DASFAM_22

In the elegant and luxurious pavilion, the rich aroma of tea filled the air.  

Fang Xu looked around at the decor and various ornaments, and couldn't help but smile, “Master Song, you have great taste.”  

Song Zhiqing, twirling a string of prayer beads in his hand, replied humbly, “These are just ordinary items. It’s a wonder you find them impressive.”  

Fang Xu leaned in closer to the tea table, his eyes sharp with keen insight, “Why are you still being polite with me? Come on, we’re not strangers.”  

To outsiders, Song Zhiqing was a renowned master of ceramic, holding the prestigious title of professor at Imperial Capital University. Over the years, he had taught countless students, known for his gentle nature and his supposed indifference to wealth and fame.  

But only a select few, including Fang Xu, knew the truth. That beneath the facade of a 'master, Song Zhiqing was nothing more than a hypocrite, driven by greed.  

Just the porcelain, calligraphy, paintings, and ceramic decorations in this attic alone, wouldn't any single one of them be worth at least tens of thousands?

Although Song Zhiqing usually lived in the teacher's apartment provided by the Imperial Capital University, in the Imperial Capital, a place where land is as valuable as gold, he actually owned more properties than one can count on a single hand. The total value of these properties is needless to say.

Due to his dual status as a 'Master of Ceramic' and 'Professor at Imperial Capital University', Song Zhiqing couldn’t openly engage in commercial projects. Therefore, he invested and operated through people like Fang Xu and others.

Studios like 'Taojing', which were secretly joint ventures, were probably not the only ones.

Every time a project that was 'led by his name' won an award or received a large batch of business orders, the person who gained both fame and fortune was always Song Zhiqing.

Fang Xu could clearly see the other person's character, but he was still willing to associate with him, and the reason was simple—

In this society, interests and status are what matter most!

As long as Song Zhiqing doesn't fall from grace, those who follow him will always benefit, even if some people know the true nature of the former. Who would dare to expose it openly? In the end, they might only end up bringing trouble upon themselves.

In response to Fang Xu's statement of 'we're in the same boat', Song Zhiqing smiled without saying a word.

He picked up a cup of freshly brewed tea with a tea rod and passed it over, showing no intention of even lifting the cup himself, "Boss Fang has been talking for so long, you must be thirsty. Try some of the new tea I just got."

Fang Xu didn't notice the disdain hidden in the other's actions and smiled as he took the cup.

He took a couple of sips and suddenly remembered something, "Master Song, you said there’s no problem with Bai Xu, right? Lately, he’s been skipping out on coming to the studio under the pretext of working on projects. I hope he's not getting any ideas behind our backs."

Bai Xu was his cheapest and most useful employee. If the other truly had plans to run away, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Song Zhiqing picked up his own cup of tea, calm and composed, "He won’t. He doesn't have the guts."

When Bai Xu first entered university, Song Zhiqing had secretly investigated him—

Bai Xu was an adopted orphan. Although his adoptive family was in a good financial position, they were not his strong backing. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had to work hard and support himself during his university years.

Bai Xu's temperament was always mild and easy to manipulate. He was the type of soft target, even considered somewhat weak and despised by others. Yet, ironically, such a person had some talent in ceramic design.

In their line of work, it was all about intuition and inspiration.

Over the years, Song Zhiqing’s creativity had gradually dried up. To maintain his reputation and status, he often passed off his students' works as his own originals, with Bai Xu being the one who would never dare to object.

Song Zhiqing was confident that Bai Xu didn’t have the guts to stab him in the back. After all, he had many ways to make sure such an honest person couldn’t survive in the industry.

"Don’t worry, I’ll send him another message to hurry him up."

Fang Xu immediately became satisfied, "That works. The registration deadline is in just two days, so there can't be any mistakes."

As soon as his words fell, the phone on the table vibrated.

Fang Xu glanced at it and casually picked it up, "Hello?"

"Hello, Boss!"

The secretary said anxiously, "Something’s happened!"

Fang Xu’s smile froze, "What happened?"

"......"

On the other end of the phone, the situation was explained as quickly as possible. Fang Xu’s relaxed expression disappeared, replaced by an uncontrollable surge of anger, "Who gave him the guts?"

He glanced at Song Zhiqing across from him, a hint of dissatisfaction appearing deep in his eyes, "I understand! I'll deal with it when I get back!"

Song Zhiqing clearly didn’t realize the seriousness of the situation and continued to sip his tea, "What happened?"

"Master Song."

Fang Xu snorted with an ambiguous sound and immediately asked, "Didn't you say there was no problem with Bai Xu? Didn't you say he didn’t have the guts to go against you?"

"He hired a professional lawyer and is planning to sue us for 'altering the authorship of his original works without permission,' 'stealing,' and 'plagiarizing' his copyrights! And there’s more..."

Fang Xu was so angry he was at a loss for words. He simply threw the phone onto Song Zhiqing's desk.

The phone landed with a loud thud.

