Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 494 Good and Evil, Sin and Punishment

Lu Kuan saw Xiao Liu sitting opposite him raising an eyebrow in acknowledgment, and nodded knowingly to the others in the video conference:
"Mike, you take charge of this matter and help improve the smoothness of the domestic ticketing system in terms of multi-threading."

"Yes, Boss."

Mr. Lu nodded and smiled, "Merry Christmas in advance, everyone. I'll be there in a couple of days. See you then."

Okay, that's all for today.

With a "beep", the video conference ended.

This is his use of his forward-thinking perspective to lead the improvement of the online ticketing system, which is under development in both China and the United States.

Mike Solomon, a brilliant architect from the United States, and the development team of Netflix's big data C software attended the meeting to optimize the technical architecture of the ticketing system, including multi-threaded concurrent processing and dynamic load balancing.

Among these points, Lu Kuan emphasized several requirements:
For example, given the limited availability of 3G and unstable mobile networks in China, unpaid orders can be temporarily saved on the PC using HTML5 local storage to prevent data loss during network outages.

For example, pre-setting ticket subsidies, limiting subsidies for popular shows to prevent scalpers from profiting, and verifying CAPTCHAs for multiple orders placed from the same IP address within a short period of time.

Of course, there's also the cross-platform account system built for all of Wenjie's registered software, providing users with maximum convenience.

Lu Kuan took off his headphones: "What's wrong?"

"Come and see this news."

Boss Lu shifted his position and sat down next to her. It was a news report that Liu Yifei had just found on the official website of Jinling City through a pop-up news window.

"Recently, the archaeological excavation of the Great Bao'en Temple site in our city unearthed the Buddhist sacred relic, the 'Skull Relic of Sakyamuni Buddha,' a discovery that has caused a sensation at home and abroad."

"The municipal party committee and government attach great importance to this. The Jiangning District government, together with the planning department, launched a top-level design and initially proposed the core concept of 'repairing the sky, hiding the underground palace, repairing the lotus path, and presenting the twin pagodas,' aiming to restore the Xifeng Mountain damaged by mining and recreate the magnificent scene of 'two peaks standing opposite each other' in history."

Lu Kuan was stunned. He hadn't paid much attention to this in his previous life. So this is when the Buddha's crown relic was created.

Nowadays, when people travel to Nanjing, they usually visit two places.

One is the Great Temple of Gratitude, built by Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) for Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma.

One reason is the appearance of the Buddha's skull relic in 2008, which led to the construction of a grand Buddhist palace complex on Niushou Mountain, the birthplace of the "Niutou School" of Zen Buddhism.

Zeng Wenxiu's tomb is located next to a wild lake within this planned scenic area, which is also known locally as Zheng He Lake.

"The road is wide, should we...?"

Xiao Liu didn't know what to say. She was planning to take her child to pay respects when she had some free time, but she never expected to see this news.

Zeng Wenxiu was the secret Liu Yifei knew most about her husband. Even though he had never formally explained her identity as his mother, it did not prevent her from becoming an unspoken topic between the two of them.

The man made no attempt to hide anything and frankly asked, "You mean you want to move the tombstone?"

Liu Yifei said after careful consideration, "I'm worried that if this place becomes a tourist attraction, it will be noisy with people coming and going, and it will disturb her, making it inconvenient for us to visit her."

"Our family estate is so big, wouldn't it be nice to move Mom's grave here and keep her by our side all the time?"

Xiao Liu's suggestion was indeed a good idea, but Lu Kuan thought about it and decided against it: "She is a painter, born with a free and unrestrained soul. The wind by the wild lake, the mist in the mountains, and the occasional bird song are what accompany her. No matter how big this place is, it can't cultivate the rustic charm of the countryside."

"If we really move her, it would be like forcibly confining her from her most comfortable place."

"never mind."

Liu Yifei smiled and said, "Okay, then let her continue to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Our whole family will have to buy annual passes for the scenic area from now on."

Mr. Lu smiled, his eyes sweeping over the Great Bao'en Temple in the news, when a thought suddenly popped into his head: "Why don't we learn from Zhu Di?"

“He built a temple for his elderly mother. I should contact the local government and see if we can set aside a piece of land nearby for separate development.”

Xiao Liu asked, bewildered, "What?"

This relates to the origin of the Buddha's skull relic unearthed at the Great Bao'en Temple. It was originally brought to Jinling by the Indian monk Shi Hu during the Northern Song Dynasty and enshrined in the underground palace of the Changgan Temple Pagoda, about 7 meters below the surface.

Mr. Lu explained, "After Zhu Di's Jingnan Campaign, in order to enhance the legitimacy of his succession, he built an imperial temple to pray for the late emperor and his birth mother, Empress Ma."

"According to the Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, his birth mother was someone else. So he secretly built a memorial hall for his birth mother, Consort Gong, in the underground palace of the Great Bao'en Temple, with a hidden shrine and a gold book. The truth of the matter is unknown."

