Chapter 65

Gao Xiaojuan’s maternal home was in Yangjia Slope, not far from Gaojia Slope. Many villagers there had the surname Yang. The reason Gao Xiaojuan had the surname Gao was because she was adopted and took her adoptive mother’s surname.

Though Yangjia Slope wasn’t as wealthy as Gaojia Slope, it clearly had much more warmth and human kindness than that village of scumbags.

According to rural customs, if a family had no sons, once the daughter married off and the parents passed away, the house site and contracted farmland would usually be reclaimed by the village for redistribution. Daughters who had moved their household registration elsewhere were typically assumed to have no inheritance rights.

But Yangjia Slope took pity on the orphaned Gao Xiaojuan. The villagers tacitly went with a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach, allowing her to keep the homestead and more than an acre of contracted farmland left behind by her adoptive mother.

After all, farming didn’t earn much these days. That acre of land, if redistributed, wouldn’t amount to much for each family. Better to let the widowed mother and children have it—at least they could grow some vegetables to eat.

One house and one field—though not much, it had become her last refuge now that this pitiful woman had nowhere else to go.

No wonder so many young women nowadays would rather scrimp and save to buy a house before marriage! Even a small apartment meant that when arguments happened, they wouldn’t be thrown out by a man and left homeless on the street…

As Wei Sheng and his group walked, they asked around and finally found Gao Xiaojuan’s house. She was at home hosting guests—a room full of relatives from her maternal side who had gone to Gaojia Slope to stand up for her.

When they heard it was Wei Sheng’s group who had rescued Gao Xiaojuan and her children, the folks from Yangjia Slope were especially enthusiastic. They immediately gave up the best seats and insisted on treating them to a meal.

Several sister-in-laws who were helping out quickly got up and headed to the kitchen to cook up a few new dishes.

One of the uncles even went home to fetch two bottles of good liquor, determined to serve meat and drinks to these benefactors.

“Big bro, no need to open the wine—we have to be on set shooting tomorrow morning. If we show up drunk, the director will chew us out,” Wei Sheng hurriedly stopped him and explained why they’d come.

“Here’s the situation. We’re worried that Gaojia might hire a powerful lawyer, and if it comes to dividing assets, Xiaojuan-jie could be at a disadvantage. As it happens, my grandma’s neighbor is a top-tier lawyer. His firm ranks among the top three in our province—lots of rich people go to him for divorce cases. If Xiaojuan-jie needs help, she can call me anytime.”

Wei Sheng handed his business card to Gao Xiaojuan.

To his surprise, Gao Xiaojuan actually recognized him!

“I’ve been following you for a long time—since you were doing poverty alleviation in Houzhai Village,” she said with a shy smile as she accepted the card.

“Actually, I was thinking of learning from you. That rural revitalization plan you did for Houzhai Village would be perfect for Yangjia Slope…”

With many of her family members and several village officials present, Gao Xiaojuan took the opportunity to share her original ideas with Wei Sheng.

Gao Jiaping’s parents had always scorned their daughter-in-law for being uneducated and unworthy of their college-educated son. But what they didn’t know was that the “uneducated” Gao Xiaojuan had actually done things most educated people couldn’t achieve!

She had only dropped out of school because her adoptive mother had fallen seriously ill. In truth, she was very smart. After entering the world of Social-media, she quickly realized how flexible the industry was—it was a great tool to support rural revitalization.

There was something she’d always been too shy to say: her plan had been to save up a bit of seed capital first, and if city life became too stressful, she would persuade her husband to resign and come back home. Together, they’d start a business in their hometown and bring prosperity to both Gaojia Slope and Yangjia Slope!

She had even mapped out the entire plan:

“Our land might be poor, but it’s especially suited to growing sesame and sweet potatoes.”

“I originally wanted to set up a farming cooperative with the village to grow honey sweet potatoes and sesame. Aside from the raw crops, we could pickle sweet potato vines, dry sesame leaves for sale, and if the scale grew large enough, we could even build our own oil press to produce sesame oil and paste.”

“With our own planting base and production workshop, we wouldn’t just do e-commerce—we could supply to other platforms. Sesame and honey sweet potatoes have high economic value, and we could intercrop wild vegetables too. That way, villagers—especially the elderly—wouldn’t have to go out and work anymore.”

