Chapter 127 : Chapter 127

Chapter 127: “Wanshu Zu’s Artist's Romance Exposed?!”

Before the flashback ended, I was facing Marcus Li’s powerless rage.

This day was Marcus Li’s's “grand birthday” that he had been talking about for half a year.

Wanshu Zu took out his savings and bought a pair of cufflinks.

It was a pair of exquisite Libra cufflinks.

The small Libra shape was lifelike, the trays at both ends of the scale drooped slightly, and the silver surface was polished as smooth as a mirror.

Wanshu Zu didn't lack pocket money, but the money for Marcus Li's gift was earned slowly.

He was already fourteen, meeting the minimum part-time age in Illinois, and worked as a ticket seller at the local cinema in his spare time.

The Federal FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) stipulated strict working hours and job type restrictions.

Minors aged 14-15 could work at most three hours a day.

During holidays, it was more lenient, allowing for eight hours of work.

At first, upon hearing that his little friend had to work at such a young age, insisting on three hours a day, rain or shine, Marcus Li surreptitiously beat around the bush, asking if he was being “abused” by his parents.

The future great lawyer Marcus Li looked troubled: “This is tricky, Zu. I can't go to my mom and dad about this. Their relationship with your parents is better; they won't be on our side—you wait a few years, I'll get you justice.”

After receiving the birthday gift, Marcus Li was moved to tears, wanting his mom to immediately help sew the cufflinks onto his coat.

This feeling lasted until little Nora made her grand entrance.

Little Nora gave her brother a bouquet of flowers she had picked from the yard, tied together with her bow hairband.

When giving the flowers, little Nora planted a “MUA” on her brother's face, making Marcus Li heart almost melt.

The next second, little Nora took out a “ring” made of soft grass and small flowers, hugged Wanshu Zu's calf, and raised her head: “I know brother's birthday wish, he hopes the two of us get married!”

Wanshu Zu squatted down and said softly: “Your brother is about to cry, dear.”

Little Nora's teeth hadn't even fully grown in, and there was a gap when she smiled: “He's very moved! Because Nora is very brave!”

Wanshu Zu held back his laughter: “Yes, little Nora is very brave.”

Marcus Li put down his beloved buttons and bouquet, and with a single leap, rushed forward, wanting a life-and-death duel with his damn brother.

This was too much, this was really too much!

He had lived for fifteen years, only to suffer such a great humiliation on his birthday!!!

The boys' brawl was the same as always.

The more frustrated Marcus Li got, the braver he became.

He always thought he could gain the upper hand, but every time he was held down and beaten.

Before, he was just held down and beaten alone, but now there was a cheerleader—little Nora was giggling on the side, not caring at all about her brother's life or death, her little fists swinging fiercely, occasionally throwing in a couple of sound effects.

“Dong—!”

“Clang—!”

“Waaah—!”

Wanshu Zu had grown a lot in these few years, but in the face of his childhood friend's wild punches, the composure and maturity he had accumulated vanished completely.

His smile was bright and dashing, carrying the youthful spirit appropriate for his age, open and clean.

Wanshu Zu was already good-looking to begin with, and the lethality of his smile was beginning to show.

Little Nora liked him even more, and Marcus Li became even angrier.

Since it was a birthday, there was naturally no shortage of weapons.

Cake cream flew everywhere, flung onto the dining table, the walls, and even the ceiling was not spared.

Marcus Li had never fought such a rich battle in his life.

He had the birthday boy buff on him, and Wanshu Zu wouldn't really hit him.

For a moment, they were actually evenly matched.

Half of Marcus Li's face was covered in white cream, and Wanshu Zu was not much better off.

He protected his face, but his hair was affected.

When Marcus LI's parents came downstairs with gifts, his mother stood there in silence, her temple twitching, while his father laughed so hard he bent forwards and backwards, particularly exaggeratedly.

Wanshu Zu's parents also came to the birthday party with gifts.

Seeing the small ring in his hand, they winked at him.

Marcus Li started to get emotional again.

After blowing out the candles, he closed his eyes with a resolute face and made a wish.

Little Nora was still tugging at his sleeve on the side, thinking her voice was very low, but in fact, the entire dining table could hear: “Brother, don't make the wrong wish, Nora still wants to get married.”

