Chapter 138: The Novel Protagonist Walking Through the Rain

In the besties' group chat.

【Zhang Ziqi: "@Zhuangzhuang, I remember you're biking over, so how are you getting back tomorrow?"】

【Wen Ruan: "I'll catch a ride with a colleague. I'll see whose car has space to put the bike in the back seat or the trunk. If I'm really unlucky, I'll just hail a cab."】

【Hu Mingli: "@Zhuangzhuang, are there any extra rooms upstairs at the place where you're having the team building?"】

【Wen Ruan: "Don't tell me you're thinking of coming to take care of me?"】

【Hu Mingli: "Hehe, maybe. If I happen to have nothing to do, I might just head over."】

【Wen Ruan: "There are vacant rooms; you can stay if you pay a bit. I'll share the location with you."】

They chatted in the group for a while longer.

"Knock, knock, knock—" A hurried knocking sounded at the door. "Sister Wen Ruan, I'm here! I've bought everything."

"Just a moment." Wen Ruan hurriedly threw off the quilt and opened the deadbolted door.

"One pack each of 290mm and 420mm. The store didn't sell heating patches, so I asked the staff for a hot water bottle; it'll work after charging for a bit." Zhang Xintong handed over a black plastic bag, smiling as she sized the other woman up.

Sister Wen Ruan looked like the type of girl who was fertile—heavy menstrual flow, regular cycles, and always on time.

Plus, since her hips were a bit on the larger side, she had bought the 290mm night-use pads for her to use during the day.

For someone like herself, a 150mm pantyliner was enough for the first day of her period.

"Okay, thank you for the trouble, Xintong. How much is it? I'll transfer it to you." Wen Ruan reached out and took them, finally letting out a sigh of relief; these were life-saving items.

Zhang Xintong shook her head with a smile. "It wasn't much. Just treat me to some snacks later, Sister Wen Ruan. No need to be so precise."

Wen Ruan was a senior planner at the company, effectively her superior, so there was no need to be overly calculating; this could also help bridge the gap between them.

Wen Ruan hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright, no problem."

"I'll help you plug it in to charge."

After changing her sanitary pad in the restroom and applying a hot water bottle, Wen Ruan finally felt some relief, and her expression relaxed significantly.

Zhang Xintong sat on the edge of the bed opposite her and smiled. "Sister Wen Ruan, Director Wang was looking for you downstairs just now and even asked me where you were. I told him you weren't feeling well and were resting in your room. He might come over to see you in a bit."

Wen Ruan frowned, looking a bit distressed. "It's nothing serious. I'll be fine after resting for a while. I'll go down in about ten minutes."

After all, today was a team-building event with leaders and colleagues present; it wouldn't be good if she didn't show her face at all, though it was a pity she wouldn't be able to participate in the evening entertainment.

She had a cheerful and outgoing personality and quite liked activities like murder mystery games, karaoke, gaming, and board games.

Zhang Xintong was silent for a moment before whispering, "Sister Wen Ruan, Director Wang is easygoing, capable, tall, handsome, and wealthy—he shouldn't have any flaws. I've never understood why you won't accept him."

This was also something their colleagues didn't understand; from any angle, Wang Liyu was considered the ideal romantic partner.

"But he has bad breath."

Zhang Xintong was stunned, speechless. "That's not a big problem. It's likely just a digestive issue; it would definitely be cured with some treatment at the hospital."

Wen Ruan smiled and suddenly said, "Besides that, I still prefer younger, handsome 'little wolf dogs'."

"Uh... alright." Zhang Xintong didn't know what to say and could only wish Sister Wen Ruan good luck.

Wen Ruan curled up, her gaze slightly unfocused.

A good personality, wealth, and capability—these were naturally advantages that made it hard to refuse someone.

But as a visual-oriented person, Wen Ruan still wanted to try and see if she could find that ideal person.

Over the years, many, many people had pursued her, but after getting to know them, she would always find some flaw or another.

