My Years as a Copyist in Taiwan

"Awen, what's the second thing?" Although Wu Deng was very excited, she hadn't forgotten the three things Zhao Wen had just mentioned.

"The 'Princess Pearl' doesn't need big stars to act in it; as long as they're the right age and look handsome, that's enough. It's a script that can make many people famous. So if Qin Erqin asks someone to pass on a message to you, absolutely do not agree."

Because of his sister's scandal, Zhao Wen has hated the two Qins (Qin Qin and Qin Ying) the most in both his life. Of course, he has to shut the door first, otherwise, Brother Deng will most likely find the two Qins to participate in the show for the sake of ratings.

"No problem, I'll do whatever you say. And the third one..."

"Brother Deng, you've forgotten again. The third matter is of utmost importance. Let's discuss it after we've had a successful collaboration. Now, let's eat!"

Zhao Wenwen had already gone home from school and was constantly helping Aunt Chun in the kitchen... causing trouble and sneaking snacks. Surprisingly, she didn't go near Zhao Wen today, which shows that Brother Deng's charisma can truly stop a child from crying.

When Wu Deng left, Zhao Wen directly shoved the entire manuscript of "Princess Pearl" into his hands:

"Brother Deng, the manuscript is all here. Take it back and read it slowly. Just give me a call to let me know when the project is approved."

Wu Deng held the manuscript paper, her heart burning with warmth.

Having spent over a decade in the underworld, he had seen far too many people who called each other brothers in public but were scheming behind each other's backs. He never expected that an eighteen-year-old writer could be so open-minded—not asking for royalties and handing him the complete manuscript directly, without any of the wariness one would expect from an adult.

"Ah Wen, you're too generous!" Wu Deng was speechless. He wanted to advise his younger brother that what he was doing was wrong, but he swallowed the words back. Wasn't he acting the same way?

As the old man at the alley entrance watched the two BMWs disappear into the night, he turned to Zhao Wen with a sigh and said, "Wen, you're all better now, that's wonderful!"

"Yes, thank you all for taking care of me over the years," Zhao Wen replied gently.

"But these people have a bit of a gangster vibe, Ah Wen, you should be careful."

"Okay, sure." Zhao Wen took out a wad of Taiwanese dollars from his pocket and handed it to the old man.

"What are you doing?"

"This is Aunt Chun's salary. Please keep it for her. Aunt Chun saw that I had guests at home and left early so as not to disturb me."

"This, 8000? That's not right, it's too much! I'm just an old woman, I only cook, half of that..."

Zhao Wen clasped the old man's hands together: "Uncle, this is what you deserve. Aunt Chun's cooking is delicious and clean; you can't find another dish like it no matter how much money you have!"

Having shaken off the old man's entanglement, Zhao Wen strode towards Aunt Chen's acupressure clinic.

Because he had just seen two cars parked in front of Meiling Acupressure Center, Deng Ge's car.

As soon as I entered the alley, I saw Aunt Chen standing with another thin woman in her thirties, surrounded by Brother Deng.

Behind Aunt Chen are Aunt Xu and Wenwen.

Having watched countless gangster films, Zhao Wen could tell that the atmosphere between the two sides was tense, and that Brother Deng's side was acting as if they were facing a formidable enemy, as if two weak women could really defeat seven or eight burly men.

At the critical moment—

"Hey, Deng Ge!"

Zhao Wen broke the tension by entering the encirclement from among his underlings.

"Ah Wen, I ran into some trouble and ended up back here." Wu Deng smiled when he saw Zhao Wen, went up and hugged him, and found that his little brother actually knew the people opposite him, because Zhao Wen was also greeting them.

"This is my Aunt Chen, Brother Deng. This situation is quite serious. I can tell at a glance that you two might start fighting!"

"Uh, your Aunt Chen? Well..."

"That's Aunt Xu behind you, Wenwen, that thing you're using won't kill anyone, put it down..."

Wenwen picked up a bamboo pole and eagerly showed it off to his underlings, which amused Brother Deng.

First, he persuaded Aunt Xu and Aunt Chen to go back into the massage parlor. Wenwen was also dragged away by Aunt Chen by the back of her collar. Only then did Zhao Wen turn around and take the cigarette that Brother Deng handed him.

