Chapter 147: A Lesson

Ren Xiadong dragged the man off to a secluded spot. The man looked extremely arrogant and snapped, "What the hell is the meaning of this? You two bumpkins, do you have any idea what the consequences will be if you mess with me?"

Liu Sheng walked over with Wang Yi. Seeing Wang Yi walking closely with Liu Sheng, the man sneered, "You shameless woman, are you trying to latch onto any guy you see? And you claimed it wasn't about money! Besides, look at the two of them—do they look like rich people?!"

Without a word, Ren Xiadong pried open the man's mouth and shoved the torn pieces of money he was holding straight down the man's throat. Shoving the bills in with force, Ren Xiadong growled, "Money, money, money! It's money every time you open your shut mouth, so now I'm going to make sure your entire mouth is full of money."

The man was utterly disgusted and outraged by Ren Xiadong's actions, struggling desperately to fight back. However, Ren Xiadong's strength was overwhelming, leaving the man completely trapped.

"Swallow it down! Spit out even a crumb and I'll beat you half to death today!" Ren Xiadong glared at him with a ferocious gaze. Terrified by Ren Xiadong's menacing aura, the man had no choice but to force the money down his throat, bit by bit.

"Alright, that's enough. Don't go killing someone over this," Wang Yi said with a hint of worry.

Liu Sheng looked at Wang Yi and smiled gently. In his heart, Wang Yi was different from other women. They had met through ordinary circumstances, feeling much like an ordinary colleague and a former high school classmate all at once. Their relationship was pure and untainted, much like the bond Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong had shared back in high school—devoid of any hidden agendas, interests, or trivial calculations. It was just a simple, genuine, and beautiful relationship of mutual help.

Hearing Wang Yi's words, Liu Sheng turned to Ren Xiadong and said, "Alright, Wang Yi says that's enough!"

Freed from the restraint, the man frantically jammed his fingers down his throat, retching for a moment before glaring at the three of them. "Do you have any idea how rich I am?! See if I don't spend a fortune to hire people to wipe you all out!"

"I know, I heard you earlier. A six-figure sum, right? Is that supposed to be a lot?" Liu Sheng mocked with a derisive laugh.

The man chuckled darkly and retorted, "My money is something you people couldn't hope to earn in a lifetime, let alone save!"

Liu Sheng suddenly burst into laughter as well, pointing at Wang Yi. "She is the head of post-production at Liuyao Film and Television Company, the top film studio in the entire country. Her monthly salary is five hundred thousand, which means just two months' pay is a six-figure sum. Now let me ask you, how many months did it take you to save your precious six-figure sum?"

Hearing this, the man's jaw dropped so wide he could swallow an egg. He never imagined that his blind date today was someone of such staggering status, and a wave of profound regret washed over him.

"Blind fools who judge others by their covers!" Ren Xiadong cursed. Unable to hold back his anger any longer, he delivered a vicious kick straight into the man's stomach, snapping, "My name is Ren Xiadong, the executive vice president of Liuyao Film and Television Company!"

With another brutal kick, Ren Xiadong demanded, "Who did you call a bumpkin just now?!"

The man was completely dumbfounded, utterly unable to process what was happening. He never would have guessed that the man beating him right in front of his eyes possessed a net worth exceeding billions—an amount Ren Xiadong himself probably couldn't even quantify, knowing only that his wealth was inexhaustible.

At that moment, Liu Sheng chimed in, "Truly wealthy people never go around bragging about their money simply because they don't even know how much they have. So you're definitely not a rich man—after all, you still keep track of your exact pennies!"

Though thoroughly shocked, the man remained defiant and muttered stubbornly, "So what? My parents are wealthy too! Even if I never work a day in my life, I'll never run out of money to spend. What about you guys? Just try crossing my family and you'll go bankrupt and end up begging on the streets in no time!"

Liu Sheng let out a cold, chilling laugh, stepped right up to the man, and switched to a ferocious expression. "Do you know who I am?"

"Some lapdog to the vice president of Liuyao Film and Television!" the man ground out through clenched teeth.

Liu Sheng slapped him across the face without hesitation and stated coldly, "My name is Liu Sheng, the president of Liuyao Film and Television, and also the administrative director of Chongqing."

"Who the hell is an administrative director?" the man asked, looking bewildered. After processing the words for a second, he suddenly burst out laughing. "A sanitary director for Chongqing? Hahahahaha."

Liu Sheng shook his head slowly. "You just returned from studying abroad and don't know a thing about the real world, so I won't hold it against you. Starting tomorrow, your whole family of three can take a nice long break. Working every day in the hospital treating patients must be exhausting anyway; effective immediately, every single one of you is fired."