Gao Xiaojuan gave a bitter smile.

It was a shame. All of it had ended before it even began.

The money she’d stayed up late live streaming to earn had nearly ended up as Gao Jiaping’s bride price for marrying someone else. And the Gao family she once considered her own… had never made space for her or her children!

What chilled her to the bone the most was this: the Gaojia villagers she had tried so hard to support had known all along that her husband had betrayed her and had another woman on the side.

Yet no one told her. Not even a hint, a warning to be cautious around the Gao family. Nothing. No one.

Everyone in Gaojia Slope had been hiding, waiting to watch her fall. Waiting until Gao Jiaping drained the last bit of value from her—then tossed her aside.

All because she was a parentless orphan?

Heh. Though her adoptive mother was gone, the people of Yangjia Slope had treated her like one of their own daughters!

When their girl was bullied by her husband’s family, they picked up hoes and shovels to stand up for her! They helped her reclaim her hard-earned savings and let her stay in the house her adoptive mother left behind.

Even the farmland that technically should’ve been taken back by the village was returned to her.

In truth, Gao Xiaojuan was already earning enough through Social-media to support herself and her children. She had tried to refuse the land, but the village head and the elders of Yangjia Slope persuaded her to take it.

Because “a farmer needs a piece of land to truly stand firm in the village.”

They were worried she wouldn’t feel at ease living here. Even though their own families weren’t doing that well either, they still gave up their share of the land so she could settle down and raise her children in Yangjia Slope.

Gao Xiaojuan had been thinking about how to help her folks in Yangjia Slope rise out of poverty. Now that Wei Sheng had come, it was the perfect opportunity. Others might not know, but as a long-time fan, she knew Wei Sheng already had several successful cases under his belt. More importantly, he had institutional backing—he could help solve problems and open doors they never could on their own.

She didn’t know why, but Gao Xiaojuan was absolutely certain: Wei Sheng would help them.

Who would’ve thought—he just came out to film a show and ended up getting involved in rural revitalization again. Wei Sheng was speechless at his own magical luck.

That said, the agricultural plan Gao Xiaojuan described really did sound perfect for a farming co-op.

Plus, both honey sweet potatoes and sesame were excellent cash crops. Especially with an aging population in the country, foods like sweet potatoes, sesame, and peanuts—known for their health benefits—would only become more popular in the years ahead.

The most important thing was that with Gao Xiaojjuan, an influencer with over a million followers, involved, there was no need to worry about the sales channels for the village cooperative’s produce. With her help, the business could easily expand and gain traction!

That’s just how agriculture works—have products, have sales, maintain quality, and improve cost-performance. Even if it doesn’t grow into some massive industry, just lifting up a small village like Yangjiapo is totally achievable.

As for the neighboring village, Gaojiapo?

Seeing that there wasn’t a single person from the Gao family present at Gao Xiaojjuan’s home, it was clear that she had made up her mind to completely sever ties with them. She wasn’t even willing to involve them in business.

That’s a relief… What Wei Sheng feared most was Gao Xiaojjuan being indecisive, still harboring unrealistic hopes for that scumbag. That would be the real disaster!

With that thought, Wei Sheng asked her one last, and most critical, question:

“Xiaojjuan-jie, don’t take this the wrong way, but I can recommend Yangjiapo for our program’s internal pitch meeting. However, your current marital situation—there are too many uncertainties, and it might affect the program team’s evaluation of your project.”

“I’ll be blunt. Nowadays, audiences are very sensitive when it comes to personal relationships. Most people already know that your husband cheated during the marriage. A man with that kind of stain absolutely cannot appear in our type of positive, poverty-alleviation-themed program.”

“So if you want Yangjiapo to participate in our show, the best route is to resolve the divorce with Gao Jiaping as soon as possible. Or, at the very least, make your stance clear to the public—that you’ve decided to completely abandon the marriage. That way, the production team can pass it through review without worry…”

Variety shows aren’t the same as Social-media.

