“Liu Zong, a grown man, drags his feet and isn’t as decisive as us!”
At Tianjiao, Mrs. Wang grumbled lightly.
Tianjiao had wrapped up everything, securing victory, while the Dairy Group only announced their internal review results afterward, looking like they were capitalising on the situation.
Wen Ying, however, understood Liu Zong’s position.
A large corporation isn’t like a small company; everything follows procedures. The Dairy Group’s response was already swift. If they wanted to stall, the review could’ve taken one or two months to conclude!
“Their review was quick, which shows how much the Dairy Group values Liu Zong,” Wen Ying said happily. “Yu Tianlin’s finished, and Liu Zong’s getting promoted. No one’s taking that endorsement away!”
Yuan Fenghui was radiant.
The frustration of leaving Taiwan in disgrace to start anew in the mainland was finally released. Hearing Wen Ying’s words, Yuan Fenghui wasn’t modest, “No one’s ever taken anything from me. I’m the one who takes opportunities from others.”
The Dairy Group’s endorsement? If Li Mengjiao wasn’t suitable, it could go to Yun Chen. If Yun Chen didn’t want it, there was still Zhang Yangning. Yuan Fenghui already considered the high-paying, easy endorsement hers, untouchable by others.
If Yu Tianlin hadn’t targeted the yogurt endorsement, Yuan Fenghui wouldn’t have moved against him so quickly.
As the saying goes, those whom heaven wishes to destroy, it first drives mad. From the moment Yu Tianlin agreed to fake a romance with Hu Man, his fate was sealed!
News of *Love Cruise*’s cancellation soon reached Tianjiao. Wen Ying was thrilled, though her only regret was not dragging Hu Man down too. Hu Man escaped quickly, fleeing abroad to “heal her heartbreak,” dodging the media storm’s centre.
Yuan Fenghui wasn’t in a rush, “She can run, but she can’t hide. She hasn’t retired, so she’ll return eventually. Besides, even if we let her go, do you think Yu Tianlin will?”
Yu Tianlin, with nothing to lose, had no leverage against Tianjiao. His allies—Guan Zong, Liang Dan, and Hu Man—were the ones who should be worried.
Wen Ying realised this and burst into laughter.
Wang Shuang, yawning, confirmed with Wen Ying, “So this storm’s completely over?”
“Completely over. You don’t need to monitor online sentiment every day anymore!”
Wang Shuang chuckled, “Honestly, I got used to it. Online news, true or false, is fun to sift through.”
Tianjiao’s atmosphere was worlds apart from days ago. Everyone was elated after the earlier tension and suppression. Wen Ying understood their shift in mood.
The strangest thing was returning home to find even Old Wen beaming.
Like what?
Like he’d stumbled upon a windfall.
Wen Ying probed, but Wen Dongrong kept tight-lipped, refusing to hand any leverage to his “black-hearted” daughter. He hid the fact that he’d won back the thousand yuan he lost to Old Li, plus another thousand as “interest.”
Recalling Old Li’s sour face when paying up, Wen Dongrong was overjoyed!
Unable to pry the truth from Old Wen, Wen Ying gave up.
Fine. Old Wen wasn’t foolish enough to squander the family fortune anymore. As long as he didn’t lose his head and give it away, Wen Ying was lenient.
With *Love Cruise* cancelled, in July 2006, *Galaxy and You* reigned supreme in ratings.
July belonged to *Galaxy and You*. The drama exploded, its theme song and interludes went viral, and Zhang Yangning, a niche singer-songwriter, shot to fame with numerous performance offers.
Oriental TV was nearly done airing *Galaxy and You*, with peak ratings breaking 6%. Before the finale, the novel *Galaxy and You* hit bookstores.
In a blink, July was almost over.
Xie Qian, gone to Shanghai for so long, showed no signs of returning to Chengdu.
Wen Ying wouldn’t admit she missed him. She told herself it was just unease from not receiving his customised test papers for too long.
If this kept up through the summer, her grades might plummet by the new school term… Wait, that thought felt off. Had Xie Qian, the test-paper tyrant, brainwashed her with his quizzes?
…
In Shanghai, Xie Qian finally spotted the *Galaxy and You* novel in a bookstore.
He bought a copy and flipped through it back at his hotel.
The writing was solid.
Aligned closely with the drama, it left little room for creative additions, so Xie Qian, having followed the show, wasn’t overly excited about the novel.
Still, it included a few extra side stories and came with photo postcards of Li Mengjiao, Yun Chen, and others, which were highly appealing to fans. With Wen Ying’s influence, sales were assured.
For creative growth, though, Xie Qian was more eager for Wen Ying’s Jiuding series.
*Xun Yong* was on its second serialised issue in a magazine. The first laid groundwork, the second hit its stride. Yu Tianlin’s scandal had overshadowed other news, muting online buzz for *Xun Yong*.
As long as the quality held, Xie Qian wasn’t too worried.
