Chapter 669: You Still Owe Me a Mouthful

The people present looked at the Wang brothers and the others, stunned and confused by the truth, as if they were clowns.

He secretly sneered inside—how utterly presumptuous, thinking they could incite them, thinking they could challenge the Principal; the gap was far too wide.

If Warner didn't have Ma Baba backing them, they'd truly be nothing.

But revealing that the Principal intended to invest ten billion was disappointing—everyone had agreed to keep it quietly hidden, and now this person had blabbed it out.

Zhong Yanjun glanced at the person who leaked the news; this person was far too impulsive.

The man hesitated, realizing he had spoken out of turn.

Originally, those among them should have negotiated first with the Principal, then the outsiders would divide what remained—that was the best arrangement.

Mainly because the money was limited; who got it, who didn't, how much each got—all were unknown, and everyone wanted more of the Principal's support.

No one knew what the Principal was thinking.

The Wang brothers exchanged a glance, their hearts shaken—because the number exceeded their wildest imagination.

"Principal, I never expected you'd be so generous," Big Wang said, regaining some composure but dripping with skepticism.

"I'm doing this for all of you—we're all in the same industry, we should help and support each other," Fang Hong declared with lofty words.

But everyone knew it was just empty talk, not to be taken seriously.

"Heh, but I'd like to know—do you even have that much money?" Big Wang gave a faint smile, unconvinced.

"That's none of your concern," Fang Hong said.

"Ten billion—you've got no good intentions; you're trying to corner the entertainment industry," Little Wang arrogantly exposed his motive.

"I have no good intentions? So what? Did I force anyone? If you're capable, refuse my money! I'd admire you," Fang Hong spread his hands, not even pretending, openly admitting it.

Everyone present fell silent; though the words were harsh, there was nothing they could do.

The Wang brothers hadn't anticipated that the Principal, by sacrificing the entire entertainment industry and crushing Warner, was playing this exact move behind the scenes.

It was equivalent to isolating anyone who refused to submit.

Just like now—even though they were all victims, not a single person stood up to speak for the brothers, some even helped the "accomplice" turn against them.

In these people's eyes, they were the villains now.

How tragic, how absurd—this was reality: victors rule, losers perish.

This instantly deflated the brothers' arrogance; mainly because further struggle was meaningless, their rage was powerless, accomplishing nothing.

Even Feng Kuzi had become noticeably quieter.

"Principal, didn't you instruct Warner to swallow our money? Isn't that a bit too despicable?" Little Wang's tone was less aggressive than before, but no better.

"Which eye did you see me ordering Warner to swallow your money? You partnered with Warner yourselves—not I forced you with a knife. What does that have to do with me?" Fang Hong flatly denied it.

"Let's not discuss this anymore—we just want you to help us get our money back. If you help us recover it, you can name any condition you want," Big Wang said, unwilling to say anything else.

He was utterly exhausted; all he wanted now was to repay debts—without money, those capitalists wouldn't spare them.

Even Jack Ma was pressuring them to pay up—reality was brutal.

"I already proposed it! Don't you remember?" Fang Hong wore a smug smile.

These words instantly darkened the Wang brothers' faces—it meant calling him "Dad" and Liu Tianxian "Mom."

That was what the Principal had suggested that night.

Of course, it had been a spur-of-the-moment remark by Fang Hong, spoken lightly—but now repeating it clearly aimed to humiliate them.

The others didn't know their situation and chose to watch; only Liu Tianxian understood, but she merely observed.

They deserved this—they'd done too many despicable things in the past.

"I'll do it—will you truly make Warner return our money?" Big Wang decided to endure this humiliation.

"Brother!" Little Wang tried to stop him, knowing what lay ahead, his face filled with sorrow.

"It's fine—someone has to bear it," Big Wang said calmly.

Though the company had always been managed by his younger brother, as the elder, he must shoulder greater responsibility in this moment of survival.

Otherwise, they couldn't possibly secure 600 million yuan in a short time—even if they did, they'd be stripped bare: lawsuits would drain time, energy, and money, and there was no guarantee they'd recover the full amount.

In truth, Warner wasn't faring well either—their international reputation had been damaged, they faced court restrictions, and Warner was simply insatiable.

That was why Warner had been hesitating.

"I can only say I'll try to negotiate for you—I can't predict their response or whether they'll pay back," Fang Hong said, relaxed, offering no guarantees.

"Are you playing with us?" Little Wang was furious at his response.

His brother was ready to endure public humiliation, yet this man remained evasive.

"Understand this—this has nothing to do with me. I'm helping you. I have no obligation to guarantee you'll get your money back. Helping you is already me overlooking past grievances—if I didn't help, you couldn't complain. Be grateful, understand!" Fang Hong said, then glanced at the others.

"Yes, it's already good enough that the Principal is negotiating for you—why demand more?" Zhong Yanjun nodded in understanding, echoing him.

"Exactly right."

The others all chimed in agreement.

The Wang brothers looked at the sycophantic faces around them and felt a pang of sorrow—this was truly a tiger fallen to the plains.

"This was all the Principal's doing—he's in cahoots with Warner—do you even have a sense of right and wrong?" Feng Kuzi couldn't bear it anymore.

They were the victims, yet now they were the ones in the wrong—this was utter distortion of truth.

"You partnered with Warner yourselves—how is that the Principal's fault? He's helping you, yet you call him unkind? How ungrateful!" Wu Hongliang added his voice.

"Yes, exactly!" The crowd echoed again.

"Enough—we give up."

