Chapter 57 Hmm, Very Handsome

Chapter 57: Hmm, Very Handsome

"Zhangfeng, why haven’t you changed your shoes yet?" the assistant coach walked over and asked casually.

"Oh, I’ll change right away." Zhao Zhangfeng turned his shoe upside down, and suddenly something fell out, landing on the floor.

"What’s this?" The assistant coach frowned.

The object on the floor reflected the locker room lights, casting an eerie chill.

Zhao Zhangfeng’s heart turned icy in that instant. He instinctively looked in Meng Yang’s direction, who hadn’t yet had time to hide his disgusted expression.

Another teammate shouted, "What the hell?! It’s a blade! How did a blade get in your shoe?!"

At this, not only the head coach but also the team doctor, fitness coach, and other teammates gathered around.

The head coach picked up Zhao Zhangfeng’s other shoe, shook it upside down, and another blade fell out from the toe.

"Who did this?! Who the hell did this?!" the head coach roared.

Several teammates instinctively glanced at Meng Yang, who immediately shrugged, feigning innocence.

"Why are you looking at me? You suspect me? I wouldn't waste my time!"

A second-year teammate who had been bullied by Meng Yang spoke up, "Maybe you’re jealous that Zhao Zhangfeng gets to play in the finals? You’re afraid the team will win without you, proving you’re not important! You’re scared Shengshi University and Shengshi Sports College coaches will pick Zhao Zhangfeng!"

"You little punk, what did you just say? You looking to get hit?!" Meng Yang’s eyes flared as he grabbed the other’s collar, only to be shoved away.

The locker room erupted.

More than the fact that his foot could have been cut, Zhao Zhangfeng was devastated by the betrayal from Meng Yang, whom he had once defended so fiercely.

The betrayal filled his heart like crushed ice—icy and sharp, lodged in his chest, unable to be expelled.

He thought he was strong enough, that as a man, he could weather any storm. But in this moment, he was heartbroken.

The head coach was trying to restore order in the locker room while the assistant coach and team captain patted his shoulder to comfort him.

"Zhangfeng, at least your shoes weren’t cut through… Get it together and focus on the game. The provincial college scouts are all watching this match closely. You can’t let this affect your performance."

Pull himself together?

Right now, Zhao Zhangfeng’s mind was consumed by one question: Was it really Meng Yang who put the blades in his shoes?

He could accept losing. He could accept not being selected. But he could never accept being sabotaged by a teammate!

His fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged from his forehead to his neck. He wanted nothing more than to punch the locker door right now.

Just then, his phone buzzed—a text from Jiang Ruotang. They were in their seats in the stands and even made a banner for him.

At that moment, Zhao Zhangfeng was overwhelmed with an unbearable mix of hurt and anger. Even as his eyes reddened, he refused to cry in front of his teammates and coaches. The crushing weight in his chest felt like it might burst.

He instinctively dialed Jiang Ruotang’s number. The moment he heard the other’s "Hello," he blurted out, "Bro, there were blades in my shoes…"

Jiang Ruotang, phone pressed to his ear, froze.

He had imagined all sorts of ways Zhao Zhangfeng could get hurt—getting stepped on during the game, tripped by someone, even slipping on his own. But blades in his shoes? That crossed a line entirely.

Now Jiang Ruotang finally understood why Zhao Zhangfeng had that expression whenever he mentioned his injury during the provincial finals from before.

It wasn’t about losing. It was about being broken inside.

He was only eighteen. In his world, everything was simple—teammates were brothers, meant to fight side by side. But jealousy and cruelty had violently invaded his pure world.

"Zhangfeng, are you hurt?"

"No, I found them in time."

"Then do you want to know if it was really him?" Jiang Ruotang asked again.

Zhao Zhangfeng gritted his teeth. "I want to know," he said.

That's why he called him "Bro"—he understood exactly what Zhao Zhangfeng needed right now.

Jiang Ruotang confirmed once more, "Even if the truth hurts?"

"I want to know."

