Chapter 43

Chapter 43

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Jin Ran was utterly bewildered.

She looked up at Jiang Mingsuo, whose expression was relaxed and earnest, not at all like someone lying.

"You said he was..."

"He was the previous Jin Ran's boyfriend," Jiang Mingsuo repeated with a hint of feigned patience.

Jin Ran noticed his phrasing: "the previous Jin Ran."

Her mind stirred, and in that instant, a realization seemed to dawn. Suppressing her wildly pounding heart, Jin Ran nodded as if nothing were amiss. "Well, my past self certainly had terrible taste."

"Oh?"

Jiang Mingsuo seemed intrigued and engaged with her, though deep down he held nothing but contempt for these useless rich second-generation heirs. Still, he offered some insincere praise: "The Jian family started with e-commerce. They can't compare to today's two industry giants, but they're doing quite well in other areas. I hear Mr. Jian intends to hand the business over to Jian Er, and many have high hopes for this young heir."

Jin Ran glanced at him in mild surprise. She hadn't expected a self-made man like him to envy those who inherited wealth. Shaking her head, she clarified, "No, I meant he's ugly."

The more she looked, the more she questioned the original owner's aesthetic sense. "He looks like a shoehorn."

Jiang Mingsuo had imagined countless responses, but never such blunt disdain. He froze for a second before his smile deepened.

Jiang Xuli, however, was suffering. Was it really appropriate for his dad and stepmom to discuss ex-boyfriends right in front of him, as if he weren't there?

Screaming internally, the teenager pretended to casually glance across the path and thought: *Hmm, he really does look like a shoehorn.*

*Was this the type the previous Jin Ran liked?*

Remembering how she’d critiqued fresh-faced idols on reality shows over the weekend, he almost laughed.

They say dating an ugly man turns even the most introverted person into a chatterbox—because you constantly have to explain his "good qualities" to others to prove you don’t have an ugliness fetish.

Now, Jin Ran was stuck dealing with the consequences of her predecessor’s choices. "Ahem, everyone has their wild youth. My taste has improved now—I don’t like the things I used to. Besides, I think you’re much more handsome than him."

A little flattery for the big shot never hurt.

Jiang Mingsuo raised an eyebrow. "Really? I don’t often hear people compliment my looks."

"That’s because you’re the company CEO," Jin Ran replied without hesitation. "Your appearance is the least remarkable of your qualities. Even if employees thought you were good-looking, they probably wouldn’t dare say it to your face."

As she spoke, she suddenly realized she might have been too straightforward. Her cheeks warmed, and she quickly added, "What I mean is, you have a unique aura about you. Most people wouldn’t dare get too close."

"What kind of aura?"

"The 'looks rich' kind."

Hearing this, Jiang Mingsuo finally couldn’t hold back his laughter.

Jiang Xuli, forced to overhear yet another round of this: "..."

*Just let me leave already.*

Unconsciously, the tension had dissolved. Just as the family of three prepared to leave after watching the drama unfold, the two people arguing on the path suddenly turned around...

Wei Ya was both furious and panicked.

That morning, she’d received a last-minute outdoor ad shoot assignment from her company. Thinking it was compensation for losing a recent role, she’d rushed over happily, only to find the rich second-generation heir who’d been harassing her waiting on set.

She finally realized the so-called job opportunity was just a trap set up by the heir and her agent—trading ad resources for her compliance.

Wei Ya naturally refused, but given her current status, she didn’t dare openly defy her agent. She was forced to go along with the arrangement.

During the shoot, Wei Ya endured her disgust and cooperated with every shot, then tried to slip away amid the post-shoot chaos.

But the heir caught her, and they ended up in a physical struggle on the path.

Men are naturally stronger, and Wei Ya was horrified to find she couldn’t break free. She thought about asking passersby for help, but everyone just assumed it was a lovers’ quarrel and didn’t want to get involved.

Just as she was on the verge of despair, she spotted a familiar figure.

Almost instinctively, Wei Ya called out to the woman who was about to leave: "Mrs. Jiang!"

/

At first, Jin Ran didn’t recognize the female lead.

From their angle, and with Jian Er’s subtle restraining moves, it really did look like a verbal spat between a couple.

That held her back from intervening.

But just as she was about to leave, she heard someone call her name. Turning around, she realized one of the "couple" was Wei Ya—and the female lead was now running toward her in a panic. Something felt wrong.