Big Wang was utterly heartbroken—once everyone called him "Wang Zong," now they saw him as a thorn, using him to curry favor with the Principal.

Whatever he said was wrong—wrong was wrong, right was wrong too—so saying anything was pointless.

Better to be graceful and simply admit fault, since the Principal still held their leverage.

Without the Principal, they could never resolve this.

Xiao Wang watched Da Wang walk toward the Principal, his heart sinking—he never thought he'd sink to this level.

Everyone watched, but no one felt sorry for him.

The bodyguards nearby didn't intervene, but they kept watch, just in case he harmed the Principal.

"Principal, Yifei, all my past mistakes were mine. Today, I represent Huayi and myself to apologize to you both. I hope you'll forgive a petty man's transgressions."

Da Wang stopped before Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian, head slightly bowed, speaking sincerely.

Liu Tianxian pressed her lips together, saying nothing—she wanted to see if he'd truly call her "Mom!"

Fang Hong's face remained expressionless.

Da Wang hesitated, took a deep breath, then said: "Dad."

"Hey, Manager Wang," Liu Tianxian interrupted the moment he uttered the muffled sound.

He's so old—calling the two of you "Dad and Mom" in public? People would gossip. Not to mention how degrading it is, treating him like dirt. It'd sound terrible.

But some had clearly heard what Da Wang had almost said.

Who'd have thought you, Da Wang, were also a "dog"? Now we're all on the same level. This made their own feeling of being "dogs" easier to bear—their guilt lifted.

After all, if Huayi's Da Wang can call the Principal "Dad," what's wrong with us being "dogs"?

Yet Xiao Wang was deeply humiliated.

"The past is past. We never held grudges. Fang Hong didn't really mean to make you do that—he was just joking. Don't take it to heart," Liu Tianxian said gently.

Her voice was soothing, warm to the ear.

"We don't mind. We did wrong, so we must admit it," Da Wang replied with perfect sincerity, his earlier impulsiveness gone.

He'd simply been worn down—no matter how he fought, how he complained, the Principal always silenced him, all the while looking down on him with lofty disdain.

Help you? You must be grateful.

If someone with a weaker mindset had been in his place, they'd have broken down long ago, driven into depression.

"Having that heart is enough. But your matter with Warner is none of our business. Still, since you've brought it up, we'll help if we can—only we can't promise anything." Liu Tianxian didn't give guarantees.

She also didn't admit Warner's affair had anything to do with them—even though she knew her husband had orchestrated it, she couldn't admit it publicly.

This attitude made everyone exchange glances—sure enough, when Liu Tianxian stepped in, the atmosphere instantly eased.

Earlier, when facing the Principal, if you refused to bow, there was no room for negotiation.

But everyone present knew this was a classic good-cop-bad-cop routine.

"Then that's best. Thank you both," Da Wang said politely.

Whether they truly helped recover the money or just pretended to, at least they had this attitude.

Fang Hong showed no reaction. Whether to help or not, how much effort they'd put in—it couldn't be demanded with just a word. Impossible.

"Actually, we've never had real grudges—just small clashes now and then. But all that's behind us. I believe things will only get better, and relationships between people will grow harmonious," Liu Tianxian spoke of a beautiful future.

But since the Principal's Wife had said it, everyone quickly agreed.

"Tianxian is right. If we unite, we'll surely get through this crisis."

"Yes. As long as we follow the Principal, we'll only get better—and we must be grateful."

"Grateful to the Principal! Grateful to Tianxian!"

"We'll need Tianxian's guidance in our work from now on."

"."

In an instant, everyone began fawning, each louder than the last.

The atmosphere turned lively, completely shedding its earlier heaviness and conflict.

Liu Tianxian felt slightly embarrassed—she'd never experienced such harmony before. These bosses had never fawned over her like this.

Now, these bosses were all flattering her, as if she were truly a great benefactor.

Da Wang and Xiao Wang looked around at these people—once, they too had been the objects of such adoration and flattery. Now everything had changed. It was tragic.

"That's enough for today. Don't block my door anymore. I'll assign someone to handle your investment matters," Fang Hong said.

"Then, Principal, we..." Zhong Yanjun spoke up at the right moment.

The Principal hadn't said a word about investing in them or made any promise.

They'd fawned for so long, argued with Da Wang and Xiao Wang—wasn't their attitude good enough?

Wu Hongliang also stared at the Principal, hopeful.

"All of you," Fang Hong said.

Wu Hongliang and Zhong Yanjun's faces lit up—investment was secured.

Da Wang and Xiao Wang watched these joyful faces. Only they were sorrowful, isolated.

They too wanted the Principal's help—but now, just getting back the 600 million would be enough. If they couldn't, they wouldn't even have funds to invest in the film. Their lives would be unbearable.

To be victimized, yet forced to thank the victimizer—was there ever such a thing in the world?

Feng Kuzi had fallen silent, his earlier sharpness gone. He realized: the Principal was no longer the same man.

He realized now: the Principal could control him.

"Let's go," Fang Hong said, holding Liu Tianxian's arm—mainly to shield her from harm.

The bodyguards cleared a path. The crowd parted, no longer crowding around—so long as the Principal kept his word, that was enough.

They watched the two slowly depart, seeing how much the Principal doted on Liu Tianxian. When she spoke, he never objected—whatever she said, it was law.

Many had seen this attitude clearly, and understood it well.

As Fang Hong passed Feng Kuzi, he said to him: "You still owe me a slap. Don't forget to pay it back."

(End of Chapter)