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Chapter 19: Look up Chen Wengang
A black Rolls-Royce Ghost was parked in the underground garage.
Yu Shanding courteously opened the car door for Huo Niansheng.
Then he went around to the other side, got into the car, and smoothed his bald head.
The front-seat driver was dedicated, silent as if non-existent.
Huo Niansheng absentmindedly played with his phone, “So, what’s the matter?”
Yu Shanding leaned in, lowering his voice mysteriously: “Someone got hold of a video that’s not favorable to He Jiajun. It’s about tonight’s incident where he bullied a waiter at a restaurant, and it got caught on camera by the waiter’s colleague. They contacted a journalist who happens to be acquainted with us. He asked whether he should publish this news.”
“Let me see.”
Yu Shanding pressed the play button.
The footage was shot in a local, upscale members-only restaurant. The camera angle was discreet, capturing He Jiajun’s arrogant and overbearing behavior as he harassed a waiter. The waiter had to crouch on the ground, picking up pieces of broken glass with his bare hands.
The video lasted about five minutes.
There were also two close-up photos taken afterward. The waiter’s hands were covered in fresh blood.
After watching, Huo Niansheng remained indifferent, “Can you believe that someone with the last name He is still so foolish?”
He and He Jiajun had always had conflicts. Yu Shanding agreed, “Exactly. Lately, He Jiajun’s past hit-and-run case has been dug up, and many people online are criticizing him. He really doesn’t know how to restrain himself. If he were my son, I would break one of his legs first.”
Then he explained the details to Huo Niansheng –
The waiter hadn’t provoked He Jiajun at all; it was just sheer bad luck.
He Jiajun had a dispute with another group of diners at a nearby table. The argument escalated, and both parties became aggressive. The people at the other table threw a bottle, shattering it and scattering glass fragments all over the floor. This caused He Jiajun to slip and hit his head. Dazed, he realized that the instigators had already fled. Frustrated and with pent-up anger, he accused the restaurant of safety hazards and grabbed a broom to clean up the glass shards.
According to the journalist, that was the whole story.
Yu Shanding conveyed the information, waiting for Huo Niansheng’s decision.
However, Huo Niansheng just pointed at the photos on his phone and asked, “Is this all?”
Without waiting for an answer, he smiled again, sneering, “Hiding and covering up, showing me only half. What do they want me to say?”
The familiar journalist didn’t belong to serious media; they were more of an entertainment tabloid. Yu Shanding was also familiar with their tactics, emphasizing sensationalism in their reports, especially when it involved rich people’s conflicts. The journalist had even shown Yu Shanding the proposed headlines.
Two wealthy young men fighting over a woman, a brawl like hell, innocent staff getting caught in the crossfire—it sounded quite tragic.
Now, Yu Shanding didn’t dare to repeat the story verbatim and chuckled nervously, “I can’t hide anything from you. I’ve asked them to send over the earlier surveillance footage to see what really happened. The restaurant must have it; maybe they leaked the information without getting their hands on the actual footage. I’ll go check with them again.”
After ten minutes with no progress, Yu Shanding waved his hand, instructing the driver to hit the road.
Half an hour later, almost reaching their destination, the other party finally sent a segment of the surveillance video.
It differed from what the journalist had described. The customers at the other table seemed visibly distressed by the harassment but didn’t engage in a physical fight, and there was no evident jealousy.
Yu Shanding made a swift decision, “I think these two young staff members were looking for trouble. Given this situation, they are smart. If they can create a public outcry and force He Jiajun to compensate them, the injustice they suffer might be worth more than working for years. Although it’s unlikely they can continue working at the restaurant, once they get the money, who needs to stay and serve others?”
He leaked the information to Huo Niansheng first, probably guided by the journalist. If they found someone willing to cover for them, they would say anything.
Huo Niansheng looked indifferent, occupying Yu Shanding’s phone, pausing on a specific frame for a closer look.
