They met online. Sun Donghao was attending university in Jiangzhou, and Nan Bing was working as a model there. After chatting frequently, they finally met in person, and somewhere along the way, they became an official couple.
Sun Donghao was an ordinary-looking man with glasses; in high school, he was essentially a bookworm. However, after starting university, he slowly bloomed. Later, after hanging around with Wang Zhuo, he made a substantial profit in the stock market, finally evolving from a nerd into a refined, scholarly young man who was quite popular with women.
Nan Bing, on the other hand, was a beauty of the delicate, home-bred type, adrift alone in Jiangzhou. According to her, her usual work involved participating in exhibitions, shooting promotional photos for clothing brands, and occasionally signing contracts for national roadshows—car shows, jewelry exhibitions, and the like.
In reality, her job was quite similar to Deng Jiao’s, only her looks were superior, and her focus leaned more toward print modeling.
It was through her channels as a print model that Fei Long discovered her secret: she had done private modeling work.
In the realm of private photography, organizers usually held vast resources of models. High-tier clients like Fei Long had the privilege of selecting models; the organizers would provide extensive profiles for such clients to choose from.
Through multiple shoots, Fei Long got to know many models. He often browsed the models’ online albums or QQ Spaces. Once, in the space belonging to a model named Lu Yao, he saw a group photo of Lu Yao and Nan Bing modeling for an apparel brand.
Upon discovering this new territory, he had mentioned it to Wang Zhuo. However, since he had inquired and Lu Yao didn't know if Nan Bing was involved in the same line of work, the matter was temporarily shelved.
During the last alumni gathering, Sun Donghao had brought Nan Bing along. Everyone had a favorable impression of the demure and polite girl back then, so Wang Zhuo later forgot about the issue.
But just a few days after the gathering, a private photo organizer who went by the screen name Madder sent Fei Long a QQ message, inviting him to join a self-driving photo expedition to Wuzhen. Fei Long suddenly remembered that Lu Yao was this organizer’s model, so he sent Madder the photo of Nan Bing and Lu Yao and asked about it.
Madder replied immediately, saying the model with Lu Yao was named Ni Ni. She had done a few shoots before but stopped after starting a relationship. However, Madder added that if “Brother Fei” wanted to shoot her, he could try to make contact, though the fee might be considerable.
Fei Long relayed this information to Wang Zhuo, and the two arranged a talk with Sun Donghao. A few days later, Sun Donghao broke up with Nan Bing, using his studies as the reason.
Hearing from Fei Long that the two had gotten back together, Wang Zhuo asked in surprise, “Didn’t Haozi say he would never see her again?”
“I’m not entirely clear on the details. I found out because I saw a photo of them together from yesterday in Haozi’s space.”
Fei Long explained as he got out of the car, muttering resentfully, “I think Haozi is just a spineless worm!”
Wang Zhuo didn't know what to say for a moment. He chuckled helplessly, moved to the driver’s seat, waved him on, and drove forward.
In 2008, someone using the alias “Qianna” published a series of highly influential and widely circulated explicit celebrity photos online—an event historically dubbed the Edison Chen photo scandal. Three years later, when one of the parties involved, actress Zhang, finalized her divorce, countless netizens exclaimed that they no longer believed in love.
Sun Donghao’s romance had just begun, but Nan Bing’s private photos were the ticking time bomb within this relationship.
Wang Zhuo checking into Nan Bing’s past was fulfilling his duty as a friend; as for the path forward, that was ultimately up to Sun Donghao to decide.
In the twilight glow, the champagne-colored Audi BO looked like a magnificent ceremonial carriage; wherever it traveled, it drew countless gazes.
Ruan Mingqing stood quietly on the street corner of the Bund, her figure exquisitely framed by a pure white gauze dress, resembling a night-blooming cereus that had quietly unfolded.
At one meter sixty-eight tall, she wore a pair of off-white leather shoes with a modest heel, which further accentuated her graceful bearing. Her eyebrows, seeming as distant and elegant as ancient mountains, appeared meticulously drawn, further enhancing the perfection of her features.
She was the type of beautiful woman whose presence made men turn their heads three steps later, unforgettable at a glance. The mature aura of a woman who had known marriage only added to her captivating charm; she was a supreme gift from heaven to men, yet the man who had loved her had died young.
The saying goes that a woman looks most alluring in white, emphasizing purity and charm—a principle perfectly embodied by Ruan Mingqing’s attire that day.
"What a stunning widow!" Wang Zhuo exclaimed inwardly as he spotted her standing by the roadside from a distance.
A soft horn sounded beside her. Ruan Mingqing looked over; Wang Zhuo was smiling and waving at her through the windshield.
She smiled, settled into the car, and while fastening her seatbelt, asked, “New car?”
Wang Zhuo nodded. “The old one was too small; I got a bigger one.”
Ruan Mingqing hummed an acknowledgment. Seeing the odometer reading only slightly over twenty kilometers, she finally burst into laughter. “Did a genius buy this car?”
“You guessed correctly,” Wang Zhuo said, casually opening the compartment and showing her the purchase receipt inside.
The unlicensed Audi drove smoothly along the asphalt road flanking the river. Ruan Mingqing reviewed the receipt while Wang Zhuo took out his phone, set it to play the song Night Blooming Cereus, and plugged it into the center console. The car’s stereo instantly replaced the phone’s speaker, and the entire cabin filled with melodious music.