In a calm, steady voice, Jiang Ruotang said, "Alright. Tell the coach to bag the shoes and blades as evidence in an evidence bag or ziplock. We’ll report this to the police and let them investigate. If the coach tries to downplay it, tell him your parents and I are in the stands, and we already know. This is attempted assault—it won't be ignored."

Perhaps from spending so much time with Lu Guifan, Jiang Ruotang had picked up his approach—prioritizing Zhao Zhangfeng’s safety and solving the problem over venting emotions.

Zhao Zhangfeng took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."

"Do you only have one pair of shoes? No backup?"

"I have another pair, hardly broken in."

Jiang Ruotang added, "Check them. If they’re fine, wear those. I bet whoever put the blades in your shoes didn’t actually think they’d hurt you. They wanted to get in your head—make you angry, lose focus, and play badly. If you let it get to you, they win."

Zhao Zhangfeng exhaled sharply. "I know, even if I’m pissed."

"Slam it down hard, sky for rebounds, shoot lights out—you’re our MVP!"

At that last line, Zhao Zhangfeng couldn’t help but laugh.

"I brought my sketchbook today. I'll be sketching you. So you better show off like a peacock and stand out so much we can’t see anyone else."

"You’re the peacock! Says the peacock!"

"Hahaha, yeah, my whole family’s peacocks!"

After hanging up, Jiang Ruotang filled them in to Zhao Yunshu and Jiang Huaiyuan, leaving them stunned.

Neither could believe such dirty play would happen in a high school basketball team.

Lu Guifan watched as Jiang Ruotang calmly walked them through advising them to call the coach and demand action on the matter. His demeanor, his firm tone—it all captivated Lu Guifan.

Cai Ji nudged Jian Sha with his shoulder and whispered, "See how Ruotang is so cool right now?"

"Not just cool—he’s next-level awesome! Exactly how a protagonist should be!"

Like a game of telephone, Jian Sha then nudged Lu Guifan. "Pretty damn cool, right?"

"Yeah, incredibly cool."

The moment he said it, Lu Guifan paused, realizing for the first time that he, too, could find someone "incredibly cool"—as if he had been standing before a door and finally knocked.

By then, the head coach had already received Zhao Yunshu’s call. With his parents insisting on police involvement, the coach knew this couldn’t be covered up.

Moreover, such a despicable incident had occurred within his own basketball team, and he was eager to weed out the troublemaker among them.

The head coach opened a cabinet, placed the shoes inside, bagged the blade that had fallen on the floor in a ziplock, and locked it away.

Meng Yang, observing the coach’s attitude, felt uneasy. "Those shoes weren’t even damaged by the blade. Why not let Zhao Changfeng wear them for the game?"

"Wear them? Wouldn’t that leave a mental block? Changfeng, do you have another pair? Suit up and get out there. We’ll discuss everything after the game!"

This sudden incident had indeed caused significant disruption to the team.

Right from the start, their team, Beicheng Guangyao, was overwhelmed by their opponents with a 10-0 lead, leaving Jiang Ruotang and the others on edge, screaming their lungs out in support.

Several university team coaches watching from the stands shook their heads, agreeing that if Beicheng Guangyao continued like this for the remaining five minutes, there would be no reason to keep watching.

But unexpectedly, Zhao Changfeng fought through the chaotic defense, grabbed the rebound, went coast-to-coast through three defenders, and stunned the entire arena with a monster dunk over his defender.

Jiang Ruotang’s pencil raced across his sketchpad, while Jian Sha and Cai Ji went wild cheering from the stands. Even Lu Guifan clapped—this was the first time he had truly experienced the thrill of competitive sports firsthand.

Zhao Changfeng’s breakthrough ignited Beicheng Guangyao’s momentum. The players gradually shook off the shock of the blade incident, began coordinating, and fought back fiercely.

Meng Yang, who wasn’t part of the active roster for this game, could only watch from the tunnel as the score climbed back from 10-0 to 12-13. He let out a frustrated grunt.

