Chapter 14: Internet Celebrity Mainly refined, beautiful, and the classic persona of the wealthy…

**Chapter 14: The influencer's signature persona revolves around sophistication, beauty, and wealth...**

The car window had silently rolled up at some point.

Seeing this, Xu Miaoli immediately grew anxious. Just as she was about to say something more, Tang Tang shot her a fierce, mother-wolf glare.

Xu Miaoli: ...

Waiting a bit longer couldn’t hurt.

In the backseat of the car, the two childhood friends locked eyes.

Despite having done nothing wrong, Tang Tang couldn't help but tremble slightly under Zhu Yanyan’s tear-filled gaze.

"No, I’m not close with her! We’re just classmates."

Though innocent, Tang Tang instinctively lowered her voice, afraid any careless remark might lead Zhu Yanyan to misunderstand.

"Really?"

Zhu Yanyan remained doubtful, blinking rapidly.

She and Tang Tang had known each other since kindergarten.

While other kids were still awkwardly socializing, Zhu Yanyan had already been trailing behind Tang Tang, begging her for treats. Once they became close, their families also grew much closer.

By the time Tang Tang was ten, Chutang Entertainment had firmly established itself as a top domestic talent agency. When they moved to a new home, it was Zhu Yanyan’s parents who found them the property. Their bond deepened further, becoming neighbors with adjoining yards. For a while, they even shared the same school driver.

Years flew by—over a decade in the blink of an eye.

As someone born with the script of a life winner, Zhu Yanyan rarely experienced jealousy.

Any material thing she desired—limited editions, commemorative editions, auction collectibles—her parents would find a way to deliver to her.

The perfect boyfriend she wanted? She never had to exert charm; top-tier suitors always surrounded her.

Only with Tang Tang did Zhu Yanyan feel uncertain.

Truthfully, she wasn’t afraid of Tang Tang falling in love. What she feared more was Tang Tang finding a new female companion somewhere out there, someone who would completely replace her.

"You have a new friend?" Zhu Yanyan’s tone was noticeably colder this time.

Sensing her best friend’s unease, Tang Tang, without her usual impatience, took Zhu Yanyan’s hand and repeated earnestly, "No, I don’t have any friends here... I’m lonely, and I miss you so much."

Hearing this, Zhu Yanyan’s doe eyes grew even wetter.

Her nose tingled, but she said nothing. Instead, she pulled her hand free, clumsily spread her arms wide, and launched herself at Tang Tang, clinging tightly to her waist.

No words—just quiet sniffles.

And a choked "I’m sorry."

Outside the car, Xu Miaoli paced restlessly. The wait was torture. She kept glancing at the luxury car with its tightly shut windows, but there was no movement.

With nothing else to do, she got an idea. After looking around, she on impulse pulled out her phone, snapped a photo of the car, then quickly turned her back to the apartment and took a selfie from a spot where the black-uniformed, white-gloved security personnel at the entrance were clearly visible.

The dim winter light did her no favors.

Perhaps from forcing tears earlier, faint tear tracks streaked Xu Miaoli’s face. She experimented with different angles, but nothing looked quite right.

Just as she was about to continue, the car door finally opened.

"Huh!"

Xu Miaoli's hand trembled, nearly dropping her phone. She composed herself in a flash, quickly slipping back into her usual sweet act.

But Tang Tang didn’t even look at her.

Two lobby boys, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, pushed a luggage cart and took her perfect vantage point.

Xu Miaoli clenched her jaw so tight it hurt.

Did they even realize how long she’d stood there braving the cold wind just for Tang Tang to notice her first?

She couldn’t blame Tang Tang, so she took it all out on Zhu Yanyan.

Looking between the silver bars of the luggage cart, Xu Miaoli sneaked another look at the woman she’d only caught a fleeting glimpse of earlier:

—Meh, nothing special. Definitely not as pretty as herself.

—But that necklace she’s wearing looks expensive.

—Pfft, who even knows if it’s real, where it came from, or if she even paid for it herself…

Xu Miaoli was seriously annoyed by this newcomer. She’d spent nearly half a year trying to get close to Tang Tang, only for someone to cut in and take her place.

"Totally basic. No idea how she even got into this circle."

She muttered silently to herself, completely buying her own act, already imagining herself as part of an elite social circle.

About two minutes later, with the help of the apartment lobby boys, Zhu Yanyan’s luggage was unloaded.

Just as the two young, handsome white men—who looked fresh out of high school—were about to push her pink suitcase toward the apartment, Zhu Yanyan pulled several fresh Benjamins from her pocket.

"Tips."

The two boys exchanged glances, their eyes popping. After hesitating, they stammered out multiple thank-yous, one even attempting awkward Chinese, which had Zhu Yanyan cracking up.

Tang Tang gave Zhu Yanyan a light scolding.

Her voice full of cheerful glee: "I’m happy today! I won’t do it again, quit bugging me~ Tang Bao~"

Jaw practically dropped—not just the boys, but Xu Miaoli too.