He’d advised Wen Ying to negotiate boldly with Zou Weijun on publishing terms. Zou didn’t take offence at her assertiveness; it was business. They signed a contract for *Xun Yong*: an initial print of 300,000 copies, 15% royalties, settled per reprint without reduction.
Peng Guoqing had come to Shanghai with Xie Qian to see Xie Tang.
Xie Tang was busy and couldn’t hang out daily with Peng Guoqing, who was initially disappointed. But watching Xie Qian juggle the logistics company and Jiaxin Film, Peng Guoqing’s restlessness settled.
The Xie family was formidable.
Xie Yuping was impressive, and Xie Jinghu was immensely wealthy.
Xie Qian didn’t need to work so hard. Even if Xie Jinghu had mistresses or illegitimate children, Xie Qian could secure his place in Beijing by aligning with Xie Yuping. Would Xie Jinghu dare bypass him to pass wealth to illegitimate heirs?
Yet Xie Qian, who could coast, chose to strive.
Unfamiliar with logistics? He hired experts to manage. New to the film industry? He trailed Gong Sheng like an intern, running to TV stations daily. With such diligence and his sharp mind, Xie Qian could succeed at anything!
Smarter, better-looking, and harder-working than him, Peng Guoqing felt intimidated.
Still pining for Xie Tang, he didn’t dare slack off anymore, following Xie Qian like an errand boy—Xie Qian resisted seeing Wen Ying, so he could resist seeing Xie Tang!
If Xie Qian was an intern, Peng Guoqing was the intern’s sidekick.
Peng Guoqing’s grades were poor, but he was good with people. Xie Qian observed and saw his issues weren’t with emotional intelligence.
As they say, low IQ can be offset by high EQ. Peng Guoqing was salvageable.
—If he stayed on the right path without distractions!
While Xie Qian browsed *Galaxy and You*, Peng Guoqing returned, visibly angry.
Summer was a golden time for high school graduates to let loose, like Peng Guoqing’s spoiled friends.
Peng Guoqing skipped the college entrance exam this year, but Tai Wu and others took it, with dismal results. Competing with regular students, they had no shot at good universities.
Their families, prepared, planned to send them abroad. Tai Wu was set to go too, but hearing Xie Tang was in Shanghai for grad school and had split with her “pretty boy” boyfriend, he saw a chance. After arguing with his family, he came to Shanghai.
The Tai family arranged for him to attend a Shanghai college with international ties, low exam score requirements, and high fees, following a “2+2 model”—two years in Shanghai, then abroad.
With his studies sorted, knowing Peng Guoqing was in Shanghai, Tai Wu arrived early.
Tai Wu called Peng Guoqing out, mocking him upon meeting, “Are you crazy or just stupid, retaking the exam? Don’t you know your own limits?”
What’s the point of getting into university the hard way? To slog through like regular students, aiming for a job paying a few thousand a month?
A few thousand wouldn’t cover Peng Guoqing’s old bar tabs!
Peng Guoqing’s face turned livid.
“You dare look down on me!”
Sure, his foundation was weak—he knew that. That’s why he chose to retake the exam.
As a friend, instead of encouraging him, Tai Wu mocked him? What was that about?
Living off a few thousand a month wasn’t something to brag about. If his family hit hard times, he might actually need such a job!
—Pfft, just a fleeting thought. Old Peng better keep the company thriving so he wouldn’t end up working a low-wage job.
Peng Guoqing’s drive was dented by his friend’s words. The meeting with Tai Wu ended badly, and his frustration was written all over his face back at the hotel.
Xie Qian knew Peng Guoqing had met Tai Wu but didn’t care to intervene.
Whether to strive was Peng Guoqing’s choice. Xie Qian wasn’t his father and wouldn’t dictate his friendships.
Unable to hold it in, Peng Guoqing vented to Xie Qian, “Tai Wu’s a jerk. If not for our childhood friendship, I’d have flipped the table today!”
Xie Qian didn’t look up, “You think flipping the table would help?”
Of course not!
Peng Guoqing fumed alone for a bit, saw Xie Qian still reading, and gritted his teeth as he returned to his room.
He pulled out his study materials and started grinding questions.
While working, he clenched his teeth, his expression twisted.
Stumped by a question, he didn’t bother Xie Qian but called Teacher Liang.
How does it feel to be hounded by a student during summer break?
Teacher Liang scolded Peng Guoqing for being slow on the phone but smiled after hanging up.
Maybe a year of retaking wouldn’t get Peng Guoqing into a top university, but so what?
The drive and habit of learning weren’t just for exams—they’d serve him for life.
With that mindset, skipping university was fine. He’d find success in anything!
Having “saved” another struggling student, Teacher Liang felt like he’d eaten a chilled watermelon in the summer heat.
Knock, knock, knock.
Peng Guoqing didn’t disturb Xie Qian, but Gong Sheng came knocking with good news, “Boss, there’s progress with Xu Mei. Hunan’s finally open to discussing her contract termination.”
