Chapter 24

This turn of events made the scions' movie famous before filming had even begun. The fame of the Li family's second son's film company and Diwan High School also soared alongside it. Meanwhile, the people of Wancheng and even the Empire showed tremendous enthusiasm and support for the Ocean Pollution Fundraiser, steadily improving the public reputation of Li Rongxiu and the other scions. The Scion Alliance's competitiveness in the Centennial School Anniversary shot straight up as well.

Seeing the scions become wildly popular and flourish, the elites at Diwan High School—who had once confidently dismissed the scions' competitive proposal—were immediately thrown onto the defensive. For those competing in the anniversary events under their own names, Li Rongxiu's ability to raise over thirty-six million in investment funds in such a short time through the unusual method of making a film was already enough of a headache. Though it could be called opportunistic, it did not violate school rules. But no one expected that only two days after settling down, Li Rongxiu would use a female-lead audition to rake in both fame and profit.

Two and a half million? What could a mere two and a half million really accomplish? To these future elites, who started higher than others and had been steeped from childhood in finance and market manipulation, two and a half million thrown into the stock market might not even make a ripple. Yet through the shameless "empty-handed wolf-catching" scheme of Li Rongxiu and his fellow scions, it had earned them enormous fame and influence that made others green with envy.

These successive unconventional moves immediately disrupted the elites' plans for the future. As they gritted their teeth and cursed Li Rongxiu inwardly, they secretly envied his luck. They no longer dared underestimate him, silently moving a name they had never taken seriously before into the category of "number one rival." Some even began quietly plotting whether they could cause Li Rongxiu and his supporters a little trouble within the limits of school rules, lest the latter get too far ahead and leave them exhausted from trying to catch up...

As for the school's public clubs, although Li Rongxiu and his allies' actions had quickly seized considerable profits and public attention, teams and individuals had never been inherently opposed. There was always some balance to be found, some cooperation that could bring both sides a win-win outcome.

Thus, the first to approach Li Rongxiu and his scion allies was the school's Song and Dance Troupe. Their chosen anniversary performance was a song-and-dance drama, Modern Cinderella. Inspired by Li Rongxiu's audition for a female lead, the troupe leader felt there had to be room for cooperation between the school's Song and Dance Troupe and Li Rongxiu's movie—provided Li Rongxiu was willing to make a few small changes to that clichéd script of his.

And the second group to approach Li Rongxiu and his scion allies was...

But for Li Rongxiu, the most urgent matter was never the work already proceeding steadily in his hands. He made a surprising discovery: The Chi family, who had been trapped in a public-relations deadlock because of the cargo ship oil leak that polluted the sea, had made another move. This time, they were truly going all in.

Chapter 24

Only when people were busy did they feel life was fulfilling, leaving them without the energy to overthink. The reverse was true as well.

Recently, Li Rongxiu had found his life very fulfilling. Every day was full of hope; the moment he opened his eyes, there were problems waiting to be solved. His phone could ring at any moment, and there was always someone who needed his instructions before making a decision. This feeling of being trusted and needed was something the scion young master who had once spent every day idle and knew only how to squander his family's assets could neither experience nor understand.

Yet, as some famous figure in the Empire's history had once said, success was like opium—once tasted, it could never be let go. In Li Rongxiu's view, the fruits of success were certainly delicious, but the process of creating success... felt pretty good too.

How did that saying go? Serious men were the most charming, but successful men were the ones women liked best.

Therefore, Li Rongxiu, who was eagerly anticipating becoming the Top Student at the Centennial School Anniversary, no longer watched Shen Manyao's every move as he had in his previous life. Nor would he use clumsy methods to carry out childish, boring revenge against Shen Manyao and those around her as he had before.

Li Rongxiu had originally thought that without him stirring things up, Chi Junrui and Shen Manyao, the "true-love couple" who had "weathered countless hardships" in their previous life, would unhesitatingly end up together in this life. After all, though they lacked the name of husband and wife, they had the reality of it, and had even conceived the so-called fruit of love.

Yet through the nonstop coverage of gossip magazines and entertainment papers, Li Rongxiu was surprised to discover that his thinking had still been too simple. Or rather, Shen Manyao and Chi Junrui's current circumstances were simply too complicated—

More precisely, ever since Shen Manyao had been driven out of the Shen family by Shen Yingbo, Chi Junrui had been forced by his family elders to use every possible method to pester Yao Pingting. He hoped to gain Yao Pingting's forgiveness, restore the engagement between the two families, and thereby save the Chi family's shipyard from the mire.

Thus, for some time afterward, Wancheng's major entertainment weeklies, gossip papers, and online forums constantly updated the public on the Chi family's eldest young master's "wife-winning journey." Chi Junrui had never thought much of the worn-out methods Li Rongxiu once used to pursue girls—sending roses, treating them to meals, going to movies together, shopping, sailing out to sea, and so on.

Instead, he scattered "letters of apology" and "love letters" from a private plane. The fluttering letters fell like a snowstorm over the city, landing throughout Wancheng's streets and alleys while causing a sensation across the entire city.

A massive hot-air balloon floated through the blue sky, with an enormous banner hanging beneath it, clearly visible to the naked eye. The banner bore a photo from Chi Junrui's proposal to Yao Pingting, signed with the words, "Tingting, forgive me." He then asked their friends from their years studying abroad to record VCRs and post them online. Every setting in which someone appeared in the VCRs was one where Chi Junrui and Yao Pingting had once gone on dates.

Chi Junrui also provided narration for the VCRs, speaking passionately to Yao Pingting about how wonderful their past had been, how strong their love had been. Such a dreamlike love should not end without cause. He hoped that after Yao Pingting's hurt had eased, she would give him a chance to mend his ways.

