Although the relationship between the women from the two families had never been very good, the men from the two families, Zhang Dafu and Tao Haiguo, got along surprisingly well.

——This was mainly attributed to Zhang Dafu, although he was full of vices such as drinking and gambling, he was relatively generous with his wallet. When he had money, it was okay for neighbors to come and mooch off a drink or two. And even though Zhang Dafu was a rascal, he knew the truth that “Qin Hui still had three good friends” and never harmed his neighbors. Sometimes, he could even introduce help for someone who had a need for it. Of course, every time he helped, he did not forget to request a fee for his hard work. Not much, just enough for a few meals.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

On the other hand, Tao Haiguo’s behavior and way of acting was not as smart, and the Tao couple was always criticized. There were not many neighbors around who were willing to have any relations with their family. Even the old men who played chess at the entrance of the alley were unwilling to play chess with him, so it was only a rsscal like Zhang Dafu who was willing to drink and chat with him. After a long time, the two of them developed some friendship.

In recent days, the old Tao family seemed to have met a benefactor and was feeling quite vigorous and proud. According to the benefactor’s instructions, Tao Haiguo and his wife broke the news with the media and accepted a TV interview. After all the limelight, they even made a lot of money. Seeing this, there also seemed to be an opportunity to get money from their adopted son. Although the old neighbors around were very particular about this matter, Tao Haiguo and his wife didn’t plan to live in this shabby place for a lifetime. The spit from the other families was not really important to them as real tangible cash.

Though they thought this, having people every day pointing fingers at them whenever they went out was really not a pleasant feeling. Especially when Tao Dabao went to school, his classmates all looked down on him, especially those female classmates who shamelessly praised Tao Mu all the time, and after learning a few words on the Internet, they would run over to Dabao and scold him for being shameless, and even instigated the whole class to ostracize him. Children were thin-skinned and couldn’t handle many things, so when he came back home he would throw a tantrum at his parents. They couldn’t beat or scold him so all day long the house was very noisy. Tao Haiguo also preferred to hide outside and drink.

The two went directly to the small restaurant at the entrance of the alley and ordered four dishes to go with the wine. Zhang Dafu didn’t go straight to the topic, but waited patiently until after the third round of drinking before he inquired, seemingly inadvertently, “Old Tao, I heard my wife say today that you two went on TV?”

Tao Haiguo was almost completely drunk. Besides, what Zhang Dafu asked was no secret——not to mention the entire neighborhood alley, that was, the entire Beijing City probably already knew about this. Tao Haiguo was not very vigilant either, he snickered, and asked: “What, old Zhang, do you want to scold me for being unkind and immoral?”

“As if!” Zhang Dafu shook his head, picked up a chopstick of a cold dish, drank a small cup of wine, and ate a few peanuts, then said: “If I have such a capable adopted son, I would also hold on tight. But I think that you have offended him too much, I’m afraid any nice feelings are long gone. Let me tell you, I also know this Tao Mu. Before, our family’s Hanya was almost abducted in H Town. At that time it was this Tao Mu who helped find and rescue her. To tell the truth, he can be considered a good person, but he is also definitely no saint. His methods are very black. You have offended him in front of the world, so are you really not afraid that he will get back at you?”

“That’s impossible.” Tao Haiguo shook his head drunkenly: “No matter how good he is, can he still be better than a big corporation?”

“Big corporation?” Zhang Dafu’s heart jumped and he asked, “What do you mean?”

Tao Haiguo was slightly more alert and knowing that he had said something he shouldn’t, quickly changed the subject: “Nothing, nothing. Come on, drink.”

Zhang Dafu had a drink with Tao Haiguo. Seeing Tao Haiguo’s vigilant appearance, he knew that there must be something tricky in this whole thing.

And he must get to the bottom of this tricky thing today.

So Zhang Dafu called the waiter and ordered six bottles of beer. With such a mix of white wine and beer, even Tao Haiguo, who had a decent amount of alcohol tolerance, was a bit unable to hold up. After Zhang Dafu’s patient questioning, he finally let loose his tongue.

“Tell you the truth. I didn’t intend to offend this adopted son of mine. After all, it was us who didn’t want him and sent him back to the orphanage. I don’t have the face to ask the child to provide elderly support for us. Besides, the child now has another adopted family. The two dads are said to be gangsters, which is not something I can afford to offend. I am also just working for someone…..promised to give us a million yuan after the thing is finished. My wife said that with this money added to the money we’ll get for selling our old house, we can buy a new apartment. If we’re lucky, and Tao Mu can’t bear the pressure of the netizens and is willing to pay us alimony to avoid any trouble, then that would be even better.”

“…..After all, he’s just an 18-year-old child. No matter how capable, as long as he wants to enter the entertainment industry and become an actor in the future, it is important to consider public opinion…..”

With a “click”, Zhang Dafu pressed the pause button on the recorder, rubbed his hands, and said with a slightly ingratiating expression: “That, Mr. Tao, I know you look down on me and don’t want to have any relations with someone like me. But today, I really didn’t come here to act like a rascal. Just how much do you think this recording is worth?”

Tao Mu stared expressionlessly at Zhang Dafu, who had been standing outside the gate of Beijing Film early in the morning and pestering the gatekeeper to call him. He also had to admire this person’s ability to toady for personal gain.

“I say, Mr. Tao, don’t keep silent!” Zhang Dafu looked at Tao Mu, but he was actually not quite as confident as he appeared. He had experienced Tao Mu’s methods first hand, and to be honest, it was really quite intimidating. However, no matter how intimidated he was inside, people couldn’t just give up money that they had a chance at.

Besides, Zhang Dafu had also paid attention to Tao Mu. Although this person had ruthless methods, he seemed to treat the people around him very well. He hadn’t heard anyone say that he was unkind or immoral. On the contrary, many people say that Tao Mu possessed loyalty and always liked to bring benefits to the people around him. Didn’t he work with Guo Yaning to shoot the MV before and brought in mutual benefits.

That was why Zhang Dafu felt that producing such strong evidence to prove Tao Mu’s innocence at such a critical time could be considered as helping out Tao Mu a lot, and even if he didn’t appreciate it, he wouldn’t do anything to him either.

So he plucked up the courage to meet with Tao Mu, and then pestered Tao Mu for a talk at the coffee shop opposite to Beijing Film. Before Tao Mu could speak, he put the voice recorder on the table and pressed the play button directly.

Sure enough, as soon as Tao Mu heard this recording, he didn’t talk nonsense, and asked directly: “What do you want?”

Zhang Dafu chuckled: “I don’t dare to be too greedy. But Tao Haiguo said, Shanghai’s Sheng’an Group asked him to come forward and break the news on TV, and gave him a full one million in return. So I was thinking about it, Mr. Tao has a big business and is also a big man who wants face. Is your reputation worth a million?”

