Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: A Satisfying Moment

The commendation ceremony was held at the city theater, with the main leaders from the Municipal Committee, the municipal government, the Municipal Youth League Committee, the Education Bureau, the Federation of Trade Unions, the Administration for Industry and Commerce, the Municipal Chamber of Commerce, and the municipal secondary schools, as well as the relevant district party committees, all in attendance. This commendation ceremony was a summary of the vigorous promotion of spiritual civilization in Qingzhou since last year, specifically recognizing the top ten entrepreneurs, the top ten young people, the top ten community workers, the top ten Youth League members, and other seven major awards.

Wen Liang and Xu Yao sat in the third row on the right, surrounded by other young awardees. Xu Yao had been visibly excited since she sat down, as attending such an event was a significant achievement for a child. Wen Liang, however, kept his head down, looking listless. Although he found such events boring, he didn't want to look sullen, especially since he saw Gu Wenyuan.

Some people, no matter the occasion or the crowd, always stand out. Gu Wenyuan's striking appearance and impressive background always made him the center of attention. Even Zhou Yuanting, disregarding his status, came over and greeted him with a smile. Such treatment was unheard of.

Wen Liang slumped in his seat, his face expressionless. The girl next to him noticed something was wrong and turned to look at him, asking curiously, "What's wrong? Is sitting next to me making you unhappy? Or do you want to switch to the other side?" She pointed to another pretty girl three seats away, her face showing clear displeasure.

"Ahem..." Wen Liang cleared his throat and smiled, "Your words are too harsh. Look at that girl, her skin isn't as fair as yours, her eyes aren't as big, and her nose could hang a soy sauce bottle if it were on a wall. Are you trying to humiliate her? If you're so capable, find someone prettier than you."

It must be said, this flattery was shamelessly overdone. Xu Yao squinted her eyes and laughed, but she pretended to be offended, "It's not as bad as you say. My hooked nose is very beautiful, you know?"

Wen Liang glanced at her, thinking to himself, "To describe such a pretty girl in such a negative way, I must be at a high level." "Amitabha, to pacify the tigress, you have to take a hit..."

After the formalities, it was time for Wen Liang and the others to go on stage. The ceremony had already reached its eleventh item. Ten boys and girls ascended the stage and lined up, receiving their certificates from the leaders. Xu Yao and Gu Wenyuan stood in the center, while Wen Liang was on the far left, next to the pretty girl he had just insulted. Feeling a bit guilty, he kept his head down and remained still.

The host began to invite the leaders to the stage. The first was the Party Secretary of the city, Xu Fuyan, who presented the award to Xu Yao. Next was Zhou Yuanting, who presented the award to Gu Wenyuan. The other leaders then took their places in front of the ten children. Suddenly, Wen Liang caught a whiff of a refreshing fragrance. A pair of legs clad in black stockings appeared before him. Following the long, slender legs upward, he saw a dark-colored skirt, a slender waist, a flat abdomen, and two prominent, round mounds. Finally, he saw Zuo Yuxi's face, which wore a smile that was both playful and serious.

Zuo Yuxi had been searching for Wen Liang since that night. She had arranged for many people to investigate in the Dong Street alley and had visited several times herself, but Wen Liang had rarely gone out in the past month, so she had no leads. She never expected to run into him at such an event, and even more surprising was that the little hero who had been talked about so much recently was him.

Actually, it wasn't strange, since he had pulled her out of despair, hadn't he?

Zuo Yuxi extended her hand, grasping Wen Liang's and applying a slight pressure, as if she had caught something very important to her. Her large, charming eyes conveyed a thousand emotions.

"Congratulations, Wen Liang, our little hero!"

"And my little hero," she added silently in her heart.

"Thank you!"

Wen Liang replied respectfully. As he tried to pull his hand away, he felt a tickle in his palm. Zuo Yuxi's soft, smooth fingers lightly drew an "=" sign in his palm.

She didn't need to do this. If she wanted to talk to Wen Liang, she could have approached him openly after the ceremony. As the Deputy Director of the Education Bureau, it was within her rights, and no one would have suspected anything. However, when she saw Wen Liang pretending not to recognize her, with a calm face as if nothing had happened that night, or as if it was insignificant to him, she felt inexplicably angry. She decided to play a trick on him. Since he was pretending not to know her, they could use a secret signal.

