He watched as Chang Yuanyi and Ma Yunbin got into the Bentley and sped away.
Outside the Southern Villa, Du Tiancong’s face darkened, and resentnt burned in his eyes. Humiliation. Chang Yuanyi was blatantly humiliating him.
Yet, he knew he had to endure it, no matter how wantonly Chang Yuanyi shad him. His father was about to be promoted from head of the municipal governnt to head of the municipal party committee. His grandfather, though retired from the front lines, had influential students all over the world and still possessed boundless power. Then there was his maternal grandfather, the First Political Commissar of the Southwest Military Region. With a family background like that, Young Master Chang was definitely not soone he could afford to resent or provoke. He was crystal clear on this point.
"Power and money, power and money... power will always crush money! This godforsaken world!"
The Bentley was long gone, but Du Tiancong’s gaze lingered where it had disappeared. His features twisted as he gritted his teeth and growled under his breath.
"Young... Young Master Du!" Behind Du Tiancong, the rich kids who had followed him from Shanghai stamred after witnessing what had happened, fearing his anger would spread to them.
"I’m fine. This is nothing. The road of life is long. This is just the beginning!" The words were a double entendre, seemingly about himself but perhaps also about Chang Yuanyi.
He reached up and rubbed his face.
Turning around, Du Tiancong’s face was an emotionless mask. "Don’t let spoil the mood," he said indifferently. "Let’s go in and eat."
「Jinling Hotel.」
In a VIP karaoke room open only to Jinling’s top elite, several of the hottest female celebrities of the day were gathered.
"Zhao Ying, I’m so envious of you," Guan Tong said with a self-deprecating laugh, gulping down the red wine in her glass as she watched Zhao Ying prepare to leave.
Zhao Ying was speechless. She didn’t know what to say, or what she even could say.
I knew this was a pit of fire, but I had no choice but to walk into it. Yet, the mont I stepped in, a phone call pulled right back out. I’m still completely bewildered about what just happened.
"Tongtong, is it really worth getting so worked up? We should have seen this day coming from the mont we entered the industry. To our ordinary fans, we might seem like untouchable goddesses, sparkling and admired from afar, but that’s just for them! In the eyes of the powerful, what are we? To put it bluntly, we’re just playthings! But what choice do we have? Preserve our virtue at the cost of our careers? Forget you and ; look across the entire entertainnt industry. How many can you find with that kind of fearless spirit? Besides, the man in charge this ti is Jinling’s number-one young master, and the rumors say his background is terrifying. If we gain his protection, we might finally find so peace. It’s certainly better than being defiled by those pot-bellied, balding old n!" another wildly popular actress said, shaking her head in resignation.
Although the words were harsh, one had to admit every sentence was true.
"Everyone has a chance to choose their own destiny. We didn’t have to co, but we all know the consequences: getting blacklisted, shelved, and seeing our careers end, ha! So, when we ca to the crossroads of fate, we still chose wealth and fa, just like everyone else. We should all get a grip on our feelings and not let those young masters see us looking so miserable!" An actress snuffed out her slim cigarette, ran a hand through her wavy hair, and let out a cynical puff of smoke.
"Yan’er, Tongtong is different from us. We’re single, so we don’t have to carry that guilt. But Tongtong just went public with her relationship with Master Lu. Under the circumstances, how could she possibly be calm about this?" another actress, one who didn’t get along with Guan Tong, said with a voice dripping with sarcasm. For her, entertaining clients like this wasn’t the first ti; she had long since resigned herself to her fate. If you couldn’t bear to part with the halo above your head or the life you currently lived, you had to pay the price.
Life isn’t just about succeeding through hard work. If it were, why are there countless people more talented and diligent than you who can only eat your dust? In the entertainnt industry, the answer to that question is self-evident.
"You—!" Hearing the sarcastic tone, the seemingly frail Guan Tong slamd the table and shot to her feet.
The actress who had made the remark seed to realize she’d gone too far. With a little huff, she walked over to the karaoke machine.
"Um, I... I..." Zhao Ying, who never liked to offend people or argue with her peers, bit her lip, montarily at a loss for words, mainly because she didn’t know what to say.
"Zhao Ying, don’t worry about us. You should hurry and go," an actress who was slightly older than the rest said with envy. "I don’t know how you managed to get out of this, but I’m sure your career won’t be bogged down by these unspoken rules anymore. Make the most of this opportunity!"
"Okay, I’ll be going then."
Biting her lip, Zhao Ying wasn’t foolish enough to express solidarity by sharing their misfortune. With that, she stood up, grabbed her purse, put on her sunglasses and mask, and walked out the door.
CLICK.
Just as Zhao Ying closed the door to the private room, she ca face to face with Chang Yuanyi and Ma Yunbin.
"Zhao Ying?" Chang Yuanyi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Mm," Zhao Ying replied, lowering her head. She grew flustered, suddenly regretting that she hadn’t left sooner.
Ma Yunbin subconsciously started to raise a hand to pat her arm but abruptly stopped mid-motion, recalling with a wry smile that this classmate of his definitely had sothing going on with Master Qin. He let his hand drop. "It’s fine, don’t be afraid," he said. "You’ve got a great protector watching your back now. From now on, just focus on your career. No one will be able to force you to do anything ever again."
With that, he pushed open the door and went inside.
A great protector? I have a great protector watching over ?
Hearing Ma Yunbin’s aningful words, Zhao Ying was left completely stunned. Did she not know every formidable person in her social circle? How powerful would soone have to be to make even the top young masters of Jinling not dare to touch her? What plane of existence was this patron from?
Zhao Ying was utterly baffled, unable to make any sense of it.
anwhile, amid the varied tapestry of life in the bustling city, a commotion began to ripple through the normally quiet dormitory area of Jinling University as the night deepened.
Two shaved heads, so polished they shone even under the dim campus streetlights, caught everyone’s attention. Each of the bald n carried a bundle of thorny branches on his back. Their faces showed no sha at being the center of attention; instead, they were filled with nervous dread.
They trudged toward the n’s Dormitory C, their legs feeling as if they weighed a thousand pounds.
"Holy shit! Is this a ’bearing thorns to beg for forgiveness’ thing?"
"Oh my god, what are they doing?"
"Gangsters with dragon and phoenix tattoos coming to campus to beg for forgiveness? Is this a movie shoot or so kind of performance art?"
"My brain is completely scrambled! Who’s the big shot they’re going to see?"
"Hey, aren’t those the Bald Brothers from the streets?"
Eventually, a local Jinling student recognized them. As the news spread through the crowd, waves of shocked gasps erupted from the onlookers.
Underworld bosses carrying thorns onto campus to apologize? What the hell was going on?
"Brother, do we really have to do this?" The bald man’s younger brother, who was always obsessed with his reputation, was on the verge of tears as he heard the surrounding shouts and saw the countless phones recording them. This ti, we’re going to be disgraced nationwide!
"Are you afraid of losing face or dying? Damn you—!" the older bald man bit back a curse at the last second. He continued in a low, furious voice, "If it weren’t for you, would I be in this ss? I’ll settle the score with you after this is over!"
Seething, the bald man picked up his pace.
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