Chapter 10

Amid crisp, pleasant clinking sounds, a dark blue flame flickered. A casual voice rang out in the empty office. "What video?"

The assistant took out a black USB drive. "Our people bribed one of the reporters and obtained their interview footage."

Without waiting for his boss to speak, the assistant swiftly plugged the USB drive into the computer. He moved the mouse and clicked open the folder. Before long, the quiet office filled with the noisy sounds of an interview.

In the shaking footage, a pale, handsome face abruptly appeared on the computer screen. Pei Xingze's fingers, which had been toying with a lighter, paused slightly.

"...If you think your actions conform to morality and ethics, then I can fully believe that asking my biological parents, who abandoned me when I was little, to pay for my college tuition is perfectly in line with public order and good morals..."

"I don't need Weng Yingjie to fund my college education anymore. My homeroom teacher, Teacher Chen, said that someone in my situation can apply for student loans..."

The short video ended quickly. Pei Xingze moved the mouse and played it again and again.

Watching Weng Shao in the video, looking lost and speaking in a wronged tone, his mouth opening and closing constantly while every sentence he spoke grew sharper than the last, Pei Xingze suddenly smiled. "How can such an interesting video be left to gather dust in a folder?"

The assistant immediately caught his meaning and said, "Boss, I know what to do."

"Useless trash!"

A teacup was hurled forcefully at the screen playing the news. Weng Yingjie stared viciously at Weng Shao, who was putting on an act before the cameras. So many reporters had ganged up on one person, yet they still failed to get the footage they wanted. And Pei Xingze's people had even released the video first. What were they, if not useless trash?

Compared with the furious Weng Yingjie, Zhou Shujing, who had not been very involved in this matter, appeared especially composed. Holding a porcelain teacup decorated with gold lacquer and painted patterns, she said thoughtfully, "That little bastard does have a point. It's only a few thousand yuan a year, less than what I spend on a single hand of cards. Do we really need to make such a fuss over this little bit of money that things become impossible to resolve?"

Weng Shao himself was not much of a concern. But the Pei family's mad dog kept seizing every opening to interfere and muddy the waters.

Once Easy Weekly's report came out, people had already begun questioning the Weng family's actions. Fortunately, Weng Group's crisis public relations department had handled things well, and that small wave of public opinion had not yet caused much of a stir. But if they continued to let things go unchecked, no one knew how the situation would develop.

"No matter what, this is still the Weng family's private matter. My suggestion is that we close the doors and deal with it ourselves."

Zhou Shujing's words were like a basin of cold water dumped over their heads, successfully calming Weng Yingjie and his sons, who had been carried away by anger.

"Mom is right." Weng Zhen suppressed his discomfort and analyzed the situation carefully. "He is still our parents' biological child, and he is my biological younger brother. No matter how wrong he is, we can close the doors and educate him properly. There's absolutely no need to air the family's dirty laundry and let everyone laugh at us."

Besides, Weng Shao was not the type to meekly endure being beaten and cursed without fighting back. He was very good at twisting arguments with that mouth of his, and even better at winning other people's sympathy.

If this standoff continued, they could not be certain public opinion would not change. They must not forget that while the Weng family fought among themselves, outsiders were still lurking in the shadows and watching them like tigers.

Weng Zhen took a deep breath. The reason he loathed Weng Shao was because he had sensed Weng Shao's threat that night. Instinctively, he rejected another highly aggressive male creature entering his territory.

But after calming down and thinking it through, there was actually no need to let Weng Shao return to their parents' side. Simply funding Weng Shao's education would also be the best way to defuse the Weng family's potential reputation crisis.

Everything had happened too suddenly before, and they had allowed themselves to get stuck in a rut.

"But would he agree?" Weng Sui, like Weng Zhen, hated Weng Shao so much that he did not even want to say his name. "If all he really wanted was for our parents to pay for his schooling, then he would not have caused trouble without warning at the banquet and made everyone lose face."

"Whether he agrees is not up to him." Zhou Shujing snorted coldly. "Besides, what does an eighteen-year-old kid know? Yu Huixin must have incited him, which is why he was so determined to acknowledge his biological parents. Now that he has learned his lesson, he should understand what it means when something cannot be forced. What it means when we can give, but he cannot take the initiative to ask for it."

Weng Sui scratched his head. "Then should we announce publicly that we're funding his education?"

The four members of the Weng family looked at one another. Though reason told them this was the best way to eliminate the public relations crisis, agreeing to fund Weng Shao's college education at this moment would make it seem as though Weng Shao had forced them into signing a treaty under the city walls, no matter how forcefully they spoke.

No matter how they looked at it, it felt as though they had somehow been lowered beneath Weng Shao. It was hard to swallow their pride.

Weng Yingjie frowned deeply. "I'll think about it."

That consideration lasted two days.

After four rounds of brainstorming, the examinees poured out of the examination halls like a tide when the bell rang. Weng Shao was swept along by the crowd and drifted out of the school gates.

He had barely turned a corner when a black Rolls-Royce cut him off.

