Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 267 A sudden awakening
Shen Wei was somewhat surprised; he didn't see the slightest surprise in Wang Chengpeng's eyes.

With a self-deprecating laugh, Shen Wei murmured, "What am I even expecting?"

"To him, I was just an insignificant passerby. If I hadn't provoked him, we wouldn't have had much interaction at all."

Thinking of this, Shen Wei apologized to Wang Chengpeng again:

"No matter what your purpose was, you did give me a chance to start over, and I need to apologize to you properly."

"I was wrong in the past, and I hope you can forgive my mistakes."

Wang Chengpeng remained unmoved by Shen Wei's apology.

Shen Wei's idea was correct. If it weren't for the fact that he was still somewhat useful, Wang Chengpeng wouldn't have bothered with him at all, and immediately replied:

“You don’t need my forgiveness. After all, I took my revenge on the spot, and you have already received the punishment you deserved.”

"You walk your own path; it has nothing to do with me, and I don't care at all."

Speechless at Wang Chengpeng's blunt honesty, Shen Wei's self-satisfaction dissipated considerably, and he said:
"Okay, then let's treat this as a deal."

"I will do what I am supposed to do, and from now on we will have nothing to do with each other."

"There's only one thing I need your help with, and that's to lend me some money to redeem my mother."

"It is my fault for being unfilial, causing my mother, who is so old, to go to jail for helping me."

Nodding noncommittally, Wang Chengpeng said, "You do have some ideas."

"Okay, I can lend you this money without charging you interest. Just pay it back as soon as possible."

"It seems we have reached an agreement, which makes things easier. I will issue you a letter of understanding, and the police station will naturally reconsider your case accordingly."

Looking at Shen Wei, who had suddenly come to his senses, Wang Chengpeng recalled Shen Wei's mediocre life in his previous life, which ended up as a street urchin. He thought to himself that he was indeed a great philanthropist, having directly converted a person.

Although Shen Wei's fate was somewhat unfortunate, even to the point of being childless, now that he has come to his senses, he will definitely live a better life in this one than in the last.

How far he can go depends on his abilities and awareness.

Seeing Shen Wei, who looked radiant after being given a brief pep talk by Wang Chengpeng, Wang Zhong was utterly astonished, as if he had seen a ghost.

He initially thought Wang Chengpeng was just joking when he said he was there to save Shen Wei.

Looking back now, this was no joke; it was the absolute truth.

He simply couldn't understand how Wang Chengpeng's few words could have such magic, making Shen Wei suddenly realize the truth.

If he can't figure it out, he won't think about it; Wang Zhong is indeed a bachelor.

After escorting Shen Wei back and completing the remaining tasks with Wang Chengpeng, he returned to his post.

Because of Wang Chengpeng, the institute has been particularly busy lately, but he still made time to spend with Wang Chengpeng.

However, this matter is about to end, and being able to earn merit is actually a good thing for Wang Zhong.

At this point, Wang Zhong called out to Wang Chengpeng, who was about to leave, and said:

"Cousin, you're really lucky."

"Regarding Bi Jun's case last time, I don't know how it was suddenly solved, and the main culprit and accomplices were all caught up in one fell swoop, completely eliminating any future troubles."

"So this case, which was originally planned to be kept under wraps for a long time, is probably going to be closed today. The things I promised you before, and the things you deserve, are about to be fulfilled."

"How about tomorrow? Are you free tomorrow?"

"I'll go to the village with some people to present you with the banner and the bonus!"

"Thanks to you, many people in our institute have the opportunity to be promoted, especially Comrade Fan, who is on the verge of being promoted to a permanent position. This is a huge favor."

"If you have any legitimate needs that require our assistance in the future, we will definitely provide our full support."

There was no luck involved; I was carrying the burden entirely on my own.

Thinking of Song Wenxin's terrible teammate, Wang Chengpeng, makes me speechless. Luckily, he had a backup plan, otherwise I really don't know how things would have turned out.

Wang Chengpeng declined Wang Zhong's offer to have dinner, and, being very busy, went to the state-owned gold shop where he had previously ordered the bracelet.

Upon seeing Wang Chengpeng, Manager Zhou warmly greeted him.

He made a lot of money from this deal. Even after splitting it with his mentor, he still had a considerable amount left. That's why he was so enthusiastic towards Wang Chengpeng.

