Chapter 28 Should I Send Your Brother Over to Be Trained?

Chapter 28: How About Sending Your Brother to Me for Some Training?

The news about Ting Huayi changing his will was somehow leaked to the media, and they started fishing for info at every chance, even trying to dig up the exact shares in the revised document.

Li Wangyue had just stepped off the awards ceremony stage when he was surrounded by several reporters.

He saw this coming and didn’t offer much of a response, just a rehearsed smile and canned lines, emphasizing the award winners and academic achievements of the ceremony, asking everyone to focus on the school, not his personal life.

The thing is, Li Wangyue really didn’t know.

Whatever the Ting family wanted him to do, he didn’t have the right to question it. As for the details, he never asked, so no one bothered to tell him.

For this ceremony, in theory, any public appearance by Li Wangyue needed a professional PR team with him. Now that his status had changed, he didn’t have the same freedom anymore.

Ting Huayi brought it up, but he wasn’t sure if Ting Zhenxi was listening.

Li Wangyue only got the message two hours before the event that Ting Zhenxi told him a PR person would be on-site, but so far, no one had shown.

Li Wangyue wanted to get out early to avoid any trouble.

A microphone was shoved in his face, almost hitting his nose. He instinctively leaned back to avoid it.

“Mr. Li, during the recent committee transition, President Ting has been pushing through radical projects, approving terms that could cause long-term stagnation. Some people think he’s planning a scorched-earth policy to pressure his successor, to show he’s pissed about not getting re-elected. Are you aware of that?”

At these words, the noisy crowd around them fell silent.

Cold sweat broke out on Li Wangyue’s back.

He’d heard a little about Ting Zhenxi’s recent moves. Apparently, it was originally set that he’d be re-elected as president, but then a bunch of restrictive policies got passed, making his successor look better and seemingly preventing his re-election.

But the whole position thing wasn’t finalized yet, and things could still flip. These reporters were asking him just to stir up trouble from rumors.

Li Wangyue really didn’t know if Ting Zhenxi was planning to take a risk.

But he couldn’t just say, “I don’t know.”

These reporters were too sharp. Whether he said “yes” or “no,” he’d fall into their trap, basically admitting that “Ting Zhenxi is planning a scorched-earth policy to pressure his successor” was true, which could bring criticism on Ting Zhenxi’s political moves or even his character.

If he said “I don’t know,” that would be even worse—they might guess Ting Zhenxi was mistreating his stepbrother by cutting him out of decision-making, or that there was trouble in the Ting family, and so on.

If his words got twisted like that, it would definitely hurt Ting Zhenxi’s reputation.

Li Wangyue gave a faint smile and spoke quietly.

He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, the microphone was pushed closer.

He leaned back a little.

“I haven’t heard that rumor before,” he said.

As soon as he spoke, he saw a flicker of disappointment in the reporter’s sharp, cunning eyes.

Li Wangyue answered a few more questions about their college’s future plans and the health of his advisor, Professor Liu, then left early.

There was a small garden behind the auditorium. Li Wangyue walked to a smoking area in the corner and lit up.

It was too stuffy inside.

He loosened his collar to breathe easier.

Cigarette in hand, he pulled out his phone and leaned against the wall, reporting the day’s events to Ting Zhenxi. He hesitated to bring up the missing PR person but decided not to, thinking it would sound like snitching.

After finishing his smoke, he headed to the parking lot to drive home.

He passed a very low-key black BMW, naturally not noticing that inside sat Ting Zhenxi himself and the PR person who should have been at the event.

As he walked past the car, the driver’s gaze followed him, watching him press the car key, open the door, get in, and drive away.

Gao Li was looking down at his phone and didn’t notice Ting Zhenxi’s gaze.

“His wording is very precise, and he knows how to dodge and weave. He directly denied the whole thing’s authenticity by using the word ‘rumor.’” Gao Li watched the video sent by his informant with admiration, raising an eyebrow with a smile. “Your brother’s got some talent for PR. How about sending him to me? I’ll train him up a bit?”

Ting Zhenxi’s expression remained calm: “Even if you say that, it doesn’t change the fact that you were late and messed up. I’ll talk to your boss about it.”

Gao Li’s face fell: “Come on, don’t do that. I’ll get called into the office and chewed out again. Besides, nothing went wrong, right?”

“He didn’t mess up—that’s his skill. What does it have to do with you?”

Gao Li wilted: “I was genuinely delayed, it wasn’t intentional. Give me a break, okay? Remember that time you called me late at night to get a municipal scholarship for some student? I did a ton of legwork for you. You know how disgusting those directors’ faces were? I swallowed my pride to pull strings and even made it look legitimate so you wouldn’t get investigated. I finally got it for you, and then you said you didn’t want it. You’re such a…”

Ting Zhenxi put on his earphones, turned the key, started the engine, and drove away from the auditorium.

·

Dinner was a family banquet, and the group returned to the Ting family’s old mansion to accompany the old man.

It was said to be on the doctor’s advice—though the old man seemed healthy, his condition was deteriorating day by day. Every meeting could be the last, so it was only right to spend more time with him.

But what family affection could there be in a household like this? Gathering together was more oppressive and frustrating. Every word carried hidden meaning, and every glance demanded deep thought.

The men and women took their seats in alternating order. Li Wangyue and his mother sat next to each other, with his young cousin on the other side, and Ting Zhenxi on Li Ping’s other side.

