Chapter 53

Although there was a small accident in the process of buying the shop, perhaps good people are rewarded—because the next morning, while Wei Sheng was having breakfast, he received a call from the real estate agent. The landlord was willing to lower the price a bit more and invited them to come back for further negotiations.

From the landlord’s perspective, yesterday’s scene looked like Wei Sheng and his group had bolted the moment they heard the asking price—without even bothering to negotiate!

This left the landlord feeling anxious. He didn’t want to lower the price too much, but if he didn’t lower it at all and the shop ended up unsold, what then?

After Wei Sheng and the others left, the nearby tenants started gossiping. Everyone thought the shop had bad luck—something any business owner would want to avoid!

If the landlord had bought the shop outright with full payment, he could at least rent it out, even at a lower rate, without taking a loss. The problem was, he had taken out a loan to buy it!

With the real economy struggling, the rent barely covered the mortgage. He was losing money every month just keeping the shop!

Back when he bought it, the salespeople had promised him that “one shop could support multiple generations.” But now? It was the shop that needed him to support it!

A few years ago, commercial shops in J City were hot properties—to get a prime location, people had to pull strings and pay extra fees.

Now? They had become a financial burden. Just recently, a new development in the district had 100-square-meter shops selling for only 980,000 yuan—and even then, nobody wanted them!

Wei Sheng was certain the landlord was desperate to sell, meaning he would definitely lower the price. What surprised him was that the landlord hadn’t even lasted a single night before caving.

Holding back a laugh, Wei Sheng immediately switched to his grandmother’s bargaining mode at the farmer’s market and started complaining to the agent over the phone. He said his mom had been watching short videos lately and saw finance bloggers warning that holding onto real estate was a losing game. Now she wasn’t so keen on buying.

The agent, probably struggling to close deals for a while, gritted their teeth and negotiated an even lower price for Wei Sheng.

In the end, the 79-square-meter shop was bought for 1.28 million yuan.

During the transfer of ownership, Wei Sheng insisted on only putting his mother’s name on the property deed.

“Consider it a gift from your son,” Wei Sheng grinned as he hugged Hu Qianqian.

Hu Qianqian thought he was being silly, but Wei Sheng firmly stated:

“A retired woman must have a house, a shop, and money in hand. Only then can she truly enjoy life as a ‘New Era Mother-in-Law.’”

“Mom, think about it—if I get married one day and you don’t get along with my wife, having your own house means you can live on your own whenever you want. You won’t have to put up with anyone.”

“Having a shop means you can run a small business if you feel up to it, and if not, you can rent it out for a few thousand yuan a month. That’s way better than finding some old guy for a second marriage! Nowadays, those old men are too smart—they’d never spend money on a second wife!”

“What nonsense are you talking about?! Who’s thinking about a second marriage?! If what you say is true—if I have money, a shop, and maybe even another house in the future, collecting a few thousand in rent each month—why would I even consider a second marriage? That would be insane!”

After emptying his personal savings to buy his mother a shop, Wei Sheng happily ran back to work, eager to earn more money.

Trouble at the Office

The moment he arrived at the office, the front desk receptionist grabbed him.

“Don’t go in! It’s a full-scale volcanic eruption in there right now! You’ll get covered in lava if you step in!”

…What?

Wei Sheng always believed in the saying, “Listen to good advice and you’ll eat well,” so he didn’t rush inside. Instead, he plopped down at the front desk, adopting the perfect ‘melon-eating bystander’ pose.

“You don’t know yet, do you? Our CEO Zhou was actually married before! Guess who his ex-wife is?”

Of course, he knew.

But since this involved protecting Zhou Yinuo’s privacy, Wei Sheng quickly shook his head, pretending to be completely clueless.

The receptionist, excited, pulled out a basket of sugar tangerines. As Wei Sheng peeled one, she launched into a passionate gossip session.

That’s when Wei Sheng finally understood why Liang Yue was suddenly fighting Zhou Mingxing for custody.

She had been diagnosed with late-stage cervical cancer.

The news had already exploded online. Liang Yue’s fans were weeping on Weibo, because everyone knew what late-stage cervical cancer meant.

If she was lucky and received aggressive treatment, she could extend her life by 1 to 3 years. But if things worsened quickly, she might not even have two months.

Liang Yue had made a mess of her mother-daughter relationship, but her acting skills were undeniably top-tier. In China, elite directors working on art films or deeply emotional projects always considered Liang Yue first. If she turned a role down, only then would someone else get a chance.

Life was unpredictable. She had thought she was still young, that even if she lost Yinuo, she could always have more children in the future.

But she never realized—Yinuo was actually Heaven’s last gift to her.

“We even sent the cleaning lady inside to eavesdrop. Guess what? Liang Yue just offered a sky-high price—one hundred million yuan—for custody of the child!”

The receptionist had worked there longer than Wei Sheng, so she knew exactly why the court had ruled in favor of Zhou Mingxing.

