Chapter 3 – A Call from the Zhong Family
Lin Ganzhi had always thought that being a whale came with no worries. But when a whale meets an unlucky player, it feels like you’re just a fool sending money to the game company with no return on your investment!
He had thrown in over a thousand yuan, but there wasn’t even a ripple!
Having just joined the middle class, Lin Ganzhi resentfully gave up, vowing not to be a rich fool with more money than sense.
Yan Shengping slowly ate the food in his bowl, his peripheral vision catching Lin Ganzhi’s expression shifting from bright-eyed to expressionless, and finally to a tight frown. His baby-fat face visibly drooped, looking like a little bun that had lost its filling—utterly pitiful.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, but Yan Shengping ultimately didn’t ask what was wrong. The noodles were gone. He hadn’t had such a comfortable meal in months. It tasted great, and his stomach didn’t react badly to it. He rarely received such treatment even at the Zhong residence. They preferred strong flavors, and especially after Zhong Jingyi returned from abroad, they paid little attention to his appetite. In the past, only Uncle Yan would secretly bring him porridge in his study on a difficult afternoon.
He even felt the urge to drink the thick noodle soup, but Yan Shengping would never let such a thought show!
After he finished eating, Lin Ganzhi didn’t pester him anymore. He tidied up the tray and left promptly.
Because he knew that distance creates beauty!
Yan Shengping was now genuinely confused about Lin Ganzhi’s motives. Was it for money? The money he had now was practically nothing compared to before; you could say he was bankrupt. As for Lin Ganzhi’s repeated claims of liking him, that was even more impossible. He never believed in love at first sight.
Seeing Lin Ganzhi come downstairs with an empty bowl, Uncle Yan was truly astonished. After all, even he couldn’t persuade Yan Shengping to eat. He knew the master had been through too much recently, and he couldn’t bring himself to say harsh words.
“Ganzhi, have you studied Taekwondo or Karate?” Uncle Yan asked, his mind already conjuring an image of Lin Ganzhi’s seemingly small frame subduing the tenth-dan black belt Yan Shengping with one hand, while forcing lunch into his mouth with the other.
“Does Tai Chi count?” During his freshman year of college, Lin Ganzhi’s physical education final was Tai Chi, and he even got first place in the class! This was something to be prouder of than winning the annual scholarship. After all, due to the PE teacher’s insane requirements, the pass rate for the Tai Chi exam was as low as ten percent! Thinking of this, Lin Ganzhi felt even more proud, his chest puffing out straight and tall!
Uncle Yan was speechless.
Knowing that Yan Shengping was a homebody who would never come downstairs unless necessary, Lin Ganzhi relaxed and strolled around the first floor to aid his digestion, finally stopping at the lawn in front of the small villa.
White railings, grass swaying in the wind, and from time to time, a small sparrow from the nearby woods would fly out and land on the mailbox.
“This lawn is really nice.” Lin Ganzhi squatted on the steps, the afternoon sun casting a golden glow on his pink hair. His thick eyelashes cast a shadow on his lower eyelids, and combined with his baby fat, it made the boy look even more delicate and handsome.
As a senior butler well-versed in human nature, Uncle Yan immediately said, “I’ll see if there are any suitable flower seeds when I go shopping tomorrow.”
“Hey~!” Lin Ganzhi interrupted Uncle Yan’s idea with a profound look. Was he the type for useless romanticism? “Uncle Yan, is there a farmers’ market nearby?”
Uncle Yan was a bit taken aback.
“The land is quite large. I want to plant some vegetables so we don’t waste our family’s resources.”
Uncle Yan’s expression was complicated. Before this “madam” married in, he had looked up information about him. Things like he wouldn’t use face cream under ten thousand yuan, and his clothes and shoes had to be worth at least thirty thousand when he went out. Later, anti-fans exposed that he was actually wearing fakes. He was extremely vain. The only time he was quiet was when he was acting like a zombie in every role.
