Chapter 39: State of Selflessness
"I'll give you money! One billion, I'm offering one billion to buy the recording pen in your possession!" Wang Wei attempted to sway Gao Fei with a lucrative offer.
"It's not for sale."
"Two billion!"
"Even if you offered me a hundred billion, I would not sell it." Gao Fei put the recording pen into his pocket and then said to Wang Wei, "From now on, stop bothering Shen Caidie. Also, have Ye Xiaohong apologize to Shen Caidie and return her company shares. Do these two things, and I'll keep the contents of the recording pen private, otherwise...
prepare to face the condemnation of the world." After saying these words, Gao Fei left with an air of confidence.
"Bastard!" Once Gao Fei had left, a fierce expression appeared on Wang Wei's face, "Just wait! I will never let this go!!!" Wang Wei hated Gao Fei to his very core.
...
After leaving the villa, Gao Fei drove back to his place.
After taking a hot shower, he sat cross-legged on the bed to practice meditation, his eyes tightly closed, hands stretched flat on his knees, breathing in a long and short rhythm that was very measured. In a moment, Gao Fei entered the State of Selflessness.
The so-called "State of Selflessness" refers to... casting aside all distractions and focusing solely on one's practice. It sounds simple to speak of, but is difficult to achieve in action.
As long as one is human, there will be emotions and stray thoughts, making it extremely hard to focus solely on one thing.
A night passed without words.
The next morning, bright and early, Gao Fei received a phone call from Shen Caidie, inquiring about the 150 million matter.
"It's too much to explain over the phone, let's meet and talk," Gao Fei said, chuckling.
"Okay, I'll wait for you at the company." After agreeing on where to meet, Shen Caidie ended the call.
An hour later.
Gao Fei arrived at Shen Caidie's company.
"Mr. Gao, what exactly is going on? How could Wang Wei voluntarily return the money to me? This doesn't fit his character at all?" Shen Caidie asked impatiently.
"Listen to this first." Gao Fei placed a recording pen on the table, "After you've listened to it, you'll understand."
Shen Caidie gave the recording pen a puzzled look, "All this secrecy, what's the deal?" She reached out, pressing the play switch on the recording pen.
As Wang Wei's voice emanated from the recording pen, Shen Caidie was stunned, her eyes gradually widening and her mouth slowly dropping open...
After listening to the content within the recording pen, Shen Caidie was completely dumbfounded, gazing at Gao Fei with a shocked expression, "How did you manage this? Has Wang Wei lost his mind? To actually disclose these things?"
"Wang Wei, of course, didn't want to talk," Gao Fei said with a smile, "But he couldn't bear my torment and had no choice but to confess all the bad things he's done in the past."
"You...you are really too... too..." Shen Caidie struggled to find the right word to describe Gao Fei; she finally understood why Wang Wei returned the money to her. With the recording pen in possession, how could Wang Wei not submit?
"After listening to the recording, what are your thoughts?" Gao Fei inquired.
"Thoughts?" Shen Caidie was taken aback before her face darkened, "Wang Wei is scum! A beast! Worse than pigs and dogs! Such person should be struck dead by lightning! It's truly unjust for him to have lived this long."
Gao Fei nodded, "I think the same as you do, Wang Wei really deserves to die."
"Hand the recording pen over to the police," Shen Caidie suggested, "Let the authorities arrest Wang Wei and put him on trial according to the law. With all the outrageous acts he has committed, he's sure to face execution by firing squad."
"You're oversimplifying it," Gao Fei shook his head, "It's just not possible till now."
Shen Caidie furrowed her beautiful brows, "What do you mean by that?...?"
"Think about it," Gao Fei said, "Wang Wei has said it himself."
"So you're saying?" Shen Caidie questioned.
"He can't be taken down with just one blow," Gao Fei gestured dismissively, "In any profession, there will be scum, and Wang Wei ran into some bad people." After saying this, he added, "I'm convinced that in this world, there are still more good people than bad, after all, the latter are in the minority."
Shen Caidie nodded, "You're right, there are indeed more good people in this world."
"Why is Wang Wei so arrogant? Isn't it because he has a powerful grandfather? His grandfather is the Jade King, with money, status, and connections. With such an extraordinary grandfather backing him, how could Wang Wei not be insolent?" Gao Fei said with a sneer.
"Wang Wei's grandfather too is a muddled old man who, rather than rectifying his grandson's mistakes, eagerly wipes his grandson's ass. It's his excessive indulgence that has led to Wang Wei's unruly arrogance," Shen Caidie said indignantly.