Suddenly, he remembered the shoes locked away by the coach. Sneaking back into the locker room, he considered prying open the cabinet to dispose of the shoes and blade—only to find two security guards stationed inside.

At that moment, Meng Yang realized the coach wasn’t bluffing. He really was calling the police.

Zhao Changfeng’s performance only improved. With a back-to-the-basket move followed by a smooth spin move, he calmly drained the shot over double coverage, steadily widening the lead.

Not only were the spectators amazed to witness such high-level basketball in Shengshi, but even the university coaches gave standing ovations.

In the end, Beicheng Guangyao ran away with the game, securing a 76-54 victory in the finals. Zhao Changfeng alone contributed 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, rightfully claiming the title of MVP.

From the tunnel, Meng Yang stared wide-eyed as the coach and teammates surrounded Zhao Changfeng, hoisting him up in celebration.

Jiang Ruotang, watching from the stands, felt an inexplicable warmth in his eyes. He thought of the underachieving guy from his past life—finally, this time, Zhao Changfeng had won the most crucial game of his life.

Glancing at the university coaches, Jiang Ruotang noticed they were all gesturing toward Zhao Changfeng while speaking to their companions. At the very least, Zhao Changfeng wouldn’t have to worry about getting into a university in Shengshi.

After the game, two police officers arrived at the locker room. After taking statements, they took the shoes and blade as evidence.

The incident wasn’t major in the sense that no actual physical harm had been done.

But it wasn’t minor either, as it involved attempted assault.

The team members went to the police station afterward to give their statements.

The case seemed random at first glance, but the details were full of inconsistencies.

For one, the blade found on the floor bore not only Zhao Changfeng’s fingerprints but also another set—which the police identified as the suspect’s.

The blade in the other shoe only had the suspect’s prints.

A fingerprint comparison matched them to Meng Yang’s. Meng Yang vehemently denied it, pounding the table and screaming that he’d been framed—maybe Zhao Changfeng had planted the blades in his own shoes.

The officers found this laughable. "You’re already suspended. Where’s his motive?"

But Meng Yang continued having a meltdown. In the past, his teammates and classmates would yield to his outbursts, and his parents would shield him—teaching him this was how you got your way.

His parents were frantic. Previously, when Meng Yang had bribed Li Chun to force Cai Ji to cheat, the school had considered expelling him. His parents had caused a scene at school, and the punishment was reduced to a major disciplinary mark and suspension.

This time, things had escalated to the cops. The only saving grace was that Zhao Changfeng hadn’t been injured—otherwise, it would've been way worse.

Meng Yang’s actions ultimately came from his parents coddling him too much.

The couple even got confrontational with the officers, insisting their son had done nothing wrong—switching between claims that others had slandered him or that Meng Yang had just been joking with his teammates. They even tried to confront Jiang Ruotang’s family, but their neighborhood security was too tight for them to get through.

Failing to harass Zhao Changfeng, they turned to the principal, demanding no further punishment for Meng Yang since Zhao Changfeng hadn’t been hurt—making it no big deal.

Reportedly, the usually mild-mannered principal finally snapped. Unable to tolerate Meng Yang’s repeated misconduct, the school held a meeting and decided to expel him.

With Meng Yang’s rap sheet, no other middle schools in Shengshi dared accept him, fearing damage to their reputation.

In that final, Beicheng Guangyao Middle School took home the state title. Several university coaches reached out to Zhao Yunshu, but Jiang Ruotang could tell Zhao Changfeng was down in the dumps.

The notice of Meng Yang’s expulsion was posted at school, drawing crowds of students and becoming the talk of the campus.

"Wow, isn’t this attempted intentional harm?"

"I read online that he could face up to a year in detention?"

"He’s already eighteen, and his attitude was terrible—even causing a scene at the police station."

Zhao Changfeng was called to the grade office, where Teacher Song gave him good news: he’d been invited to a trial training session at Shengshi University.

But he clearly wasn’t in high spirits, retreating to his room every day after returning home.