To put it bluntly, if Gao Xiaojjuan really wanted to preserve the little family and chose to forgive that scumbag and get back with Gao Jiaping, sure, she might lose some followers, but some traditional-minded fans might still support her.

But variety shows are different. If someone as controversial and morally corrupt as Gao Jiaping appears on screen frequently, all the hard work poured into production might never even make it to air due to review issues!

The worst part was—Gao Jiaping was still her husband. He’d be impossible to avoid!

“Why would you think I still want to get back with Gao Jiaping? If it weren’t for his work unit’s leader calling and begging me to help calm public opinion, do you think I would’ve let their family off this easily?” A trace of cold fierceness crept across Gao Xiaojjuan’s delicate and radiant face.

All these years married into the Gao family, she had done everything a daughter-in-law was expected to do—filial to her in-laws, gave birth to children, worked the fields, made money to support the family…

Everything a woman should do, and even what she shouldn’t have to do, she had done. She didn’t owe that family a single thing.

If anything, it was the Gao family that owed her. Now that she thought about it, the in-laws were all talk when it came to being nice. But when it came to money? Never gave a cent. The two kids? She raised them on her own. The husband? He gave her a bit of pocket money in the first two years of marriage, maybe thirty thousand yuan in total, tops.

That amount? Compared to what she spent on the Gao family, it wasn’t even a rounding error!

Why would Wei Sheng think she was still planning to forgive Gao Jiaping?

Forgive, my ass!!!

If it weren’t for the two kids—worried that the scandal might blow up and they’d be looked at differently at school—Gao Xiaojjuan would’ve hired water armies already, dug up every nasty thing Gao Jiaping and that mistress’s family had done, and dragged them all through the mud!

You love stealing other people’s husbands? Fine! This piece of trash, I don’t want him anymore! I’ll beat the drums and light firecrackers to hand him over to you! I’ll even take out a newspaper ad to celebrate your wretched union!

Here’s to wishing you two scumbags a long, cursed life—may your line end with you!

“Pfft~ Got it, Xiaojjuan-jie. Hang on a moment, I’ll step outside and call our director.”

Wei Sheng took his phone and went outside to call Wang Qun.

“Director Wang, interested in filming a special feature here?”

When Wei Sheng wanted to bait someone, he never missed. He’d been tagging along with Grandpa Hu on fishing trips since he learned to walk—he knew how to dangle bait. In just a few words, he had piqued Wang Qun’s interest.

Upon hearing that the person seeking help was actually the victim of the cheating scandal, Wang Qun couldn’t sit still.

“It’s really her? I heard the news department pulled all kinds of strings to interview Gao Xiaojjuan, but she turned them all down. She’s actually willing to be on our show?”

A giant meat pie—beef-filled—had fallen straight from the sky onto his head. Wang Qun could hardly believe his luck!

Wei Sheng really was his lucky star!

All kinds of media were trying to land an interview with Gao Xiaojjuan right now! If they could get her on their show—even just for a single special—the attention it’d bring… unimaginable!

Wang Qun could already see the show’s ratings skyrocket, crushing every variety program in its time slot, straight to number one nationwide!

“Well, since I’m calling you, it’s because Xiaojjuan-jie requested it herself,” Wei Sheng chuckled. “So I’ll take that as your ‘yes’~ She’s also paused updates on her Social-media accounts recently, so she’s got the time. I don’t have many scenes to shoot either. How about you bring the team over ASAP and we get started?”

“Let’s go! I’ll report to the station head tomorrow morning, and if the approval goes through, we’ll be in Yangjiapo the day after! Don’t forget to ask for time off from your drama crew—you’re our regular guest, can’t be absent,” Wang Qun said, practically grinning through the phone.

“Oh right! Director Wang, I remember your wife’s older brother is a professor—or dean?—at the Provincial Agricultural University, isn’t he? Thing is, Yangjiapo’s climate is perfect for growing sweet potatoes, but the locals have never done it before. Think we could ask your brother-in-law, through the show, to send an expert to guide them?”

“And if we could get access to high-quality but affordable seed potatoes? That’d be even better, hehe~”

Wang Qun burst out laughing.

He knew it! This kid couldn’t help but take advantage whenever he could. And now he even had his eye on Wang Qun’s brother-in-law?!

