Chapter 14

When Weng Shao first came to her and said he wanted to publish the study notes he had compiled, Teacher Chen had been somewhat surprised. It was not that she looked down on Weng Shao's academic achievements—indeed, his study notes were exceptionally good teaching aids. The teachers and students of every subject in City No. 1 High School's senior year all knew that well. Teacher Chen simply had not expected someone as young as Weng Shao to think of publishing a book. And not just any book, but a supplementary study guide that most people would not even dare to imagine.

It had simply been a blind spot in her thinking.

Teacher Chen could not help admiring Weng Shao's boldness and initiative, and she took it upon herself to contact publishers for him.

"They say knowledge is wealth. You must understand that deeply now, right?" Teacher Chen teased her prized student with a smile. Looking at the outstanding Weng Shao, her bright eyes were full of gratification.

Once Weng Shao's study notes were successfully published, his tuition and living expenses for the next few years would be covered. Hopefully, he would never again have to endure the constraints and abuse of his parents and relatives, and the malicious speculation and bandwagon insults from outsiders would lessen as well.

The previous uproar could finally come to an end.

Teacher Chen was delighted for her student, so she said with a smile, "I arranged to meet Editor-in-Chief Wang at the school gate at noon today. We can discuss the publishing details then."

Weng Shao thanked her again.

In high spirits, Teacher Chen waved her hand and casually asked, "What are your plans for the summer break?"

Teacher Chen knew that Weng Shao worked as a tutor during every winter and summer vacation to earn money. She asked because, if he had no other plans, she wanted to introduce him to a few more students. He could earn a little more over the summer and live more comfortably once he went to college.

But what Teacher Chen had not expected was that Weng Shao really did have other plans.

"What? You're going to be a property consultant?" Teacher Chen's eyes widened in disbelief. Even the other teachers nearby perked up their ears and unconsciously looked over.

Feeling the burning stares gathering on his back, Weng Shao said calmly, "Mr. Pei Xingze, the president of Pei Group, saw my interview on television and wanted to sponsor my college education. But he also believed that giving a man a fish was not as good as teaching him to fish, so he arranged a position for me at Lakeside Garden, Pei Real Estate's newly launched development. I'll be working as a property consultant at the sales office."

Teacher Chen looked dazed as she instinctively asked, "When did this happen?" How had she not known?

"Last night," Weng Shao replied evenly.

Weng Shao recounted what had happened the previous night, giving the right amount of detail. As Teacher Chen listened, she could not help thinking of something she had read in a gossip magazine she had bought from the newsstand outside the school gates some time ago.

"Is this Pei Group the one that has a feud with your family?" Teacher Chen hesitated for a moment before asking.

Weng Shao nodded and said frankly, "President Pei is open and aboveboard. The moment we met, he brought up the old grudge between the Pei family and the Weng family."

Teacher Chen moved her lips as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out. Instead, the teachers sitting nearby and watching the drama began discussing it all at once. "If he stepped up to sponsor you at a time like this, he must have other intentions, right?"

This teacher was too thin-skinned to directly say that Pei Xingze had ulterior motives, but still reminded Weng Shao, "You need to think this through. Given the relationship between your family and the Pei family, if you accept President Pei's sponsorship, will your family agree to it?"

If the Weng family refused to agree, there would probably be more trouble to come.

Weng Shao knew perfectly well that he was afraid the matter would not become big enough. So, before the teachers, he gave a helpless, bitter smile. "There's nothing I can do. They refused to sponsor my education. They even bribed reporters to block me at the exam site on the day of my exams, terrified that if I did well, they'd lose face."

The teachers were shaken by what they heard. Of course, they knew reporters had blocked Weng Shao at the entrance to the exam site that day to interview him, but they had not known those reporters had been arranged by the Weng family.

That was the kind of thing that could ruin someone's future! Teacher Chen could not help asking, "Did your family really do it? Do you have evidence?"

Weng Shao nodded. "Because the students at our school spoke up for me, the reporters failed to get the interview they wanted and originally had no plans to air those videos. President Pei's assistant found them, and after going through a lot of trouble, managed to get the videos released."

Weng Shao laid out every behind-the-scenes clash, making it clear that he had nothing to hide.

The teachers all sucked in sharp breaths and exchanged looks. What kind of mess was this?

Some of them had originally disapproved of Weng Shao accepting support from the Pei family. They felt he did not need to act out of spite and do something that would hurt those close to him while pleasing his enemies. But after hearing this, they had nothing more to say.

People had always regarded the college entrance exam as the only path to changing one's fate, and these teachers, who dedicated themselves to educating others, felt so even more strongly. No matter their motives, they could not accept Weng Shao's family pulling tricks during the college entrance exams. This behavior had seriously crossed the line of the teachers' values and bottom line.

