Chapter 85 – Backing Him Up
Of course, Lin Ganzhi didn’t say what he was thinking out loud. He just said, “Wenren Yi told me a bit about her family. I’m worried about her grandma. She asked if we could stay a few more days to keep her grandma company. Is it convenient for you to stay here these few days? If you have other things to do, we can go back first.”
“Do you think it’s fun here?” Yan Shengping asked, not prying about the Wenren family, giving Lin Ganzhi plenty of privacy.
At this, Lin Ganzhi was wide awake. “It’s super fun! Wenren said this whole mountain belongs to her family, and I haven’t even explored it yet!” The little strawberry was slightly regretful.
“Then let’s stay for a few days. The Zhong Family is probably in a complete mess right now anyway. If we were there, we might get forcibly dragged back by them, which would be a hassle. I was thinking, if you don’t like it here, I could take you somewhere else. Feichen has quite a few vacation villas here in the United States,” Yan Shengping said.
Lin Ganzhi felt a pang of guilt. “Let’s not do that. It feels like we’ve been freeloading off Qin Feichen lately. He provides breakfast, he arranges the gifts, and now we’re supposed to use his vacation villas? I’d rather stay here at Wenren’s. We can’t just keep fleecing the same sheep.”
Yan Shengping chuckled, and Lin Ganzhi could almost feel the vibration in his chest. “Alright, I’ll listen to you. My financial management skills are no match for yours.”
Huh? It took Lin Ganzhi a minute or two to process that. He used to be the one driving Yan Shengping crazy, but now karma had finally come for him. Yan Shengping was being sarcastic! Lin Ganzhi forcefully nudged Yan Shengping’s chest.
“Are you implying I’m fleecing Wenren!” Lin Ganzhi was furious!
“You said it, not me. I didn’t say a thing,” Yan Shengping couldn’t help but laugh softly, and the laughter seemed to be getting more and more unrestrained.
Damn, damn, damn! This time, Lin Ganzhi went straight for the bite. A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated!
The commotion they made was loud enough for the patrolling butler to hear. However, influenced by the open-mindedness of foreign countries, the elite graduate of a high-end butler academy immediately contacted a specialty store to have some… related items delivered the next day. He was determined to provide the guests with the most comfortable housing experience.
The next day, the Wenren family prepared a large table of Chinese-style breakfast, worried that their guests might not be used to the food. As they were finishing up, Wenren Yi held up her phone in front of Lin Ganzhi.
“Holy crap, Ganzhi, that bastard Shi Wending has been exposed! The heavens truly have a way of balancing things. I didn’t even have to do anything, and someone already did it for me!” Wenren Yi looked exceptionally excited. The three elders sitting across from her were a bit confused as to why their granddaughter was so happy.
“Yiyi, my girl, what’s making you so happy?” the grandmother on the opposite side asked. After a night’s rest and her medicine, her condition had improved, and she could at least speak, albeit slowly.
Wenren Yi said, “It’s an investor from our show. He likes to use the casting couch with artists, and now he’s been reported!”
“Oh my, how can there be such people? Yiyi, were you bullied?” The elderly are always worried about their children.
This time, before Wenren Yi could speak, the grandfather chimed in, “Anyone could get into trouble, but our granddaughter definitely won’t. Hasn’t she been going to the boxing gym since she was little? Don’t you remember, one of the trophies on our cabinet was won by your granddaughter, one punch at a time.”
“That’s different. You, as her grandfather, have raised her too much like a boy. Our Yiyi is still a girl, after all. Even if her style is different, she’s still a girl and needs to be careful when she’s out,” the grandmother argued. The two elders bickered like children.
Lin Ganzhi now understood why Wenren Yi cared so much for her grandmother. How could anyone not feel protective of such an old lady?
During this time, Wenren Yi eagerly asked the three elders where they wanted to go. Her granddaughter had been busy with performances and rarely came back for long stays except during the New Year. The three elders were thrilled and started planning where they wanted to go. Lin Ganzhi chimed in for a while, and when Wenren Yi and the others went upstairs to get ready, he sat next to Yan Shengping, scrolling through the news on his phone.
In front of all the servants and the butler, Yan Shengping reached out and had Lin Ganzhi lean against his chest. Lin Ganzhi had gotten used to this move and no longer blushed so severely. The scent of cold wood from Yan Shengping was fragrant and had a calming effect. He didn’t make a fuss; while he was on Weibo, Yan Shengping would be editing messages in his work group chat with one hand. Occasionally, he would put down his phone, reach for some grapes, and take two at a time, one of which would inevitably be fed into Lin Ganzhi’s mouth.
Bathed in the abundant sunlight, the two of them leaned together lazily. Even without doing anything, it made one sigh with emotion, what a fairytale romance~
Lin Ganzhi continued to read about the matter Wenren Yi had mentioned at breakfast. He clicked on the trending topics. Sure enough, the hashtag #ShiWendingCastingCouch# had shot to the top spot and gone viral. It was a well-respected entertainment reporter who had broken the story.
