In the early morning, Wan Tong heard the commotion at the door and looked through the peephole for a while.
A plain-looking, weathered couple was confronting Li Zhi, crying and shouting with intense emotions.
Standing nearby was a tall, simple-looking man with red eyes, and it was unclear what was causing his sadness.
Wan Tong couldn’t help but smile; these must be Li Zhi’s parents and brother from her hometown.
Li Zhi’s mind was focused on her mission, and she found her family back home too troublesome. So, she had severed contact with them. Her family in the remote mountains couldn’t find her, and so, over the years, they assumed she was dead.
When Wan Tong first arrived in this world, she learned that Li Zhi had claimed to be an orphan, so she thought about contacting Li Zhi’s family.
However, it had taken this long for her family to find her.
But it wasn’t too late. Starting today, Li Zhi’s image in Shao Heng’s heart had completely collapsed. Li Zhi was just a liar full of lies.
Through the peephole, Wan Tong also saw Shaoheng.
He stood there like a piece of wood, emotionless, watching the scene.
Wan Tong opened the door and before she could say anything, Shao Heng walked in and closed the door, much to Li Zhi’s anxious gaze.
“Shao Heng, are you okay? What’s happening outside?” Wantong asked knowingly.
“Her family found her and is questioning why she abandoned them,” Shao Heng said calmly, with little emotion in his eyes.
Wan Tong blinked but didn’t say anything. Suddenly, Shao Heng seemed to have a desire to confide, “Five years ago, both my parents died, and she became my guardian. She told me she was an orphan too… Hah, there’s not a single word of truth that comes out of her mouth.”
On the surface, Li Zhi seemed to treat him well, but it appeared she didn’t regard him as a person, treating him as if she wanted to crush him into the ground.
What alarmed him was that Li Zhi was also targeting Gu Wantong, and the kind of targeting that might even endanger Gu Wantong’s life.
His stagnant mind began to work rapidly, and his emotions flickered in his eyes several times.
Leaning against the couch, Wan Tong listened attentively. Suddenly, Shao Heng leaned in closer, his black eyes locking onto her, and he said with an ambiguous tone, “Last night, she even crawled into my bed.”
Wantong : !!!
[Shishi, you didn’t tell me!]
[Well, the boss kicked the person off the bed with his long legs. Li Zhi said she was sleepwalking, and the whole thing happened in just one minute…]
[Then you still have to tell me, it’s very important to protect the boss’s chastity at all times.]
[…Shishi understood.]
Seeing her stare at him in surprise, with her sexy red lips slightly parted, Shao Heng’s throat went dry in an instant. He tentatively reached out and pressed his hand against the sofa next to her, his voice slightly hoarse, “Is my charm really that great?”
“……” Wan Tong found it somewhat difficult to adapt to the sudden extra weight on the sofa.
Shao Heng had just come of age, and Li Zhi was ten years older than him. Although age wasn’t an issue, after all, she had watched him grow up, and now she could actually do this?
Wan Tong looked at the handsome face so close to her and asked, “A’Heng, how about I arrange a psychologist for you?”
Shao Heng choked for a moment, his dark eyes blinked, and he remained silent, “……”
In her eyes, was he really that fragile?
He’s obviously flirting with her right now, doesn’t she feel anything at all?
He felt his actions were somewhat stiff, then he turned back despondently and leaned on the sofa. His cheeks turned red, and he bit his lip as he twisted his head.
Wan Tong reached out and patted his shoulder. “A’Heng, I’m glad you can share these things with me. I also find Li Zhi’s attitude towards you quite strange. Maybe there’s something she really wants from you. Why don’t you investigate her relationship with your mother? Maybe when she got close to you, it was for a reason?”
As Wan Tong mentioned his mother, Shao Heng’s expression paled for a moment, and he clenched his fist slightly.
Wan Tong felt a bit reluctant, but as an ‘outsider who didn’t know his past,’ she could only guide him to investigate and secretly help him. Otherwise, if she acted too out of line, he would surely suspect her intentions.
Shao Heng calmed down and said, “I’ve already checked. She used to be just a little assistant in the Shao family, so she couldn’t have had a good relationship with my Mom.”
Wan Tong was somewhat surprised. Did he investigate so quickly? Or perhaps he had been suspicious all along and had already checked, but didn’t want to expose Li Zhi, so he played along?
In the following days, Shao Heng didn’t return to Li Zhi’s home. Li Zhi was busy dealing with her parents and brother and didn’t find an opportunity to explain to him. Every time she called, no matter what she said, the response on the other end was a casual ‘Oh.’
Li Zhi didn’t know if he was angry or not. She could only wait until her family left to talk to him.
In a high-end apartment in a certain residential complex, Wan Tong finished her livestream and saw Shao Heng painting on the balcony. The scene was quite beautiful, so she couldn’t help but take a picture with her phone.
