Chapter 27

But now, Weng Shao suddenly changed his mind.

After working with Weng Shao for some time, Pei Xingze had come to understand how he operated. He knew Weng Shao always meant what he said. No matter how politely or pleasantly he phrased things, it was all just to placate people. When it came to actually getting things done, every step had to go according to his instructions.

This was the first time Pei Xingze had seen Weng Shao change his own mind. Though he had no idea why Weng Shao had changed it, he couldn't hide his delight as he told the driver to change their destination.

Weng Shao's reason for changing his mind so suddenly was actually simple. There was no grand conspiracy behind it; he just wanted to make Pei Xingze happy.

In truth, Weng Shao had made plans for his trip to Jinghai long ago. But from the moment he stepped off the plane—from the moment he heard Pei Xingze say that his friend wanted to treat him to a meal, and agreed without hesitation—his plans had already gone off course.

He had even gone to a private club that only admitted members. Why should he care where he stayed that night?

So when Lu Qingyang had invited them to a hot spring at the restaurant earlier, Weng Shao had said he needed to return to the hotel to work on his script. That hadn't been an excuse; he really did need a different set of talking points for tomorrow's interview. Now he was simply changing them more thoroughly.

He had so casually thrown away the public-relations statement he'd spent days and nights writing. It might have seemed like he had no principles, but Weng Shao felt not the slightest stir of emotion.

When it came to Pei Xingze, Weng Shao had never had any principles to begin with.

Chapter 27

Hillside Villas was an upscale residential development built in Jinghai City in recent years. With its mountain views, lush greenery, sweeping vistas, and fresh air, it had become the first choice for Jinghai City's rising nouveau riche.

But this wasn't somewhere just anyone with money could afford to live. To preserve the neighborhood's peace and privacy, Hillside Villas had always refused celebrity residents. It had also hired a large security team to ensure no unwanted visitors wandered in or out.

The gossip reporters who had followed Weng Shao ever since he got off the plane watched the villa community's gates and sighed. They wouldn't be able to get anything more explosive, but the photos they'd already taken were enough to report back with.

Weng Shao stood on the garden balcony on the second floor of the villa, looking down at the van lingering on the winding mountain road.

"Don't worry." Pei Xingze came up behind him. "Whatever they managed to photograph, I guarantee they won't be able to publish any of it."

"Why wouldn't they be able to publish it?" Weng Shao didn't turn around. His gaze followed the van as it slowly descended the mountain, and he asked nonchalantly, "They went to all that trouble to get the footage. You should at least let them put it to use."

Pei Xingze raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Weng Shao.

The moon was high overhead, and its hazy light bathed Weng Shao in a cool, translucent glow. Behind him, it cast a long, impenetrably dark shadow.

Pei Xingze's gaze followed Weng Shao's faintly glowing figure and fell on the shadow behind him.

He saw two figures standing side by side in the quiet moonlight. One of them was his own. And so, almost as if under a spell, Pei Xingze lifted his arm and reached through the cool moonlight to touch Weng Shao's shadow.

His gesture was so gentle and discreet that Weng Shao didn't notice a thing.

The reborn man who had stolen a brief respite from life had no leisure to admire the breeze and moonlight. There were too many people and matters he needed to scheme against. Each one demanded careful consideration and repeated scrutiny; when the time came, he might even have to overturn his plans completely and work them out again. But Weng Shao felt neither restless nor hurried. He calmly dealt with each challenge that appeared before him. When he needed to dig a pit, he dug one; when he needed to lay bait, he laid it. If even the player couldn't bear to use bait, how could anyone wandering outside the game possibly step into the trap?

And the bait Weng Shao wielded most skillfully happened to be himself.

"When an issue has only one side, it won't make much of a splash. Only when the discussion is shocking enough and stirs people's emotions can the traffic keep coming."

Having lived through the age of social media, Weng Shao understood all too well that traffic was king. In his time, people believed that even infamy counted as fame. What they feared most was being ignored.

So Weng Shao had deliberately driven a wedge between Weng Yingxiong and Weng Yingjie and provoked Weng Yingjie because he wanted Weng Yingjie to represent the other side.

"You have to make him believe there's always a chance to get back at me, a chance to ruin my reputation," Weng Shao said with a smile, looking at Pei Xingze beneath the cool moonlight. His tone was unhurried. "If he doesn't make a move, how am I supposed to catch him in the act?"

*

The next morning, Weng Shao got up early.

In truth, he hadn't slept much at all. He'd lain in bed with his eyes closed, but his mind kept replaying every detail of his time in Jinghai, like a movie, then using the previous day's events to predict how Weng Yingjie might react.

An ordinary person without such boundless energy would have been sluggish from lack of sleep by now. But Weng Shao was gifted. The thought of scheming against someone—and of how that person remained completely oblivious—left him feeling positively invigorated.