Still, rural revitalization projects really did need technical guidance from agricultural experts.

After thinking it over, Wang Qun called his wife.

If he called his brother-in-law directly, he’d probably be given a hard time. But if his wife called?

He doted on his youngest sister the most—no way he’d say no.

“It’s done! Director Wang’s in. He’ll report to the higher-ups tomorrow morning, and once approved, the crew will head to Yangjiapo to prep for filming,” Wei Sheng raised a glass of coconut juice, stood up, and toasted Gao Xiaojjuan.

“Xiaojjuan-jie, as the saying goes—‘Only when something breaks can something better be built.’ How does that song go again? ‘Letting go of the wrong one makes room for the right one.’”

“Losing a garbage man like that is no loss. One day, you’ll meet someone who truly understands, cherishes, and cares for you.”

“Here’s to your rebirth!”

Gao Xiaojjuan’s beautiful, wide eyes brimmed with tears.

She raised her glass, poured herself a shot of baijiu, and downed it in one go!

Now Wei Sheng was in an awkward spot.

Should he switch to baijiu too?

A grown man clinking glasses with a girl while holding coconut juice—it felt a little cowardly, didn’t it?

“You better not drink!” Gao Xiaojuan quickly spoke up. “Work comes first. I’m counting on you to finish filming your scenes as soon as possible so you can help us shoot the poverty alleviation reality show in Yangjiapo.”

“Besides, I’ve been drinking since I was young. I can handle eight taels of strong baijiu in one meal without any problem. You young people should take it easy. Health matters more.”

Wei Sheng: “…”

Eight taels in one sitting? And we’re talking about high-proof homemade baijiu? I bow to you, sis!

While Wei Sheng was rushing to finish his scenes, things on Wang Qun’s end had hit a standstill with the station leadership.

The problem still lay with Pu Xiangdong.

After the New Year, the old station director had stepped down. It was widely rumored that Pu Xiangdong was already slated to be the next station head and Party secretary. But out of nowhere, an anonymous whistleblower letter landed on the disciplinary committee’s desk, accusing Pu Xiangdong of blatantly violating national regulations—evading oversight, profiting through his wife’s relatives by investing in the culture and entertainment industry, and also alleging bribery and corruption.

Although the whistleblower hadn’t provided solid evidence, such accusations at the critical moment of his promotion had derailed everything. Worse yet, he now had to smile and greet the parachuted-in new station director. Pu Xiangdong was livid.

Just then, Wang Qun—someone he’d never seen eye to eye with—crossed paths with him, and all of Pu Xiangdong’s pent-up fury exploded in Wang Qun’s direction.

“Wei Sheng! Wei Sheng! Is he some kind of ancestor of your Wang family? Why do you listen to him on everything?”

“I haven’t even asked you yet—what’s going on with that online mess? Getting involved in tabloid drama about a web celeb’s divorce—what gave you the nerve to let Wei Sheng and the others publicly take sides? That’s a serious violation of workplace discipline!”

“What’s the point of filming any program? Tell them to come back and write self-criticisms immediately! Suspend all work!”

“And another thing! With gender tensions already running high, the higher-ups are scrambling to calm things down. That mess with Gao Xiaojuan has already created a wave of negative public opinion. Everyone else is doing their best to steer clear, and you lot are rushing headfirst into it? Get Wei Sheng and the rest to delete their posts now!”

Damn—Wang Qun had just gotten chewed out for no reason, and his carefully crafted program proposal was trashed like garbage. He was so furious he could bite Pu Xiangdong to death!

He’d had enough! How was this rabid dog not in jail yet?

No evidence, huh?

Wang Qun had plenty.

Thinking of how Pu Xiangdong was single-handedly holding up the program’s approval, Wang Qun, burning with rage, found his long-time partner Wang Yang. After work, the two quietly paid a visit to the new station director’s home…

They might not have the authority to take Pu Xiangdong down—but someone else did!

As the saying goes, a new official sets three fires. The new director had just taken office and was in dire need of establishing authority. So they handed him the blade—let’s see if he could resist swinging it.

After all, the advertising and entertainment companies registered under Pu Xiangdong’s wife’s younger brother had participated in many internal bidding events over the years. The work was trash, yet they still demanded full pay. All that money? Public funds.