For example, Gu Cheng's personality was a bit gloomy, and Wang Liyu wasn't young or handsome enough...

Friends and family all said she was dreaming, and she admitted it herself.

But she still wanted to try. If she couldn't find him after turning 30, then she would compromise with reality and honestly date and marry.

As it stood, the closest one seemed to be Tang Song; at least she hadn't discovered any flaws in him, and his looks really hit her aesthetic.

She just didn't know how his performance was.

Yanjing Tiancheng.

After changing into new clothes, he stood in the designated position and straightened his body.

His left hand, wearing a ring, rested casually at his shirt collar, his fingers moving slightly.

Ten seconds later, the filming ended.

After previewing it and confirming there were no issues, Tang Song took the camera to the study.

He opened the computer and began to operate.

He imported the videos of the five different suits, edited, spliced, added filters, transitions, and BGM...

This was the most troublesome video he had ever produced; to ensure the beauty and smoothness of the scene transitions, he had to constantly adjust it.

After nearly an hour of busyness, it was finally all done.

Tang Song nodded with satisfaction and imported the video to his phone.

He opened Douyin and began to upload.

Caption: When the male lead's hands enter reality.

Hashtags: #MangaHands, #HandFetish, #Suit, #AsceticStyle, #MaleGod

After confirming there were no issues, he clicked publish.

He checked the preview.

Slender, lustrous hands with distinct knuckles, a deep and shining Bvlgari ring, a well-fitted and crisp suit, and a dark-toned filter.

Very nice!

Another hit video in the making!

"Buzz, buzz, buzz—" His phone vibrated.

【Hu Mingli: "Tang Zong, when are you setting off? If you don't come over soon, your home is going to be stolen."】

【Hu Mingli: Team building group photo. jpg】

【Hu Mingli: "The one behind Wen Ruan is their company's director, a wealthy, handsome returnee. Today, he brought her favorite Chinchilla cat and sang to her. Who knows, there might be other surprises too."】

Tang Song clicked on the photo and looked, his brows slightly furrowed.

Wen Ruan's figure was indeed too eye-catching; there were certainly no lack of competitors around her.

Fortunately, he had Hu Mingli as an inside agent, which allowed him to keep scoring points, and their relationship was progressing very quickly.

Thinking of this, Tang Song replied: "Received. Little Hu, you have great potential to be a front-end team leader. I think highly of you."

【Hu Mingli: "Thank you for the promotion, Tang Zong! I'll go study management knowledge right away! I'll leave my good bestie in your care tonight!"】

"Pfft—" Tang Song couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He encouraged her a couple more times, put away his phone, and walked into the walk-in closet.

What he was wearing now was too formal and not very suitable for attending a gathering of this nature.

After thinking for a moment, he took out the outfit corresponding to 【Fashion - Pride Like Fire】.

A thin khaki shirt, black suit trousers, khaki leather shoes, and a black leather belt.

With the current weather, it was a bit chilly at night, so he also took a dark casual suit jacket.

He looked at himself in the mirror.

He had to say, the clothes that came with the house were all exquisite and suited him very well.

The shoulder lines of the suit matched the edges of his shoulders, the sleeve length reached his wrist joints, the trouser length reached his heels, and the waist and chest were neither too tight nor too loose.

In the end, he still took off the Bvlgari ring and put on a Longines watch.

After all, Wen Ruan's colleagues were present, and this made him appear more mature and steady.

After tidying up his things, he walked out of the walk-in closet.

Through the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows of the master bedroom, he could see the sky outside gradually turning gloomy.

Tang Song stepped in front of the floor-to-ceiling window; heavy clouds were gathering in the sky, which was very spectacular.

"Don't tell me it's going to rain?"

Just as he muttered that, he saw a few water stains appear on the glass in front of him.

Shaking his head, Tang Song walked toward the outside.

He pulled a long-handled black business umbrella from the walk-in closet in the foyer.

This also came with the house; the texture was very high-end, 24 ribs, one-button opening, 140cm.

