Ice is not averse to deception

Then something unexpected happened to Sun Bing. Just as Sun Bing was smiling wryly, Wu Dayong next to him started waving his arms, as if searching for the best force and angle.

With a sharp "smack!", Sun Bing received a heavy slap.

"Huh? Why did you hit me?"

Sun Bing, drunk, looked somewhat comical, completely unaware of what was happening, but he was also genuinely in pain.

Wu Dayong, abandoning his fraudulent psychology, straightened his clothes before squatting down in front of Sun Bing and saying, "Are you awake now? Do you want me to slap you again?"

Sun Bing immediately backed down, her face showing surprise on her burgundy cheeks, which even looked somewhat cute.

"You want to please others? You overestimate yourself! A man who has lost all dignity, what right do you have to please others? Isn't that ridiculous, Sun Bing!"

Wu Dayong's words were a wake-up call, even sobering up the drunken Sun Bing.

"What you do is your business, I can't control that, but as your brother I want to remind you, if you don't even care about your dignity, no one can save you. How old are you to still be so decadent? Do you think you're some kind of non-mainstream person?"

Sun Bing stared blankly at Wu Dayong. To be honest, being scolded by a drunkard really is a good way to sober up.

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Sun Bing asked, her words slurred.

Wu Dayong was overjoyed; the method in the book really worked!

"You want a divorce? Fine, I don't object. But before you do, settle your own affairs first. Secure the Ice and Snow World project, obtain the ice source, pay off your debts, and then, like a real man, tell Liu Ruo you want a divorce. Get things done standing up, instead of kneeling and begging for pity. How old are you? Playing childish games? Who will pity you?"

To be honest, that slap, coupled with Wu Dayong's theory of dignity, instantly sobered Sun Bing up considerably.

Even if he and Liu Ruo really were going to get a divorce, he should stand up and finish the job like a man. Sacrificing himself for others is ridiculous.

Who will pity you?

How cheap is the sympathy gained through pitifulness!

"Dayong, you're right. I can't just give up like this. Even if we have to get a divorce, I have to stand tall and live like a man!"

Wu Dayong awakened Sun Bing's passion, and he instantly regained his spirits. Under the influence of alcohol, he could even feel the power of his blood rushing through his veins.

"Ah, that's more like it."

Wu Dayong breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully his efforts had not been in vain.

Wu Dayong helped Sun Bing up from the ground and prepared to take him back, only to find that Sun Bing was so drunk that he couldn't stand up at all.

Looking at his house, which was just a stone's throw away, Wu Dayong hesitated for a long time before helping Sun Bing back home, making sure no one was following them.

Actually, Wu's mother had already gone to a relative's house the day before yesterday, but in order to prevent the creditors from finding this place, Wu Dayong had been sleeping outside.

  

Despite Wu Dayong's swindling and conning appearance, which makes him seem like a petty hoodlum, his mother is his Achilles' heel.

At the age of seventeen, Wu Dayong left home and spent several years hanging out with a group of thugs, never returning home. It wasn't until three years ago, when his father suddenly passed away from a heart attack, leaving only his mother, Chen Ailing, at home, that Wu Dayong stepped into his home for the first time.

Previously, Wu Dayong had planned to take Wu Ma to the south, but Wu Ma refused, insisting that her ashes remain in her homeland even in death.

Knowing that Wu Ma liked to be alone and was in poor health, and fearing that something might happen to her and no one would take care of her, Wu Dayong installed a combination lock on the house and gave the password to his neighbor, Aunt Zhang, instructing her to check on her every day.

Of course, in return, Wu Dayong also helped Aunt Zhang's family quite a bit. Wu Dayong had a lot of connections in the past; he had helped Aunt Zhang's family apply for low-income assistance and old-age insurance.

Since his father passed away, Wu Dayong has sent his mother 1,000 yuan every month for living expenses. Even when he is struggling to make ends meet, he has never stopped doing so.

There's no other reason than that Wu Ma has suffered too much, and he doesn't want her to suffer even a single day more, even though Chen Ailing has never spent any of this money.

