Chapter 35: Zhao Jingyu

Chen Yu found someone to vent to, and let loose a torrent of complaints, railing against all kinds of chaos—from frontline news gathering all the way up to leadership and society, and the entire media industry, he unleashed a furious tirade.

When someone is passionately venting, it's best not to interrupt, because unburdening oneself fully is a deeply satisfying experience; after holding in frustration for so long, finally releasing that pent-up anger is truly liberating.

Wang Yan didn't interrupt at all—he listened with full approval, smiling, occasionally nodding and murmuring in agreement, and chiming in at key moments to encourage him.

When Chen Yu had finally poured out most of his inner bitterness, he remembered why he'd come, remembered who was sitting across from him, and realized how inappropriate it had been—he immediately offered Wang Yan an apologetic smile: "Sorry, got carried away, talked too much." Then he picked up his coffee and took a sip to mask his embarrassment.

"What's there to be sorry about? You're absolutely right—many of your thoughts align with mine, and it's only made me admire you more." Wang Yan waved off his polite humility and smiled: "You've said so much—I think it's time we get to the point."

"You speak."

"Earlier on the phone, I told you I wanted to start a self-media venture, and when I said I wanted to spread truth, goodness, and beauty, I wasn't just talking empty words. After hearing your outburst just now, I know you're a person with ideals, responsibility, and integrity—I have great faith in you. So I want to entrust this project to someone like you, someone upright. I want you to oversee everything from scratch and build a company with conscience. What do you say? Would you be willing to come work with me?"

Hearing he was being offered a leadership role, Chen Yu froze. Being a boss? Of course that was appealing—after all, if he took it, it would be a leap far beyond his current rank at the TV station.

Facing a golden opportunity like this—falling from the sky, hitting him right on the head—it would be fake to say he wasn't excited. But Chen Yu was an honest man; he knew exactly what level he was at as a frontline reporter, and he had a clear-eyed assessment of his own abilities—he couldn't betray this man's trust.

He immediately shook his head and refused: "I'm sorry, Manager Wang, the position you're offering is too high. I'm just a lowly reporter—my abilities are truly limited. Thank you for your recognition, but I can't betray your trust. I'm truly sorry, Manager Wang—I'm not qualified for the role you've offered."

"Don't rush to refuse—you haven't even tried yet, how do you know you can't do it? You've been a reporter for years, you know plenty of people in the industry, you understand all the inner workings—you've just never taken the lead or been in charge." Wang Yan smiled: "And most importantly, if your skills aren't enough, you can always learn and improve. What I care about is character. Everything else is secondary. If you work hard, you'll get there. I'm not in a hurry for results—you have plenty of time. Take it slow."

Seeing Chen Yu open his mouth to protest, Wang Yan cut in: "What's your current salary at the TV station?"

Chen Yu thought for a moment and replied politely: "Including project bonuses and other miscellaneous income, it's about two hundred thousand yuan."

Wang Yan waved his hand and declared: "Then I'll double it, round it up, and give you five hundred thousand after tax—with full benefits. Don't say another word—I know your concerns. But Chen Yu, I don't care. Why should you? It's settled."

He stood up and clapped Chen Yu on the shoulder: "Go back and hurry up with your resignation. The company's currently acquiring assets—call me once you're done, and you can help oversee the process. I'm off."

Without waiting for Chen Yu's reaction, Wang Yan walked out. After all, such a great offer, such a prime position—what was there to refuse? What was there to hesitate over? To be blunt—even if Chen Yu was utterly incompetent and bled the company dry, Wang Yan would still support him. This kind of money? It was nothing.

After leaving the café, Wang Yan took a taxi back to Tianyue Tianyue Gongguan. When he arrived, Gu Jia had already prepared dinner and was waiting for him to eat together.

Hearing the door open, Xu Ziyan, who had been waiting impatiently, rushed over and hugged Wang Yan's leg: "Dad, you're finally back! I'm starving!"

Wang Yan changed his shoes, bent down, and picked up Xu Ziyan: "If you're hungry, why didn't you eat?"

"Mom insisted we wait for you to come back."

"Is that so? Then I'll tell Mom—how can you keep a child from eating? Don't be upset. Let's both wash our hands and eat right away."