Yu Shanding didn’t know what he was examining. The surveillance was positioned high, the angle wide, and the footage blurry. When played on the phone screen, the people in the video appeared exceptionally small, and their features were unclear. Yu Shanding could only identify He Jiajun.
However, Huo Niansheng asked, “Boss Yu, does this face look familiar to you?”
Yu Shanding leaned in, squinting at the screen for a long time before vaguely guessing who Huo Niansheng was referring to.
Yu Shanding was surprised; he remembered Chen Wengang. In the footage, he was accompanied by a beautiful girl.
“The scandals of these filial sons and grandsons of the He family, go ahead and expose them,” Huo Niansheng grinned, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I love to see it. But don’t write nonsense.”
Understanding his intent, Yu Shanding dialed the journalist’s number in front of him.
Huo Niansheng rested his head on his hand, listening to their negotiations—
“As media professionals, shouldn’t you focus on presenting the facts?”
“We don’t want the original draft, and we don’t want the title either. Why do I have to teach you not to write nonsense?”
“What’s with the ‘covering the mouth’ thing? Go to hell! Sure, they can leak information elsewhere. If they want to go, let them go. Why are they so anxious to find Huo Niansheng? Tell them you can eat a messy meal, but don’t speak nonsense. Even with one more word, they can’t expect Huo Niansheng to willingly deal with such trivial matters.”
Yu Shanding won the negotiation, hung up the phone, and cursed, “Dare to discuss terms with me.”
Huo Niansheng squinted his peach blossom eyes, smiling enigmatically, but made a statement, “Check on Chen Wengang.”
Yu Shanding was puzzled, “Are you worried that he might appear suspicious, with an improper background?”
“No, proper, of course,” Huo Niansheng said, “He has been raised by the Zheng family for over ten years. How could his background be improper?”
“Ah, my choice of words was inappropriate. I originally wanted to say, are you worried about his intentions? Does he have ulterior motives?”
Huo Niansheng continued to tap on his phone, a hint of an almost frivolous smile on his lips, “I didn’t say that either.”
“I’m a rough person; are you playing riddles with me?”
“Just saying, Boss Yu, loosen up a bit. Having intentions is normal.” Huo Niansheng said, “If you actively approach someone, wouldn’t you have ‘intentions’? I like it when people have intentions the most.”
Whether it was a waiter, a journalist, or the various men and women in the private room just now.
Having intentions implied having desires, and having desires meant being controllable.
He recalled the refined and gentle appearance of Chen Wengang.
Peeling away that appearance, what color was the desire inside?
Yu Shanding chuckled after listening, twirling the Buddhist beads on his wrist, “That’s true. In this life, if it’s not for money, it’s for power, or maybe for desire. Who can live without pursuing something? Those who have no desires or aspirations are called bodhisattvas. Let me go and bow down to one first.”
***
Chen Wengang himself didn’t have much to worry about, but he was concerned that someone might bother Chen Xiangling out of boredom.
Life is unpredictable. When he woke up, He Jiajun was trending on the internet.
Only then did Chen Wengang realize what had happened after they left yesterday.
The illustrious young master of the He family unreasonably harassed a restaurant waiter, and a do-gooder secretly filmed it and posted it online.
As the night progressed, the heat intensified, and the views skyrocketed exponentially, making headlines on various major news portals.
The restaurant’s surveillance footage was also exposed, fortunately with blurred faces, and the news did not mention these two cousins.
Chen Wengang walked down while contemplating, and upon reaching the restaurant, he saw the twins huddled together, murmuring as they checked the trending news.
“Wengang-ge, come and see the news,” Zheng Baoqiu exclaimed happily. “He Jiajun is experiencing karma, sort of venting his anger.”
“I thought I would see him in the hospital.” Chen Wengang smiled helplessly. “I didn’t expect him to be in the headlines.”
“Oh, how pitiful!” Zheng Baoqiu didn’t think too much. “It’s just that the waiter is quite unfortunate.”
