Mysterious Assistant of the Washed-Up Queen

How could he let this go?

It was certain that he had fewer resources within the station. But even so, as a seasoned veteran, if he truly put everything on the line, given his decades of hard work and dedication, wouldn't even an uncompassionate station have to give him this opportunity out of respect for his loyalty?

Moreover, his many years hadn't been spent in vain. He did have some connections; at least two deputy directors were on very good terms with him.

Previously, he felt there was no need, nor was there a suitable opportunity. Now that an opportunity had arisen, if he didn't take this gamble, was he really willing to retire into quiet obscurity?

Chu Tian hadn't expected Wei Liangxiao to be so eager that he would jump straight in; he had thought Wei Liangxiao would look for a chance to speak to him privately later.

But this worked out well. Unexpectedly, Wei Liangxiao had served as a shill. Listening to Hu Zhenglun, it seemed he was prepared for a significant expense—an accidental stroke of luck.

If he had been inclined to fleece them thoroughly, he might have made a fortune.

But there was no need for that now. His goal this time was to expand his network; earning a little less didn't matter, and it wouldn't be good to be too ruthless anyway.

"Director Hu, don't worry. Since I've said before that we're cooperating, I definitely want to work with you."

"And Liangxiao, don't get agitated either. I didn't have a chance to tell you earlier, but our company actually has new programs in the pipeline. You'll likely be too busy to have any idle time."

He made a small joke, and the atmosphere suddenly lightened.

Even Wei Liangxiao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He then shot Hu Zhenglun a smug look, thoroughly infuriating him.

Hu Zhenglun now wished he could curse Wei Liangxiao to the high heavens. Had he been mistaken in his choice of friends?

Wei Liangxiao was clearly with Chu Tian, and it looked like they lacked neither programs nor money. So why was he trying to compete with me?

Could he be a shill?

It had to be said, once Hu Zhenglun calmed down, his wits returned rather quickly. He soon arrived at this thought.

But it didn't quite add up. After all, President Chu's expression was too natural, and even the surprise on Wei Liangxiao's face when he stood up had seemed so genuine.

If this was an act, their performance was too good, wasn't it? It wasn't just acting skills; it was their grasp of human psychology and their coordination with Wei Liangxiao. Could they have planned this in advance?

Whatever, it didn't matter anymore. After listening to the proposal, he realized the program was definitely a good one.

As for whether he was being tricked, what did that have to do with him? The station was funding it anyway. He just had to submit the report and application, then wait for filming to begin. It wasn't him who would lose out.

If Chu Tian knew what Hu Zhenglun was thinking, he would surely want to proclaim his innocence. He truly hadn't resorted to any such petty tricks; the other party was simply overthinking things.

Just as the atmosphere had improved slightly, no one noticed Wei Chuan, who had been silent all along, look at Chu Tian. A flicker in Wei Chuan's eyes indicated that some ideas were forming in his mind.

However, these ideas couldn't be voiced just yet. It's better to probe things out first.

Wei Chuan turned his head to look at Wei Liangxiao, who had just relaxed and was looking somewhat smug, and called out calmly, "Liangliang..."

Wei Liangxiao was still wondering what his next program would be when he suddenly heard his father call his name. He quickly turned his head, a puzzled look on his face. "What's up, Dad?"

Wei Chuan unhurriedly put down his teacup, freed his right hand, and said slowly, "Nothing much. Just now, I thought I heard someone call you Wei. Is that right? What? Do you find your old man, me, to be a nuisance?"

Shit!

Wei Liangxiao shivered inwardly. He hadn't paid any attention to that just now. How could his own father's hearing be so sharp?

It was all Hu's fault, that bastard! He was so damn despicable! This was definitely intentional!

Thinking this, he shot a fierce glare at Hu Zhenglun, wishing he could skin him alive.

Hu Zhenglun, who was discussing details with Chu Tian, felt Wei Liangxiao's gaze and inadvertently glanced sideways. He happened to see Wei Chuan reaching out to twist Wei Liangxiao's ear and the murderous look in Wei Liangxiao's eyes.

Instantly, he remembered. As an old friend, he was, of course, aware of the long and troubled history of disputes between Wei Liangxiao and his father over the nickname 'Wei'.

He had gotten excited earlier and let it slip out of habit. Now, feeling Wei Liangxiao's stare, he instantly flinched and quickly turned his head, pretending not to have seen anything.

That's right, I didn't see anything. What does it have to do with me? It's not like I'm the one getting disciplined.

"Hey, hey, hey! Dad! What are you doing?"

Wei Liangxiao suddenly felt his ear grow hot, then it was tightly pinched by two fingers. He quickly begged for mercy.

Wei Chuan paid him no mind. Twisting his ear, he stood up and said, "Come on, let's us two go outside and have a chat."

With his vital spot seized, what else could Wei Liangxiao do? Could he actually fight his own father?

He knew his own father's temper all too well. He could only hang his head dejectedly and obediently follow Wei Chuan out.

Except for Chu Tian and Hou Yichuan, the others were already used to such scenes. It seemed this kind of thing happened quite often.

In fact, the first time Wei Chuan had heard a classmate call Wei Liangxiao 'Wei' was back in middle school, and he had disciplined him for it then.

But it was as if Wei Liangxiao was inherently rebellious, or perhaps his friends just liked using that moniker, or maybe his name was genuinely suited to being called that way?

In any case, over the years, the father and son had clashed over this title countless times. Everyone was used to it.

It was just that Wei Liangxiao was already so grown up. For Wei Chuan to show him so little respect, especially in front of friends, seemed rather inappropriate.

In truth, how could Wei Chuan not understand such a simple thing? He merely wanted to find out some information. To create an opportunity, he had to sacrifice a bit of his son's dignity—after all, what was dignity worth in comparison?