Chapter 15
Fifteen minutes later, Chi Jing had already boarded the car.
In the cramped seating, he was curled up in the back row, his hat pulled low over his face as he tried to catch some sleep.
Shen Yixing, sitting in the front, was discussing dinner plans with others. The restaurant they decided on had the most votes in the poll he posted, and it featured local specialties from Country F.
When all the dishes were served, Chi Jing, still with his hat on, silently ate his meal.
Gan Heyu, unable to tolerate the local cuisine, had set aside his fork and knife after a few bites and sat silently, observing others.
Chi Jing was the last to enter the restaurant and take a seat. His spot was between Gan Heyu and Jiang Yucheng, making him sit closer to the former and clearly feel the old man’s low mood.
Despite this, he continued to eat his meal at a relaxed pace.
Ou’er Bai took a bite of a handmade local pie and nodded enthusiastically. “Mmm, this tastes good. Chi Jing, you should try this!”
Ou’er Bai, sitting diagonally across from him, stood up to hand him a new pie.
Chi Jing took a bite and agreed that it was indeed good. Although it was a sweet pie, it was very refreshing.
Lou Yiwen, who had finished eating early, was yawning while waiting for others to finish their dinner.
“Chi Jing, about what you mentioned at lunch today, could you elaborate on it?” she suddenly asked.
Chi Jing, having not slept well, was in low spirits and lazily lifted his eyelids.
“Sis, what are you referring to?”
“About you and Wen Yubai.” She was genuinely curious. Gossip was a part of human nature, and she was no exception. “Are you two close?”
“Not really.” Chi Jing replied, “But not bad either. I’m not particularly fond of his personality, and the original host didn’t interact with him much.”
To be precise, the original host was constantly juggling several part-time modeling jobs before he knew of Wen Yubai. During his third year of college, he spent all his earnings on a remote apartment, driven by a stubborn desire to have his own home.
Lou Yiwen continued to probe about his adoptive parents, not only out of curiosity but also to help him. If he clarified everything on camera, his name would no longer be tainted with false accusations and subsequent clarifications.
Upon hearing Lou Yiwen’s question, Shen Yixing and An Boqing were both stunned.
They didn’t understand her true intentions, assuming she was simply stirring up controversy for the show’s sake.
Shen Yixing slowed down his eating, while An Boqing, a former idol and flow-star, was highly averse to such controversial topics.
An Boqing was the first to speak up for Chi Jing. “Sister Lou, is it appropriate to bring this up during dinner?”
Among the group, Ou’er Bai was the first to grasp Lou Yiwen’s intent. She had been eyeing her every move with her beautifully enhanced eyes and finally curved her red lips into a smile.
Lou Yiwen, with a warm smile, looked at Chi Jing. “Is it something you can’t talk about?”
He sighed, putting down the half-eaten pie. “There’s nothing I can’t talk about.”
Ou’er Bai nodded in agreement. “Then go ahead. If you’ve suffered any grievances, I’ll back you up.”
“There’s nothing much.” he said lightly, “Just that they started introducing me to married middle-aged men when I was in middle school.”
He smiled as he spoke. The nauseating memories from that time became clearer in his mind.
Everyone present, being part of the entertainment industry, understood what he meant by “introducing.”
As women, Lou Yiwen and Ou’er Bai found this particularly abhorrent.
Ou’er Bai, enraged, dropped her pie on the plate and spoke with a mocking tone. “To introduce a middle schooler to business partners, Wen Zhentian and his wife were indeed thinking far ahead.”
“Exactly.” Chi Jing’s smile grew more sarcastic. “They really went all out, sending their so-called adopted son to the business partner’s room. If his son hadn’t run away quickly, their business partner would probably have just finished serving a prison sentence.”
His smile grew increasingly mocking as he addressed the camera. “Wen Zhentian should be watching this episode too, considering he raised me for 22 years. Do you think… I’ve kept any evidence?”
His hand was hidden completely under the table.
He glanced at Jiang Yucheng sitting next to him, who was writing something in his palm.
He patiently waited for him to finish writing before realizing Jiang Yucheng was recommending a lawyer for him.
—Sun Yue.
The top lawyer in Haishi. Jiang Yucheng was suggesting this lawyer for him.
With the answer in hand, he pulled his hand back decisively.
Lou Yiwen’s face darkened, and even Gan Heyu, who was usually in a bad mood, looked displeased.
Gan Heyu, a typical old-school man who often complained about younger generations and occasionally spoke about his family, was visibly upset upon hearing Chi Jing’s story.