Wang Yan took Xu Ziyan to the bathroom to wash their hands; meanwhile, Gu Jia brought the dishes to the table.

The three sat down to eat. Wang Yan placed a bite of food in Xu Ziyan's bowl and watched him shovel it in greedily: "Next time, don't wait for me—just eat. Look how hungry Ziyan is."

Gu Jia nodded with a smile—she simply wanted Wang Yan to feel more at home.

Over dinner, they chatted and laughed. Xu Ziyan acted silly, Gu Jia tended to the child while recounting small events from her day, and the atmosphere was warm and joyful.

After dinner, as usual, they engaged in a family bonding activity—Wang Yan and Gu Jia played with Xu Ziyan.

After tucking the child in and completing their usual marital intimacy,

"Hssss… huuu…"

Holding Gu Jia, Wang Yan lit a cigarette: "I forgot to mention at dinner—I'm going to Hong Kong tomorrow, back on Zhou Yi. Are you coming with the kid? If you do, I won't have time to hang out with you—just you two can shop around."

Gu Jia paused, then said: "No, I won't go. Not only do you not have time, but Ziyan has school on Zhou Yi. Two days isn't enough for a proper trip, and then he'll throw a fit again."

"Alright, then you stay home with Ziyan. When we have more time, we'll plan a proper trip there."

Wang Yan replied, exchanged a few quiet words, and then they embraced and fell asleep.

The next day, after packing, Wang Yan boarded a flight to Hong Kong, arriving in the afternoon.

Exiting the airport, he hailed a taxi, gave the driver the hotel address, and told him to drive there.

Taxi drivers are always like that—they love idle chatter, since driving alone is so boring.

Wang Yan exchanged half-hearted small talk with the driver, but his eyes never left the window. The last time he'd been here was in the 1990s, during the era of Infernal Affairs. Twenty years later, Hong Kong had changed—after all, it was no longer one of the Four Asian Tigers. But he felt no deep nostalgia; Infernal Affairs held nothing for him to miss.

At the hotel, he booked a suite. After settling in, he stepped onto the balcony and made a call: "Hello, Zhao Jingyu?"

……

"About Liang Zhengxian, I think we should talk."

……

"Alright, see you soon."

After hanging up, he lay back in his chair, watching the scenery for a while, then, estimating the time was right, set off for the meeting spot with Zhao Jingyu.

The distance wasn't far—the hotel was near Zhao Jingyu's home, and the meeting place was nearby: a teahouse. Wang Yan arrived early, ordered a pot of tea, and sipped it slowly.

After a while, Zhao Jingyu arrived precisely on time, walking gracefully to sit across from him.

Wang Yan sized her up—her appearance didn't quite match his taste, but she wore high heels, dressed elegantly, radiated femininity, and carried a certain allure…

Wang Yan extended his hand: "Hello, Wang Yan."

"Zhao Jingyu."

They shook hands; Wang Yan subtly felt her palm—she was quite soft.

"What do you want to say about Liang Zhengxian?"

Zhao Jingyu didn't ask the usual pointless questions—"Who are you?" or "How did you find me?"—because if someone could directly approach her and mention Liang Zhengxian, they'd clearly done thorough research. As for who Wang Yan was? No need to guess—he was obviously someone Liang Zhengxian had screwed over.

She asked bluntly, and Wang Yan cut straight to the point: "I know you've been with him for years, and he's constantly chasing other women while ignoring you. Don't you want to break free from Liang Zhengxian?"

Zhao Jingyu smiled: "Why would I leave him? What's in it for me? Isn't my life good enough? If that's all you've got to say, let's not waste each other's time."

"I know you've secretly transferred a lot of assets behind his back, Zhao Jingyu. If you truly feel that way, why transfer assets at all?" Wang Yan exposed her facade: "Besides, you've been with him seven years and gotten nothing. Can you guarantee that someday a younger, better woman won't come along and he'll kick you out, leaving you with nothing? But if you leave him, you'll have more money than you can spend in a lifetime, no one controlling you, free to do whatever you want—date whoever you like, even change boyfriends eight times a day. Isn't that a better life?"

