**Chapter 46: Looking to the Light**

Ruan Qizhuo didn’t get a reply from He Lingji.

He glanced at the time.

Most likely, he was in a meeting.

So he pocketed his phone and decided to personally guard the harmony of their dear Brother He’s marriage.

Making an outstanding contribution to family stability—after all, a generous man like Brother He could surely toss out a few investments into his recently launched e-sports business without blinking.

**Half an hour later.**

Inside the private room, all the guests had arrived.

Besides Qin Mang and Tan Guannan, there were two young actors from the television industry—a man and a woman—as well as a male singer who had become hugely popular in the past two years thanks to a talent show. Only Ruan Qizhuo was a non-celebrity.

But to be fair, the chief director knew how to pick people.

Even the non-celebrity was an entertainment circle regular, dubbed by netizens as the *only useful connection in the industry*—Ruan Qizhuo.

The scene was not at all like the lively gathering of young people the director had imagined.

There was a strange tension in the air.

Dressed in all-white casual wear, Ruan Qizhuo somehow squeezed himself between the “couple-dressed” senior-junior duo, making himself the most glaring third wheel.

Hmm.

He almost looked like the Milky Way separating the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

And yet, he was entirely shameless. He even pushed the snacks on the table toward the director, who was sitting across and holding the livestreaming equipment himself. “Why are you staring at me? Eat!”

The chief director looked at the three people sitting stiffly on the sofa across from him. “…”

“Thanks so much,” he gritted through clenched teeth.

*The ‘senior-junior CP’ hasn’t even started and it’s already doomed?*

Ruan Qizhuo scooted right, and then some more, making sure not to touch Qin Mang on the far left.

Tan Guannan, seated on the right, was pushed to the edge.

Ruan Qizhuo, righteous as ever: “Teacher Tan, would you mind scooting over a bit?”

Once a person loses all sense of shame, the world must part for him.

Tan Guannan glanced sideways and saw Qin Mang now occupying half the sofa thanks to Ruan’s antics, while he himself was squeezed to the edge, feeling bewildered.

As a senior in the industry, Tan Guannan lost the battle by being too polite, too well-mannered.

So—

When Ruan’s butt bumped over, Tan hesitated for half a second but eventually gave in and got up to sit elsewhere.

Because he still had his idol image to maintain and couldn’t bring himself to push back in public.

Ruan Qizhuo successfully *ascended the throne*.

And this entire scene unfolded right in front of the livestream viewers.

> “HAHA I’m dying, Tan male god should push him back!”

> “You’re seriously letting that slide? Your girlfriend got snatched on camera. Be a man!”

> “Maybe he’s just trying to avoid scandal?”

> “Ah, showbiz is full of compromises.”

> “Honestly, Ruan Qizhuo has zero tact. Can’t he see they’re in matching outfits? Still squeezing Tan male god. I thought rich second-gens were supposed to be cultured and classy—this is just rude.”

> “Don’t you dare cyberbully the only connection I have in the industry! Take that back or I’ll lose my manners too~”

> “Isn’t he just bullying the guests with his status?”

> “Come on, don’t be dramatic. Who could Ruan Qizhuo possibly bully?”

> “Probably crushing on the beauty. Poor guy’s been single for over 20 years.”

> “I knew it! That’s why he’s suddenly on the show—trying to find a girlfriend?”

> “To be fair, Ruan’s face *is* camera-ready. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare appear on this show.”

After all, *Who Is the Murderer?* was known for using raw footage—no filters whatsoever, in the name of *revealing the truth and the real face*.

> “Whoa! Is my entertainment-industry plug about to steal someone’s girl?”

> “Did Ruan draw the ‘Dominant CEO/Falls in Love at First Sight’ script this time?”

> “Wait wait, y’all are dragging me off-topic. Where’s the proof that Tan Guannan is Qin Mang’s boyfriend? Sure, they have vaguely similar jawlines, but from another angle—not at all!”

Otherwise, with Tan Guannan’s level of recognizability, he’d have been recognized on the spot.