So when he arrived at Jinghai City Television Station to record the program, he made a point of keeping himself in a heightened state of excitement.

"That young man is full of energy. He looks so lively, and he's brimming with it, too."

He was just like the sun at eight or nine in the morning, warm and golden.

That wonderful first impression reached its peak after every member of the production crew received a copy of Top Scholar Notes from Weng Shao.

It had to be said that most people in China were always lenient toward students. And in their eyes, academic achievement was the most powerful filter of all.

So when Weng Shao sat in the studio in a simple school uniform, basking in the glory of being the province's top scorer in the National College Entrance Examination, with a set of Top Scholar Notes on the little tea table beside him, the vast majority of viewers' first impression of him couldn't have been any better.

The host of Dialogue of Life was Yi Lin, an elegant and intelligent woman. She spoke with gentle encouragement and smiled like a spring breeze, giving people the impression of sincere, straightforward warmth. But that didn't mean Dialogue of Life was a mild, soothing interview program. In fact, it was precisely its incisive and hard-hitting approach that had won it the audience's praise.

At the start of the program, Yi Lin played a short video for the audience. In just three minutes, it gave a detailed introduction to Weng Shao, including the storm of discussion he had stirred up in the media and online.

That was how the conversation began.

"As the province's top scorer in the National College Entrance Examination, do you consider yourself a genius?"

"I wouldn't call myself a genius, but I think I'll become an outstanding professional."

"Earlier, quite a few people in the media and online were very interested in your family matters, and some even criticized you. They felt that some of your actions at the time greatly challenged the public conscience. What do you think about that?"

Weng Shao considered the question for a moment. "There's one thing I learned from the Weng family."

He paused, as if recalling something, or perhaps simply thinking. "...When you're broke, never pin your hopes of turning your life around on someone else, even if they're your own flesh and blood. Because if they have money, they won't spend it on you, but they will look down on you. And because you're forced to hold out your hand, they'll humiliate you in every way. They'd love to grind you into the dirt, then turn around and pretend to tell everyone it's your own fault—that you begged the wrong way, so they had no choice but to refuse you."

"That's when I realized that not every parent loves their child unconditionally. You think of them as your parents, but they see you as a beggar. The kind of beggar they'd despise even if you knelt in front of them, because you'd get their floor dirty."

"So if you have no money, no power, and no status, you have no dignity. You just have to put up with whatever people say about you."

"But that doesn't mean you're truly so lowly that you've sunk into the dirt. It only means you haven't met the right person."

As he said this, Weng Shao suddenly smiled. Like ice melting in the spring, warmth flickered through the lingering chill. "But I was lucky."

Yi Lin was momentarily dazzled by Weng Shao's brilliant, piercing smile. Without thinking, she asked, "You met the right person?"

"I met a kind-hearted god."

Chapter 28

When the recording ended, Weng Shao ran into Weng Yingxiong at the entrance to the television station. He had come to record a program, too.

For reasons unknown, Weng Yingjie and the rest of the family hadn't come along this time to record Online Mediation at Jinghai City Television Station. They'd only sent a driver to bring Weng Yingxiong and Old Master Weng to the station.

It had been months since they'd last met, and Weng Yingxiong looked much thinner than before. His once-plump cheeks had visibly caved in, making his eye sockets and cheekbones stand out even more. His lips, thin as blades, pressed into a straight line the moment he saw Weng Shao.

"You unfilial wretch. You see your father and me and can't even be bothered to say a word?" Old Master Weng glared at Weng Shao with venomous eyes, immediately slapping a harsh accusation on him.

Weng Yingxiong let out a long sigh and said dejectedly, "Dad, don't say any more. He's made something of himself now. He's famous nationwide as the province's top scorer, publishing books and filming commercials. He's made it big and has both fame and fortune. He's long forgotten about a useless father like me."

It was lunchtime, and people streamed in and out of the television station. The entrance was crowded with staff, and outside, a group of fans had gathered to support a celebrity.

With all eyes on them, Weng Shao didn't lose his temper as Weng Yingxiong and Old Master Weng took turns needling him. Instead, he calmly tried to reassure Weng Yingxiong. "Please don't sell yourself short."

"Who says you're useless? You're incredibly useful. If you weren't around, who would Weng Yingjie use as a weapon to attack me?"

Hearing Weng Shao's words, Weng Yingxiong's eyes reddened with "emotion." "You—"

"You look so much thinner than you did when you were with Mom and me." Weng Shao didn't wait for Weng Yingxiong to finish. He remarked with a sigh, "You've nearly wasted away."

"What, did Weng Yingjie's family fail to take good care of you?" Weng Shao said, looking Weng Yingxiong up and down.