Early in the morning, Zhou Ziwei had just woken up when he heard Su Yan's soft, sweet voice coming from outside the door. And you know what... when a girl speaks gently, her charm immediately skyrockets. Right now, Zhou Ziwei was starting to feel increasingly attracted to Su Yan.
However, Zhou Ziwei quickly suppressed this trend as soon as he noticed it.
The story of his predecessor—Zhou Ziwei's mother—and that professor is still unforgettable to him. The thought that the tragedy caused by the Zhou family was entirely due to that professor taking advantage of "Zhou Ziwei's" mother makes Zhou Ziwei deeply hate that shameful "beast" and wish he could kill him with his own hands.
Therefore, he did not want to wait until later to repeat the tragedy of the Zhou family in himself and his next generation.
Zhou Ziwei stretched and sat up in bed. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Su Yan opening the door. Da Niu outside craned his neck and looked inside. When he saw that Zhou Ziwei was also looking inside, he turned pale with fright, threw what he was holding into Su Yan's arms, and immediately turned around and ran away as fast as he could.
Su Yan covered her mouth and chuckled secretly. Then she walked up to Zhou Ziwei, handed him the plastic bag, and said, "This is a towel, toothpaste, and toothbrush that I just asked Da Niu to buy for you... Hmm... I didn't know if you needed these things, but I was worried that you wouldn't have any clean ones when you needed them, so I just called Da Niu and asked him to buy some for you at the morning market."
Zhou Ziwei smiled, took the plastic bag, and said, "Of course I need it... I'm not some kind of living Buddha, I don't wash my face or brush my teeth... Uh... I'm already not very good-looking, if I'm even more slovenly, I'll disgust everyone!"
Su Yan stuck out her tongue but didn't dare to reply. Just then, Su Yan's phone suddenly rang. She took it out and glanced at it, her expression immediately changing slightly...
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 206: Who's Playing the Game?
After seeing the caller ID on his phone, Su Yan initially intended to go outside into the hallway to answer it, but after a slight hesitation, he answered it right in front of Zhou Ziwei. Zhou Ziwei then heard an excited man's voice coming from Su Yan's phone: "Su Yan... I've driven here to pick you up! I just got word that the celebrity performance troupe might arrive in Tonghai City ahead of schedule. Let's hurry to the hotel and wait for them! Get ready quickly... I'll be there soon. We'll go upstairs together and I'll help you carry your brother down..."
Su Yan glanced awkwardly at Zhou Ziwei, then quickly said to his old classmate on the other end of the phone, "Hey... Cao Hong, listen to me, about this..."
"Let's talk about it later! The light's green now, I need to drive. Hurry up, I'll be home in ten minutes at most..."
Su Yan was interrupted halfway through his call. He wanted to explain further, but when he heard a series of urgent and piercing car horns coming from the other end, he knew that the other person was probably stuck in traffic at an intersection and it was not a good time to continue the call. Helpless, he could only let the other person finish speaking and then hung up.
Su Yan put away his phone and glanced at Zhou Ziwei's reaction. Seeing that Zhou Ziwei didn't seem annoyed, he breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "I'm sorry, I... I thought he wouldn't come so soon, and I didn't have time to tell him. I don't need his help anymore."
“Hehe… It’s alright. Since he’s here, it’s better to make things clear in person…” Zhou Ziwei chuckled and said, “Your old classmate seems a bit dishonest… He even cheated his old classmate out of money. He can’t bring himself to do that.”
"No... he can't be lying to me."
Upon hearing this, Su Yan quickly explained, "I was the one who approached him about this, and he didn't say that he could definitely get it done. However, if we wanted it done, we would have to spend money to appease the hotel's security guards, so... this is not his fault."
Zhou Ziwei snorted and said, "Since he's a department head in the hotel, he should have experienced similar things before. He should know that even if someone sneaks into the hotel to get close to those celebrities, it's useless. Yet he knows it's impossible, but he still makes things difficult for you, making you pay ten thousand yuan. I think he... humph, must have ulterior motives."
