He fiercely criticized the Manchu scholar clique and the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

Zhao Shuyao lowered his gaze slightly, his eyes landing on the business card with a dark pattern on the table.

"Tianyin Charity Foundation".

These seven words were practically synonymous with "positive energy" on the internet in 2016, but behind this glittering signboard, the real initiator made Zhao Shuyao feel an overwhelming sense of absurdity.

The initiator is none other than a top-tier singer who is currently at the height of her popularity in the entertainment industry.

Zhao Shuyao quickly retrieved fragments of his past life's memories. That year, this diva stepped onto the highly anticipated Spring Festival Gala stage and became an overnight sensation, sweeping across the country with a beautiful and heartfelt song.

However, what is little known is that the song she considers her life's glory, from lyrics to composition, and even the initial arrangement concept, was entirely written by another unknown independent musician.

That's someone else's hard work, a masterpiece polished by someone who stayed up countless nights.

But in the end, with the entry of capital and changes in operations, she naturally attached the label of this song to herself in the process.

If it were just a normal commercial buyout, Zhao Shuyao might not have thought much of it. But what he found most despicable was that, in the long years that followed, the diva accepted the public's adoration of her as a "talented writer" without ever mentioning the original author in any public setting.

And so, silently, they devoured the blood and bones of others to adorn their own throne.

How can someone who can trample on the most basic artistic principles and moral standards now transform himself and raise funds from the whole society under the banner of "charity"?

She used the hard-earned money of the general public to maintain the operation of this foundation, and in the end, all the honors of "boundless love" and "touching China" fell on her alone.

What is this? Being generous with other people's money to build a virtuous image for oneself?

In Zhao Shuyao's value system, charity is an extremely pure thing. He admires "Brother Biao" who was seen in the news pushing money bricks and handing out cash.

Although Brother Biao's high profile might seem a bit like a show, he's spending his own hard-earned money. Using his own money to gain publicity shows his true character; using other people's money to gain fame shows his hypocrisy.

The information processing and value judgment were completed in Zhao Shuyao's mind in that one second.

I didn't touch the business card.

Instead, he extended his index and middle fingers, pressed down on the edge of the business card, and, very slowly but firmly, pushed it back to Li Zhengming along the smooth tabletop.

"Mr. Li." Zhao Shuyao looked up, his smile fading slightly, replaced by a polite but distant calm. "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm still not really suited to do these things."

Li Zhengming stared at the business card that had been pushed back at him, his pupils dilating slightly. He clearly hadn't expected that after he had thrown out the big label of "social responsibility," the young man in front of him would be able to refuse so decisively.

"Zhao, what do you mean? You just talked about the grassroots and responsibility in the interview. Now there's such a good platform for you to put those ideas into practice. Why are you refusing?"

He stared intently at Zhao Shuyao, his tone becoming more serious: "This is a truly meritorious deed! Don't you want to help those in need? Especially the children in remote areas; their lives are incredibly difficult. Your involvement could bring about a huge change for them!"

Moral blackmail.

The most classic and effective rhetoric is that if you refuse, you are cold-blooded, heartless, and a hypocrite whose words and actions don't match.

The woman in red beside him couldn't help but frown, looking at Zhao Shuyao with an extremely incomprehensible gaze, as if she were looking at an incomprehensible freak.

Gu Nanxi sat beside Zhao Shuyao, not saying a word, but the tips of her fingers holding the coffee cup turned slightly white. She was worried about how Zhao Shuyao would deal with such a malicious remark.

Zhao Shuyao remained calm, and even his breathing rhythm did not change.

Meeting Li Zhengming's aggressive gaze, she suddenly chuckled softly.

"Mr. Li, you've put too much pressure on me, it's making my neck a little sore." Zhao Shuyao spread his hands, his tone carrying a relaxed sense of humor.

"Of course I know that doing charity is a very virtuous thing, but there are many virtuous things to do in this world. I can't just do one thing because it's good, can I?"

He picked up the iced Americano in front of him, took a sip, and the icy liquid slid down his throat, making his voice even clearer: "I have a particularly fatal physical defect."

"Physiological defect?" Li Zhengming was stunned.

"Yes." Zhao Shuyao nodded seriously. "I can't handle big events. You think about it, a foundation's fundraising event is bound to be a star-studded affair, with spotlights so bright you can't open your eyes, and the audience is full of media with their long lenses and microphones. Whenever I see a large crowd, I get dizzy, my heart races, and sometimes I can't even speak properly."

Pointing to her calm face, she sighed, "Tell me, with my naive and unsophisticated nature, if I actually went to your event and got nervous enough to trip on stage, or say something I shouldn't have, wouldn't that tarnish the spotless reputation of our Tianyin Foundation?"

This is an extremely sophisticated form of satire.

With a self-deprecating humor, he completely deconstructed the other party's sense of superiority regarding the so-called "grand scene."

Li Zhengming frowned. How could he not hear the perfunctory tone in Zhao Shuyao's words? But he couldn't lose his temper, because if he did, it would be tantamount to admitting that the foundation was coercing others.

"Zhao, you're being too modest." Li Zhengming suppressed his emotions and tried his best to maintain the image of a kind elder. "The person we see on TV speaks fluently in front of national media. Nervousness? That's not your excuse."

Zhao Shuyao put down his cup and dropped his teasing tone.