"It is said that this was instructed by a high monk to use the Buddha to testify about his mother and to suppress slander through filial piety."

Lu Kuan laughed and said, "We're not as powerful as Judy, but we can still fence off some land for my mother and build her a yard so she won't be disturbed too much."

Xiao Liu smiled broadly, patting her lower abdomen: "Then let's do it right away. There's no time like the present, let's go and pay our respects in the next couple of days?"

"My belly will be bigger in two months, and it will be inconvenient for me to go out."

After calculating the time, Mr. Lu realized that it wouldn't interfere with his business trip to the United States and that he also needed to handle all the matters before Huayi's extraordinary shareholders' meeting, so he immediately agreed.

Lu Kuan himself had close ties with the local government of Nanjing because of "The Sky of History".

After settling the film's revenue, Wenjie donated 5000 million RMB to several public welfare venues in the area, including the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Liji Lane Comfort Station Site Museum, and the Folk Anti-Japanese War Museum. Wenjie and he have an excellent reputation in Nanjing.

The official matters were handed over to Chen Zhixi, whose little secretary had long since grown into a capable and independent woman.

Soon, Wenjie registered a non-profit cultural foundation called "Jinling Cultural Heritage Protection Foundation" under its auspices, with Liu Yifei nominally serving as the foundation's president.

The foundation has made initial contact with relevant departments in Nanjing and will invest in the scenic area development project in the form of donations, requesting to obtain planning rights for the Zhenghe Lake area.

With the personal involvement of President Liu Yifei, the area will be designed as a "Quiet Contemplation Forest" with walls and ecological barriers.

On the afternoon of the 6th, Lu Kuan and Liu Yifei personally went to Jinling.

The three cars remained parked at the entrance of Shiao Village. The two men, disguised, avoided the crowd and walked towards the lake. The villagers they encountered along the way all had excited smiles on their faces.

It is reported that a cultural tourism area costing more than 50 billion yuan will be completed in the next few years, and land acquisition will begin next year. At that time, a group of local residents will be able to get rich first.

It was early winter, and the vegetation in the mountains was withered, but the pines and cypresses still stood tall, and the withered yellow leaves covered the stone steps.

A thin mist shrouded the mountainside, the eaves of a small temple in the distance were faintly visible, the sound of bells was distant, the mountain wind was biting, and occasionally crows flew across the gray sky.

The couple walked hand in hand toward the lake. The winter in Nanjing was just as harsh as in Beijing, but Liu Yifei, wearing a thick pink coat, had her nose already damp with sweat after walking for a while.

The weather was damp and cold, and the wild grass was covered with frost. The road was wide, and I was worried that it would be slippery. I held my wife's shoulders tightly and walked deeper into the area, my eyes filled with longing for the "original scenery of my hometown" from my previous life.

My thoughts drifted, and it seemed as if I could really hear this ocarina piece.

Xiao Liu said contentedly, "Guess when was the first time I came here?"

Boss Lu hesitated for a few seconds: "It should be when we were filming 'Sky', right?"

"You're so clever, little fairy!" Liu Yifei smiled, revealing a dimple. "I think this was all arranged by heaven, isn't it?"

"I met Li Ming's adoptive mother in 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' when I was filming 'The Sky of History.' Her name suddenly caught my eye, and at that moment I almost instinctively held my breath."

"Because I've heard you mention it before."

Lu Kuan asked curiously, "Really?"

"When you were in a coma in your hospital bed at West China Hospital."

Mr. Lu was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered the car accident he had staged himself three years ago, and how he had flashed back to his previous life before his sudden death while he was unconscious.

I also remembered the Huang Yimei poster on the CBD screen in another world; it turns out she had already known so much by chance.

The little immortal sighed, "You overheard the fragments of my dream, which led to the Buddhist concept of cause and effect, reincarnation, and the entanglement of karma."

"It seems you were a spider demon in your past life, and in this life you caused me to fall into the Spider Cave, where we are entangled so deeply that I can't get out."

Liu Yifei looked at him teasingly: "Aren't you disappointed that I'm the only one in the Spider Cave?"

Turning the corner of the mountain path, Zeng Wenxiu's tombstone came into view. Lu Kuan's expression changed: "You devil! Don't talk nonsense, I'm a respectable person."

The girl covered her mouth and chuckled, seeing him act like a child in front of his mother, a side of him she had never seen before.

For more than half a year, no one had taken care of it. Wild grass grew wildly beside the tombstone, withered vines entwined the bluestone, and a few stubborn dandelions sprouted from the cracks in the base of the tombstone, swaying gently in the cold wind.

A thin layer of frost covered the grave, and fallen leaves and pine needles carpeted the ground, making this small area blend seamlessly with the surrounding mountains and fields, much like her free-spirited personality during her lifetime.

