037 Helping Young People Grow

In a luxury mansion in the capital, Cheng Jie sat on the sofa, engrossed in a tablet. Opposite him sat a wiry young man with slightly disheveled hair and black-rimmed glasses, whose appearance exuded a mix of decadence and shrewdness.

"Mr. Cheng, how does it look?" Sun Jianjun asked, his tone laced with fawning. As a professional leader of an online "troll army," his primary business involved smoothing over scandals in the entertainment industry, which included, but was not limited to, malicious defamation of competitors, inflating traffic, and hyping up groundless controversies.

He was a man who believed in reciprocating favors; whoever paid him was his benefactor. Back when he first arrived in the capital, he had received much support from Cheng Jie. If not for this boss providing him with opportunities, he would have been nothing more than a street thug. And now, his great benefactor had come to him with business again.

"What are the odds?" Cheng Jie moved his gaze from the tablet to Sun.

"Seventy percent!" Sun held up his hands, pressing down three fingers.

"That low?" Cheng Jie’s eyes filled with displeasure. Whatever he set out to do required a hundred percent certainty.

"Oh, Mr. Cheng, seventy percent is not low at all! It’s far above the passing mark!" Sun smiled obsequiously. In business, one had to know how to talk to different people; he knew how to play the sycophant. He understood that while Cheng Jie insisted on perfection, he was inherently distrustful of anyone who made grand promises. If he had claimed one hundred percent, Cheng Jie would have immediately doubted his competence.

"Increase the intensity," Cheng Jie said, frowning as he pulled out a cigarette. Sun hurriedly stepped in to light it for him.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Cheng Jie squinted, his voice fierce: "I must ensure that little brat never makes a comeback!"

"No problem!" Sun chuckled. "Mr. Cheng, you know my capabilities. Last time, I managed to take down *Tai Chi* in one blow, and even let that kid surnamed Qian pick up the scraps!"

"Pick up the scraps? Ha, he got off easy!" Cheng Jie took another drag and slowly exhaled a perfect smoke ring. "This time, I’ll make that brat cough up everything he’s ever gained!"

"Damn it! Daring to cut off my fortune!" At this, Cheng Jie gritted his teeth and slammed the table. "I once mentored him; is this the thanks I get for giving him a break? He really doesn't know what's good for him!"

The thought of Qian Lang made him furious. Back then, he had kindly helped the kid avoid penalty fees. Later, when he went after *Tai Chi* while dealing with Wang Xingxing, that kid had swooped in and reaped the benefits. He hadn't asked for gratitude, just a bit of respect. But what happened? When he personally invited him back to Star Shine, the brat had acted arrogant and ungrateful. As a superior, shouldn't he teach him a lesson? But instead of learning, the kid had actually tattled to Jiang Yan! It was infuriating—a textbook case of an ingrate.

"By the way, did you find the background information on that company, Galaxy Pictures?" Thinking of how Pei Duoduo had put on airs in front of him made Cheng Jie’s chest ache. He was never going back to that cursed place of Hong Kong again; it brought him nothing but bad luck!

"Found it!" Sun quickly pulled up the data on his tablet.

"Hmph! Let me see." Cheng Jie snatched the tablet, eager to see where that little girl got the nerve to be so bold. And Jiang Yan, too—boosting others' morale while destroying his own prestige. Damn it! He had long suspected she wanted him gone and was just waiting for an opportunity. Now that someone had handed it to her on a platter, she was more than happy to kick him while he was down. Why was he so unlucky? He had worked so hard in the entertainment industry for so long, only to be taken down in an instant. How could he swallow this?

"Oh, my goodness!" Suddenly, as Cheng Jie spotted a certain name, his heart and hands began to tremble. Good heavens! What was going on? Did that little girl have such a deep background?

"Mr. Cheng, the heating is on too high; you’re sweating!" Sun chimed in pointlessly. To be honest, he was feeling a bit hot himself. Rich people were so wasteful—wearing short sleeves in the middle of winter!

"It is quite hot," Cheng Jie said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He composed his expression and handed the tablet back to Sun.

"So, what do you think, Mr. Cheng?" Sun asked, puzzled.

"Well, I think one should be broad-minded! No one is perfect; everyone makes mistakes. I don't think we need to make such a big deal out of this," Cheng Jie said in a slow, measured tone.

"Huh? Mr. Cheng, why the change of heart?" Sun was anxious. Was the cooked duck about to fly away? This was a business deal worth hundreds of thousands. He couldn't let this fall through. "Mr. Cheng, that little punk dared to slap you in the face! You have to teach him a lesson, otherwise, wouldn't that huge loss you took be for nothing? And does that kid really deserve the favor you showed him?"

"Shut up!" Cheng Jie, incensed, swatted the tablet out of Sun's hand. Why hadn't he noticed how sharp-tongued this kid was? What did he mean by "huge loss"? Didn't he know how to speak properly?

"Do you need to teach me how to do my job?" Damn it! If he could just crush him, would he be going through all this trouble? He didn't need Sun pouring oil on the fire! He didn't know what kind of luck Qian Lang had, but touching him now would alert the person behind Galaxy Pictures. Who the hell wanted to commit suicide?

"However..." But then again, if he did nothing, what about the silent loss he’d suffered? Was he really going to let a former subordinate climb over his head? Cheng Jie held his head and pondered. If he couldn't go after him openly, he could do it in the shadows. The building Galaxy Pictures rented was dilapidated, which meant the girl was just playing around. If she were serious, she would have rented a luxury office in the CBD. Besides, with her family background, how could she possibly be interested in a loser like Qian Lang? Maybe, as that kid said, it was just a passing remark he made, and Qian Lang had approached Galaxy Pictures, and the kind-hearted girl had taken him in.

The more Cheng Jie thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. If that were the case, Qian Lang and the Pei girl were just acquaintances. If Qian Lang's movie flopped and the box office results were poor, he would likely be abandoned by Galaxy Pictures—just as Star Shine had dumped him before.

"Normal business competition! Who can say who is right or wrong?" Cheng Jie smiled. He had been deep in the film industry for many years; dealing with a youngster in his field of expertise should be a piece of cake. He hadn't suffered any consequences for the *Tai Chi* incident, had he? He realized he had been too easily rattled. He wasn't steady enough.

Cheng Jie coughed and spoke slowly. "Look, Little Sun, do you know why I said what I said earlier? You young people are always too rash. What kind of society do we live in now? Can someone who is reckless achieve anything? Certainly not! Let me teach you a trick: do things subtly and steadily, and most importantly, cover your tracks. Understand?"

"Oh, naturally, Mr. Cheng!" Sun replied. He was just happy that Cheng Jie was willing to pay again. He had to show his benefactor the proper respect.

"Fine. Since you understand, get your people ready to move! We are just promoting healthy market competition, right? The market is harsh, and competition is cruel. You can't always rely on picking up scraps in the arena, can you? To put it bluntly, we are helping young people like Qian Lang grow!" Cheng Jie said with the air of a master.

"Exactly!" Sun clapped in agreement. Look at that—his benefactor’s words were airtight and perfectly phrased.