The Earth-Shaking Sisterhood

Qin Ran was dumbfounded. What was happening? Why was everyone bombarding her with questions? She refreshed the page again and finally saw a comment with some substance.

[Rich sister, this is on you. We can ship any CP we like, but they have an earth-shaking sisterhood! How can you taint such a pure friendship?]

Qin Ran nearly exploded with rage at this comment. She wanted to retort directly: How is it pure?! The way Yu Shuman looks at her says "I'm madly in love" in one eye and "This is my wife" in the other. How can this be considered pure friendship? How can it be an earth-shaking sisterhood?!

They are not pure! Not at all!

Qin Ran angrily typed on her phone, wanting to reply, but the next comment came up:

[Rich sister, we're just shipping them for fun. It's obvious we don't actually think they are a couple. If we take this too seriously and it affects their relationship, that would be bad]

??? You didn't consider this when you were shipping Yu Shuman with others!

Qin Ran's phone froze because there were more replies:

[Seriously, shipping CPs should have some standards. They're just normal friends, no need to twist their relationship]

"JUST TWIST IT YOU JERK!"

Qin Ran actually shouted out loud. She even threw her phone in frustration. She could still see people agreeing with these comments below her post. In short, the consensus was: they have a pure friendship, so don't overthink it.

The fans were protecting Yu Shuman and Qin Ran's relationship because they genuinely wanted to see pure friendship. They were also afraid that if they shipped them as a couple, it might lead to negative rumors, such as Qin Ran being accused of taking advantage of Yu Shuman. They were sincerely protecting their reputations.

Qin Ran should have been touched by the fans' genuine feelings, but in reality, she was grinding her teeth in anger. She was about to cry with frustration. Hearing the commotion, Yu Shuman entered the study with a plate of freshly washed cherry tomatoes. She picked up Qin Ran's phone from the floor and placed it on the desk along with the cherry tomatoes.

She asked softly, "What's wrong? Did something happen at work?"

Qin Ran pouted and recounted the whole story to Yu Shuman. She was so mad her head hurt, which was why she told Yu Shuman about it. She had some sense and didn't mention that she was the rich fan. She just borrowed the post from the rich fan, mentioning that no one believed they were truly in love and felt wronged about it.

Hearing that Qin Ran got so angry over something so trivial, Yu Shuman couldn't suppress a smile. She reached out and poked Qin Ran's forehead. "Is this little thing enough to make you this angry? You even threw your phone?"

"Check your phone; make sure it's not broken."

Qin Ran pouted but obediently unlocked her phone and swiped the screen. Yu Shuman hadn't intended to look at Qin Ran's phone, but since she was doing it right in front of her, it was hard not to see something. It wasn't much—just a glimpse of the message list. She saw her own account avatar and a message saying, "Thank you."

Yu Shuman initially didn't think much of it. After all, it was normal for Qin Ran's account to follow her own. She just didn't know what Qin Ran's account was named. Yu Shuman wasn't the type to dig up people's alternate accounts, so she let it go after a glance.

But while messing around with Qin Ran and soaking in the bathtub later, Yu Shuman suddenly had a light bulb moment. She quickly got out of the tub, dried herself, and wrapped a towel around her body. Ignoring her still-dripping hair, she grabbed her phone.

After unlocking it and logging into Weibo, she used her small surfing account instead of her main verified account. She had seen her main account's avatar earlier and had assumed it was her main account, but thinking back, it didn't quite add up. Wasn't that the avatar of her surfing account?

At first, Yu Shuman thought it was an automated "Thank you for following" response from her main account. She had only caught a glimpse of it and hadn't thought much about it. But now, as she recalled, nothing about it made sense. Her fingers swiped across the screen, searching for the account her small account had sent a "Thank you" to.

Yu Shuman clicked on the profile picture of the other party and saw the familiar account of the famous rich fan in the circle.

She had won a few red envelopes from this rich fan before. She had participated in the red envelope draw that the rich fan had posted not long ago. Usually, she would only accept the winnings occasionally, but most of the time, she wouldn't. If she didn't accept, the rich fan would pass it on to the next winner, but Yu Shuman would still say "Thank you."

As she opened the rich fan's account, she also saw the content posted today and how the fans were attacking her. Normally, everyone would praise the rich fan for her generosity, but when it came to this issue, they stood up and told the rich fan she shouldn't have said that. If Qin Ran really was the rich fan... it all seemed to make sense.