Marcus Li: “……”

Accompanied by the little yellow chicken's cheerful laughter, the flashback came to an abrupt end.

After the flashback ended, Chu Zu's hand was still on the handle of the coffee cup.

He put down the coffee cup, supported himself on the counter with his hands, and tried to soothe the discomfort in his brain caused by the flashback as quickly as possible.

If the flashback were to continue, the following plot would be:

Wanshu Zu's parents had an accident and both died, leaving only an empty house in Illinois and an enviably large trust fund.

Wanshu Zu had a very good relationship with his parents.

He needed a new environment to overcome the depression of his parents' death, so he returned to China.

Then he met the heartless Li Yamin.

Because Marcus only shared those amusing past events with Qiao Tian, he didn't think about his friend's past scars when he mentioned them.

This part was not included in the setting collection and naturally did not appear in the flashback content.

“Marcus Li is a good brother with high emotional intelligence and high empathy!”

The little yellow chicken gave Marcus Li a high evaluation, “And his mental state is too stable. Even when fighting, he never really got angry. He's a good Marcus!”

Chu Zu agreed.

“Because Marcus Li respects his own feelings very much.”

Chu Zu said, “He always puts himself first. All the life decisions that are important to him are not made because of others' ‘coercion’.”

“He knows what he wants and what he doesn't want.”

“Marcus Li's spiritual world is very stable.”

The little yellow chicken muttered, like an elder at home during the New Year nagging about a child who hadn't returned home yet: “I also like little Nora very much now, she's so cute.”

Chu Zu smiled: “Yes, she is very cute.”

…

Wanshu Zu called out to the kitchen: “Marcus—”

After a while, Marcus slowly shuffled into the kitchen: “Didn't you look down on my cooking skills?”

Chu Zu pointed with his chin at the bowls and plates filled with food on the table: “Take them out.”

Marcus frowned and scratched his short black curly hair: “Why do I feel that you're strange? Did you dream last night that after you went bankrupt, I scammed you out of your trust fund?”

He went to get the tray, and Chu Zu slapped his hand away with a “smack”: “Wash your hands first.”

Chu Zu: “Am I being very fierce?”

Marcus washed and dried his hands in one go, muttering: “On the contrary, you have a kind of ghostly divinity about you.”

His hands were full, but his mouth wasn't idle either.

“Even if I were to punch you twice in the left cheek right now, you would offer your right cheek for me to continue to my heart's content… that kind of evil feeling.”

Chu Zu and Marcus walked towards the living room side by side: “Stop dreaming.”

Marcus used the same tactic he used against judges in court: “Yes, my lord.”

Looking at the breakfast on the table, Qiao Tian's eyes widened.

Wanshu Zu had made a salad and boiled eggs, toasted a few slices of bread, and made coffee.

There was even latte art on the coffee.

She was a little surprised.

In the public's impression, Wanshu Zu belonged to the type whose ten fingers did not touch spring water.

He was rich enough, had little time, and should have several servants at home waiting to help him take care of everything.

Just like hiring different people to take care of pets, a rich and busy person shouldn't waste time preparing breakfast for others.

But she quickly remembered that Wanshu Zu was Li Yamin's manager.

Let alone breakfast, if he were really to compete for a nanny or a butler in the market, he could handle even the most demanding client perfectly.

“Do you want to continue your studies?”

Wanshu Zu suddenly asked.

He wasn't eating, just holding his coffee, his fingers swiping on the tablet in front of him, already dealing with matters early in the morning.

Marcus: “I suggest you can seriously consider it. Take advantage of Zu's unusual state and press your advantage—Jesus has appeared, he will agree to anything you ask right now.”

Marcus was obviously joking, observing Wanshu Zu's reaction without being conspicuous while speaking, and wasn't flustered when caught.

Wanshu Zu surprisingly didn't refute.

Qiao Tian had guessed their relationship was good, but it was closer than she had expected.

At least Wanshu Zu wouldn't let others make fun of him.

Qiao Tian didn't really want to continue studying.

She had no interest in her university major at all.

She had chosen a university in another city to escape her family in the first place, without carefully selecting a major, nor did she have time to.

After her college entrance examination results came out, her father made an unauthorized decision, logged into her account without her knowledge, and tampered with her original choices.