"No way!" Su Yan said, still somewhat doubtful. "Cao Hong's family is very well-off, and he earns a high salary working at the hotel. He shouldn't care about a mere ten thousand yuan, right? What else could he be after?"
Zhou Ziwei really didn't know if Su Yan was too quick to think the best of people or simply didn't realize how much she could hurt men. He shook his head helplessly and said, "If he just wants to scam you out of some money, it's not so scary. But if he really doesn't care about money... then you should be more wary of him."
"Oh...I understand..." Su Yan nodded blankly, but Zhou Ziwei knew that she still didn't take his words too seriously, so he didn't say anything more. Anyway, that Cao Hong would be here soon, and he would naturally show his true colors then. It wouldn't be good for Zhou Ziwei to say bad things about him at this time, so he didn't say anything more. He got up, picked up the toiletries that Da Niu had bought, and went to the bathroom to clean himself.
Su Yan thought that what he was going to say to Cao Hong later might involve his younger brother Su Miao, and he was afraid that Su Miao would be upset if he heard it. So he quickly called Da Niu over and asked him to push Su Miao downstairs to get some sun.
Sure enough, Cao Hong arrived in less than ten minutes. As soon as Su Yan opened the door for him, his eyes darted around the room, and he asked casually, "Oh...where's Uncle? Isn't he home?"
"No... my dad got up early to set up his stall at the beach park... You... you come in and sit down!" Su Yan didn't know how to tell Cao Hong that he didn't need to worry about it anymore, so he awkwardly invited Cao Hong into the house.
A hint of hidden joy appeared on Cao Hong's face. He quickly stepped into the house and slammed the thick security door shut behind him.
"Oh dear... I'm so thirsty... Could you please pour me a glass of water?" Cao Hong entered the living room and unceremoniously sat down on the row of tattered sofas against the wall. He then looked at Su Yan with a smile and said, "I have another surprise for you later..."
"What surprise?" Su Yan looked at Cao Hong with a puzzled expression, but still took a cup and poured Cao Hong a glass of water.
As Cao Hong reached out to take the cup of hot water that Su Yan handed him, he said with a smile, "You're lucky. I've almost finished taking care of that matter for you, and... you don't need to pay that ten thousand yuan anymore. Besides... you've also found a job."
"What, my job?" With Zhou Ziwei's promise, Su Yan wasn't too concerned about whether Cao Hong could actually get the job done, but she immediately became interested when she heard Cao Hong say that he had solved her job problem.
But at that moment, she suddenly felt Cao Hong's hands, which were taking the cup, directly grasp hers and remain there motionless, his face full of an ambiguous expression.
Su Yan was slightly startled, and Zhou Ziwei's warning from earlier immediately echoed in his mind...
Sure enough, if this old classmate wasn't after her money, then she should be even more wary... that's what Zhao Shenxian meant.
Coming to his senses, Su Yan exclaimed in surprise and immediately struggled to pull his hands back. Cao Hong, however, never expected Su Yan to let go at this moment. He lost his grip and the cup of boiling water spilled onto the ground, with a small portion of it splashing onto his pants. He cried out in pain, "Ouch!" and jumped up in a panic.
"You really are something... Why didn't you let go before I caught it properly!" Cao Hong hurriedly pulled out a stack of tissues from his pocket and wiped the water stains off his pants. He felt that although his leg had been scalded, fortunately, there was a layer of pants between them, and the water wasn't particularly hot, so he wasn't really burned. He breathed a sigh of relief. However, these pants... he had just scalded them this morning, and Su Yan had gotten them wet, which made him very annoyed.
Su Yan gave a soft hum: "By the time you catch it properly... I'm afraid I'll have to wait until this cup of water evaporates completely into the air!"