Oh, so now that she was dying, she suddenly realized Yinuo was her only heir? Where was this maternal instinct before?

Inside the CEO’s Office

In the spacious CEO’s office, Zhou Mingxing sighed as he looked at the emaciated, hysterical Liang Yue. Then he pointed out the most crucial issue:

“Even if I agree—do you really think Yinuo would be willing to go with you?”

People often assumed that young children didn’t remember things. But even after nearly a year since the divorce, there were still nights when Zhou Yinuo would wake up crying, calling for Daddy.

Why didn’t she ever call for her mother?

Liang Yue froze, her beautiful eyes welling up with huge tears.

“I… I just want to legally leave all my assets to Yinuo before I go.”

When she was young, Liang Yue indulged in a life of luxury and debauchery, always feeling like no amount of money was enough to squander. How could she have thought about having children?

But now, she regretted it. She desperately wished for a child connected to her by blood, someone to inherit everything from her, someone who would remember her during the holidays and visit her grave…

Seeing his ex-wife like this, Zhou Mingxing was heartbroken.

Back when he was with Liang Yue, his parents had never approved of their relationship. They mainly felt that Liang Yue wasn’t the type to settle down and live a stable life with Zhou Mingxing. At the time, he thought his parents were just prejudiced against female celebrities in the entertainment industry. But looking back now, how did that saying from netizens go?

“If your parents disapprove of someone you want to marry, you should seriously reconsider!”

Liang Yue was an actress who easily got too immersed in her roles. The outside world believed she took years between projects because she was a dedicated artist with high standards. But only those close to her knew that after every film, Liang Yue needed a long time to pull herself out of the story.

Zhou Mingxing still vividly remembered one summer when Liang Yue returned home from filming and suddenly told him that she had fallen in love with the male lead in the movie. At the time, he laughed it off, thinking she was just too deep into her role. But later, as she repeatedly got romantically involved with her co-stars and her name constantly appeared in scandals, all he was left with was helplessness and exhaustion.

So, even without the issue of Zhou Yinuo, the two of them would have struggled to stay together in the end.

Looking at Liang Yue, who now seemed to have had all the vitality drained from her overnight, Zhou Mingxing took a deep breath and made a concession:

“There’s no need to transfer custody. After all… if something happens to you, Yinuo will still be your first legal heir. Of course, if you’re worried, you can have a lawyer draft a will.”

“As for wanting to build a relationship with Yinuo, that’s fine. I’ll go back and try to persuade her. But you know what you’ve done to her in the past. So, I will arrange for someone to accompany Yinuo at all times. Is that acceptable?”

Liang Yue had stormed in aggressively, but now, like a deflated balloon, she numbly nodded.

Zhou Mingxing personally escorted her out. After watching her get into her car in the underground parking lot, he sighed heavily and returned to his office.

When he saw Wei Sheng, he paused, only then remembering that when there was no work, Wei Sheng was still required to clock in at the company.

“Xiao Wei, come with me.” Zhou Mingxing called Wei Sheng into his office.

Wei Sheng still had traces of sticky residue on his fingers from eating sugar tangerines earlier. Seeing him rubbing his hands together, Zhou Mingxing chuckled and tossed him a pack of wet wipes.

Liang Yue clearly wanted to publicly acknowledge Yinuo’s identity. This wasn’t something that could be kept under wraps for long. Thinking of Wei Sheng’s uncanny ability to get along with people, Zhou Mingxing, for some reason, wiped his face and humbly sought advice from “relationship management master” Teacher Wei.

Wei Sheng was dumbfounded.

He had never been married, let alone had children—how was he supposed to know how to handle a situation between an ex-wife and a daughter who had suffered abuse?

Reconciliation? No way! If his own child had been abused by his spouse and ended up with autism, he’d want to kill the perpetrator!

Peace? Impossible.

“Nuclear peace” seemed more likely…

But then again, considering that Liang Yue was in the late stages of cervical cancer and might not have long to live, Wei Sheng suspected that Zhou Mingxing was worried about completely cutting her off from Yinuo. If they denied her the chance to see her daughter, Yinuo might have regrets when she grew up.

“President Zhou, I think your decision is a good one. Let’s hear what Yinuo has to say first. That kid has a soft heart and is kind—maybe she’ll forgive her mother.”

“Besides, I see it this way: Teacher Liang knows her days are numbered. At this point, she’ll do everything she can to be good to Yinuo. She won’t treat her as an emotional punching bag anymore.”

“Have you ever read Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils? Even the great villain Duan Yanqing, upon learning that Duan Yu was his biological son, wanted nothing more than to pass on everything he had learned in his lifetime. Human nature is similar in many ways. Right now, Teacher Liang is probably feeling the same way.”

“You brat…” Zhou Mingxing couldn’t help but laugh at such an outlandish comparison.

But Wei Sheng had a point. Liang Yue’s body likely wouldn’t last much longer—otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone crazy trying to take custody of the child. At this stage, not only would she not harm Yinuo, but if anyone dared to hurt the girl, she might even fight them to the death.

