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As the two major shareholders of Shi Shang Feng Heng, each holding 45 percent of the shares, Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi easily earned over a million again within a month.

With both fame and fortune in hand, they were undoubtedly the most successful contestants on Dance Miracle.

However, such a high-profile money-making venture inevitably brought Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi even more trouble.

At least several entertainment newspapers openly or subtly questioned whether Sugar Juice Duo had "colluded" with their management company and television station to cheat fans out of their money.

Some even connected it to Sugar Juice Duo advertising their own products during the finals and directly branded them as "blinded by profit."

Faced with the media's many doubts and slanders, as well as the spontaneous and frenzied backlash from Sugar Juice Duo's fans, Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi had barely made a statement before Emperor Entertainment, Apple TV Station, and Lu Holdings immediately took a stand.

As usual, the first two prepared to hold press conferences and launch a series of public relations campaigns. Lu Holdings, meanwhile, simply sued several gossip papers that had stirred up the most trouble, citing damage to the company's image, malicious slander of legitimate business activities, and the resulting economic and reputational losses.

Only then did the public suddenly realize that Sugar Juice Duo, the hottest new act in the entertainment industry that year, had not only made a fortune in popularity. One of its members was also the first and only heir to a wealthy and powerful northern family-run corporation with exceptionally broad prospects.

As the old saying went, people with both money and ability were not to be offended lightly.

Lu Holdings' subsequent actions thoroughly taught certain tabloids that lesson.

Author's note: Mini theater—

Little Top Lu: "I'm not someone you can offend lightly ╭(╯^╰)╮"

Little Bottom Tang: "The ones I offend lightly aren't people →_→"

Little Top Lu: "QAQ QAQ QAQ"

For many people in the entertainment industry, they were generally unwilling to go head-to-head with the news media. Aside from the mutually dependent interests between the two sides, most people felt that taking the media too seriously would only exhaust themselves.

Some even spent huge sums hiring gossip tabloids to report on their rumored romances and the like. At the end of the day, they simply wanted more exposure and did not want to vanish from the public eye for too long.

There was a saying in later years: no fights, no fame; no hate, no popularity. It showed the contradictions and sorrows of being a celebrity.

Thus, when those entertainment outlets accused Sugar Juice Duo of being "blinded by profit," they did so without restraint or fear. They were not afraid of angering Sugar Juice Duo. The angrier they got, the more there was to talk about. If Sugar Juice Duo became so furious that they cursed at the media in public or even started throwing punches, that would be perfect Headline material. Even if Sugar Juice Duo sued those gossip tabloids, they would not be afraid, because that meant they had become connected to the hottest act of the moment. Whether they played the hero or the villain, whether people liked them or loathed them, they would get exposure either way.

And if Sugar Juice Duo swallowed their anger, that would be even better. The label of "guilty silence" would be firmly slapped onto them. Even if Emperor Entertainment and Apple TV Station jointly held a press conference to explain the matter, the tabloids could still interpret it as "sophistry"...

In short, no matter how one looked at it, Sugar Juice Duo seemed destined to carry this black pot.

Yet just as the gossip papers were smugly congratulating themselves, Lu Holdings flexed its financial muscle—they had neither the leisure to hold a press conference nor the mood to trade words with paparazzi reporters. Instead, they directly approached the owners or backers of those gossip rags and bought the publishing houses behind them. The next day, those papers ran admissions that they had engaged in slander and defamation, along with front-page apologies to Sugar Juice Duo.

As for those that stubbornly refused to sell... they soon found their operations becoming incredibly difficult. Printing houses they had previously contracted with would rather breach their agreements than continue doing business with them, while their former distribution channels stopped carrying their weekly publications. With both major sources cut off, Lu Holdings calmly dispatched a legal team to sue those gossip papers for their "nonsensical ravings"... For a time, certain tabloids were driven to desperation. They had no work, no results, no way to distribute their papers, and lawsuits hanging over their heads. After holding out for less than half a year, those hard-mouthed gossip rags immediately raised white flags and issued humiliating public apologies to Sugar Juice Duo.

This series of moves showed everyone just how "unwise it was to provoke" Lu Holdings. More importantly, everyone deeply realized that Sugar Juice Duo's backing did not come from within the industry, so they had never been willing to follow the industry's rules. For someone who believed in "if no one offends me, I offend no one," yet could produce enormous sums of money when it mattered... the people in the industry practically adored them.

After all, surviving in this circle required money, whether one was releasing albums or filming movies and television dramas. Sugar Juice Duo was now absolutely the kind of all-around young talent who had popularity, talent, connections, and money!

Being able to work with such newcomers meant that, if nothing else, there would definitely be no shortage of investment. After all, if Lu Holdings was willing to spend so much money to vent their son's anger, surely they could also afford to finance his films, right?

Thus, without anyone quite noticing, many directors in the industry wanted to work with Sugar Juice Duo. Aside from certain artistic films that truly tested acting ability, the scripts Sugar Juice Duo received came in like snowflakes. They were nothing like some newly debuted rookies, who had to beg everyone they knew just for one chance to appear on camera.

Sugar Juice Duo's incredible popularity even left Wei Feng secretly tongue-tied. He complained to Yun Xiaoting more than once, "This is much easier than managing you back then."

No wonder the old saying went that it was good to rest beneath a great tree!

But that was a matter for later, so let us leave it aside for now.

After the National Day holiday, Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi packed their luggage and flew back to X City, preparing to take their midterm exams for the first semester of their second year of high school. Because their itinerary had been kept secret, they did not see crowds of fans waiting to welcome them when they arrived at X City Airport. Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi both breathed a sigh of relief.