Ting Huayi couldn’t stay quiet even during the meal. He brought up the day’s awards ceremony, throwing in a few compliments for Li Wangyue. Before Li Wangyue could respond, he caught the note of complaint in Ting Huayi’s words toward Ting Zhenxi, seemingly hinting at the PR person’s absence.

Fortunately, Old Master Ting quickly stepped in to smooth things over, likely defending his grandson. No matter how aloof or eccentric Ting Zhenxi was, he was still favored. The old man nodded at Li Wangyue as a response and reassurance.

On the way back, Ting Huayi and Li Ping left first as usual. Li Wangyue hadn’t had a single drink during the meal, thinking that if Ting Zhenxi needed it, he could drive.

He waited for Ting Zhenxi in the hall for a while, but he didn’t come out. A car’s headlights flashed past the window, and the vehicle quickly disappeared into the night.

Ting Zhenxi had left.

He wasn’t surprised at all, but still, there was a pang of disappointment from dashed hopes.

Li Wangyue said goodbye to his grandfather, sat in the car for a moment, and was about to start the engine when a voice suddenly came from behind.

“How much did you have to say to Grandpa to take so long?”

His hand gripping the key trembled, causing a metallic clatter in the cramped cabin.

Ting Zhenxi sat in the shadow of the back seat, seemingly letting out a faint laugh.

He must be enjoying this.

Getting to prank and scare him over and over again.

Li Wangyue’s heart pounded. He tried to calm it and replied, “Nothing much, just saying goodbye. I was waiting for you in the hall.”

“Waiting for me, huh.” Ting Zhenxi repeated his words meaninglessly, but offered no response.

Li Wangyue waited for a moment, and after confirming he had nothing more to say, he headed back home along the planned route.

Ting Zhenxi was in a bad mood today, and Li Wangyue understood. He had been unsettled lately, which might explain why the PR person who was supposed to come never showed.

Ting Zhenxi was venting his frustration in the rawest way possible.

Li Wangyue kept his eyes straight ahead, driving quietly. The sounds from the back seat faded to almost nothing, leaving only breathing.

He thought Ting Zhenxi had fallen asleep, but he couldn't help sneaking a peek in the rearview mirror, only to lock eyes with him.

"Straight home?" he asked calmly.

Ting Zhenxi leaned back against the seat, looking at him, and shot back, "Anywhere else you wanna go?"

"No."

Ting Zhenxi didn't respond further, only occasionally showing signs of fatigue, rubbing his temples heavily and impatiently.

Li Wangyue drove steadily, hoping to let him catch some rest during the ride.

After Uncle Zhong was suspended, Ting Zhenxi had asked why. Though Uncle Zhong only said it was for health reasons, and Li Wangyue kept his promise not to reveal the truth, Ting Zhenxi had probably dug up something.

With such incidents happening at this critical moment, Ting Zhenxi's recent moves had been ruthless and daring, yet he repeatedly gained advantages, his power skyrocketing. Huacheng had always had many enemies, and now, surrounded by wolves all watching and waiting, they couldn't afford any more surprises.

Ting Zhenxi was suspicious by nature, with a brooding personality, and he always thought twice before trusting anyone around him.

He had been exhausted lately, and Li Wangyue worried that he might crash driving himself.

Maybe it was worrying about him, but Li Wangyue was tired too. Though he slept deeply every night, he woke up feeling achy and out of sorts, quite uncomfortable.

In a few days, there would be a charity auction, supposedly hosted by the Zhao family, with most attendees being local politicians and businesspeople. The subsequent press conference would be a Liming News exclusive.

The Zhao family had rarely appeared at such events in recent years, so this move showed their seriousness.

When it came to the Zhao family, the only thing on Li Wangyue's mind was Zhao Bing, along with the three birds he kept hidden in his suit jacket—his eccentric personality and casual way of talking.

It really didn't seem like the behavior of the Zhao family's second young master, yet it somehow made sense.

As for Zhao Bing's older brother, though Li Wangyue had never met him, he could roughly guess that he must be a decisive and shrewd guy.

Ting Zhenxi had received an invitation and would naturally attend.

Li Wangyue mentioned that he would drive Ting Zhenxi there.

"No, I'll drive myself," Ting Zhenxi said, tying his tie with one hand while casually picking up the morning paper and scanning the crossword puzzle.

Li Wangyue stared at his fingers, trying to figure out how he could tie a tie with just one hand, but Ting Zhenxi's movements were too fast, and he could never see clearly.

He took a deep breath. "You've been very tired lately. The banquet and the interview afterward will take too long. We could switch off so you can rest."

"No need."

Ting Zhenxi grabbed the keys from the table, tossed the morning paper aside, and left first.

The car disappeared from the window, then vanished through the distant gate. Li Wangyue sat back on the sofa, staring blankly at the empty crossword puzzle.

He picked up a pen, intending to fill it in. Though Ting Zhenxi had only glanced at it briefly, being as clever as he was, he must have seen all the answers at once.

Li Wangyue couldn't calm his mind.

He recalled the whispers of those reporters, mentioning that internal competitors were dissatisfied with Ting Zhenxi's methods and might even stage an accident to vent their anger or mess with the committee's succession plans.

Too dangerous.

The ink from the pen bled onto the paper. Li Wangyue screwed the cap back on, stood up, grabbed his car keys, and took it upon himself to follow Ting Zhenxi's car.