> “…”

The viewers were quickly distracted by Ruan Qizhuo, and the public opinion was beginning to veer off course.

Qin Mang easily deduced that Ruan Qizhuo had been furiously tapping his phone at the door earlier—definitely sending someone a message.

Last time she’d seen him, he was being chased by paparazzi and hadn’t had time to say hi.

The time before that—it was at the wedding.

Ruan Qizhuo had been the *only* groomsman, so she remembered him clearly.

Taking advantage of the moment when the director turned the livestream camera to another guest, Ruan Qizhuo discreetly held out his glowing phone screen to Qin Mang—

Qin Mang lowered her eyes.

The screen showed an open note:

> *Sister-in-law, the truth is… it’s not easy for my Brother He to make money. Just to buy you that diamond, he gave up buying his beloved private jet. It’s truly heartbreaking. He’s never suffered like this in his life. As his loyal little cotton-padded jacket, I’m seriously worried about him.*

Ruan Qizhuo’s goal was simple.

He just wanted Qin Mang to casually whisper something to He Lingji on his behalf during pillow talk—to show how truly loyal and emotional he was toward Brother He.

Once Brother He was moved—

Hehehe.

The investment would be in the bag.

But while Ruan was simple…

Qin Mang wasn’t.

Her glimmering eyes slowly rose, scrutinizing Ruan’s incredibly pretty-boy face.

He even called himself He Lingji’s “little cotton-padded jacket”?

*Ugh.*

Qin Mang felt faintly grossed out by this ambiguous male behavior.

Next time, she *definitely* needed to check He Lingji’s WeChat remarks!

Her new ice-pink manicure glowed temptingly under the light.

Qin Mang gave a lazy little chuckle and slowly typed back:

> *This kind of suffering—he’ll just have to endure it for life.*

Ruan Qizhuo: “…”

*Tsk tsk tsk—*

What a cold-blooded, arrogant tone.

As expected, birds of a feather flock together!

Truly—

Every boss meets their match.

No wonder she had He Lingji wrapped around her finger.

Tan Guannan had originally thought Qin Mang and Ruan Qizhuo knew each other, which was why he’d given up his seat. But ten minutes had passed, and the two hadn’t said a single word—not even a greeting.

After a brief hesitation, he walked over to Qin Mang’s side.

As his gaze brushed past the small, delicate red mole on her nose tip, he paused subtly, then asked warmly, “Need any help?”

His eyes briefly flicked to the very *present* Ruan Qizhuo beside her—it was obvious what he meant.

Ruan Qizhuo, calm as ever, pressed a throw pillow over the remaining space on the sofa and declared, “No need.”

Tan Guannan: “President Ruan, you really don’t hold back.”

Ruan Qizhuo: “To be praised by a movie king—truly an honor.”

Tan Guannan: “…”

Seeing everyone’s attention drifting toward them, Qin Mang didn’t even need to read the comments to imagine the barrage of “teehee” speculation.

She was probably being imagined into some sort of love triangle.

Given Tan Guannan’s popularity, he could trend just by showing up and doing nothing.

Let alone his first-ever reality show appearance—#TanQinCoupleOutfits had already hit trending #2.

Trending #1: #TanGuannanQinMangCampusLoveRekindled#

Originally, the director only planned for a 30-minute stream, but now it had been extended another half-hour.

Viewer numbers were still climbing.

Who’d want to stop?

This was the future ratings goldmine!

Qin Mang gracefully got up and smiled slightly. “I’ll leave you two to your flirting. I’m stepping out to take a call.”

Ruan Qizhuo / Tan Guannan: “…”

They looked at each other.

Then turned their heads at the same time—like they’d just eaten something disgusting.

Originally, because of Tan Guannan’s initiative, the bullet screen (comment feed) was full of:

* “He couldn’t hold back, he finally couldn’t hold back!”
* “God Tan, charge!”
* “Help! He really cares about her!”
* “Ahhh! It’s real, right? It’s real, right? The ‘Senior Brother x Junior Sister, a match made in heaven’ CP is definitely real!”
* “My CP radar never fails—based on experience, they’re 100% real.”
* “Top actor and rookie actress—even if he wasn’t at the premiere, that childhood sweetheart school romance is enough for me to ship them to death!”
* “Wuwuwu, the moment God Tan stood up, all idol drama plots became lame in comparison!”

