Zhao Changfeng thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Is that why you don’t hang out with Lin Lu much anymore?”

Jiang Ruotang showed a surprised expression: “Huh, you noticed that?”

“It’s pretty obvious, okay?” Zhao Changfeng rolled his eyes. “You used to be like a naive deer, wherever Lin Lu pointed, you’d run, so stupid.”

Jiang Ruotang was silent for a while. Zhao Changfeng thought he had hit a sore spot and was about to apologize, but then Jiang Ruotang spoke calmly.

“He and I started playing together when we were very young. You know my mom passed away early, and my dad often had to film movies, so ever since I can remember, my playmate has been Lin Lu. From a young age, he would give me his favorite toys, watch cartoons with me, go to amusement parks. When kids at school said I was a child without a mom, he’d be the first to stand up for me. We’ve been desk mates from elementary school until now.”

Zhao Changfeng lowered his eyes. He finally understood why Jiang Ruotang had such unwavering trust in Lin Lu before.

“I never thought Lin Lu would harm me or use me, because if I had that thought, it would be like negating my own childhood, even my teenage years.”

Zhao Changfeng also said, “It’s like me. If I negate Meng Yang, it’s like negating these three years of my life.”

Jiang Ruotang opened a can of cola and raised it towards Zhao Changfeng. “Yeah, I really don’t know how Lin Lu became like this, but if I think about it… maybe this is his true self. I originally thought we could be friends for life, but if I continue to blindly trust him, it won’t just be my own future at stake, but possibly more. So I decided to no longer cling to this false warmth. You see… when I broke free from his influence, I gained you as a younger brother, the class monitor, Sister Sha, and now Cai Cai. You too… stop clinging to false friendships.”

Zhao Changfeng looked at Jiang Ruotang and suddenly said something astonishing: “Brother… I suddenly think you’re really handsome.”

“Really? Thank…”

“If you really don’t like Bai Yingchuan anymore, and you’re willing to go with ‘bone-bro’ (incestuous relationship), I can reluctantly accept it.”

Jiang Ruotang froze, looking at Zhao Changfeng’s clear and handsome eyes, feeling a shocking sensation, as if struck by lightning.

“You… what did you say?”

As he spoke, Jiang Ruotang silently moved away from his chair, retreating backward. After all, with Zhao Changfeng’s physique, if he pounced, Jiang Ruotang would surely not survive.

“Hahahaha… I just praised you for being handsome! Now I think you’re so stupid! Hahahaha!” Zhao Changfeng clutched his stomach, laughing until tears came out.

“Holy moly! Is that something you can joke about?! You little brat, you’re tired of living! You’re definitely tired of living!”

“You took it seriously? You actually took it seriously! You really did secretly desire the incredibly handsome me!”

Jiang Ruotang leaped onto Zhao Changfeng’s shoulders, pulling his hair for all he was worth.

After finishing the late-night snack Jiang Ruotang made for him, Zhao Changfeng decided to let go of the past.

He posted a photo of the sandwich Jiang Ruotang made for him on his WeChat Moments, a photo with a straight man’s aesthetic that Jiang Ruotang didn’t even want to like.

Jian Sha: [Zhao Changfeng, did you make this yourself? It looks completely unappetizing!]

Zhao Changfeng: [My brother made it. You’re just saying the grapes are sour because you can’t reach them!]

Jian Sha: [What? Young Master Jiang cooked? Then it must taste Michelin-level.]

Zhao Changfeng: [You’re just saying what people want to hear, and what ghosts want to hear!]

Jiang Ruotang was speechless with these two; they could even bicker in their Moments.

Not long after, Lu Guifan suddenly appeared in the likes list.

Jiang Ruotang smiled somewhat smugly and muttered to himself, “Master, your disciple’s cooking, it’s not bad, is it?”

He didn’t know, however, that Lu Guifan, looking at the picture in Zhao Changfeng’s Moments, was reminded of the scene where Jiang Ruotang had leaned close to him, pulling away the stringy cheese from his lips that day.

---

The next day at noon, Zhao Changfeng belatedly remembered to thank his friends and family for cheering him on during the finals. But because he needed to control his diet, he didn’t invite them out to eat and instead prepared to order milk tea.

“Sister Sha, still pearl milk tea with zero-calorie sugar?” Zhao Changfeng asked.

Jian Sha gave an OK gesture.

“Cai Cai?”

“Then I’ll split the second half-price cup with Sasha, the same kind will do!” Cai Ji said with a smile.

Zhao Changfeng exclaimed, “Cai Cai is so kind, he’s even thinking about saving me money.”

He walked over to Lu Guifan and chuckled, “Class monitor, what kind of tea do you get… which one is it?”