*What was going on? Had she stumbled into a melodramatic confrontation between the female lead and a male supporting character?*

In the original novel, there were many male side characters. Not all of them were good matches—some were bickering love interests, some were gentle older-brother types who silently protected her, and naturally, there were also those who tried to force themselves on her, the kind who belonged in jail.

This shoehorn-faced male supporting character was clearly the last type.

Jin Ran couldn’t help but complain: *Author, what were you thinking? A beauty being pursued by a handsome man is romantic, but being harassed by a shoehorn-faced man is just plain creepy.*

By the time Wei Ya reached Jin Ran, she realized how inappropriate her actions might have been.

The rich heir’s family was influential. Even though Jin Ran was Mrs. Jiang, who knew if Jiang Mingsuo would bother getting involved? Besides, Jin Ran was just a middle school teacher—she might even be dependent on her husband within the Jiang family. If Wei Ya’s plea caused trouble between them, she’d rather not say anything.

Her heart felt drenched in cold water, full of despair. Just as she was about to give up, Jin Ran already grasped her hands excitedly. "Yaya, you’re here too! What a coincidence!"

Wei Ya paused. Her tear-filled, stubborn eyes were suddenly bathed in warm sunlight.

On the other side, Jian Er also noticed Jin Ran.

In an instant, deliberately buried humiliating memories came flooding back—how this woman had not only dumped him out of nowhere but also sneered that he was a "good-for-nothing loser who’d never amount to anything."

Sure, he’d only been toying with her, and sure, he’d quickly found his true love after the breakup—Wei Ya, who shared a similar childhood—but that insult had always stuck in his throat.

As the Jian family’s sole heir, his status as an illegitimate child had once made life difficult. But since Mr. Jian had no other sons, he was eventually officially acknowledged. Soon, the entire Jian Group would be his.

So he really didn’t understand—what right did a gold-digging spendthrift have to look down on him?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His face twisted, and he stepped forward to confront them, but a deep voice cut in: "Jian Changfan."

Jiang Mingsuo moved in front of Jin Ran, deliberately blocking Jian Er’s line of sight.

The eyes that had been smiling moments ago were now icy, and even his voice carried a sharp chill. "I heard the Jian Group is bidding for the West District project. I wonder if Mr. Jian knows his prized project lead isn’t in West District but is instead hiking in East District?"

Jian Er froze on the spot.

Although he was the sole heir, he still relied on his father’s favor before securing real power. All the threats he wanted to voice died in his throat. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as Jin Ran led Wei Ya into the luxury car parked by the roadside.

From beginning to end, Jin Ran didn't so much as glance his way.

/

"Mrs. Jiang, thank you for helping me out."

Wei Ya expressed her gratitude stiffly. She hadn't expected Jin Ran to assist her, leaving her in a dreamlike daze with a bittersweet feeling of being touched.

Jin Ran naturally noticed Wei Ya was down.

Anyone would feel upset after being harassed like that, especially since the female lead had a gentle personality and never got into arguments or conflicts. If she hadn't been driven to desperation by the male supporting character, she definitely wouldn't have reached out for help.

Jin Ran had also wrestled with whether she should intervene.

But in that situation, even if it weren't the female lead and just an ordinary passerby, Jin Ran couldn't bring herself to ignore it.

"Ah, don't mention it, it was nothing," she waved her hand casually, "I just can't stand that shoehorn face. And just call me Jin Ran—'Mrs. Jiang' sounds weird."

Wei Ya was a bit slow to react, she asked, her tone hesitant: "Shoehorn?"

"Oh, the one who was harassing you. Don't you think he looks just like a shoehorn?"

Without Jian Er's knowledge, Jin Ran tirelessly promoted this alternative image of him. Later, when they met again, Wei Ya would immediately think of Jin Ran's description upon seeing his face, and the fear she'd been suppressing was gradually replaced by another emotion.

Now, listening to Jin Ran's cheerful tone, Wei Ya's tense mood slowly relaxed.

"He does look a bit like one," she nodded.

Jin Ran laughed. When Jiang Mingsuo walked over and tried to open the rear car door as usual, he found it wouldn't open.

Then, Jin Ran rolled down the window, hooking her arm through Wei Ya's, and instructed him: "You and Xiao Li go sit in the front. I'm sitting with the beauty today."

Jiang Mingsuo raised an eyebrow slightly. The next moment, seeing Jin Ran secretly wink at him, he realized she was worried Wei Ya hadn't yet recovered from her earlier fear: "Alright, whatever you say."

Before leaving, however, he first fetched two cashmere blankets, carefully adjusted the air conditioning temperature up, and adjusted the vents outward to ensure they wouldn't blow directly on them: "Don't get cold."