"Huh? Hehe... What are you talking about... You're so funny." Cao Hong paused for a moment, then chuckled and quickly changed the subject, saying, "I think you were just too happy to believe it! Hehe... You really have to thank me properly for this... Yesterday, I was going to help you out, so I spoke to the security captain of our hotel and promised him some benefits... But who knew that bastard had always been a little unhappy with me, and after hearing what I said yesterday, he went straight to our hotel's general manager, hehe... Luckily, the general manager didn't just believe his side of the story. He called me into his office for a talk, and I told him about you and your brother's situation. As a result, our general manager sympathized with your brother's plight, so he asked me to come over early this morning to pick you two up. Then, after the celebrity performance troupe arrives, he will personally negotiate with the organizers so that your brother can legitimately meet with those big-name celebrities."
Cao Hong laughed even more smugly, saying, "Haha... this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... even I'm a little jealous of your brother. And... our general manager heard you're my old classmate, also a business school graduate, and currently stuck at home without a suitable job, so he's going to give you a chance. He happens to need a secretary right now, and if you perform well today, I think this will be no problem. Hehe... this job pays pretty well... our boss's previous secretary earned a little more than me each month, and... our boss reportedly gives her several times her normal salary as tips when he's not busy... haha... if you can get this job, your dad won't have to work so hard setting up that little stall at the beach park every day anymore, how about that... I've solved such a big problem for you, shouldn't you thank me properly!"
When Su Yan heard Cao Hong recount the earlier events, she was genuinely grateful, believing he was truly doing his best to help her. However, as the story progressed, she sensed a shift in tone. It seemed... the hotel's general manager hadn't truly agreed to help out of sympathy for Su Miao's plight! Helping her solve her job problem... she studied accounting at business school, so why would the general manager make her his secretary? And... the tips he gave her were several times her normal salary. Why would a boss tip his secretary so much money for no reason...? Anyone with a brain could easily guess what Cao Hong meant by bringing this up. It was crystal clear. If Su Yan still couldn't understand this, she'd truly been wasting her life.
"I'm sorry... I think you don't need to worry about my affairs anymore."
Remembering Zhou Ziwei's warning, Su Yan finally stopped feeling grateful to Cao Hong. She gave a cold snort and said, "If I wanted to hook up with a big boss, I'd have plenty of opportunities. There's no need to start trying to get close to your general manager now, is there? Alright... you really don't need to worry about my affairs anymore, and I won't be taking my brother to your hotel. I imagine... you must be very busy! Well then, I won't see you off..."
Su Yan had clearly given the order to leave, but Cao Hong seemed not to hear it. He remained seated with his large plate of chicken droppings, sneered, and said, "Come on! Su Yan, what are you pretending for... You were just as pretentious back in school. So many people were chasing after you, but you wouldn't even give them a second glance, and you looked down on those female classmates who had luxury cars picking them up every day... You think you're really so high-minded... I think you're just very poor. Women... aren't they all the same? Aren't they born to be played with by men? Even if you don't let me play with you now, or let our boss play with you, sooner or later other men will play with you, right? I don't believe you can really remain chaste forever... Damn, then you're not high-minded, you're just fucking sick."
As Cao Hong spoke, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, crossed his legs, and deliberately avoided looking at Su Yan's pale face. He continued smugly, "Since you're going to be played by men sooner or later, why be so picky... It doesn't matter who plays you. If you can let a rich man play you, why would you let a poor guy play you for free? If you end up like your mother, marrying a poor and good-for-nothing man like your father, tsk tsk... I'd feel sorry for you... You're so beautiful, yet you don't know how to make the most of this advantage. You have the good life to live, but you insist on living a hard life. Tell me... why bother with all this..."
Su Yan was already pale and red-eyed from anger at Cao Hong. Finally, he couldn't help but roar, "Enough! You're the one who was born to be played with! Get out of here... Go home and play with your mother!"
"Damn it, how can you be so ungrateful!" Now that things had come to a head, Cao Hong was even less concerned. Hearing Su Yan's angry curses, he still said nonchalantly, "I just said a few honest words, why are you so agitated? Oh... there's something I forgot to tell you. When I helped you with that matter yesterday, I already advanced you 20,000 yuan. This small amount of money is really nothing to me. If you were sensible, I wouldn't have asked you for it back. But you've disappointed me too much... Fine, since you don't need me to help you with that matter anymore, then you should return the 20,000 yuan to me. Our old classmate relationship is over, and I won't bother with you anymore."