This appetite was not small at all.

Tao Mu twitched the corner of his mouth into a smile, “Don’t you know that recordings are easy to falsify? How can you guarantee that this recording must be true? Besides, even if I spend a million to buy this recording of yours, your illegally obtained recording cannot be used as legal evidence. Spending a million to buy a recording that can’t do anything, am I’m really that dumb?”

“How could it be useless?” Zhang Dafu was also anxious: “CEO Tao, don’t tease me. We all know that this recording can at least prove that you are innocent. The Tao couple was instructed by someone else to accept the interview slandering you. You can sue them for slander.”

Tao Mu continued to smile silently.

Zhang Dafu gritted his teeth: “Okay. Just say how much money you are willing to pay for this recording. Let me tell you the truth. I take this money and I definitely don’t plan to use it alone. Even if I am not a good human being, I know that a grown man should support the family. This money is also reserved for my son to go to school in the future and to marry a wife. And Hanya’s mother will not let her go to school. It’s a problem that the young girl is always working tiring jobs serving dishes outside. If you are willing to buy this recording, I can also pay for Hanya to go to college. It’s just a few ten thousands for four years. I can afford to use this money for it. It’s really no big deal, I can just ask Hanya to write me an IOU and after Hanya works, the money can be returned to me with interest.”

“Zhang Hanya didn’t go to university?” Tao Mu was taken aback when he heard this.

“Yes, I know!” Zhang Dafu slapped his thigh: “Her mother thinks college spends too much money, so she won’t let her go. She insists on forcing the child to go out to work and make money. I told my sister a long time ago that people now looking for a job depend on academic qualifications. What can a high school graduate do besides serving dishes and washing dishes? It simply doesn’t work. One must go to university to earn more in the future…..”

Tao Mu frowned.

Zhang Dafu peeked at Tao Mu’s expression and said, “Hanya, this girl is righteous and knows that you saved her life which can’t be easily repaid, but Hanya is always thinking about doing something for you. Knowing that the Tao couple went on TV to discredit you, this girl stayed outside the public toilet at the entrance of the alley for half an hour before dawn early in the morning, just to get something out of Yang Shufen’s mouth. Although she didn’t manage to get anything out of her mouth, she still had good intentions.”

Tao Mu listened to Zhang Dafu’s babble: “I ran into Zhang Hanya at a hot pot restaurant before, and she didn’t tell me about this.”

“Too embarrassed to say it.” Zhang Dafu chuckled twice: “I say, Mr. Tao, you are a generous person. Send the Buddha all the way to the west, since you saved Hanya’s life, why not save her again.”

Zhang Dafu reached out and tapped on the voice recorder: “You buy this recording of mine. You can prove your innocence, and I can earn some money. Isn’t this the best of both worlds?”

Tao Mu’s eyes fell on the voice recorder, and he sneered: “Just this thing, yet you have the face to ask me for a million?”

Zhang Dafu smiled ingratiatingly and said: “Then how much do you think it is worth, just give however much you think it’s worth.”

Tao Mu chuckled, and his slender finger tapped the tabletop: “The thing is not worth a million. But my reputation is worth more than one million.”

Zhang Dafu’s eyes lit up.

Tao Mu said with a bad tone: “Don’t think too much. I won’t give you cash. A person like you, I don’t know how many I have met. When you have yet to get the money, your words sound better than singing. If you really get the money, you will be the first to go to the gambling table with all the money. What wife, child, niece, can they still be seen in your eyes?”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Zhang Dafu’s heart went cold for a while, and he asked in a sheepish tone, “Then, then, what does Mr. Tao mean?”

Tao Mu knocked on the tabletop: “If you can trust me, I will take this voice recorder first. After the matter is dealt with, I will definitely give you a job. If you disagree, please take the voice recorder back.”

Tao Mu made a gesture of invitation: “I will not make it difficult for you.”

If you would like to show some ♡  then please consider supporting this translator! ლ(⌒εー)ლ

Prev

In order to better interpret the role of the adult heroine in the MV, Guo Yaning listened to Tao Mu’s advice and hired a top international model from F country to learn from the other on how to walk with a powerful presence on stage.

As a domestic A-list actress, Guo Yaning would immediately become the focus of everyone’s eyes every time she appeared in public. And because of her “excellent bearing” that allowed her to repeatedly stand out from the crowd, becoming the object of praise from the media and the fashion industry. She was invited to participate in Fashion Week every year, and she was a guest of several major international luxury brands, and even the darling of the fashion industry. Last year she had even achieved the “Big Five” cover grand slam.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

——These were to explain that Guo Yaning had also put in hard work in private in order to refine her aura of a super A-list actress in China. Every year, she spent a lot of money to hire an etiquette teacher to adjust her posture, so that she looked more charming, and walked more gracefully. This was because before meeting Tao Mu, Zhou Fengxuan’s image transformation route for Guo Yaning was the mature, sexy and charming type. This was also the first choice of most actresses in the transition——to charm people with sex appeal. Moreover, the path was simple and the risk was low. One only needed to put on a little thicker makeup and show a bit more of the chest when appearing in public. And the safest choice for a public appearance was of course to walk the red carpet.

Zhou Fengxuan had even decided the specific time for Guo Yaning’s debut——at the premiere of “Faraway Jianghu”. Zhou Fengxuan even had the evening gown that Guo Yaning was going to wear at that time custom-made. A deep red form fitting strapless gown that ended with a long trail and with a front split up to the thigh. It had to be gorgeous, sexy and enchanting.

But now with Tao Mu’s involvement, this image could be passed off——it was beautiful, but it was too clichéd. As Tao Mu said before, although the style that everyone had used was classic, because there were already too many outstanding examples, it did not have the stunning feeling at first glance. If she ran into another little b*tch who was secretly planning to bribe a reporter and stir up a wave of discussion that compared the similar look or something? Zhou Fengxuan was very confident in the looks of her artist, and she didn’t think Guo Yaning would lose to others, but just letting other little sluts stir up discussion and rub off the heat was not in line with Zhou Fengxuan’s view of “maximizing benefits”.

—— Simply put, her point of view was very double standard, that was, I can rub off your popularity, but you are not allowed to do the same back. Especially the little demonesses who were of the same gender as their Guo Yaning.

So after thinking about it, Tao Mu’s queen-like, domineering sister style was better. Even with this one, there have been some people who have had similar images, but their makeup and styling were quite different from Guo Yaning’s. Even if the media insisted on rubbing off on the heat, Zhou Fengxuan was not afraid——after all, the classic actresses who emerged from the golden age of Hong Kong were on average a dozen or twenty years older than Guo Yaning. If they really met with media commentary on similar looks, Zhou Fengxuan still had a lot of room to maneuver.