Mr. Lu took out a folding shovel, a small sickle, and a soft brush from his backpack and quickly cleaned up the area in front of the monument.

"Sit here and don't move around, I'm about to get started."

"I'm not that delicate. With my physique, I could easily be called the strongest pregnant woman in all of China." The pregnant woman couldn't bend over, but Xiao Liu stubbornly took out a rag and a thermos from his bag.

The hot water in the thermos was used to melt ice and make it easier to wipe the tombstone.

Lu Kuan smiled and got to work, squatting down to clear the weeds.

Amidst the rustling sound of the sickle blade slicing through the withered stem, Liu Yifei was not idle either, gently wiping away the dust from the surface of the monument with a warm cloth.

The lakeside was damp with moisture, and the winter weeds had clumped together. It had taken a lot of effort to clear the road, but Xiao Liu had already finished. The three small, gilded characters "Zeng Wenxiu" were gradually revealed, gleaming with a warm luster under the winter sun.

"I'm done. Can you help me?"

Boss Lu looked up at his wife, who was smiling sweetly and had beautiful features, and said with a smile, "It'll be ready soon. Talk to her."

"Huh? What are you saying?" Xiao Liu was inexplicably nervous.

"What did you say last time?"

Liu Yifei blinked her phoenix eyes and chuckled sweetly, "I forgot, I suppose that was a bit rude."

Lu Kuan tied up the weeds in his hand, preparing to throw them far away, and then laughed when he heard this: "Her personality is the most carefree. She never cares about these formalities. When she looks at you, her eyes are full of smiles, which is very warm."

He looked at the beautiful and refined young woman and said, "Your smile is a bit like hers."

"I'll go pick some more wildflowers to decorate the place. Be careful."

As Xiao Liu watched her husband walk away, she turned back to look at Zeng Wenxiu's gentle face on the tombstone. The lake breeze swept through the stray hairs at her temples, turning the winter sun into fine gold foil that adorned her eyelashes.

Although she knew she wasn't Lu Kuan's biological mother, she suddenly felt that the eyes and eyebrows in the photo resembled her husband's by a third, both exuding the same carefree and unrestrained spirit, yet also revealing a sense of resilience.

It makes sense; what a gentle yet strong woman she must have been to raise an abandoned baby all by herself in that era.

"Mom, Lu Kuan and I have come to see you."

"Sorry, I didn't recognize you last time we met. You didn't recognize me either, right? Haha!"

Liu Yifei thought that she should be more relaxed and smile more sweetly, so that she might be more liked by her.

The girl unconsciously placed her palm on her slightly protruding belly, a gesture that had recently become a habit, like holding a star nestled in a cotton cloud: "By the way, Mom, I'm pregnant. You're going to be a grandma."

"They are twins. You can already see the two little ones huddled together. Once they are born and a bit older, we will bring them to see you."

Suddenly, the mountain mist swept over the daisies in front of the monument, enveloping the two of them in a soft, frosted glass-like light.

"Thank you for bringing Lukuan to my side. You are a great mother. I want to learn from you and teach them to be good people and successful."

"Um..." Liu Yifei was at a loss for words. Suddenly, she remembered something and smiled, "How about I recite a poem? It's the one that Lu Kuan wrote on the back when he was drawing the storyboard for the foster mother in 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'."

"I was bored at home these past few days and tried to draw like him, so I saw this. He must have written it when he was thinking of you."

The girl cleared her throat:
The moment the new buds kick away the spring mud

Every inch of soil is your warm embrace.

I love clumsily, with all the madness of my childhood.

You responded to me with the clarity of existence.
Until you leave, take all the clouds and light of the world with you.

. . .

“Yes, I understand.” The sound of her husband’s approaching footsteps interrupted Liu Yifei. She was about to turn around and share the poem when she noticed that the man’s face was clouded with gloom.

"Wide road?"

"Huh?" Boss Lu looked up, stepped out of the shadows of the woods, and looked at them with a gentle smile on his face, as if nothing had happened.

Liu Yifei asked curiously, "Why did you look so pale just now?"

"It's nothing, I just stepped in dog poop." He changed the subject: "What were you talking about?"

"I won't tell you!" Liu Yifei smiled and said, "I've already started thinking about how to design this place. I've been at home for the past few months with nothing to do, so I've been figuring out how to make this cemetery a success."

"My plan is to replace the concrete walls with multi-layered native vegetation to form a natural ecological barrier, and then..."

Mr. Lu patiently listened to her rambling on for a while: "Alright, alright, let's kowtow and get ready to go back. I need to go back to Beiping to take care of some things, and I have to rush to America tomorrow."

Xiao Liu looked annoyed at being interrupted: "I finally made it here, what's the rush?"

Lu Kuan stared at her for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "Once your design team is assembled and you're feeling well enough, come again and I'll accompany you to see it then."