The car door opened, and a young assistant in a suit stepped out. He gave Weng Shao a gentle smile. "Hello, Student Weng Shao. My boss saw your interview and would like to sponsor your college education. Would it be convenient to find somewhere to talk?"

Looking at that familiar face, Weng Shao deliberately hesitated before asking, "Your boss is?"

"The executive president of Pei Group, Pei Xingze."

Author's Note:

Chapter 10

The car window rolled down, and a face suddenly appeared before Weng Shao.

A faint police siren wailed in the distance. Weng Shao's eyes widened unconsciously.

The evening breeze brushed across his cheeks. The cicadas that had chirped noisily all summer fell abruptly silent.

The clamor around the examination hall was like seawater rushing backward, sweeping away everything in sight before rapidly collapsing into oblivion. In that instant, it felt as though the entire world had come crashing down upon Weng Shao.

Countless fragments exploded before Weng Shao's eyes, and he was back on that night. Flashing police lights and the sounds of search and rescue tore through the darkness of the mountain forest.

Breaths that seemed ready to wrench his heart empty came with scorching pain that burst through his chest. The kidnappers' pursuit followed close behind like a shadow, while wild grass and rough branches flew past before his eyes.

Amid piercing gunshots and the howling wind, countless scenes shook and overturned, finally freezing on Pei Xingze's blood-smeared face.

The pale, cold face from his memories suddenly came alive. Pei Xingze looked at Weng Shao with a smiling gaze, but the countless words in his heart turned into a question the instant he met Weng Shao's eyes. "Have we... met before?"

It was as though all the oxygen had suddenly been sucked from the air, like a fish hauled from the water onto land. A single sentence stirred ripples through everything from his past life, and Weng Shao abruptly awoke from the nightmare that had refused to fade.

"No." Weng Shao steadied himself. Looking straight into Pei Xingze's eyes, he answered firmly, "President Pei and I have never met."

"Yet I have long admired you from afar." Pei Xingze opened the car door and stepped out, stopping in front of Weng Shao.

He was tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. He wore a well-tailored shirt and dress pants, no tie, three buttons undone at his collar, and his sleeves rolled up to reveal part of his forearm and a glimpse of his sturdy chest.

They were not the bulging muscles built by lifting weights in a gym, but smoother, stronger lines naturally formed through years of outdoor activities and extreme sports.

Noticing Weng Shao's gaze, Pei Xingze explained with a smile, "I attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning for a newly developed local property by Pei Real Estate. It was too hot."

He seemed to be explaining why he had suddenly appeared in this city.

Then he held out his hand to Weng Shao. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Pei Xingze. I saw your interview on television before, and I found you very interesting."

Pei Xingze deliberately paused there before continuing at an unhurried pace. "I would like to become your sponsor. Would it be convenient to find somewhere to talk? I booked a hotel, and it happens to be a good place to celebrate for you."

"Weng Shao." Weng Shao mechanically shook Pei Xingze's hand. He could barely hear what Pei Xingze was saying. All he could feel was the warmth of a living person.

Pei Xingze had always run warm. His long, strong hand held Weng Shao's with just the right amount of pressure, heat continuously flowing from his palm.

It was nothing like the cold, sticky touch in Weng Shao's memories.

Weng Shao instinctively tightened his grip on Pei Xingze's hand, then restrained himself and let go.

The instant reason returned to his mind, Weng Shao also sensed the dense gazes around them. He suddenly understood why Pei Xingze had appeared here, and why he was smiling so brightly as he shook his hand.

"You arrived at exactly the right time." Weng Shao habitually curved his lips, speaking in the most sincere tone possible. "Right now, I happen to need sponsorship."

Perhaps not expecting Weng Shao to be so frank and cooperative, Pei Xingze studied him with great interest. The amusement in his eyes spread. "It seems we have reached an agreement."

Weng Shao smiled knowingly. At Pei Xingze's courteous invitation, he bent down and got into the car.

The drive from the examination hall to the hotel Pei Xingze had booked took about half an hour, including the traffic jams caused by the end of the college entrance examinations.

Pei Xingze modestly said that the hotel had been arranged for him by a subsidiary during his business trip. He thought the food was good, so he had booked dinner there.

But Weng Shao, who knew Pei Xingze's usual style, remembered that whenever Pei Xingze traveled for business, he only stayed at his own hotels. And the largest shareholder of the Imperial Grand Court Hotel before them was Weng Group.

Pei Xingze really was not afraid that someone would spit in his food during dinner!

"Why would you say that?" Pei Xingze looked at Weng Shao with an expression of surprise. Then he frowned slightly, as though the image he had imagined had disgusted him as well.

"Because they really are that disgusting." Weng Shao's expression was blank. He did not doubt for a moment that Weng Yingjie and his sons were capable of doing such a thing.

Pei Xingze was so amused by Weng Shao's certainty that he nearly laughed aloud. With laughter in his eyes, he examined Weng Shao with growing appreciation, as if he had suddenly discovered something interesting. "You know about the feud between the Pei family and the Weng family?"