Once Liang Zhou finished with the Glory Light matters, Yu Shulin began his summer remedial classes.
He was about to enter his final year of high school. To catch up with the curriculum schedule, City No.2 High School extended their remedial class period. Altogether, during the two-month vacation, they had to attend a full month of classes. And in the remaining month of break, they still had to complete a huge pile of homework, which was truly miserable.
The weather was too hot, making the bike commute to and from school quite a torment. So, Liang Zhou confiscated Yu Shulin's bicycle keys and had Uncle He drive him every day. Later, when he had more free time, he often skipped work early to pick him up himself.
On the last day of remedial classes, it was Yu Shulin's turn for cleaning duty. As he and Li Tao were carrying a trash bin downstairs, they ran into Liu Fen, who was dressed to the nines and wearing light makeup.
Accompanying Liu Fen was still that slightly plump girl. Seeing the two blocking the way with the trash bin, she immediately made a face of utter disdain and said shrilly, "It stinks! What bad luck. Xiao Fen, you're a star now. It's best to avoid people who seem born to take out the trash."
Liu Fen gave Yu Shulin and Li Tao a cool glance, a reserved smile appearing on her face as she said softly, "Xiao Na, I understand. I remember all those who bullied me before. Even if they begged on their knees now, I wouldn't give them a second look."
The plump girl lifted her chin, looking very pleased. "You really see things clearly, Xiao Fen. This place is foul; let's take the other corridor."
The two walked off with their chins held high. Yu Shulin found it utterly baffling. Glancing at their retreating figures, he frowned. "Li Tao, what were they talking about just now? I didn't understand." He was easygoing; after Liu Fen stopped bothering him, he had put her out of his mind. Seeing her now acting like a triumphant victor returning left him completely bewildered.
Li Tao also frowned and shook his head at the question. "I don't know. She's been like this for a while."
"Whatever, let's not mind them. Let's go."
"Yeah."
The talent show was progressing smoothly. After the initial auditions, preliminary rounds, and semi-finals, the contestants who had made it to the promotion rounds had already accumulated considerable popularity. They were followed by fans when they went out, giving them quite the air of minor celebrities.
Zhang Qian was run ragged. To thoroughly suppress Glory China's talent show, he had put in a lot of effort—various promotional campaigns, cultivating distinctive contestants, sporadically releasing behind-the-scenes clips online, hiring people to initiate online shipping polls... The tricks were endless, firmly locking the audience's attention on Glory Light's show.
To counter Glory Light's various crafty tactics, Glory China also expended considerable effort. First, they invited several sharp-tongued judges as a gimmick, then heavily promoted the tragic backgrounds of several contestants. Finally, they even brought the contestants' families on stage for a "dreams" debate. In short, they played every card to grab attention and sympathy, expertly wielding emotional manipulation.
The two companies were locked in a fierce rivalry, with frequent news stories. One day, Glory Light would leak news about which contestants sparked chemistry during the competition, forming a temporary duo. The next day, Glory China would break the tragic story of a contestant's family member suddenly falling ill, causing the contestant to faint from grief on stage and unfortunately withdraw. Last weekend, Glory Light gathered several uniquely charming contestants for a small variety event. By next Monday, Glory China would pick a few contestants with outstanding looks and send them to an orphanage to spread warmth and blessings...
With so much drama, the public watched with fervent excitement. Gradually, Glory Light's competition focused more and more on the contestants' personal talent and charisma, while Glory China's show increasingly resembled a melodramatic soap opera. As long as you were good-looking and could cry on cue, you could advance! You could become popular!
Fans of the two shows clashed fiercely online. One side would say the other lacked looks; the other would retort that their rivals lacked brains. In short, the battle was in full swing—don't leave now, warriors!
Back at the villa, Yu Shulin had just finished watching the latest episode of Glory China's high-end, grand, and melodrama-splattered talent show, utterly dumbfounded and gaining a whole new perspective. Before he could even voice his thoughts, Aunt Liu came in looking troubled and handed over an invitation.
Liang Zhou put down his documents, took it, opened it, and raised an eyebrow. "Liang Zixiu is getting engaged?"
Hearing this, Yu Shulin quickly turned off the TV and scooted over. He took the invitation and looked at it, puzzled. "Liu Yufen... who's that?"
"The Liu family actually agreed to this engagement. Interesting." Liang Zhou's lips curved. "The Liu family made their fortune in coal. They're famously nouveau riche in City B, lacking family heritage, status, or influence, but they are immensely wealthy. They only have one son and one daughter. With a bit more effort and networking, they might have climbed further, gaining both power and money. It's a pity... they chose the Liang Jian family as in-laws."