Wen Liang, being harassed by a beauty, would have been a fool not to react. He immediately curled his index finger and wrote "OK" on Zuo Yuxi's palm.

To outsiders, it looked like they had just shaken hands normally. No one knew the hidden meaning. The men in the audience were all following the most famous cold and beautiful woman in Qingzhou with their eyes, fantasizing about pressing her exquisite body under them. They never imagined that this unattainable beauty was flirting with a boy right in front of everyone.

When the ceremony ended and they turned to leave, the girl who had walked past Wen Liang suddenly said coldly, "Classmate, my nose can't hang a soy sauce bottle, I've tried!"

Wen Liang stumbled, almost falling down the steps.

After the ceremony, Xu Yao was nowhere to be found. This girl was always unpredictable, so Wen Liang didn't worry about it. Wen Huaiming came over and said a few words to him before going about his business. Just as he was about to look for Zuo Yuxi, he saw Gu Wenyuan walking toward him with a smile.

Wen Liang stopped and watched him quietly.

Sarcasm? Contempt? Or that arrogant look from his handsome face, looking down on him?

Wen Liang sneered inwardly. A child's trick, besides strengthening his resolve to climb higher, couldn't hurt him in the slightest.

Gu Wenyuan stopped three steps away, a smile that Wen Liang despised the most appearing on his lips, "Isn't this Wen Liang? I'm really curious, how did you get into this circle? By ability or by connections? With your ability to only be a punching bag for Mu Shanshan, and your father's connections that can't even get him out of the policy research office, I think there's something fishy here."

The surrounding area was filled with people leaving, the noise drowning out everything. No one paid attention to the conversation between the two boys, and no one would have thought that the seemingly gentle Gu Wenyuan was using his usual cruelty to lash out at a boy's self-esteem.

Wen Liang looked at Gu Wenyuan coldly, suddenly remembering a classic movie line: "When you can't take it anymore, you don't have to."

"Ah, I heard your story just now, saving drowning children, three times in and three times out, truly brave and touching. But I think, how could you, who stood far away during the spring trip in junior high and didn't even dare to touch the reservoir, suddenly know how to swim? Your father's connections must be truly touching..."

This sharp-tongued response was from Xu Yao. She had come over to find Wen Liang and heard Gu Wenyuan's sarcastic words, unable to hold back her retort. Wen Liang smiled slightly, not knowing how Xu Yao knew about Gu Wenyuan's inability to swim, but he didn't want her to get into trouble. Gu Wenyuan was vengeful and had been spoiled by Gu Shitong since childhood, using ruthless means and acting without restraint. Although Wen Liang wasn't afraid, he didn't want Xu Yao to anger him. He shook his head at her, signaling her to stay quiet.

Seeing Xu Yao, Gu Wenyuan didn't get angry. He nodded politely at her and glanced at Wen Liang with a mocking look, "Oh, now I know how you got in. Kid, you look so meek, but your skills at eating soft meals are quite impressive! But you look so dull, did someone at home teach you?"

This was a vicious remark, not only insulting Wen Liang but also implying that Wen Huaiming was trying to climb the ranks through nepotism.

"What do you mean by 'eating soft meals'?" Xu Yao asked Wen Liang, puzzled.

"It doesn't mean anything, just that someone is itching for a fight!" Wen Liang replied with a smile, then suddenly raised his hand and slapped Gu Wenyuan. The sound echoed in the empty theater.

"Slap!"

Gu Wenyuan covered his cheek, stunned.

Over two lifetimes, countless nights, every time he saw Gu Wenyuan's unreachable back, a strange sense of sorrow would tremble in his heart. One falling lower, the other rising higher, do you know the taste of looking up from hell to heaven? Three parts despair, three parts pain, three parts inferiority, and one part self-torture.

But at this moment, in this place, Wen Liang finally made a choice he never could in his previous life: a slap, not only a farewell to his cowardice but also a push into a corner with no way out. Only by doing so could he strive, only by doing so could he be fearless!

Xu Yao, though she didn't understand what "eating soft meals" meant, as a beauty, she had the right to stand by her friends without questioning right or wrong. She stood behind Wen Liang, her eyes shining with excitement, ready to jump in at any moment.