Adhering to this thinking, Zhou Fengxuan paid more attention to the shooting of this MV. In fact, during the shooting, she even released Guo Yaning’s cover photo for publicity.

Regardless of what stage the entertainment industry had developed to, there was never a shortage of simps who only looked at good looks. Guo Yaning was already a domestic A-list actress with countless fans and most of them love her face. This time Tao Mu’s carefully crafted cover photo for Guo Yaning immediately caused Guo Yaning’s fans to scream, kneel, and simp in short order.

As expected by Guo Yaning and her management team, the fashion industry also quickly noticed Guo Yaning’s new look. The never before seen makeup technique and the powerful presence all contributed to the exquisiteness of the photo that could immediately be put on the cover of the five major fashion magazines.

The entire fashion industry went crazy immediately. Almost at the same time that Guo Yaning’s cover photo for her new album was released, Zhou Fengxuan’s mobile phone was blown up by calls from the editors of major fashion magazines and several internationally renowned luxury brands. Everyone was asking whose work did Guo Yaning’s cover photo belong to, who did the makeup, who matched the styling, and who did the hair…..from head to toe.

After learning that Guo Yaning’s new look was all done by Tao Mu, the founder of FlyNews, Tao Mu’s phone was also blown up with calls.

Fashion magazines invited Tao Mu to do a cover interview, wanting him to talk about his experience in creating a new look; luxury brands wanted to invite Tao Mu to act as a brand ambassador to promote their brand platform.

Zhou Fengxuan struck the iron while it was hot, and after seeking Tao Mu’s consent, she posted a video of the behind the scenes filming on BulletScreen.com, under the name of treat for fans. The netizens followed Guo Yaning’s FlyNews account to Bullet Screen. They watched as Guo Yaning, with her 2.8 meter aura walk in the manner of a queen about to be crowned, instantly shouting with excitement and looking forward to the MV even more. The pre-orders of Guo Yaning’s new album surged by more than 100,000 overnight, all of which were simps who were aiming at Guo Yaning’s new styling.

Tao Mu also kindly gifted a caption that could create hype——

“When you meet such a handsome Queen, just marry.”

So this caption was reprinted by major entertainment media and fashion magazines. In the last month of 2008, the domestic fashion industry was suddenly occupied by a creature called “Queen”. Guo Yaning’s hairstyle, makeup, white dress shirt, black suit pants, and red high heels instantly became the hot style of the year. The sales of major brand stores had all increased by more than 30%. Such a crazy ability to raise sales dumbfounded all brands. Of course, while stunned, they all couldn’t help but laugh in delight.

The endorsement contract with Guo Yaning was expiring soon. The brand that was considering replacing Guo Yaning with another female star made a decision immediately and re-signed with Guo Yaning at a price that was 30% higher than the original contract for another three years. After seeing Guo Yaning’s ability to increase sales, other brands also contacted Guo Yaning’s managing team, wanting to discuss cooperation matters. Several major domestic fashion magazines contacted Zhou Fengxuan one after another, wanting to invite Guo Yaning to take cover photos.

Zhou Fengxuan had long known that Guo Yaning’s new look would cause a sensation in the entertainment and fashion circles. But she didn’t expect the impact this time to be so big. She almost laughed out loud in a crazy manner. Everyday when she looked at Tao Mu it was as if she was seeing a cornucopia.

However, what everyone did not expect was that the most eye-catching thing in the behind the scenes filming was not Guo Yaning, who made the new Queen look hot, but the photographer Tao Mu who fiddled with the camera from time to time opposite her——

The handsomely beautiful face that was flawless and perfect at 360 degrees, the serious eyes that made one’s legs go soft, and the noble ascetic aura. Even if he just wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans, he still shone brilliantly in all his gestures. Tao Mu’s existence simply and perfectly embodied the best spouse selection criteria in the minds of all women——

He was young, rich, talented, and had a perfect personality. He also knew how to take pictures to make girls happy. Of course, the most important thing was that handsome face and fit body. Especially the body proportion with wide shoulders, narrow back, thin waist, perk butt and long legs. Mama, it simply caused all viewers to go soft in the legs!

How can he be so handsome to such a level?

Really envy the Queen, who is standing opposite to Mr. Tao.

Even Wang Boyuan, who appeared as a guest act for the MV, couldn’t help but gratefully say to his agent after seeing the behind the scenes filming footage: “Fortunately, I didn’t appear in the behind the scenes. Otherwise I would have definitely been the most obvious background board of the year. I really sympathize with the actors who will be in the same frame with Tao Mu in the future.”

Wang Boyuan’s agent also agreed with feeling, but he comforted Wang Boyuan: “He’s just handsome. It doesn’t necessarily mean he also has acting skills. His looks are favored in the fashion industry but when it comes to acting in movies and TV shows, many directors will consider that too handsome actors might affect the plot itself…..”

He could no longer continue. Wang Boyuan’s agent also went to the “Faraway Jianghu” crew to visit the set, and naturally knew how good Tao Mu’s acting skills were. Generally, an idol actor’s face was a subtraction when a film director considered casting. But Tao Mu’s acting skills were enough to make his face a bonus point when the director considered casting. Moreover, Tao Mu was not just an actor, he was also the founder of FlyNews.com——

The most frustrating things in this world was that someone who was handsomer than you was younger than you, younger than you but more talented than you, as well as more talented than you and richer than you…..Motherf**ker, Tao Mu ticked all the boxes alone. If all the items were accounted for, how could other people live?

Wang Boyuan’s agent didn’t know at this moment that Tao Mu had also become a business partner of Xiaoheng Capital, and was soon to become a capital boss. But even if he knew…..he likely wouldn’t have any ideas.

When a person was a little better than the people around him, everyone would feel jealous and feel that if they worked hard maybe they would also be just as good. But when a person was superior enough to crush those around him, most people would only look up at him and never feel even a specky of jealousy.

“I think you can contact Tao Mu more. His FlyNews has been very present in the entertainment industry recently. I found that many celebrities have significantly increased their popularity after signing up for FlyNews accounts. The company is already considering whether you should also register a FlyNews account. Although you are a domestic A-list star, you have a personal relationship with Tao Mu. At this time, registering a FlyNews account can be said to help a friend’s platform, and it will not appear like you are lowering your status.”

Wang Boyuan smiled bitterly when he heard the words, and said in his heart that it was already too late. If he was able to register a FlyNews account for Tao Mu when FlyNews.com was just created, or when Tao Mu was discredited for the first time, everyone would believe that he and Tao Mu really had a good relationship——just like Guo Yaning did.

But now, at best, he was just icing on the cake. But the icing on the cake was still good, it was at least better to make an expression than not doing anything at all.