Under Manager Zhou's guidance, Wang Chengpeng quickly saw the finished bracelet.

As the bracelet was being examined closely, the craftsman who made it remarked with admiration:

"This bracelet was really troublesome and took me a lot of effort, but I still managed to finish it within the time limit."

"It's only because the data you provided was absolutely accurate, otherwise this bracelet might not have been made so quickly."

"After all, many things can go terribly wrong if they are only a hair's breadth apart."

He weighed the bracelet in his hand and examined the details; they were basically identical, so he should be able to fool Zhao Yuju.

Considering that the newly made bracelet was too new, Wang Chengpeng specifically instructed the craftsman to use an aging technique, making it almost identical to the original bracelet.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng asked, "Master's skills are quite good, but I don't know if he has met my requirements."

To avoid getting entangled with Zhao Yuju and to determine the ownership of the bracelet, Wang Chengpeng asked his craftsman to leave a mark during its creation as a backup plan.

The master smiled and said, "Don't worry about me. Take a close look at the back of these flowers; you'll find what you're looking for there."

Under his master's guidance, Wang Chengpeng quickly spotted the pre-set mark on the back of the gold flower.

It was the character "王" (king), hidden within the lines outlining the flowers; it was almost invisible unless you looked closely.

It's not just one of the flowers that has the character "王" (Wang, meaning king), but every single flower has it on the back, making it quite suitable as a royal family heirloom.

Nodding in satisfaction, Wang Chengpeng said, "Okay, I'm very satisfied with this bracelet."

"If I need anything in the future, I will continue to patronize Manager Zhou's business."

After settling the final payment and receiving an invoice, Wang Chengpeng left the gold shop satisfied.

After buying some gifts in town, Wang Chengpeng hurriedly rode his bicycle back to Wangjia Village and headed straight for the Wang family's old house.

It would be best to replace this bracelet as soon as possible so that Wang Chengpeng can feel at ease.

This time, Wang Chengpeng's trip to the Wang family's old house was not as lucky as before. Zhao Yuju was not only home, but she also glared at Wang Chengpeng the moment she saw him, as if she were wary of some thief.

Wang Chengpeng didn't seem to care. He remained calm, greeted Zhao Yuju, and then placed the flour and pork he had brought in the kitchen. He then casually asked Zhao Yuju:
"Grandma, is Grandpa home? I need to talk to him about something." Turning her face away, Zhao Yuju pretended not to see Wang Chengpeng.

On the contrary, Wang Chun'an, who was resting inside, greeted Wang Chengpeng warmly upon hearing his voice, and said with delight:

"Cousin, what brings you here today?"

"Grandpa? He's inside. Come with me quickly."

No wonder Wang Chun'an was so enthusiastic towards Wang Chengpeng; he was still thinking about the remaining twenty-five yuan.

The life of having money is wonderful, but you can only truly appreciate it after you've become wealthy.

However, Wang Chun'an overlooked Zhao Yuju's feelings. She was giving Wang Chengpeng a hard time, but Wang Chun'an warmly welcomed Wang Chengpeng in. How was this any different from slapping her in the face?
Unfortunately, the person who slapped her in the face was none other than her favorite Wang Chun'an. She could only suffer in silence, unable to express her dissatisfaction, and could only groan to herself.

However, Wang Chun'an, who was in the middle of his excitement, didn't pay attention to her expression. Although Wang Chengpeng heard it, he pretended not to hear it and followed Wang Chun'an inside.

He secretly thought to himself that the money was well spent, and he didn't even have to lay a hand on Zhao Yuju before someone willingly delivered themselves to slap him in the face. Wang Chengpeng then whispered to Wang Chun'an:
"Cousin, wasn't what you just did a little inappropriate?"

"Grandma hasn't even given the word yet, how can you just let me in like that?"

Wang Chengpeng's silence only fueled Wang Chun'an's anger. He was still resentful about the unfairness of the previous work assignment and immediately said with dissatisfaction:
"Her? Since when did it become her, a woman, to manage the household?"

"I'm the eldest grandson in this family. What can't I say that's not up to me?"

At this point, Wang Chun'an lowered his voice to a whisper that only the two of them could hear, and said to Wang Chengpeng:
"Cousin, you've come here this time, probably because of the bracelet, right?"

