The words made Shen Shuang freeze; the sugared biscuit in her hand even wobbled.
She stared at Xu Yan for two seconds, then sighed. "What can I do? Toss it in cold sauce, I guess."
Shen Shuang knew better than anyone that, had it been her, she probably couldn't have refused Jiang Cheng either.
He was too dazzling—rich, respectable, and with that aura; few women could resist.
Xu Yan sighed, collected herself, and added, "Don't worry, I know my limits. I'll keep myself in check."
Seeing Xu Yan's downcast expression, Shen Shuang stopped eating.
She reached out and patted Xu Yan's shoulder, her tone softening. "Yan Yan, I get how you feel. You're both my friends, and I don't know what to say—things like this aren't about right or wrong."
Xu Yan tugged the corner of her mouth into a wry smile. "I still understand first-come-first-served."
"I know you truly care about Chu Ran; otherwise you wouldn't have dragged me over so early. You're afraid you won't be able to control yourself if you're alone with Jiang Cheng, and worried Chu Ran might misunderstand… of course I know all that."
Xu Yan listened and gave a slight nod.
Her voice was low. "Jiang Cheng really is great, but let's leave it at that." She forced a casual tone. "Eat up; we've got rehearsal after this."
Shen Shuang patted her back again, soothing. "Don't overthink it; let things take their course. We're still young—time will tell."
Xu Yan sniffed, finally showing a faint smile. "Got it."
As they stood, Shen Shuang added out of nowhere, half teasing, "Maybe—if Jiang Cheng's stamina is good—you and Chu Ran can stay best friends for life."
The moment she said it, Shen Shuang's face flushed and she gave Xu Yan a light push.
"You dirty-minded girl—"
Shen Shuang ducked, laughing, and shrugged. "Among the rich, that sort of thing isn't exactly rare."
She paused, then looked at Xu Yan more seriously. "And if neither you nor Chu Ran minds, it's really no big deal. Jiang Cheng's a catch—look, he hasn't even slept with Chu Ran yet he's already buying her a condo. Where do you find terms like that?"
"All right, stop the nonsense; let's finish and go…"
Back home, Jiang Cheng @everyone in the small group chat.
Jiang Cheng: "Everyone up? Peed yet?"
Wang Congcong: "Sorry, my kidneys are strong; I usually don't pee when I wake."
Qi Yuan: "@Wang Congcong, no wonder your stream's always yellow."
Wang Congcong: "Yellow is fine; no prostate issues."
Qi Yuan: "Dude, don't make me leak your dirt—we're pot calling kettle black here."
Jiang Cheng: "@Qi Yuan, is there something even I don't know?"
Jiang Cheng: "We're all buddies; speak freely."
Wang Congcong: "…"
Qin Fen: "Why does today's chat feel a bit… smelly?"
Wang Zheng: "So Old Qin, you peed on your side? No odor here…"
He Youjun: "I like flirty, but not this kind of pee-flirty…"
Chen Hao: "Bro He speaks my mind."
Zheng Zhigang: "I was up at six, just finished golf."
Jiang Cheng: "Enough, end this pissy topic."
Jiang Cheng: "Anyone see today's Facebook news?"
Qin Fen: "When I saw the headline last night I figured you'd be targeting Facebook—looks like I guessed right."
Wang Zheng: "Damn, it really is Facebook; guess we're solid this round."
Qi Yuan: "Steady and reassuring."
Chen Hao: "Steady and reassuring."
Jiang Cheng: "Rock-solid. @everyone, call me Daddy."
Wang Congcong: "So my money's safe—Daddy!"
Qin Fen: "With those billions I'd call you Grandpa."
Qi Yuan: "Bro Cheng is epic!"
Wang Congcong: "Logging into Facebook now to fight."
Wang Congcong: "Also contacted several top esports clubs and Streamer platforms; the Streamers will casually mention this during their streams. Our tech team scraped the hidden risks Chinese users face on Facebook, turned them into infographics and short videos—our bot army will carpet every forum and community in a minute."
Qi Yuan: "Nice line: 'Even foreign platforms aren't safe; better stick to domestic ones.'"
Jiang Cheng: "@Wang Congcong
He Youjun: "My PR team just dug up the Cambridge Analytica mess plus their old data-selling deals in Southeast Asia. Our entertainment and finance accounts will push it full-blast—lots of our people use Facebook; we'll have it trending within half an hour."
Qi Yuan followed up: "I've looped in several finance influencers and university internet-law scholars—materials sent. They'll write in-depth pieces on lagging data-privacy laws and regulatory loopholes, then get official-media new-media reprints, elevating this from a simple scandal to industry soul-searching for longer traction."
Qin Fen: "My law firm compiled Facebook's global privacy lawsuits, translated them into Chinese with commentary, and sent them to legal bloggers. Also contacted overseas Chinese bloggers who've been throttled by Facebook; they'll share first-hand stories of platform hegemony and privacy leaks—way more convincing than dry news."
Zheng Zhigang: "I lined up some cross-border business owners to be interviewed about 'enterprise data security,' trashing Facebook's privacy holes. The interviews will go to finance media and be retweeted by my investor friends, sparking business panic—nobody wants to partner with a platform that 'sells data.'
Wang Zheng: "Big brothers in this group! Little bro cheering for you."
Chen Hao: "Little bro kowtows first."
Jiang Cheng: "With you guys doing all this, suddenly I feel useless."
Wang Congcong: "@Jiang Cheng, you're my daddy now; you don't need to do a thing—just watch us perform. Relax, we'll make sure domestic buzz eclipses the US…"
Qi Yuan: "So pumped! I'm grabbing popcorn and waiting for the show."