Category: Male Lead 2 and Male Lead 3 Happy Ending!

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Chapter 41 – Does President Xi Have this Much Free Time?

That blogger “Clear Sky Has Eyes” must not have expected that so many people would still support Spring Flower No. 1 even after digging up Duan Shu Tong’s drunk driving incident.

Was this a lost of morality or a distortion of human nature?

Why were these netizen’s so superficial?! Was being handsome something that could fill the belly? Could people avoid moral condemnation just because they were good looking?

Clear Sky Has Eyes was not afraid of stirring up trouble, and he was not afraid of ending up like that person surnamed Yuan. After all, everything that he said was the truth. He wasn’t trying to start a rumor.

Two months ago, the young master of the Duan family was also on Weibo hot search for drunk driving. Back then the netizens scolded him so badly. Why were people so forgetful now?

He expressed dissatisfaction, so he rallied his energy and began to argue back and forth with other netizens.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Netizen 1: Spring Flower No. 1 is really easy to use ahhhh! This shows that Young Master Duan is handsome and talented! Humans are not virtuous Buddhas. Who hasn’t made mistakes in their past? The original blogger has worked so hard to dig into the great brain’s history. There must be untold secrets here!

Clear Sky Has Eyes criticized back: Drunk driving is illegal! You’re supporting someone who violated the law, do your parents know about this?

Netizen 2: I heard that Young Master Duan is only 23 years old! A golden bachelor with good looks and money! Baby, hit me up!

Clear Sky Has Eyes ridiculed without restraint: A golden bachelor who is notorious for his misdeeds? Hahahaha, are you trying to make me laugh?

Netizen 3: There are so many drunk drivers in the world, why don’t the original blogger go scold them? Why must you cling on to our Director Duan with such a death grip?

Clear Sky Has Eyes sneered, and pounded ruthlessly on his keyboard with both hands: When he was trending on the hot search before [for drunk driving] I didn’t scold him at all, but now I’m just expressing my doubts. A rich second-generation turned into a big R&D boss over night. Can you believe it?

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Asides from fans who were captured by Duan Shu Tong’s beauty and talent, there were also many people who supported the original blogger. They also thought that this matter was too incredible.

Duan Shu Tong’s previous deeds were not a secret. Soon, someone else dug up more dirt on him. They revealed how he changed girlfriends every month, and how he got low grades during college.

Netizens: ???

This really was a bit disillusioning.

Especially for girls who treasured the romantic feelings between two people, when they saw such news, they suddenly felt that the Spring Flower No. 1 in their hands was not fragrant anymore.

More and more people were insulting Duan Shu Tong passionately online, and they even went to the company’s official blog to protest.

As for how many were really netizens and how many were just people employed to post messages on the Internet, this was unknown.

The Spring and Autumn Hall’s blog once again became a trash can for netizens to vent.

The director of the Propaganda Department reported this incident to Zhai Jun and Duan Shu Tong while shivering from head to toe.

Zhai Jun’s expression immediately darkened, “Why is it another hater again? How can these people scold Young Master Duan? Hurry up and close the comments section!”

What if Duan Shu Tong got butthurt over the scalding comments? Zhai Jun was still waiting for Young Master Duan to develop Spring Flower No. 2.

Unexpectedly, Duan Shu Tong smiled, carefree and at ease. Then he ridiculed himself: “No need, let them vent for a period of time. Spring Flower No. 2 is coming out soon. We can save on advertising expenses.”

In his opinion, the original host’s previous experiences would sooner or later be dug up, and sooner or later the public would scold him like a dog. There were some illnesses where you must fiercely and rapidly pull it out by the roots, otherwise, it would fester, and get worse and worse.

After venting about this a lot, if someone tried to bring it up again in the future to muddy the waters, no one would care enough to bother anymore.

Zhai Jun and the director of the Propaganda Department both agreed that Young Master Duan’s heart was really big.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

Before, when haters were shitting on the Spring and Autumn Hall, Young Master Duan’s calmness could still be understood. After all, the dirty water wasn’t pouring on him directly, but now it was Young Master Duan himself who was being condemned. How could he be so leisurely and at ease about it all?

There were even some people within the company who were secretly pointing fingers.

The two men looked at each other, and in the end, it was Zhai Jun who took the lead to speak: “Don’t tell me that we’re just going to let them talk nonsense?”

Duan Shu Tong took in Zhai Jun’s words and contemplated them. And then, very quickly, he responded with a smile. The unfurling of his smile was so dazzling that it caused them to be startled.

The netizens watched the Spring and Autumn Hall’s official blog with great expectation. The blog, which had remained silent no matter how much ridicule was thrown its way, updated out of the blue.

As a first generation fan of the product, Feng Ran certainly could not miss this interesting show.

To be honest, she didn’t like Young Master Duan’s view of romance, but the changes that Spring Flower No. 1 brought to her still made her bias for the Spring and Autumn Hall.

She followed the Spring and Autumn Hall’s official blog, and as soon as there was an update on the blog, she couldn’t wait to click in to it and read it.

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Chapter 40 – Move in With Me

Duan Shu Tong froze in place, and only came to his senses after a few seconds. He felt that the author of the original book had really squandered the characters’ potential. Someone of Xi Duan’s caliber was only the third male lead.

Whether it was in looks, family background, or abilities, he was far superior to Li Xiao. But in the end, he was still unable to hold on to the female lead.

Duan Shu Tong felt pity for Xi Duan all over again.

The President Xi who was being pitied had returned to his own residence. Cen Ning and Liu Zhi Fei were currently sipping the broth from their instant noodle cups, and it was even pickled vegetables flavor.