However, Wang Boyuan’s managing company changed their mind the next day because Tao Mu’s adoptive parents actually accepted a TV station’s invitation to film a talk show. On the show, they made various cries of complaint, saying how well they treated Tao Mu when they adopted Tao Mu, and how Tao Mu was jealous of his younger brother and even abused his younger brother and as a result they were forced to send Tao Mu back to the orphanage. But they didn’t expect that after so long, someone would sue them for abandonment. They couldn’t help but come out to clarify the facts, hoping to obtain Tao Mu’s forgiveness.

The general public always liked to sympathize with the weak. Especially a middle-aged couple who seemed to look honest and law-abiding, dressed particularly plainly, and timidly bowed their heads between gestures. At a glance, this middle-aged couple was clearly run down by the hardships of life, no longer with any temper and couldn’t even lift their heads. Many people instantly felt a sense of empathy and substitution.

At this moment, an unidentified voice began to appear on the Internet again, and began to discuss why Tao Mu refused to support his adoptive parents——even if it was only five years, that still counted as having raised him. Moreover, Tao Mu’s adoptive parents personally told the truth about Tao Mu’s abuse of his younger brother when he was five years old. A small group of people agreed that this honest middle-aged couple would never lie on a TV show so there must be such a thing.

Since Tao Mu made a mistake back then, he should apologize to his adoptive parents and his younger brother.

Once such weird remarks appeared, it immediately caused Tao Mu fans’ to crazily diss them.

“I really vomited. From the beginning to the end, the adoptive parents are jumping around making trouble by themselves, okay? Tao Mu has never responded to these rumors. At most, some netizens have discussed whether the actions of this pair of adoptive parents count as a crime of abandonment on the Internet. When did Tao Mu say that he would sue his former adoptive parents for the crime of abandonment?”

“Don’t you think this pair of adoptive parents is really weird? Tao Mu has ignored them the whole time and they are just talking by themselves. They themselves broke the news that they adopted Tao Mu and threw Tao Mu back to the orphanage because they had their own son. And after being denounced by netizens they participated in a TV show, repeating over and over that they want to apologize to Tao Mu and ask Tao Mu to forgive them. But in fact, every word they say is secretly accusing Tao Mu of abusing their son when he was five years old. Does anyone know who their son is? Is he now crippled or mad, and therefore there is such a great hatred for Tao Mu?”

“I think this ordinary couple is also quite capable. It seems like just anyone who breaks the news can cause a sensation on the whole Internet. They can just get on a TV station to clarify themselves. Has it always been so easy to get on TV? Why don’t I know?”

“I know this couple. Their son Tao Dabao is a classmate of my brother. His academics are particularly poor and his character is not good either. My brother said that Tao Dabao’s parents were called by the teacher for stealing money from his classmates. His mother was rolling on the ground and refusing to admit to it in the teacher’s office…..they are certainly not as honest as they appear on TV.”

“Upstairs+1. This couple is an old neighbor of my grandmother’s which is in the XX Hutong in Xicheng District, Beijing, and the woman is a famous shrew in the neighborhood. And the fact that they abused their adopted son when they had their own son is known by all the neighbors. I think there must be a problem with this. Could it be someone who doesn’t like to see Tao Mu doing so well, so deliberately found someone to pour dirty water on him?”

“When upstairs said this, I suddenly felt that this routine is a bit familiar.”

“Familiar +1”

“Familiar +2”

In the old Zhang’s house in Xicheng District, Beijing, Zhang Hanya’s aunt was watching TV while eating melon seeds. When she suddenly saw the show on the old Tao couple next door, she was stunned: “Hey, come and watch. The old Tao couple are on TV…..”

The neighbors in the entire courtyard were all howled over by Aunt Zhang. Seeing the old Tao couple crying and wiping tears on TV, Aunt Zhang sneered: “This acting is quite good, and she has even caught up with the heroine of a tragedy drama I’ve been watching. If she can act so well, why not go into acting!”

“How sinful!” Some old neighbors living in the courtyard vaguely remembered that the old Tao couple adopted a child more than ten years ago: “A pure and innocent child had been ruined by them. It was such a heavy rain, yet they left him at the entrance of the orphanage, and now they even have the face to say such things on TV.”

“It’s because they saw that the child is now rich, so they want to recognize him again, right?”

“How can anyone recognize a son like this? How is this even recognizing a son, more like recognizing an enemy, right?”

“Grandma, don’t you know? It’s said on the Internet that this is called moral coercion. They must use public opinion to persecute Tao Mu and to force Tao Mu to support them. It’s truly shameless.”

“Tao Mu?” Aunt Zhang’s ears twitched, she was particularly sensitive to the name: “Is it the Tao Mu who founded FlyNews? Wasn’t the child adopted by the old Tao family named Xiao Bao? How could it be Tao Mu?”

“Xiao Bao is the child’s nickname. Normally, no one calls it.” Someone remembered what happened back then, and explained: “It must be said that the old Tao family has truly done a crime. You say, if they had treated the child well back then, then they would already be enjoying blessings. Now great, using such means to force the child. Even if the child took out money the heart will definitely not be happy.”

Aunt Zhang thought of Tao Mu’s ruthlessness, and immediately laughed with gloating amusement, “They are all bad apples.”

She continued: “The old Tao family may want to use public opinion to force Tao Mu to pay money to them, but they have made a wrong calculation. This kid is dark and ruthless, who knows how many bad tricks he has up his sleeves. He definitely won’t let this couple have any good days left.”

The group of old neighbors looked at Aunt Zhang questioningly: “You know Tao Mu?”

Someone recalled what happened to the old Zhang family when the media broke the news of how they made a scene at the hospital, and they suddenly said, “Oh, he is the life-saver of your family’s Hanya, right? He is also a good boy. How could it be like you said. The more good a person is, the more soft-hearted they are. The way I see it, it’s not likely.”

Only Zhang Hanya was sitting in the corner of the living room with her head down, silently making her calculations.

* * * * * *

Early in the morning of the next day, the sky was not even bright yet, but a whole busy day of noise had already begun in this old alley extending in all directions in Xicheng District of Beijing.

Those who came out to go to the toilet to pour urinal bottles, those who wore cotton-padded jackets to go out to buy soy milk fritters, and those who rode bicycles to work nearby, bells ringing accompanied by all kinds of trailing yells.

“Hey, move out of the way.”

“Out of the way, let me go ahead first, I’m in a hurry to go to work!”

“Hey, have you eaten?”

Zhang Hanya stood by the public toilet at the entrance of the alley and waited for nearly half an hour. Finally she ran into Tao Haiguo’s wife, who was walking over while still adjusting her waistband.