But now…
Lin Ganzhi seemed to sense something and looked at Uncle Yan, suddenly becoming alert. That’s right, the original owner wasn’t this frugal and down-to-earth! He couldn’t let them suspect he was an impostor!
“Uncle Yan, do you know the two things in the world you can’t believe?”
“What two things?” Uncle Yan squatted down, starting to chat with the young man.
“The words of some men, and marketing accounts!” Lin Ganzhi said with firm conviction.
Uncle Yan fell into thought.
Later, Lin Ganzhi, drawing from his memories, told Uncle Yan the stories behind several malicious reports by marketing accounts.
“Remember when they said a certain Best Actress was supposedly dumped by her younger boyfriend, appearing late at night without makeup and with greasy hair? Actually, that older sister was just working out at the gym late at night and didn’t want to shower there.”
“And that famous ‘luminous script scandal’ before? The two of them weren’t even staying in the same hotel, just had the same room number. That well-respected old director in the industry got so angry his blood pressure shot up because of it.”
“Oh, I remember that one. I was surprised for a long time back then. So that’s what happened.”
“Yeah, and also,” Lin Ganzhi vividly brainwashed an innocent middle-aged man.
The window of Yan Shengping’s study happened to face the main entrance. In the early autumn afternoons, he would open it a crack to let in some fresh air. Usually, he could only hear the whistling of the wind, but now, the wind carried with it the sound of hushed discussions and laughter. This was a liveliness that hadn’t been present in the villa for months.
Due to Lin Ganzhi’s excellent performance at noon, Uncle Yan was now very confident in leaving the kitchen to him in the evening. However, the idea of having the master of the house cook still made Uncle Yan feel a bit uneasy.
“Ganzhi, you don’t have to cook every day. You should rest more. This kind of thing should still be my job.” Uncle Yan was in the kitchen helping Lin Ganzhi peel garlic.
Lin Ganzhi puffed out his chest nonchalantly. “Uncle Yan, I love cooking. I feel restless if I don’t cook for a day!”
Uncle Yan gave him a skeptical look.
Lin Ganzhi was gradually getting used to breaking character, and he could now lie without blushing. “That’s why when I was on set, I’d practice my stir-frying whenever I had time at noon, just so my skills wouldn’t get rusty!”
Uncle Yan was so convinced he almost applauded on the spot. Kids who enjoyed cooking were truly rare these days!
With his back to the old man, Lin Ganzhi felt a pang of guilt for brainwashing him. Oh well, he’d just have to eat more tonight to physically atone for it!
Seeing Lin Ganzhi carry the same tray from noon upstairs, Uncle Yan still felt a little worried.
“Ganzhi, maybe I should go up in a bit. The master hasn’t been in a good mood lately. If I go, he might be a little more considerate of an old man like me. I’m afraid he’ll be harsh with you,” he said, afraid of scaring the boy.
Lin Ganzhi was unconcerned. In his past life, he had refused the company’s demand to accompany that pervert and had been cyberbullied for months as a result. If he didn’t have some mental fortitude, he would have been gone long before the cancer came for him.
“Uncle Yan, plenty of people in the industry have been harsh with me. I have excellent mental resilience! But,” Lin Ganzhi suddenly became shy, “if my husband wants to divorce me, I’ll still cry!”
***
Uncle Yan decided to go buy some Sensodyne tomorrow.
This time, Lin Ganzhi had learned his lesson. He knocked three times, and when he heard a slight movement inside, he precisely poked his head in, putting on his most innocent expression. “Husband, I’m coming in.”
Yan Shengping, who was looking at the computer, froze and looked up.
The voice from the computer hadn’t stopped. “Um, brother, is… is that sister-in-law?”
Lin Ganzhi immediately recognized the voice of the main protagonist, Zhong Jingyi. Now he was in a dilemma, not knowing whether to advance or retreat.
An ugly expression appeared on Yan Shengping’s cold face. He remained silent for a long time.
“Is that Lin Ganzhi? Let Mom see,” another voice, that of a middle-aged woman, sounded from the computer.
Yan Shengping took a deep breath. “Come in.”
