Chapter 58: Wen Ruan

"Ding-dong—" Tang Song's phone vibrated.

Hu Mingli said with a beaming smile, "I sent the photos to your WeChat. Take a look first and see if you like this style; we can discuss the rest later."

"Alright." Tang Song nodded, picked up his phone, opened WeChat, and checked the images.

The photo featured a young woman wearing a light gray bodycon skirt.

Her long hair flowed over her shoulders, and she had a mature, stunning appearance.

She had a large bust, a slender waist, full hips, and thick thighs—a textbook hourglass figure.

Overall, she looked voluptuous and curvaceous.

Tang Song gasped. Her looks were fine, but her figure was a bit exaggerated, looking like something straight out of a Korean manhwa.

Hu Mingli whispered, "So, Tang Song, want to consider it? I'll tell you a secret: she has visible abs."

*Click—* Tang Song cracked the car door open slightly, his eyes gleaming. "Sister Mingli, how about we take another photo? I feel like my posture just now was a bit dorky."

"Haha, I thought the last one was great; your temperament was very outstanding." Hu Mingli swiped through her phone's photo album and said, "Let's get this straight: I'm just introducing you. I can't guarantee it'll work; she has very high standards."

"It's fine. I just want to make more friends and perhaps exchange some fitness knowledge with her."

Hu Mingli said crossly, "Get lost. I know exactly what's going through your head. Let's go; we'll talk as we drive. I have to stay up late tonight to fix some code."

*Rumble—* Tang Song started the car and set the navigation to Hu Mingli's address.

"Sister Mingli, why don't you tell me a bit about her?"

"Her name is Wen Ruan. She was a colleague at my previous company. We lived together for two years and are very close friends. Currently, she works in marketing planning at a media company. She graduated from a prestigious university and worked in the capital for a few years. Her character and ability are beyond reproach, and you've seen her looks and figure. The only issue is her age; she's 29 this year, and her parents are pushing her hard to get married."

Tang Song said softly, "29 is fine. It's the age when a woman is at her most charming."

"Good grief! You're quite the hypocrite! You were just telling Brother Guo that I was getting old and withered," Hu Mingli rolled her eyes at him and continued, "I'll send your photo and WeChat to her later. You two can chat yourselves."

"She has high standards because she refuses to settle, so she's stayed single all this time."

"She has quite a wide range of hobbies—running, writing, road cycling, music, and traveling. Her personality is very free-spirited; she says what's on her mind and isn't petty at all. Since we lived together, we've basically never fought; if there's an issue, she'll say it directly."

The black BMW 330 pulled out of the parking lot and merged into the street traffic. From a distance, the bright lights connected into a golden thread.

Inside the quiet car, the two chatted casually.

A clear image of "Wen Ruan" gradually formed in Tang Song's mind, and he gained a general understanding of what kind of person she was.

Ten minutes later, the car arrived at its destination.

"Let's go, Tang Song. Remember to keep an eye on your WeChat friend requests when you get home. Bye!" Hu Mingli pushed the door open and stepped out.

"Bye."

Immediately after, Hu Mingli suddenly turned back and said with a smile, "That little girl Zhao Yue is probably still crying her eyes out. You've helped her so much, yet she won't even attend your gatherings after resigning. It's quite a drag. Hehe, I'll send your photo to the girls' group chat later to make her cry even harder."

With that, she left laughing.

...

Back in his rental apartment.

He packed away his things from the company and took a hot shower.

He picked up his phone to check, but there were no friend notifications.

His beautician friend also hadn't replied to his movie invitation.

Tang Song couldn't help but think of what Zhao Yaqian had said last time: "We'll always be good friends, right?"

He wasn't a fool; he naturally understood the subtext of that sentence.

Based on his understanding of her, the reason Zhao Yaqian hadn't replied was likely because she didn't want to lie to him with an excuse, but didn't know how to refuse, so she simply chose not to reply—just like when he invited her shopping last time.

Pursing his lips, Tang Song didn't press further.

He pulled *To Kill a Mockingbird* from his bookshelf and continued reading while leaning against the headboard.

Many times, emotions are mutual. Being good to someone requires having one's own boundaries; constant pleasing and giving won't necessarily bring people closer.

Interpersonal relationships, especially between men and women, were still too foreign to him; he needed constant learning and exploration.

This was also why he had designated *How to Win Friends and Influence People* as the 8th book on his reading list.

At 10:00 PM, Tang Song put the book down.

Leaning against the headboard, he opened the Douyin app to see the results of the video he posted this morning.

Immediately, a striking "99+" unread notification caught his eye.

Tang Song's heart skipped a beat as he rushed into his personal center.

Followers: 525.

In a single day, he had gained 420 followers because of one video!

With the buff of the title [The Popular Me], he had earned a net profit of 42,000 yuan.

Terrifyingly efficient!

Opening the video, he saw 1,074 likes and 321 comments.

For a new account with no promotion, these numbers were already quite impressive.

He clicked on the comments; most were praising his beautiful hands, while many others were discussing the car's interior.

Tang Song scrolled through the comment section for a while, feeling refreshed. As expected, his strategy of separate operations was correct!

*Buzz, buzz—* The phone vibrated.

A new friend notification popped up.

The nickname was "Wen Ruan," and the profile picture was a bicycle.

Tang Song quickly clicked accept.

Entering the chat interface, he hesitated over what to say.

*Buzz, buzz, buzz—* The phone vibrated.

[Wen Ruan: "I have accepted your friend request. We can start chatting now."]

Tang Song's eyebrow twitched.

Good grief, you're using a script on me!

So, how should I reply?

When it came to flirting, he was truly unskilled and couldn't come up with any smooth lines.

After thinking for a moment, he braced himself and typed: "Hello, I'm Tang Song, Mingli's former colleague."

*Buzz, buzz, buzz—*

[Wen Ruan: "Hello, I'm Wen Ruan, Mingli's former colleague."]

Seeing her message, Tang Song couldn't help but grin, and his mood relaxed; at least it proved this older sister had a good personality.

She wasn't acting aloof after adding him, so the conversation shouldn't be awkward.

After a moment of contemplation, Tang Song replied: "The code is matched. Looks like we're on the same side!"

[Wen Ruan: 6_flipped.jpg]

[Wen Ruan: "I heard from Lili that you lost 20 pounds in half a month. Is that for real?"]

Tang Song: [Nodding frantically.gif]

Tang Song: "I'm still working out continuously. You're a professional in this field; I hope you can give me some guidance in the future."

[Wen Ruan: "I'm just a fitness enthusiast, nothing professional. We can exchange ideas when we have time."]

...

The two chatted for a while about weight loss and fitness, gradually dissolving the sense of strangeness.

Wen Ruan's words were very restrained; she didn't ask about his specific circumstances, appearing to truly just want to get to know him.

[Wen Ruan: Yawning.jpg]

[Wen Ruan: "Time to sleep. If you stay up any longer, it won't be good for your phone."]

Tang Song smiled and replied with a "Goodnight" sticker, ending their first conversation.

The process was plain, but the impression was good.

Tang Song clicked on her profile to view her Moments.

She only displayed content from the last three days.

(End of Chapter)