Lu Guifan almost said “Jin Xuan Oolong,” but he paused and asked instead, “What does your brother drink?”

“He gets pearl milk tea but with tea jelly instead of pearls, and light sugar.”

Although Jiang Ruotang was in the restroom, Zhao Changfeng knew his preferences perfectly.

“Is that also buy-one-get-one-half-off?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Then I’ll have the same as him.”

Zhao Changfeng’s eyes lit up when he heard that. He put his arm around Lu Guifan’s shoulder and said, “Even though it’s only four yuan cheaper, Class Monitor, your thoughtfulness really touches me!”

So when Zhao Changfeng placed the milk tea on Jiang Ruotang’s desk and said, “Your and the class monitor’s second cup is half-price,” Jiang Ruotang made a confused “ah” sound.

Jian Sha giggled and explained, “The class monitor chose to get the second cup half-price with you to save Zhao Changfeng four yuan.”

Jiang Ruotang looked diagonally behind him and saw that the paper cup on the corner of Lu Guifan’s desk was indeed not the type he usually drank. He suddenly remembered Teacher Wang Siben’s crosstalk line, “Can’t I drink the half-price milk tea all by myself?”

Too many subtle conjectures surged in his mind. Jiang Ruotang watched Lu Guifan’s long fingers pick up the paper cup, the straw entering his lips as he took a sip. The tea jelly surged up the translucent straw, then Lu Guifan bit down, his throat rippling.

Perhaps feeling Jiang Ruotang’s gaze, Lu Guifan looked up, still with that calm expression.

Hmph!

Jiang Ruotang turned around, feeling a very special kind of happiness in his heart. It was as if it was some kind of good omen. He took a big sip, but unexpectedly, joy turned to sorrow, and he choked on the tea jelly, tears welling up in his eyes.

Zhao Changfeng didn’t forget to twist the knife: “Be careful! No need to demonstrate the incredible feat of spraying tea jelly out of your nostrils!”

Jiang Ruotang was so annoyed his teeth ached: “Get lost—”

More than half of December had passed like this, and news about the development of Chengtan gradually spread wider.

It was said that experts were calculating the possibility of sand dredging for land reclamation, and the province was also making plans. Although nothing had been finalized, the once worthless Chengtan was quietly increasing in price. However, until the plans became clear, large corporations were still observing, and the village houses, defunct aquatic product processing plants, and fishponds in Chengtan still had no market value.

But according to Mr. Zheng’s analysis, Chengtan as a new development zone was almost a certainty.

Jiang Ruotang had little interest in the real estate industry; he just needed to wait for large real estate groups to enter the market, and Mr. Zheng could then sell off the Chengtan resources he held, turning the previously invested assets several times over.

Mr. Zheng would occasionally send financial reports to Jiang Ruotang. He managed the remaining money very well, and Jiang Ruotang, with his ten-year head start in information, still had a very positive view of Mr. Zheng’s investment areas. There was almost no friction between them until a video website, on the verge of collapse due to mismanagement and copyright issues, caught Jiang Ruotang’s eye.

In his opinion, this was the future of the entertainment industry. The platform’s influence was enough to surpass film and television companies, being a more financially powerful client than traditional radio stations. He wanted to acquire this website.

However, Mr. Zheng was not optimistic.

Most of the website’s users were two-dimensional and lifestyle content creators. The content was rich, but the original operators had not categorized it.

Many subtitle groups freely posted exciting clips of popular overseas animations to attract traffic for unofficial resources. There were also many voice acting enthusiasts who dubbed these popular animations and overseas TV series, attracting a large number of users. Some voice actors even had a considerable number of fans.

The platform’s logo was a cute panda eating an apple, affectionately nicknamed “Little Sweet Fruit” by users.

Recently, the two major video websites in the industry were promoting legitimate content and attracting paying users, making “Little Sweet Fruit” a natural target for their crackdown.

A series of lawsuits left “Little Sweet Fruit” facing massive compensation. Its operators, just a few recently graduated college students, could only sell “Little Sweet Fruit” to pay the compensation.

They ran to many large corporations, even approaching Lin Chengdong.

Lin Chengdong had long seen through it: this was the two video website giants collaborating to crush “Little Sweet Fruit,” a potential competitor. At this time, buying “Little Sweet Fruit” would be tantamount to opposing them, and Lin Chengdong certainly wouldn’t get involved in this mess.

Most importantly, the industry universally assessed that even if “Little Sweet Fruit” were acquired, making it profitable would be almost impossible, so “Little Sweet Fruit”‘s future looked bleak.