"What did you say."
Su Yan pointed at Cao Hong with a trembling finger, furious, and said, "You just said you didn't spend a single penny, how come you've suddenly said you spent 20,000? Are you... trying to extort me?"
Cao Hong shrugged, revealing a rogue-like expression, and said, "Didn't I say... I was originally planning to pay for this myself, but... who told you to be so ungrateful... Even if our boss eats meat and you only let me have some soup or something, I would still be willing to pay this money, and I wouldn't even mention the 20,000 yuan to you again, but who told you to be so ungrateful... I tried to touch your little hand, and you deliberately knocked over a cup and burned it. Tell me... how many calluses are on your hands? They're almost as rough as an old farmer's hands. If it weren't for your pretty face, would I even want to touch your broken hands... Fine... since you don't want to, I won't force you. Just give me back the money, and I'll leave now."
"You...I..."
Su Yan had never seen such a rogue before. He was so angry that tears welled up in his eyes, but he didn't know what to say.
"Squeak—" At this moment, Zhou Ziwei, who had been hiding in the bathroom cleaning himself, finally opened the door. Wrapped in a pink women's bathrobe, he strode out, yawning as he walked. He nodded to Cao Hong, who was sitting on the sofa staring at him blankly, and then said to Su Yan, "Um... I realized after showering that I forgot to bring a change of clothes... uh... can I borrow your bathrobe for a bit? You don't mind, do you?"
"No... I don't mind..."
Su Yan said she didn't mind, but her pained look betrayed her true feelings. Clearly, she probably wouldn't wear the bathrobe that Zhou Ziwei had worn again, and after Zhou Ziwei left, it would most likely be thrown into the trash can.
"Hehe... I'm glad you don't mind..." Zhou Ziwei seemed unable to understand Su Yan's expression. He turned his head and pointed to Cao Hong sitting on the sofa, saying, "Who is this guy...? Is he the... very helpful old classmate you mentioned?"
Su Yan nodded slightly and said, "Yes... but... I was blind back then, I didn't see that he was such a shameless person..."
"Hey...who are you calling shameless?"
Cao Hong, who had just been stunned, was instantly enraged upon hearing this. Pointing at Zhou Ziwei, he yelled and cursed, "I thought you were some kind of pure and innocent guy... I even used your picture to masturbate for half a year back in school, but who knew you... had such heavy tastes! You didn't want a handsome and dashing man like me, but instead chose such an old and ugly man to stay at home... Damn it, you disgust me to death! I don't care... You better pay me back the 20,000 yuan right now... Otherwise... Hmph... Su Yan, you should know me. Back in school, I knew a lot of buddies in the underworld. Now, I can make a single phone call and make sure your whole family has a hard time every day, you believe me?"
"You...you bastard."
Su Yan was stunned when she heard Cao Hong say that. She knew that Cao Hong was not bragging. Based on his performance at school, it was very common for him to know some people in society. Her Su family was an honest and law-abiding family. If they were really targeted by those hooligans, their lives would never be peaceful.
Although Da Niu was also very strong, he was still just an honest and simple person. Moreover, no matter how strong he was, how many people could he fight? Those thugs were always in groups... Unless... unless this god in front of her was willing to help, then Su Yan would naturally not need to be afraid of anything anymore. But... this god was just playing around in the mortal world, and might disappear completely at any time. How much could she expect Zhou Ziwei to help her?
"Ahem... young man, don't you think it's a bit too despicable of you to threaten a girl?"
Zhou Ziwei couldn't stand it any longer, so he coughed and stopped watching the show. He walked up to Cao Hong, chuckled, and said, "Actually, if we're talking about threatening people... I can do that too. I want you to apologize to Miss Su right now and then pay her a hundred thousand or twenty thousand in compensation for emotional distress, and that'll be the end of it. Otherwise... hmph... hmph... do you believe I can just make a phone call and get you fired immediately, and then your boss will send someone to throw you into a ditch?"
