The spring sun was neither warm nor hot, barely alive.
In the afternoon, at Phoenix Villa.
In the lakeside pavilion, the leader Chu Xiaotian was playing chess with his youngest son, Chu Zhiqing.
The old man was in good spirits today, looking unusually cheerful, and he showed a rare kind and amiable demeanor. He squinted at the chessboard, carefully considering his moves. After a long while, he placed a piece on the board.
Then, he glanced at his son and said, "I'm having a hard time countering your moves."
Chu Zhiqing picked up a piece, thought for a moment, and then placed it, "Father's setup is the real trap... Oh, I should have moved differently; I almost fell into your trap!" The old man gave his son's hand a pat and muttered, "Virtue..."
"Hey..." Chu Zhiqing, realizing he couldn't win, surrendered with a wave of his hand, "Let's start over!"
Chu Xiaotian chuckled and said, "Don't think I don't see through you; you're intentionally letting me win."
Chu Zhiqing replied, "Seeing through but not mentioning it makes things awkward for both of us."
Chu Xiaotian sighed, pursed his lips, and collected all the chess pieces into the box. He then turned to look at his elder son and daughter who were not far away and abruptly said, "Leave your brother and sister some room to breathe; don't push them too hard."
Chu Zhiqing was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "We're all family, Father. You worry too much... You make the next move; I won't let you win this time."
"Really won't let me win?"
Chu Zhiqing met his father's gaze and paused before saying, "If Father wants me to let you win, then I will."
The old man blinked and calmly placed a piece in the center of the board.
Not far away, Chu Yuxuan's uncle and aunt's families were gathered together, happily playing cards and chatting.
However, this apparent joy was tainted with various complex factors, such as hypocrisy, probing, and an undercurrent of tension.
After some time of mutual maneuvering, the families found the conversation lacking excitement and shifted to a topic that both sides relished discussing—Chu Yuxuan.
"Hey, what do you think? That kid disappeared for eight years; where on earth did he go? I thought he and his mother had died back then!" Chu Yuxuan's aunt said.
"Hmph... who knows. Just look at him now; he clearly hasn't turned out well!" Chu Yuxuan's uncle, holding a cigarette, replied gruffly, "I remember when he came back two years ago, Zhiqing went to pick him up from his grandmother's house, and he scolded him severely. He even said he would take care of his grandmother and never return to the Chu family. Haha... And now, isn't he back? In the end, he couldn't resist the lure of money, just a useless fellow!"
Aunt: "Exactly! From what I know, he bought a luxury mansion and several high-end cars. He's living a life of nightly revelry with beautiful women, constantly in the limelight with celebrities and internet stars. His behavior is completely unrestrained; he even had to get his father to handle the situation with the Gao family and shamelessly claimed he would help his father fight for the family fortune? Hahaha..."
Her daughter quickly chimed in: "I heard he increased the salaries of the Qingya Media employees significantly, to a level that others in the industry can't match. I suspect he's been repressed for too long at the bottom and now that he has money and status, he's trying to realize every dream he had. Otherwise, what boss would be crazy enough to raise employee wages so high? Oh... it's really embarrassing for our Chu family!"
The group continued to criticize Chu Yuxuan with harsh and obscene comments, as if it would strengthen their family ties and make their gathering even more harmonious.
Chu Haoran, the eldest son and grandson, quietly played mahjong, occasionally glancing at his uncle who was still playing chess with their grandfather, his eyes reflecting a thoughtful look.
At the entrance of Jiangdong University.
Around two-thirty, Lao Wu strolled out of the school at a leisurely pace.
Opening the door of the GTR parked by the roadside, he had no intention of getting in and said to Chu Yuxuan, who was lying in the passenger seat, "Big brother, I captured a lot of useful footage. Oh my god... it's hard to imagine, this place is like a paradise for international students!"
Chu Yuxuan replied, "Get in the car and let me see the footage."
"Uh... I think we should find a fast-food place, eat while watching? I'm starving."
Chu Yuxuan: ...
The two of them grabbed their laptops and went to the nearby KFC.
After ordering their meals, Lao Wu opened his laptop, imported the secretly recorded videos, and then clicked play, turning the screen toward Chu Yuxuan.
In the video, Lao Wu, posing as an international student, chatted with other students, introduced himself briefly, and then casually discussed the topic of "companions."
Every international student he spoke to revealed shocking details:
"Each of us has at least three girls, you know, it's overwhelming. The teachers even encourage us to date, haha."
"At last week's social event, we went to KTV for singing, specifically for my birthday. Oh my god, we drank a lot, and then I had a very interesting experience with a girl, you know, very interesting! I don't even know her name, haha!"
"In fact, we don't need to remember their names because the school will switch us to a new batch soon. Studying here, I'm really happy."
"What companion? Oh man, have you never attended a social event? I'll tell you a secret, we international students never call it a companion program; we rarely even call it a social event. It's just free companionship, you know? Haha... You should really try it; I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
There were many such statements, even worse than these, full of filth.
In the footage, those international students wore beaming, happy faces, and when talking about female students, their smiles were tinged with a playful and nostalgic look, similar to the expression friends might have when reminiscing about past exploits at a KTV.
Chu Yuxuan's expression grew grave. He slowly closed the laptop, took a small sip of his Coke, and asked Lao Wu, "Edit this video and make sure it appears on all the big screens in the city. Can you manage that?"
Lao Wu, still eating, shrugged and said, "Sorry, it's a lot of work, and I'm stretched too thin... But I can choose a few of the busiest places in Jiangcheng and arrange for the footage to be displayed there."
"Then eat up quickly and get to work!"
As he finished speaking, three international students entered the KFC, each accompanied by a local female student.
The three girls were very attentive. As soon as they entered the store, they rushed to the counter to order and pay for their respective male companions. The three international students sat at the same table as Chu Yuxuan and his brother, using foul language and pointing at the girls with crude gestures, laughing continuously.
Lao Wu swallowed his food, whispered to Chu Yuxuan, "Big brother, honestly, I'm having a hard time resisting the urge to hit someone..."
Chu Yuxuan's gaze turned cold. After staring at the three international students for a while, he suddenly appeared thoughtful. He then stood up and went outside to make a phone call. When he returned, he didn't sit down, his expression a mix of a smirk and a strange calmness. He told Lao Wu, "You go ahead and handle your business."
Lao Wu was puzzled, "Big brother, what are you going to do?"
"I'm in a bad mood," Chu Yuxuan said, looking at the three international students with a sinister smile, "I want to hit someone!"