Why had Pu Xiangdong been targeting Wang Qun and the others? It was all about money.

Wang Qun and Wang Yang were veterans at the station, and they had their own principles when it came to producing shows. Several times, Pu Xiangdong had dropped hints, wanting them to give his brother-in-law’s companies a few gigs. Every time, Wang Qun politely turned him down.

Of course Pu, the deputy station head, would hold a grudge.

Back when the old director was still in charge, Pu didn’t dare go too far. But now, maybe because he realized his promotion had slipped away, he started tearing off the mask and picking fights openly.

Wang Qun wasn’t afraid of him.

Dude, your own dirty laundry isn’t even cleaned up yet, and you’ve got the gall to nitpick others?

Never mind that Wei Sheng and the rest were speaking up online in defense of Gao Xiaojuan—they were standing on the side of justice. Even if it did create some negative publicity, that blame should fall on the cheating scumbag and his mistress. Why pin it on Gao Xiaojuan, the victim?

Wang Qun despised the “blame the victim” mentality.

When Gao Xiaojuan publicly announced her decision to divorce the scumbag, a bunch of so-called moral crusaders online started attacking her, saying things like “Women are just petty,” and “For the kids’ sake, she shouldn’t push the father too far.”

Pah! If you’re that magnanimous, let your wife hand out a hundred green hats for you to wear!

It seemed fortune had finally smiled on Wang Qun’s team. Just as he reported Pu Xiangdong to the new station head, Gao Xiaojuan released a second piece of evidence through her personal media account—

During her marriage to Gao Jiaping, he had secretly transferred over 230,000 yuan from her bank account. From the records she could access, the money had been sent—frequently and over five years—to three different women via transfers and red envelopes.

In other words, aside from the now-exposed mistress, Gao Jiaping possibly had a fourth and fifth woman on the side, and he had funded his infidelity with the money his wife had worked hard to earn.

Clearly, Gao Xiaojuan was forcing him to come to the negotiation table.

Go on—drag it out if you want. Divorce or public ruin—take your pick!

With this move, anyone with half a brain could see what was happening.

The scumbag had already spent the money and couldn’t come up with a lump sum to compensate Gao Xiaojuan. So he was stalling, hoping she’d give up on reclaiming it.

If Gao Xiaojuan didn’t have family backing her up, had nowhere to live with her two kids, and couldn’t earn enough to support them, maybe—just maybe—she’d have compromised for the children’s sake.

But now, things were different. The villagers in Yangjiapo were backing their girl. Wei Sheng had promised to help her establish a rural cooperative and start her own business in Yangjiapo.

She had family, a career, and kids—who needed a man?

Men would only slow down her money-making.

Gao Xiaojuan was a kind woman. When the cheating scandal first broke, Gao Jiaping’s workplace, concerned about public image, had asked her to keep quiet. She had agreed.

But come on—does kindness mean you’re supposed to be bullied? First they silenced her, then they tried to play mediator and pressure her into forgiving a cheater?

Gao Xiaojuan said: I may be kind, but I’m not stupid.

Getting fooled once could be chalked up to youth and inexperience. But getting tricked again after having two kids? That’s an intelligence problem.

Now that Gao Xiaojuan had started dropping one irrefutable piece of evidence after another—and even hired an expensive lawyer to pursue the divorce case—it was obvious she was in the right and completely unshaken.

On the other hand, the scumbag and his mistress must’ve panicked. Fearing that Gao Xiaojuan would sue the mistress for illegally receiving marital assets, the mistress’s parents stepped in and returned every red envelope, transfer, and gift Gao Jiaping had given her over the past two years—converted into cash.

At least that was some damage control.

Otherwise, if things kept escalating, what would that little bit of money even matter? The real fear was that their daughter’s reputation would be ruined. If the whole world found out she had been someone’s mistress, how would she ever get married in the future?

Thanks to Gao Xiaojuan’s divine support, Wang Qun and Wang Yang successfully persuaded the new station director and secured approval for the special feature shoot. Without wasting a moment, they immediately assembled the team and rushed to Yangjiapo!

(End of this chapter)