Chapter 1

Some say that happiness is never easily obtained.

Yang Tang doesn’t think so.

He graduated from a prestigious university but married a Ph.D. from an even more prestigious one.

And it wasn’t him chasing her; it was her chasing him.

Yang Tang can only marvel at the good timing of his romance, right at the tail end of the literary youth era, with a touch of the internet age. Coupled with his slight talent for modern poetry, it resulted in a virtuous and gentle mother for his child.

In 2018, it was particularly cold before New Year's Eve, but his wife still insisted on driving to the company to manage things. Yang Tang, who had started to put on some weight, still retained a hint of his former good looks, but he no longer cared about that. He just wanted to stay home on such a cold day, write some articles, and spend time with his son.

His son, Yang Lin, like most children his age, loved playing games. On this day, he was engrossed in his computer game when he suddenly asked Yang Tang, “Dad, do we have 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' at home?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Yang Lin mumbled, “This Three Kingdoms web game is weird. After I captured Wu An-guo, I persuaded him to surrender three times, and he did. But why can’t I persuade Kong Rong to surrender?”

After hearing this, Yang Tang asked his son what method he used to persuade Wu An-guo. Yang Lin laughed and said, “Dad, how can you not know this? You’re so outdated! Of course, it’s with silver. It takes one thousand taels of silver to persuade him once. The first time I gave him money, Wu An-guo said, ‘You are the leader of the rebels; how can I surrender to you?’ The second time, he said, ‘A loyal minister does not serve two masters; how can I surrender to you?’ By the third time, he said, ‘I am fortunate to be alive; I am willing to follow you and establish a foundation that will last for generations!’ And that’s how he surrendered.”

Yang Tang smiled, and Yang Lin continued, “But this Kong Rong just won’t surrender. I’ve tried eight times and spent eight thousand taels of silver, but Kong Rong still won’t surrender. What’s going on?”

Yang Tang’s lips curled into a smile as he explained to his son, “Kong Rong is a scholar. Scholars don’t like money; they value integrity. Integrity, do you understand? In internet slang, it’s called ‘moral integrity’!”

But Yang Lin didn’t take his father’s words seriously and continued to focus on persuading Kong Rong on the computer, even exchanging his food supplies for silver. Yang Tang didn’t argue with his son and started looking for books on the bookshelf. “Kong Rong and the Pears” was something Yang Lin already knew, so Yang Tang wanted to find some books about the integrity of scholars, like Lu Lian’s leap into the sea and Zhao Guang’s refusal to paint, planning to give his son a lesson later.

While Yang Tang was busy, Yang Lin didn’t stop, muttering in front of the computer, “What’s going on? It’s still not working? How many times have I tried? Fifteen times? If Kong Rong doesn’t surrender, I’m going to go bankrupt!”

Yang Lin was getting anxious, but Yang Tang was secretly laughing: “Son, son, what good does money do? Scholars have beliefs and integrity!” As he thought, he gathered a pile of books and went over to give his son a lesson.

But at that moment, his son cheered, “Success! I spent a total of 17,000 taels of silver, and on the seventeenth try, Kong Rong said, ‘Thank you for your kindness, Sir. You are a man of high virtue; I am willing to serve you faithfully!’”

Yang Tang was stunned, thinking to himself, “Where is the scholar’s integrity? Where is the moral integrity?” The books in his hands fell to the ground, and he even knocked over a cup on the coffee table.

Not wanting his son to see his embarrassment, Yang Tang quickly bent down to pick up the books. However, he didn’t notice that two of the books were wet and covering the power outlet. When he touched them, he was electrocuted and fell onto the sofa, his eyes blacking out, feeling drowsy.

Just before he passed out, Yang Tang was still thinking, “Where is the moral integrity? Where did it go?”

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