Then, one night over a week later, around ten o’clock, Zhao Changfeng emerged from his room, hungry, and headed to the kitchen to rummage through the fridge.

After searching for a while, he sighed. "Blergh… not in the mood for hard-boiled eggs… maybe just some bread…"

"Oh, so you *do* get hungry?"

Jiang Ruotang’s voice came from behind, startling Zhao Changfeng so badly he almost jumped out of his skin.

"You—why are you down here?"

"Maybe I heard your stomach growling, so I came out."

Jiang Ruotang smiled, his eyes crinkling in a way that inexplicably lifted Zhao Changfeng’s mood just a little.

"I was just… scrounging for a snack…"

"Then let your big bro throw something together for you."

As he spoke, Jiang Ruotang pushed up his sleeves.

"Huh? You’re gonna cook for me? Don’t tell me it’s instant noodles or eggs boiled in an electric kettle—that's not gonna cut it."

"I said I’d show you what I got! Watch closely!"

Jiang Ruotang cracked two eggs, beat them in a bowl, poured the mixture into a pan, then cut bread into triangles and soaked them in the egg before frying them. He added a slice of ham, tomato, and lettuce, squeezed on some ketchup and mayo, folded it, and plated it.

"Dig in."

Basic as it was, it smelled legit. Zhao Changfeng took a big bite and nodded. "Thought you were too fancy to know your way around a kitchen, but you’re not bad."

Jiang Ruotang warmed up some milk for him and sat beside him.

"Changfeng, do you know how special you are?"

"Huh?" Zhao Zhangfeng stopped and looked at Jiang Ruotang in confusion, as if he didn't understand why he suddenly said these things to him.

"As a friend, teammate, or family, you're perfect."

Hearing this, Zhao Zhangfeng lowered his eyes and finally couldn't help but ask softly, "If I'm really that good, why did Meng Yang treat me like that? We were teammates for three years... I passed him the ball so many times, grabbed so many rebounds for him, and I was the one who set the most screens for him per game. Even when he bullied Cai Ji, no one else on the team paid him any attention, but I still talked to him normally..."

Jiang Ruotang smiled. "That's because he's the problem. It's like how Chen Shimei abandoned his wife to marry a princess—should we blame Qin Xianglian for not being good enough? No, it's because Chen Shimei was always a scumbag. A shitty person won’t change just because someone treats them well or is sincere with them. They’ll only take your kindness for granted. The only reason he considered you a friend was because you could be his doormat on the court."

"Hey, what kind of terrible analogy is that! I just had a terrible friend, it's not like I fell in love with a scumbag!"

"Oh, so you know he was a terrible friend? If someone makes you unhappy, remember to kick them out of your life for good." Jiang Ruotang put his arm around Zhao Zhangfeng's shoulder. "You don’t just have Meng Yang as a friend. You have me, Cai Cai, Sister Sha, the Class President, and the rest of the team. Don’t waste your emotions on someone who doesn’t deserve it."

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

Jiang Ruotang looked surprised. "Huh? You noticed that?"

"It’s pretty obvious, okay?" Zhao Zhangfeng rolled his eyes. "Before, you were like a dumb fawn—wherever Lin Lu pointed, you’d go charging in. It was so stupid."

Jiang Ruotang fell silent for a while. Zhao Zhangfeng thought he had touched a sore spot and was about to apologize when Jiang Ruotang spoke calmly.

"We’ve been friends since we were little. You know my mom died when I was young, and my dad was always busy filming, so for as long as I can remember, Lin Lu was my only friend. Since childhood, he’d give me his favorite toys, watch cartoons with me, take me to amusement parks. When kids at school called me 'the kid without a mom,' he was the first to stand up for me. From elementary school until now, we’ve always sat together."

Zhao Zhangfeng lowered his eyes. He finally understood why Jiang Ruotang had once trusted Lin Lu so unconditionally.

"I never once thought Lin Lu would harm me or use me, because if I did, it would feel like denying my entire childhood and teenage years."