Qiao Tian's score was far above the line for top-tier universities, and she had filled in several choices for top-tier universities in other cities.

Her father changed the top-tier universities to an ordinary local university.

By the time Qiao Tian found out, her file had already been transferred, and the school had confirmed her admission.

She was unwilling.

She quickly contacted the university, explained the situation, and with the help of her class teacher, she finally managed to apply for a withdrawal of her file.

She was left with only three options: either apply to a second-tier university, wait for the supplementary application round, or repeat the year.

Qiao Tian gritted her teeth and waited for the supplementary application round.

The choices in the supplementary round were limited, usually schools and majors with more remaining spots.

Qiao Tian didn't have many options.

Qiao Tian and her father also had a complete falling out over this matter.

They should have fallen out long ago.

Qiao Tian didn't use a single penny from her family for her studies; it was all from grants she applied for.

The school understood her family situation.

After knowing that her parents were divorced, her mother had disappeared long ago, and her father was an idle drunkard, they gave her a lot of help and support.

For a man who wanted to keep his daughter in the local area and had already arranged her future marriage for her as soon as she turned eighteen, calling him “dad” was a form of torture to herself.

Qiao Tian had no money; she was very short of money, but she was also afraid of really becoming famous in the entertainment industry.

She hadn't contacted her legal father in a long time.

When the casting couch scandal broke, there was no movement from her family either.

She was very worried about being found by her family, or more accurately, being found by her father.

Qiao Tian didn't want to face an old man who was drunk all the time except when he was sleeping.

Wanshu Zu said she rarely talked about herself because there was nothing much to talk about.

Qiao Tian had said before that she was not used to handing over most of her life to others to arrange.

In fact, it wasn't that she wasn't used to it; she was very resistant.

Every time she saw Wanshu Zu making decisions decisively, Qiao Tian would think of her father.

In that house that could not be called a home, the man with yellow teeth would spray the smell of alcohol and say in a slurred and arrogant tone that she knew nothing.

A woman gets an education, isn't it to find a rich husband?

He would never accept a son-in-law from another city.

The man would just repeat these few sentences, as if Qiao Tian's life could be seen to the end at a glance.

The man was also very proud.

He thought that all the disgusting and stupid things he did were brilliant and far-sighted, and should be recorded in the appendix of the family genealogy, and be gratefully remembered by the daughter who was not qualified to be in the genealogy because of her gender.

Qiao Tian was very sad and very angry.

For many nights, she would cry while screaming in her heart:

Why is my life over just like this?

What do you think you are?

A stinking drunkard acting like a superior in front of me?

Am I your livestock or your wine bottle?

Get your stinking mouth and hands off me and get out of my life!

Wanshu Zu also wanted the people under him to be obedient; he wanted his authority to be supreme—but he did not have a condescending attitude towards Qiao Tian.

This man was tough but considerate.

His aggressiveness towards Qiao Tian was only aimed at that outer shell, just as he said:

There's no need to hide in front of me.

Otherwise, who else can you tell the truth to?

So she answered honestly: “I don't want to continue studying.”

When Qiao Tian answered, she was looking at Wanshu Zu.

The girl's gaze was firm, her soft black eyes shining.

“I've already thought it through. I want to be an actress, and Wanshu Zu also believes I can be a good actress.”

Marcus took a sip of his coffee, shook his head, his face full of helplessness: “Sigh, I knew it, you young girls are all like this. This brother of mine is just so damn charming.”

Qiao Tian wanted to retort, that wasn't what she meant.

Wanshu Zu was one of the reasons, that was true, but it was more for herself.

Marcus continued, “Nora also used Zu as an excuse when she was clamoring to go to Italy. Everyone knew what was in her little head. She was afraid the family wouldn't agree, so she brought out Zu—and my parents just fell for it.”

“If you ask me, you should all be more honest, hold your chests high, and say this is your own ambition. I like people with ambition.”

He pointed at Wanshu Zu, “He likes them too.”

Wanshu Zu was noncommittal.

After breakfast, Qiao Tian had to go back to her online classes.

China University MOOC has many public courses, all taught by famous professors from major universities.

Qiao Tian had signed up for Film and Television Audiovisual Language, History of Chinese and Foreign Films, Introduction to Art… In addition to these “hard courses,” there were also special line-reading classes and so on.