"In the face of blood ties and major principles, few can choose the latter," Gao Fei sighed.
"So what do you suggest we do? Just let Wang Wei go? Allow him to continue harming others?" Shen Caidie asked.
"Don't worry, the second half of Wang Wei's life will be extremely painful," Gao Fei said with a mysterious smile at the corner of his mouth. "Sometimes, living can be more painful than dying. Wang Wei has done so many bad things; letting him die easily would be letting him off too lightly."
Shen Caidie's eyes lit up, "What have you done to Wang Wei?"
"Do you want to know?" Gao Fei raised his eyebrows.
"I want to know!" Shen Caidie nodded eagerly.
"Really want to know?" Gao Fei raised his eyebrows again.
"Yes, I really want to know! Tell me quickly!" Shen Caidie urged.
Gao Fei beckoned Shen Caidie with a curl of his finger, "Come closer, some things need to be spoken softly so that others can't hear."
"What on earth is it?" Shen Caidie's curiosity was completely hooked. She leaned her head in, eager to hear what Gao Fei would say.
A sly glint flashed in Gao Fei's eyes, then he brought his mouth to Shen Caidie's ear and said in a low voice, "I can only tell you one thing, and that is... 'Heavenly secrets must not be revealed!'"
"You..." Shen Caidie hadn't expected Gao Fei to say something like that; he was clearly teasing her. Annoyed, her brows quivered fiercely, "If you won't tell, then forget it! I don't even want to know!" With that, she turned her head away, no longer paying attention to Gao Fei. A woman is always a woman, prone to having little temper tantrums.
Seeing Shen Caidie get angry, Gao Fei burst into laughter, "I was just joking with you, and you're actually mad. Alright, don't be angry.
Let me tell you the truth." Here, Gao Fei deliberately paused, waiting for Shen Caidie's curiosity to peak before slowly saying, "I've tampered with Wang Wei, his health will deteriorate day by day, and soon he will be bedridden, with his limbs degenerating gradually until he becomes completely disabled! How do you think Wang Wei will feel after becoming disabled? Probably in extreme pain, right?
Living will be suffering, a fate worse than death."
"Are you serious?" Shen Caidie seemed somewhat incredulous.
"Of course, I'm serious," Gao Fei nodded solemnly. "When have I ever lied to you?"
Shen Caidie examined Gao Fei from head to toe, "Just how many skills do you have hidden? I feel like you're a jack-of-all-trades; there's hardly anything that can stymie you."
"You're right," Gao Fei chuckled, "I am a jack-of-all-trades, a man capable of anything! In this world, there's nothing that can stump me!"
"At first, I thought you were a very modest person, but now I find I was wrong. You're not modest at all, you're an arrogant person," Shen Caidie rolled her eyes.
"Alright, no more joking," Gao Fei put away the smile on his face. "Let's talk about serious matters."
"Serious matters?" Shen Caidie looked at Gao Fei with suspicion, "What serious matters?"
Gao Fei gestured towards the voice recorder on the table, "This is a great item. If used correctly, it could bring us a fortune."
"Fortune?" Shen Caidie grew more confused the more she listened.
"Take this to Wang Wei and make him compensate you," Gao Fei said. "He's been harassing you recently, and in collusion with Ye Xiaohong, has plotted against you, causing you great mental stress, nearly leading to a breakdown. Wang Wei must compensate you for the mental anguish!"
"Mental compensation?" Shen Caidie laughed, "After all that, you just want me to extort Wang Wei with the voice recorder."
"How could that be called extortion?" Gao Fei objected to the term, "It's a legitimate, rational, lawful demand for compensation for mental anguish, which is different from extortion."
"Is that really necessary..."
"How is it not? I think it's absolutely necessary!"
"But..."
"What 'but'? Don't you want to teach Wang Wei a lesson? And maybe get some funds to develop the company? If you don't fight back after the way Wang Wei bullied you, it would be too cowardly."
"...Fine, I'll listen to you... How much mental compensation should I ask for?" Persuaded by Gao Fei, Shen Caidie finally agreed. She harbored hatred for Wang Wei and saw this as an opportunity to teach him a lesson.
"I think it should be at least this much," Gao Fei held up a finger.
"Ten million?" Shen Caidie nodded slightly, "That's about what I had in mind."
"Can you be a little more ambitious?" Gao Fei pursed his lips in disapproval, "You're letting yourself be settled for just ten million? You're really undervaluing yourself."
"It's not ten million?" Shen Caidie raised her eyebrows, "Are you thinking of a hundred million?"
Gao Fei shook his head, "No, guess again!"