When they saw Xi Duan enter, they stood up and greeted him politely.

Xi Duan nodded with a solemn face. He changed into house slippers, and walked slowly from the entrance to the stairs. When he reached the top of the stairs, he suddenly turned around and said to Cen Ning, “Move your things downstairs.”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

The villa had two floors. Xi Duan has always lived on the second floor. Cen Ning was his assistant, and because of work, he had moved into the room next to him when he came over. As for Liu Zhi Fei, he slept on the first floor.

Cen Ning looked dumbfounded. He swallowed the spicy and sour soup in his mouth and then said, “President Xi, did I disturb you at night with my snoring?”

It was reasonable to say that this house had very good soundproofing.

Xi Duan was still expressionless, “No. A friend is coming over to live here.”

Cen Ning: ?

When did Xi Duan make friends with someone? Moreover, it was someone that he would bring into his house to live with him?

Cen Ning didn’t dare to ask. He could only answer yes.

Liu Zhi Fei laughed and patted him on the shoulder, “From now on, we will be together downstairs.”

Cen Ning thought about it for a bit and felt that this new arrangement would make him feel more at ease.

Xi Duan took another two steps and then remembered something else, so he turned back around and asked, “I told you to talk to the purchasing department before. Have the benefits been handed out yet?”

Cen Ning nodded again and again, “They’ve been handed out. Everyone is happy. They’re secretly saying that our company is very humane, and the female employees of other companies are very envious.”

What he said was not an exaggeration.

Before the popularity of Spring Flower No. 1 spiked, the purchasing department staff felt that they could not understand the boss’s decision. However, after the popularity of the product shot up on the Internet, the purchasing department personnel deeply admired the boss’s foresight.

After receiving the company’s notice of benefits, those female employees who meet the requirements were wild with happiness.

Those who did not meet the conditions yet were very envious and jealous in their hearts, but they worked even harder.

After all, the boss gave benefits to female employees with a higher working age. This was also the boss’s reward for these female employees.

If they continued to work hard, they might have better benefits in the future.

The male employees didn’t care about female skin care products, but after hearing that the price was 666 yuan, they couldn’t help but sighed and lamented that they weren’t born female.

Of course, these were just jokes. After all, 666 yuan wasn’t extremely pricey.

[T/N: At the time of translation, 666 RMB converts to 103.09 USD or 87.34 EUR.]

During the time when Spring Flower No. 1 was sold out, female employees from the Xi Corporation posted about this company benefit on the Internet, and there were so many jealous responses.

“Xi Corporation’s treatment is too good man!”

“So humane, it would be nice if our boss could do the same.”

“How about I resign and go to Xi Corporation? Haha.”

Such remarks could be seen everywhere. Although most of them were jokes, it could still be seen that Xi Duan’s decision attracted quite a few fans for the Xi Corporation.

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A lot of employees were expressing how ashamed they felt. Before, they used to roast Xi Duan for being an unfeeling robot, but could a robot actually be so considerate?!

Absolutely not!

After receiving Cen Ning’s answer, Xi Duan was very satisfied, but his expression was still as aloof as always. He nodded his head faintly and then continued upstairs to do more work.

They did not know that the sentiments concerning Spring Flower No. 1 was changing again online.

Someone picked up Duan Shu Tong’s previous drunk driving incident and unceremoniously started taunting: “Director Duan descended on the Spring and Autumn Hall from heaven, and in just one month he was able to research and develop a new product. This really isn’t some scam?”

The netizen’s first reaction was: So the great brain that developed Spring Flower No. 1 is surnamed Duan?

The second reaction was: Fuck! Why is this great brain so fucking handsome!

The third reaction was: Although drunk driving is not good, Spring Flower No. 1 is really good!

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Chapter 39 – Move in With Me

In the original book, after learning that Pei Ruo Wei was pregnant, Young Master Duan took her to a secret residence and stayed with her all the time.

At that time Li Xiao’s mother found out about Pei Ruo Wei’s existence. In order to guarantee the marriage between the Li and Lin families, Mrs. Li forced Pei Ruo Wei to leave Li Xiao.

Pei Ruo Wei had no alternatives. She could only feel sad and depressed by herself.

In this kind of situation, as a supporting male lead, Young Master Duan naturally had to show off his value.

Now that this second male lead had opted to withdraw from the race, and the male lead was not a reliable man, that left only Xi Duan as the most suitable candidate.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

During Pei Ruo Wei’s pregnancy, Xi Duan continued to silently be her pillar of support, and even remained single all his life for her sake. When Duan Shu Tong read this, he was so moved that he almost cried out loud.

As for when Xi Duan said that he would give up [on Pei Ruo Wei] when he was in the hospital, it must have been because he considered Duan Shu Tong a friend, and did not have the heart to fight with him over a woman.

“If you want to be free from disturbances, it’s better to find a well-secured community.” Xi Duan’s words interrupted Duan Shu Tong’s imagination.

Xi Duan did not know the arrangement of the kitchen, so Duan Shu Tong put away the washed tableware, and then led Xi Duan out into the living room.

“A well-secured community, I can only think of our places here.”

This was the villa area for the rich, and it was not easy for outsiders to come in.

Xi Duan slowly wiped away the water between his fingers with a tissue, his expression faint: “Do you want her to live with you?”

He ruthlessly hit the nail on the head.

Duan Shu Tong was still quite sensitive to other people’s emotions. Seeing that Xi Duan’s mood was a little low, a light bulb sparked in his head, and he quickly explained with a smile: “Of course not, rather than living at my place, it’s better to live at yours.”

