a few of their pictures shared. But if it was someone’s doing, what was their motive?

Ji Ran didn’t wrack his brain for long.

On Monday, people were going to work. A hashtag #ZhaoQingTong# silently appeared on the hotsearch.

[Poke me to see the handsome guy: It turns out the green-haired guy is the late actor, #ZhaoQingTong#’s son! No wonder he’s so handsome. He inherited his mother’s genes!!!]

This time, the nine grid squares were taken up by a black-haired woman with large eyes. The woman’s lips were curved, revealing a row of white teeth; She was smiling at the camera. She was gorgeous; even by today’s standards, she could be considered a great beauty.

The netizens began to express their admiration. Half of the comments were praising her beauty and lamenting that beautiful women suffer unhappy fates.

However, in less than half an hour, the direction of the comments changed.

“Wait a minute. Did I remember wrongly? Wasn’t this woman a mistress?”

“She’s a mistress! My mom told me! In order to marry into a rich family, she even got pregnant. However, she couldn’t win against the might of the main wife and was eventually chased out!”

“!!! I found the news report. WTF, it’s real! [Web link: It was revealed that the actress Zhao QingTong hooked up with Businessman Ji and was kicked out of the house in the third month of her pregnancy!]”

“Wait, if Zhao QingTong is the mistress, who is this man?”

“This knowing person will show herself. This person is called Ji Ran, and he is the illegitimate child. Currently, he’s still clinging onto the Ji family and refusing to let go. He has a bad temper and a history of school violence. After growing up, he fell into bad company, but that’s not all. He recently entered his dad’s company and is having the time of his life. On the contrary, his businessman dad is rumoured to be divorcing the main wife.”

“This world is too realistic. Things like ‘evil people receiving retribution and good people reincarnating’ are all stories to fool children.”

He is referring to Chen An and saying he is like an ancestor who Cheng Peng needs to serve (instead of the other way around)

C位出道 – 意思是指某个艺人在自己的团体中的实力很强,镜头相对较多,专业素质较强,比较容易被人记住的,是团队的灵魂中心人物 refers to an artiste who is very capable in their circle and have many achievements. They are also more remarkable than their peers.

Not only did he know what pants Qin Man wore back in high school, Ji Ran even knew what brand of underwear he wore.

Back when he was living on campus, he had, on many occasions, attempted to steal Qin Man’s clothes. However, for many days, he saw the exact same pants on the balcony and eventually failed to execute his plan. Later on, he found out there was a student in Qin Man’s class who copied him and wore the same clothing everyday.

Ji Ran grew silent for a moment before attempting to shift the focus away. “… I have a good memory, alright?”

When they returned, the cake and desserts had been cleared. Only Yue Wen Wen was left at the table.

Yue Wen Wen saw him and hurriedly explained, “Chen An just got a phone call and left hurriedly. No matter what Cheng Peng said, he refused to stay.”

Ji Ran was startled. “Cheng Peng couldn’t stop him?”

“Probably because it’s Chen An’s birthday and he didn’t want to fight. In any case, they both had a small argument. After Chen An left, Cheng Peng said something came up at work and left. Oh, and the bill has been paid.”

Ji Ran murmured, “…Cheng Peng spent money to serve an ancestor1?”

“Who knows.” Yue Wen Wen rested his chin on his hand. “Before Cheng Peng left, he said he’d be busy for the next few days and told us to play by ourselves. Ran Ran, do you think he’s been wounded by Chen An and went to recuperate?”

“Probably not,” Qin Man sat down, “he’s probably busy with the auction.”

Ji Ran looked at him. “Auction?”

“Yeah. The rights to a good piece of land has been put up. Cheng Peng’s company is most likely going after it.”

“How do you know?” Ji Ran asked.

Qin Man laughed harmlessly, “I heard it from a friend. There are quite a few companies fighting for it. Yong Shi had also intended to do so, but it’s not within the company’s intended development zone this year, so they didn’t join.”

Ji Ran nodded, not thinking much of it.

Cheng Peng also wasn’t one to act impetuously. Moreover, he was experienced and had many ways to control Chen An if he wanted to. There wasn’t a need for him and Yue Wen Wen to worry.

After parting ways, they went home.

Ji Ran picked up his clothes and went into the bathroom. After a few seconds, Qin Man heard the sharp and clear click of a door being locked.

Recalling the scene in the bathroom, his throat rolled. It was as if he could still feel the long and slender legs wrapped around his waist. Back then, the enclosed room had been full of the scent of shower gel, as if exuding from Ji Ran’s body. It was sweet and full of seductive pheromones.

A phone call broke him out of his thoughts.

Qin Man looked at the caller ID and headed for the balcony before picking up.

“Dad.”

“Hmm.” Father Qin’s warm and calm voice sounded. “Have you eaten?”

“I just ate. What about you guys?”