"Really?" Liu Yifei pouted. "Okay, I'll think about it some more."

Boss Lu took out a soft cushion from his bag and helped Xiao Liu kneel down slowly: "Don't bend over too much. In these special times, she never cares about these formalities."

"Okay, it's alright."

In the Nanjing area, the worship of spirits is based on the saying "three gods and four ghosts." Here, "ghosts" is not used in a derogatory sense, but rather refers to the spirits of relatives.

For deceased parents and ancestors, the number four symbolizes the completeness of the yin number and represents remembrance of loved ones.

Neither of them spoke again, and they respectfully kowtowed four times. Incense sticks were inserted into the incense burner, and the smoke rose straight up into the clear sky.

Lu Kuan then took out some slightly steaming plum blossom cakes and other local delicacies from his bag and arranged them neatly one by one: "It's too cold, so I'm only taking them out now."

He moved slightly closer to the tombstone, his fingertips gently tracing the gentle features of his mother in the photograph. The winter sunlight blended his shadow into the tombstone.

"Mom, is there anything else you want to eat? Tell me in your dreams." Lu Kuan's voice was so soft that it seemed as if he was afraid of disturbing the mountain wind. As his Adam's apple bobbed, he bent down and pressed his forehead against the cool surface of the monument.

The dampness of the moss seeped into my skin, and for a moment I felt as if I could touch the last warmth of her palm on that winter night.

"Mom, may your spirit in heaven bless Qianqian and the baby in her belly with a safe and peaceful life."

Hearing this seemingly unconventional prayer and her husband's unusual tone, Liu Yifei was taken aback.

Looking at the piety on his face, it was no less than the last time he worshipped at the temple of the goddess.

Why are you suddenly so serious?

The two turned back towards the village entrance, when a mountain breeze suddenly arose.

The reeds in the wild lake suddenly bowed low, their withered ears sweeping across the ice, like Zeng Wenxiu's frostbitten red fingers, reluctantly stroking the hem of the clothes of the departing family of four.

It was also the mother's response to her son's prayer.
-
At the village entrance, Afei waited anxiously, but he managed to control his expression under Boss Lu's solemn face until they arrived at Wenyuhe Prefecture in Beiping.

Liu Yifei and Liu Xiaoli were chatting and making a fuss in the kitchen while picking vegetables. As soon as Afei followed Lu Kuan out of the villa, he couldn't help but speak up.

"Let me..."

"Shh!"

The two walked a little further away, and Afei's face was ashen: "Zhou Jun has a five-star card. The people who were watching him noticed that there was no movement and thought he had gone to buy drugs again. He hasn't returned yet, so he should have gone back to the country."

"Since he just got back, I might as well go and kill him..."

"Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting!" For the first time in his life, Boss Lu reprimanded his younger brother with a gloomy expression.

He paused for a few seconds and said, "Although you've been in contact with that white man, he was actually found through Harvey's channels three years ago."

"You think Harvey is a good person? We're giving him this kind of dubious incriminating evidence?"

Ah Fei's expression had never been so urgent and vivid since birth: "Zhou Jun is not like others, he has gone mad, he can't be considered human, Sister Qianqian and the child..."

"There's no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days. Otherwise, we'll just wait for him to return to America and sneak off without leaving a single clue!"

“I was previously involved in Olympic security and military service. I learned a lot about firearms and counter-surveillance in the army. Besides, killing him would only take ten seconds.”

"A dead poisonous insect, its body rots away and no one can even notice."

“There’s no need for all that trouble,” Lu Kuan said in a deep voice. “I originally wanted him to die a slow death in America, but since he’s back, he shouldn’t leave again.”

"Give me the recording, and I'll think about it and then talk to you."

Ah Fei swallowed hard, knowing that he didn't want him to put himself in danger, but in his opinion, the matter was really simple.

The cold-faced bodyguard finally gave a dejected "Yes" after a long pause.

Lu Kuan paced alone in the manor, listening to Zhou Jun's surveillance recordings over and over again. The rough, wicked, and manic voice and words were terrifying.

Or rather, it wasn't just Zhou Jun; he had been closely monitoring everyone he had even the slightest grudge against over the past eight or nine years.

Zhang Tianshuo was released from prison two years ago, but was inexplicably imprisoned again for fighting. Due to years of alcoholism, staying up late, and high-pressure lifestyle, he developed liver cancer, which has now reached its late stage.

Liu Zeyu and his son are serving time in prison. The father was sentenced to life imprisonment, and as Wang Xiaolei said, the son is constantly being found to have committed other crimes while in prison, making it seem like there is no hope of him ever being released.

The above-mentioned individuals, including Zhou Jun, are all capable of mobilizing unconventional resources to cause trouble. He simply returned their previous methods to them.

As for the powerless Taro father and son, and Zhu Dake and other pedantic literati, their past reputations for swindling and deceiving have been completely ruined, and they pose almost no threat.