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Xi Duan must have thought that Duan Shu Tong would do whatever it took to take advantage of an opportunity and seize Pei Ruo Wei’s love.

He was not [taking advantage], and he did not [take advantage] either!

The “jealous” President Xi raised his head to look at him for a few seconds and then said, “It’s not appropriate for a single man and a single woman to live together.

Duan Shu Tong: “Isn’t Cen-ge and Liu-ge also there?”

Xi Duan threw the tissue into the trashcan, and then he straightened up, and said condescendingly, “That’s even more inappropriate.”

“Are you worried about damaging her reputation?” Duan Shu Tong did not want to raise his head to talk, so he took a few steps back and looked straight on at Xi Duan.

The young man’s gaze was completely confused, and there was no sign of nostalgia for Pei Ruo Wei. Xi Duan could see this clearly, but it was precisely because he could see clearly that he was puzzled by the inexplicable emotions in his heart.

“Since you have chosen to give up, why are you still so concerned about her affairs?” Xi Duan felt that this was probably what he didn’t understand.

Duan Shu Tong was very serious about explaining himself. “Because she is talented and her innate skill is also good. This time, she helped me a lot with the new product. I want to hire her.”

It’s not that he had never thought about avoiding suspicion, but compared with career development, avoiding suspicion was not so important.

Moreover, it wasn’t like he came into contact with Pei Ruo Wei every day. At most, they talked about work through WeChat.

Since his conscience was clear, why did he have to avoid suspicion?

The young man’s calm and clear gaze made the inexplicable emotions in Xi Duan’s heart dissipate, and his fingers couldn’t help but bounce a few times on his pants.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

“Actually, there is a way to get the best of both worlds.”

Duan Shu Tong’s eyes widened slightly, “How so?”

As if he had no selfish motives, President Xi said solemnly: “You move to my place.”

Duan Shu Tong: ??? Huh?

Once he said those words out loud, Xi Duan did not feel any more psychological burden. Xi Duan met Duan Shu Tong’s surprised gaze, and without showing any timidity, he said: “It’s not suitable for her to live with either of us. She moves into your place, and you move in to live with me. Then that would solve everything.”

It seems… like it made sense?

Duan Shu Tong thought for a second, and then nodded: “That is also a solution.”

Pulling down his rolled up sleeves, Xi Duan showed a smile for the first time, “It’s late now. I’ll go back first. Thank you for the supper. After you have decided on a time to move, let me know.”

Having said that, he opened the door and left.

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Chapter 38 – Move in With Me

Xi Duan was about to leave work when he received Duan Shu Tong’s call.

“Still working?” Duan Shu Tong was leaning against the sofa, watching television, very contented.

“I just got off work, what’s the matter?” Xi Duan’s metallic cold voice made the slightly dry summer night feel somewhat cool and refreshing.

Duan Shu Tong looked down, fiddling with the remote control in his hand, “I need to ask for your advice about something. Are you free? Why don’t you come over to my place if you have time? I heard from Cen-ge* that you didn’t have dinner yet. I just so happened to have made some midnight snacks.”

[*T/N: 哥 ge – “older brother,” here it is used as an honorific attached to Cen Ning’s surname.]

Although the two of them did not communicate much on a day-to-day basis, they could still be regarded as friends.

The people around Xi Suan either respected him or were afraid of him. None of the people in the same generation as him were excessively friendly with him. He had never met someone like Duan Shu Tong, who did not treat him too formally.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

He was silent for a moment. In the end, hunger and sensibility won the upper hand, “Okay, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

He said fifteen minutes, and he really did arrive in fifteen minutes.

Duan Shu Tong had just finished making the noodles, when the bright beam from the car headlights flashed across his window, causing him to squint.

He walked over and opened the front door. The man standing outside the door was wearing a well-ironed shirt. Under the warm light shining out from the living room, his handsome face looked a bit tired.

“It’s not good to eat meat and fish too late at night,” Duan Shu Tong greeted him at the door. “I made some noodles, please put up with [the meager meal] and eat it.”

Xi Duan put on a pair of house slippers and looked at Duan Shu Tong in all seriousness, “Not at all.”

Xi Duan had answered Duan Shu Tong’s standard courteous words in an earnest and serious manner, and it made Duan Shu Tong feel ineffably happy.

Duan Shu Tong smiled all of a sudden. Then he turned around, ran to the kitchen to get the noodles, and presented them with a flourish on the table.

Lying atop the bed of noodles was a poached egg. Red tomatoes and bright green onions decorated the bowl of noodles. The colors were fresh and captivating.

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Xi Duan has suffered through hardships before, so he was not picky about his food, but seeing delicious food would nevertheless make him excited.

Ever since the passing of his elder brother and parents, it became a luxury to be able to eat such a bowl of noodles.

It’s not that he could not afford [to buy a bowl of noodles], but that this kind of friendship was rare.

One person immersed himself in eating noodles, while the other watched television with his cheeks in his hands. Neither of them spoke, but it did not feel awkward at all. Instead, there was a sense of tranquility.

After he finished eating, Xi Duan asked, “What happened?”

Xi Duan picked up the bowl and was about to go to the kitchen to wash it, but Duan Shu Tong immediately stopped him, “Put it down, I’ll wash it.”

Xi Duan rolled up his sleeves, “I’ve washed dishes before. Tell me about your problem.”

Duan Shu Tong didn’t stop him anymore. He stood behind Xi Duan to his left, and his gaze fell aimlessly on his thin forearm. Then he got straight to the point: “Li Xiao has come to pester Pei Ruo Wei several times, what do you think should be done?”