Huiying River View Creative Park.

In the lobby on the first floor of Building 3, all 38 team-building employees were present, gathering together to take a group photo.

Guangying Media had a team-building reimbursement quota of 600 yuan per person every quarter.

However, it required on-site photos and corresponding invoices.

After all, the company encouraged team building, essentially hoping to enhance team cohesion and relieve work pressure; this was also to prevent some departments from cashing out.

Director Wang, holding the cat, stood beside Wen Ruan, unable to help but take a deep breath, his heart thumping wildly.

He couldn't help but sigh again that Wen Ruan's figure was truly great.

He couldn't imagine how wonderful it would be to hold her while sleeping!

After taking the group photo, the crowd dispersed and began to play in the leisure area.

Wen Ruan petted the cat with her colleagues for a while, feeling her lower abdomen start to churn again, so she hurriedly went to her room to get a hot water bottle to hold against it, curling up in a corner to scroll through her phone.

"Wen Ruan." Wang Liyu walked over carrying a dark gray bag and said softly, "I heard from Zhang Xintong that you aren't feeling well and can't play anything."

Wen Ruan shrugged at him and said helplessly, "It's just such bad luck, miserable."

Wang Liyu pursed his lips hard, opened his backpack, and took out a dark gray drone.

Looking at Wen Ruan's beautiful face, he smiled. "I heard you like traveling and also like watching aerial photography. I brought my own drone. Since it's inconvenient for you to walk around right now, why don't you watch some aerial footage? The scenery around here is very beautiful."

Wen Ruan asked curiously, "Is this a DJI Mavic 3?"

"Mm-hmm." Seeing Wen Ruan's reaction, Wang Liyu was overjoyed and hurriedly took out the remote control. "The new DJI RC remote control, with a 5.5-inch screen, allows you to see the aerial footage in real-time. Hasselblad camera, very clear. It has a 4G module, so you can sit here and watch the real-time footage."

"The director actually plays with drones too; his hobbies are really extensive!"

"You can overlook the river view in May; it's absolutely stunning."

Several female employees from the New Media Operations Department not far away gathered around, consciously acting as wingmen for their director.

Seeing other colleagues so enthusiastic, and since she was also interested, Wen Ruan nodded along.

A big smile appeared on Wang Liyu's face, and he excitedly clenched his fists.

Wasn't this a quick way to get closer?

"Just a moment, I'll go get the drone flying first."

After speaking, Wang Liyu carried his bag, walked quickly out the door, and began to operate it.

Zhong Ying, who saw this scene, was so angry her teeth hurt. She sat down next to Wen Ruan and said in a dry tone, "I also really like drones, Sister Wen. Let's play together in a bit."

She had finally managed to wait for Director Wang to come over, only for him to still revolve around Wen Ruan, giving no chance for others to get close.

Wen Ruan swept a glance at her with amusement and still ignored her.

Today was team building, and there were so many colleagues and leaders on site, so she wouldn't bother with her.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

On the gray stone path, the drone slowly flew up, getting higher and higher.

Wang Liyu raised his head, his eyes full of excitement.

He imagined the beautiful scene of getting close to Wen Ruan and operating the drone together.

"Pat—"

"Pat—"

Drops of rain fell, hitting his eyelids, forehead, corners of his mouth, and heart...

And also interrupting the smile on his face.

Damn! Wasn't it supposed to be cloudy today?

Could he be this unlucky!?

He took a deep breath. Don't panic! It should just be a drizzle; it will stop soon!

"Swish, swish, swish—" The raindrops gradually became denser.

The expression on Wang Liyu's face gradually froze.

The screen of the remote control in his hand went dark, and the aerial footage disappeared.

Immediately after, a striking red prompt appeared: "Aircraft not connected to remote control."

Wang Liyu lowered his head, a sense of powerlessness washing over him.

He had never been this unlucky in his entire life!

Really!

"Why did it suddenly rain? There was still sunshine at noon!"