The person he paid the most attention to was Zhou Jun.

Having sacrificed his entire family and created the identity of an "American mental patient" to survive overseas, Zhou Jun should not have fallen to this level in just two or three years, even if he had continued to decline.

If someone were to actually analyze these clues in depth, there would be too many suspicious points.

For example, how did he become addicted to drugs in the first year?
The time traveler and those directly related to him played no role in any of the "coincidences" involving all the unfortunate individuals mentioned above; it was all unrelated to him. It was only at a crucial juncture, by sheer chance, that someone gave him a push.

The recording was played for the fifth time, and Zhou Jun once again revealed his goals and plans without any concealment.

Judging from his answers, Wang Xiaolei on the other end of the phone must already be a dead man who has gone astray. Can he resist the temptation of breaking the deadlock with such unconventional means?

But how will Bingbing respond to the devilish invitation that Wang Xiaolei and Zhou Jun both extended to her?

In winter, darkness falls very early in Beiping.

The ginkgo trees in the manor had long since shed their leaves, and the bare branches stretched out like bone claws in the twilight, whistling softly as the wind swept by.

Lu Kuan couldn't help but sigh deeply. Whether it was Zhou Jun or Huayi's big and small dogs—

If the overall situation requires him to manipulate them, he doesn't even need to blink; he can design a "broad road" for them to travel on with peace of mind.

But Bingbing is different. Apart from that night at Liu Yifei's birthday banquet on August 825th when he couldn't help but overstep his bounds, he has been given whatever he wanted without complaint all these years.

Unfortunately, Bingbing doesn't need to see the score on his answer sheet. He doesn't need to wait until the 20th to know the answer, or at least part of the answer.

Lu Kuan glanced at his phone with a slightly serious expression, wondering when or if the caller ID displaying her name would light up again.

That evening, contrary to his usual behavior, Lu Kuan took the initiative to go to the gym with A Fei and "worked" for a long time. After returning to the bedroom and taking a shower, his wife had been waiting for him in bed for a long time.

Pregnant women often feel sleepy, and Xiao Liu started to doze off before 10 o'clock.

She reached out and turned off the light, then turned around and hugged her husband tightly, enjoying the warmth in his arms: "I can see that you're already quite aware of being a father, you know to exercise on your own initiative."

“I’m suddenly very glad that we had children early. When they come of age, I will be less than 40 years old.”

"We can stay with them for a very long time, and the family can live happily together forever."

The girl paused, feeling only her husband's warm breath, but receiving no response from him, she nuzzled Lu Kuan's chin like a kitten.

Why aren't you saying anything? Are you tired from exercising?

Mr. Lu remained calm: "I'm thinking about how to educate my child. I'll be a new father next May, and I'm a little panicked."

"Haha! You panic sometimes too?"

"Definitely." The expectant father couldn't help but think about all the petty, messy things that had happened today: "Sometimes I think it would be best if they could bypass books and us and see the real world."

He paused, then added, "But I'm also afraid they'll really see through it."

"But can flowers grown in a greenhouse really withstand so many storms? It's lonely at the top."

With a knowing look in her eyes, Xiao Liu looked up at him with some confusion, keenly noticing a series of unusual things about her husband.

"Why are you all feeling so emotional today? Has anything changed at Huayi?"

This was the only difficulty she could think of, as she focused on her pregnancy and kept quiet about everything else.

Boss Lu chuckled: "Nothing has changed. Let them struggle. They're just skeletons in a tomb."

"Just go to the meeting happily and come home safely."

He thought about it for a long time, but still didn't reveal the truth now.

The pregnant woman's mental state is too volatile. Such a vicious and violent incident is horrifying. Don't let her hear about it and suffer from insomnia or overthinking. That would be counterproductive.

He has enough time to arrange everything. During this period, he can stay at home and rest during his pregnancy, and not go anywhere.

The girl gently broke free from his embrace, cupped her husband's face in her hands, and kissed his lips.

The kisses were tender and lingering, carrying the sweet scent unique to pregnancy, as if pouring out all the unspoken comfort.

After a while, the lips parted.

Xiao Liu's eyelids were so heavy with sleep that she could barely lift them. She could only murmur softly, "Don't worry, Mom will be watching over us from heaven."

"Yeah, of course."

The moonlight slowly crept over the knitted blanket at the foot of the bed, illuminating Lu Kuan's slightly white knuckles, still maintaining a protective posture as they gently cradled his wife's swollen belly.

He listened to his wife's soft snoring, his eyes remaining bright, but his hand never left that warm curve.

That had become his whole world.
-
Time flies. On December 19, 2008, the night before Bingbing requested to convene an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders, the president's office on the fourteenth floor of the Fenglian Building in Beiping was still brightly lit.

Wang Dajun hunched over his desk, looking at the shareholder register again and again, and tentatively confirmed that his side could obtain more than 50% of the voting rights.