He never considered whether Xi Duan knew Pei Ruo Wei came to Shan Quan County or not. After all, in the original story, Xi Duan knew Pei Ruo Wei’s movements well, and there was no need to think about this issue.

He did not expect Xi Duan to be taken aback by the news. Xi Duan shut the faucet and turned around to ask: “Pei Ruo Wei? She’s here?”

Now it was Duan Shu Tong’s turn to be dumbfounded.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

Didn’t the book say that Male Lead 3 was deeply affectionate? In the book, Male Lead 3 was the first one to find out about Pei Ruo Wei’s pregnancy, and he gave her a lot of things needed for pregnancy. If “Young Master Duan” had not bumped into her by chance, then “Young Master Duan” would not have known about this entire matter.

“You didn’t know?”

Xi Duan lowered his eyebrows and looked at him. His dark eyes were like spilled ink. “Should I have known?”

His voice was a little deeper than before.

Duan Shu Tong felt that something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what was wrong, so he could only tentatively ask: “Too busy at work?”

Xi Duan’s tall figure turned back around. He picked up the pot used to make noodles and continued to scrub.

“Li Xiao pestered her, and then what happened?”

Duan Shu Tong was puzzled, his mind was muddled, and he felt a little lost. His peach blossom eyes followed the sight of the pot to the hands scrubbing at it, and the funny thought of “how could such hands be scrubbing a pot” came to mind.

Seeing Duan Shu Tong in a daze, Xi Duan felt somewhat exasperated, “You came to me for this?”

“Oh, I wanted to ask you if you have any good solutions to this problem.”

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Chapter 37 – Sales Surge

“Ruo Wei, come back with me!”

Pei Ruo Wei was unmoved and extremely indifferent: “You have a fiancée. We have already broken up.”

Li Xiao was overjoyed in his heart, “Are you jealous?”

Pei Ruo Wei: “…” Your thoughts are like a shallow fart.

She was thinking about how to shoo Li Xiao away, when she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps behind her, and a clear voice entered her ears: “Li Xiao, before I didn’t know you could be this despicable.”

Pei Ruo Wei turned her head, and her eyes lit up, “Young Master Duan.”

Seeing the change in her expression, Li Xiao became even angrier inside his heart. He was at odds with Duan Shu Tong before, and now the hatred between them was even greater.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

In his eyes, Duan Shu Tong was a despicable villain! Duan Shu Tong separated him from Ruo Wei, and swindled Ruo Wei to come to this place in the middle of nowhere, in a place where even birds don’t come to defecate. This method of retreating in order to advance was really good.

“What did you come here for?” He asked with a dark and calm expression.

Duan Shu Tong completely ignored him and only said to Pei Ruo Wei: “You helped me a lot before. I’m here to express my gratitude and to invite you to eat a meal together.”

Pei Ruo Wei did not intend to be recompense for her help, but in this situation, Duan Shu Tong’s appearance undoubtedly gave her hope.

“Okay…”

“No!” Li Xiao interrupted her. “Duan Shu Tong, don’t think that I can’t read your thoughts. Today, I came here to bring her away from here.”

Duan Shu Tong pretended that Li Xiao was farting and pulled out his cell phone.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiao sneered, “Lin Man Man is on the crew, closed off from the outside world, and she won’t be able to come out at all for a while.”

Duan Shu Tong almost laughed. He gave Li Xiao a strange look, dialed a number on his phone, and then turned on the speakers.

“Duan Shu Tong?” A man’s voice came through from the phone’s speakers. Li Xiao’s face turned completely dark upon hearing that voice.

Duan Shu Tong smiled and said, “President Lin, excuse me [for disturbing you]. I have something to discuss with you.”

Li Xiao glared at him fiercely. He didn’t expect that Duan Shu Tong would change tactics this time from calling Lin Man Man to calling her older brother!

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Who didn’t know that Lin Huan, the heir to the Lin family, was a siscon? If Lin Huan really knew of Pei Ruo Wei’s existence, then he would definitely not let Li Xiao off easy.

For the first time, Li Xiao felt that his identity as the heir to the Li family was not easy to utilize at all.

Lin Huan asked in surprise: “What might be the matter, Young Master Duan?”

Duan Shu Tong looked at Li Xiao and slowly said: “It’s about Miss Lin Man Man…”

Li Xiao quickly let go of Pei Ruo Wei’s arm and rigidly pinned Duan Shu Tong with his gaze.

Duan Shu Tong was very satisfied with Li Xiao’s conceding attitude. It also made Pei Ruo Wei completely give up on Li Xiao.

Pei Ruo Wei had never noticed that the Young Master Li, who has always been aloof and arrogant, has such an embarrassing side.

It was a freaking* disillusionment.

[*T/N: Yes, the author did indeed use a euphemism for the F word. Lol.]

Lin Huan didn’t know the undercurrent surging here. Still confused, he asked: “Man Man? Did something happen with her?”

With Duan Shu Tong’s gaze on him, Li Xiao had no choice but to go downstairs and leave. Before leaving, he gave Duan Shu Tong a vicious look.

Pei Ruo Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

Duan Shu Tong responded with a smile: “Miss Lin Man Man is your company’s most popular actress. I want to talk to you about a collaboration.”

“No.” Lin Huan directly hung up the phone.

He had a very bad impression of Duan Shu Tong, and he didn’t believe his nonsense at all.

Duan Shu Tong was not surprised at all. Anyway, he never had any intention of getting Lin Man Man to endorse his product.

It was just a tactic to frighten Li Xiao off.

