Chapter 48

Aside from changing the relocation model, Wei Sheng also proposed another marketing strategy to He Yaru—renovating old houses.

This was one of the hottest trends on social media and short-video platforms right now!

Countless people stayed up all night, following numerous content creators, just to watch them transform dilapidated old houses into elegant and charming countryside villas.

Wei Sheng himself was a huge fan of these short videos. He had followed many well-known renovation vloggers, especially a couple called “Little Fishy.” In the past, he had worked tirelessly to earn money, hoping to achieve financial freedom before retirement so he could find a scenic spot, buy an old house, and slowly remodel it to his liking.

Then, he would adopt a few cats and take them to the riverside to fish in his free time.

He would fish, and the cats would eat the fish—perfect!

Wei Sheng suggested that He Yaru shouldn’t wait until the project was completed to start marketing. Instead, it would be best to assemble an experienced short-video operations team right from the start. They could create several different accounts and begin documenting the entire process—from leasing the old houses to their renovation—until the transformation was complete.

By the time the project finished, these accounts would have already built up a solid fanbase, many of whom could be converted into their first batch of customers…

Even if the conversion rate wasn’t high, a high-end guesthouse with built-in social media traction could save a fortune on annual marketing costs.

Most importantly, following the renovation journey would be like watching a celebrity’s rise to fame—fans would eagerly follow daily updates, watching as rundown old houses slowly turned into warm, romantic countryside lodgings. It would feel as if they had personally participated in the transformation process.

Just like how no one forgets a cat they once raised, these fans wouldn’t forget the guesthouse they had emotionally invested in.

So, when the guesthouse was finally complete and ready for trial operations, wealthier fans would be eager to experience the place they had watched “grow up.”

And for those who couldn’t afford it yet or didn’t have time to travel, this guesthouse would become their dream destination—their “white moonlight.” The moment they had the money and time for a trip, their first choice would naturally be the place they had always wanted to visit…

He Yaru: “…”

Why hadn’t her little sister fallen for Wei Sheng?

If He Yani had liked Wei Sheng, there would have been no need for all that drama—threatening the family with a hunger strike and acting like it was life or death!

She would have personally packed up her sister and the dowry, dragged her to the Wei family, and arranged the wedding on the spot!

The He family wouldn’t even ask for a single cent in bride price—they would be more than happy to have a son-in-law like Wei Sheng! o(╥﹏╥)o

But then she thought about her troublesome little sister… Never mind, she didn’t deserve him!

Even if Wei Sheng couldn’t be her brother-in-law, could he at least be the spokesperson for their new guesthouse?

He Yaru secretly shared this idea with her husband.

She was mainly worried that, as a newcomer, Wei Sheng didn’t have enough star power. She personally liked him a lot, but the board members were old-fashioned and had a strong bias against young social media-driven celebrities. For their high-end resort hotels, the past two spokespersons had been industry veterans with over thirty years of experience.

Hearing her concerns, Li Lei’s eyes lit up. He pulled out his phone, found a documentary link that J Province TV had submitted to the national broadcaster, and sent it to He Yaru.

“Here, honey, take this to the board and ask them—would an artist who participated in poverty alleviation efforts, was featured on national television, and even personally praised by a state news anchor be good enough for He Group’s endorsement?”

A puzzled He Yaru clicked on the link. After watching it, her mind went blank, leaving only one thought—”Holy sh*t!”

No wonder her husband had insisted on giving Wei Sheng extra screen time, even promoting him from a minor role to the second male lead.

So, the guy came with a built-in national TV buff?!

If, during promotions for their new drama, a reporter said they didn’t know who Wei Sheng was…

Great! She just so happened to have a feature documentary about him, broadcast on the country’s top TV channel!

Who could argue with that?

If they had a problem with him being the second male lead, they could go ahead and recommend someone else who had also been on national television!

Oh, and charity galas and entertainment variety shows didn’t count!

The candidate had to be someone like Wei Sheng—a young role model who had actually contributed to the country’s rural revitalization efforts.

He Yaru stared speechlessly at her husband, who was smugly shaking his leg. She held back for a moment, then couldn’t resist anymore—she reached out and twisted Li Lei’s ear.

“Shake, shake, shake! Is shaking your leg all you ever do on set?!”