Jin Ran nonchalantly withdrew her hand reaching for the fridge, thinking the man was doing it on purpose, and glared at him: "Got it, hurry up and go!"

Wei Ya, watching from the side, was stunned.

She couldn't help thinking that perhaps this was what true love looked like.

For the rest of the journey, no one brought up what had happened on the mountain.

Jin Ran chatted with Wei Ya about other things. Seeing Wei Ya's newly posted classical dance video, she exclaimed with delight: "I told you you'd look beautiful dancing classical!"

Wei Ya blushed slightly, unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes: "I was just dancing casually; it didn't make a splash."

"Who says," Jin Ran comforted her. "The fact that you can dance this well just starting out shows you have talent. Everyone starts somewhere—maybe one day a director will see your video and think you're perfect for a role and ask you to act."

At this, she suddenly remembered something and looked up to ask Jiang Mingsuo in the front seat: "Does Mingji hire celebrity endorsers? What do you think of Wei Ya?"

Hearing this, Wei Ya's heart jumped, and she quickly waved her hands: "No, no, my popularity isn't enough yet. It would hurt the product's image…"

Her voice trailed off, afraid she wasn't qualified and worried Jin Ran's rash suggestion might upset Mr. Jiang.

Jin Ran hadn't thought that far ahead.

In her mind, this was the female lead—no matter how miserable or down-and-out she was early on, she would eventually reach the peak of life and career.

She had been wrong before, only trying to keep her distance. Now she suddenly realized: she wasn't competing with the female lead for men, so why be afraid?

The two of them were on completely different tracks, so she could totally latch onto the female lead's coattails!

Like investing in dramas the female lead acted in, or becoming good friends with her.

Jin Ran: "Besides endorsements, maybe there are other collaborations?"

Jiang Mingsuo pondered for a moment: "Endorsements are handled by the company's PR department. I don't get involved much."

Hearing this, Jin Ran was a bit disappointed. Seeing her like this, Jiang Mingsuo added: "But I know a director named Chen Duo. He's quite eccentric and is currently planning a fantasy drama. If Miss Wei is interested, she could give it a try."

Hearing the director's name, Wei Ya could barely maintain her composure: "Are you referring to Director Chen, who filmed 'Ever Drunk'?"

"Yes."

Unfamiliar with the entertainment industry, Jin Ran blinked in confusion: "Is this Director Chen very impressive?"

Wei Ya, unusually flustered: "Extremely impressive!"

He was considered a legend in the industry, his works having won nearly every major award. He was also famously a talent spotter—countless unknown newcomers he mentored skyrocketed to fame, becoming award-winning actors and actresses. But three years ago, he suddenly withdrew from the film industry. Everyone thought he wouldn't return, so who could have guessed he was quietly preparing a new script?

Just this news alone put Wei Ya far ahead of everyone else.

Jin Ran understood this and felt genuinely happy for Wei Ya.

In the original book, although Wei Ya eventually succeeded, Jin Ran vaguely remembered she got her opportunity through a male supporting character who was obsessively attached to her. It was this ambiguous relationship of interest that later became the deepest rift between the male and female leads, causing many misunderstandings and heart-wrenching conflicts.

If she could pass Director Chen's audition, perhaps Wei Ya's future path would be smoother.

"That's great! An opportunity like this is rare—you have to give it a try. Even if you aren't selected, meeting Director Chen would be a valuable experience."

Wei Ya thought the same. A long-lost fighting spirit surged in her chest. She looked at Jin Ran, who was sincerely happy for her, and glanced at Jiang Mingsuo in the front seat, her eyes growing slightly warm.

Right now, she had nothing but debt, but she secretly vowed that if she ever got the chance, she would repay them properly.

/

Meanwhile, Xu Zhen, who was heading home with her distraught cousin, suddenly let out a shout halfway.

"I remember now!" she exclaimed, slapping the back of the seat, her eyes frighteningly bright.

Wang Chen, startled, nearly lost grip of the steering wheel and snapped irritably: "Remember what?"

"Who Ran Ran's husband is!"

Xu Zhen frantically pulled out her phone and typed "Mingji Technology Chairman" into the search bar. The moment the results popped up, she gasped—though there were only a few public photos, that strikingly handsome face was unmistakably the man they saw today!

So the friend who complained with her daily about parents and bosses, the lunch buddy who fought with her for the cafeteria's discounted specials, was actually a wealthy matriarch?!

Xu Zhen suddenly felt the world had turned surreal.