Seeing Pei Ruo Wei’s apologetic gaze, Duan Shu Tong couldn’t help but say: “If Li Xiao can come here once or twice, then he can come again a third and forth time. You really don’t want to consider changing residence?”

Pei Ruo Wei shook her head and sighed: “He can find me no matter where I go.”

Duan Shu Tong pondered for a moment, and then inspiration struck.

He didn’t have any contacts to inquire about these things. Xi Duan was definitely more adept than him in this area. So why don’t he ask Xi Duan for help?

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As voted by the readers, today’s bonus update goes to MLHE. ^-^

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Chapter 36 – Sales Surge

At this time, someone on the bullet screen said: “Didn’t that post say that this is a trap? That it is useful, but there will be sequelae!”

The fire in the hearts of the audience was extinguished again.

Just as everyone was sinking into worry, a comment on the bullet screen exclaimed: “Oh my God! That post was blocked!”

“What’s the situation?”

“Quick, go and see the Spring and Autumn Hall’s official blog!”

Feng Ran opened up Weibo. In her heart she was thinking of how hardworking the staff of the Spring and Autumn Hall must be to still be working so late. It was really admirable!

When she saw the content of the official blog of the Spring and Autumn Hall, she was really taken aback, and what followed was a heart full of guilt and shame.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

The Spring and Autumn Hall reposted a Weibo from the Shan Quan County Police Office’s blog. It said that a person surnamed Yuan was dissatisfied with the company’s dismissal of him, so he maliciously spread rumors on the Internet to discredit the Spring and Autumn Hall and ruin the Spring and Autumn Hall’s reputation. The police have now implemented enforcement measures.

Feng Ran: …

Live Broadcast Room: …

It took quite a while before someone started to post on the bullet screen again.

“So we were duped?”

“Right now, what I care more about is whether or not the effects of Spring Flower No. 1 really is that good?”

“If that is true, then I want to chop off my hands.”

“Quick, go and buy it! If we don’t make a move now, I’m afraid we won’t be able to buy it!”

“Upstairs, why are you saying such alarming words to scare people? How can it be so exaggerated?”

“It seems to be real… I went to the official website… It seems to be sold out…”

……

Feng Ran didn’t believe it. She clicked into the online shopping URL and saw the sold-out notice on the webpage. She was shocked.

How could it be so fast! What the heck happened? Why did she feel like this world was an illusion?

Feng Ran could not be blamed for this.

Although she has only broadcast live for four days, there were many people blindly following the crowd. Since there were so many people in the live broadcast room, then there would also be a lot of people with discerning eyes.

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The effects of Spring Flower No. 1 were not bad.

The anchor of the live broadcasting room, Feng Ran, had obvious blemish spots on her face, but on the second and third day there were obvious changes to her skin condition. The post said there were side effects, but it never specified what kind of side effects at all.

The audience only saw one point, and that was this product was really effective!

Aren’t there side effects to plastic surgery? Are you saying that it’s possible for a skin care product to cause more side effects than a facelift?

Although the Spring and Autumn Hall was not well-known, it was a brand with proper standards. There has never been a problem with their products before, so how could there only be a problem this one time, right?

So on the third day and fourth day of the new product launch, sales increased almost exponentially.

The rapid growth in performance has made the sales staff members feel like they were walking on the air these days.

They have never been so full of vitality before!

To be honest, the production cost of Spring Flower No. 1 was not considered high, but Duan Shu Tong’s skills were high.

With such an effect, even if the price were set to 6666 yuan, some people would still rush to buy it.

Zhai Jun regretted it a little bit. Why wasn’t the price set higher?

Duan Shu Tong didn’t pay too much attention to the sales. Just from the spirit of the company’s employees in the past few days, it could be seen how well Spring Flower No. 1 was selling.

Thinking of Pei Ruo Wei’s help, he felt that he really had to express his thanks to her well.

Pei Ruo Wei’s residence was not far from the Spring and Autumn Hall. After Duan Shu Tong got off work, he rode a bicycle over to her place. He planned to treat her to dinner in the evening.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

In July, the days were long and the nights were short. When Duan Shu Tong left work, the sun was still in the western sky, and waves of heat were rising from the ground. It was like a sauna.

Duan Shu Tong rode into the community. Before he reached Pei Ruo Wei’s doorstep, he could already see a familiar car parked by the flowerbed.

Li Xiao was here again?!

He quickly stopped the bicycle and rushed upstairs.

The driver sitting inside that familiar looking car saw Duan Shu Tong’s tall and lean back, and silently gave Li Xiao another phone call.

Li Xiao didn’t have time to pick up the call. He was currently holding rigidly onto Pei Ruo Wei’s arm to prevent her from running.

Pei Ruo Wei felt that she was really unlucky today. She just went outside to buy some food, but when she came back, Li Xiao was blocking her door.

Before, when they were a couple, she viewed him through rose-tinted lenses, and she felt that everything about Li Xiao was good. But now? She was thinking, where did this rigid stick come from!

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Chapter 35 – Sales Surge

On the second day of the new product launch, Zhai Jun looked at the sales statistics. His brows weren’t very tranquil.

But one deserved to be a little pleasantly surprised. Although the offline sales were low, the online sales were quite good.

They must have brushed up against the site traffic luck.

“Have you found out who the original poster is?” Duan Shu Tong asked.

The number of page views and reposts fo that post was very impressive. The post has been smearing the Spring and Autumn Hall’s good name and it was full of foul language. Naturally, the Spring and Autumn Hall could not sit on their hands like idle ducks.

Once the rumors reached a certain amount, the police could intervene.

With the police on their side, it was easy to find out the identity of the original poster.