"It's really raining? Ah! The outdoor dinner tonight is gone!"

"Can Director Wang's drone still fly?"

Wen Ruan shook her head and explained, "Most consumer drones don't support waterproofing. The motors are exposed, and there are many small holes on the body. Flying on a rainy day could lead to water ingress at any time, causing a short circuit in the motherboard. Plus, the lens will also get wet from the rain, making it impossible to see the footage at all."

She did indeed have some research on drones and had bought some entry-level models as toys before.

Zhong Ying felt a stir in her heart as she watched Wang Liyu standing in the rain.

She couldn't care about squeezing Wen Ruan out anymore, grabbed an umbrella, and rushed out.

"Tap—" The umbrella was opened. Zhong Ying stood beside him and said softly, "Director Wang, consumer drones aren't waterproof. The motors..."

She sweetly repeated Wen Ruan's words and casually expressed concern for him.

Wang Liyu said distractedly, "It's already crashed. I'm planning to go over there and look for it."

"Ah! Then I'll go with you. About where is it?"

"No need, just give me the umbrella. Help me tell Wen Ruan I'm sorry; we can't watch the aerial footage today."

"O-okay."

As the rain began to pick up.

Colleagues who were active outdoors or on the terrace returned to the lobby one after another.

They gathered in groups of three or five.

While playing mahjong and poker, they admired the rainy scenery outside through the super-large floor-to-ceiling windows.

Zhong Ying, who had returned to her seat, had a very ugly expression. She pulled out a tissue to wipe the rain off her body.

Looking at the calm Wen Ruan, she said sarcastically, "Sister Wen, you won't be able to watch the aerial footage today. Because of you, Director Wang's drone is broken."

Zhang Xintong, who was beside her, frowned. "What does that have to do with Sister Wen Ruan?"

"Hehe, she knows it herself."

Seeing this, other colleagues hurriedly tried to smooth things over.

"It's so lively here." Li Meiling, wearing heavy makeup, suddenly came over. She was wearing an off-shoulder dress, her waist and hips swaying, looking very flirtatious.

She looked at Wen Ruan, who was sitting in the corner, and said with a smile, "Wen Ruan, in your state, you definitely can't ride a road bike. Why don't you call your boyfriend over to take you home tomorrow?"

She couldn't stand this female colleague who was about the same age as her and was stealing the spotlight in the company, and she wanted to squeeze in a few sarcastic remarks from time to time.

Hearing this, Zhong Ying also joined in the fun. "That's right, Sister Wen. Where is that little boyfriend who gave you the LV bag?"

Li Meiling shook her phone. "My boyfriend heard I didn't bring a jacket and was afraid I'd be cold, so he drove over without a word. That's what a boyfriend should do."

"Hehe." Wen Ruan smiled faintly. "As long as I like my own man, what does it have to do with you?"

"Ring-a-ling—" A phone ringtone suddenly sounded, interrupting their gunpowder-filled atmosphere.

Li Meiling hurriedly answered the phone and whispered a few words.

She pointed outside the floor-to-ceiling window and smiled. "My boyfriend is here! He was supposed to go talk business tonight, but for me, he canceled the drinking party directly."

Colleagues looked in the direction of the sound and saw a Volkswagen Magotan stop by the side of the road.

Immediately after, a trendy-looking young man stepped out.

The two waved at each other through the glass.

Li Meiling smiled at Wen Ruan. "Wen Ruan, your state is so poor right now, and your boyfriend hasn't shown any sign at all?"

Zhong Ying beamed. "Sister Meiling, don't force her. She's already bragged; where is she going to find you a 25-year-old boyfriend with a successful career? Maybe he's just imagined from a female-oriented novel."

Her voice was very loud, instantly attracting the attention of those around her.

"Can you two stop buzzing in front of me?" Wen Ruan's expression instantly darkened.

She was already in a bad mood because of her period, and these two idiots were still jumping around and being sarcastic here.