Zhang Hanya’s eyes lit up. Her cold cheeks flushed with redness and white mist came from her mouth when she spoke. She pretended to greet casually, “Aunt Yang, have you also come to the toilet too?”

Yang Shufen looked at Zhang Hanya who was standing at the door of the toilet in surprise. What happened to the old Zhang family’s daughter today? Normally so silent but actually taking the initiative to greet people today.

What a novelty.

“Isn’t this nonsense? I’m at the door of the toilet. If I’m not going to the toilet, then did I just come here to smell it?” Yang Shufen snorted. She did not like the old Zhang family. Especially Zhang Hanya’s aunts, they would bicker as soon as they saw each other.

Often, neighbors and neighbors accumulate much resentment and as a result, Yang Shufen did not have a good expression when seeing Zhang Hanya.

Zhang Hanya didn’t care too much, and she asked, “Aunt Yang, I heard people say that your family is now rich and that you plan to not live here anymore and instead buy a high-end apartment. Is that right?”

A look of vigilance flashed across Yang Shufen’s face: “Who did you hear that from? What nonsense. Who doesn’t know the situation of our family? And even buying a high-end apartment, in your dreams maybe.”

After finishing talking, Yang Shufen ignored Zhang Hanya, and quickly went into the toilet so that she could do her business and leave. The hurried look, it was as if there was a dog chasing behind her.

Zhang Hanya had been standing in the freezing cold next to the toilet for quite a while, and still did not manage to get a clear word. So she also rushed home shivering. As soon as she entered the house, she was scolded by her aunt: “…..it took you more than half an hour to go to the toilet, and even breakfast is not made. A big girl yet you don’t know how to do any work at all, and only know how to be lazy. Why didn’t you just freeze to death outside.”

Zhang Dafu frowned: “Enough. What are you yelling so early in the morning? How can people not get constipation once in a while. Are you saying you don’t get constipation at all?”

“Oh! You are quite considerate of your niece. What’s the matter, still wondering if she can marry big money so that as the uncle you will also be able to ascend to the sky? Bah, just this unlucky star, it’s already a good thing if she doesn’t drag our whole family to death…..”

Suddenly she said: “By the way, isn’t Tao Mu your savior? He has started his own company now, and is also considered a big boss. Why don’t you try to fawn over him, maybe Tao Mu will have pity on you and be willing to give you a lighter job. It’s better than you serving dishes in the hot pot restaurant right now, right?”

Zhang Hanya’s mother’s eyes lit up and she said immediately, “Your aunt is right. You go to Tao Mu. Maybe he’ll see you as pitiful and be willing to help you.”

Compared with Aunt Zhang, Zhang Hanya’s mother had more ideas. She felt that her daughter was quite decent looking, and also had an affinity with Tao Mu. Take a bit more initiative, maybe she could even become Tao Mu’s girlfriend. By then, their family would have struck it rich as well.

Zhang Hanya ignored her mother and turned a deaf ear to her aunt’s ridicule. Frowning, she asked: “Auntie, didn’t you say that Aunt Yang’s family is rich yesterday? I ran into Aunt Yang outside the toilet today, and she said there was nothing like that.”

“How could it be? I heard it with my own ears. The night before, when I went to visit old Zhao’s house, Tao Dabao was throwing a tantrum next door. When I came out, I eavesdropped outside their window. She absolutely said it with her own mouth.” Zhang Hanya’s aunt was not at all ashamed of such eavesdropping behavior, yelling it out loudly.

Zhang Hanya stopped talking. Zhang Dafu looked at Zhang Hanya’s thoughtful appearance and couldn’t help asking: “What’s the matter? You never inquired about these things before, so why do you suddenly care about that family?”

“No, I just asked casually.” Everyone knows about Tao Mu’s matter on the Internet now. However, the members of the Zhang family were generally older and didn’t use the Internet very much. Besides, the name Tao Mu was a taboo in the Zhang family, and no one could mention it. Zhang Hanya didn’t dare to mention it either and just randomly excused herself.

Aunt Zhang snorted coldly: “You only know to stay in the gambling house all day, and you don’t even know that such a big thing has happened…..”

With that said, Aunt Zhang retold how the Tao family complained about Tao Mu on TV. “The old Tao family can be regarded as having the good fortune to be able to have such an adopted son. It is estimated that this time, they should be able to take a bite of meat from Tao Mu’s body.”

After a pause, she said bitterly: “Served him right!”

Compared with his wife’s complaint, Zhang Dafu’s thinking was different. They were all neighbors so Zhang Dafu naturally knew what kind of people the old Tao family were like. They absolutely did not have the capability of being interviewed on TV.

Thinking of what his wife said before, the Tao family was going to make a fortune. Zhang Dafu’s eyes flickered slightly. In his heart he thought, the fortune was definitely not referring to the sum they would try to take from Tao Mu.

Zhang Dafu knew the character of Tao Mu better than anyone else. The old Tao family wanted to use public opinion to persecute Tao Mu, but it was likely that they would not only fail but also be worse off, and the accusers would instead be accused of abandonment crime. However, the old Tao family firmly believed that they would be able to make a fortune.

This matter had happened so many years ago. But now the old Tao couple suddenly brought up such old things at this time. So there was a high chance that they took someone’s bribe money.

Zhang Dafu suddenly stood up, rushed into his son’s room, and started rummaging through the cabinets. Aunt Zhang yelled angrily: “Why are you not eating, what are you searching for now? I told you that there is no money at home, so don’t search for it.”

“I don’t want money!” Zhang Dafu asked Aunt Zhang, “Where is our son’s sound recorder?”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Aunt Zhang asked: “What do you want that thing for?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Zhang Dafu said impatiently: “Anyway, you have to find it for me, I have use for it.”

That night, Zhang Dafu wore a large coat, sewed a pocket sound recorder inside, and went to invite Tao Haiguo for a drink.

If you would like to show some ♡  then please consider supporting this translator! ლ(⌒εー)ლ

Prev

The dumpling party in the end temporarily turned into a barbecue party due to a serious lack of ingredients. The large group of people moved to the courtyard house of Mr. Song, eating, drinking, and playing mahjong until the next morning. When everyone couldn’t remain awake anymore, and with their brains spinning, they all stumbled into the side rooms on both the east and west part of the courtyard residence, and fell asleep.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Tao Mu was not so lucky. After randomly washing up in the yard, he had to go to work at Guo Yaning’s studio.

Li Xiaoheng wanted to send him there and then go home to rest. Speaking of strangeness, Li Xiaoheng stayed with them until dawn as well. He didn’t know how to play mahjong, so he sat next to Tao Mu and looked at the international futures market with his tablet. Sometimes he would also make a few phone calls.