Zheng Maoxun was lackluster, yawning long, “What’s there to pity? It all looks fake. Who would pick up a few pieces of glass and get so many cuts on their hand? And it’s exposed and blown up overnight. Isn’t it obvious that someone is setting a trap for the He family?”
Chen Wengang and Zheng Baoqiu both looked at him simultaneously.
“What? Don’t you believe it?” Zheng Maoxun sneered, “Meimei 1Younger Sister, let me tell you, don’t be too naive. Not everyone outside is a poor soul waiting for you to show kindness. Being so innocent will only make you manipulated by others.”
Zheng Baoqiu raised her body to lean over and hit him. The siblings bickered as usual.
Chen Wengang sat down to have breakfast, and even on the way to work, he remained silent.
He was quiet, but Zheng Maoxun started to feel uneasy, “Hey, are you really mad?”
Just because he said those words yesterday?
He figured that it would be better to let the frustration out. If he expressed his anger, Zheng Maoxun thought, wouldn’t a simple apology be enough?
Chen Wengang, unaware of the situation, turned to look at him, “Huh? What’s there to be angry about?”
Like a punch on a cotton ball, Zheng Maoxun suddenly deflated, “Then why are you making such a stern face?”
“I’m thinking about something else.” Chen Wengang suddenly smiled warmly at him, “What’s wrong? Are you still afraid that I’ll get angry?”
Zheng Maoxun retorted, “Afraid my ass! Whether you’re angry or not has nothing to do with me; just go or don’t go around the car in front!!”
He rolled down the window, stuck his hand out, and flashed a firm middle finger.
The morning rush hour had everyone on edge. A car swerving recklessly could instantly trigger road rage. Zheng Maoxun honked furiously in the traffic, while Chen Wengang wisely kept his mouth shut this time—after all, he was the one being driven, and smart people never provoked the driver.
Upon reaching the company, the road rage finally subsided. Zheng Maoxun calmed down and sat on his office chair, regretting that he hadn’t apologized. Instead, it turned into something like a thorn in his throat. Now, he thought about owing Chen Wengang a favor.
Since he made a promise, Zheng Maoxun wouldn’t go back on it.
After finishing his morning tasks, with some free time on his hands, he sent Chen Wengang a contact request.
As Chen Wengang was about to finish editing a piece of news, he pushed the door open, asking in confusion, “Who’s this?”
“…I was just about to tell you, a friend of mine.” In reality, the person was a friend of a friend from college, and it took Zheng Maoxun a while to find him in his contacts. “He seems to also like men, so I thought of introducing you guys to each other.”
Now Chen Wengang was truly stunned, unsure if it meant what he thought it did.
Zheng Maoxun took the initiative, saying, “I didn’t say you two would definitely hit it off; you can just be friends for now.”
“…” Chen Wengang couldn’t help but laugh, “Where did you learn this matchmaking technique?”
“I’m just trying to be helpful!” Zheng Maoxun coughed, “Normally, I don’t bother with these things! It’s just that there happened to be a classmate who likes men and recently went through a breakup. I saw friends arranging to introduce him to someone new, and since you’re in a similar situation, why not?”
Chen Wengang left the room, pretending to close the door behind him.
“Wait!” Zheng Maoxun jumped up and called after him, “Seriously, he’s quite a catch. Just get to know him; it won’t hurt.”
Chen Wengang had no choice but to go with him. Back at his desk, he actually received a friend request with the name “Qi Tongzhou.”
He didn’t know how Zheng Maoxun communicated with the other party, but Chen Wengang had a gut feeling that this second young master wasn’t reliable. Wanting to explain a few words, but after acceptance, this classmate, Qi Tongzhou, didn’t say a single word, as if just going through the motions for the sake of a favor.
Since that was the case, it was better to let sleeping dogs lie. Chen Wengang pretended not to notice, and they both tacitly decided to lie low for a while.
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For every Ko-fi received for a perticular novel, I will release a new chapter!
The twins are cute, each in their own way, and seem more trustworthy than the scum 😤
Thanks for the update!! 🤗 🤗