The daughter of a coal tycoon... Yu Shulin was astonished. "Liang Zixiu sure knows how to pick."
Liang Zhou paused, his expression going blank as he looked at him. "You think this Liu Yufen is good?"
"No." Yu Shulin shook his head decisively, explaining, "The money is good." Although he had his mother's inheritance and dividends from Glory Light stocks, making him quite well-off, compared to the legendary coal tycoons, he felt poor.
Besides, he only knew how to spend money and hadn't earned any himself yet... He felt insecure.
Liang Zhou's expression softened a bit. After a moment's thought, he took Yu Shulin's hand and stood up. "Come on, let's go to the study."
"What for?" Yu Shulin stood up obediently, asking curiously.
Liang Zhou didn't answer. Once in the study, he went straight to a small cabinet in the corner of the bookshelf. He opened it to reveal a safe, entered the code, opened it, took out the contents, and spread them before Yu Shulin, tapping them. "Look."
On the floor were several documents, passbooks, some certificates, an exquisite two-tiered wooden box, and a few small keys casually tossed to the side.
"What are all these?" Yu Shulin first fiddled with the small keys, then picked up a document and opened it, his attitude quite casual.
"Equity certificates for other companies I hold, property deeds, jewelry my mother left behind, savings passbooks my father left, and keys to bank safety deposit boxes."
Yu Shulin's jaw dropped. He finished looking through the document in his hand, then checked the others. He opened the wooden box, and finally, with trembling hands, picked up a passbook. After seeing the number on it, he jerked his hand away, dropping it, then hurriedly picked it back up, straightened it, and gently placed it next to the pile.
"Brother, why... why did you buy stocks in foreign companies..." Sorry, he didn't really understand that pile of English; it made his head spin. Better not look.
"Those were investments I made for practice during university." As he spoke, he stood up, walked to the desk, opened a locked drawer, pulled out another stack of things, and handed them to Yu Shulin. "Most of the things in the safe were left by my parents or saved up during my university years. These are what I earned from acting myself. The money made after taking over Glory Light is in another bank card. I got a supplementary card for you, but you've never used it."
Remembering that card he had casually tossed into the very back of a drawer, Yu Shulin's heart fluttered. He took the things Liang Zhou handed him, looked through them, and then clutched his chest... His brother was so rich. He was going to suffocate.
Liang Zhou squatted down opposite him, looking him directly in the eyes. "Liang Zixiu knows how to choose, hmm?"
He lowered his head to look at the pile of things on the floor, then looked up at the devastatingly handsome Liang Zhou before him. Covering his face with his hands, he decisively lunged forward, planting a loud kiss on Liang Zhou's cheek. "I know how to choose best!"
Liang Zhou, caught off balance, sat down on the floor. Smiling, he wrapped his arms tightly around the person in his embrace, kissed his cheek, and said with satisfaction, "Good taste."
"Of course," Yu Shulin nodded vigorously.
After the two finished being affectionate, Yu Shulin supervised Liang Zhou as he put away that pile of things properly. Only then did he pick up the invitation card that had been creased from them sitting on it. "Are we going?" he asked.
After locking the safe, Liang Zhou pulled him up and walked outward. "Yes, you're coming with me. I want to see what scheme Liang Jian is cooking up this time."
August 29th, an auspicious day for weddings.
Outside a luxurious villa in the suburbs of City B, luxury cars gathered, their gleam nearly blinding.
Abandoning his usual low-key style, Liang Zhou drove the most expensive sports car from the garage. With Yu Shulin, dressed to look incredibly aristocratic, in tow, they arrived at the venue half an hour before the engagement ceremony was set to begin.
A servant came up to help park the car. Liang Zhou tossed the keys to them and, guided by another servant, walked with Yu Shulin towards the villa.
Unlike Zhou Shi, who had chosen noon for their engagement ceremony, the Liu family and Liang Jian had chosen the evening.
The luxurious villa was brilliantly lit, the garden freshly decorated. The large central fountain, illuminated by lights, looked beautiful and magnificent.
"It's like something out of a movie..." Yu Shulin tugged uncomfortably at his bow tie, adjusted the new watch on his wrist and the gemstone cufflinks on his sleeves, and whispered, "Brother, why do I have to dress up like this while you're wearing something so simple?"
To show off, of course. Liang Zhou curled his lips, straightened Yu Shulin's bow tie for him, and said softly, "Given Liang Jian's personality, he's sure to have invited many important people to this engagement banquet. You're the other owner of Rong Guang, so naturally you can't dress too modestly."