This time, she got a good look at Zhu Yanyan:

—A limited-edition Lady Dior handbag.

—Perfectly coiffed curls that shimmered down to every strand.

—And those runway heels with YSL’s signature stiletto heels, the kind she’d only seen in magazines.

Then it hit Xu Miaoli.

This wasn’t some stray Tang Tang had picked up off the street—this was her real-deal, loaded BFF.

Xu Miaoli had written Zhu Yanyan off at first, but the sudden realization struck her so hard she momentarily forgot why she was even there.

Until Tang Tang gave her the cold shoulder.

Tang Tang seethed at the sight of Xu Miaoli. She couldn’t be bothered with a woman like this, but Zhu Yanyan didn’t get it.

“Your classmate’s here. Aren’t you gonna talk to her?” Zhu Yanyan glanced at Tang Tang, eyes wide with confusion.

Tang Tang kept her face cold and shook her head. “Nope.”

In just those few seconds, Xu Miaoli had snapped out of it.

She reached for Tang Tang’s wrist, but Tang Tang stepped back, dodging her touch and leaving Xu Miaoli hanging.

“What do you want?” Tang Tang finally asked, biting back a scream—only because Zhu Yanyan was there.

Xu Miaoli’s acting skills kicked in like clockwork. Tears welled up on cue, like some bad soap opera.

“Tang Tang, you’ve gotta help me…”

It had to be said—Xu Miaoli only ever turned on the drama when she stood to gain something, and then her performance went dialed up to eleven.

Even Zhu Yanyan, watching from the sidelines, was almost buying it. She gave Tang Tang a sympathetic look, as if wanting to help Xu Miaoli.

But it was precisely that soft-hearted expression from Zhu Yanyan that made Tang Tang despise Xu Miaoli even more.

This woman always played the same game. In her past life, she’d milked Tang Tang’s sympathy dry, only to block her, smear her, and mock her once she had nothing left—climbing over her back alongside Qin Zixian.

In Tang Tang’s mind, if Xu Miaoli could do that to her, she’d do the same to others—like Zhu Yanyan right here.

No way was she letting them interact.

Ugh.

With a disgusted side-eye, Tang Tang tuned her out completely, not even glancing back as she pulled Zhu Yanyan into the apartment.

“Tang Tang! Tang Tang! How could you—”

They were already gone.

Xu Miaoli tried to chase after them, but the security guard blocked her path, repeating, “Residents only.”

With a sigh, Xu Miaoli gave up and slammed the bouquet of roses onto the ground. Red petals scattered everywhere, revealing sad, wilted stems beneath.

“Hey, miss! You can’t do that!”

The guard chewed her out.

To his surprise, the sweet-talking Xu Miaoli spun around and spat, “Screw you!”

Storming off in her heels, she muttered curses under her breath.

Why did Tang Tang and that woman get luxury cars while she had to fight for space on that gross subway?

Why could they live in the heart of the city, tipping waiters with what she spent on groceries all week, while she got stuck with shitty roommates?

Why was she—the one who worked harder, stayed smarter, looked better—left out in the cold, begging for scraps?

If she’d been born into their lives, Xu Miaoli was sure she’d be living like royalty.

At that thought, her rage cooled a notch. Daydreaming worked like a Xanax.

After getting off the subway, Xu Miaoli walked down the street toward her place, already hashtagging: “Meow Meow in New York: Out for ~*~fun~*~ today!”

Under the Photos tab, she quickly tapped on the pictures she had taken earlier outside Tang Tang’s apartment.

After sending them off, Xu Miaoli soon received comments from her followers.

Back when she was studying in China, she had always enjoyed maintaining a blog. When she arrived in New York, she happened to catch the wave of social media’s rise and gained close to 100K followers in under six months—with a solid chunk of real, active fans.

Xu Miaoli was clever when it came to this sort of thing.

Even before personal branding became popular, she had already crafted a classic influencer persona: refined, ambitious, gorgeous, and loaded with cash.

She often shared glimpses into her student life—though most of it leaned heavily on bragging, and a big part of that actually came straight from Tang Tang.

Tang Tang herself had no blog or social media presence at all, and her parents had shielded her so well that almost no information about her could be found back in China.

So, going by the mentality of “if you don’t use it, you’re just wasting it,” Xu Miaoli started wearing her clothes.

Sure enough, when she refreshed the page and saw a flood of comments, her mood lifted considerably.

“1F: @xumiaoli Miao today is gorgeous as always!”

“2F: @xumiaoli Wow, so jealous QAQ”

“3F: @xumiaoli Oh my god, that’s last year’s Bentley! And the apartment looks like I could never afford it…”

“4F: @xumiaoli Next life goals: become Miao Miao!”

As her fingers scrolled, Xu Miaoli’s smile deepened further and further—drunk on the praise of her fans—nearly bumping into someone in front of her.

A man’s voice jolted her back to reality.

“…What’s got you smiling so big? Something that happy?”