Chapter 27

But now, Weng Shao had suddenly changed his mind.

Having worked with Weng Shao for some time, Pei Xingze had gotten a decent grasp of his style. He knew Weng Shao was a man of his word. No matter how tactful or pleasant he sounded, it was all just to placate people. When it came time to act, every step had to follow his arrangements.

This was the first time Pei Xingze had seen Weng Shao change his own mind. Though he had no idea why, Pei Xingze still happily told the driver to change their destination.

Weng Shao's reason for changing his mind was actually simple. There were no conspiracies behind it. He merely wanted to make Pei Xingze happy.

In fact, although Weng Shao had long made plans for his trip to Jinghai, his plans had gone off course the moment he got off the plane—when he heard Pei Xingze say that his friend wanted to treat him to dinner, and he agreed without hesitation.

He had even entered a private club that only members could access, so why should he care where they stayed that night?

So when Lu Qingyang invited them to soak in the hot springs at the restaurant, Weng Shao said he needed to return to the hotel and work on his script. That had not been an excuse. He truly needed to revise his talking points for tomorrow's interview. Now, he was simply changing them more thoroughly.

Destroying the PR statement he had spent days and nights writing so casually seemed rather lacking in principles, yet Weng Shao's heart did not stir in the slightest.

He had never had any principles when it came to Pei Xingze.

Author's Note:

Hillside Villas was a high-end residential development built in Jinghai City in recent years. With mountain views, abundant greenery, broad vistas, and fresh air, it had become the first choice for Jinghai City's newly wealthy.

However, this was not a place where money alone could buy a residence. To maintain the peace and privacy of the neighborhood, Hillside Villas had always refused celebrity residents. It also employed a large number of security personnel to ensure that no unrelated people could wander in or out.

The gossip paparazzi who had been following Weng Shao ever since he got off the plane could only sigh as they stared at the gates of the neighborhood. They would not be able to capture anything more explosive, but the photos they had already taken were enough for them to report back.

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 walked up behind him. "No matter what they photographed, I guarantee they won't be able to publish any of it."

"Why shouldn't they be able to publish it?" Weng Shao did not turn around. His gaze remained fixed on the van slowly making its way down the mountain as he said casually, "They worked so hard gathering material. You should at least give them a chance to put it to use."

Pei Xingze raised a brow and tilted his head to look at Weng Shao.

The moon hung high overhead, and hazy moonlight bathed Weng Shao in a cool, translucent glow. Behind him, it cast a long shadow that no light could penetrate.

Pei Xingze's gaze followed the faintly glowing Weng Shao down to the shadow behind him.

He saw two figures standing side by side beneath the quiet moonlight, one of them his own. As though possessed, Pei Xingze lifted his arm. Through the cold moonlight, he touched Weng Shao's shadow.

His movement was so gentle and discreet that Weng Shao did not notice at all.

The reborn man who had stolen a second chance at life had no leisure to admire the scenery or moonlight. There were too many people and matters in his heart to scheme over, every one of them requiring careful consideration and repeated analysis. When the moment came, he might even have to overturn everything and calculate it anew. Yet Weng Shao did not feel impatient or rushed. He dealt with every problem before him in an orderly fashion. He dug pits when pits needed digging and laid bait when bait needed laying—if even the player could not bear to put down bait, how could those lingering outside the game possibly step into the trap?

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

"If an issue has only one voice, it won't make much of a splash. Only when the topic is shocking enough and capable of stirring people's emotions can the traffic keep going."

Having lived through the era of self-media, Weng Shao understood the principle that traffic was king. In his time, people believed that even infamy was fame. What they feared most was being ignored.

That was why Weng Shao had deliberately driven a wedge between Weng Yingxiong and angered Weng Yingjie. He wanted Weng Yingjie to serve as another voice.

"You need to make him believe that he always has a chance to retaliate against me, a chance to ruin my reputation," Weng Shao said slowly beneath the cold moonlight, smiling at Pei Xingze. "If he doesn't make a move, how am I supposed to catch him by the tail?"

*

Early the next morning, Weng Shao got up very early.

In truth, he had barely slept that night. He lay in bed with his eyes closed, but his mind played through every detail of his arrival in Jinghai like a movie. Then, based on yesterday's itinerary, he deduced Weng Yingjie's reaction.

An ordinary person with less energy would likely have become sluggish from lack of sleep long ago. But Weng Shao was exceptionally gifted. The thought of plotting against someone while that person remained completely clueless left him feeling refreshed and invigorated.

By the time he arrived at Jinghai City Television Station to record the program, he had deliberately kept himself in an excited state.