Yu Shulin understood—it was all about keeping up appearances.
Elegant piano music drifted softly through the villa's grand hall, the faint aroma of wine permeated the air, and expensive decorations were everywhere. Guests holding wine glasses mingled among them, creating a scene of sheer luxury and fantasy.
Yu Shulin glanced up at the extravagant crystal chandelier overhead, looked down at the exquisite carpet underfoot, and finally scanned the guests coming and going with a practiced eye, then nodded. Sure enough, lots of keeping up appearances. The men were all in suits and leather shoes, holding glasses and chatting happily; the women were all exquisitely dressed, smiling charmingly. What a perfect picture of high-society socializing.
"Brother, you're dressed too modestly," he remarked, realizing that in this kind of setting, his own attire was actually the norm.
"It's fine. As long as the person isn't modest," Liang Zhou replied, a hint of amusement in his eyes as he fastened his suit jacket. "Don't worry, our watches are worth far more than the jewelry those ladies are wearing." Ever since discovering his younger brother's latent tendency towards being a bit of a miser, he had developed a passion for various displays of wealth.
Though it sounded vulgar, he enjoyed showing off.
Anyway, he only showed off for Shulin.
Yu Shulin narrowed his eyes, thinking of the drawer in his brother's wardrobe dedicated specifically to watches, cufflinks, and tie clips. Suddenly, his watch-laden wrist felt a bit heavy.
"Brother, I'm a commoner."
Liang Zhou twitched the corner of his mouth, looked towards Liang Zixiu who was approaching, and offered a faint, almost imperceptible, perfunctory smile. His lips moved slightly. "It's fine. I permit you to attach yourself to me, this big spender."
"..." Brother seemed to be getting more and more narcissistic lately.
Liang Zixiu walked over, beaming and full of enthusiasm, but his eyes told a different story. He offered a fake greeting, "Cousin, you've arrived. You're quite late, please come in. Father is entertaining an important guest and doesn't have time to come over; he'll have to receive you later."
"It's no trouble. Uncle, as an elder, naturally need not come personally to greet me," Liang Zhou replied politely, the very picture of a gentleman with manners, making the grinning, fake-smiling Liang Zixiu seem rather foolish by contrast.
Liang Zixiu's smile faded, and his tone cooled. "Cousin, please feel free to look around. I have other guests to attend to, excuse me." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Liang Zhou with no face at all.
Yu Shulin frowned. For a host to treat a guest this way was rather bullying.
"Pay it no mind. With this attitude, it's the Liu family who loses face," Liang Zhou remained calm. The villa used for the engagement was provided by the Liu family. As hosts, if their invited guests were treated so rudely, they would be subject to gossip—even if the guest was just a relative from the in-laws' side.
Sure enough, not long after, an unfamiliar young man hurried over. Seeing Liang Zhou was like seeing a long-lost brother; he greeted him warmly, introduced himself, and guided Liang Zhou towards the main dais set up in the hall.
Yu Shulin observed this ordinary-looking eldest son of the Liu family, Liu Hao, and mentally gave him a checkmark. Courteous in conversation, knowing when to advance and retreat, he had much better manners than Liang Zixiu.
Noticing his scrutiny, Liu Hao smiled back and said, "Mr. Yu, among the guests today are several students from City No. 2 High School. If you're interested, I could introduce you. Banquets can be dull; having peers around makes it livelier."
He's very well-informed about me. Yu Shulin smiled and replied, "No need to trouble yourself, thank you for your kindness, Mr. Liu."
"You're welcome, it's my pleasure."
Listening to their exchange, Liang Zhou secretly squeezed Yu Shulin's hand.
In front of the main dais, Liang Jian was talking to a handsome young man, his attitude enthusiastic and his manner grandiose. Liu Hao's father stood beside the young man with a wine glass, occasionally adding a word or two, his demeanor subtly suggesting he was currying favor with the young man.
Liang Zhou's gaze shifted among the three, finally settling on the handsome young man.
Yu Shulin's gaze also landed on the young man, for no other reason than that he actually bore some resemblance to Liang Zhou, especially in the shape of his face and lips, which were almost identical.
As if sensing their scrutiny, the young man, who had been expressionless, suddenly turned to look over. His eyes swept over Yu Shulin's face, then fixed intently on Liang Zhou, unmoving.
Yu Shulin narrowed his eyes. This guy's look towards his brother was a bit strange.
Liang Jian followed the young man's gaze and, seeing Liu Hao bringing Liang Zhou and his brother over, his smile stiffened momentarily before becoming even more hearty. His look towards Liang Zhou held a trace of schadenfreude and ill intent.