Zhang Xintong hurriedly grabbed her hand and handed over a deck of cards. "Sister Wen Ruan, don't be angry. Let's play cards."

"How about playing Fight the Landlord?"

Seeing that the atmosphere was wrong, several colleagues hurriedly came over to smooth things over.

One of the short-haired girls shouted, "Hey, comrades, I just scrolled past a really great video. It's full of male gods; come and watch!"

"Where? Let me see!"

The short-haired girl put her phone on the table, turned up the volume, and clicked play.

Others curiously gathered around.

Everyone liked watching male gods.

The video caption was: "A roundup of those stunning passersby who broke into the camera lens."

It hadn't been posted long, but it already had over 200,000 likes and was very popular.

They were all stunning moments accidentally recorded by amateurs.

"This little brother is so handsome! With sword-like brows and starry eyes."

"This one in the windbreaker is so cool; he's my type!"

"I like the handsome guy in the suit the most; he's amazing."

The short-haired girl said mysteriously, "Don't be in a hurry; there's a surprise at the end."

Everyone instantly perked up.

Immediately after, a burst of exclamations sounded.

"Sisters, I really like this one!"

"Forget the windbreakers, get lost! This is my type!"

"The handsome guy in the suit is actually just so-so; this little brother's shirt is more charming."

"His hands are so beautiful! And he's from our Yancheng!"

A male colleague ruthlessly exposed them. "Go away, I think you just took a fancy to his Mercedes."

"One thing to say, isn't this handsome enough?"

"That's right, Li Ming, you're just jealous of his beauty."

"Quick, pull the video to the end; I just like the Mercedes little brother."

The commotion here was quite loud, instantly attracting the attention of many people who gathered around.

Li Meiling, who had reunited with her boyfriend, came over to take a look and instantly her eyes lit up, feeling an itch in her heart.

Listening to the colleagues' discussion, Wen Ruan couldn't help but glance at the phone screen.

The expression on her face stalled, and she took the phone directly from the table.

She dragged the progress bar to the end.

The video played, showing a boy sitting in a Mercedes.

Wearing a khaki shirt with excellent texture, his fingers holding the steering wheel were jumping slightly.

A smooth jawline, fluffy messy hair, a smiling corner of the mouth, a high-bridged nose, bright eyes, and an elegant and atmospheric silver Mercedes.

The author of the video clearly added a filter, making this scene look very high-end.

Then the Mercedes started quickly and disappeared from the lens.

In that fleeting glimpse, there was an indescribable charm.

Of course, the most important thing was that this person was actually Tang Song!

And that Mercedes S-Class worth over a million.

It seemed Hu Mingli didn't know much about him either.

Wen Ruan pursed her lips, her gaze a bit dazed.

This state of Tang Song was one she had never seen before; it was like he had changed into a different person.

It made her think of a line from Li Bai's "Song of the Knight-Errant": "Silver saddle on a white horse, dashing like a shooting star."

His whole body was overflowing with vigorous confidence and sharpness.

Seeing her like this, Zhong Ying said sarcastically, "Sister Wen, can we not be so excited? Even if you like him, he's not yours."

Li Meiling covered her mouth and smiled. "It doesn't matter, look a few more times, and you'll have material for your dreams tonight."

Wen Ruan put down the phone, licked her dry lips, and suddenly said, "That's not necessarily true. What if he is my boyfriend?"

"Pfft—" Zhong Ying clutched her lower abdomen and laughed. "I didn't expect Sister Wen to be so old and still love to dream."

Several girls who usually didn't like Wen Ruan also covered their mouths and chuckled.

How could there be such a coincidence that the male god in the video you just happened to scroll past is your boyfriend?

And he drives a million-dollar luxury car at such a young age; he doesn't match you either.

Zhang Xintong smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to ease the atmosphere.

Just then, the handsome male colleague who had asked to sing at noon came over and said loudly, "Wen Ruan, is your throat feeling better? Do you want to sing a song together?"

