Shipping Together

Ling Second Brother feared complications, so right after meeting Qin Ran, he took his girlfriend back home in the afternoon. He specifically chose a non-meal time to avoid staying for dinner. The plan was to meet and leave as quickly as possible.

As he expected, Ling's parents had already returned. When Ling Second Brother walked in, his mother started crying, saying that his third brother had been framed and would be imprisoned for a few years. Ling Second Brother furrowed his brows and explained, "Little Brother committed a crime, so it's normal for him to go to jail."

Ling Second Brother had been traveling and wasn't aware of the things his younger brother had been doing in recent years. If he had known earlier, he would have handed him over to the authorities himself. Hearing her son's harsh words, Mother Ling stopped crying, looking at him in disbelief.

Father Ling banged the armrest of his chair. "He's still your brother! How can you say that?!"

Ling Second Brother said nothing. Instead, he introduced his girlfriend. "This is my girlfriend. We've decided to get married next October. I brought her here to meet you."

Seeing an outsider, Mother Ling quickly put away her tears. Looking at Ling Second Brother's girlfriend, her face showed kindness, but a certain pride was unmistakable. Being part of one of the top families in the capital, Mother Ling felt entitled to look down on others.

She almost interrogated the girlfriend's background and only then seemed somewhat satisfied. After all, Ling Second Brother's girlfriend wasn't some girl from a poor family; she was the daughter of a prominent family from Haishi, carrying herself with grace.

The girlfriend brought gifts, none of which were cheap.

Father Ling didn't say anything either, seemingly accepting this future daughter-in-law.

At this moment, Ling Second Brother heard Ling Miaohan's voice. She called out, "Second Brother, you're back?" while coming down the stairs. Wearing a white dress that fluttered as she moved, she looked lively and adorable.

Though Ling Second Brother regretted acting impulsively for his sister, this was the sister he had pampered since childhood. Seeing her, he couldn't help but smile.

Ling Miaohan descended the stairs and, upon seeing Ling Second Brother's girlfriend, appeared a bit surprised. "Second Brother, who is this?" In that instant, alarms went off in Ling Second Brother's mind. He thought of Zhao Second Miss, who had broken up with Ling First Brother. He tensed up immediately. He genuinely loved his girlfriend and didn't want to lose her.

Ling Second Brother smiled awkwardly but introduced them. "This is my girlfriend. We're planning to marry next October. She's your sister-in-law."

Ling Miaohan's eyes flashed with a hint of jealousy, though her face maintained a smile. Given her usual aloof demeanor, the smile seemed faint. "Oh, sister-in-law. Hello, I'm Miaomiao, Second Brother's younger sister."

Ling Second Brother's girlfriend was still a young, naive girl, but she keenly sensed something unusual. She greeted Ling Miaohan, but Ling Second Brother hastily said, "We have plans today. We'll visit another time."

Ling Miaohan was taken aback. "But you just got back, Second Brother..."

Before she could finish, Ling Second Brother was already rushing out with his girlfriend. Once inside the car, the girlfriend nervously asked, "Does your sister not like me?"

Hearing this, Ling Second Brother frowned without thinking. "Why would you think that? Miaomiao is a good girl; she can't possibly dislike you..." Halfway through his sentence, he realized how impulsive he sounded, and his girlfriend looked at him in surprise.

Ling Second Brother parked the car by the roadside and shook his head. "No... I didn't mean it that way..." He truly didn't have such thoughts because he knew Ling Miaohan didn't really like his girlfriend. To be precise, Ling Miaohan didn't like her brothers having girlfriends. When he was still in school, he had broken up with a girlfriend because of her.

But back then, he didn't care. If a girlfriend said anything negative about Ling Miaohan, he would dump her immediately. However, after staying away from Ling Miaohan, the problem seemed to worsen. He took a deep breath and said to his girlfriend, "It doesn't matter if she doesn't like you. You're my girlfriend, not hers. We won't live with her in the future, so you don't need to worry about her."

Hearing this, his girlfriend finally smiled. "Okay."

But deep inside, Ling Second Brother thought, "I can't stay here any longer. Every time I encounter something involving Ling Miaohan, I can't help but get carried away. Just one meeting with her, and I'm already saying these nonsensical things to my girlfriend. I can't stay near Ling Miaohan, or I'll end up breaking my agreement with President Qin and opposing her because of Ling Miaohan."

And... his girlfriend would eventually leave him. His instincts told him so.

To prevent that from happening, he decided to run away. He planned to leave that very night, as quickly as possible.