"Xiao Zhou, you're here. You're a bit late," he stepped forward, completely ignoring Liu Hao who had brought them over. He directly pulled Liang Zhou over, laughing, "Come, come, Xiao Zhou, let me introduce you. This is..."
The handsome young man smiled and proactively extended his hand towards Liang Zhou. "Hello, Mr. Liang Zhou. We meet again."
Liang Zhou narrowed his eyes, reached out, shook hands for two seconds, then let go, his expression somewhat cool. "Hello, Mr. Yan. I didn't expect to meet you here."
Yan Kaiwen nodded, his gaze lingering on Liang Zhou's face, and said nothing more.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Yu Shulin frowned. Mr. Yan? Could it be...
Liang Jian's words were cut off. His smile stiffened, and his gaze shifted between Liang Zhou and Yan Kaiwen, a trace of suspicion flickering in his eyes. He hesitated before saying, "Mr. Yan, my nephew here had some connections with your uncle back in the day. His mother, Madam Zhou Qingya, once even—"
"Mr. Liang." Yan Kaiwen finally deigned to shift his stare away from Liang Zhou, looking coldly at Liang Jian as he said calmly, "Today is your son's joyous engagement day. Perhaps it's best not to bring up those past matters."
Liang Jian was interrupted again, his pride taking a hit. He forced a smile and replied with a dry "Of course," though inwardly he was filled with displeasure and confusion. The feud between the Yan family and Zhou Qingya was common knowledge back in the day in City B. He had clearly pointed out Liang Zhou's relationship with Zhou Qingya, so why hadn't Yan Kaiwen shown any hostility toward him? And their earlier conversation... Could it be they had already met?
At this thought, his eyes suddenly darkened. Yan Kaiwen had returned to the country for investment, seeking partners to help the Yan family re-establish their domestic market. If Liang Zhou had already made contact before him, had they perhaps reached some agreement?
No, that couldn't be. Given how badly things had ended between the Yan and Zhou families back then, he refused to believe the Yans would cooperate with Zhou Qingya's son! This must be a deliberate smokescreen Liang Zhou was putting up, trying to make him lose his composure.
Remembering Ronghua's struggles over the past six months, constantly being overshadowed by Rongguang, he clenched his teeth, gripping his wine glass tighter. Zixiu was now engaged to the Liu family's daughter, securing Ronghua's development funds. If he could also secure a connection with the Yan family... Ronghua becoming the country's largest entertainment company would be within reach!
If Liang Chi could start an entertainment company, so could he! If Liang Chi could achieve success in other industries, so could he! Let anyone who dared say he only knew how to sell shoes try—he'd bury them in money!
Liang Jian's emotions were so plainly written on his face. If Liang Zhou still didn't understand the purpose behind his invitation to this engagement banquet, then his head might as well be chopped off for Yu Shulin to use as a stool.
Trying to provoke a conflict between him and the Yan family here? How utterly foolish.
He shot a cold glance at Liang Jian, whose expression had turned somewhat frightening, ignored Yan Kaiwen who had resumed staring at him, and extended his hand toward Liu Qiang, who had been left standing to the side. He said politely, "Mr. Liu, congratulations on your daughter's engagement. I wish her joy and smooth sailing."
Liu Qiang, who had been ignored by Liang Jian for some time, was secretly fuming. Seeing this younger generation take the initiative to greet him, he was momentarily taken aback before a smile spread across his face. He shook Liang Zhou's hand and said with a laugh, "Thank you. Mr. Liang, your presence honors us. It's my daughter's good fortune. With Rongguang's rapid development recently, your coming has allowed our Liu family to bask in a bit of your auspiciousness." Liu Yufen was the daughter he doted on. Now that she was engaged, other well-wishes felt hollow. The phrase "joy and smooth sailing" truly resonated with him. In short, he found Liang Zhou quite agreeable.
"You're too kind, Mr. Liu," Liang Zhou responded courteously.
Liu Hao, who had been silent for a while, stepped forward with a smile and said to Liu Qiang, "Dad, not only does Mr. Liang manage his company well, he's also quite skilled at raising his younger brother. When Yufen has her own children someday, Zixiu should really seek some advice from Mr. Liang."
"Is that so?" Mentioning his daughter, Liu Qiang's smile widened. His gaze fell on Yu Shulin standing beside Liang Zhou. He looked him up and down, seeing he was indeed a handsome and elegant youth, and said kindly, "I remember his name is Shulin, right? Come, let this uncle have a look."
