Though Mrs. Peng spoke casually, her words were pure gold.
In this world, aside from blood relatives, who would unconditionally indulge someone forever?
Outsiders only saw Mrs. Peng as paranoid and neurotic, constantly making a scene at her husband Mr. Peng’s company, with countless people waiting for her to be cast aside as a discarded wife.
To those hoping for a spectacle, Mrs. Peng could only scoff and curse them as idiots.
Without some leverage, could she act like this?
Every couple, every family, has their own way of getting along. Outsiders only see the surface, but the core that keeps a family stable? How could they know!
Mrs. Peng came and went like the wind, tossing the bank card to her son and leaving.
Inspired by his mother’s advice, Peng Guoqing sank into deep thought: figure out what someone lacks and give it to them. He wasn’t unaware of this approach.
But what did Xie Qian lack?
Good looks? Check!
Brains? Brilliant!
Money? Loaded!
By any measure, Xie Qian outshone his peers, leaving Peng Guoqing stumped on how to impress him.
Wait, Xie Qian did have a gap—Xie Jinghu’s illegitimate children were common knowledge in their circle!
Knowing was one thing, but Peng Guoqing admitted he lacked the ability to fix that for Xie Qian.
If he had that kind of power, forget clinging to Xie Qian’s coattails—he could latch onto the entire Xie family!
Peng Guoqing fantasised about resolving Xie Qian’s family crisis, being hailed as a hero by the Xies, with even Xie Tang looking at him with newfound respect… The scene was so beautiful he burst out laughing.
That laugh snapped him out of his daydream.
Peng Guoqing tugged at his hair.
In dreams, anyone could be a hero, but reality was tough. He couldn’t force Xie Jinghu to reform and make Xie Qian’s family harmonious.
—Wait, why force the playboy to reform?
If Xie Jinghu wanted to be a playboy, let him!
Removing an unstable factor like Xie Jinghu would be another kind of family harmony for Xie Qian.
With a shift in perspective, Peng Guoqing’s thoughts raced like a stampede!
Of course, the playboy could leave, but his money had to stay.
As a spoiled rich kid, Peng Guoqing had absorbed his mother’s wisdom: love could be faked, but money couldn’t. When a man didn’t want to give money, he’d use “love” to dodge.
If he paid, there was still love.
No money? All fake!
Everyone said Xie Qian was formidable, and the elders pushed him to befriend Xie Qian, believing he had the timing and resources to come out on top.
Waiting to cling to Xie Qian after he won? Too late.
Peng Guoqing mulled over his mother’s words. He couldn’t contribute much to Xie Qian’s fight for the family fortune, but just because he couldn’t help big didn’t mean he should ignore the small stuff.
He had to show Xie Qian his effort!
Acting on it, Peng Guoqing mentally ran through his network, then called Tai Wu:
“Give me your aunt’s contact info… What’s it to you? Can’t I pay my respects to Aunt Tai?”
Tai Wu’s aunt, heartbroken, had gone abroad to heal and wasn’t planning to return soon.
No matter—her being abroad was even better.
Word was, Xie Jinghu’s mistress used to be part of the Beijing circle but went abroad after her family fell.
Peng Guoqing, too young to know these old stories, figured Aunt Tai would. They were the same age group, after all.
Grinning, Peng Guoqing got the number.
See? With a bit of brainpower, who could outsmart him?
He’d definitely be useful to Xie Qian!
That Wang Shuang guy—could he compare?
—Hmph, eat my dust!
…
While some schemed ambitiously to squeeze into Xie Qian’s inner circle, vowing to be his top ally, Xie Qian was completely unaware.
He never expected Peng Guoqing to pull off anything big. The task he’d given was just to round up Tai Wu and the others, but Peng Guoqing was determined to make him take notice.
Results wouldn’t show in a day or two.
Li Mengjiao was staying in Shanghai for the holiday, so Wang Shuang stayed too, and others followed suit.
The group that had gone to Shanghai in a grand entourage returned to Chengdu as just Xie Qian and Wen Ying.
Wen Dongrong, picking them up at the airport, was surprised.
Huh, Xie Qian went to Shanghai with Wen Ying?
She hadn’t mentioned that!
Though not his first time seeing Xie Qian, truth be told, Xie Qian always stood out. No matter how many times Wen Dongrong saw him, he’d marvel inwardly.
Good thing his wife, Chen Ru, wasn’t here—she’d sound the early-romance alarm.
Wen Dongrong wasn’t as high-strung as Chen Ru, but if he didn’t show some concern, that scheming girl might get too bold.
So, he put on a stern face to question:
“Xiao Xie, why’d you go to Shanghai too? Tianjiao’s filming budget must be hefty…”
“Uncle Wen, I went to Shanghai for other business. Just wrapped it up these past couple of days, so I took the same flight back with Wen Ying. She’s a girl traveling alone—it’s only right for classmates to look out for each other.”
Xie Qian’s response was calm, flawless.
Wen Dongrong snorted inwardly: Big talk for a kid. Going to Shanghai for fun is normal, but “handling business”? Sounds like some big shot!
Still, despite the mental jab, Xie Qian’s poise outshone every high schooler Wen Dongrong knew. He said a few polite words, offering to drive Xie Qian home. Xie Qian pointed to the parking lot, “Thanks, Uncle Wen, I’ve already booked a car.”
In front of her dad, Wen Ying kept things friendly but distant with Xie Qian, waving goodbye as classmates would.
They could call or text if needed—no need to be too chummy and rile up her dad. Why did “chummy” pop into her head when thinking of Xie Qian?
Don’t ask—ostrich mode, know nothing!
As Wen Dongrong’s car drove off, Xie Qian exhaled.
He wasn’t sure why, but though it wasn’t his first time meeting Wen Ying’s dad, this time he felt nervous.
Something was different.
Beneath his calm exterior, his heart surged.
That indescribable feeling gave Xie Qian more courage and drive to do things.
He’d only stay in Chengdu half a day, just enough to have a meal with his mum, Zou Weijun, before rushing to Beijing.
Beijing was his battlefield; Chengdu, his sanctuary.
To protect his sanctuary’s beauty, he had to fight!
On the way home, Wen Dongrong planned to lecture Wen Ying on keeping proper boundaries with boys, but she fell asleep in the car.
He held back the whole ride, finding no chance to play the strict dad. Just as they reached the neighbourhood, Chen Ru called, “Bring Wen Ying straight to the new house.”
Fully recharged from her nap, Wen Ying perked up, “We can move in already?”