Lin Ganzhi nodded like a pecking chicken, closed the door, and brought the tray in.
Yan Shengping’s face was already pale, but now it had turned ashen. The book never mentioned any further contact between the Zhong family and him. But after so cruelly kicking him out of the CEO position, moving him to the suburbs, and even arranging for an 18th-tier drama queen to disgust him, why were they calling now? To see if Yan Shengping was as miserable as they had expected?
Lin Ganzhi approached with confusion and placed the dinner next to Yan Shengping’s hand.
Two figures appeared on the computer screen. One was Zhong Jingyi, dressed in a white shirt with black hair, his features as exquisite as a little prince’s. The other was an equally luxuriously dressed, slightly plump woman, Madam Zhong. The environment behind them could only be described as magnificent. The broke Lin Ganzhi had previously thought the little villa’s decor was quite nice, but now he saw that comparisons truly reveal the world’s disparities. Just a few months ago, Yan Shengping had also lived in such a house.
Despite being mentally prepared for Lin Ganzhi to be somewhat unimpressive, Zhong Jingyi and Madam Zhong were still thoroughly surprised when they saw him in a shabby, ripped short-sleeved shirt and a head of pink hair. After all, Yan Shengping probably wouldn’t have given such a person a second glance before.
Thinking this, a trace of guilt flickered in Madam Zhong’s eyes, but recalling her adopted son’s past behavior, she discarded the superfluous emotion and looked at the two with an air of authority.
Before Lin Ganzhi could greet them, Madam Zhong spoke. “Now that you’re married, you two should live a good life together. Ganzhi, when you’re at home and not working, you can dye your hair back. My son’s thinking is rather traditional.”
Hearing that the Zhong family had stripped Yan Shengping of all his company assets when they kicked him out, meaning his current salary was paid from Yan Shengping’s personal savings over the years, Lin Ganzhi instantly lost any goodwill he might have had for this woman.
Ha! On what grounds? Not even a dean of discipline is as controlling as you!
“I’ll listen to whatever my husband says.” Lin Ganzhi made his stance clear with his words and actions.
“Cough, cough, cough!” Zhong Jingyi almost choked on the water he had just sipped.
Madam Zhong frowned even more deeply. How could he be so mushy? He had no manners at all. Believing she understood her adopted son’s personality, she pointed at Yan Shengping and was about to scold him.
The gloom in Yan Shengping’s eyes miraculously dissipated a little at those words. After a moment, he parted his lips. “Pink hair is… quite cute.”
Lin Ganzhi turned his head in surprise.
Madam Zhong instantly lost face, and even Zhong Jingyi looked over in astonishment.
“Shengping, how have you become so thoughtless, just like a child?!” Madam Zhong scolded.
“Brother, hurry up and apologize to Mom!” Zhong Jingyi frowned. As expected of the protagonist, even his frown was handsome. It was just that his words were inhumane.
Having been in the industry for a long time, Lin Ganzhi was now a master at identifying manipulative schemers. He saw through this little trick at a glance. He hadn’t liked this universally adored bottom when he read the book, always feeling something was off. Only after experiencing it firsthand did he finally get it.
Wow! Isn’t this a hindsight-expert plus a feigned innocent?
Before Lin Ganzhi could speak, Yan Shengping coldly raised his right arm and placed it on the table, which at first glance looked like he was protecting Lin Ganzhi. “Didn’t you banish me? Why are you still holding me to the Zhong family’s standards? Why did you call this time? To laugh at me?”
“You!” Madam Zhong’s face turned ugly. “You have to bear the consequences of your own mistakes, but that doesn’t mean you can disown me as your mother! If I didn’t care about you, would I be calling you secretly? And your brother, last time you… The scar on his arm still won’t fade! Do you think we deserved that?”
Lin Ganzhi, holding a huge piece of gossip, didn’t know if he should indulge. But when he looked down at Yan Shengping, he saw his thin shoulders trembling slightly. He couldn’t imagine how angry he must be right now.