"What a spirited young man. He looks lively, and he's full of energy too."

He was truly like the sun at eight or nine in the morning, shining golden and warm upon everyone.

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

—It had to be said that most people in the country were always tolerant toward students. And in their eyes, no filter was stronger than academic achievement.

Thus, when Weng Shao sat in the studio wearing a plain school uniform, crowned with the halo of provincial top scorer in the college entrance examination, with a set of Top Scholar Notes displayed on the small tea table beside him, the vast majority of viewers' first impressions of him were immediately maxed out.

The host of Dialogue of Life was Yi Lin, a highly elegant and intelligent woman. She spoke in a patient, guiding manner, and when she smiled, she was as gentle as a spring breeze. She gave off an air of straightforward sincerity. But that did not mean Dialogue of Life was a mild and gentle interview program. On the contrary, the show was widely praised by viewers precisely for its sharpness and incisiveness.

At the beginning of the program, Yi Lin first played a VCR for everyone. The brief three-minute video gave a detailed introduction to who Weng Shao was, including the storm of discussion he had stirred up in the media and online.

And so the topic began.

"As the top scorer in your province's college entrance examination, do you consider yourself a genius?"

"I wouldn't call myself a genius, but I believe I will become an outstanding talent."

"Previously, quite a number of people in the media and online paid close attention to your family affairs. Of course, there were also some criticisms. They believed that some of your actions at the time greatly challenged the public conscience. How do you view this matter yourself?"

Weng Shao thought for a moment. "I learned something from the Weng family."

Weng Shao paused slightly, as though recalling something, or perhaps simply thinking. "...When you have no money, never place your hopes of turning your life around on someone else, even if they are your closest blood relatives. Because if they have money, they won't spend it on you. But they will look down on you. And because you hold your palm out to them, they will humiliate you in every possible way, wishing they could grind you into the mud. Then they'll hypocritically tell others that it was all your fault, that you were begging the wrong way, which was why they refused to give you money."

"That was when I realized that not all parents love their children unconditionally. You treat them like parents, but they treat you like a beggar. The kind of beggar they would despise even while kneeling before them, because they had dirtied the floor in their home."

"So if you have no money, power, or status, you have no dignity. Whatever people say about you, you have to endure it."

"But that does not mean you are truly lowly enough to belong in the mud. It only means you have not met the right person."

At this point, Weng Shao suddenly smiled. Like spring water melting ice, a sudden warmth amid lingering chill. "But I was very lucky."

Yi Lin was momentarily dazzled by Weng Shao's piercing, brilliant smile and instinctively asked, "You met the right person?"

Weng Shao said, "I met a soft-hearted god."

Author's Note: Today, too, Weng sweet-talk skills maxed out Shao.

After the recording ended, Weng Shao ran into Weng Yingxiong, who had also come to Jinghai City Television Station to record a program.

For some unknown reason, when they came to Jinghai City Television Station this time to record Online Mediation, Weng Yingjie's family did not show up. They only sent a driver to bring Weng Yingxiong and Old Master Weng to the station.

After not seeing him for several months, Weng Yingxiong looked much thinner than before. The flesh on his once-plump cheeks had visibly sunken, making his eye sockets and cheekbones appear even more pronounced. The moment he saw Weng Shao, his blade-thin lips pressed into a straight line.

"You unfilial thing. You see your father and me, yet you can't even greet us?" Old Master Weng glared at Weng Shao with venomous eyes, immediately dumping a massive accusation onto his head.

Weng Yingxiong also sighed heavily and said with a desolate expression, "Dad, don't say any more. He's capable now. He's a provincial top scorer famous across the country, publishing books and filming advertisements. He's achieved fame and success, with both reputation and wealth. He forgot all about his useless father long ago."

It was lunchtime, and people flowed in and out of the television station. Not only were staff members coming and going, but a group of fans supporting celebrities had gathered outside as well.

Under countless watching eyes, Weng Shao did not get angry despite being repeatedly squeezed by Weng Yingxiong and Old Master Weng. Instead, he calmly comforted Weng Yingxiong. "Please don't belittle yourself."

"Who said you were useless? You're extremely useful. Without you, who would Weng Yingjie use as a gun to snipe me?"

Weng Yingxiong's eyes turned red with "emotion" when he heard Weng Shao's words. "You—"

"You look far thinner than when you were with Mom and me." Before Weng Yingxiong could finish, Weng Shao sighed with a face full of regret. "You're almost unrecognizable from how thin you are."

"What, did Weng Yingjie's family fail to take good care of you?" As Weng Shao spoke, he looked Weng Yingxiong up and down.