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The crystal chandelier at the "Hongtu Club" illuminated the private rooms brightly.

Ding Zhiyuan had lost count of how many drinks he had been persuaded to drink; his gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses had become somewhat unfocused.

At this moment, Qiu Lisu's slender hand rested on his shoulder, and the scent of Chanel No. 5 mixed with the smell of alcohol made his temples throb.

"Zhiyuan, could you please take another look at President Li's manuscript?" Qiu Lisu shoved a stack of papers into his hand. "It's just a matter of signing your name, after all."

Ding Zhiyuan managed to focus his gaze.

Below the title "Thirty-Six Strategies for Success" on the manuscript paper, it is prominently printed with "Recommendation Preface: Professor Ding Zhiyuan of Donghua University".

A wave of nausea suddenly surged in his stomach. This kind of lowbrow, sensational writing was trying to gild his academic reputation.
"No! Absolutely not!" He struggled to his feet, but stumbled and knocked over a vase.

Amidst the shards of porcelain, Li Fendou's oily face came closer.

This nouveau riche, who made his fortune in health products, rubbed his hands together with a fawning smile. "Professor Ding, I sponsored the venue for your last lecture, so you can't refuse me that favor!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Qiu Lisu slipped the pen between Ding Zhiyuan's fingers: "That's right! Zhiyuan, just to give me face, okay?"

“Lisu, I…”

Her lips almost touched his earlobe, "Zhiyuan, if you sign today, I'll wear the outfit you like tonight..."

Ding Zhiyuan's hand trembled as it hovered over the paper.

Alcohol blurred his moral compass, and ultimately, under Qiu Lisu's guidance, the three characters "Ding Zhiyuan" were still written crookedly on the paper.

After signing, he slumped onto the sofa, vaguely hearing Li Fendou excitedly making a phone call: "Haha, yes! Professor Ding's preface! An additional 50,000 copies will be printed!"

……

The recording site of "The Philosopher Says".

The moment the red light in the studio came on, Zhong Ning knew that this episode was over.

Ding Zhiyuan was still lecturing on "Heidegger's Thoughts on Being" in front of the camera, but the real-time viewership had already dropped to 0.3%.

"Cut!" Zhong Ning rushed into the recording area. "Professor Ding! The station director just called. If this continues, the show will be canceled!"

Ding Zhiyuan slowly closed "Being and Time": "Hmph! The masses are not worthy of understanding philosophy."

"Screw your philosophy!" Zhong Ning slammed the tablet onto the control panel. "The audience wants to hear down-to-earth stuff, not your metaphysics!"

"Zhong Ning, I know you're Hu Manli's best friend, but I hope you can keep your work and personal life separate," Ding Zhiyuan suddenly said disdainfully, taking off the microphone.

Zhong Ning's face turned deathly pale.

She never imagined that Ding Zhiyuan could be so selfish, with only himself in his heart.

At this moment, Zhong Ning suddenly felt sorry for her best friend Hu Manli, thinking that giving her all for such a man was like wasting her life.

Three years ago, the young scholar who was willing to explain the wisdom of the Analects for the sake of ratings has now become a self-absorbed and pedantic intellectual.

“Ding Zhiyuan, listen to me,” she said in a low voice, “Why is Qiu Lisu suddenly so keen on organizing a book club for you? Why is Li Fendou providing you with a venue for free? They are just using your fame. If you don’t cherish your reputation and make changes in time, your end will be very tragic.”

Ding Zhiyuan coldly interrupted, "Hmph! Zhong Ning, what's the difference between you and them? You're just living off my fame."

When he turned around, the back of his suit jacket was still stained with wine from the previous night.

"..." Zhong Ning was completely stunned at this moment.

Wang Xue, who was standing nearby, had witnessed the argument between Zhong Ning and Ding Zhiyuan and naturally sided with Zhong Ning.

However, Ding Zhiyuan is now too arrogant and cannot listen to other people's opinions.

“Suning, do you know? The ‘Philosopher’ is about to go under.”

"Is Ding Zhiyuan very stubborn?"

"Yes, he talks about highbrow things all the time, but his agent suggests that he should be more down-to-earth."

"Don't worry! I assure you, Ding Zhiyuan's demise will not affect you."

"Hehe, such strong self-confidence?"

"Wang Xue, don't you know my strength perfectly well?"

"Huh? You scoundrel! Shameless!"

……

The smell of disinfectant in the VIP ward of Huadong Hospital was mixed with the fragrance of lilies.

Ai Zhonghua leaned against the headboard. His brush with death had made him understand many things.

Of course, after hearing the secretary's account of that dramatic human drama, and hearing that her son Ai Linjiang had not yet appeared, she undoubtedly felt extremely disappointed.

Ai Linjiang clenched his fists beside the hospital bed; he still couldn't accept having an older brother.

He felt he had been deceived by his father, and that the mutual support between his parents was all a sham.

"Dad, back then, Ma Xiaowei's mother and you..."