Tao Mu felt embarrassed and was also afraid of delaying Li Xiaoheng’s work, so he persuaded Li Xiaoheng to go back first. Li Xiaoheng smiled and said, “Playing mahjong looks like fun. Would you like to teach me?”

Tao Mu immediately gave up his position and let Li Xiaoheng on the court while he taught on the spot next to him.

Li Xiaoheng sat over with great interest. Before playing, he handed over his mobile phone to Tao Mu for safekeeping: “William may call. He is the manager of the investment department of Xiaoheng Capital, and he admires you very much. When he calls again later, you can help pick it up for me.”

Tao Mu hesitated a little. He felt that answering the phone for someone seemed a bit too intimate. But on second thought, he was both a business partner of Li Xiaoheng and the chief analyst appointed by Li Xiaoheng. Moreover, in regards to shorting international oil, he also followed from the beginning, so helping Li Xiaoheng answer a few calls didn’t seem like much. It was not like Li Xiaoheng could play mahjong while on the phone, that would neither let him concentrate on work nor have fun.

Moreover, Li Xiaoheng handing over the phone to him for safekeeping was also a sign of trust and closeness. If he refused him in front of everyone, it also didn’t seem very good.

Tao Mu had many worries, and it was cumbersome to talk about it all, but in fact, the thoughts appeared in a flash, and he immediately made a decision: “Alright.”

Tao Mu took the phone and put it aside, explaining the game rules in detail to Li Xiaoheng. In fact, Li Xiaoheng watched Tao Mu play mahjong next to him, and after a few rounds, he had already touched upon the rules. The other three players knew that Li Xiaoheng was a novice, and they all wanted to defeat him. But, Li Xiaoheng was too good at counting the tiles, winning against everyone within two rounds.

Qin Miaoru wrinkled a bitter face: “No wonder everyone says that novices are lucky players, they really make people want to cry and call for their mothers. I say, handsome guy, please be accommodating, if you keep winning like this, I won’t even be able to keep my panties.”

Du Kang also shook his head and sighed, “I have lost all my food expenses for the week.”

On another mahjong table, Wen Bao, who was playing with the old man and dean Tao, couldn’t help but say: “I say, Xiao Kangzi, don’t be embarrassing, alright? At most there is 20-30 yuan to be lost or won in total. Can this even cover a week of food expenses?”

Du Kang said shamelessly: “This is called artistic exaggeration. Do you understand art? This buddy has won from the moment he played. I tell you, this is no longer a problem of losing money. It is because this game has become very unsatisfactory. You know?”

He then asked Tao Mu: “Where did you find such a capable buddy? He’s practically like the king of gambling. I think if Hong Kong will shoot another God of Gambling movie in the future, they should just find this buddy directly to be the protagonist.”

He was handsome and had bearing, and his head was also really smart. Sitting there, the presence was very strong indeed. That posture was not the posture of playing a mahjong game worth a few yuan. He looked more like he was participating in a gamble of hundreds of millions of international capital. It made people feel timid just looking at him——

To some extent, Du Kang had also hit upon the truth.

Qin Miaoru said very straightforwardly: “I’m not exaggerating. I bought my underpants in the Zoo Wholesale City, three for ten yuan. You guys calculate it, just how many underpants did I lose during this short time?”

“A perfectly good girl, why can’t you talk more decently?” The old-fashioned old man Song couldn’t stand it: “Girls should be gentle and reserved, don’t say whatever without a care. Be careful you can’t find someone to marry in the future.”

Qin Miaoru chuckled, thinking in her heart that she didn’t want to get married at all. Once she struck it rich, she would find a younger wolfdog with a handsome body and six-pack abs for the rest of her life. When that happens, she will replace one each year, keeping it new and fresh every year.

Of course, she did not dare to say this in front of Mr. Song, so she randomly threw a tile out: “Twenty thousand.”

“Missed!” Long Tianao, who hadn’t said anything and had his head down and glaring at the thirteen tiles in front of his eyes, victoriously pushed his tiles and opened both his hands at everyone: “Money, give money.”

“No way?” Qin Miaoru looked at Long Tianao’s tiles with a face of one on the verge of mental collapse: “I fired the cannon again.”

“You are the March 8th Red Flag gunner today.” Long Tianao said with a laugh: “Shooting wherever it is aimed, professional skills particularly excellent.”

“Piss off!” Qin Miaoru sadly dug in her pocket for spare change: “The three of you at the poker table are all men, and I’m the only woman. You don’t know to take it easy on me? Do you guys even have a bit of gentlemanly manners?”

“As if, there are no fathers and sons in the casino.” Long Tianao rolled his sleeves up his arms, acting very arrogant: “Hurry up and hand over the money.”

Qin Miaoru harrumphed and gave the money, completely losing all her spare change. Sitting on the sidelines watching the battle, Gou Rixin quickly took out two coins from his pocket. Qin Miaoru was so happy she patted Gou Rixin’s shoulder continuously: “Thank you, bro.”

The several people continued to play. During the period, Qin Miaoru scooched over to Li Xiaoheng: “Handsome guy, I know some physiognomy, you have a broad head and extraordinary bearing, and you are not an ordinary person with just a glance. Wanna think about firing the cannon for me to help out this weak and pitiful little girl?”

Li Xiaoheng hadn’t even spoken yet, when Da Mao, Xiao Pang and Feng Yuan, who hadn’t managed to a snatch a mahjong place and could only sit on the sidelines to play the Fight the Landlord card game, couldn’t help but expose: “Sister Qin, you ate forty-six dumplings at night.”

“And the username of your FlyNews is Charging Forward With A Big Knife On The Shoulders.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“Piss off!” Qin Miaoru rolled her eyes, feeling that these guys really deserve to be single dogs, they didn’t know how to treat a lady at all. Look at brother Yao——pei, he now had to be called uncle Yao, just how considerate he was! Sitting at Meng Qi’s side and occasionally feeding tiles to him and even offering some cannons. This one-stop service made uncle Meng so happy, one could imagine just how happy he would be once they went home.

Li Xiaoheng smiled but said nothing, feeling that Tao Mu’s friends were especially fun. If Tao Mu was always with these people, he could finally be relieved.

This all-night mahjong battle lasted until 5 o’clock the next morning. Those with no work or class, went back to the house to sleep quickly. But Tao Mu had to rush to Guo Yaning’s studio during rush hours.

Li Xiaoheng also stayed up all night. Worrying that something might happen due to fatigue driving, he specifically called the driver and asked him to come over and drive instead. On the road, he said in a particularly considerate manner: “It is estimated that it will take two hours to arrive with the traffic jam. You can rest for a while, and I will wake you when we arrive.”

Tao Mu nodded and lay down on the back seat, taking off his coat and curling it up as a pillow. He closed his eyes and fell asleep very quickly.