Qiao Tian did not come from a professional background.

After a few years, although there was no problem with her work, she still lacked theoretical support.

She arranged her time to the brim, using this time to calm down.

When she was in the crew before, Qiao Tian had added the WeChat of many crew members and assistant directors.

There were also many groups of all sizes, and there was no shortage of recruitment resources on her Moments—very small resources that wouldn't catch the company's eye, but they were also good choices for Qiao Tian.

She could handle it slowly; she was not in a hurry.

Wanshu Zu believed she could succeed, and she herself also firmly believed it.

Marcus and Qiao Tian exchanged contact information.

On the way to the airport, Marcus chatted with Wanshu Zu while driving.

Marcus had handled many mediations. In disputes over family property among wealthy families, the parties involved rarely explained the family situation completely.

The lawyer had to either ask with rhetorical skills or guess.

He found that Qiao Tian should have very serious family problems.

“When Nora was mentioned, she clearly started to act strange. She's very envious, but not because of you. She yearns for Nora's family environment.”

Wanshu Zu continued to handle his work in the back seat without looking up: “Doesn't she have your contact information now?”

Marcus chuckled: “What, you've directly deduced that I'll be handling her family lawsuit?”

“Put the fees on my account, I don't care about the rest.”

Wanshu Zu said lightly, “I'm not her relative, not even her manager—why are you talking so much nonsense today?”

Marcus: “Because I don't understand how a temper like yours can be liked by a young girl. It's too unfair.”

Marcus Li's Chinese proficiency had improved by leaps and bounds, but his intonation was still so cadenced that it sounded like he was performing a Shakespearean drama.

“When you go to New Zealand this time, be meaner to Nora too.”

He said, “Don't play with a young girl's feelings. Nora is very easy to deceive, she's obedient and listens to you. She believes whatever you say.”

Wanshu Zu was about to curse him but stopped when he saw a push notification pop up on his laptop.

He clicked on the notification—

【Wanshu Zu’s Artist's Romance Exposed?! Is It a "Power Couple" or "Just for Show"?】

The accompanying picture was a relatively clear photo.

In the photo, a tall woman was pulling at the collar of the man in front of her.

The other party bent down slightly.

They were extremely close.

Because the camera was shaking, in the blurry halo, the two people's faces were almost pressed together.

When Wanshu Zu clicked on it, there were only three thousand comments.

He refreshed it, and the number soared to twelve thousand.

【I'm done with clickbait titles.】

【At a glance, I thought it was Wanshu Zu and an artist's romance exposed… If it's Li Yamin, just write Li Yamin, you psycho!】

【It's reached the point where they can't post news without bringing in the manager's name.】

【It took me a while to react. I thought it was some kind of epic uncle-nephew romance, then I thought, wait, isn't our Shen Weidi still picking his feet at home?】

【So it turns out, Lishou Entertainment signing a new artist was another boss's decision… Hmm, how is this not a form of 'domineering president falls in love with me'.】

【Who the hell is Nora, why has she been in the news so often lately, piggybacking off everyone she can.】

【Wanshu Zu is so miserable… What does this have to do with him, the whole entry is about him…】

【He just returned to the country yesterday to cuddle with his little cat, and today he sees news of his two artists getting together. My stomach is already starting to hurt.】

…

Wanshu Zu and Marcus received phone calls at the same time.

Wanshu Zu's call was from Gu An.

Gu An's voice was completely hoarse, his throat sounding like it was full of sand.

He said: “This is bad, Wanshu Zu. There's a problem on Li Yamin's side. Little Zhao, who was with him, only just told me.”

Wanshu Zu pinched the bridge of his nose: “I saw the news.”

Gu An: “It's not like what the news said, Li Yamin he—”

Gu An's latter half of the sentence was interrupted by Marcus's sudden braking.

The laptop on Wanshu Zu's lap was shaken onto the car floor.

He was also thrown forward by inertia and then stopped by the seat belt.

As soon as he looked up, Wanshu Zu saw in the rearview mirror Marcus's terrified face, raising his voice at the person on the other end of the phone: “What did you say, Nora?”

“You slapped Li Yamin and made him shut himself off?!”

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