Without giving the man another glance, Liu Sheng turned and left, taking Ren Xiadong and Wang Yi with him.

As they walked down the street together, Liu Sheng turned to Wang Yi and asked, "How have things been? Is your work going smoothly?"

"Extremely smoothly. Thanks to the protection and guidance of Zhou Jin and Guan Xin, my journey has been completely unhindered."

A thought suddenly crossed Liu Sheng's mind: *It really pays to have connections in this world. Even though I've never explicitly given special orders, everyone knows Wang Yi is someone I personally promoted, so they all treat her with extra care. But that's fine—Wang Yi is genuinely capable. While her technical hands-on work might be slightly average, her management skills are exceptional. At the very least, ever since Wang Yi took charge, I've never heard of a single issue arising in the post-production department.*

Liu Sheng nodded and said, "That's good to hear. With you running post-production, I can rest easy. You didn't get to eat properly earlier, did you? Would you like me to treat you to a meal as a token of my appreciation?"

Hearing that Liu Sheng wanted to treat her to dinner, Wang Yi quickly replied, "I'd love to, but you'll have to owe it to me for now. It's almost time for work, and I need to lead by example. I can't be late or leave early."

Seeing Wang Yi's serious dedication to her work, Liu Sheng decided not to press her further and simply told her to head back to the office.

After Wang Yi left, Ren Xiadong turned to Liu Sheng and commented, "Actually, Wang Yi is quite a catch."

Hearing this, Liu Sheng felt his head nearly explode with annoyance. He snapped, "Every single time a woman appears in my life, you say the exact same thing. And how does it always end? In a messy falling out! So do me a massive favor and shut your damn mouth!"

"They really are wonderful women! It's just that Xiaoya's shadow is still lingering in your heart, and you can never seem to shake it off. If you'd just try to let go of Xiaoya and open your heart to someone else, you'd realize that Xiaoya isn't the only good woman in this world!" Convinced of his own profound wisdom, Ren Xiadong muttered to himself, "Damn, what's got into me today? Why am I suddenly so eloquent? Everything I say makes so much damn sense!"

Hearing Ren Xiadong talking to himself, Liu Sheng didn't hesitate to plant another heavy kick right into his shin.

Just at that moment, Ren Xiadong's phone began to ring. After answering the call, a flicker of anxiety crossed his face.

Thinking something might have happened, Liu Sheng asked, "Is something wrong?"

Ren Xiadong shook his head and groaned, "Tian Yun."

Liu Sheng's heart skipped a beat. Could Tian Yun be breaking up with Ren Xiadong? Impossible. Even if she was angry, it was just playing around; they couldn't possibly break up—they were meant to get married.

Reassuring him, Liu Sheng said, "Relax, every couple has arguments. Just coax her a little and it'll be fine."

"If it were just a normal argument, that would be heaven! Tian Yun wants to meet up, but I haven't had a single day off in a whole week. Where on earth am I supposed to find the energy to entertain Tian Yun right now? Oh god, if I don't perform well tonight, is she going to start getting suspicious?" Ren Xiadong complained with a helpless expression.

Liu Sheng burst into laughter, making it clear that this was one area where he couldn't offer any help. Everything depended entirely on Ren Xiadong's own physical endurance. Whether he could pass the test tonight rested entirely on his kidneys, and even though Ren Xiadong was a veteran of many battles, his lower back and stamina certainly couldn't recover overnight.

Knowing full well that Ren Xiadong wouldn't be able to hang out with him tonight, Liu Sheng called up Lao Jiu and Xiaojia. The moment they received his summons, the two of them dropped everything and rushed over without a second thought.

Afterward, Liu Sheng, Lao Jiu, and Xiaojia watched as a deeply distressed Ren Xiadong departed for his fate. Right before leaving, Ren Xiadong turned back to warn Lao Jiu and Xiaojia, "I hope you two exercise some self-control tonight. Liu Sheng will drain the very life out of you."

For lonely bachelors like Xiaojia and Lao Jiu, however, being drained dry was precisely what they longed for.

That night, Liu Sheng skipped the bathhouse entirely and took the two of them to a bustling bar instead. Liu Sheng didn't want any quiet moments, because quietness brought thoughts of Xiaoya, and since he couldn't find her, the silence brought unbearable pain. For Liu Sheng, the destination didn't matter as long as he had company, so he chose the most chaotic and lively place in town to pass the night.

In the middle of the lively evening, his phone buzzed with a message from Hu Yingqi:

"I've finally sorted out all my work matters, but I'm so bored right now. I'm heading to Chongqing tomorrow, so you'd better show me around for a few days. I seriously need to unwind."