Zhai Jun nodded, “I was just about to talk about this. The poster is called Yuan Peng. He was previously a member of the R&D Department. He was fired a few days ago. He probably felt resentful and posted this online to slander us.”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

“So it’s like that, huh.” Duan Shu Tong didn’t ask about the follow-up. He didn’t even know what Yuan Peng looked like.

In Duan Shu Tong’s previous life, he has seen a lot of different methods from his competitors. Yuan Peng’s tactic wasn’t much. In front of those competitors, Yuan Peng would have to call them ancestors.

It was not worth mentioning.

Right now he was more concern about whether Spring Flower No. 1 could win an initial success.

Duan Shu Tong originally thought that Spring Flower No. 1 would trigger a reversal in a week’s time. Unexpectedly, Feng Ran’s live broadcast room exploded in less than four days.

Not only did the audience in the live broadcast room exploded, even Feng Ran herself had to admit that the lightening effect of facial spots of Spring Flower No. 1 was really incredible.

Not all viewers have time to follow the live broadcast every day.

For the people who followed Feng Ran every day, they did not have any strong reactions to her changes. But for those who skipped her broadcast for a few days and then came back, they were acutely aware of her changes.

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One of Feng Ran’s loyal fans watched her live broadcast on the first day. Then she had to work overtime for the next two days until late into the night, so there was no time to follow the live broadcast and she had to skipped two of them.

On the fourth day, after she came home she tuned in to the live broadcast and she was stunned when she saw Feng Ran’s face in the camera.

Half in doubt, she asked on the bullet screen: “Did Ran baobao use a beauty filter?”

Before Feng Ran could reply, other people in the audience rallied and attacked.

“What beauty filter? Don’t you know that Ran baobao never uses beauty filters?”

“Where did this nasty criticism come from?”

“It’s not another hater is it?”

Feng Ran laughed a little and said with self-ridicule: “I didn’t use a beauty filter. Is it because my skin is glowing with it’s own light? Hahaha.”

This was originally meant to be a joke, but while the speaker didn’t mean anything by it, the listeners took it too seriously.

The bullet screen appeared to have frozen for a few seconds.

Without the barrage of comments running across the screen, Feng Ran’s face was completely exposed under the camera. The freckles that were clearly visible a few days ago have now faded a lot!

Not only that, but the overall condition of her skin was much more hydrated and younger than before.

Feng Ran’s facial features were delicate and pretty, and her skin condition was already good, but it was not flawless. The audience was not blind. Compared to a few days ago, Feng Ran’s skin condition was definitely much better.

The audience started to crazily post a barrage of comments on the bullet screen.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

“Ahhhhhhhh, Ran baobao, come clean quick, are you secretly using other products?”

“It can’t be true right? I don’t believe it. Boo hoo hoo.”

“Upstairs* really don’t want to believe it? In fact, I hope that it is true.”

[*T/N: Chinese Internet slang meaning the previous commenter.]

That’s right, who wouldn’t want to have an impressive skincare product that could effectively maintain tender and lovely skin?

Feng Ran looked at the scrolling barrage of comments, and realized with hindsight that she might have, probably, or perhaps really have changed.

She picked up her phone with a serious face and took a picture of her self. Then she pulled up the selfie photo that she took four days ago to compare. In contrast, she found that there really was a difference.

But for the past four days, apart from doing basic hydration as she did before, she had only used Spring Flower No. 1!

Asides from that one answer, what else could it be?

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Chapter 34 – Market Response

During the interval when he went to the restroom, Cen Ning gave He Run a call.

“Senior [from school], I see that your company is a hot search [online].”

“En, it’s not a big deal.”

Listening to his calm tone, Cen Ning finally believed that this hot search was really nothing, and directly asked: “Your new product is really as advertised?”

He was afraid that the female colleagues who received the gift would disdain President Xi’s taste.

He Run: “Director Duan completed this project independently, so I am not sure about the details.” He paused, “But it is certain that there are no side effects.”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Before a product could be put on the market, it needed to be subject to rigorous testing, and there were no sequelae like what was mentioned in the post.

Cen Ning finally felt completely at ease. That’s good.

He didn’t understand the way of skin care products. In his opinion, everything applied [on the face] was the same. There was no difference in the various skin care products on the market.

Moreover, procuring the products needed time. Thinking up of a reason to give out the products as company benefits also needed time. During this time, he could observe the effects of the cream through that Feng Ran’s live broadcast.

Feng Ran’s live broadcast was scheduled at eleven o’ clock every night.

The goods arrived the day after she placed the order. She washed her face that night and opened up the live broadcast room on time at eleven o’ clock.

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Tens of thousands of fans poured in at the same time, and the bullet screen* was so overloaded that it appeared to be unresponsive.

[*T/N: 弹幕 bullet screen – a function which allows viewers to post on-screen comments in videos, movies, etc, in real time]

Seeing the increasing number of fans in the live broadcast room, Feng Ran felt a little excited. She opened the sealed box in front of the fans. At first, the audience in the live broadcast room was amazed by the beautiful packaging box.

However, many people made cynical remarks.

“The money is all on the packaging, it’s really inverting root and branch*!”

[*T/N: “to invert root and branch” is an idiom meaning to confuse cause and effect / to stress the incidental over the fundamental / to put the cart before the horse]

“Black-hearted merchants think that it’s okay as long as the packaging is beautiful? Skin care products are not about the appearance, but the quality. Their brains must have been gobbled up by dogs.”

Feng Ran glanced at the bullet screen, and did not comment.