Li Xiaoheng took off his wool coat and put it over Tao Mu.

The driver of the Li family secretly peeked at their eldest young master with his eyes, shocked secretly from the bottom of his heart——their eldest young master rarely showed such a gentle and considerate side. It seemed that the young man sitting at the back must be a particularly important business partner for the young master. It was estimated that at least tens of billions could be earned for the young master, and it must be of M gold.

Of course, Li Xiaoheng didn’t know that his driver was slandering him in his heart. He didn’t sleep all night and felt a little tired. He sat in the position of the passenger seat but did not close his eyes to rest. Instead, he took the time to watch the international futures market and continued to collect the last wave of information of the day before the market closed.

Tao Mu, who had been sleeping for more than two hours, recovered most of his energy when the car arrived downstairs at Guo Yaning’s studio. The price was that his face became a little swollen, a red sleep print showed up on the right cheek, and his hair had become particularly messy.

Prepared for this, Tao Mu took out the peaked cap and put it on his head, then rubbed his face severely, trying to rub the mark off, before opening the door and getting out of the car.

Li Xiaoheng rolled down the car window and said with a smile, “I will come to pick you up at night?”

Tao Mu shook his head: “It is likely that Yao Dad and Xiao Qi Dad will come to pick me up at night.”

Li Xiaoheng said: “Your Yao Dad and Xiao Qi Dad didn’t sleep last night, so let them rest. I will ask Lao Zhang to pick you up at night.”

Tao Mu thought for a while, and felt that his Yao Dad and Xiao Qi Dadi hadn’t slept well for two consecutive days and two nights, so they should take a good rest.

“Well then, I must trouble you.”

Li Xiaoheng suddenly smiled and said, “It’s no trouble at all.”

After a pause, he said: “I will call you tonight. Let’s have dinner first, and then I’ll take you home.”

“Just head back to school directly.” Tao Mu said, “I have class tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Li Xiaoheng hooked up the corners of his mouth, and the facial contours that had always been cold and deep became a little softer.

Tao Mu bid farewell to Li Xiaoheng, went straight into the office building, and then up to Guo Yaning’s studio.

Guo Yaning was already waiting in the dressing room next to the studio. She was also excited the whole last night and didn’t sleep much as well. After midnight, she reluctantly removed the makeup and washed up. The next morning, she opened her eyes and crawled over to the studio, waiting for Tao Mu to continue to give her a beautiful domineering older sister look.

But, Tao Mu did not apply the domineering older sister makeup, but a South Korean style nude makeup——because part of Guo Yaning’s MV was reminiscing the youthful years and pure love with her first love boyfriend in high school.

Tao Mu felt that compared with other makeup looks which appeared a bit heavy, nude makeup was better to show off the pure side of girls. Moreover, with nude makeup and a dozen of soft light filters placed at that time, Tao Mu was confident that he could shoot Guo Yaning to look better than an eighteen-year-old girl.

But when he explained the concept of nude makeup to Guo Yaning, everyone misunderstood. Guo Yaning’s agent, Ms. Zhou Fengxuan, said in a faltering manner: “…..Well, although our Ya Ning has also gone the sexy route before, but I think it’s not appropriate to take nude shots for our MV today? Isn’t the scale a bit too big?”

Tao Mu was dumbfounded when he heard this, and it took a long while to react: “Nude makeup is not makeup painted while naked, but the makeup looks like one has put on any makeup——”

What big scale, Tao Mu was speechless.

“Oh, oh, oh,” Zhou Fengxuan and the others also reacted and immediately expressed their understanding. However, they slandered Tao Mu’s naming style as too dirty: “You can’t blame us. You say, why call your newly invented makeup such a name. Can’t blame us for thinking too much, right?”

Was this name something I came up?

In Tao Mu’s heart, there were almost 10,000 grass mud horses whizzing past, and he didn’t even have the strength to complain: “…..It is said that the lewd sees lewdness and the wise sees wisdom, you all are obviously the dirty one who sees dirtiness, okay. What does it have to do with my makeup? Besides, isn’t the name of the makeup quite appropriate. It’s all your own random thoughts…..”

Tao Mu defended himself while putting makeup on Guo Yaning. After the makeup look came out, it naturally caused another round of gasps of amazement in the studio.

During the shooting, Tao Mu asked the lighting techs to apply various soft filters together, so the overall effect was as one could imagine. It was simply beautiful, aesthetic, and fresh.

Guo Yaning and Zhou Fengxuan were immediately impressed: “No wonder netizens praise Tao Mu for being the friend of women. This makeup technique, this shooting technique, there is no one else. If you don’t enter the fashion industry, it will be a waste.”

Tao Mu wondered in his heart, when have I gained the title of “Friend of Women”, how come I don’t know. But he didn’t mind about Guo Yaning and Zhou Fengxuan’s teasing. In the afternoon, they went to a school campus for live shooting. Guo Yaning originally wanted to persuade Tao Mu to take the male lead role, but Tao Mu refused on the grounds of “concentrating on being a photographer and not being distracted.”

Guo Yaning was a bit regretful, but she was also very grateful: “If you don’t want to, then it’s fine. Say, if your beautiful face appeared with me, wouldn’t it just turn me into a wallflower. Originally, I’m just an old cucumber painted with new green paint, pretending to be tender here.”

The most important thing was that Tao Mu’s shooting skills were too expert, and he liked to use various filters and soft light when shooting, which other photographers did not. Guo Yaning was also worried that Tao Mu’s distraction would cause the quality of the MV to drop. So according to the original plan, Wang Boyuan was invited to come as a guest actor.

——The “Faraway Jianghu” starring the two of them had been set for the Lunar New Year. Valentine’s Day also coincided with the release period of “Faraway Jianghu”. Guo Yaning invited Wang Boyuan to appear in the MV pit of friendship, and of course, in order to stir up a wave of enthusiasm.

Wang Boyuan also intended to compete for this year’s best screen couple award, and he was naturally willing to cooperate. Besides, Guo Yaning was also a super A-list actress in China, with very high popularity and presence on the Internet. It was also a benefit for Wang Boyuan himself to be CPs at work with such a female star.

It was just that after seeing Tao Mu, the photographer, Wang Boyuan was a little embarrassed.

In fact, Wang Boyuan was the first to hand over an olive branch to Tao Mu in the crew of “Faraway Jianghu”. It was a pity that Tao Mu was discredited twice before, but out of cautious consideration, Wang Boyuan’s management team did not agree with Wang Boyuan standing out and speaking for Tao Mu when the incident was still unclear. Every time the dust settled, Wang Boyuan would come forward to explain. After several times of this, the relationship between the two became a bit estranged. On the contrary, it was not even as close as the relationship between Guo Yaning and Tao Mu, who had ignored Tao Mu at the beginning in the crew.