Zhao Zhangfeng nodded. "Just like me—if I deny Meng Yang, it’s like denying these past three years."

Jiang Ruotang opened a can of cola and raised it toward Zhao Zhangfeng. "Exactly. I really don’t know how Lin Lu became like this, but when I think about it... maybe this is his true self. I thought we’d be friends for life, but if I keep blindly trusting him, I won’t just be risking my own future—it could be much worse. So I decided to stop clinging to this fake comfort. Look... once I freed myself from his influence, I gained a kid brother like you, the Class President, Sister Sha, and now Cai Cai. You should do the same—stop clinging to fake friendships."

Zhao Zhangfeng looked at Jiang Ruotang and suddenly blurted out, "Bro... I suddenly think you’re really cool."

"Really? Thanks—"

"If you really don’t like Bai Yingchuan anymore, I could reluctantly accept doing the incest thing with you."

Jiang Ruotang froze, staring into Zhao Zhangfeng’s clear, handsome eyes, feeling like he'd been hit by lightning.

"Wh-what did you just say?"

As he spoke, Jiang Ruotang slowly backed away from his chair. If Zhao Zhangfeng pounced on him, he’d have no chance of making it out alive.

"Hahaha... I just called you cool, but now you seem so dumb! Hahaha!" Zhao Zhangfeng clutched his stomach, laughing until tears welled up.

"Seriously?! Is this something to joke about?! You little brat, you’ve got a death wish! You absolutely have a death wish!"

"You actually believed me? You really did! You totally fantasized about my dashing self!"

Jiang Ruotang jumped onto Zhao Zhangfeng’s back and started pulling his hair mercilessly.

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

He posted a picture of the sandwich Jiang Ruotang made for him on social media—a photo with typical guy-who-can't-take-photos quality, so bad that even Jiang Ruotang didn’t want to like it.

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

Zhao Zhangfeng: [My bro made it. Sounds like sour grapes to me!]

Jian Sha: [What? Young Master Jiang cooked? Then it must taste five-star restaurant quality.]

Zhao Zhangfeng: [You’re just blowing smoke!]

Jiang Ruotang was exasperated that these two could start bickering even on social media.

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

Jiang Ruotang smirked smugly and muttered to himself, "Master, your disciple’s cooking skills aren’t bad, right?"

What he didn’t know was that when Lu Guifan saw the photo in Zhao Zhangfeng’s post, he remembered the moment Jiang Ruotang had leaned close to him and pulled the melty cheese from his lips.

The next afternoon, Zhao Zhangfeng belatedly remembered to thank his friends for cheering him on during the finals. Since he was on a strict diet, he couldn’t treat them to a meal, so he decided to order bubble tea instead.

"Sister Sha, still zero-sugar pearl milk tea?" Zhao Zhangfeng asked.

Jian Sha gave him an OK sign.

"Cai Cai?"

"I’ll split the 'buy-one-get-one-half-off' deal with Sha Sha—same as hers!" Cai Ji said with a grin.

Zhao Zhangfeng sighed. "Cai Cai is so sweet, actually thinking about saving me money."

He then walked over to Lu Guifan and asked, "Class President, what tea did you want again?"

Lu Guifan almost said "Jinxuan oolong," but he paused and instead asked, "What does your bro drink?"

"His is pearl milk tea with tea jelly instead of pearls, half sugar."

Even though Jiang Ruotang was in the restroom, Zhao Zhangfeng knew his preferences perfectly.

"Is that also part of the 'buy-one-get-one-half-off' deal?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Then I’ll have the same as him."

Zhao Zhangfeng’s eyes lit up, and he threw an arm around Lu Guifan’s shoulders. "Even if it only saves me four yuan, I’m so touched by your thoughtfulness, Class President!"

So when Zhao Zhangfeng placed the bubble tea on Jiang Ruotang’s desk and said, "Here’s yours and the Class President’s 'buy-one-get-one-half-off,'" Jiang Ruotang was completely lost. "Huh?"