The Lu Family and Tang Shi's mother, who had received Tang Shi's call the night before, had also arrived at the airport early. When they saw their sons, whom they had not seen in months, hurrying out with their luggage, they recognized Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi at once. It did not matter that the two wore baseball caps and large masks, or that they had grown taller and thinner than they had been half a year earlier.

The parents immediately could not hold back their tears. They pulled the two brats who had been away from home for so long into their arms and rubbed them fiercely for a while, then took their luggage and ushered the two brats out of the airport and into the car to head home.

Because Tang Shi had won five million in the Lottery, turning the Tang Family into millionaires overnight, and because Lu's mother and grandmother had helped make arrangements, Tang Shi's mother had bought a secondhand home in Lu's grandmother's residential complex several months earlier. Although it was only a secondhand home, the previous owners had decorated it exquisitely. They had not lived there for long before an emergency arose in their family, forcing them to sell the property for cash.

Tang Shi's mother had gotten an incredible bargain. She bought the house, which was in a fairly bustling area with convenient transportation and had a two-story duplex layout spanning over three hundred square meters, for just over five hundred thousand.

They had even thrown in quite a bit of the furniture for free.

It was Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi's first time entering the home. They looked at the luxurious, refined European-style decor: gold-trimmed railings, a spiral staircase built on marble, wallpaper patterned with large grid designs, a dazzling crystal chandelier overhead, gleaming marble floor tiles, an obviously expensive red wool carpet spread across them, creamy-white European solid wood furniture throughout, and the spacious, bright living room, kitchen, and dining room...

To be honest, Tang Shi had never lived in such a large and luxurious house in either of his lives. Lu Hengzhi had previously lived with his grandparents, and the older generation favored Chinese-style decor, so although their house was large, it was simply furnished without much extravagance.

Thus, seeing such an outrageously lavish decorating style for the first time, both of them felt as though their eyes had been blinded. They could not help wondering what the owners had made the bedrooms and guest rooms look like. The moment they entered, they tossed aside their luggage and inspected every room upstairs and downstairs. They even flopped onto the carved solid-wood double bed and rolled around twice. Sitting on the soft, springy mattress, Tang Shi looked at the white carved wooden vanity across from him, clearly European vintage in style and inlaid with gold, and said worriedly, "It's so soft. Can we even sleep tonight? Won't we wake up with sore backs tomorrow? And why put such a huge mirror opposite the bed? If you wake up half-asleep in the middle of the night, won't you think you've seen a ghost?"

Lu Hengzhi lay facedown on the bed for a while before closing his eyes and saying, "Later, we'll take off the mattress and lay down two layers of bedding to make do. We'll stay at your place tonight."

After a pause, he added as though offering advice, "I think your family should change the bed. Sleeping on something like a four-corner spring mattress doesn't feel secure at all."

Tang Shi smiled but said nothing. Still, knowing his mother's personality, she would definitely be reluctant to replace the bed. It might not be comfortable to sleep on, but one could tell at a glance that it had been expensive.

The two simply rolled over and leaned against each other, chatting with their eyes closed for a while. Outside, Tang Shi's mother had already called twice from downstairs, telling them to come eat. Fragrant dishes completely filled a large table, with some dishes even having to be placed atop other plates because there was no more room. Lu's grandfather, grandmother, and father sat at the table, smiling as they watched the two brats clomp downstairs. Tang Shi's mother and Lu's mother were tidying up the stove in the kitchen, then carried the last few dishes into the dining room.

Lu Hengzhi lowered his head and looked at the bowls, plates, and chopsticks on the table. Most had been brought over by Tang Shi's mother from the old house. Plain white porcelain without patterns, they were very simple and utterly out of place amid the dining room's decor. Yet Lu Hengzhi found them warm and familiar. They made him hungry, and he suddenly felt as though he could eat three huge bowls of rice.

Tang Shi, meanwhile, stared fixedly at the feast covering the table. He swallowed helplessly and grinned foolishly. "There are so many dishes. How can we possibly finish all this with just a few people?"

Seeing Tang Shi's expression, his mother smiled and said, "You two just got back. You've been out there for so long, so the food probably didn't suit your tastes. Now that you're home, eat more."

Tang Shi chuckled. Just as he reached out to grab a crab, Tang Shi's mother rapped his hand with her chopsticks. "Did you wash your hands before grabbing food?"

Tang Shi awkwardly rubbed his paw and dragged Lu Hengzhi to the bathroom to wash up. There, the gold wall tiles and gaudy gold faucet blinded them all over again. Tang Shi clicked his tongue in amazement and said to Lu Hengzhi, "What do you think the previous owners did for a living, to decorate their home so... lavishly?"

"Who knows?" Lu Hengzhi shook his head. He actually rather looked down on this sort of flaunting wealth, finding it a little pretentious. If the living room, kitchen, and bedroom decor had still been within his tolerance, then this gaudy gold version of a bathroom was simply too much for him to look at.

This was not just gaudy gold. It was the upgraded version of gaudy gold—tasteless gold!

It did not feel like they were living in their own home. It felt more like they had moved into a five-star hotel.

He wondered whether Tang Shi's mother would have nightmares when she slept alone at night.

When he shared his thoughts with Tang Shi, Tang Shi burst out laughing. Still, he could not help wondering, "What exactly happened to the previous family? Such a nice house, and they sold it for four hundred thousand?"