"I'll tell the whole world that I know I hurt you. But I'm confident I can make you the happiest, most perfect Mrs. Chi."

Watching Chi Junrui in the VCR, impeccably dressed in a suit and looking deeply affectionate, Li Rongxiu finally understood exactly where he had fallen short as an unqualified lover.

Chi Junrui's bold and fervent actions also stirred up a storm throughout Wancheng and even the Empire. Countless brainless girls who believed in "love above all" posted online, bluntly declaring that they had been "moved by Young Master Chi's devotion." They believed, "What man doesn't make mistakes? What cat doesn't steal food? At least Chi Junrui dares admit his mistakes. A man like that deserves another chance."

Some more rational netizens felt that Chi Junhao's conduct was truly shameless. No matter what, he was the one who had seduced Shen Manyao, causing this eighteen-year-old girl to betray her fiancé and even become pregnant with his child. Now that Shen Manyao's scandal had been exposed and she had been driven from her home, Chi Junrui, a mature man, not only refused to take responsibility for Shen Manyao's future but abandoned her instead, choosing to bow his head before his powerful and wealthy future father-in-law's family. It was utterly revolting.

Even more people were betting online on whether Yao Pingting would forgive Chi Junrui for what he had done, and whether the Yao family would step in to help the Chi family in its current state.

Gossip tabloid paparazzi even secretly photographed Yao Pingting entering and leaving a hotel for a private meeting with Shen Manyao. For a time, rumors filled the city, all buzzing over the melodramatic spectacle of "the wife confronting the mistress."

Unfortunately, before Chi Junrui's sensational, extravagant "wife-winning tactics" could receive a change of heart from Yao Pingting or an official statement from the Yao family, the Chi family's cargo-ship oil-leak incident broke out. In one stroke, it gave Li Rongxiu and the Scion Alliance the perfect opportunity to promote their own movie and make a name for themselves through their "female-lead pageant fundraiser."

Not long after Li Rongxiu began using the momentum to launch his fundraiser, the Chi family reacted quickly and took countermeasures. That very afternoon, they held a press conference for every media outlet in Wancheng.

At the press conference, Chi Junrui, representing the Chi family, and the head of the Chi family's shipyard sincerely offered a profound apology to the public. They explained that the cargo ship from their shipyard had not been defective. Chi Junrui said that every cargo vessel produced by the Chi family's shipyard underwent quality inspections and was a qualified finished product. The oil leak had merely been an accident. However, after a decision by the Chi family's shareholders, they had still resolved to bear all adverse consequences caused by the incident—The Chi family would sell shares in their shipyard, along with some of the Chi family's real estate and infrastructure projects that were currently on the rise. Aside from compensating business owners who had suffered losses in the marine pollution incident, the remaining funds would be donated without charge to the relevant local departments, contributing to local marine cleanup and economic development.

After the press conference, the Chi family's once-precarious reputation was restored. Many public figures came forward to state their opinions, believing that although the Chi family's "unintentional mistake" had caused losses for some seafood businesses, they were still an enterprise with a conscience. Their actions deserved forgiveness and even praise. They called on more companies to learn from the Chi family's business attitude and contribute to the Empire and its people.

Under such deliberately guided public opinion, many people indeed changed their views of the Chi family. But in the eyes of Li Rongxiu, who possessed the experience of two lifetimes, the Chi family was only doing this because they had sensed trouble and chosen a pleasant-sounding excuse to sell off their assets.

In his previous life, the Chi family had been forced by the Li family to withdraw from real estate and infrastructure, turning instead toward the more profitable entertainment and new-media industries. But with support from the Yao family and the Shen family at the time, the Chi family had not gone as far as they were today. They had retained their shipyard and several projects, waiting for a chance to rise again.

But in this life... it seemed that even if Chi Junrui's "deeply affectionate confession" had moved Yao Pingting, it had still failed to move Yao Qilin. That was why they had sold the shipyard in desperation.

Once news spread that the Chi family was about to sell its shipyard, numerous wealthy Wancheng families began making moves. Including the Li family, everyone was trying to find a way to swallow this juicy piece of meat.

But none of these business battles had much to do with Li Rongxiu. What gave him a headache was that Shen Manyao, who had been constantly harassing him with phone calls over the past few days, was no longer satisfied with him refusing to answer. She had recklessly emerged from the gilded cage where Chi Junrui had been keeping her hidden.

Looking at Shen Manyao standing in front of his car, her belly already slightly rounded, and at the students on both sides of the street whispering and peering over at them, Li Rongxiu took a deep breath. He walked up to Shen Manyao, frowned, and said, "Why are you here?"

At his words, Shen Manyao smiled softly and said slowly, "I came to see you... Originally, I wanted to visit your home, but I was afraid Uncle and Auntie would feel uncomfortable seeing me, so I came to find you at school first. Shall we go have a cup of coffee?"

Li Rongxiu curled his lip in irritation and walked right past Shen Manyao. Li Ten, his driver and bodyguard, stood to one side and opened the car door for him. Li Rongxiu bent down and got in, tossing out a careless remark. "I have nothing to discuss with you."

Before his sentence had even finished, Shen Manyao spoke. "The Chi family is selling its shipyard and several infrastructure projects with excellent prospects. Isn't the Li family interested in that?"

Seeing Li Rongxiu instinctively widen his eyes and look back at her, Shen Manyao smiled faintly. Without waiting for him to speak, she climbed into the car herself and calmly instructed, "Turn left ahead. There's a French café there, my favorite. Come have a cappuccino with me. It won't take up much of your time."

Watching Shen Manyao's calm, composed manner, Li Rongxiu held it in for a long while before he could only sigh and say, "You're pregnant. Isn't coffee bad for the baby?"