If Tao Mu were to comment, Wang Boyuan’s vision and personality might be more steady than Guo Yaning, but he was bound by his managing team and was always too cautious and indecisive when he did things. Safe was safe, but sometimes it was inevitable that opportunities would be missed. Unlike Guo Yaning, even her attitude was not as friendly at the beginning, so long as she made up her mind to befriend someone, she would have no hesitation and fiercely pursue it, making others feel embarrassed if they didn’t accept it. Moreover, Guo Yaning ran her own studio, so she didn’t have to worry about the company’s thinking. Coupled with the full support of her agent, Zhou Fengxuan, it was natural she did things more decisively than Wang Boyuan.

Wang Boyuan was to be a guest male protagonist for Guo Yaning’s MV. He also had two makeup looks. One was the white-collar elite style at the beginning, and the other was the same 18-year-old student makeup as Guo Yaning.

As a domestic superstar, Wang Boyuan naturally had his own team of makeup artists. But in order to unify the style of the MV, Tao Mu must do it personally for him as well. At first, Wang Boyuan’s makeup team was a little unhappy, but after seeing the South Korean style little fresh meat makeup carefully painted by Tao Mu for Wang Boyuan, directly reducing the 30-year-old Wang Boyuan to a 20-year-old exquisite and fashionable young man. Coupled with a dozen of soft light filters, there was absolutely no problem in pretending to be an eighteen-year-old school hunk.

Wang Boyuan’s makeup team no longer said anything.

In a hurry, Tao Mu first took a set of 18-year-old  Wang Boyuan and Guo Yaning stills, and then immediately pulled the shooting team to the school that had been scheduled to shoot the memory part.

Sitting in the classroom and reading, running in the corridor, and strolling on the campus grounds where the snow piled up.

Snowflakes fluttered down one after another, and the two of them walked out a heart shaped path on the empty snow covered campus grounds, making snowmen and playing snowball fights in the heavy snow. It was simply too artistically beautiful.

——After the filming was finished in one afternoon, everyone was frozen stiff.

In the evening, Guo Yaning paid to treat everyone in the working group to hot pot nearby. During the period, Guo Yaning held the camera without letting go, and kept complimenting Tao Mu’s photography skills: “It’s so beautiful. Tao Mu, you are really amazing. Wow. You are so handsome and so rich at such a young age. And you even know how to take amazing pictures and videos. How can you let other male actors in the entertainment industry live.”

Wang *other male actor* Boyuan touched his nose: “Ya Ning is right. When Tao Mu enters the entertainment circle, it is estimated that all female artists will want to have you be their boyfriend.”

While talking, the waitress opened the door and came in to serve the food. Tao Mu casually glanced in the direction of the waitress, and was stunned: “Zhang Hanya?”

Zhang Hanya was also stunned: “Tao, Tao Mu?” Guo Yaning rented the filming location in Xicheng District. Beijing Film was in Dongcheng District. Zhang Hanya didn’t expect Tao Mu to come here for dinner. And with big stars like Guo Yaning and Wang Boyuan.

Tao Mu introduced to the others: “This is a friend of mine.”

He then asked Zhang Hanya again: “Are you using the weekend for part time jobs while studying?”

Zhang Hanya hesitated for a moment and then nodded. She glanced at Tao Mu, and said nothing in the end, putting down the dishes and going out.

Tao Mu thought for a while, and followed out: “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay.” Zhang Hanya responded in a low voice. She was actually very grateful to Tao Mu. If it weren’t for Tao Mu, she might have been ruined in this life. But when Tao Mu was discredited, she did not stand up to speak for Tao Mu.

She was not as courageous as Yun Duo and Wu Xiaoxuan, who were not afraid of anything. She was really afraid that people around her would viciously speculate on her after they knew what happened to her. Moreover, her family always cursed Tao Mu for being vicious, so that every time they went out, they had to be pointed at and talked about by their old neighbors. Her aunts even complained to her, saying that if it were not for her, they would not have provoked Tao Mu. Now great, since their bosses saw the news, they refused to hire them as babysitters. She was an unlucky star and it was all her fault.

Her uncle didn’t mind, he was originally a man who had a long list of vices and was usually scolded by others, so he had become accustomed to it. He even advised her to look more openly. In fact, Zhang Hanya felt that she was quite open minded. She had even lived through such a dangerous situation, so what else couldn’t she face in the future?

No matter how bad things were, they would not be as bad as being trafficked and sold into the mountains. Even if her mother refused to pay for college, she could still work on her own and wait until she saved up her tuition fees before applying to night college classes.

That night, Zhang Hanya returned home with exhaustion. Her aunt and uncle were quarreling again. Her aunt complained that her uncle knew nothing but gambling and drinking all day long, and that a grown man like him couldn’t even support his family. Uncle said indifferently that which family was not the same. The people living nearby were all poor people, and their pockets were cleaner than their faces. And it was only this run down house worth a few yuan.

“I didn’t bring money back home. But I didn’t let you and our son sleep on the streets, did I? You were a migrant worker girl who married me and got a Beijing household registration. You now live in such a large courtyard within the Third Ring Road. You should just be content. Look at the little friends you used to work with. Who has your treatment? Either they returned to their hometowns, or they are renting a house with their husband outside the Fifth Ring Road despite their advanced ages. This is Beijing, you know.”

“Pei, you only know to compare with those migrant workers. Why don’t you compare with your neighbors? What man doesn’t bring money home on a monthly basis? Just speaking of that old Tao in the courtyard house next door, he has even become rich.”

“Who did you hear that from?” Zhang Dafu sneered, “It’s not that I look down on old Tao. Tao Haiguo, who can’t even make a fart despite three hits from a stick, can only bring 2,000 yuan a month back home. Him getting rich, are you dreaming?”

“What dreaming? I heard it with my own ears. Didn’t Tao Dabao always quarrel with his mother and complain that their family is poor and that his classmates laugh at him. His mother said it personally, saying that their family would be rich soon. That they will move into a big house, a high-end apartment building within the Third Ring Road. That they won’t be staying here anymore and after a while, they will sell their house to collect enough money for a down payment.”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

“Impossible.” Zhang Dafu stood up suddenly: “Where did their family get so much money? And even buying a new apartment? Do you know how expensive Beijing’s house prices are?”

“How do I know.” Zhang Dafu’s wife gave him an eye roll, turned her head to see Zhang Hanya who was standing in the room in a daze, and she immediately cursed: “You damn girl, what are you doing just standing there? Go to bed already or are you not going to work tomorrow morning?”

If you would like to show some ♡  then please consider supporting this translator! ლ(⌒εー)ლ

Prev