He spoke only of tangible benefits. Zhao Jingyu had spent years managing Liang Zhengxian's messes—there was no love or romance left.

Hearing Wang Yan's words, Zhao Jingyu fell silent—because he was telling the truth. To say she had no thoughts of leaving? That would be a lie. But she had no way out. Hong Kong's environment was unique—families like Liang's controlled both legal and illegal spheres. She was a woman dependent on a man—she couldn't escape Liang's control.

Now, this seemed like a real opportunity—after all, he clearly came prepared. Even if it failed, it was worth trying. Zhao Jingyu thought carefully and asked cautiously: "What exactly do you plan to do?"

Wang Yan nodded, his tone commanding: "Give yourself half a month to accelerate asset transfers. I guarantee Liang Zhengxian won't be able to touch you. The rest is none of your concern—you don't need to worry about it."

After all, he had once controlled a behemoth corporation, been a top boss, and acted with ruthless decisiveness—Wang's aura was no joke.

Although the Liang family wasn't among the absolute top tier, Zhao Jingyu hadn't lived in Hong Kong for nothing—she'd seen the world. She recognized the unyielding, life-or-death authority radiating from Wang Yan—he wasn't some nobody.

To believe a stranger on mere words alone? She wasn't insane. But Wang Yan's presence had won her over—she could at least trust him.

Of course, the main reason was that she hadn't suffered any loss—Wang Yan had only asked her to transfer assets, nothing else concerned her. And she was very experienced in transferring assets; over the years, she'd done this countless times, big and small, so now it was just speeding things up a bit, no big deal. But she still needed to be careful—if Wang Yan was just boasting to her, and she went too far and got caught, the consequences would be terrible. Still, overall, the risk was minimal.

After thinking for a long time, Zhao Jingyu looked up and affirmed to Wang Yan: "Fine."

Seeing her agree, Wang Yan took a sip of tea: "The main reason I came to see you was just this. As for the secondary matter…." He glanced up and down at her. "Do you have any interest in having a drink at my place? Let's celebrate your upcoming freedom in advance?"

Zhao Jingyu wasn't some naive girl; she understood immediately from Wang Yan's bold, invasive gaze. Though she'd only met Wang Yan less than ten minutes ago, it didn't matter. After all, Liang Zhengxian had deceived countless young women, abandoning her in Hong Kong—how could she not be lonely? She'd suffered under Liang Zhengxian for years, and now that he'd made enemies, she was perfectly happy to see it. So a little contact was no problem—they were all adults.

Moreover, after this brief interaction, she could tell Wang Yan wasn't an ordinary man. Slightly overwhelmed by his stare, she nodded immediately: "Of course."

"Good." Wang Yan finished his tea, stood up, smoothed his clothes, and tilted his head at her. "Shall we go?" As he spoke, he left his arm free.

Zhao Jingyu smiled demurely, picked up her bag, and naturally linked her arm through his.

The two walked out of the teahouse like a real couple, chatting and strolling toward Wang Yan's hotel…

The next day, Wang Yan woke naturally, refreshed, sat up, and stretched his body fully.

Zhao Jingyu, still asleep beside him, felt his movement and let out a soft "Mmm…" as she woke.

After bathing and getting dressed, the two went out and found a restaurant for lunch.

While eating, Wang Yan asked: "Do you have anything planned later?"

"No, why?"

"I'm going back tomorrow. Come with me and help me shop for gifts. I'm terrible at buying women's stuff."

Going out and returning empty-handed? No way. Women, no matter how old, always love gifts and surprises.

"No problem," Zhao Jingyu replied.

She didn't say anything extra—buy for whoever you want, it didn't concern her.

After lunch, Zhao Jingyu took Wang Yan to her favorite luxury store.

Wang Yan didn't hesitate—he pulled up a photo of Gu Jia and asked her to pick something suitable.

Zhao Jingyu, after all, could count as a wealthy lady, and she lived by pleasing men—she knew this world inside out.

She knew Wang Yan wasn't short on money, so she just kept buying, click, click, click, nonstop.

In short, they shopped all day and bought a lot—clothes, shoes, bags, watches, all kinds of stuff. Since his house had plenty of space, she just gave them the address to ship everything directly to his home—he didn't have to carry it back himself.