For a moment, he even felt that Yan Shengping was suffering a great injustice.
“Since you find it so infuriating, there’s no need to contact me again,” Yan Shengping said, his eyes filled with sarcasm.
“You!” Madam Zhong’s chest heaved violently. Zhong Jingyi quickly went to soothe his mother, while saying in a very pained tone, “Brother, no one owes you anything. We treat you with sincerity. Even if you don’t understand, please don’t trample on our sincerity.” As he spoke, Zhong Jingyi’s eyes began to redden.
Yan Shengping didn’t say a word, just watched coldly, his face growing even more ashen.
Lin Ganzhi couldn’t stand by and watch any longer.
“What sincerity? Your son and brother gets married, and you don’t even come to see him. If you think he’s so wicked, then either never contact him again, or don’t push him into his current situation and still expect him to treat you with sincerity. It’s easy for you to make a phone call, to open your mouths and say you care about him. Care about what? That his partner has pink hair and you need him to ‘clean it up’?” Seeing his boss, the one who paid his salary, being bullied like this, Lin Ganzhi rolled up his sleeves and went for it.
“You!” Madam Zhong was so choked up she couldn’t say a word.
Lin Ganzhi wasn’t afraid either. A million-a-month salary demanded a certain attitude. He glanced at Yan Shengping, and seeing no sign of him stopping him, Lin Ganzhi continued his steady performance. “Furthermore, you knew I, Lin Ganzhi, was this kind of person, yet you still had my husband marry me. Now you’re starting to point fingers. It’s like knowing a toy is broken, but still giving it to your unfavored son, and then turning around to say how ugly the toy is and that he needs to fix it up to please your eyes. From beginning to end, have you ever cared about Yan Shengping’s opinion?”
“And you talk about trampling on your sincerity. Marrying me off to him, is that your sincerity?”
Lin Ganzhi’s eyes were crystal clear, without a hint of concealment. When he got ruthless, he had no problem disparaging himself. He was like a mirror, directly and clearly reflecting the true faces of the two people opposite him.
Madam Zhong’s eyes grew flustered, and this time, Zhong Jingyi was genuinely crying from anger. Having grown up in the lap of luxury, his verbal sparring skills were no match for Lin Ganzhi, who had rolled around in the mud.
In the end, it was Yan Shengping who broke the brief silence. “The words have been said. In the future, there’s no need to contact me against your conscience. I am very selfish. From now on, you have no right to comment on my affairs. As for the past, I won’t be making any more plans for it either. You can rest assured.”
With that, he ended the video call.
Right in front of Lin Ganzhi, he deleted Madam Zhong’s WeChat.
Yan Shengping closed his laptop. Lin Ganzhi speaking up for him had left him with very complicated feelings. He had clearly been gritting his teeth in anger at him during the day, but now he didn’t know how to face him.
“I’m not a good person. You don’t need to speak up for me like that.”
Lin Ganzhi imperiously moved Yan Shengping’s laptop aside and pushed the dinner he had made towards him. It was a corn and pork rib soup with stir-fried pork stomach, and a small dish of appetizing salted long beans.
“I side with my own, not with reason. It’s not like I’m a good person either.” Lin Ganzhi swiftly handed him the chopsticks.
For the first time, Yan Shengping found it so difficult to communicate with someone. But this time, he didn’t refuse Lin Ganzhi. He took the chopsticks. After all, he had just stood up for him. Besides, Lin Ganzhi’s cooking was indeed much more fragrant than Uncle Yan’s.
“Don’t describe yourself like that in the future. At the very least, you should have some self-respect.” Although Yan Shengping was still suspicious of Lin Ganzhi, his heart genuinely ached when he heard him describe himself as a broken toy.
Moved, Lin Ganzhi leaned in close to Yan Shengping’s ear, his soft and sweet voice wrapping around him. “Then I’ll say the same to you. I think you’re pretty great, too. You’re exactly my type!”
The hand Yan Shengping was holding the chopsticks with trembled, and the pork rib he had just picked up fell.