I've Regretted It

Qin Ran guessed that Ling Second Brother must have run into Yu Shuman when he was leaving, which is why Yu Shuman asked. As for whether Qin Ran knew about his visit… of course, she knew; she was the one who called him here.

Ling Second Brother had been relentlessly trying to meet Qin Ran for the past few days. After Qin Ran had lunch with Zeng Qian over the weekend, she made him wait for two more days before telling him that she was free this morning and that he could come over.

Ling Second Brother arrived early; he had just left a moment ago.

Surprisingly, he seemed like a normal person. Qin Ran didn't mean this in a derogatory sense; she just hadn't expected him to be so normal. It felt as if he was a character from a novel who had suddenly become self-aware.

The first thing Ling Second Brother did when they met was apologize to Qin Ran and Yu Shuman. He admitted that they had spoiled Ling Miaohan too much, making her overly arrogant. She always believed she should come first in any situation and used methods she shouldn't have, like how Ling Third Brother stole the chat logs of 99 Entertainment employees and how they used Pei Qi to spread dirt about Yu Shuman and 99 Entertainment.

Ling Second Brother directly acknowledged that Ling Miaohan was behind all this. It made sense; neither Ling Third Brother nor Pei Qi had any issues with Yu Shuman or 99 Entertainment initially. If you think about it, although 99 Entertainment and Pei Group were competitors, 99 Entertainment was just an agency, while Pei Group's industries were far more diverse. The entertainment sector was just a small part of their portfolio, with a stronger focus on film distribution and production.

Their direct conflict with 99 Entertainment was largely due to Ling Miaohan.

Qin Ran didn't initially want to deal with Ling Miaohan, but Pei Qi thought making her happy meant going against Yu Shuman. This led to an almost irreconcilable feud between the two sides.

Ling Second Brother understood this clearly. He knew that Ling Miaohan was behind it all. Although she never said anything, both Pei Qi and Ling Third Brother acted on her behalf. After apologizing on his brother's behalf, he stated that Ling Third Brother deserved any punishment he faced for his illegal actions; it was all his fault.

At this point, Qin Ran was genuinely shocked. After all, Ling Miaohan had just recently accused her to her face. She assumed that Ling First Brother probably felt the same way. She hadn't expected that there would be someone in the Ling family who understood that breaking the law deserved punishment.

After his apology, Qin Ran frankly expressed her thoughts, "I honestly didn't expect you to come here to apologize. I thought you were here to make threats."

Taking a sip of tea, she continued, "What exactly did you come here for? Just say it directly." She didn't believe he came just to apologize. He didn't seem ready to leave either, indicating he had more to say.

Ling Second Brother remained silent for a while. Realizing she wouldn't get anything out of him yet, Qin Ran changed the topic, "Considering the personalities of your older and younger brothers, I thought you would also believe your sister, Ling Miaohan, could do no wrong. After all, I've heard stories about you getting forced out of the military for assaulting someone to defend your sister."

This time, Ling Second Brother didn't remain silent for long. He simply sighed, paused, and then said, "Actually, I regret it."

"?" Qin Ran put down her cup, looking intrigued.

Ling Second Brother pursed his lips before continuing, "Back then, I chose to defend Miaohan despite knowing it was against the rules because she cried to me, saying she was bullied. As her brother, how could I stand by and watch her cry like that? I knew I would be punished, but I accepted it because she's my sister."

"But after I beat that guy up and put him in the hospital, Miaohan blamed me for being too harsh." Ling Second Brother gave a bitter smile. "Afterward, I was criminally detained for intentional assault. After some negotiation, I was fined and detained for a month. Later, as you know, I couldn't continue in the military because of my violation; I had to leave the service. This was after considering my previous contributions; otherwise, I would have been directly expelled."

"After that, I didn't return home. They thought I was too ashamed to come back, but in reality… I kept wondering whether everything I did was worth it."

Anyone who has gone through such an ordeal would inevitably ask themselves this question: was it worth it to ruin your dream for someone else? Especially when the person you defended might not even appreciate it.

But regret shouldn't be an emotion that Ling Second Brother feels. He is Ling Miaohan's doting brother, the iron-fisted second brother who would cross everyone for her, according to the original story. That he could calmly have this conversation was already surprising.