Next, she opened the box, took out Spring Flower No 1, and held it up beside her face to give the audience a three hundred and sixty degrees view.

“I have to say, the bottle is so dreamy!”

“To be honest, I want to collect that bottle.”

“What’s the use of a beautiful bottle? I still say the same thing. The effect is the most important. If you think the bottle looks good then scram. Also, this naming sense is really something!”

Feng Ran still did not make a comment, although in her heart she also liked the bottle.

This bottle was really designed with a girl’s heart in mind.

Opening the lid, she stretched out her hand to squeeze out an appropriate amount of cherry pink cream and placed it on her palm.

At the same time, she brought her face close to the camera, pointed to a small amount of freckles around her eyes and on both sides of her nose, and laughed at herself: “I didn’t dare to get so close before. This time I’m going for broke. Don’t disdain me for being ugly.”

“It’s not ugly at all! [Your] face without makeup is super good looking!”

“If you call this ugly then I must be the most hideous being on earth.”

“Freckles are very sexy, Ran baobao don’t undervalue yourself!”

[T/N: 宝 bao means “jewel, treasure, or precious” or it can come from 宝贝 bao bei meaning “treasured object, darling, baby, or cowry”]

After getting the response she wanted, Feng Ran applied the cream to her face, evenly spreading it little by little. As she applied the cream she gave her impression of the product: “It’s a bit refreshing, not very greasy, quite moist, cool, and scented. Not bad.”

This evaluation was commonplace, and it was true of many skin care products.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

After applying it evenly, she then said: “I will be broadcasting this for one week. Before applying this, I have already taken a selfie. Then one week later I will take another selfie to see the contrast effect.”

After saying goodnight to the fans, Feng Ran turned off her phone and went to bed to sleep.

Normally, she was prone to insomnia. She thought it would be the same tonight, but when the fragrance of the cream lingered on the tip of her nose, she felt a little sleepy.

En, it must be because she was too tired today.

Early the next morning, Feng Ran got up to wash her face, and was shocked when she saw herself in the mirror.

It seemed like her skin had gain more luster overnight.

It must be because she had a good sleep last night, en, it must be so!

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Chapter 33 – Market Response

Feng Ran didn’t need money, so she directly bought the bottle of skincare online. After she purchased it, she posted a screenshot of the order on Weibo. After the product was delivered, she would show the effect of it on live broadcast.

At this point, it was no longer a matter of just spouting a few words. After this incident, Feng Ran found that she had gained tens of thousands of fans in a short period of time.

The Spring and Autumn Hall’s official promotion said that the effect of the product could be seen in a week. If she broadcasted live for a week, it would definitely attract more fans. Fans represented traffic, and traffic bred money.

But as soon as she posted on Weibo, she suddenly had a thought, if there were side effects, wouldn’t she be taking a risk with her own face?

While she was struggling over this, her female cousin, Xu Xiao Qin, called her up on WeChat video. Feng Ran quickly connected the call. The two chatted for a while. Feng Ran stared at her cousin’s face carefully and asked: “Sister, did you put on makeup?”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Xu Xiao Qin smiled triumphantly: “No, but you are not the first person to say that. I am about to recommend a skin care product to you. It’s produced by the Spring and Autumn Hall, and it’s called Spring Flower No. 1.”

Feng Ran: “…Sister, I saw a post saying that it has side effects.”

Xu Xiao Qin raised her eyebrows: “I was using this product before it went on the market. I’ve been using it for nearly half a month now, but I don’t see any side effects. What kind of post is this? Send it over and let me take a look.”

Feng Ran shared the URL. After seeing her cousin’s face, she gained a little confidence in the Spring and Autumn Hall. Besides, there was also the government appraisal. How could that be faked?

After a while, Xu Xiao Qin laughed, “I heard from your brother-in-law that two days ago the Spring and Autumn Hall fired a few people who were just lazing about. The original poster claims to be an insider, but I reckon he is just indignant [about being fired]. Furthermore, the new product only had two product developers, and he is an outsider, so how can he know if there are any side effects?”

Feng Ran was surprised: “Really?” If this were the case, then she was not afraid of live broadcast.

The online discussion has heated up, and some netizens even expressed outrageously that they would boycott the “high” price of the Spring and Autumn Hall. How could such a rubbish brand be matched with a price of 666 yuan?

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The director of the Publicity Department watched the discussion on the Internet, and he was dripping cold sweat everywhere, but Manager Zhai and Director Duan were standing off to the side with relaxed expressions.

Zhai Jun touched his chin and sighed: “We, at the Spring and Autumn Hall, have a clear conscience.”

Duan Shu Tong smiled and said nothing. In his previous life, he had been denounced many times by haters, but every time he was able to make them shut up.

The phone suddenly rang. Duan Shu Tong saw that it was from Xi Duan. He gave Zhai Jun a heads up and then left the office of the Publicity Department.

Ever since Xi Duan entered the hospital last time, the relationship between them has gradually gotten more and more familiar.

“Uncle Xi, something the matter?” He walked to the end of the corridor and stopped.

The gorgeous low voice sounded in his ear: “I saw the hot search [topic].”

Duan Shu Tong laughed. President Xi was so busy everyday, how could he have time to pay attention to things on the Internet? It must have been Cen Ning who told him about it.

“En, the Spring and Autumn Hall is finally making some splashes.”

Hearing his pleasant tone, without the slightest panic, Xi Duan relaxed, “Those comments don’t need to be taken to heart.”

Duan Shu Tong laughed again, “I know.”

“If anything happens you can give me a call.”

“Okay, I won’t hold back then.”

