Chapter 6
A couple in their fifties and two young men in their twenties walked towards the Luo Family's house. Along the way, the couple cursed and slapped the younger man occasionally. The couple were dark-skinned and thin and their faces were filled with angst. They bent over slightly when they reached the Luo Family's door. Raising children was a lifelong worry; when their child got into a fight as a child, they humbly apologized, fearing the other party might try to extort money, further burdening their already impoverished family.
Finally, eldest son graduated and his younger son went to university. Unforeseen, the sons did something so outrageous—taking someone's photo and posting it online. It spread like wildfire, and only when he couldn't handle it anymore did he realize his mistake and cry to his parents for help. But that person was wealthy; offending them could lead to disaster. He might even drop out of school. Truly a worrisome child who was always causing trouble.
Luo Yongsheng didn't know their purpose. Judging from their expressions, they didn't seem to be here to cause trouble, but rather to ask for a favor. Thinking of son-in-law and the in-law’s visit, he couldn't help but wonder if they wanted Son-in-law to get a job for their eldest son. He remembered that Hu Mingchun's eldest son had found a few jobs after graduation, but each one only lasted a few months. From what Daughter said, Son-in-law's company was quite large. It wasn't like the Luo Family didn't have young people who had just graduated and needed jobs and had come to them asking for help, but he had always refused.
He was just an ordinary farmer. Even if he was from the countryside, he knew it wasn't easy for his daughter, a country girl, to marry into the Gu Family. He couldn't help her in many ways, but he could ensure his family wouldn't hold her back.
Hu Chunming slapped youngest son's shoulder hard and said to Luo Yongsheng, "This brat doesn't know who he is after only two days of school, doing things that are outrageous. Elder Brother Yongsheng, he's yours to deal with. Discipline him however you like."
Luo Yongsheng was bewildered. "What's going on?"
Coming to his house to beat the child for who to see? He didn't remember offending Hu Chunming.
Hu Mingchun's wife’s shoulders slumped, "This child, this good-for-nothing child posted Zhengzheng and their photos online. I don't know what the consequences will be."
They were honest people, farmers their whole lives, and never done anything wrong. Even if she didn't understand much, she knew that other people's photos shouldn't be posted casually. Besides, eldest son had told her that wealthy families were particularly concerned about privacy. Her younger son not only secretly took their photos but also posted them online. Who knew how they might retaliate? She would be willing to kowtow to them if Luo Family’s son-in-law was willing to let her son go.
Only then, Luo Yongsheng realized he had overthought things and felt somewhat embarrassed.
Around noon, he seemed to have heard his daughter say that someone in the village had taken their photos and posted them online. Son-in-law said it wasn't a big deal, so he hadn't taken it to heart. Judging from the Hu Family's attitude, it seemed like a serious matter? Since it was serious, he didn't dare to make a decision for Son-in-law, lest he delay things. Leaving the Hu Family behind, he ran upstairs to call Gu Shi and Luo Zhengzheng downstairs.
The soundproofing in the country house was poor and the two of them could hear the noises downstairs. Luo Zhengzheng told Gu Shi that the eldest son of the Hu family was her classmate. Gu Shi nodded without saying anything.
Taking photos of someone and posting them online without the owner's permission was indeed wrong and had caused them some trouble. Since they were all from the same village, it would be unreasonable to overly pursue the matter. But if no punishment was imposed, everyone would think that their photos or videos could be posted at will.
Luo Zhengzheng told them to go home first and they would discuss how to handle the matter later. She wanted to put the boy panic a bit lest that he act impulsively again.
Hearing Luo Zhengzheng's words and not having received a concrete solution, Hu Chunming and his wife dared not leave.
Hu Yiming tugged at their arms. Luo Zhengzheng's words suggested that even if things were pursued, it wouldn't be too serious. He looked at Luo Zhengzheng, his eyes filled with apology: "Old classmate, Hu Xiang was wrong in this matter. I'm truly sorry."
Back in school, Luo Zhengzheng was beautiful, intelligent, and academically excellent. Not only were her teachers fond of her, but as far as he knew, many boys in their year secretly admired her, including himself. Although they were from the same village, they hadn't spent much time together, and even at school, they barely interacted, but that didn't stop him from liking her.
Liking someone leads to idealizing them. Even though many classmates said Luo Zhengzheng was too vain, marrying into a wealthy family right after graduation, and wondered what she had done to seduce the young master of the Gu family. He didn't believe it. Gu Shi, as the president of the Ye Group, wasn't stupid. Could he not distinguish between good and bad people? Luo Zhengzheng's ability to marry into the Gu Family must mean she had exceptional qualities.
Luo Zhengzheng nodded. Although she and Hu Yiming were old classmates, she felt they weren't close enough and didn't think they had much to talk about. After their brief exchange, she planned to go back to rest.
Hu Yiming hesitated, glancing at her and saw Gu Shi beside her. He pulled his parents away.