He slammed the table with a hand. “How can parents be like this?” He raged, his lean arms flailing. “Why did they have to say such things during interviews? Old man will take care of this!”
Chi Jing had to listen to the same thing again.
Feeling parched, he reached for a glass of water, but Jiang Yucheng pushed his own glass over.
“Freshly poured water. New glass.”
He drank from the glass, feeling somewhat relieved before continuing. “I did many part-time jobs during college and saved up a bit of money.”
Wen Yubai’s biological parents, the original host’s adoptive parents, were indeed not good people.
Jiang Yucheng took the empty glass from his hand and refilled it.
Gan Heyu furrowed his brows. “They wanted your money? If that’s the case, they raised you for many years and supported your college education. Asking for a few thousand isn’t too unreasonable.”
Lou Yiwen laughed aloud. “I remember the Wen family had some assets. It wasn’t Chi Jing’s fault that he was swapped at birth. If they want money, it should be repaid slowly after he starts working. There’s no need to demand it all at once. Is he raising a child or making regular deposits?”
“It’s not just a few thousand.” Chi Jing pulled out his phone and showed a backup of his transaction records. “Because I’m good-looking, I made a few hundred thousand as a part-time model in college. Half of it was used to buy a small apartment in my third year. The rest was returned to them as the first 18 years of the upbringing fund.”
The small dining table allowed everyone to see the transaction records clearly.
A total of 240,000 in transactions, along with various critical chat records.
Ou’er Bai was so infuriated by the chat records that her hair almost stood on end.
“Regardless of how hard their lives were, isn’t this just PUA?”
An Boqing, raised in a loving family, was confused and asked, “But why didn’t you continue with that job?”
Chi Jing shrugged. “Besides that, they used my name to take out over a million in loans for a new car. Then, using the excuse of my debt to Wen Yubai, they ruined my job at a part-time company.”
It was a form of indirect suppression.
The Wen family had been lucky in the past, making a decent profit. However, Wen Zhentian lacked business acumen and had lost everything over the years.
Despite this, they still had some connections.
When Wen Zhentian found out Chi Jing was a successful model making a few hundred thousand outside his control, he was dissatisfied and hired people to disrupt his part-time job at the clothing company.
The company couldn’t bear the loss and ended its cooperation with him.
The modeling industry in the country was small, and other companies avoided hiring hin after hearing about the trouble.
He only found out about the loans recently from bank notifications. It seemed the original host didn’t even know Wen Zhentian had used his information to take out loans.
But he wasn’t worried.
He casually tapped the table, exchanged a glance with Jiang Yucheng, and caught the same thought in each other’s eyes.
Since Wen Zhentian used his information to get the loan, the car he bought should also belong to him.
Finding a good lawyer would easily solve the issue.
Either Wen Zhentian would return the car or bear the loan himself.
Gan Heyu, enraged by the news of Wen Zhentian’s loan using Chi Jing’s information, swore.
“What kind of parents are these? Parents should build a better future for their children.”
Lou Yiwen, looking down with a somber expression, added, “Because being a parent isn’t a position that requires evaluation. Not all parents deserve the title.”
Gan Heyu reached out to pat Chi Jing’s shoulder, but he shifted away from the intended pat, avoiding Gan Heyu’s hand.
“Here’s the deal! Call me Grandpa, and I’ll help you out. I know a few directors.”
“No need.” Chi Jing replied, not seeking sympathy from these people. “I can handle the loan issue myself, and I’m busy lately.”
Gan Heyu protested, “What could be so busy? No time for filming? You young people are getting lazier and lazier! You need to have a passion for acting—”
“Stop!” Chi Jing placed two pies in front of him. “This pie tastes good. Please eat first.”
Gan Heyu took a bite and spent three minutes evaluating the pie, citing various references to state that it didn’t taste as good as his hometown’s.
But the others ignored him. Gan Heyu, not one to waste food, finished the pie with a grumpy face.
In the corner of the restaurant’s private room, Lu Tao’s eyes were red with excitement.
He wasn’t moved emotionally; instead, he was thinking about how much traffic this episode would generate.
Every word Chi Jing said translated into backend data for him.
His show was going to be a huge hit!!!
Indeed! His decision had not been wrong! Chi Jing would definitely bring in the traffic! That over a million hadn’t been spent in vain!
With this thought, he suppressed his excitement and planned to discuss it with him later that night when no one was around.
For instance, he could pay his program fee early to help him deal with the loan issue.