But a few seconds later, the tone shifted:

* “Something feels off?”
* “Best Actor Tan and Ruan’s interactions feel off.”
* “Love-hate relationship?”
* “Enemies-to-lovers?”
* “You guys upstairs are off—”
* “No, this is all Qin Mang’s fault. That last line was too loaded, wasn’t it?”
* “Who pushes their boyfriend toward another man?”
* “Maybe… Goddess Qin is just really generous?”

At this moment, the supposedly “generous” Goddess Qin was heading out, ready to question He Lingji.

Wasn’t her warm presence enough?

Did he really need an extra “little padded jacket”?

Who knew—

Just as she typed two characters, a message popped up on the chat:

**He Qiongqiong:** [Senior Brother and Junior Sister, a match made in heaven?]

Just listen to that.

The sarcasm was practically dripping from it.

Qin Mang’s red lips curled into a frosty arc.

She hadn’t even asked him about this “padded jacket,” and he was already starting.

Leaning lazily against the railing, the slender girl lowered her eyes and replied:

**LittleLion_AwooMeow:** [Isn’t that what normal schoolmates call each other? What, you’ve never had a junior girl call you that at school?]

**He Qiongqiong:** [Never.]

**LittleLion_AwooMeow:** [Oh, so you’re just jealous he has a junior girl.]

**He Qiongqiong:** […]

**He Qiongqiong:** [Mrs. He.]

**LittleLion_AwooMeow:** [What?]

**He Qiongqiong:** [Photo.jpg]
[Want it?]

Qin Mang was instantly stunned by the gorgeous yacht in the photo—its sleek design in blue and white, with the little white lion logo she always used for custom fashion and jewelry. Underneath was the yacht’s name:

**Tian Guang (Heaven’s Light).**

And most eye-catching of all—the name “Tian Guang” was inlaid with colorful gemstones.

Every detail struck directly at Qin Mang’s taste.

Ahhh!

**That** was **her** yacht!

Qin Mang was flexible when needed.

A second ago, she’d been fuming at He Lingji’s sarcasm. The next, she melted, sending a voice message in a sweet voice: “Hubbbyyy~~~”

With such a handsome, charming, outstanding man—forget a little padded jacket or small heater, even a whole pile of hand warmers and electric blankets wouldn’t be too much!

She wasn’t mad at all!

She didn’t notice the tall, cold figure following her at a distance—

Her beloved husband, now grinning as he read her messages.

**He Qiongqiong:** [What did you just call me?]

**LittleLion_AwooMeow:** [Gege~ (Big Brother~)]
[You’re my one and only pillow-sharing, unique, darling gege~~~]

When Qin Mang sweet-talked, no one could resist.

**He Qiongqiong:** [Not planning to wear couple’s outfits with your dear senior anymore?]

**LittleLion_AwooMeow:** [Total accident! Should I take it off right now and give it to Ruan Qizhuo instead? *Little White Lion Leaning on Paw.jpg*]

**He Qiongqiong:** […]

Qin Mang thought those ellipses were full of meaning.

Was he trying to find an excuse not to give her the yacht?

Thinking of that pink diamond lion he’d left her, Qin Mang felt it was highly likely.

That man was capable of anything.

So she had to keep coaxing him.

Just then, Meng Ting approached her.

In a low voice, he asked, “Have you seen Teacher Tan? I just saw him leave too.”

Thankfully, she had been clever earlier and made a light joke about Tan Guannan and Ruan Qizhuo when leaving—an indirect clarification.

Most netizens weren’t stupid. Only hardcore CP fans could ship anything. In their eyes:

Appearing together = going public,
Talking = dating,
Wearing the same clothes = showing affection…

“No,” Qin Mang said, absentmindedly rubbing her phone’s edge. Her mind was entirely on how to get that “Tian Guang” yacht. She couldn’t care less about any Teacher Tan.