“That’s right! I really did wrong them, mother and son.” Ai Zhonghua suddenly became agitated. “Linjiang, I hope you can understand about the insurance I bought for him last time.”

"..."

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the ward door.

Hu Manli walked in with a fruit basket and Suning, who was also holding a claim document.

"Mr. Ai, you look much better." Hu Manli skillfully adjusted the IV drip rate.

Ai Zhonghua suddenly grabbed her hand, "Hey, can we add a beneficiary to that critical illness insurance policy?"

The air solidified instantly.

Ai Linjiang suddenly looked up, and Su Ning and Hu Manli were also extremely surprised.

Everyone in the ward understood what the old man was thinking: that illegitimate son who had suddenly appeared was going to take away the property that originally belonged to Ai Linjiang.

“President Ai, theoretically it’s possible,” Su Ning answered first, “but the consent of the original beneficiary is required.”

Then he glanced meaningfully at Ai Linjiang.

Ai Zhonghua closed his eyes wearily.

Suddenly, a quarrel broke out outside the ward, followed by a nurse's scream.

Ma Xiaowei rushed in with a worried expression and knelt down in front of the bed.

He clung tightly to Ai Zhonghua's leg, pleading, "Dad, I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! Please forgive me, okay?"

Hu Manli and Su Ning exchanged a glance.

This clumsy self-inflicted injury ploy is unlikely to fool even Alzheimer's patients.

But Ai Zhonghua's trembling hands showed that he was feeling very complicated...

Especially when Ma Xiaowei took out a photo of himself and his mother, Ai Zhonghua's thoughts were brought back to those years.

……

Taiying Insurance.

Tang Ling was furious about Su Han's success, but then she became very pleased with Suning's resources.

"Yichang, I'm giving you a task now: make sure you figure out Suning's resources."

"What's the point of investigating this? He's so handsome, he must be selling his ass."

"Hmph! If selling my ass could bring in such a large number of orders, I'd rather sell my ass every day."

"This……"

"Yichang, you've been working in the insurance industry for a long time, you should understand what big clients value."

"Understood! I'll try to find out right away."

"Ah."

After Yi Chang left the office, Tang Ling couldn't help but think of "selling her buttocks" again, and a bold idea came to her mind.

……

At the "Cloud" Western restaurant on the 68th floor of the Lujiazui World Financial Center, Hu Manli gave a standard smile to the phone camera.

The Hermès scarf was tied into a perfect Windsor knot around the neck, concealing the already pilling shirt collar.

"Could you please take another picture? I need to capture the river view." She handed her phone to the waiter, her fingers discreetly wiping the coupon QR code.

That's Meituan's signature tiramisu set meal for 49 yuan, which includes a cup of Americano.

Five minutes later, a nine-grid photo appeared on WeChat Moments: "[New job negotiation, the client insisted on choosing this place [coffee]]" The accompanying photos were a close-up of tiramisu and a view of the Huangpu River, and the location was described as a "cloud restaurant" shimmering with gold.

"Manli!" Sun Jie, the first long-time customer to arrive, looked around in surprise. "You really switched to another insurance company?"

Hu Manli stirred her coffee gracefully: "Yes! After all, a tree dies when transplanted, but a person thrives."

"So, the insurance my family bought from Lanyang Insurance?"

"Don't worry! Auntie knew about this a long time ago, and I will continue to follow up on your orders."

“Manli, this is why my mother and I believe in you.”

Then Hu Manli pushed the dessert plate to the opposite side, "Try it! It was made by the Italian chef himself."

"it is good."

After seeing Sun Jie off, Hu Manli continued to entertain the next client, and in this way, she made the greatest profit with forty-nine yuan.

Hu Manli finally breathed a sigh of relief when the last customer left.

She beckoned to the waiter who had been holding back his laughter: "Could you please pack this up for me?"

After noticing the other person's expression, he added, "It's for feeding stray cats."

As I walked out of the restaurant, the lights of Lujiazui were just coming on in the twilight.

Hu Manli carried the snack box and headed straight for the subway station ahead, because she had already sold her car.

……

The fishy smell of seafood market is overwhelming.

On Mr. Chen's stall, there were still dark red bloodstains inside several oyster shells.

"This is where I cut my finger," Mr. Chen gestured, the missing half of his index finger a horrifying sight. "But the insurance company said seafood knives aren't covered by accident insurance!"

Hu Manli forced herself to look closer, despite feeling uncomfortable.

She specially changed into flat shoes and jeans today, and her Chanel jacket was a second-hand item she bought on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace app).

“Article 17 of the policy,” she said, pulling a magnifying glass from her bag, “Special Occupation Additional Clause… You filled in ‘sole proprietor’ instead of ‘seafood worker’.”

She suddenly flashed a confident smile, "But insurance law stipulates that changes in occupation require written confirmation from both parties..."

Mr. Chen's cloudy eyes lit up: "Miss Hu, so what do you mean?"