Upon entering the bedroom, Wu Dayong helped Sun Bing onto the bed to sober up, panting heavily.

Looking at Sun Bing sleeping soundly, Wu Dayong felt a pang of emotion. Everyone has feelings, whether you're a good person or a bad person. Childhood memories surfaced in his mind, and a hint of tenderness appeared on Wu Dayong's face.

Turning his head, Wu Dayong saw his father's portrait on the wall. He got up, lit three incense sticks, and his eyes suddenly became cloudy.

Back then, Wu Dayong's family was one of the poorest in the neighborhood. Wu Dayong's father, Wu Gang, had always been a small vendor, but he was timid by nature and had no business acumen. After several years of business, he could barely make ends meet for his family of three.

It was precisely because of Wu Gang's cowardice that his stall was frequently visited by street thugs. Being bullied was commonplace, and being extorted for protection money was a regular occurrence.

Wu Gang always says that as long as he doesn't bully others, others won't bully him.

But the harsh reality taught Wu Gang a harsh lesson: the weaker he was, the more the thugs messed with him.

People always pick on the weak, especially the most unethical thugs.

There is one thing that Wu Dayong has never forgotten.

When Wu Dayong was fifteen years old, he was walking home from school as usual, passing by his father Wu Gang's fruit stand. Just as he was about to go and help out at the stand, he witnessed a scene that he would never forget.

While Wu Gang was tidying up his stall, he accidentally slipped and bumped into a thug leader who was passing by.

I stepped on the other person's shoes and got their clothes dirty.

Wu Dayong kept bowing and apologizing, but he clearly did not receive the other party's forgiveness.

Wu Dayong remembers it clearly; it was only a little past five in the afternoon, the sky was still bright, and the streets were full of people.

The distance was quite far, and Wu Dayong couldn't hear what they were saying. However, after about ten minutes, Wu Dayong saw his father, Wu Gang, suddenly kneel down in front of the gang leader.

The gang leader then picked up a rag and used it to wipe Wu Gang's shoes while stepping on Wu Gang's head.

There were many people around—vendors, passersby, and even patrolling city management officers—but no one intervened. Some were just watching the spectacle, while others sighed and lamented. Some couldn't bear to see the elderly neighbor cursing, while the vendors who were on good terms with Wu Gang were powerless to do anything but watch silently.

Wu Dayong didn't know how long this process lasted, nor did he know whether it was because of fear or something else, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead and he couldn't move at all.

By the time Wu Dayong came to his senses, it was already dark.

Wu Dayong didn't go to the stall or help his father pack up; instead, he quietly took a detour home.

From that day on, Wu Dayong completely changed.

His grades plummeted, and he gradually started hanging out with older delinquents.

If you can't beat them, join them. That's probably what Wu Dayong was thinking. But it was this very thought that led him down a path of no return that was never meant for him.

And so, Wu Dayong eventually became the kind of person Wu Gang hated the most. By the time he graduated from high school, Wu Dayong was already making a name for himself in the neighborhood and even had some admirers.

The relationship between the father and son also became very strange. Wu Gang didn't want his son to go down this path, but what he couldn't accept was that since Wu Dayong embarked on this path, he had never been bullied, and the fruit stand business had even gradually improved.

This situation continued until Wu Gang passed away.

Wu Dayong was unable to see his father one last time, but he still saw the letter Wu Gang left for him.

The letter contained only one sentence: Make something of yourself and take good care of your mother.

Wu Dayong knew that being a hoodlum was not enough to make a name for himself; he needed to do business, big business, so that he could become a true strongman and earn everyone's respect.

Although so many years have passed and Wu Dayong has gotten further and further away from his goal, he has always persevered and supported himself.

Before, Wu Dayong had no idea what Wu Gang's mindset was when he knelt down. It wasn't until he entered society and had to bow and scrape before those so-called strong people, and had to tear his dignity apart and trample it on the ground, that Wu Dayong finally understood.

It's not a defeat; defeat is an understatement.

It's a form of surrender that makes people easily lose all courage to fight.

Fortunately, Wu Dayong pulled through.