“Your mom and I just came back from a restaurant.” Father Qin paused for a second before asking, “How is the company? Have you gone through the process? Is there anything you need dad’s help for?”

“Not yet. Currently, I still have some personal matters to settle.”

Father Qin hesitated, but ultimately asked the question in his heart. “But why did I hear that you’ve gone over to Yong Shi?”

“It’s only temporary. I have a friend who is working there. He’s new to this and doesn’t have much experience, so I’m helping him.”

This made Father Qin even more puzzled. His son has always been distant to others; he was never this warm-hearted.

“Did Dad’s problem implicate you? I’ve already settled the debts on that side, are they still coming after you?”

“You didn’t, don’t think too much.” Qin Man changed the topic, “How’s Mom?”

“Beside me. Let me turn on the speaker.”

Father Qin’s tone still contained worry.

His son was different from him. Since he was born, Qin Man had never made his parents worry and neither had he experienced the taste of failure. He even inherited his grandfather’s entrepreneurship. He had great foresight and excellent capabilities. It was also due to this that the old man left many things to him.

Father Qin never had much opinions on this. He had adopted a ‘wait-and-see’ approach all along unlike his son’s ambitions. Thus, his only concern after going bankrupt was implicating Qin Man.

“En, take care of yourself. I’ll visit you when I’m free.” Hearing the sound of water stop, Qin Man said. “I still have other things to do, I’m hanging up.”

“Wait.” Father Qin stopped him. “Where are you staying now?”

“At a friend’s house.”

“There’s news from the court that the foreclosure on the house is about to be lifted. We plan to repurchase the house, so you can move back in. It’s not good to trouble others.” Father Qin continued, “Which friend?”

“A junior whom I have a close relationship with. I’m living quite nicely here, I don’t have any plans to go back. You guys don’t have to worry.” Qin Man replied.

“A junior?” Father Qin was surprised. He had never heard of Qin Man keeping in contact with any junior ever since he graduated. He didn’t know where this junior came from. “Aren’t you troubling others too much?”

“I’m not.”

Qin Man turned around and leaned against the railings as he watched the person who’d just come out from the bathroom.

Ji Ran was only wearing a pair of shorts. The moisture on his body had yet to evaporate, outlining the distinct mermaid lines that extended all the way under his waistband. He was currently drying his hair with a towel. Feeling something amiss, he raised his head and locked eyes with Qin Man, his gaze questioning.

The corners of Qin Man’s lips hooked up, his mood inexplicably good as he finished the words he was saying. “My junior brother is taking good care of me… he can’t bear for me to leave. Don’t worry.”

Although there wasn’t much to do at work, Ji Ran was feeling annoyed having to be stationed in the office all day everyday.

Especially since a certain date was coming up. His temper was growing increasingly volatile.

It was finally the weekend. Ji Ran thought he could finally have a good rest but didn’t expect to be woken up by a ringtone in the early hours.

His phone was on silent, so it must be…

“Qin Man.” Ji Ran buried his head into his pillow. “Throw your phone out.”

Qin Man flipped his body and took a look. “…It’s Yue Wen Wen calling.”

Yue Wen Wen had called Ji Ran many times without response and finally thought of Qin Man.

Ji Ran took the phone from Qin Man and answered, his voice cold. “What’s the matter?”

Having known him for so many years, Yue Wen Wen knew that this period of time was extremely sensitive for Ji Ran and it was practically a minefield. It was best not to step on it.

However, things had blown up, so he couldn’t not tell Ji Ran.

“Ran Ran, your photos and videos have been circulated by many marketing accounts!”

Ji Ran’s eyes were still shut and didn’t understand. “Circulating what? Is there a new tire in the workshop?”

10 minutes later, Ji Ran was half-laying on the bed, with his phone in hand. Fury exuding from him, he deleted every single one of the messages he hadn’t read.

In the short span of a single night, his Weibo had blown up. All those passing acquaintances from his drinking circle had come to deliver this news to him. They were either praising him or asking if he was preparing to become famous2.

Ji Ran hammered his keyboard: Famous your ass.

Since 8 p.m. last night, his photos and videos had abruptly appeared on Weibo. Countless marketing accounts had posted it at the same time, pushing him onto the top three hot searches.

The photo was from back when he attended Ji Wei’s engagement party. He sported green hair and a suit which accentuated his long legs, and he was currently getting out of a luxury car. The picture captured half of his profile, but even that was enough to feel just how dashing he was.

As for the video, it was the entire process of him taking part in the race, edited only to show him.

[Poke me to see the handsome guy: Is this the prince of our modern world?]

This post was trending and had close to 20,000 comments. It was reposted 50,000 times.

Qin Man’s head rested on his shoulders as he watched Ji Ran scroll through and read the comments. A moment later, his original careless expression gradually grew solemn.