On the other end of the line, Xi Duan’s originally gloomy expression gradually eased up. He hung up the call to the sound of Duan Shu Tong’s bright, clear, and low laughter. His usual indifferent and solemn expression was restored in an instant.

Cen Ning asked cautiously: “How is Young Master Duan?”

Xi Duan: “Quite good.”

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

“Oh, that’s good then.” Cen Ning went back to work.

After a while, the boss suddenly said: “Notify the Procurement Department to purchase a batch of Spring Flower No. 1.”

Cen Ning: ?

“President Xi, how much is one batch?”

Xi Duan with an expressionless face said: “Count the number of female employees who have worked in the group for more than three years.”

Cen Ning understood right away. Their President Xi wanted to give Young Master Duan a boost in his own way. Such a touching pair of brothers… wait no, it’s a pair of uncle and nephew ah!

Like this, they could also give their female employees some material benefits.

Of course, it was hard to say if Spring Flower No. 1 could be considered a benefit.

Very soon, Cen Ning passed on Xi Duan’s order to the Procurement Department, and obtained three question marks from the director of the Procurement Department.

Cen Ning: Don’t ask. If anyone questions it, let’s say that it is a trade secret.

The director of the Procurement Department could only seal his lips and strictly enforce the order.

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Happy New Year!!! 🎉

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Chapter 32 – Market Response

Feng Ran was a very renowned blogger for beauty and skincare on Weibo. She has millions of fans. Just the traffic to her Weibo account alone was something that could not be underestimated.

She regularly paid attention to skin care related topics, and as luck would have it she saw the post by “Recovering Conscience,” because the poster’s way of speaking had a high degree of credibility. She had also used products from the Spring and Autumn Hall before, so she preemptively judged that even if what the poster said wasn’t a hundred percent real, then at least eighty percent of it should be real.

By chance, there were no new developments lately, so Feng Ran posted a website link on Weibo to state her position on the matter: “I’ve tried their products before. There weren’t much results.”

Fans flocked to the website to read the news. After reading it, they commented underneath. Most of the comments were insults towards black-hearted businessmen. Even passer-bys who saw the comments developed ill will towards the Spring and Autumn Hall.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Feng Ran was not the only skincare blogger. She incited the topic, and other bloggers naturally followed suit to express their opinions.

Most of them thought that the promotion of the Spring and Autumn Hall’s new product was full of corrupt money.

These people specialized in skincare, and they have a say for practically all products on the market. Now that they are clearly saying that the Spring and Autumn Hall’s products are no good, the fans are not even a wee bit skeptical. This was also because consumers and black-hearted businessmen were natural enemies, therefore, all the scolding made the Spring and Autumn Hall into one of the hottest topics on the internet in a very short amount of time!

Things were getting more and more intense online, even those who don’t pay attention to skincare have joined the discussion. They went from talking about the Spring and Autumn Hall’s new product to the harmfulness of black-hearted businessmen on society. They portrayed an attitude of caring for the country and the common people.

Feng Ran never thought that her Weibo could be a popular search query. Seeing the words popping up on the search bar, her first reaction was excitement, and her second reaction was could there be someone leading the rhythm?

That shouldn’t be the case, right? Who would be paying attention to a small and unknown brand like the Spring and Autumn Hall?

Just when she was looking through the netizens’ comments, the Spring and Autumn Hall’s official blog finally made a move.

Duan Shu Tong asked the director of the Publicity Department to forward Fang Ran’s weibo, and respond: “No investigation, no right to speak. Also, new product is already on the market. You’re welcome to purchase it.”

Attached were the official website’s purchase address and a beautiful image of the new Spring Flower No. 1 product.

There was also a review from a certain government-approved appraisal organization.

The review said: Spring Flower No. 1 is harmless to the human body.

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Regarding the name, “Spring Flower” was rejected by the high-level officials, who thought the name was too random.

Duan Shu Tong thought that it was not important whether the name sounded good or not, as long as it was easy to remember. And “Spring Flower” fit the theme in his opinion.

Someone asked what “No. 1” meant. Duan Shu Tong stated that in his plan, Spring Flower was a series, and No. 2, No. 3, and even No. N might follow.

Everyone: …

Forget it. Spring Flower No. 1 was independently developed by Duan Shu Tong, and he has the absolute right to name it.

After the official blog made its statement, it caused heated discussions among the netizens. Many people flooded to the official blog to leave messages, insulting the company extremely badly, but a few people thought that the Spring and Autumn Hall was right.

It was irresponsible to speak without investigation, and the product was strictly tested before it went on the market. If there were real side effects, how could it go on the market?

A very small number of people were directly captured by the shape of the bottle, calling it a beautiful dream and wanting to buy it.

After they clicked into the online shopping address, they were dumbfounded.

The price was 666!

[*T/N: In Chinese, 666 is a homonym for “slick, slick, slick,” which means awesome.]

@#$^%&*! This was too black-hearted! Rumor has it that the quality was not good, but it’s also this expensive! A reasonably priced set of products was only three or four hundred! Were they selling the bottle or the product?!

The netizens who felt like they were made a fool of were incensed.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

Seeing the situation, Feng Ran had to roll up her sleeves and go up to battle.

She prided herself on justice and was determined to seek justice for the netizens. She was going to leave the Spring and Autumn Hall with nothing left to say.

Thus, she composed her Weibo respond: “Don’t fight for money, fight for justice. I plan to buy a bottle and personally investigate this. @Spring and Autumn Hall really is 666.”

Who didn’t know how to taunt?

Countless people applauded, eager to sit and wait for Feng Ran to slap the Spring and Autumn Hall in the face.

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