She had long dreamed of owning her own yacht.

But—

Her allowance had been cut off for a while.

And with her gem-collecting hobby eating up money, it kept getting postponed.

This yacht was practically tailor-made for her dreams.

Meng Ting finally relaxed. Seeing how well Qin Mang performed tonight, he spoke as if praising a child, “Keep it up. Stay calm when things happen.”

“Never embarrass anyone.”

“All the guests here tonight have been in the industry longer than you. Especially Teacher Tan. I’ll talk to the director—no CP hype, just normal interactions on the show. Can you do that?”

“I can.” Qin Mang waved lazily, not wanting to go back inside. “Can I leave early?”

“I’m tired.”

What she really meant was—

Time to coax her man.

Meng Ting agreed.

The livestream was long over. As long as she notified the director, leaving now was no problem.

They’d just need to apologize to Teacher Tan and the others—after all, whether intentional or not, they’d used them as a shield.

He had A-Tong escort Qin Mang to the car while he returned to the suite.

Inside the nanny van—

Qin Mang took a sip of water from the thermos A-Tong handed her.

Then she casually took off her hoodie,

Revealing her delicate, shapely figure in just a camisole.

A-Tong was caught off guard.

Stunned by the unexpected beauty: “Sis… sis… what are you doing?”

Late at night.

Just the two of them in the car, and the beautiful goddess suddenly undressing—

Ahhhhhhh.

A-Tong’s imagination went wild: if Big Beauty Qin tried to pounce, should she just lie down or pretend to resist a little?

But then Qin Mang grabbed a coat from the back seat and wrapped herself up.

Only then did A-Tong breathe a sigh of relief.

No decisions needed.

She was overthinking it~

Under the dim parking lot lights,

The girl softly licked her rosy lips, eyelashes lowered, and instinctively opened her phone screen.

First, she changed He Qiongqiong’s WeChat nickname to:

**Gege (Big Brother)**

Then she cropped the last three lines of their chat.

Logged into her main Weibo account.

**Qin Mang V:** My home is about to be flooded with lemon juice. *screenshot.jpg*

Then she sent the Weibo screenshot to He Lingji.

**LittleLion_AwooMeow:** [Are you no longer mad?]

Is the yacht still hers?

He Lingji didn’t reply.

But at that moment, Weibo exploded again.

**He Lingji V:** Longing for Heaven’s Light. *photo.jpg*

In the photo was the full view of the massive yacht.

Far more majestic than the logo close-up he’d sent earlier. It floated in a blue sea like a sacred beast—imposing, pure, and mysterious.

Just seconds earlier, netizens were commenting under Qin Mang’s Weibo:

* “This kind of jealous man is a red flag!”
* “Probably felt inferior seeing how well Tan God and Qin Goddess matched.”
* “Well, he’s just a regular guy. Facing top-tier celebs, feeling insecure is normal.”
* “The more someone lacks, the more they care.”
* “See? Celebs should date within the industry. Outsiders just lead to problems.”
* “What if they break up and the guy goes crazy, leaking private photos? That’d be…”
* “Insecure men just drag their partners down into the mud.”
* “A goddess and an average Joe? I don’t see it working.”
* “@QinMang, this kind of man is dangerous. Suggest you cut losses early!”
* “…”

But the **same group** of people—

Rushed to **He Lingji’s Weibo** the next second,

Screaming “HUSBAND!”

Though the word “husband” was still a censored term*

Fine.

Truly a reflection of today’s netizens’ mindset.

Instant hypocrisy.

And totally unaware.

Top comment: “A gift for *her*?”

Under He Lingji’s Weibo:

Everyone agreed—

It represented her husband.

It represented **Mrs. He**.

Consensus was reached.

No one expected He Lingji to actually **like** the comment.

In an instant—

#TrueEliteFairyTaleLove# rocketed to the top of trending, completely crushing #TanGuannanQinMangSchoolLoveReunion#