Song Zhiqing’s palm trembled slightly, and two drops of tea spilled from the cup.

The phone displayed an electronic lawyer’s letter sent by the secretary, with black-and-white text and a red stamp, all of which confirmed the authenticity of the matter.

"Look at this! What about all that talk of us owing him the bonuses, performance pay, and commissions he deserves?" Fang Xu's earlier good mood vanished, and he gritted his teeth, "By the way, that international exhibition competition, he already submitted his work under his own name this morning!"

Unable to contain his anger, he deliberately jabbed, "This is the kind of good student you’ve taught? Master Song, your 'good student' sure knows how to give you face, doesn’t he?"

"......"

In just one sentence, Fang Xu's words easily conveyed mockery, which Song Zhiqing caught instantly.

His gaze was fixed on the electronic version of the lawyer’s letter, and a long-forgotten sense of being 'betrayed' surged up from deep within him, burning through his gut.

Crash!

Song Zhiqing slammed the teacup back onto the table. His usual 'gentle' demeanor finally cracked, revealing a sharp, fierce edge, slowly exposing his true nature.

"I still don’t know how much he's worth? You think a little money spent on a lawyer’s letter can scare you, Boss Fang?"

"......"

Fang Xu sucked in a breath, pretending to ask politely, "Master Song, I'm not as capable as you. So, what do you suggest we do?"

Indeed, many of the better craftsmanship projects in the Taojing Studio were Bai Xu’s creations, and there were award-winning ceramic designs that had been signed under someone else’s name.

If these accusations held any truth, it would inevitably affect the future profits of the studio!

"The tea is indeed good, but if it burns the wrong person—"

Song Zhiqing glanced at the tea stains on the table, then quickly grabbed a cloth, wiped it up, and tossed it into the trash, "Then it has to be thrown out."

...

Knock, knock.

The sound of knocking on the door.

Bai Xu leaned back in the swivel chair in front of the computer desk, not looking back, "The door's unlocked, come in."

Xie Qi pushed the door open and walked in, "Mr. Xiao Bai."

Bai Xu turned his body along with the chair, tossing the USB drive he had just copied to him, "…There’s too much backup content from my work over the years. There are screenshots with saved timestamps, as well as long videos. Can you help me pass it all on to Lawyer Zhang and the others?"

Xie Qi took it, "Okay. The Taojing Studio should already be aware of the situation?"

He paused for a moment and expressed his concern, "I'm worried that after they know you're going to sue, they might take action first."

Bai Xu understood, "That's definitely going to happen."

This time, Bai Xu had 'offended' Song Zhiqing and Fang Xu on the surface. In order to preserve their future reputation and benefits, those who thought they were in high positions might want to smear him?

That would be too easy.

Xie Qi furrowed his brow, "Do you need me to..."

Bai Xu calmly interrupted, "It's fine. Business is business. Suing them and dealing with the legal case is important. As for the rest, I've already kept a backup plan. No rush."

If this had been back when Bai Xu had just entered the house, Xie Qi might have doubted and felt uneasy upon hearing the words 'backup plan', but after spending this period of time together—

Xie Qi had already come to trust the capabilities hidden beneath Bai Xu's facade, "Okay, Mr. Xiao Bai. Then I'll leave for now?"

"Wait."

Bai Xu called out to him, "Shang Yanxiao really hasn't shown any signs of waking up?"

Xie Qi lightly adjusted his glasses and answered, as usual, "Mr. Xiao Bai, you've been asking this question quite frequently these past couple of days. Although I really hope the third young master can wake up soon, he truly hasn't shown any signs of regaining consciousness."

"......"

Bai Xu furrowed his brows slightly, with lingering doubts still in his heart.

Even now, he still felt that 'dream' was too real.

However, the most urgent matter at hand was the battle with Song Zhiqing and Fang Xu. As for Shang Yanxiao, that could wait until this issue was settled.

Bai Xu sighed subtly, "Alright, then. Please communicate more with Lawyer Zhang. You're working two jobs by yourself right now, so when the time comes, I'll make sure to pay you. It will be no less than what Shang Yanxiao pays you."

Why would the issue of paying wages even need to be compared?

Xie Qi couldn't help but chuckle, "Mr. Xiao Bai, you're too polite."

The door to the room closed again, and Bai Xu picked up his phone, opening his WeChat Moments—

The content that had been hidden from others by the original host, visible only to himself, was something he had never deleted, even the smallest fragments of words.

"Bai Xu?"

It seemed as if he was calling out to himself, yet it felt like he was calling to someone else through his own voice, "Sorry."

I don't know how to 'leave' this place. After I finish this task for you, I hope your regrets will be fewer.

...

As expected, less than three hours after the lawyer's letter was sent, Song Zhiqing took action.

He rarely posted a long article in his friend circle, accusing Bai Xu, with every line filled with accusations against him.

Song Zhiqing claimed that his student, Bai Xu, had repeatedly plagiarized and borrowed others' works during his time at school. When Song discovered this, Bai Xu used 'financial difficulties' as an excuse to plead for leniency.