“I’ll bring a photographer tomorrow, and you can demonstrate the injury process again.” Hu Manli started recording on her phone. “By the way, who else in the market has bought unreliable insurance?”

When she left, she had three business cards and a bag of free abalone in her bag.

……

The air in the studio was frozen solid, like vodka.

Ding Zhiyuan stared at the contract his agent pushed towards him; the words "sea cucumber health benefits" on it stung his eyes.

"Interrupting a philosophy program with 'sea cucumber as an aphrodisiac'?" His voice was distorted with anger. "You might as well let me sell aphrodisiacs!"

"Professor Ding," the agent reminded Ding Zhiyuan with a disdainful look, "when you wrote the preface for Li Fendou's book, why didn't you talk about academic dignity?"

“I…” Ding Zhiyuan’s face turned deathly pale instantly.

The book "Li Fendou's Struggle" has been piled up in bookstores, and his signed preface has been made into a roll-up banner and placed in the most conspicuous position.

"That was fraud!" He stood up abruptly, but his explanation sounded particularly weak. "I was drunk at the time..."

“The audience doesn’t care,” his agent, Zhong Ning, interrupted him. “They only see the fact that you’re endorsing trash.”

"..."

Then she pulled up the latest viewership data, saying, "If this continues, there won't be any 'philosopher's words' next quarter."

Ding Zhiyuan, however, grabbed the contract and tore it in half.

As the fragments fell like snowflakes, he saw a flicker of pity in Zhong Ning's eyes, just like the look Hu Manli had given him when he resigned to focus on academics.

"If you don't have it, you don't have it." He turned and left, seemingly genuinely disdainful of it all.

……

Qiu Lisu's apartment was filled with the scent of sandalwood.

When Ding Zhiyuan barged in, she was sending a voice message to Li Fendou: "If the book sells well, let's cooperate again next time..."

"Cooperation?" Ding Zhiyuan snatched the phone away. "You know perfectly well how disgusting that book is!"

Qiu Lisu calmly painted her nails: "The readers love it! The first print run of 50,000 copies sold out in seconds."

She blew on her bright red nail polish. "It must have sold more than your book, 'Lectures on Being and Time,' right?"

"Hmph! I'm going to hold a press conference to clarify." Ding Zhiyuan grabbed his coat. "I'm also going to sue Li Fendou for copyright infringement."

"You dare!" Qiu Lisu's expression finally changed. "Who was it that asked me to introduce him to a publishing house? Who said that the academic circle was ostracizing him?"

"I……"

Ding Zhiyuan staggered backward.

"Get out." Qiu Lisu opened the door. "Come back to me when you've figured out who art should serve."

During the thirty seconds the elevator descended, Ding Zhiyuan stared at his distorted reflection in the mirror.

My phone vibrated at that moment; it was an email from the TV station: "Notice Regarding the Suspension of Filming for the 'Philosopher's Talk' Program."

……

After the seafood market closed, Hu Manli took Mr. Chen's insurance policy back to study it.

Su Ning suddenly appeared in front of Hu Manli, holding two cups of hot milk tea in his hand.

Hu Manli, however, seemed particularly surprised and delighted. "Why are you here?"

"See that sleazy guy at the door?" Su Ning asked, leaning closer to Hu Manli and pointing him out.

"Who is he?" Hu Manli turned her head and asked, suppressing her ambiguity and shyness.

"Yi Chang, a henchman of Tang Ling of Taiying International."

"Following me?" Hu Manli asked without looking up.

"No! Tang Ling sent someone to follow me, probably to find out about my resources." Su Ning handed over the milk tea.

"Hmph! Tang Ling is still as ruthless as ever." Hu Manli sneered.

However, Su Ning stared at Hu Manli's eyes ambiguously again and said, "My resource is you! I believe you won't cooperate with her."

"..." The ambiguous atmosphere made Hu Manli feel a little shy, so she quickly changed the subject and brought up a new case, "Su Ning, I found out that Boss Chen's case can be settled for 80,000 yuan, and there are five similar cases in the market..."

“If we help them get their compensation back, we will naturally gain their trust.” Su Ning immediately understood what Hu Manli meant.

“That’s right! That’s exactly what I think.” Hu Manli was pleasantly surprised to see Su Ning’s keen insight.

"Also, are you interested in that Xue Xiaozhou?"

"What do you mean?"

"He was kicked out by Tang Ling! I want to recruit him into our team."

"What qualifications does he have?"

"He dropped out of law school! He is very clear about all laws and regulations. In addition, he is Qiu Lisu's stepson, the son of Qiu Lisu's second husband."

"How...how do you know so much?"

"I know a lot of secrets, you won't lose out by cooperating with me."

"So what percentage are you planning to give him?"

“I’ll give him 10% first, and once he proves his ability, I’ll give him 50% from you.”

"4.5:4:1.5?"

"Yes! How does it feel?"

"Not good! I enjoyed working with you and don't want anyone else to join us."

"You can take your time to think about it! There's no rush."

……

(End of this chapter)