"You can't go back on your word. Once you've confirmed the location of the bracelet, remember to give me the rest of the money as soon as possible."

Wang Chengpeng nodded and said:
"My cousin is really smart; he saw through my intentions at a glance."

"Okay, I'll give you the rest of the money as soon as I've confirmed it."

Patting Wang Chengpeng on the shoulder, Wang Chun'an had already escorted him to the door of the main house and said:

"Alright, I'll take you here."

“You’re my cousin, so of course I trust you. There’s no need for us to be so distant; we should keep in touch more often.”

It was at this moment that Wang Chengpeng walked up to the main house.

After greeting Wang Degong, Wang Chengpeng said, "Grandpa, hello, I've come to see you again today."

Upon seeing Wang Chengpeng, Wang Degong's usually serious face broke into a rare smile.

After looking at them all, he found that Wang Chengpeng, his grandson who wasn't his biological son, was the one who made him feel less troubled.

The fact that he was willing to think so much about his family even after the support relationship had been terminated shows just how good his filial piety is.

After all, once a family terminates its support relationship, they never see each other again, which is why he was so opposed to it in the first place.

Smiling and nodding, Wang Degong said, "My dear grandson, quickly close the door. I have something I want to talk to you about alone."

With eavesdroppers around, a more secure environment is naturally needed to carry out a surreptitious substitution.

After Wang Chengpeng had completely closed the door, Wang Degong asked in a low voice:

"My dear grandson, how's the bracelet coming along?"

“At the time, I felt that you should take the original bracelet to ensure that it is exactly the same as the original.”

"Grandpa." Taking a brocade box from his pocket, Wang Chengpeng said with a smile, "Don't you trust me to handle things?"

"Look at this bracelet, isn't it exactly the same as the original?"

As he spoke, Wang Chengpeng pulled the original bracelet out from under the bed.

The two bracelets looked exactly alike when placed together. At least, it took Wang Degong a long time to notice the differences after looking at them from the left and right.

However, he couldn't remember which bracelet was the original one, and his eyes were filled with confusion as he said:

"It does seem a bit hard to tell the difference; at least I can't tell the difference."

"Luckily, the bracelet you just brought had a tag on it, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to tell the difference."

"Alright, put the new bracelet back now and take back your grandmother's keepsake. This matter is finally settled."

At this point, Wang Degong's expression turned somewhat wistful.

Ultimately, this matter still put him in a difficult position and was very hard to handle.

Now that Wang Chengpeng is willing to sacrifice himself to make this a win-win situation, he is naturally happy to reap the benefits.

Thinking of this, Wang Degong took out the two hundred yuan he had prepared beforehand, handed it over, and said:

"Cheng Peng, take this money. It's not much, but it will help you avoid losing money."

"You've become rich, successful, and capable, but that doesn't mean you should suffer a loss because of it."

Wang Chengpeng refused the money Wang Degong offered, saying:
"Grandpa, why must we, as family, act like this?"

"If I really wanted to distinguish things so clearly, I would have come back to confront them back then long ago."

"Keep this money and use it wisely; it will bring great prosperity to your family."

"If you really give it to me, I'm afraid Grandma and the others will never let it go."

Although Wang Chengpeng didn't care about the two hundred yuan, it was a huge sum for Wang Degong.

Most importantly, he didn't have that much personal money; all of it came from the Wang family's public accounts.

Although he now indulges the Wang family's public accounts, how could those people possibly be content with that?

Zhao Yuju and Wang Jinshan, in particular, were afraid that Wang Degong had overspent their money and demanded that the accounts be made public.

This request was reasonable and justifiable, and even Wang Degong could not refuse it; it was also in line with his belief in fairness and justice.

That's why, once Wang Degong takes out these two hundred yuan, he'll probably be harassed by others and even have his household finances taken away, allowing Zhao Yuju and her group to continue to exploit him behind the scenes.

Whether it's for his grandfather's sake or for Wang Chengpeng's own, he would never let Wang Degong pay for it.

Moreover, he was planning to get the bracelet back legitimately later. If Wang Degong paid for it, how would the bracelet be accounted for then? How could he have the nerve to ask for it back?

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Wang Degong was immediately taken aback, then sighed and said:

"Good child, such a good child, you've grown up and you even know how to think of your grandfather now."

(End of this chapter)