He sat up slightly, his eyes becoming extremely deep and serious at that moment, as if they could see through the shrewd disguise beneath Li Zhengming's coat.

"Mr. Li, this is really not an excuse." Zhao Shuyao's voice was calm but firm. "I admire those who can stand in the spotlight and call on everyone to do good deeds, but I can't. My path is different from yours."

He tapped his long, slender fingers lightly twice on the table: "Even if I don't participate in your Tianyin Foundation, I can still do charity work, it's just that our methods might be a little different."

"I don't like to ask others to donate money, and I can't bear the empty title of representing 'great love'. I'm a practical person, and I will only do what I can."

These words, without a single swear word or accusation, were like an extremely sharp scalpel, precisely cutting open the fig leaf covering the Tianyin Foundation's operating model.

Li Zhengming's facial muscles twitched very slightly.

He understood.

The other party was mocking them for using other people's money to do their own charity.

The scene fell into a stalemate, and the white noise in the café seemed to be amplified at that moment.

The woman in red couldn't hold back any longer. She snorted coldly, her lips, painted with exquisite lipstick, parting slightly: "Mr. Zhao, how much power do you think an individual can have? Without the help of a platform, your so-called 'capability' is nothing but a drop in the ocean. You need to broaden your horizons a bit."

Zhao Shuyao turned his head and calmly glanced at the woman in red. He wasn't angry; he just found it somewhat amusing.

"This lady is right, an individual's strength is indeed insignificant." Zhao Shuyao nodded, his tone calm. "But there's an old saying that I think is quite good—'Do not refrain from doing good because it is small, nor do evil because it is small.'"

Turning our attention back to Li Zhengming: "I only do what I'm capable of. I only eat what I can eat. Without the help of a platform, I probably wouldn't be able to help thousands of people."

"Even if I just return the extra 50 cents the cafeteria lady gave me, or even if I just buy a few books for the left-behind children in the village, it's something I actually gave myself. I feel at ease, and I can sleep soundly at night."

"As for those grand narratives that are too high-profile and always claim to change the world, I'm really afraid that I'm too weak to bear the consequences."

A complete rejection carries with it an undeniable crushing force of cultural sophistication and values.

Li Zhengming looked at Zhao Shuyao with an extremely complicated expression. He finally understood why the old-school scholars in the circle were so helpless against this young man, because the other party was not playing the game within their logical system at all.

When you talk to him about interests, he talks about bottom lines; when you talk to him about responsibility, he talks about conscience.

"What a pity." Li Zhengming sighed deeply, his expression shifting from confusion to deep regret. He seemed to be making a final effort.

"Zhao, I understand the arrogance of young people and their prejudice against institutionalized organizations." Li Zhengming softened his tone, trying to adopt a compromise strategy. "Actually, you don't need to agree to join right now. We can take a more gentle approach."

He extended a hand in an inviting gesture: "You can start as an observer and join us in some of our upcoming offline events. Go to the schools we're actually helping to rebuild and see how we're actually delivering supplies to the children."

"When the time comes, if you see that we are truly doing real work, if you see the smiles on those children's faces, I believe that someone with your strong sense of social responsibility will change their mind and be willing to join us. We have to give ourselves a chance to understand the truth, right?"

By yielding, showing weakness, and letting the facts speak for themselves, Zhao Shuyao has mastered the art of strategic retreat. If he were to refuse again with a firm stance, he would appear to be extremely stubborn and even somewhat unreasonable.

Gu Nanxi also turned her head and looked at Zhao Shuyao's profile. She was thinking about how Zhao Shuyao should deal with this move.

Looking at Li Zhengming's incredibly sincere face, Zhao Shuyao pretended to be deep in thought, lowered his eyes slightly, and slowly drew circles on the table with his fingers, as if he was really weighing the pros and cons of going or not going.

Five seconds.

ten seconds.

Just as Li Zhengming felt that things were turning around and a victorious smile was about to appear on his lips.

Zhao Shuyao stopped what he was doing with his fingers, looked up, and shook his head with utter helplessness.

"Mr. Li," Zhao Shuyao sighed, his tone filled with the sincerity of "I really want to go, but I really can't," "Let's just forget about it."

"Why?" Li Zhengming's smile froze on his face, his voice rising a half-tone, "You can't even give me this much time to take a look?"

"It's really not a matter of time." Zhao Shuyao crossed his arms and explained seriously, "I really can't go. You think about it, when you go to the countryside to do charity work, all kinds of media will definitely follow you and film you the whole time, with long lenses and microphones pointing at you. I just said that I have a problem. I can't stand the camera. As soon as I see that flashing red camera, my legs go weak."

"What if I went to the scene with you, and the children were having a great time, and I suddenly rolled my eyes and fainted in front of the camera? What would the headlines be the next day? 'Tragic Incident at Tianyin Foundation Charity Event: Famous History Blogger Faints from Fright'?"

Zhao Shuyao spread his hands: "That would be such a spoilsport. I can't ruin your carefully planned charity gala just to satisfy my curiosity, can I? So, for the sake of the foundation's reputation, it's better for me to stay away."

humor.

It's a kind of humor that makes you know he's talking nonsense, but you can't find any flaws to refute it.

He used the most absurd reason to elegantly shut down all of Li Zhengming's verbal options.