Yu Shulin took a step forward, smiling, "Hello, Mr. Liu. Congratulations on your daughter's engagement."
"Good, good, good. Truly a fine young man." Liu Qiang smiled warmly, patting his shoulder, and urged, "Have a good time at the banquet today, don't be shy."
"Naturally," Yu Shulin replied, standing still and letting him pat his shoulder, his manner polite and well-behaved.
Liang Zhou's gaze had been fixed on Yu Shulin the whole time. Seeing this, his eyes shifted slightly, landing on Liu Qiang's right hand resting on Yu Shulin's shoulder. He narrowed his eyes.
"You care a lot about your younger brother?" Yan Kaiwen's expression shifted slightly. He took a step closer and said in a low voice.
Liang Zhou sidestepped away from him, not even looking his way. "Shulin is very good."
Yan Kaiwen continued to inch closer, trying his best to appear intimately close to him. His face maintained an inscrutable expression, but his tone held a hint of grievance. "I'm your younger brother too."
"Hah." Liang Zhou let out a cold laugh, finally granting him a glance as he said icily, "You're the troublemaker who disrupted my cousin's engagement banquet."
Yan Kaiwen choked up, remembering the disastrous first encounter a few months ago. The elite young man could no longer keep up his facade, his brow furrowing slightly. "I didn't mean to. I was just a bit excited. Uncle really wants to see you."
Liang Zhou turned his head, looked him up and down, and curled his lips. "Suddenly, I find you a tiny bit less irritating."
Yan Kaiwen's eyes lit up.
"But still very annoying."
"..."
Yan Kaiwen gave him a mournful look. Seeing Yu Shulin walking back, he hurriedly retreated to his original spot, reassuming his elite demeanor. His expression returned to aloofness, his chin slightly raised, projecting an air of "I am supreme, you are all mere mortals."
Yu Shulin gave him a strange look, walked back to Liang Zhou's side, and before he could speak, felt a hand settle on his shoulder.
"You're jealous of this too?" He tilted his head to look at the hand on his shoulder, speechless.
"There was some dust. Just helping you brush it off," Liang Zhou stated without changing his expression, turning his gaze to Liu Qiang. "Thank you for your praise of Shulin, Mr. Liu. The child might get a big head."
When Liang Jian snapped out of his reverie about the future, what he saw was Liang Zhou chatting happily and harmoniously with the others.
Although Yan Kaiwen still wore that aloof expression, he had subtly shifted a couple of steps, joining Liu Qiang and his son in forming a semi-circle around the Liang Zhou brothers, as if Liang Zhou were the host of the banquet.
"In-law, the engagement ceremony is about to start. Let's go and make some preparations." Liang Jian's face darkened as he stepped forward, breaking the harmonious atmosphere.
Liu Qiang, having his enjoyment interrupted, showed some displeasure. He had never liked the character of Liang Jian and his son. If not for his daughter's insistence, he would never have agreed to this match. Now, with Liang Jian repeatedly behaving poorly at his daughter's engagement banquet, he felt irritated and didn't much feel like humoring him.
Liu Hao, well aware of his father's temper, thought of his sister who had been making a fuss recently. Checking the time and seeing the ceremony was indeed about to begin, he quickly whispered, "It's almost time, Father. You should go and prepare, or Little Sister will start making a scene again."
Remembering his daughter, Liu Qiang frowned. He turned to exchange a few pleasantries with Liang Zhou and Yan Kaiwen before leaving with Liang Jian, his mood oddly sour.
Now that he had figured out Liang Jian's intention in inviting him, Liang Zhou found himself rather bored with the banquet. He led Yu Shulin away, evading Yan Kaiwen, and slipped into a corner. Pointing out the more prominent figures in the room, he introduced them to Yu Shulin one by one.
By the time he finished these introductions, the engagement ceremony on the main stage was also winding down.
The bride, Liu Yufen, was not particularly beautiful. Her figure was passable, and her features were somewhat plain. Even with the embellishment of exquisite attire and makeup, she merely gained a touch of the elegance that ordinary girls lacked. Yet, Liang Zixiu looked at her as if she were a peerless beauty, his gaze tender and affectionate, filled with infinite depth.
The engagement ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion. Everything was perfect: the blissful bride, the deeply enamored groom, the beaming parents from both families, and the guests applauding with their blessings.
The music in the grand hall shifted to something warm and cheerful. The host joked good-naturedly with the newly engaged couple. Just as he was about to announce the successful completion of the ceremony, a discordant, thunderous crash suddenly erupted, cutting him off.
