From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

My cousin then slowly put down the U-lock, looked at me with a worried expression, and said:

"Yezi, you've just taken over the site and you've already run into this mess. These people are clearly not going to let this go. Are you really going to continue operating this place? You can forget about doing business peacefully from now on!"

I slowly raised my head, looking in the direction the car had gone, and said, "They're not local bullies at all."

My cousin froze, his face full of confusion: "Not local bullies? Then who are they? Are they here specifically to cause trouble?"

"That's right."

I nodded emphatically. "There has never been a rule about collecting protection money in this area. But as soon as I took over the site, they came to extort me. There is no other possibility than someone deliberately targeting me."

My cousin gasped, instantly realizing what was happening, his voice trembling slightly:

"You mean, someone deliberately paid someone to sabotage you?"

I nodded silently, offering no further explanation.

My cousin looked puzzled and said, "But you've always been law-abiding and haven't offended anyone in society. Who would target you like this?"

My cousin doesn't know, but I know perfectly well.

This is nothing more than another of Fang Heng's tricks.

This guy was humiliated by me in front of everyone at the party, losing all face. How could he possibly swallow this insult?

In my silence, my cousin sighed heavily: "Yezi, maybe we should just close down! These rich and powerful people are deliberately targeting us; ordinary people like us can't handle it. There's no need to ruin ourselves for one site!"

I bent down to pick up the scattered materials and said, "Close the door? On what grounds?"

"Why should I give up on this site that I painstakingly scraped together the money to buy because of a bunch of lousy people?"

Seeing that I refused to admit defeat, my cousin didn't try to persuade me any further.

He patted my shoulder helplessly and said in a deep voice, "Alright, I won't try to persuade you anymore. Just be careful. I'm not very capable and can't help you much. I'm going to deliver some takeout now."

He paused for a moment, then added, "I've already resigned from the station. Once the paperwork is done in the next couple of days, I'll come over and help you."

I nodded slightly and watched my cousin ride away on his bicycle.

The store quieted down again, and I sat alone in a chair, my mind racing through everything.

No wonder that group of people came so quickly. It was only my first day at the site, and they came looking for trouble.

From beginning to end, it was all Fang Heng's means of revenge!

On the surface, they are polite and refined, but behind the scenes they resort to all sorts of underhanded tricks and unscrupulous means. They are truly hypocritical and vicious!

I am well aware that today is just a small warning.

If I continue to tolerate and back down, I will only face increasingly severe suppression and never have peace again.

To completely escape this passive and defensive situation, I must take the initiative!

With that thought in mind, I immediately took out my phone, found Su Qing's number, and dialed it.

The phone rang for a few seconds before being answered. Su Qing's usual cool and assertive voice came through the receiver: "What?"

"Are you free right now? I need to talk to you about something serious." I said in a serious tone.

"explain."

I didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Does Fang Heng have any fatal weaknesses?"

Su Qing was visibly taken aback for a moment, then spoke with a playful smile:

"Weakness? What, are you planning to take the initiative and deal with him?"

"That bastard is going too far! He just brought a bunch of thugs to my shop to extort money and cause trouble, forcing me to close down. He almost started a fight on the spot!"

Su Qing let out a cold sneer upon hearing this: "I knew it was his doing. He never bothers to get involved in fights himself; he prefers to find some scumbags in society behind the scenes and use these despicable means to suppress and retaliate against others."

"He thinks he can force me to admit my mistake and apologize to him? He's dreaming!" I said through gritted teeth.

"You have some backbone, I admire that."

Su Qing chuckled, then changed the subject: "But let me make this clear beforehand, you'd better think it through. Fang Heng is a genuine second-generation rich kid from a wealthy family, he has no shortage of connections, money, and resources. As an ordinary person, your chances of going head-to-head with him are extremely slim."

"Who doesn't have two shoulders and one head? So what if he's rich and powerful? I've earned this wretched life through hard work. At worst, we'll both perish. I don't believe he really has three heads and six arms!"

My bluntness and assertiveness actually made Su Qing laugh.

"Alright! I like your drive, let's go for it! Since you're so determined, I'll give you a hand."

She pondered for a moment in silence, then slowly said, "I do know of a major problem with him; you can judge for yourself whether it's a weakness. His family has set up a media company for him, which he's fully entrusted with managing. I've heard there's a lot of shady dealings within his company."

I instantly perked up and immediately pressed, "Tell me more! What's going on?"

Su Qing said calmly, "I don't know the specifics of the internal operations; I only heard about it from people in the industry chatting. His company is involved in tax evasion, and what's most disgusting is that he forcibly binds the online celebrities he signs to him with all kinds of unfair and fixed contracts."

"Media company? News anchor?"

I seized on the key information and continued to press, "What's the name of his company?"

"It seems to be called... Xingyao Culture Media."

I memorized the name and then asked her, "Besides these, is there any other dirt on you?"

"That's all. I've never bothered to pay attention to his messy affairs anyway, I only heard about these things by chance," Su Qing replied indifferently.

"Okay, thanks."

Just as I was about to hang up, Su Qing suddenly called out to me, "Wait, are you serious? Are you really determined to go against him?"

I said firmly, "Do you think I'm joking?"

Su Qing said in a deep voice, "Fine, that's ambitious! But I still have to remind you, you must be aware of your own limitations. His connections are far beyond what you can compete with right now; a head-on confrontation will only result in losses."

I remained silent and did not reply.

I understand the reasoning better than anyone else.

I'm just a nobody with nothing, and I only managed to take over a lousy website after putting in all my effort.

Fang Heng, on the other hand, is a top-tier rich second-generation born with a silver spoon in his mouth, possessing wealth, power, and connections.

With a mere flick of his finger or a single word, he could utterly crush me, leaving me with no way out.

Even if the odds of winning are slim, I will never sit idly by and wait to die!

After hanging up the call with Su Qing, I didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately searched for Xingyao Media Company online.

You won't know until you search, and once you do, it'll open your eyes to a whole new world.

This media company, which is affiliated with Fangjia Resources, is not large, but its business information page on Qichacha shows hundreds of legal risks, labor disputes, and contract litigations.

It has everything from labor arbitration and tax evasion rectification warnings to consumer complaint records.

I wrote down the company's specific address, since Fang Heng wanted to mess with me and cut off my livelihood.

Then don't blame me for playing to his weaknesses and giving him a taste of what it's like to be passively beaten.