The predetermined 48.5%, plus Wu Ershan's 0.5% and Yang Mi's 3%, totals 52%.

Regarding Yang Mi, Ma Yun gave a "relatively positive" answer the day before yesterday, stating that she had asked Leader Liu from the Railway Department to take care of her, and that Yang Mi's 3% should be secure.

Wang Dajun wasn't sure, but seeing Lao Ma's confident assurances, he could only temporarily include Yang Mi among his own people.

Old Ma didn't understand Da Mimi's personality very well. In his opinion:
Yang Mi is just an artist who is promoted by black money businessmen. Otherwise, with her acting skills and qualifications, how could she have gotten the lead roles in "The Forbidden Kingdom" and "Painted Skin 2"?

But in reality, Yang Mi and Xu Duojin were still anxiously watching, because they had heard almost no news in the past two weeks.

Yang Mi was eagerly watching her best friend Xiao Liu's every move, but after half a month, Xiao Liu just stayed at home to rest during her pregnancy and posted on Weibo to promote "Under the Hawthorn Tree" in February.

Incidentally, they also established some kind of cultural relic protection foundation and donated tens of millions of yuan.

She's really burning money. Her husband's company is about to engage in a money war with someone, and she's still squandering it. This richest man's wife is really better off doing things herself.

waste!

In short, after discussing it with her boyfriend, Da Mimi felt she had cleverly given a mutually agreeable answer.

In this way, regardless of who we vote for, we will maintain a consistent attitude.

As for whom to vote for... we'll see how things unfold, and don't be the first to declare your support.

The remaining 2% from Zhang Guoli and 0.5% from Xu Zheng were both firmly committed to sticking with Huayi to the end.

Although Wang Dajun wasn't sure about any of them, it was still much better than Zhang Jizhong and Huang Xiaoming, who had basically lost contact with him.

The most reliable person was Wu Ershan, who personally went to his office to make a firm statement, because he had no choice but to contact Wanda Group personnel who had recently contacted him.

Of course, Wu Ershan didn't need to tell these things to his former employer who was in dire straits, but his 0.5% was really not enough.

After considering all these factors, he could be certain of 52% of the outcome. He dared not place a heavy bet on the rest and could only wait for the next day to act.

At this critical juncture, Huayi Chairman, who had just finished dinner with Lao Ma and Deng Wendi that evening, dared not be negligent and was still carefully analyzing the various situations that might occur the next day in his office.

"Big Brother!" Wang Xiaolei, his face flushed, burst in without knocking, his face beaming with excitement, because he had just received important news from the company secretary, Hu Ming!
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you've convinced both Big Beard and Huang Xiaoming?"

Wang Dajun looked up, feigning nonchalance, then suddenly turned cold: "Drinking again? Don't you even care about your stomach?"

"Brother, this period has been too tough. Let me have a couple of drinks," Wang Xiaolei said awkwardly, slumping into his chair with a sense of helplessness.

Wang Dajun knew that he was still quite provoked by Ma Yun that day, and that she brought up his injured leg, practically calling him a crippled dead dog.

Seeing his younger brother's helpless and indignant expression, the chairman of Huayi could no longer bear to scold or provoke him.

"Speak, what new developments are there?"

Wang Xiaolei turned around, closed the office door, locked it, and sat opposite Wang Dajun, whispering:
"Fan Bingbing should be able to support us."

"What?" Wang Dajun knew that he had caused trouble at the Rose Garden on the afternoon of the 5th, and that his eyebrow bone had been cracked by a female starlet, and he had to stay at home to recover for a week.

Looking back now, either he drank too much today, or his brain was damaged.

Tomorrow the two armies will clash and fight to the death, and tonight you're telling me the enemy's female marshal is going to surrender?
Wang Xiaolei wiped away the drool that had accidentally spilled out: "Don't be fooled by our current 52% advantage. Lu Kuan definitely has a backup plan, but so do we! Fan Bingbing will be his Achilles' heel!"

"If Bingbing can achieve 15.4% in and out of the box, they will undoubtedly lose!"

Wang Dajun waved his hand: "Tell me the reason. How did you know? How did you do it?"

Xiao Lei paused slightly, looking somewhat dejected: "I can't say, I just wanted to mention it to you so you'd be aware and able to react accordingly tomorrow."

He determines where it came from.

The company secretary, Hu Ming, informed him of the shareholder list for tomorrow's shareholders' meeting, which needed to be confirmed in advance, and Liu Yifei was prominently listed.

What does this mean?
This suggests that Fan Bingbing did not choose to tell Lu Kuan the secrets about Zhou Jun that she had shared with her, indicating that she was very likely already prepared to take a gamble!
Yes, given the terrifying prospect of her entire family being targeted by drug addicts, the heartbreak of a failed romance, and the potential abandonment by those in power, it's not surprising that she made this choice.