Ling Second Brother really did leave that night, running as fast as the wind. Before he left, he even called Qin Ran's assistant to report his movements. When Qin Ran received the call from her assistant, she was full of questions. If she had known what Ling Second Brother had experienced, she would have marveled at how terrifying the protagonist's halo was. Even someone like Ling Second Brother, who had jumped out of the box, almost got caught up in it.

But to give credit where it's due, Ling Second Brother truly loved his girlfriend. He managed to break free from the influence of the protagonist's halo because of her expression. Meeting with Ling Second Brother also made Qin Ran realize that this protagonist's halo wasn't all-powerful. Look at Ling Second Brother—he snapped out of it.

Qin Ran was curious. If Ling Second Brother could escape the protagonist's halo and become someone completely different from his novel persona, would Ling Third Brother regret it in prison? Curious as she was, she had no intention of visiting Ling Third Brother in prison. What if he showed no remorse and just ended up cursing at her? She wasn't going to invite trouble.

Compared to the Ling family, she was more concerned about Zeng Qian. As soon as she became an employee of 99 Entertainment, Zeng Qian celebrated on Weibo. She even took a photo at 99 Entertainment's entrance with the company logo, captioning it: "First day as a colleague with Sister Manman! Yay!"

"Yay!" quickly became the most-used comment in her comment section, filling it with a sea of "Yay!" It also secured her the top spot on the trending list, with hashtags like #ZengQianJoins99Entertainment#, #ZengQianAndYuShumanAreColleagues#, and #ZengQianYay# dominating the charts.

Zeng Qian announcing her new role with a selfie was one thing, but fans of the "shipping" community had to make their presence known. Someone even posted:

[I knew the CP I ship was real. From that variety show, it was obvious how close they were. If you tell me Zeng Qian joining 99 Entertainment had nothing to do with Sister Manman connecting the dots, I wouldn't believe it. It's too shippable—what a mutual pursuit story!]

[Zeng Qian genuinely admired 99 Entertainment. She even said in a live stream that the company sets the industry standard. If all companies were like 99 Entertainment, the industry wouldn't be in such a mess]

[I'm sure Sister Manman knew Zeng Qian aspired to join 99Entertainment, so she persuaded her wealthy friend to let Little President Qin approve Zeng Qian joining the company]

[I wonder how much effort Little President Qin had to put in to get Zeng Qian into 99 Entertainment. Other celebrities who switch companies usually end up in long legal battles and have to pay compensation]

Starting from this post, the comments took a turn. Shipping Yu Shuman and Zeng Qian was normal; their interactions on the variety show were cute, with the older sister-younger sister dynamic making fans swoon. Even after the show ended, they often mentioned each other in interviews, showing their close relationship.

Not to mention their second collaboration on a suspense drama. Though they didn't have many scenes together, for shipping fans, just being on screen together was enough. Now, Zeng Qian had joined 99 Entertainment "for love." How could this not be seen as a mutual pursuit?

This ship seemed a bit off to Qin Ran, but she understood why it came about. Moreover, there were quite a few fans shipping them online, which was why Qin Ran went out of her way to bring Zeng Qian into her company, intending to keep her at a distance later on.

But Qin Ran never imagined that some people would ship an even more offbeat pair: herself and Zeng Qian!

[Don't you all think Zeng Qian and Little President Qin are worth shipping too? Dominant CEO and lively flower, who falls in love at first sight and brings her into her company...]

[Hmm... now that you mention it, with the way Little President Qin went to such lengths for Zeng Qian, just to make her an employee so she could see her more often...]

When Qin Ran saw these comments, she was like a meme: Subway, old man, phone expression. Some ships can be niche, but they shouldn't be bizarre. After calming down, she thought: If you can ship this pairing, have you considered shipping me and Yu Shuman instead? Huh???

Fuming, Qin Ran directly logged into her little rich fan account and switched to battle mode. Since no one else could become the lead shipper of Qin Ran x Yu Shuman, she'd do it herself! No matter what, she had to bring this CP into the spotlight.

She whipped out her phone and furiously typed, using fan community jargon to craft a fanfic essay.

[Honestly, guys, I think Little President Qin and Yu Shuman are such a good ship. A senior and junior in school, with a long-standing relationship, looking out for each other in their careers. Whenever a photo of them comes out, it feels like there's an electric spark between them. Plus, they went to Fashion Week together. During the drama shoot, there were even paparazzi photos of Little President Qin visiting the set. Then, during the New Year, they went to catch dolls together. OMG, I'm shipping this so hard]

Qin Ran's account had a high engagement rate, and within moments, many netizens left comments. She excitedly clicked to see everyone shipping with her, only to be met with a row of: ???

Qin Ran: ???