Initially, Song Zhiqing, seeing that Bai Xu was young, decided to give him a chance to turn over a new leaf. He took him under his wing and carefully nurtured him, even personally arranging a job for him after graduation.

However, Song did not expect Bai Xu’s nature to remain unchanged. In his work, Bai Xu once again displayed a negative attitude, and recently, Song discovered that he had repeated his past mistakes!

Bai Xu plagiarized and stole others' works, passing them off as his own creativity. He also used the team’s work from Taojing Studio, registering and entering competitions under his own name, a highly despicable act!

Song Zhiqing claimed that he had already submitted the relevant issues regarding Bai Xu's graduation project to Imperial Capital University. After verification, his graduation certificate and related academic records would be revoked.

He admitted that he wasn’t very skilled with social media, so he had no choice but to plead with his fellow alumni and peers to share and spread the message. He emphasized that, moving forward, people must be discerning and ensure that someone like Bai Xu, a disgrace, should not continue to remain in the industry.

The entire message was lengthy and filled with expressions of disappointment and anger toward Bai Xu, as well as a righteous condemnation as a 'role model' in the industry.

Song Zhiqing, usually seen as a “mentor and friend” in public, rarely showed open anger or condemnation.

As expected, within half an hour of posting, many alumni from Imperial Capital University responded in the comments.

— "Ah? Is it the Bai Xu I know? Master Song, don't be so upset."

— "How many Bai Xus could there be in this major at Imperial Capital University? He was always so quiet when we were in school, I never expected he could be this bad behind everyone's back!"

— "Supporting Master Song! People like him will only ruin the integrity of the industry!"

— "It's rare to see Master Song this angry, he must have reached his limit. I'll help you share this on the school forum!"

The original poster had only added a few friends on WeChat during their time at school, and now, those few mutual friends were posting one-sided comments in the comment section.

Bai Xu saw all of this, and the coldness in his heart grew stronger.

The wicked person complains first. Was Song Zhiqing really some outdated fool who didn’t understand anything? He clearly knew how to play the public opinion game expertly!

Even if all the comments above lacked evidence, he was still forcing a counterattack, using his connections and status in the industry to completely cut off 'his' future prospects!

Unfortunately, the more Song Zhiqing denounced him, the harsher the eventual backlash and slap in the face would be when the truth comes to light!

...

The air subtly carried the scent of food, and the family's meal time was always very regular.

Bai Xu simply put away his phone and went downstairs.

Shang Queyan was already sitting at the dining table, controlling his wheelchair, while Xie Qi and Chen Yufei also took their seats. The three of them heard the movement and turned their gazes toward Bai Xu.

"What are you looking at me for?"

Bai Xu appeared relaxed, even with the mood to casually glance at the sumptuous dinner, "The dishes look pretty good today."

Shang Queyan furrowed his brow slightly, "You’re still in the mood for this? Haven’t you seen how many people are cursing you on the forum of Imperial Capital University?"

Bai Xu sat beside the main seat and raised an eyebrow, "Little brother-in-law, are you that concerned about me?"

"What's it to me? It was what Xie Qi just said."

Shang Queyan said one thing but meant another, "You are also part of the third branch now, so don’t embarrass my brother or cause trouble. If you need help, just say it directly, we can still afford the public relations team's fees."

Xie Qi looked at Bai Xu and explained the situation, "Mr. Xiao Bai, the accusation article about Song Zhiqing has already appeared on the forum of Imperial Capital University. I've been keeping an eye on the comment section, and public opinion is already leaning to one side."

"Also, there are marketing accounts that have shared it on other social media platforms."

It was clear that someone had spent money behind the scenes to spread the heat. Even if it was false, over time, Bai Xu’s reputation would inevitably be affected.

Bai Xu calmly scooped a spoonful of fish soup, "No rush. The bigger this thing blows up, the better."

With Song Zhiqing’s true character, such actions were essentially digging their own grave.

Xie Qi and Shang Queyan exchanged a glance, and the latter couldn’t help but furrow his brows in concern, "Bai Xu, what exactly do you plan to do?"

Just as his words fell, Bai Xu's phone on the table rang with an incoming call reminder, and the screen clearly displayed the name 'Sister Qiu'.

"Wait."

Bai Xu's eyes gleamed with a trace of understanding as he answered the phone in front of everyone, "Hello, Senior."

He used the more familiar term 'Senior' instead of 'Sister Qiu'.

On the other end of the line, Qiu Yi leapt at the familiarity in his tone and got straight to the point, "Bai Xu, I just saw the post on the school forum. Also, the people you asked me to contact earlier, I've reached out to them all."

Qiu Yi was the first to know about Bai Xu’s plans, and she asked cautiously, "When do you plan to take action?"

Bai Xu took another spoonful of fish soup, leisurely blowing away the steam, "Tomorrow night."

–

TL: Muji

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