---

At lunchtime, Cai Ji slumped over his desk, sighing deeply. Jiang Ruotang couldn’t help but sit on the corner of his desk and ruffled his little curly hair for a long time, but he didn’t react.

“Cai Cai, what’s wrong?”

“My Little Sweet Fruit… is probably going to die…” Cai Ji had a look of utter despair.

“Ah? That video website?”

Cai Ji was also a well-known creator on “Little Sweet Fruit.” He often posted animated short videos he made there. Because his characters were very beautiful, he had many fans.

This was a small spiritual solace for Cai Ji in his otherwise gloomy life over the years.

Moreover, in the backend, Cai Ji received many tips, accumulating to a five-figure sum over time.

“You haven’t withdrawn any of these tips?” Jiang Ruotang asked.

“No,” Cai Ji shook his head. “If I withdrew them, they’d go to my dad… so I never did. Now I just want to donate this money to Little Sweet Fruit, hoping they can overcome their difficulties.”

Jiang Ruotang glanced at the short animation he made, which was a personification of mythical beasts from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and even deities…

Among them, the most popular was the celestial god Di Jun, clad in silver feathers, with a noble and elegant face, yet without the distant, high-and-mighty aura of a deity. On the contrary, his expression was gentle, his fingertips slightly raised, yet not losing the sense of power to overturn the world, as if he could summon thunder at any moment, and heaven and earth would collapse without effort.

Even ten years later, this aesthetic would still be top-notch.

“So beautiful…” Jiang Ruotang looked at Cai Ji. “You’re truly a treasure boy!”

“You like… Di Jun?”

“Mmm, I love him to death.”

“That’s good…” Cai Ji slowly lowered his head and touched the tip of his nose.

Lin Lu curiously walked over and leaned close to Jiang Ruotang’s head. “This is so beautiful! Cai Ji, you’re so amazing. It feels like you could model for a game company!”

“Thank you,” Cai Ji’s face turned red, looking a bit cute.

“It’s just… Di Jun looks a bit like Ruotang?” Lin Lu said.

“That’s a deity from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, how could he look like me! If I were that beautiful, I’d just debut directly!” Jiang Ruotang said with a laugh.

Cai Ji said in a very small voice, “Actually, it is you…”

“Ah?” Jiang Ruotang froze. “Me?”

“Yes… If you don’t like it, I can delete it!” Cai Ji became nervous.

Lin Lu said half-jokingly, “Cai Ji, you created Di Jun using Ruotang as inspiration. That’s an ancient celestial emperor, and so beautiful… It seems Ruotang is your muse, whom you think of day and night!”

This sentence seemed to suggest that Jiang Ruotang was very important to Cai Ji, but in reality, it was implying that Cai Ji had inappropriate feelings for Jiang Ruotang beyond friendship.

Wasn’t this the same trick Lin Lu had always used to make Bai Yingchuan dislike himself?

“I… I…” Cai Ji immediately became nervous upon hearing this. He cared deeply for Jiang Ruotang, because Jiang Ruotang was the first friend who stood by him, understood him, and encouraged him.

One could even say that Jiang Ruotang supported half of Cai Ji’s spiritual world. For Cai Ji, Jiang Ruotang was his deity.

“Am I your muse? Then I’m so happy! How honored I am to be a source of inspiration for another person, to allow you to create such a beautiful image!” Jiang Ruotang said with a smile.

Cai Ji rubbed his eyes several times. “I thought you’d be unhappy.”

“Then I’ve also drawn many sketches of you as a model, would you be unhappy?” Jiang Ruotang retorted, amused.

“No, I’d be so happy! Can I see them?” Cai Ji’s face was full of anticipation. He hadn’t expected Jiang Ruotang to draw him as well.

“Sure, I’ll bring them for you tomorrow.”

Lin Lu returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.

On the other side, Bai Yingchuan cast a cold and slightly sarcastic glance at Lin Lu.

As a transfer student, Bai Yingchuan had only known Jiang Ruotang for three months, yet even he could tell that Jiang Ruotang wasn’t the type to be swayed by words. Lin Lu, however, hadn’t improved at all.

Jiang Ruotang continued to inquire about “Little Sweet Fruit” with Cai Ji for a long time, asking about its channels, its most famous creators, the content users were most interested in, and so on.

The more he learned, the more Jiang Ruotang felt that this website was truly a platform that filled users with creative desire.

And such a platform had unlimited potential when self-media developed rapidly a few years later.

Jiang Ruotang really wanted to try publishing some content on Little Sweet Fruit, but… what should he publish?

He turned his head towards Lu Guifan and sent a message: [Master, can your disciple post your short lecture videos on Little Sweet Fruit?]