There was a mini-stage in the lobby where you could sing karaoke directly.

He clearly saw that the atmosphere was wrong and wanted to help Wen Ruan and earn some favor.

"Sorry, Wenzhe, I'm not feeling well; I really can't sing." Wen Ruan shook her head; she really didn't have the heart for it right now.

Li Wenzhe was stunned and said, "Then forget it."

Zhang Xintong, who was beside her, hurriedly stood up. "Wenzhe, let's go. I'll sing with you. Rainy days are best for listening to songs."

After speaking, she happily grabbed his arm and walked toward the stage in the lobby.

The two stood on the stage and discussed for a while, and Li Wenzhe chose "The Guest," which he had always wanted to sing with Wen Ruan.

After the pleasant prelude, it was Zhang Xintong's gentle voice.

"BGM: How many winters since we broke up

What day of the week is it today

Occasionally I think of you..."

Both of them were KTV microphone hogs, and they didn't hold back when singing.

The atmosphere in the entire lobby instantly eased.

The colleagues beside Wen Ruan also continued to watch videos and chat.

Zhong Ying, who had been paying attention to Director Wang, suddenly stood up. "Director Wang is back, and something seems a bit wrong. I'll go meet him."

Hearing this, the colleagues looked out the window one after another.

Immediately after, they saw a somewhat disheveled Wang Liyu.

Half of his body was soaked, and there was some mud on him.

Several male colleagues hurriedly stood up, opened the door, and waited for the leader to come in.

"Yunyun, I think my eyes might be playing tricks on me; I saw that silver Mercedes from the video just now!" a female colleague suddenly shouted.

Everyone was already staring outside, and hearing this, they instantly perked up.

In the hazy rain and mist, a silver Mercedes S-Class was slowly driving on the wet bluestone road.

The rainwater formed a thin film of water on the car body, making the car body shimmer with a soft silver light.

"It's the same model! But it shouldn't be the same car, right?"

"Although the license plate in the video was blurred, you can still see it's Yan A. Who knows, it might really be!"

"It couldn't be such a coincidence!?"

"I feel like my love has arrived; what should I do?"

Li Meiling patted Wen Ruan on the shoulder and smiled. "Wen Ruan, didn't you say that boy was your boyfriend just now? Why don't you hurry up and go welcome him?"

Wen Ruan had no heart to deal with her at all; she stood up directly and looked at the silver Mercedes parked outside the door.

Her heart was thumping wildly.

"BGM: The venue he carefully arranged

It's a pity this is the scenery that belongs to you

..."

Under the gaze of the crowd.

The Mercedes headlights went out, and the driver's door was pushed open a crack.

A black business umbrella reached out.

With a "bang," it blocked the pouring rain.

The car door was pushed open.

A pair of black leather shoes stepped onto the wet stone slab.

Immediately after, a tall and handsome figure stood up from inside.

He lowered his head slightly, holding the umbrella in his right hand, holding a bunch of blooming tulips in his left hand, and a dark suit jacket draped over his arm.

He closed the car door and looked up into the floor-to-ceiling window.

High-bridged nose, smiling corners of the mouth, red lips and white teeth, a superior jawline that was very smooth, exactly the same as in the video.

【Special Effect Triggered】

A calm, composed, confident, and sharp temperament lingered around him, like a male lead walking out of a book.

It was as if he was out of place with the surrounding world, yet perfectly integrated into this rainy scene.

"BGM: Thank you for the special invitation

To watch the love you want

..."

He adjusted the position of the umbrella and walked toward this side through the layers of rain with his long legs.

He happened to bump into Wang Liyu and Zhong Ying and brushed past them.

Zhong Ying seemed to be stunned, standing there watching him leave her presence and walk into the open door.

Beside her were the sounds of gasping and swallowing saliva.

Wen Ruan bit her lip hard, staring blankly at the boy walking toward her.

This feeling was a racing heartbeat, an inability to look directly, and an "I think I like you." ===== CHAPTER 139 =====