The rich fan spent money freely, never considering how much she spent, and was only active in Yu Shuman's main fan club, which fit Qin Ran's image. The rich fan wanted everyone to ship Qin Ran and herself as a couple, which matched Qin Ran's indignation today.

But then again... the account wasn't necessarily her avatar. Someone might just be using the same picture as hers. After all, Yu Shuman's avatar was a cute internet image she had found randomly online. It wasn't unusual for others to use it too. To catch Qin Ran red-handed, she'd need proof to make her admit it without a doubt.

But Yu Shuman felt she didn't need so much evidence. They were a couple, not playing some detective game. She didn't need to catch every little detail to convict Qin Ran. Yu Shuman had already decided to confront Qin Ran about it later.

She dried her hair, and by the time she came out, Qin Ran was already playing games in the living room. But maybe because of the comments on Weibo, Qin Ran's mood wasn't great, and even her gameplay was off.

Yu Shuman changed into her pajamas and sat down in front of Qin Ran. When Qin Ran died on the game for the umpteenth time, Yu Shuman casually said, "Xiao Ran, you're the rich fan who's really famous in my fan club, right?"

When she asked this, she turned her head to look at Qin Ran, observing her intently. Qin Ran hadn't realized what Yu Shuman was asking at first; when she was gaming, words went in one ear and out the other. She instinctively asked, "What?" By the time she processed what Yu Shuman was actually saying, Qin Ran was visibly shocked, her face showing an exaggerated expression like Yu Shuman was asking about something scandalous.

Judging by her expression, Yu Shuman's first thought was that Qin Ran was hiding something. But Qin Ran tried to play it off with laughter, attempting to change the subject.

"How could it be me? I just saw it today and told you about it. By the way, do you want to play with me? I'm stuck on this level."

Normally, Yu Shuman might have been distracted, but today's topic was too important to let Qin Ran brush it off so easily. She even cupped Qin Ran's face to make her shift focus from the "You died" on the TV screen to her.

"Are you still lying to me?"

Qin Ran stared blankly, not understanding why Yu Shuman knew she was the rich fan and was so sure about it, to the point that her usual evasive tactics weren't working. She pouted, still wanting to deny it, "No, really, I'm not!"

Yu Shuman stared into Qin Ran's eyes and suddenly burst into laughter. It was an enchanting, mesmerizing smile that Qin Ran had no defense against. Yu Shuman was truly a wicked woman, using her charm at a time like this. Qin Ran blinked, trying to pull herself back together, determined not to be swayed by the beauty in front of her.

But Yu Shuman wasn't letting Qin Ran off the hook. "Then let me see your phone. I want to check your Weibo."

"!!!" Qin Ran's face was priceless at this moment. Seeing her expression, Yu Shuman understood: This girl is the rich fan.

That was close; she almost got away with it. At first, judging by Qin Ran's expression, Yu Shuman thought she had made a mistake. But that look screamed, "Yes, senior, you guessed right. I'm the rich fan who gives out money every day."

Yu Shuman didn't need to see Qin Ran's phone anymore. She pinched Qin Ran's cheeks. "Xiao Ran! Why do you spend money so recklessly every day? Every time you give out red envelopes on Weibo, you give out tens of thousands. Do you not think of money as money? I even posted about rational spending, and you just went ahead and reposted it for a draw. Aren't you ignoring my words?"

Qin Ran's face was being pinched, so she couldn't speak. She wanted to argue, but Yu Shuman's hand moved from her cheeks to her ear. Yu Shuman hadn't even pinched her yet, and Qin Ran already felt a twinge of pain. Her brain worked at full speed, needing a convincing excuse to avoid getting her ear pulled.

In a critical moment, Qin Ran blurted out, "Senior, senior! There's a reason I give out red envelopes! I really have a reason!"

Yu Shuman's fingertips lightly touched the tip of Qin Ran's ear, sending a shiver down Qin Ran's spine. Usually, her ear would shrink back in sensitivity, but today she only felt a threat.

"Oh? Xiao Ran, tell me, what's the reason?"

If she didn't come up with a good excuse, she'd be kicked off the bed tonight for sure.

Qin Ran swallowed, coming up with a seemingly reasonable excuse. "It's for promotion funds! It's actually a way to promote! And it's more effective than the usual promotion strategies!"

Qin Ran: What is with you guys??? (bursts into tears from anger)

Yu Shuman: A little white lie in the name of a promotion strategy, no big deal, right?