After all, Yinuo was her last remaining bloodline in this world.

“If you’re really worried, you can always put a hidden camera on the caregiver. A few years ago, wasn’t there that kindergarten abuse case that was exposed because parents secretly placed a listening device on their child?”

“You sure know a lot!” Zhou Mingxing shot him a look. “Starting today, you’re going to practice your fundamentals with the teachers. No slacking off! You’re performing at the network’s year-end gala.”

Wei Sheng rolled his eyes in secret.

Sure enough, men with failed marriages were the most vengeful against society.

“What, you think being an entertainer is easy? These days, even if you don’t have to be a jack-of-all-trades, you still need to have a few solid skills to showcase.” Zhou Mingxing laughed as he dragged Wei Sheng to the practice room, where two instructors were already waiting.

But instead of looking impatient, they seemed quite interested—after all, they had just witnessed a major drama unfold. Learning that Zhou Mingxing and the renowned artistic actress Liang Yue had been secretly married and even had a child, their gazes now carried a hint of sympathy.

After all, Liang Yue’s past scandals and romantic history were… quite extensive.

“Xiao Wei, have a seat! Tell us, what talents do you have?” The younger instructor, Teacher Du, asked with a welcoming smile.

“Uh… it’s not really talent. I never formally trained. Just some things I learned as a kid at the youth center.” Wei Sheng hesitated. “I took piano and flute lessons. Also learned sketching and colored pencil drawing for a few years. As for sports, I can play basketball and table tennis. Oh, and I can do diabolo tricks—does that count?”

Teacher Du’s mouth twitched slightly.

“Have you learned any dance styles?” The other instructor, Teacher Wan, asked.

Wei Sheng froze for a moment. “Does… square dancing count?”

At that, even the usually serious and composed Teacher Wan couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of his mouth.

“Puahahaha~ Xiao Wei, you’re really cut out for variety shows! Your comedic effect is off the charts!” Teacher Du covered her mouth, laughing uncontrollably.

Well, what could he do? He had been accompanying his grandma to dance in the square since he was little. The “Top 10 Popular Square Dance Songs” were practically engraved in his bones!

After a brief discussion, the two teachers decided to focus on training him in piano, flute, and vocal performance. As for square dancing… that didn’t need any training. Seeing Wei Sheng’s confident expression, even Teacher Wan, who had been dancing folk dances all her life, probably couldn’t match his ability to liven things up.

However, what the two teachers never expected was that all the content they painstakingly trained him in was completely unused!

Instead, it was Wei Sheng’s innate “talent skill”—square dancing—that quickly went viral…

After spending a few days at home, the Mountain Path production team sent out a notice saying that the special filming location had been decided and even thoughtfully booked a plane ticket for him.

The remaining scenes of Mountain Path needed to capture the season when the Huang Family Fortress was brimming with the fragrance of ripe fruit. But with it being the dead of winter, the props team obviously wasn’t like Empress Wu Zetian—they couldn’t make Luoyang’s peonies bloom overnight. So, they had to painstakingly find a new outdoor filming location: a remote village in Yunnan Province with a landscape similar to Huang Family Fortress.

The climate there was warm, and fruit grew all year round.

However, as soon as they entered the village, the production team was warmly welcomed—with a dance battle challenge from the enthusiastic locals.

A few of the lead actors played along and danced a little, all smiling. When it was Wei Sheng’s turn, his eyes gleamed mischievously as he grinned and said, “Well, pardon my lack of skill! Let me perform a classic song from the Central Plains region—Little Apple!”

The moment he said that, everyone in the crew covered their faces.

But at that point, it was too late to pretend they didn’t know this absurd man. The group of prestigious, serious actors in the entertainment industry could only maintain polite, appreciative smiles—while their mouths twitched—watching Wei Sheng lead the local ethnic villagers in a passionate, energetic performance of the square dance classic Little Apple…

“Doesn’t Teacher Wei feel embarrassed? My toes are curling from secondhand embarrassment over here.”

“You don’t get it. This is called ‘blending in with the people.’ Go ask any community officials—what community hasn’t organized a square dance competition?”

“True. A celebrity from within the system really is different from regular celebrities~”

Whispers of conversation floated through the crowd.

No one knew what was going through Director Li Lei’s mind, but he actually had the scene of Wei Sheng’s square dance edited into the behind-the-scenes footage and uploaded to the production’s official Weibo account.

Originally, they just wanted to lighten the mood. After all, filming this drama had left the entire crew in tears for 29 out of 30 days each month, and tissues were being brought to the set by the crate. Looking back, they were lucky to have a lively character like Wei Sheng. When things got too heavy, he was the one to liven up the atmosphere.

But no one expected that the silly video, meant to be a lighthearted break, would skyrocket to #1 on the trending charts—

And stay there the entire night!

(End of Chapter)