Watching them leave, Gu Shi asked Luo Zhengzheng, "He was your classmate?"
Luo Zhengzheng replied, "My elementary and middle school classmates."
Gu Shi looked at her, "What a coincidence?"
Luo Zhengzheng smiled, "Several villages nearby are under the jurisdiction of one production brigade, and there's only one elementary school. Our school is small and dilapidated, with only one class per grade. After graduating from elementary school, everyone went to the town's middle school. Several of my classmates from my village were in the same middle school as me in elementary school, so it's not much of a coincidence."
Gu Shi said, "The elementary school I passed by this morning while picking watermelons, was that the school you went to? It was indeed quite run-down."
Luo Zhengzheng: "...When I was a child, it was good enough to have access to education. Back then, none of the teachers at our school had a college degree; a vocational high school diploma was the highest qualification."
Two years later, the government will rebuild the village's elementary school and hire some more highly educated teachers.
Gu Shi pulled her to sit on a chair. "I'm planning to help your village repair its primary school."
Luo Zhengzheng looked at him, somewhat excited. "You mean you're going to fund the construction of a primary school for our village?"
Gu Shi said softly, "I heard you mention that your old primary school is dilapidated and cramped, so I'm planning to donate funds to build one for your village."
Luo Zhengzheng grabbed his hand. "Thank you on behalf of the children of our village."
Thinking back to her childhood, how snowflakes would drift into the classroom through the windows on rainy or snowy days, the wind chilling her to the bone, and how her classmates would bring nylon bags from home to seal the windows, she felt a pang of sadness. After Gu Shi donate funds to build the primary school, the village children wouldn't have to wait for the government to rebuild it and can attend lessons in spacious, bright classrooms and wouldn't have to endure the cold winds and snow in winter. She was truly grateful to Gu Shi.
Gu Shi held her delicate hand: "Whether it's the Gu Group or the Ye Group, they've donated money and built schools for many impoverished areas. You're my wife and the old primary school is so dilapidated; there's no reason we shouldn't donate."
Ye Li came downstairs and overheard the young couple's conversation. She said, "Since you’re helping build the school in the village, then I'll help build the roads!"
Luo Yongsheng's hands trembled with excitement: "In-law, you...you really want to help build the roads in the village?"
The village roads were all dirt roads. Every time it rained, tractors couldn't get in or out. With the roads repaired, vehicles could easily enter and exit, making harvesting much easier for the villagers.
Ye Li looked at Daughter-in-law: "You raised such a wonderful girl and I've gained such a wonderful daughter-in-law. I'm just helping the village repair the roads."
What she didn't say was that with the roads repaired, she wouldn't have to worry about her car not being able to enter the village even on a rainy day.
Since the son-in-law and in-law wanted to help repair the village school and roads, Luo Yongsheng didn't act reserved, because he knew the village's situation. The school was indeed dilapidated and the roads were in poor condition. He was willing to accept any criticism of being greedy, even if it meant the villagers would benefit.
Hearing mother-in-law praise her for once, Luo Zhengzheng covered her face, feeling incredibly embarrassed.
Gu Shi glanced at her with a smile.
No sooner said than done, Luo Yongsheng immediately went to the brigade and summoned the village secretary to their home to discuss the donation.
Gu Shi immediately signed a check and handed it to the village secretary. With a flash of inspiration, Luo Zhengzheng took a picture of the scene with her phone.
The village secretary, holding the check, said with trembling hands, "This money will definitely be used for repairing the school and roads. Yongsheng, come and supervise."
Luo Yongsheng didn't refuse; he was also worried that son-in-law's donation might be misappropriated, wasting his son-in-law's good intentions.
The village secretary left the Luo Family home and within half an hour, the whole village knew about Luo Yongsheng's son-in-law's donation. Gu Shi asked Luo Zhengzheng, "Did you take photos?"
Luo Zhengzheng's eyes lit up: "I plan to have Hu Xiang post the photos again. So much news has spread online and I've seen both good and bad comments. If we can control public opinion, even a troublesome situation might turn into a good one."
Having just returned from the future and experienced a cyberbullying attack, no one understood the importance of controlling online public opinion better than her.
Gu Shi's brow furrowed. He instantly understood his wife's meaning.
Ye Li glanced at Luo Zhengzheng in surprise. Although she was naive and innocent in life, Gu Shi sometimes consulted her on work matters. She hadn't expected Daughter-in-law to say something like this. It was quite impressive.
Luo Yongsheng couldn't understand his daughter and son-in-law's words, but he could run errands. He said, "Shall I go and call the Hu family?"
Luo Zhengzheng quickly replied, "Just have their two sons come over."
Luo Yongsheng agreed and drove off in his tricycle.
Gu Shi gave her a scrutinizing look. Luo Zhengzheng, noticing his strange gaze, asked, "What's wrong?"
Gu Shi looked away. "Nothing."
Luo Zhengzheng didn't press further, saying, "I'll go upstairs and crop the photos."