Jian Sha laughed and explained, "The Class President chose to share the 'buy-one-get-one-half-off' deal with you to save Zhao Zhangfeng four yuan."

Jiang Ruotang looked over his shoulder and saw that the cup on Lu Guifan’s desk wasn’t his usual order. Suddenly, he recalled Teacher Wang Siben’s stand-up bit: "Can I not be the one drinking both cups of the 'buy-one-get-one-half-off' bubble tea?"

Too many subtle speculations raced through his mind. Jiang Ruotang watched as Lu Guifan’s long fingers lifted the cup, the straw entering his lips as he took a sip. The tea jelly surged up the translucent straw, and Lu Guifan bit down lightly, his throat moving.

Perhaps sensing Jiang Ruotang’s gaze, Lu Guifan looked up, his expression as calm as ever.

Pfft!

Jiang Ruotang turned away, feeling a weird little thrill—like a lucky sign. He took a big sip, only to choke on the tea jelly, tears coming to his eyes from the sudden misfortune.

Zhao Zhangfeng couldn’t resist rubbing it in. "Careful! No need to perform the 'tea jelly shooting out of your nose' trick!"

Jiang Ruotang gritted his teeth. "Fuck off—"

And so, more than half of December passed, while rumors about the Chengtan development project spread further.

It was said that experts were calculating the feasibility of land creation by sand pumping, and the province was making plans. Though nothing was finalized yet, the previously worthless Chengtan was quietly going up in value. However, until the plans were clear, big companies were holding off. The country homes, old seafood factories, and fish farms in Chengtan remained on the market but not selling.

But according to Mr. Zheng's analysis, Chengtan is all but confirmed as the next development zone.

Jiang Ruotang wasn't particularly interested in the real estate industry. He only needed to wait for major real estate groups to step in, and Mr. Zheng could sell the Chengtan resources in his hands, yielding several times their initial investment.

Mr. Zheng occasionally sent financial reports to Jiang Ruotang. He managed the remaining funds very well, and even with Jiang Ruotang's decade of foresight, he was highly optimistic about the fields Mr. Zheng had invested in. There was almost no friction between them—until a video website, plagued by mismanagement and copyright disputes, was on the verge of collapse. Jiang Ruotang's face lit up when he saw the news.

To him, this was the future of the entertainment industry. The platform's influence could surpass that of film and television companies, positioning it as a higher-paying client than traditional broadcasters. He wanted to acquire this website.

But Mr. Zheng wasn't convinced.

The site's userbase consisted mainly of anime fans and lifestyle vloggers. The content was diverse, but the original operators hadn’t categorized it properly.

Many fan-subbing groups freely uploaded highlights of popular overseas animations to promote pirated content, while some amateur voice actors dubbed these animations and foreign dramas, attracting a large user base. Some of these voice actors even had dedicated fanbases.

The platform's logo was a chibi-style panda eating an apple, affectionately nicknamed "Sweetie Fruit" by users.

Recently, however, two major video platforms in the industry had been promoting licensed content to attract paying users, making "Sweetie Fruit" their main target.

A series of lawsuits left "Sweetie Fruit" facing crippling damages. Its operators—just a few recent college graduates—were forced to sell the platform to cover the costs.

They approached many large corporations, even Lin Chengdong.

Lin Chengdong had long realized that the two video giants were teaming up to eliminate "Sweetie Fruit" as a potential competitor. Buying it now would mean directly opposing them, so Lin Chengdong naturally steered clear of the trouble.

Most importantly, industry analysts unanimously concluded that even if "Sweetie Fruit" was acquired, making it profitable seemed virtually impossible. Thus, its future looked bleak.

During lunch, Cai Ji slumped over the table, sighing heavily. Jiang Ruotang couldn’t resist sitting on the edge of his desk, playing with his curls for a while, but Cai Ji didn’t react.

"Cai Cai, what's wrong?"

"My Sweetie Fruit... is probably going to die..." Cai Ji wore an expression of utter despair.

"Huh? That video website?"