However, in these kinds of voting meetings, it's impossible to tell right from wrong until the very last moment, so Xiao Lei could only give his older brother a few hints.

After listening to his rambling and vague explanation, Wang Dajun immediately became apprehensive: "Tell me honestly, what did you do?"

"Brother, don't ask so many questions." Wang Xiaolei felt uneasy under his gaze and swallowed hard.

Whether it was the dry mouth from drinking or the tension and excitement the murderer felt before committing the crime, his adrenaline surged.

Even the most despicable person knows that Wang Dajun has been protecting him all these years. It's better to end this matter with him, since it could very well drag him into this mess and lead to his utter ruin.

Wang Dajun also felt a chill run down his spine; he knew his younger brother all too well.

Especially now, his face was flushed an abnormally with the effects of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot, and the wound on his brow bone, which had not yet fully scabbed over, was now turning a strange purplish-red.

Feeling a little nervous under his gaze, Wang Xiaolei's right eyelid twitched slightly uncontrollably, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down with each swallow.

"Speak!" Wang Dajun slammed his hand on the table without warning, his heart pounding.

This made him even more nervous than the fall of Huayi. At this time, if Wang Xiaolei really did act recklessly and "stop at nothing" as Ma Yun had suggested, what would be the consequences?
Even if they win, they will not escape that person's ruthless punishment.

After being killed in the siege of Bright Peak in May of this year, Wang Dajun understood a principle:
When fighting with Wenjie and Lukuan, it's best to do it cleanly and openly. Even if it's a fight to the death, it's just "the common occurrence of victory and defeat in war."

He will not hesitate to retaliate a hundredfold if he intervenes using administrative means or dirty tricks behind the scenes.

Wang Dajun watched his younger brother's hesitant and awkward expression with nervousness. He didn't believe that Bingbing could have a "change of heart" and come to surrender on his own initiative. He didn't know what method his brother had used.

In that person's eyes, this method might be a path to certain death.

"I told you to speak! Did you hear me?" Wang Dajun went around the desk and grabbed his younger brother by the collar. The latter's bitter smile was hardly more like crying.

"Really, don't ask anymore." Wang Xiaolei's voice was muffled, as if he had phlegm stuck in his throat: "This is our only chance, it's been fourteen years..."

He looked up with a troubled expression: "Brother, don't worry, I didn't do anything, I... I just let nature take its course."

"You're kidding me! Fan Bingbing didn't do anything, why would he switch sides again if he had nothing better to do?"

Wang Dajun was furious: "You know perfectly well that Ma Yun is trying to provoke you. Is it really necessary to do something that hurts your friends and pleases your enemies?"

"I'm not! I'm not!"

Wang Xiaolei was driven to desperation. He stood up and roared, already in a sorry state with tears streaming down his face: "All of this is my fault. I provoked Lu Kuan, and I framed Liu Yifei. I'll deal with it myself. I don't want to drag you into this!"

"But I didn't do anything, I swear! It has nothing to do with me!"

He was clearly lying, but considering the risks and benefits of this matter:

His conversation with Bingbing was not recorded, so Zhou Jun could not reveal the truth if he wanted money afterward.

If a serious violent incident really occurred, it means that Bingbing had no warning and would never have implicated him; everyone is in the same boat.

He even thought that if Liu Yifei didn't come tomorrow, he could immediately contact Boss Lu to warn him, which would be better than being implicated in the purge and dragging Wang Dajun down with him.

As for whether Bingbing will turn around and tell on him?

Zhou Jun's threats to the personal safety of her family, and the actress's own resentment towards Liu Yifei, were the reasons why he was willing to take the risk.

Even if things go wrong, Fan Bingbing can simply vote as usual without warning, and Wang Xiaolei can watch his enemy lose his beloved. What loss would he suffer?
He knew he was taking a risk, but this time the risky move wasn't quite at the point of certain death, but it could push the enemy to the point of certain death.

Why not?
He's just a parasite that's been played to death.

Wang Dajun stared at his younger brother with a livid face. Wang Xiaolei had always been afraid of his brother staring at him like that.

In that instant, the stimulation of alcoholism, immense pressure, and the brink of violent crime overwhelmed him, making it difficult for him to control his emotions:

"Brother, Lu Kuan is driving us to our deaths, I have no choice."

"I hate it so much... I hate it so much..."

Wang Xiaolei gritted his teeth, his face contorted in pain. The excruciating nerve pain was driving him to a frenzy, a consequence of his recent heavy drinking and indulgence.

Huayi's president's throat bobbed, and he suddenly turned around and went to a book on the bookshelf, pulling out a slightly yellowed photograph.

The photo shows the four Wang brothers in the 80s. The four young men stand side by side next to an old-fashioned bicycle. Their faded blue work clothes contrast with the mottled brick wall, and their young faces are frozen on the yellowed photograph.