“You tell me! You spend all your time making these main-theme dramas about real-life social issues. Don’t you have plenty of talented young actors like Wei Sheng under you? Have you ever considered that you have an unmarried sister-in-law?!”

Li Lei immediately clutched his ear and cried out, “I’m innocent, my lady! Talented, upstanding young men like Wei Sheng are rare in this industry! Why do you think I prefer working with fresh newcomers? It’s not just because they’re cheaper—they’re safer!”

Just look at their peers in the industry—directors and producers who had spent years securing funding, picking actors, and making films. Some had even sold their houses and cars to finance their dream projects. There was even a story about a director who had to sell his wedding ring!

But after all that effort, one scandal from an actor could get the entire show pulled.

And that was still a lucky case—at least those shows had aired before getting taken down.

Some productions never even made it to the review stage before an actor’s scandal blew up… Sigh! No use talking about it—just thinking about it was painful!

That’s why newcomers like Wei Sheng were the best. Especially those with no background, who just stumbled into the industry by chance—before this, they were just regular nobodies with no power or wealth. They hadn’t had the opportunity to do anything shady, which meant their background checks were clean and risk-free.

As for inexperience? That could be taught!

Hadn’t Wei Sheng improved quickly?

He Yaru nodded and decided to take the national TV documentary and settle those old fossils on the board as soon as she got back!

This had to be done quickly!

Before Wei Sheng’s endorsement price went up.

He Yaru didn’t necessarily believe in Wei Sheng’s talent, but she trusted her husband’s judgment of people.

Over the years, every actor who had received direct praise from Li Lei in the film crew had at least become a powerhouse in the entertainment industry. And in the past ten years, He Yaru had only seen Li Lei actively recommend two people.

Both of them were now top-tier stars.

He Yaru had a strong premonition—once her husband’s current drama Mountain Path aired on national television, as the second male lead, Wei Sheng’s commercial value would skyrocket several times over!

By then, his endorsement fee definitely wouldn’t be at the current rate.

So, while Little Wei was still affordable—quick! Sign him!

Wei Sheng had no idea that, out of nowhere, he had gained another “golden patron” willing to claim him.

He was currently performing his “daily good deed,” helping a woman blinded by “love” see through a scumbag as soon as possible.

Honestly, even though he was a man himself, Wei Sheng really agreed with what some female netizens said—spend money on a man and you’ll have bad luck for three years; feel sorry for a man and you’ll have bad luck for life.

Looking at the conflicted Fourth Miss He in front of him, plucking petals with a frown, Wei Sheng had the strong urge to recommend a few emotional bloggers who branded themselves as “masters of countering love-struck minds.”

He Yani was currently torn over whether she should “secretly” enroll Ding Chengcai in an elite civil service exam training program.

Ding Chengcai had just called her, saying he was working hard to prepare for the exam but was worried that if he still didn’t pass next year, their marriage would have to be postponed again.

He had sworn that he wouldn’t propose until he secured a stable government job so that he could provide He Yani with a secure future.

He Yani was incredibly moved.

But then Ding Chengcai mentioned that during his training classes, he heard that some students from well-off families had secretly enrolled in an “Elite Master Class” for the civil service exam. It was rumored that this program guaranteed a pass for both the written and interview stages—or your money back.

This “guaranteed pass” service was an absolute hook for anxious exam candidates.

The only downside? The price wasn’t cheap.

A total of twelve days of training, covering both written and interview stages, cost 98,000 yuan.

Ding Chengcai didn’t explicitly say he wanted to sign up; he just mentioned that he was “worried about competing against those who had taken the master class.”

His casual complaint, however, had thrown He Yani into deep contemplation.

Even though her family had cut off her credit cards, she still had some savings, and 98,000 yuan wasn’t unaffordable.

What made Wei Sheng speechless was that she was plucking flower petals here, using them to “divine” her fate—whether she should directly transfer the money to Ding Chengcai or secretly sign him up and pretend it was a free slot she had secured through connections so he wouldn’t feel any financial burden…

Wei Sheng: “…”

He had reached his limit!

At that moment, Wei Sheng suddenly saw a shadow of Hu Qianqian from decades ago in He Yani!