"With your abilities... hahaha..." Cao Hong burst into laughter upon hearing this...
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 207: Terrifying Energy
Cao Hong certainly didn't believe that this unassuming man in front of him had such power. You see, he and the hotel owner were related, albeit distantly. But he had always tried to curry favor with the owner by bringing pretty girls to please him. The owner had been praising him for his competence and was even planning to promote him. So why would he fire him now?
Therefore, Cao Hong said nonchalantly, "Go ahead and call... If you're so capable, call me now and get me laid off, then I'll call you grandpa. If you can't do that... hehe... then let your woman sleep with me too, how about that?"
Cao Hong, still somewhat unconvinced, muttered under his breath, "Damn it, I really can't believe it... This woman actually likes an old and ugly man... It's unbelievable..."
"I..." Su Yan heard everything clearly from the side. He wanted to explain that there was nothing between him and Zhou Ziwei, but he was afraid of hurting Zhou Ziwei's pride. He stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say.
Zhou Ziwei smiled slightly and said, "Since you insist, I'll grant your request... Remember... don't forget to call me grandpa later..."
As Zhou Ziwei spoke, he turned and walked to the small room where he had slept the night before. He opened the sliding door, took his pants off the wall, pulled out his cell phone, and gently dialed a number…
Cao Hong had some doubts about whether Zhou Ziwei was actually Su Yan's accomplice, but when he discovered that Zhou Ziwei was actually staying in Su Yan's room, he became furious again.
I really don't understand what's wrong with Su Yan. No matter how you look at it, Cao Hong is a hundred times better than this old and ugly man, right? He's taller, more handsome, younger, and more muscular... Logically, Su Yan must be incredibly thirsty to be dating someone like that, but... if she were really that thirsty, wouldn't she have come to me? I'm always happy to help thirsty girls get their fix...
"Fifth Brother, is that you...? Hehe, it's me... I need your help with a small favor... Um... There's a star-studded concert in Tonghai City tonight. Could you help me find out who's organizing it, and... which entertainment companies the participating stars belong to? Then could you contact the bosses of those companies and have them bring all the stars to meet me, one of my little brothers, when they arrive in Tonghai? Um... Also... tell them immediately to cancel their hotel reservation. If the hotel asks why, say that... one of their staff members, Cao Hong, offended someone he shouldn't have... Yes... um, if the hotel wants to make amends, that's fine too... Let them figure out how to do it! Okay... That's it. If you do a good job, I'll repay you later, hehe... Bye-bye."
After Zhou Ziwei finished speaking, he hung up the phone, raised an eyebrow at Cao Hong, and said, "Just wait for the news of your dismissal! Hmm... once you get the definite news, don't forget to call me grandpa."
Cao Hong burst into laughter upon hearing this, saying, "You think I'd believe you just because you make a few random phone calls and spout a few empty words? Who do you think you are... contacting entertainment company bosses... tsk tsk tsk... I'm telling you, Su Yan, the man you found is truly something else. Not only is he old and ugly, but he's also such a braggart... hehe... alright, I'll wait and see here today. I'll see when you can get me fired. When that happens, I'll not only call you grandpa, I'll even change my surname to yours. But... hehe... this bet is mutual. If I can't get fired... then you'll have Su Yan play with me properly, haha..."
"Cao Hong, you...you are shameless."
Su Yan was so angry that her face turned red as she listened to Cao Hong's increasingly vulgar words. She clenched her fists and wanted to rush up and fight Cao Hong, but Zhou Ziwei grabbed her arm.
"Forget it... Why bother getting angry at a rotten person who's about to have a bad time... Hehe... Just sit back and watch the show... I'm sure it won't be long before the show starts."
Su Yan was slightly taken aback when Zhou Ziwei pulled him back. Then he leaned close to Zhou Ziwei's ear and whispered, "You... was that phone call you just made... was it real?"
"Don't worry! When have I ever lied to you!" Zhou Ziwei chuckled and said, "I already promised to do this for you yesterday, and I'm just giving you a heads-up. Just you wait! All those big stars will be flocking to your house soon, don't be scared out of your wits!"