The report listed many victims, but the reporter handled it well. The names of those who were willing participants were not included, so as not to offend certain people’s interests. The names on the list were all signed by the victims—newcomers who were unwilling to be subjected to Shi Wending’s casting couch and were subsequently blacklisted. There were idols, some well-known internet celebrities, and some graduates from professional universities, with men and women in equal numbers. The moment he saw the list, Lin Ganzhi’s heart was filled with mixed feelings. Disgust was the most prominent, followed by a sense of avenging a great wrong.
“[There’s an actress on there I really liked. She’s so talented. I was wondering why she didn’t continue working after her last drama. It turns out she was being coerced by this scum. But I support my big sister for bravely standing up and not bowing to power!]”
“[This is disgusting. The entertainment industry is supposed to be a place where people chase their dreams, but it’s been polluted by these people. How does that ugly freak Shi Wending have the face to proposition these young artists?]”
“[Seeing the signature list makes me so sad. They’re all just recent graduates who came to chase their dreams, only to have their futures ruined by this scumbag!]”
“[I used to think entertainment reporters were always just looking for trouble and exposing people’s privacy, but this time I support this reporter. So brave! If anyone dares to curse him out for this, I’ll be the first to help him fight back!]”
“[Damn! I checked, and this bastard also invested in my brother’s TV series. Good thing my brother is rich, otherwise who knows what would have happened?]”
“[There’s more, friends! Apparently, Shi Wending’s dad also used the casting couch on celebrities. According to a little birdie, he and his dad even forced people!!!]”
“[Person above, hurry up and show the evidence! This could land them in jail!]”
“[+1, does the person above have evidence?]”
Reading through it all, Lin Ganzhi felt a sense of catharsis, as if he had indirectly avenged the wrongs of his past life. If only he had met a good reporter before he died in his previous life, his passing wouldn’t have been so painful and full of regret.
Yan Shengping felt a tug on his collar. When he looked down, he saw that the corners of Lin Ganzhi’s eyes were a little red. Since there were still people around, Lin Ganzhi mouthed the words: Was it you?
Yan Shengping put down his phone and reached out to pinch the index finger that was clutching his collar. A soft “mm” rumbled in his throat.
“I noticed the greenery outside was trimmed quite nicely when we came in yesterday. Ganzhi, will you come take a look with me?” Yan Shengping asked.
“Mhm,” Lin Ganzhi replied. He did have a lot of questions. It hadn’t been that long; Yan Shengping’s efficiency was simply too high.
The butler politely approached them. “Sirs, would you like us to accompany you?”
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. We’ll just take a walk near the entrance. Please inform Miss Wenren Yi for us,” Yan Shengping politely declined. His innate aura earned the sincere admiration of the worldly butler.
Lin Ganzhi followed Yan Shengping outside. The chilly wind made him shrink his neck, and he subconsciously put Yan Shengping’s hand into his own pocket. Yan Shengping looked at the crown of Lin Ganzhi’s head without a word, but his right hand gently squeezed Lin Ganzhi’s little finger as a sign of thanks. Lin Ganzhi was so flustered by this unspoken understanding that his heart felt like it was fluttering with a feather; a slight breeze from Yan Shengping was enough to send him into a panic.
“Did you ask that entertainment reporter to handle the Shi Wending matter for you?” Lin Ganzhi asked, getting straight to the point.
“Mm, it’s not suitable for me to make a move openly right now,” Yan Shengping was becoming increasingly frank with Lin Ganzhi, no longer hiding his intentions. “He wants a big story, and I can provide it. He wants to continue developing, so I’ll be his backer from the shadows. If he does well, we can develop a long-term cooperative relationship.”
Lin Ganzhi felt like laughing. “CEO Yan wants to get a piece of the entertainment industry too?”
“Isn’t it because you’re still in the entertainment industry? Finding a reliable reporter is not a bad thing,” Yan Shengping retorted with an even more direct line.
Boom!
Lin Ganzhi was completely floored on the spot. His nose tingled. The feeling of being protected was so overwhelming that he could barely handle it.
“Ahem, but with just one reporter, given the Shi family’s power, this news shouldn’t have spread so quickly. At least their family would have put up a fight,” Lin Ganzhi quickly changed the subject.
“Your thinking is correct, but you forgot, I was in the shadows. It’s quite simple to investigate their company. With a two-pronged attack, the father and son should be having tea at the police station by now,” Yan Shengping’s tone sounded quite pleased, a far cry from his delicate demeanor when he was sick.
Lin Ganzhi was glad he hadn’t chosen to run away back then. If he had, he would have missed the chance to witness the rise of a big shot. This was much more exciting than watching a TV drama.
However, Lin Ganzhi had a worry. “So, we hit him last time. Will he report us to the police as well?”
“It’s a civil case,” Yan Shengping scoffed. “We stuffed money in his pocket after we hit him last time, and he accepted the compensation. I saw the kicks you gave him; they were just superficial injuries. Even if he tries to settle old scores now, there’s no need to worry. We control the narrative. Besides, they probably don’t have time to worry about such things.” Yan Shengping smiled, but this time the smile didn’t reach his eyes, giving off a rather chilling feeling.
Accepted the compensation? Lin Ganzhi broke into a sweat. Under those circumstances, “forced” would probably be a more accurate description of his state of mind.