Ruan Mingqing couldn't immediately locate the source of the sound. She glanced back and nodded in admiration, “The configuration on this car is really nice.”
Wang Zhuo chuckled. Surveys indicated that the Audi had the highest rate of in-car rendezvous globally; without a perfect sound system, how could it live up to the title of the King of Car Love?
“What should we eat?” Ruan Mingqing asked.
Wang Zhuo shook his head. “I don’t know either. Any good suggestions?”
Ruan Mingqing thought for a moment. “How about barbecue?”
Wang Zhuo froze for a moment, taking her in from head to toe, and asked with a smile, “You plan to eat barbecue dressed like that?”
Ruan Mingqing lightly traced her cheek with her fingertips and smiled, “I haven’t had it in ages.”
“Alright then,” Wang Zhuo shrugged dismissively and turned the car toward the residential area.
After driving for a while, they spotted a large beer-themed outdoor barbecue venue lining the road. It had dozens of tables and a small stage, and the air was thick with the smoke of grilling meat. Wang Zhuo rolled down his window, and the aroma of roasted meat and seafood washed over them.
“This is the place!” Ruan Mingqing’s eyes lit up, and she said quickly.
Wang Zhuo agreed, glanced around, and accelerated towards the tallest building nearby.
When he pulled the car—that luxurious, unlicensed vehicle—into the hotel parking lot of the building, the security manager rushed forward to greet them. After Wang Zhuo explained their intention, the manager smiled, assured them it was fine, wished Wang Zhuo and Ruan Mingqing an enjoyable meal, and even slapped his chest to guarantee the vehicle’s safety.
Leaving the parking garage, Wang Zhuo remarked cheerfully, “If a guy like that doesn’t make it big someday, it would be against heaven’s will.”
Ruan Mingqing nodded in full agreement. This person was a security manager, yet he possessed the enthusiastic work ethic of a hotel owner; what could he possibly fail to achieve?
They walked to the open-air eatery and found a relatively quiet spot. Ruan Mingqing seemed to be in high spirits, ordering a large amount of food and four pitchers of beer.
“Don’t tell me it’s three for you and one for me; I’m the designated driver,” Wang Zhuo joked.
Ruan Mingqing smiled calmly, “We’ll split it evenly. We can get a designated driver for the ride back.”
Oh, she’s tough? Wang Zhuo was immediately delighted and agreed.
Once the food and drinks arrived, the four pitchers of beer were quickly finished. Wang Zhuo then realized that Ruan Mingqing had a remarkable tolerance for alcohol; she seemed completely unaffected after downing two pitchers.
Curiously, he discreetly activated his clairvoyant vision. It turned out Ruan Mingqing’s alcohol absorption rate was only 0.8—slightly less than Fu Jing’s 0.6 but significantly higher than Yin Chunhong’s 0.2 absorption!
Coupled with her much greater body weight compared to Yin Chunhong, this afforded her an added boost to her tolerance. After a quick estimation, Wang Zhuo was astonished to realize this woman was the type who could down two full glasses of strong baijiu without batting an eye.
No wonder she had asked for four pitchers as soon as she sat down; that small amount of alcohol was merely quenching her thirst... Wang Zhuo found himself simultaneously exasperated and amused—he had encountered a genuine female 'wine immortal'!
“Let me guess...” he said with a smile, pointing at Ruan Mingqing. “If you downed a bottle of 56-degree Red Star Erguotou, you could still walk a straight line, right?”
A flicker of brightness crossed Ruan Mingqing’s eyes, and she smiled enchantingly, “Pretty much.”
Wang Zhuo quickly did the math. With his own absorption rate of 2.5, he was completely outmatched by this woman. Unless an alcohol antidote was developed, he stood absolutely no chance against her!
“Right, I have a question for you,” Wang Zhuo suddenly remembered the situation with Sun Donghao and Nan Bing and wanted to gauge Ruan Mingqing’s perspective on such matters.
“Ask away,” Ruan Mingqing said while signaling the waiter for four more draft beers.
Wang Zhuo recounted the events briefly and concisely, adding some of his own analysis.
“So, you’re saying that girl has many indecent photos floating around, posing a constant risk of widespread circulation?” Ruan Mingqing frowned, placing her glass down.
Wang Zhuo admitted with a nod.
“She will pay the price for the mistakes she made,” Ruan Mingqing analyzed calmly. “However, your friend should not have to bear that consequence with her. It’s not worth it for a woman like that.”
Wang Zhuo offered a wry smile. “But I feel, when she was doing that kind of work, she was young and ignorant. Isn’t forgiveness possible?”
“Forgiveness?” Ruan Mingqing gave a cold laugh and shook her head. “That depends on how you define forgiveness. Her parents, her relatives—they can forgive her. But her lover? Her future husband? Imagine this: one day, everyone can suddenly see explicit photos of your wife, the truly shameless kind. All your relatives call you because of it, your colleagues point fingers behind your back, and you suddenly find yourself at the epicenter of public scrutiny. How would you feel?”
Having finished her assessment, she looked quite vexed. She picked up her glass, downed the remaining beer in one gulp, and looked at Wang Zhuo, awaiting his response.