"But aren't they your biological parents? Why would they do something like this?" The older teachers could not make sense of it. Their simple values still held fast to the belief that no parent was ever truly wrong. So after Weng Shao fell out with his family, while these people understood that he had been forced into it, some still quietly felt that Weng Shao was not entirely blameless. They even thought he was young and hot-blooded, and too extreme in handling things.

But things were different now. No matter how they tried to make excuses, they could not explain the Weng family's bizarre actions.

"President Pei said the Weng family was afraid that if my situation grew too big, it would damage Weng Group's corporate image and cause Weng Group's stock price to fall. That's why they sacrificed me..." Weng Shao's expression dimmed as he spoke, and even his voice grew choked. "It's nothing, really. They never chose me from the very beginning. It's only natural that they would sacrifice me for their own interests now."

Hearing Weng Shao's self-abandoning words, Teacher Chen felt as though her heart were breaking. She pulled her prized student into an embrace and gently patted his back. "Don't be sad. Not every parent in this world loves their child, but you must learn to love yourself. Didn't you say that you've already accepted Pei Group's sponsorship and become a property consultant for their new development?"

To divert Weng Shao's attention, Teacher Chen immediately said, "As it happens, I'm planning to buy an apartment for your senior sister. Why don't you tell me how the apartments at Lakeside Garden are being sold?"

Though Weng Shao was feeling low, he pretended nothing was wrong. "I haven't had the chance to report to the sales office yet..."

Of course, Weng Shao knew that Teacher Chen was currently planning to buy a home for her daughter, who was about to graduate from college. But in his previous life, Teacher Chen had been unlucky. After looking around and hesitating for too long, she had ended up buying an unfinished development. And a few years later, Teacher Chen's only daughter had died in an accident.

Weng Shao still remembered receiving the devastating news and going to Teacher Chen's home to pay his respects. Crushed by the blow, Teacher Chen had become delirious. Her once thick, black hair had turned completely white overnight, and she had aged decades. All she could do was clutch her daughter's portrait and mutter, "It's all my fault. How could I have bought an unfinished development..."

From Teacher Chen's husband, Weng Shao learned that after they had taken out a loan to buy the unfinished property, the family's financial pressure had suddenly increased. To earn more money, Teacher Chen's daughter worked during the day and took on part-time jobs at night, only to meet with an accident on her way home.

Time sped by, and Teacher Chen's withered face in the mourning hall overlapped with the face before him now, full of concern and affection. Weng Shao lowered his eyes without giving anything away. With the identity of a property consultant as cover, it would also be easier for him to gather information on the developers behind the city's major housing projects. At the very least, in this life, he would not let Teacher Chen buy an unfinished development.

Pei Xingze's intuition had not been wrong. By himself, Weng Shao could not only influence the sales landscape of the city's developments over the coming months, but even alter many people's lives.

Weng Shao had always done things one step linked to the next, killing several birds with one stone.

Author's Note:

Chapter 14

Editor-in-Chief Wang was a woman in her forties. She had fair skin and neat, capable short hair. At first glance, she was clearly the sort of professional woman who acted decisively and had strong opinions.

Teacher Chen had arranged to meet at a small teahouse across from the school. By the time she and Weng Shao arrived, Editor-in-Chief Wang had already gotten there early.

It was midsummer, and the sunlight was brilliant. She sat in a booth by the window with a pot of rose tea, her head slightly lowered as she focused intently on the magazine in her hands amid the fragrant steam of tea.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Teacher Chen led Weng Shao to the booth and sat down, introducing him to Editor-in-Chief Wang. "This is Weng Shao, the student I told you about."

"I haven't been waiting long. I didn't even finish one article before you arrived." As she spoke, Editor-in-Chief Wang put down her magazine, rose, and held out her hand to Weng Shao with a smile. "So you're Teacher Chen's prized student. I've heard so much about you."

Weng Shao's gaze swept over the magazine Editor-in-Chief Wang had placed on the table—it was the newest issue of Easy Weekly. Its cover featured a photo of Weng Shao and Pei Xingze walking side by side into the Imperial Grand Hotel. The enormous headline read: "Pei Group President Meets Privately With Youngest Weng Family Son; Weng Group May Face a Public Relations Crisis."

Weng Shao calmly looked away. It seemed Pei Xingze's efficiency was as high as ever.

Noticing Weng Shao's gaze, Editor-in-Chief Wang smiled. "I was bored while waiting for you, so I just bought a magazine to read."

Weng Shao did not pick up the thread. He politely shook Editor-in-Chief Wang's hand, displaying just the right amount of silence and humility that a young person newly entering society should show when making small talk with an elder. "Hello, Editor-in-Chief Wang."

Editor-in-Chief Wang looked at Weng Shao's composed demeanor and merely smiled without saying a word.

Most talented young people from poor families went through a stage like this—quiet and reserved, not good with words, carrying a kind of insecurity caused by their family of origin. But Weng Shao was not like that.