Chapter 166: You Have Such Great Taste!

That evening, Tang Chong did not return to school. Instead, he stayed in Tang Xin's room at Purple Garden.

Stepping into this private space that originally belonged to another person, and looking at the smiling face of the young girl inside the photo frame on the desk, Tang Chong felt a heavy weight in his heart.

He had integrated into her life, fulfilled her career, stood on the stage performing in her place, and accepted the cheers and applause from tens of thousands of people that originally belonged to her. Everything was so perfect, without a single flaw discovered by anyone.

However, did this mean that he was her now?

No. It was not like that.

What people shouted was "Tang Xin," what they loved was "Tang Xin," and the name printed on the newspapers was also "Tang Xin."

Tang Xin, Tang Xin, Tang Xin... Yet he was Tang Chong.

Tang Chong would always remember this point.

He had his own life, and he would have his own brilliance. It was not pretense, nor was it a replacement; it belonged entirely and solely to "Tang Chong."

"Come back soon." He reached out and gently stroked the slightly upturned, delicate eyebrows of the girl in the photo. Her eyebrows were very similar to Tang Chong's. He softly called out a form of address that felt both extremely unfamiliar and intensely affectionate: "Little sister."

Between life and death, all anger and hatred drifted away like smoke.

At this very moment, Tang Chong felt only endless pity and a deep, fervent prayer.

"Come back soon, little sister," Tang Chong said again, with utmost solemnity.

Just like usual, Tang Chong woke up at six in the morning to exercise.

However, unlike the past, whenever he exercised before, people would open their windows and throw plates, cups, pillows, slippers, and even splash basins of water down at him. Now, as he trained, windows would bang open one after another. Zhang Heben would stretch lazily at her window, her full breasts pushing almost completely out of the frame, making one worry that she might lose her balance and tumble headfirst down from the second floor. Bai Su would shoot two winks at Tang Chong, blow him a flying kiss, and then scurry off to the training room to practice yoga. Tang Chong did not see Lin Huiyin; perhaps she had also gone to work out.

A-KEN came running over wearing a dazzling, incredibly eye-catching, and wildly flamboyant red PUMA athletic tracksuit. He spoke in a coquettish voice: "Little Heart, will you exercise with me? Teach me how to press my fingers—I want to be a man as manly as you too."

"--------"

"Little Heart—" A-KEN urged anxiously.

"Run first," Tang Chong said.

"Okay. How long should I run?"

"Run for as long as you can."

"Which way should I run?"

"Toward the entrance of the residential compound."

And with that, A-KEN trotted off happily, and Tang Chong's world finally grew quiet.

During breakfast, all of that day's newspapers were delivered as well.

Bai Su pulled out the entertainment sections from all the papers and read them one by one. Reading aloud as she scanned the pages, she said: "'Big breasts and no brains' is probably the best way to describe stars like T4. In order to gain hype and climb higher, they are willing to resort to any kind of trick... If it were merely a simple talent competition, the writer wouldn't use such humiliating terms against them. However, during last night's concert, everything that T4 and the entertainment agency behind them did could only be described as 'filthy.' The writer cannot help but harbor the suspicion of whether Boyi is an entertainment company or a triad syndicate—Oh, look, the picture they used is actually Tang Chong's aerial flip at the opening—"

"They just want to grab eyeballs," Zhang Heben muttered with a dissatisfied pout. Back when the Butterfly Duo made the news, all three of them appeared together. But ever since Tang Chong arrived, for the very first concert, several newspapers used only Tang Chong's 'boss-like dazzling entrance' pose as the accompanying photo—completely ignoring her and Lin Huiyin's existence. No wonder the young girl was upset. "What kind of lousy reporters are these? I'm never accepting interviews with them again."

"Don't get upset, Benben. You're written about in here too," Bai Su hurriedly comforted the young girl's inexplicable jealousy. "'Tang Xin was domineering and awe-inspiring at this concert; her foul language didn't evoke disgust, but instead left people cheering in exhilaration. A star should have this kind of demeanor, rather than maintaining some so-called "grace" while letting villains play dirty and splash mud. Lin Huiyin remained as cold as ever, and Zhang Heben's performance was also commendable. Driven by her, tens of thousands of people at the Huanglong Gymnasium waving glow sticks and singing in a massive chorus will become a classic moment of the concert, making people feel warm just thinking about it now—'"

"Heehee," Zhang Heben giggled happily again. "This reporter actually has quite good taste. What's his name?"

"----------"

Some media outlets chose to report positively on the Butterfly Duo, while others directly criticized T4 and Boyi Company, expressing deep disappointment with their performance last night.

Meanwhile, news of fans demanding refunds from T4 made the front page headlines. This time, T4 was losing not only face but also substance.

Tang Chong's airborne leap also became a focal point of their descriptions, stating that "she accomplished something that no male artist could possibly achieve." By the day they found out Tang Chong was actually a male artist, they would probably have to change their phrasing to "he accomplished something that his companions could not possibly achieve."