Yesterday, she had taken a liking to this apartment and moved in after a quick cleanup. She couldn’t bear to see Shao Heng wandering outside, so she used a little trick to make him temporarily stay here.
Hearing the camera click, Shao Heng turned around and frowned. “Don’t take pictures of me.”
No matter what she captured, she wanted to post it online, which wasn’t a good habit.
“What are you afraid of? Your face isn’t in it.”
Wantong stood next to him and looked at the completed painting on the easel.
“Is this painting going to be entered into a competition too?”
In just half a month, Shao Heng had attracted the attention of many masters in the field with his own paintings.
“Yes,” Shao Heng replied and signed a name and the date in the corner.
Wan Tong stared at the two characters ‘Wang Xing1‘ on it, and she raised an eyebrow. Shao Heng also suddenly realized something, his eyes flickered for a moment, and he nodded, saying, “Yes.”
He used the Weibo account ‘Wang Xing’ to follow her, even helped her argue with keyboard warriors, frequently made avatars for her, and occasionally… praised her with exaggerated praises.
Shao Heng couldn’t dare to look into the other person’s eyes. He felt like his heart was about to jump out. There were very few moments that made him this nervous.
She knew he was her fan. Would she make fun of him?
“A’Heng, so you’re my little fanboy, huh? Be honest, have you ever bought something I recommended?” Wan Tong suppressed the urge to laugh. She couldn’t believe ‘Wang Xing’ was Shao Heng’s pseudonym. She couldn’t imagine how Shao Heng would praise her with exaggerated praises.
Shao Heng saw her acting as usual and breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t need them.”
“Well… how about calling me ‘Goddess’ once for me to hear?”
“…”
“Do you want to?”
“…Get lost.”
Shao Heng pushed aside the drawing board and walked into the living room with a red face.
Wan Tong shook her head, lips slightly curved. He really was like a child, quite tsundere.
In the afternoon, Wan Tong accompanied Shao Heng to the coffee shop where Li Zhi worked.
When they arrived, Li Zhi, Li Xutian, and Li Xutian’s assistant were already waiting. The three of them had subtle expressions.
Li Xutian glanced at the assistant, puzzled. Wasn’t Li Zhi’s brother supposed to be a fool? Where does he look like a fool?
The assistant was also stunned. Shao Heng did look quite normal too, and he even had a girlfriend. Didn’t that mean his social skills were decent?
Had they been deceived by Li Zhi?
Li Zhi focused her gaze on Wan Tong, speaking displeasedly, “Gu Wantong, Shao Heng and I need to discuss something. It would be better for you to leave for now.”
Wan Tong didn’t respond but looked at Shao Heng with an inquiring gaze.
Meeting her eyes, Shao Heng felt like his heart, which had been adrift, had finally found a harbor. “No need to leave. What do you guys want to talk about?”
“A’Heng…” Li Zhi frowned disapprovingly. The matter of being a proxy was covered by a confidentiality agreement, and they couldn’t let Gu Wantong know.
“Everything of mine, she can know. Just say what you want.” Shao Heng tapped the table impatiently.
Li Xutian had never been treated with such an attitude. Now, he was annoyed. “Li Zhi, don’t you owe me an explanation? You’ve accepted—”
“I know!” Li Zhi interrupted him. She didn’t want Shao Heng to know that she had just received ten million.
“You know? If you know, then what’s the deal with these paintings?” The assistant took out a tablet and swiped through photos of several paintings. “This one called Wang Xing, is it your brother Shao Heng?”
Although Li Zhi didn’t understand art, she instinctively looked at Shao Heng because of the style. “Shao Heng, did you sell paintings privately again?”
“No,” Shao Heng said confidently, glancing at the photos. He spoke slowly, “Wang Xing is me.”
At that moment, Li Zhi seemed to see the imposing figure from the original plot.
She felt like she had opened a Pandora’s box, and panic was growing within her.
Did Shao Heng know something?
“You have now violated the contract and will have to pay.” The assistant spoke with suppressed anger.
“I haven’t signed any contracts,” Shao Heng replied.
“A’Heng…” Li Zhi quickly reached out to grab his hand but he avoided her.
Li Xutian also couldn’t sit still, feeling the pressure coming from Shao Heng. “So, are you two siblings conspiring against me?”
“I am an adult and don’t need someone else to make decisions for me, or even sign contracts.” The contract between Li Zhi and Li Xutian, even if brought to court, would not be recognized. Besides, would Li Xutian dare to make a big fuss about it?
This was not a trivial matter.
Wan Tong thought that if the boss was even more ruthless, he could expose the fact that Shao Heng had sold paintings to Li Xutian to the media, and Li Xutian would be completely finished.
So, where did Li Xutian find the courage to confront Shao Heng now?
- the word Wang Xing is written as 王行 (wáng xíng). When the two characters become one character, it becomes 珩 (héng) which is the Heng in Shao Heng’s name ↩︎