According to his grandmother, back in the day, their family had actually intended to introduce Hu Qianqian to a young man from their neighborhood. But Hu Qianqian had her heart set on Wei Zhiyong, believing that despite his poor background, he had integrity and strong principles. She admired his refusal to “compromise with the privileged second-generation” at his workplace and had married him without hesitation.

Decades of a failed marriage later, reality had proven that Wei Zhiyong’s so-called integrity was nothing more than a low emotional intelligence masked as righteousness.

Back in middle school, when web novels about reincarnation were wildly popular, Wei Sheng often thought—if he could go back in time to when his mother hadn’t married his father, he would do everything in his power to sabotage that marriage.

Just like how netizens often joked in the comments under love-struck posts: Are you running or not? If not, I’ll bring a forklift and carry you away!

Right now, Wei Sheng really wished he had a forklift to haul He Yani, this love-struck fool, away.

He crouched down, plucked a fresh globe amaranth flower with intact petals from a flower bed at a villager’s doorstep, and handed it to He Yani—while launching into a soul-piercing interrogation.

“Miss He, have you ever considered that your way of thinking is actually a deep insult to Mr. Ding’s character?”

“I know I’m just an outsider, and I have no right to judge your ‘pure love,’ but I really must say—Miss He, perhaps, in Mr. Ding’s eyes, you have been using money to insult your love all along!”

He Yani looked at him in confusion.

Wei Sheng, the Anti-Love-Struck Brainwashing Master, continued:

“Isn’t it obvious? Mr. Ding wants to rely on his talent and hard work to build a stable future for you! He sacrificed valuable work opportunities and chose to endure the smell of the garbage sorting station just so he could focus on studying for the exam!

“But what did you do? You spent a fortune to rent him a luxury apartment!”

“Don’t you understand the concept that the most fragrant plum blossoms bloom in the harshest winters?”

“When heaven is about to place a great responsibility upon a man, it must first test his will, tire his body, and starve him! Only in adversity can one unleash their greatest potential!”

“And this so-called ‘Elite Master Class’—do you really think secretly paying for it will make Mr. Ding grateful? No! You’d only be harming him!”

“He could have passed the exam through his own hard work, but your interference will make everyone say that he only succeeded because of a woman’s money—that he’s just a kept man living off a rich girlfriend!”

“Think about it—which man could swallow such an insult?”

He Yani was stunned.

Wei Sheng seized the moment to push further, delivering another blow with reverse psychology:

“If I were you, I would respect my boyfriend’s wishes.”

“Respect his integrity in embracing a life of poverty—don’t use your family’s money to rent him a high-end apartment. Instead, live with him at the garbage sorting station and share in his hardships.”

“Respect his talent and pride—don’t sign him up for expensive civil service exam training courses or buy any elite masterclasses. Believe that he can succeed on his own merit!”

“Miss He, if you truly care about this relationship, then please stop insulting it with money…”

“Cancel the luxury apartment with its several-thousand-yuan rent. Forget about the elite training program.”

“Return the money you took from the He family to your parents!”

“Then go and tell Mr. Ding that you have given up everything and are determined to share his struggles, build a future together from nothing!”

“I believe Mr. Ding will be deeply moved. Think about the story of Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan… Wang Baochuan endured eighteen years of hardship in a cold cave, surviving on wild vegetables. And in the end, didn’t she become empress?”

He Yani: “…”

Yeah, Wang Baochuan survived eighteen years on wild vegetables.

And then, after becoming Xue Pinggui’s empress, she lasted only eighteen days before dying…

Still, even though she felt a little uncomfortable inside, it was clear that Wei Sheng’s words had struck a nerve!

And they also answered a question that had long troubled her.

She had done everything she could for Ding Chengcai. After being cut off financially by her family, she scrimped and saved, unwilling to buy herself a new pair of shoes, yet she was willing to pay tens of thousands for his civil service exam training. She worried about his irregular meals affecting his health, and since she couldn’t cook, she spent money ordering gourmet meals delivered to him.

She had done so much for Ding Chengcai, yet he always seemed distant and indifferent toward her.

Perhaps… Wei Sheng was right. Maybe she really should lower herself from the status of the He family’s wealthy daughter, stop using money to insult the man she loved, and instead choose to share his struggles and build a future from the ground up?

Meanwhile, Ding Chengcai, still waiting for He Yani to pay for his elite civil service exam training: “…”

(End of chapter)