Cai Ji was also a small-time creator on "Sweetie Fruit," often posting his self-made animated shorts. Thanks to his beautiful character designs, he had quite a few fans.

It was a small creative outlet in his otherwise gloomy life.

Through the platform’s backend, Cai Ji had also received many donations, accumulating five-figure earnings over time.

"You never withdrew these donations?" Jiang Ruotang asked.

"No." Cai Ji shook his head. "If I did, the money would go to my dad... so I never did. Now, I just want to donate it all to Sweetie Fruit, hoping they can stay afloat."

Jiang Ruotang glanced at his animations—anthropomorphized mythical creatures from Shan Hai Jing, even deities...

The most popular was the heavenly god Di Jun, cloaked in silver plumage, his face noble and elegant, yet without the aloofness of a deity. Instead, his expression was gentle, his fingers lightly raised, yet radiating world-shaking power—as if he could summon thunder at any moment, toppling heaven and earth without effort.

Even a decade later, this aesthetic would still be cutting-edge.

"So beautiful..." Jiang Ruotang looked at Cai Ji. "You're amazing!"

"You... like Di Jun?"

"Yeah, I'm crazy about him!"

"That's good..." Cai Ji slowly lowered his head, rubbing the tip of his nose.

Lin Lu curiously walked over, peering over Jiang Ruotang's shoulder. "This is stunning! Cai Ji, I had no idea you were this talented. You could probably do character design for games!"

"Thanks." Cai Ji blushed, looking rather adorable.

"Though... Di Jun bears a resemblance to Ruo Tang?" Lin Lu remarked.

"That’s a deity from Shan Hai Jing! How could he look like me? If I looked that good, I’d debut right away!" Jiang Ruotang laughed.

Cai Ji whispered almost inaudibly, "Actually, it’s you..."

"Huh?" Jiang Ruotang froze. "Me?"

"Yeah... If you don’t like it, I can delete it!" Cai Ji became flustered.

Lin Lu joked, "Cai Ji, you used Ruo Tang as inspiration for Di Jun—an ancient heavenly emperor, and so beautiful... Seems like Ruo Tang is your muse, the one you think about constantly!"

The words seemed to praise Jiang Ruotang’s importance to Cai Ji, but they subtly hinted at Cai Ji harboring feelings beyond friendship.

Wasn’t this the same tactic Lin Lu had used to make Bai Yingchuan dislike him before?

"I... I..." Cai Ji immediately tensed up. He cared deeply about Jiang Ruotang, who was the first friend to stand by him, understand him, and encourage him.

In fact, Jiang Ruotang was the foundation of Cai Ji's world. To Cai Ji, Jiang Ruotang was his deity.

"Am I your muse? Then I’m so happy! To be someone’s source of inspiration, to help you create something so beautiful—what an honor!" Jiang Ruotang smiled.

Cai Ji blinked several times. "I thought you’d be upset."

"Well, I’ve used you as a model for plenty of sketches. Would you be upset?" Jiang Ruotang teased.

"No, I’d be thrilled! Can I see them?" Cai Ji’s eyes sparkled with anticipation—he never imagined Jiang Ruotang had been sketching him too.

"Sure, I’ll bring them tomorrow."

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

Meanwhile, Bai Yingchuan, from the other side of the room, shot a cool, derisive look at Lin Lu.

As a transfer student, Bai Yingchuan had only known Jiang Ruotang for three months, yet even he could tell Jiang Ruotang wasn’t one to be manipulated. Lin Lu hadn’t improved at all.

Jiang Ruotang kept quizzing Cai Ji about "Sweetie Fruit"—its channels, its most famous creators, the content users loved most, and so on.

The more he learned, the more he felt this platform was one that genuinely fostered creativity in its users.

And in a few years, with the rise of user-generated content, such a platform would have boundless potential.

Jiang Ruotang was eager to upload content on "Sweetie Fruit," but... what should he post?

He looked over at Lu Guifan’s direction and sent a message: *[Shifu, may your disciple upload your teaching videos to Sweetie Fruit?]*