The next day, netizens following news about the Gu and Ye families went online and discovered more photos.
The photos included not only pictures of Ye Li and Gu Shi picking watermelons, but also pictures of Ye Li and her in-law talking with villagers.
The group was used to the aloof Ye Li and had never seen such a down-to-earth matriarch. They felt as if a fairy had descended to earth, instantly making them feel close to her. A chorus of praise followed. It seemed even a Cinderella-like woman could win the approval and affection of her mother-in-law.
Then, scrolling down, they saw photos of Gu Shi donating to build a primary school for his wife's family and Ye Li donating to road repairs for her daughter-in-law's family.
Most people thought the mother and son were someone they could interact with. Even though the wife/daughter-in-law's families were poor, they didn't look down on them and even donated money.
A small group of netizens felt they were putting on a show; donating money and then publicizing it online—what else could it be but a publicity stunt?
Of course, many disagreed. Regardless of whether it was a publicity stunt or not, as long as the people benefited, it was a good thing.
This sentiment resonated with many.
Some netizens started saying online how great it was to be from the same village as Gu Shi's wife, receiving donations and wishing they could be from that village too.
Others said if it wasn't a publicity stunt, why only donate to their daughter-in-law's village, if they really wanted to donate, why not donate to other places? There were so many poor areas in the country.
Constantly monitoring the online sentiment, Guo Yao saw this comment and immediately posted a small portion of Ye's previous donation records online, silencing these critics.
Then another wave of discussion ensued—which companies donated what amount, and which companies never donated.
Some observant people noticed that Ye's Group's shares had risen—not just a little, but significantly.
At this time, because Luo Zhengzheng and her family had donated money to the village, villagers came to their door every day to express their gratitude, bringing them eggs and local specialties. They had no choice but to take their child back home.
That evening, the whole family sat down for dinner. Gu Boyuan looked at his youngest daughter-in-law with a strange expression. Ye Group mainly dealt in daily necessities, later expanding into clothing. After Gu Shi took over Ye's, they began venturing into real estate and later invested heavily, hiring many researchers to develop mobile phones.
Crossing industries again and again, no one thought Gu Shi could succeed, but he did. While not selling as well as other well-known brands, Ye Group's mobile phones were still doing well. Although they weren't profitable yet, the technology was invaluable. Temporary results didn't prove anything.
Besides, the profits from other projects were enough to demonstrate Gu Shi's ability.
But in the past few days, he noticed a significant increase in Ye's mobile phone sales. Sales of daily necessities and clothing were also much higher than before.
Just a trip back to her maternal home, and the shares surged. Who would believe it if you told them? But it was the truth and one couldn't deny it.
Gu Ming and Gu Xian knew what had happened at the Ye Group. No matter how good the Ye Group was, it had nothing to do with them. Gu Xian smiled at Gu Shi: "Fourth brother, why didn't you mention the Gu Group when you donated? Otherwise, the Gu Group's shares would definitely have gone up!"
Gu Shi looked up, his tone indifferent: "If I was the president of the Gu family, the shares would rise whether I mentioned it or not."
He hadn't mentioned the Ye Group when he donated. Netizens would investigate and they'd know which group he worked for.
Gu Xian thought to himself, "Forget it. If you join the Gu Group, what will become of us?"
Liu Hanyue pouted, wanting to speak up for her man, but seeing Gu Shi's cold face, she wisely kept quiet. Besides her parent-in-laws, the person she feared most in this family was Gu Shi. After all, he never gave her face. If he was offended, his words were sharp—she had learned that the hard way when she was young.
Gu Ming then suggested, "Dad, how about we hold a fundraising event?"
Gu Boyuan glanced at him, "Can’t have too much of good thing, know when to stop."
Some things were okay to copy, but some things weren't. Causing people's resentment was not worth it.
Gu Ling couldn't help but mentally mock. Eldest Brother and Second Brother were two good-for-nothings, yet Dad treated them like treasures, while he was far superior to them, but Dad didn't seem to care. Was being an illegitimate child a crime?
Ye Li put down her chopsticks and glanced at everyone. "This was an unintentional stroke of luck for Zhengzheng."
Running a company wasn't just about the company itself, but also about managing the person in charge.
Luo Zhengzheng smirked. She had only wanted to go back to her parents' home for a checkup, to relax, and to help them recover from her "rebirth syndrome." She hadn't expected things to develop this way. It was less her luck and more the Ye Group's luck.
Seeing the news online, Hu Yiming was once again impressed by Gu Shi's abilities. A few photos could cause the company's shares to rise greatly. He looked at his younger brother, who had been used as a tool and knew nothing, and sighed, telling his parents, "They won't pursue younger brother’s matter."
Hu Mingchun and his wife breathed a sigh of relief and said gratefully, "No wonder they're wealthy and have such a large company. They're magnanimous. Next time Luo Zhengzheng comes back, we must thank them properly."
Seeing his parents' expressions, Hu Yiming didn't want to say anything more. It was fine to let them think that way.