That night, Zhao Jingyu naturally didn't leave—they were intimate. Throughout, she never asked why Wang Yan was targeting Liang Zhengxian. It didn't matter, did it?

After another wonderful night, after giving Zhao Jingyu some instructions, Wang Yan boarded his flight back to Shanghai.

Actually, his trip to Hong Kong was solely for Zhao Jingyu. First, when Wang Yan attacked Liang Zhengxian, he might accidentally harm innocents—a woman manipulated by Liang Zhengxian, who hadn't wronged him, shouldn't be dragged down along the way. Second, he wanted to make contact—after all, how could he live up to his surname, how could he live up to Old Cao?

Beyond that, nothing else mattered. Zhao Jingyu had no influence, no real leverage.

Zhao Jingyu still held some weight in Liang Zhengxian's eyes. Given how he treated her, Wang Yan guessed that when the time came, she'd definitely humiliate him badly.

Good kid, going out of his way to step on Wang Mou and show off, flexing muscles—he'd better make a lasting impression. One: betrayal by a woman. Two: loss of wealth. Together, Liang Zhengxian might just wish he were dead.

As for Liang Zhengxian's other family members, Wang Yan had investigated them when he first arrived in this world—not one of them was decent.

Hong Kong used to allow polygamy; their whole clan was large. Children fought over inheritance with every trick in the book, engaged in unfair competition, and were involved in countless other illegal dealings—there were endless dirty deeds.

Wang Yan didn't intend to harm their lives—it wasn't necessary, and he wasn't that insane. Let them end up on the streets—better than wasting their days doing nothing good and constantly showing off.

The plane landed; it was noon. He took a taxi back to Tianyue Tianyue Gongguan.

Before returning, Wang Yan had told Gu Jia. But she insisted on coming to pick him up—he told her not to bother, just go about her business, why go through all that trouble?

When he got home, Gu Jia wasn't there—she was at the dessert shop, socializing with the ladies' circle.

After putting down his belongings, he ate a quick meal downstairs, then went to the company.

Earlier, because his phone was off, Chen Yu had messaged him saying he'd already resigned.

After meeting Wang Yan that day, he was filled with anticipation for the coming challenges and the good life ahead.

He happily went home and prepared a full table of dishes to celebrate.

Zhong Xiaoqin had divorced him, but they still lived together. When she saw Chen Yu making such a big deal of it, she wondered what had happened, and out of curiosity, asked.

Chen Yu didn't mention Wang Yan—he just said someone had approached him with a job, making him a boss, salary fifty, benefits top-tier.

After hearing this, Zhong Xiaoqin was briefly pleased, then moved on—what did it have to do with her? She offered polite congratulations, but her true feelings? Only she knew.

Chen Yu happily enjoyed two days' holiday, then went in early that morning and submitted his resignation.

Though Chen Yu had worked many years and had plenty of experience, for such a large TV station, he wasn't irreplaceable.

Moreover, his superior had long been dissatisfied with him. As soon as Chen Yu mentioned it, the superior agreed immediately—didn't even ask why. The paperwork moved quickly. His colleagues showed no reaction to his sudden departure.

For someone who was already cold the moment he left, Chen Yu couldn't help but feel how much of a failure he was—and he felt a pang of sadness.

Luckily, one friend, Man Ge, showed concern, asking why he'd resigned—this gave Chen Yu a sense of warmth.

Chen Yu told him the truth, explaining the position and benefits Wang Yan had offered him.

When he heard the salary, Man Ge shouted in shock: "What? Fifty thousand? After tax?"

That shout drew attention. Colleagues who'd ignored him before now crowded around, asking questions left and right.

Once they understood, they silently cursed the boss for being stupid—why didn't the pie fall on their heads? But to his face, they congratulated him—after all, Chen Yu had landed a prestigious job; he might need help from him someday. They all said they'd stay in touch.

Chen Yu had never seen such a scene of flattery—outside of TV dramas and novels—and never experienced it himself. Facing all the praise, he couldn't help but feel a little elated.

Still, he didn't say much—he truly wasn't used to this. After politely thanking everyone, he left before noon.