"Oh...they...they're really coming to my house? What...what am I going to do? This house is so messy and cramped...how can I let guests in? No...I have to tidy up first, and then buy some fruit and drinks. But...you have to promise me you're not joking, otherwise what if I buy all that stuff, and then those celebrities don't show up?"
To be honest, Su Yan had a certain amount of faith in Zhou Ziwei, but he always regarded him as an omniscient deity. But...aren't deities non-human beings living in another world? Even if they occasionally mingled in the mortal realm for a bit of fun, how could they possibly have such power in this modern city? To be able to influence the decisions of several entertainment company bosses with just a phone call... Keep in mind that the stars coming to Tonghai for their concerts this time weren't from a single entertainment company, and the company bosses behind those big stars have astonishing social status and various public and private influences. Even government departments or Hong Kong triad bosses might not be able to influence the decisions of those big bosses. So who did Zhou Ziwei just call? And how could he have such influence? Could that person's identity be even more powerful than those Hong Kong entertainment tycoons?
Actually, Zhou Ziwei was calling Wu Di. Although Wu Di's social status is not as high as those big shots in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, his real influence far surpasses that of them.
Anyone who truly understands Wu Di would not dare to underestimate him.
Wu Di's relationship with those entertainment tycoons was more about friendship than about who controlled whom.
In fact, almost all of those super-powerful entertainment tycoons were Wu Di's major clients.
They had all experienced the thrilling real-life version of the obstacle course murder game at Wu Di's place before, so their friendship with Wu Di was naturally quite good. They were hoping to get one or two top-quality equipment from Wu Di next time they went to play. So now that Wu Di had asked them to do this small favor, naturally no one would refuse.
Therefore, Zhou Ziwei was not worried at all that his words would fall through, and Wu Di's fear of Zhou Ziwei was deeply buried in his heart. As long as it was Zhou Ziwei's order, he would never dare to go against it. He could only do his best to carry it out, even if it meant sacrificing some business interests. He would never dare to mess things up.
Zhou Ziwei nodded speechlessly, then forcefully pressed Su Yan into a chair, saying, "Alright, have I ever broken a promise? But you don't need to do anything. No matter how much you tidy up this room, it won't be spacious, and there will probably be at least a hundred guests coming later. How much fruit will you need to prepare to distribute? So... just wait patiently!"
Su Yan thought about it and agreed. She cleaned the house every day, but it wasn't dirty at all. There was no point in cleaning it any further. As for buying fruit... Zhou Ziwei was right. A performance group would normally have at least a few dozen people, but this time, the group that came to Tonghai to perform included several superstars. For artists like that, each one would need several bodyguards, plus their managers, assistants, and so on. If you add all of them, there would probably be more than a dozen.
So those top-tier celebrities brought dozens of people with them, and if you include the other performers in the troupe, it would definitely exceed one hundred people... So many people... It would be a terrifying task for Su Yan to prepare fruit and drinks for them. Not to mention how much money it would cost, if she had to carry all those things herself, she would never be able to get them up to the sixth floor.
"Pfft—"
Cao Hong watched the two of them asking and answering questions, even discussing buying fruit and drinks for those big-name celebrities. He had never seen anyone so self-important. Did these two really think they would take their words seriously just because they were exchanging a few words?
"Alright...you two can keep dreaming for now! I have important business to attend to..."
Cao Hong glanced at his watch, then stood up and said, "I have to hurry back to the hotel to prepare for receiving the performance troupe... Hehe... Uncle, our bet is still valid, but I'll collect the stake tonight... If I'm still on my job by tonight, you'll have nothing more to say, right?"
Zhou Ziwei chuckled and said, "It shouldn't take that long. You'd better wait a little longer! I think... we'll probably have a result soon."
Cao Hong curled his lip and said, "Give me a break! You're not trying to deliberately stop me from going back during the hotel's busiest time, so I'll get fired by the boss, are you? Haha... I have to say, you're really clever to come up with such a plan. But... I won't fall for your tricks. Let's talk about it tonight."