With the praise and adulation of major media outlets serving as seasoning, everyone enjoyed their breakfast with extra sweetness and delight.

There were still two more concerts scheduled for next week and the week after. Because this was the Butterfly Duo's very first tour, the schedule was arranged with plenty of leeway. A week of preparation should be more than enough. It was just uncertain whether, after such an incident, T4 would still dare to go head-to-head with the Butterfly Duo for the next two concerts—and how many people would still support them and buy tickets for their shows remained an unknown.

After the meal, Tang Chong did not return straight to school. Instead, he hailed a cab and headed to the Splendid Pavilion.

Business at the Splendid Pavilion was quiet in the morning, with only a handful of waiters diligently serving guests. Tang Chong walked to the office on the second floor and saw Lin Weixiao sitting at her desk, engrossed in calculating something.

Tang Chong gently knocked on the door, and Lin Weixiao looked up.

"Oh, why are you here?" Lin Weixiao stood up in pleasant surprise to welcome him.

"Just dropping by to take a look," Tang Chong said with a smile. "What are you busy with?"

Lin Weixiao said somewhat sheepishly, "I used to major in broadcasting, so suddenly taking over the financial side of things leaves me a bit unaccustomed to it. Therefore, I have to cross-check the accounts several times every day to feel at ease—if something goes wrong, the trouble would be huge. It would really let down your trust."

Tang Chong smiled with narrowed eyes and said, "She handed the financial department over to you to manage?"

"Yes. President Su said she couldn't come over often, so she asked me to keep an eye on the finances and make sure there are no oversights," Lin Weixiao replied. She addressed Su Shan as "President Su," showing that she had fully settled into her new role.

"Very good," Tang Chong said with a smile. Su Shan truly was a brilliant person; knowing that Tang Chong harbored lingering doubts about her, she simply handed the most crucial financial department over to someone trusted by Tang Chong to manage. "Then you must work hard."

"Mm, I will," Lin Weixiao nodded earnestly. "I will definitely do a good job."

"I believe you," Tang Chong said with a smile, turning to leave.

"Thank you," Lin Weixiao suddenly said.

Tang Chong turned back to look at her. Wearing a white professional uniform with her hair pinned up, exposing a snow-white neck, Lin Weixiao wore a look of solemn seriousness. She said, "Thank you for helping me reclaim my dignity."

"It wasn't me who helped you reclaim your dignity," Tang Chong corrected. "Your dignity was never lost in the first place. If you had agreed to his demands back then, I wouldn't have appeared, and you wouldn't be standing here saying these words to me either—"

Long after Tang Chong had walked away, Lin Weixiao still stood at the doorway, pondering over those words.

"A man like that is truly a man," Lin Weixiao sighed.

Then, she gave herself a slap on the cheek and chided herself: "Lin Weixiao, keep your eyes wide open in the future. Don't ever let yourself be fooled by a bunch of assholes again."

Tang Chong was sitting by the window in a coffee shop, and before he had even finished his Irish coffee, Miller—the 'parasite' whose fat rippled like a massive lump of meat—waddled in.

He plopped down into the seat opposite Tang Chong, smiling cheerfully as he said, "Young Master Tang, why so early?"

"I'm not a person who likes to drag things out," Tang Chong said with a smile. "If someone does me a favor, I want to repay it the same day. If someone deserves a slap, I want to deliver it on the spot."

Miller was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing. "Young Master Tang is truly a man of passion. I like that. Such a trivial matter, and Young Master Tang could have just made a phone call. Why did you need to make the trip yourself?"

"Some things have more sincerity when said face-to-face," Tang Chong said with a smile. "Thank you for last night's matter."

The power outage at T4's concert was no coincidence, nor was it retribution from the heavens. It was Tang Chong's retaliation.

The moment Tang Chong anticipated that T4 would use such tactics against him, he immediately reached out to Miller, who possessed considerable influence in Pearl City. Miller didn't hesitate at all and fulfilled the task entrusted to him by Tang Chong with flying colors.

Perhaps this was Su Shan's original intention when she founded the Red Eagles.

Resource sharing!

The phrase was easy to say, but how difficult was it to put into practice?

What difference was there between the existence of China's four major clubs, the Yangtze River faction, the Huangpu faction, as well as Hong Kong's Huatian Club and the Macau Jockey Club, and the Red Eagles?

It was just that those other groups had already achieved massive fame and possessed the ability to influence a nation's economic or political landscape, whereas the Red Eagles were still slightly green and immature.

"Since Young Master Tang likes to handle things earnestly, I, Miller, will be earnest for once as well." The folds of fat on the parasite suddenly pulled taut, his perpetually stooped spine instantly straightened, and a bright glint flashed in his small eyes as he spoke with complete solemnity: "From now on, Young Master Tang's affairs are my affairs."

"You really have good taste," Tang Chong smiled.