Qin Ran observed Ling Second Brother, not speaking as he paused. Then, he shifted the topic to something else: "I also heard about Miss Zhao's engagement being called off with my brother. Later, I investigated and learned that you approached Miss Zhao first, which led to the subsequent events."

"Yes, it was me."

Qin Ran admitted it straightforwardly and even asked, "Are you here to blame me for that?"

She wanted to know how he would react. After all, Ling Second Brother had been acting normally so far. If he suddenly switched back to his original persona, it wouldn't be too surprising. What would shock Qin Ran more was if he continued acting normal.

To her surprise, he remained composed. He even shook his head, "No, I think it was bound to happen. I've met Miss Zhao; she's a passionate woman with strong opinions. The only reason she agreed to marry my brother was to secure the life she wanted. My brother… isn't capable of giving her that, so I find it understandable that she called off the engagement."

"Your interference was only because my brother and Miaohan provoked you first."

Qin Ran sensed that Ling Second Brother's visit had something to do with this. "So?"

Ling Second Brother took a deep breath, "I hope you stay away from me and my girlfriend. I don't want her to get involved in any of this with the Ling family and Miaohan." He clenched his pants tightly. "Honestly, I don't want her to leave me like my brother and Miss Zhao did."

Qin Ran smirked, "I don't think I have that kind of power."

Ling Second Brother shook his head, "As a soldier, my instincts tell me you do. If you get involved and I get dragged into the Ling family's mess, there's a chance my girlfriend and I will end up like my brother and Miss Zhao. But rest assured, I have no intention of getting involved in anything related to the Ling family or Miaohan. I'm just here to introduce my girlfriend to the family. We're flying abroad for an art exhibition in a couple of days."

You're insane! Who wants to hear about your love life!

But she couldn't deny that Ling Second Brother was not currently her enemy. Plus, his connections were quite extensive, so if he got involved, it could become a hassle. Qin Ran couldn't help but ask, "If your father asks you for help, will you ignore him?"

"I will." Ling Second Brother answered without hesitation, "Before I left the military, I repaid my debt to the family. From now on, this is my own life."

He smiled, and Qin Ran believed his assurance. So she gave him a promise in return, "As long as you don't interfere with our affairs, I won't disturb you and your girlfriend."

Satisfied, Ling Second Brother left after sitting for a while longer. He put on his hat and mask and left 99 Entertainment, only to run into Yu Shuman downstairs.

Seeing the concern in Yu Shuman's eyes, Qin Ran carefully explained what she could to reassure her that everything was fine. Yu Shuman breathed a sigh of relief and even joked, "I didn't expect Ling Second Brother to be so normal. I thought he was here to cause you trouble."

Qin Ran couldn't help but agree; she had thought the same.

Now that Yu Shuman was here, Qin Ran wasn't about to let her go easily. She had her push back some work to figure out what to eat for lunch. After thinking for a long time, they decided not to eat out and instead picked up the phone to order takeout.

Yu Shuman was tempted by the spicy hotpot on the menu, so Qin Ran joined her in ordering that along with some sushi and two milk teas. The assistant brought up the spicy hotpot carefully, only to run into Sister Li and Zeng Qian in the elevator.

"Your office allows this stuff?"

Normally, it wouldn't be allowed because of the strong smell; you'd have to go to the break room to eat it. But this wasn't for just anyone—it was for the boss. The assistant showed the receipt, which had been ordered under "Ms. Qin."

Sister Li twitched her mouth at the thought of the luxurious office Qin Ran had filled with the scent of spicy hotpot. Then again, considering the plush rabbit toys in there, it wasn't so surprising.

Sister Li didn't like eating that kind of food. She took Zeng Qian to the HR floor and helped her with the paperwork. Noticing Zeng Qian was a bit distracted, Sister Li asked what was wrong, and Zeng Qian swallowed, "The spicy hotpot smelled really good..."

"Stop right there. If you don't want to get scolded by your new manager on your first day, you better stick to your diet."

Zeng Qian nodded obediently. After finishing the paperwork, they had a light lunch. After handing Zeng Qian over to her manager, Sister Li made a side trip to see Yu Shuman. As soon as she got close, she could smell the spicy hotpot on her.

—Well, Zeng Qian's manager didn't need to scold anyone, but it seemed Sister Li might have to.