Dajun is the eldest of the four brothers, and Xiaolei is the second eldest.

The fourth brother is extremely low-key in the industry.

The third child, Wang Xiaofang, died in a car accident in 1990, which was a huge blow to the whole family, especially Wang Xiaolei, who was close in age.

“Xiao Lei, during the time you were hospitalized, I often had nightmares about Lao San.”

"He cried and said to me, 'Brother, please persuade my second brother to stop him from drinking and ruining himself.'"

Wang Dajun's eyes reddened, but he couldn't bear to use any force in his hands, afraid of wrinkling the only photo of the four brothers together.

“Xiao Lei, Wenye is 10 years old and Yuanye is 2 years old. Xiaorong is raising them abroad alone. They need your company as their father.”

"And the third brother... the third brother is watching over you, his older brother, from heaven."

Wang Dajun shoved the photo into his younger brother's hand: "I'm telling you! I'm telling you this clearly!"

"We can do without Huayi. Let Lu Kuan take it if he wants! Whether it goes public or not, we'll sell all our shares to him and settle abroad! Isn't that enough to get far away from him?"

"Don't believe Ma Yun! He and Liu Chuanzhi are old scoundrels who are used to ordering others to risk their lives. He's just deliberately provoking you, hoping you'll die together with Lu Kuan!"

"Big brother, I'm not reconciled! Waaah, I'm so wronged!"

After getting drunk, Wang Xiaolei could no longer hold back his tears. Like a helpless child, he curled up on the sofa, holding a yellowed photo in his hand and weeping bitterly.

"Third brother... Third brother... If only you were still alive!"

Wang Dajun was furious with his brother's lack of ambition. He suddenly bent down and grabbed his brother's collar tightly: "Wang Xiaolei, let me tell you, don't think too highly of yourself because of your background, and don't think too highly of yourself. No one in this world is immune to injustice."

"Was he wronged when his first film was betrayed by the Hong Kong entertainment circle?"

"Did you feel wronged when Zhou Jun ordered people to audit the accounts and taxes, and then detained Zhuang Xu?"

"When rumors about Liu Yifei, such as those spread by Song Zude and others, accusing her of being transgender and having abortion, were rampant, did she feel wronged?"

"Why can't you stand being wronged?!"

Wang Dajun was genuinely afraid that his younger brother would go mad. People can't be judged by normal reason when they're insane, especially at such a critical moment.

He had no doubt that if Wang Xiaolei dared to do anything out of line, Lu Kuan would immediately put him to death.

Dajun's tone softened, and he slumped down on the floor, leaning against the sofa: "Xiaolei, I know what's troubling you."

"That day, it was your leg that was broken... and it was also my leg."

"I'm sorry to my parents, I didn't take good care of you and our third child..."

Wang Xiaolei's tears suddenly burst forth, his entire face contorted like a crumpled piece of paper.

He slammed his knees heavily onto the carpet, his forehead pressed against Wang Dajun's knees, and a harsh sob escaped his throat: "Brother... I'm the one who dragged you into this... I shouldn't have messed with him in the first place..."

Wang Xiaolei's fingers gripped his older brother's trouser leg tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white, as if this was the only piece of driftwood he could hold onto. Snot mixed with tears left dark water stains on the suit fabric.

Judging from his curled-up, twitching back, Wang Xiaolei's spine had been broken by the immense pressure brought by the time traveler.

The neon lights of Chang'an Avenue outside the window pierced through the blinds, leaving blood-red streaks on his convulsing brow bone and profile, much like the bloodstains under the lame dog in the surveillance video.

He ultimately didn't say anything.

Even the fiercest tyrant knows the importance of family ties; the Book of Filial Piety remains before the palace of Mara.

Even the most wicked person has a kind side when it comes to their relatives and family.

In the turbulent real-world business battles and wars of human nature, everyone inevitably struggles, cries out, and stares into the vortex.

Whether it's Lu Kuan or the two brothers, Da Jun and Xiao Lei, they all represent two extremes of the spectrum of human nature.

The former builds an impregnable wall to protect the family with tender affection, while the latter struggles to create distorted family bonds in the vortex of power.

In the battlefield of human nature, there are never true victors, only different means, different costs, and different consequences.

But in the business arena, there must always be winners and losers.

Whether it's Lu Kuan's ruthless decisiveness wrapped in gentle poetry, or Wang Xiaolei and Zhou Jun's desperate struggle that crossed the line—

Ultimately, they will all reveal their true colors before the judgment seat of causality.
-
The following day, at the headquarters of Huayi Brothers Co., Ltd. in the Fenglian Building in Beiping, an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders was solemnly held.

This day was December 20, 2008, the 23rd day of the 11th lunar month.

According to the traditional Chinese almanac—

Suitable: To secretly carry out a plan.

Taboo: Violent dogs committing aggression!

(End of this chapter)