“I unilaterally declare him my new husband.”

“One look and you can see he is rich and handsome! I don’t know if he’s a prince, in any case, he’s definitely a young master! I’m in love!”

“This is my first time seeing someone look so good with green hair! The helmet can’t cover his beauty!”

“It’s been a night, how is this person’s information not yet uncovered? These netizens are useless!”

“No need for information, the hot searches are almost overtaken. It’s obviously the work of some company. It’s either a new idol or someone who wants to be famous. You just need to wait.”

With a dark face, Ji Ran gave Yue Wen Wen a call.

“Help me erase them,” Ji Ran said.

“I’ve tried to contact these marketing accounts, but no one is replying. Forget about the pictures, what’s going on with the video…”

Ji Ran didn’t have the leisure to care about the others. “What must I do to have it removed?”

“Send them a lawyer’s letter under the premise of infringement of privacy.”

However, sending a legal notice also needed time. It also required the other person to receive it before they could proceed.

Ji Ran sat on the sofa, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot. He was talking with a lawyer when Qin Man came out from the bathroom and sat beside him. “It’s alright, it’s been deleted.”

Ji Ran’s actions froze. “… How did you delete it?”

“I contacted the people at Weibo directly,” Qin Man replied.

“Thanks.” Ji Ran hung up, his sleepiness had long vanished. “How much did you spend? I’ll pay you back.”

“I didn’t spend anything, but how did that video come about?”

How else?

Naturally, only the organiser of the competition had recordings of it.

Ji Ran found someone and got Gu Zhe’s number. He immediately called and cursed him. “Gu Zhe, are you tired of living? Do you want your dad to give you an extra life to play around with?”

Gu Zhe was flabbergasted. “… What? Is there something wrong with you this morning?”

The two quarrelled brainlessly for a while before Gu Zhe finally understood what happened.

“That’s not my father’s doing. My card has already been confiscated, where would I get the money to do something big enough to make you famous?”

Although he denied it, he had a faint guess in his heart.

Obviously he wouldn’t share his suspicions with Ji Ran. He only gave a light cough, “… Isn’t this quite good? With your face, wouldn’t it be easier to be an idol? Who knows if you might even fool some brainless fans…”

The implication in these words were akin to a fine needle stabbing directly into Ji Ran’s pain point.

“I see that your brain has shut down.” Ji Ran gnashed his teeth. “Gu Zhe, you’d better pray that this matter has nothing to do with you. If I find anything, I’ll slaughter you.”

Ji Ran’s weekend was fated to not be peaceful. Countless friends came to ask him about this and were scolded into retreat.

Even though the things on Weibo were removed, he still felt uneasy. There wasn’t anyone who’d go onto the hot search just from having a few of their pictures shared. But if it was someone’s doing, what was their motive?

Ji Ran didn’t wrack his brain for long.

On Monday, people were going to work. A hashtag #ZhaoQingTong# silently appeared on the hotsearch.

[Poke me to see the handsome guy: It turns out the green-haired guy is the late actor, #ZhaoQingTong#’s son! No wonder he’s so handsome. He inherited his mother’s genes!!!]

This time, the nine grid squares were taken up by a black-haired woman with large eyes. The woman’s lips were curved, revealing a row of white teeth; She was smiling at the camera. She was gorgeous; even by today’s standards, she could be considered a great beauty.

The netizens began to express their admiration. Half of the comments were praising her beauty and lamenting that beautiful women suffer unhappy fates.

However, in less than half an hour, the direction of the comments changed.

“Wait a minute. Did I remember wrongly? Wasn’t this woman a mistress?”

“She’s a mistress! My mom told me! In order to marry into a rich family, she even got pregnant. However, she couldn’t win against the might of the main wife and was eventually chased out!”

“!!! I found the news report. WTF, it’s real! [Web link: It was revealed that the actress Zhao QingTong hooked up with Businessman Ji and was kicked out of the house in the third month of her pregnancy!]”

“Wait, if Zhao QingTong is the mistress, who is this man?”

“This knowing person will show herself. This person is called Ji Ran, and he is the illegitimate child. Currently, he’s still clinging onto the Ji family and refusing to let go. He has a bad temper and a history of school violence. After growing up, he fell into bad company, but that’s not all. He recently entered his dad’s company and is having the time of his life. On the contrary, his businessman dad is rumoured to be divorcing the main wife.”

“This world is too realistic. Things like ‘evil people receiving retribution and good people reincarnating’ are all stories to fool children.”

He is referring to Chen An and saying he is like an ancestor who Cheng Peng needs to serve (instead of the other way around)

C位出道 – 意思是指某个艺人在自己的团体中的实力很强,镜头相对较多,专业素质较强,比较容易被人记住的,是团队的灵魂中心人物 refers to an artiste who is very capable in their circle and have many achievements. They are also more remarkable than their peers.