"Dingdong—" Tang Song's phone vibrated. Hu Mingli smiled and said, "I sent the photo to your WeChat. Take a look and see if you like this one. If not, we can talk about others."

"Okay." Tang Song nodded, picked up his phone, and opened the WeChat message to check the picture. The photo showed a girl in a light gray bodycon dress. She had long hair draped over her shoulders and a mature, stunning appearance. Her chest was ample, waist slender, hips full, and thighs curvy—a perfect hourglass figure, voluptuous and sensual. Tang Song took a deep breath. Her face was fine, but her figure was a bit exaggerated, like a character from a Korean comic.

Hu Mingli whispered, "What do you think, Tang Song? Do you want to consider it? Just so you know, she has abs."

"Click—" Tang Song opened the car door slightly and said with bright eyes, "Mingli, should we take another photo? I think my pose just now was a bit silly."

"Hehe, I think the previous one was very classy," Hu Mingli said while swiping through her phone album. "Just to clarify, I'm only introducing you two. I can't guarantee anything. She has high standards."

"No worries, I want to make new friends and maybe share fitness tips."

Hu Mingli rolled her eyes, "Get out of here. I know what you're thinking. Let's get going. I still have to stay up late coding tonight."

"Vroom—" Tang Song started the car and set the navigation to Hu Mingli's place. "Mingli, why don't you tell me more about her?"

"Her name is Wen Ruan. We worked together at my previous company and were roommates for two years, so we're close. She currently works in a media company as a marketing planner. She's competent has a great character, and you've seen her looks and figure. The only issue is her age; she's 29, and her parents are pushing her to get married."

Tang Song said softly, "29 is still a great age when a woman is most attractive."

"Wow! That's some serious double standard! Just now, you and Brother Peng were saying I'm old and washed up," Hu Mingli glared at him, continuing, "I'll send her your photo and WeChat later. You two can chat on your own."

"She's very picky and doesn't want to settle, which is why she's still single."

"She has many hobbies—running, rock climbing, road cycling, music, traveling. She's straightforward and not petty. We rarely fought as roommates because she always communicated directly."

The black BMW 330 exited the parking lot and merged into the traffic. From a distance, the bright lights formed a golden line. In the quiet car, they chatted intermittently. In his mind, Tang Song gradually formed a clear image of Wen Ruan and understood what kind of person she was.

A dozen minutes later, the car reached its destination. "Alright, Tang Song, remember to check your WeChat for friend requests. Bye," Hu Mingli said as she got out of the car.

"Bye."

Hu Mingli turned back with a mischievous smile, "Zhao Yue is probably crying her eyes out. You helped her so much, yet she didn't even attend your farewell dinner. Pretty lame. I'll send your photo to the girls' group chat to make her cry even more."

With that, she left laughing.

…

Tang Song packed away his company belongings at his rental and took a hot shower. He checked his phone but saw no new friend requests. His beautician friend also hadn't replied to his movie invite.

He couldn't help but recall Zhao Yaqian's words: "We'll always be good friends, right?" He wasn't a fool and understood the underlying message. Knowing her well, Tang Song figured she didn't reply because she didn't want to make up an excuse but didn't know how to reject him, so she chose not to respond, just like the last time he asked her.

Pressing his lips together, Tang Song decided not to pursue it further. He pulled "To Kill a Mockingbird" from the shelf and continued reading in bed. Relationships often required mutual effort and understanding; constantly trying to please or give didn't necessarily bring people closer. Human relationships, especially between men and women, were still new to him and needed continuous learning and exploration.

That's also why he chose "How to Win Friends and Influence People" as the next book on his reading list.

At 10 PM, Tang Song put down the book, leaned back on the bed, and opened the Douyin app to check the response to his morning video. Immediately, he saw a striking "99+ unread messages" notification.

Tang Song's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly checked his center.

Followers: 525.

In one day, he gained 420 followers from a single video! Boosted by the "Popular Me" title, he earned 42,000 yuan. Amazing!

Opening the video, he saw 1,074 likes and 321 comments. These were impressive stats for a new account with no promotion. He browsed the comments, most praising his beautiful hands and discussing the car's interior. Scrolling through the comments left him feeling refreshed and confident that his strategy of managing separate platforms was effective.

"Buzz—" His phone vibrated. A new friend request notification appeared. The username was "Wen Ruan," and the profile picture was a bicycle. Tang Song quickly accepted the request. Entering the chat, he hesitated about what to say.

"Buzz—"

[Wen Ruan: "I accepted your friend request. Now we can chat."]

Tang Song's eyebrows twitched. Clever move!

How should he respond? He wasn't skilled at flirting or saying sweet nothings. After thinking for a moment, he braced himself and typed, "Hello. I'm Tang Song, Mingli's former colleague."

"Buzz—"

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

Seeing her message, Tang Song couldn't help but grin, feeling more at ease. At least her personality seemed pleasant, and she wasn't pretentious about adding him as a friend. This should make chatting less awkward.

After a moment of thought, Tang Song replied, "Code word matched, looks like we're on the same team!"

[Wen Ruan: "Too funny.jpg"]

[Wen Ruan: "I heard from Lili that you lost 20 pounds in just over two weeks. Is that true?"]

Tang Song: [Nodding frantically.gif] New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on noveⅼfire.net

Tang Song: "I'm still working out. You're the fitness expert; I hope you can guide me."

[Wen Ruan: "I'm just an enthusiast, not a professional. We can exchange tips when we have time."]

…

They chatted about weight loss and fitness for a while, gradually easing into a comfortable conversation. Wen Ruan's tone was very measured. She did not probe too much into his personal life, as if she genuinely just wanted to know him better.

[Wen Ruan: Yawning.jpg]

[Wen Ruan: "Time for bed. Staying up late is bad for your phone."]

Tang Song chuckled and sent a "Goodnight" emoji, ending their first chat. It was a simple interaction, but it left a good impression. Tang Song clicked on her profile picture and entered her Moments. She had only displayed content from the past three days.