Brother Deng waved to his underlings and said, "You guys go back to the car, this revenge is probably over..."

"What grudge do you have, Brother Deng? Who on this whole island would dare to be your enemy?" Zhao Wen was also very surprised. Aunt Chen, what makes you so special that you have made an enemy of "Ghost's Sorrow"?

"Well, this is a long story, but it can also be put into short detail..." Wu Deng scratched his chin, put his arm around Zhao Wen's shoulder, and started chirping crickets.

It's a long story. The woman next to Aunt Chen just now is Chen Erfeng, the "master" Wenwen mentioned that day.

Aunt Xu's family home was on Yongfu Road, and they were neighbors with Aunt Chen's family. Aunt Xu was only a few years older than Chen Erfeng, so she introduced Chen Erfeng to work at a martial arts school in Taipei.

Last year, one of Deng Ge's brothers-in-law got drunk and caused trouble at Aunt Xu's restaurant. They were about to be persuaded to leave when his henchman got angry and smashed a large vase. Just then, Chen Erfeng and Aunt Xu ran into them, and Chen Erfeng beat him up. Deng Ge's brother-in-law broke his leg; it was a terrible situation...

Upon hearing that Deng Ge's brother-in-law had his arms and legs broken, the brothers who had always relied on Deng Ge for support were outraged. That very night, they gathered more than a dozen people and demanded that "Jinmen" hand over the man.

As a result, she was beaten again. Chen Erfeng fought eleven men single-handedly, and the news spread the next day, which really slapped Brother Deng in the face.

But he couldn't do anything to Aunt Xu because someone from Zhenjie had given him a message: "Don't touch the 'Jinmen' restaurant."

With "Jinmen" immobilized and Chen Erfeng nowhere to be found, Brother Deng felt that his past record of eight men taking on a hundred had been wiped out in this one round...

So, the Chief Protector issued a call to arms, telling everyone to find this Chen Erfeng and promise that Brother Deng would reward her handsomely, no matter if she lived or died!

"One of his brothers-in-law?!" Zhao Wen had another big question in his mind, but he didn't ask it. Besides, the sentence that Brother Deng blurted out contained a lot of information, didn't it?

"Uh, cough, that's not important, Awen..."

"Important, very important! This relates to my opinion on tonight's events, Brother Deng!"

"Haha, Wen, do you know what? This brother-in-law is the younger brother of one of the girls who sat in front of me back then..."

Zhao Wen was stunned. "Brother Deng, how many good sisters do you have?"

"Tell me, Brother Deng, how should this be settled according to your rules?" Zhao Wen rubbed his nose, trying to shake that damned lyric out of his head.

Wu Deng's heart stirred. He was very interested to see, "Mr. Snail, what place do I, Wu Deng, hold in your heart..."

"Awen, since we're brothers, you handle this! I'll listen to you, brother!"

"...Brother Deng, I have a serious flaw: I side with my own people, not with what's right!" Zhao Wen felt that Brother Deng was putting him in a difficult position.

Upon hearing Zhao Wen's words of favoring relatives over reason, the light in Protector Wu's eyes dimmed. Who is the friend and who is the reason—it's obvious.

Seeing Deng Ge's dejected look, Zhao Wen laughed: "Deng Ge, why don't you ask me which side is the biological one?"

"Which side is the relative?" Wu Deng practically pointed to his own nose to make it clear.

Zhao Wen pointed to the doorway with red lanterns hanging above it, then to Wu Deng's heart: "For me, both sides are family. I won't talk about Aunt Chen, but let's just talk about your brother Deng. We hit it off immediately; that's my biggest takeaway today! Do you recognize that phrase?"

"Of course, I agree!" Wu Deng replied without hesitation.

"Then I've decided, since we're related from both sides, Brother Deng, how about you have a one-on-one fight with Chen Erfeng? But let's make it clear first, you're a man, so take it easy when you fight. Women, after all, don't have that much strength!"

Do you want to hear what you're saying? Is this something Mr. Snail should say? That girl really did take on seven or eight people by herself. I only scared away about a hundred people back then by being tough and intimidating! I didn't drive them away!