"You dare to hit me?" Gu Wenyuan had never thought that this seemingly meek boy, who could be mocked by anyone in class, would dare to hit him. The stark contrast made his mind freeze for a few seconds. It wasn't until the burning pain on his face hit him that he snapped out of it, suddenly furious.

Without thinking, Gu Wenyuan raised his right hand and slapped back, using all his strength. In that moment, he even planned how he would humiliate this boy when he knelt and begged for mercy. Even with Xu Yao standing nearby, her status couldn't prevent the impending miserable situation for Wen Liang.

In Gu Wenyuan's mind, ten Wen Liangs were no match for him. The previous slap was just a mistake. He was convinced that in one second, Wen Liang would be on his knees, begging for mercy, just like that night. The victor would always be him—Gu Wenyuan!

He also knew that even if Xu Yao stepped in, her father wouldn't intervene in such a trivial matter for a mere deputy director of the policy research office.

Wen Liang smiled coldly, raised his hand, and easily caught Gu Wenyuan's wrist, pressing his thumb on the pulse and applying force. Gu Wenyuan yelped as his arm was twisted back, his handsome face, which had been filled with arrogance, now twisted in shock.

No matter what, he never expected his full-force attack to be so easily deflected, the situation reversing in an instant. With the mask off, Wen Liang didn't hold back, pulling Gu Wenyuan forward and using his shoulder to collide with his body, his left hand forming a fist and striking down. Gu Wenyuan felt a sharp pain in his chest and a heavy blow to his abdomen, his strength seemingly drained in an instant, his body collapsing to the ground, curling up and coughing heavily.

Wen Liang squatted down, his previously smiling face now expressionless, his eyes gleaming with a cold light. He said softly, "Mr. Gu, you always think you're so powerful, that everyone fears you, that the whole world revolves around you. But look, without your father, you're not even as strong as my little finger."

Gu Wenyuan, though tough, gasped for breath and said, "You... you'll regret this!"

Wen Liang stood up. From Gu Wenyuan's perspective, his tall, sturdy figure, his resolute face, and his clear, deep eyes seemed to silently proclaim a mysterious message. For a moment, Gu Wenyuan was dazed.

"I'll wait for you! Gu Wenyuan, from today on, you are no longer you, and I am no longer me!" He said, not looking at Gu Wenyuan's hateful expression, and walked away with Xu Yao.

"Hey, silly boy, Gu Wenyuan's family seems to have some influence. You did this..."

"It's fine. His father is rich, but he can't retaliate over a fight between kids. At most, Gu Wenyuan will have Mu Shanshan and his gang beat me up, but if it comes to fighting, don't I have a female hero like you?"

"Ha, that's true!"

The fierce little girl beamed, completely unaware that she had been dragged into a mess by a perverted uncle.

"By the way, how did you know about Gu Wenyuan's embarrassing moment during the spring trip? We didn't go to the same school in junior high, did we?"

"I have a best friend whose family is an old acquaintance of the Gu family. I know all his bad deeds! I forgot to tell you, my best friend is a real beauty!"

Xu Yao said with a mischievous look. Wen Liang, being smart, acted as if he hadn't heard the last part about the "beauty" and said calmly, "Gu Wenyuan and your best friend are old acquaintances, yet you treat him so rudely? Be careful, your best friend might be upset..."

"Hmph, I just can't stand Gu Wenyuan's arrogance! And he's prettier than a woman, how disgusting!"

Wen Liang smiled bitterly, looking up at the white clouds in the sky, and said quietly, "He has the right to be arrogant, but it doesn't matter..."

Soon, I will have it too! And I will crush everything you have under my feet!

After parting ways with Xu Yao, Wen Liang saw Zuo Yuxi's car turn right out of the gate. He pondered for a moment and followed her.

Perhaps, getting closer to this young education bureau director wouldn't be a bad thing.

The last time, things happened suddenly, and Wen Liang had to consider whether Zuo Yuxi had offended some powerful people, so he didn't want to interact with her too much. But since so much time had passed, and she was still in her position as director, with no other changes, it was clear that her opponents still feared her. This meant that Zuo Yuxi had a strong background.

Since that was the case, meeting her would be a good idea.