Tian Tian never followed stars or paid attention to the entertainment industry, so she didn't know Peng Fei had made money so quickly.
She scrolled through their chat history from beginning to end, feeling somewhat surprised.
"This guy is something else, suddenly becoming an idol in the entertainment industry, and wants to donate his earnings to his hometown? For their rundown place, if they really manage to build the road, this amount of money might not even be enough for the construction. Is he really willing?"
Chen Dongyang felt Tian Tian had too much prejudice against Peng Fei.
Perhaps because he was a man and understood men better, his intuition told him Peng Fei wasn't that bad, so he was willing to speak up for him.
"The money has been transferred to me, so it's definitely not just for show. Moreover, if that place is truly built up and changes the local mindset, so no one will sell themselves into servitude anymore, it would be a great deed."
"You know the environment of that place better than I do. If a road is truly built, many things will need coordination. I don't trust others to handle it, so I plan to do it myself. Do you agree?"
Tian Tian naturally agreed.
Back in the day, she and Chen Dongyang had also stayed in poor, remote areas for a long time, contributing to the local education for several years.
Charity had become a belief and habit for their family; they felt uneasy if they didn't do it.
Furthermore, if it truly succeeded, it would also fulfill Chun Chun's heartfelt wish.
Peng Fei was very grateful and longed to ask about Zhan Jing Chun's current situation, but he dared not.
It felt as if he were seeking praise after achieving a little success.
He planned to do even better, to make his hometown's construction more perfect, and then to seek Chun Chun's forgiveness with a thorn in his side.
The next day, Peng Fei entered the film crew again.
For someone of his caliber, even if he was popular, he could only accept small productions of web dramas by unknown directors, and those with suggestive themes.
It was said to express brotherhood, but those who understood, understood.
The target audience was fangirls, so they cast two young, handsome actors.
The web drama was filmed in about 20 days, after which Peng Fei continued with commercial performances and fashion shows, busy beyond belief every day.
Time flew by, and another two months passed. The web drama was released and became a massive hit.
How popular was it?
On a certain short video app, for every five videos you scrolled through, three were related to it.
It was almost a topic of national discussion.
Even many celebrities were quoting lines from the drama.
Peng Fei, who was once an unknown rural model, had successfully transformed into a popular idol.
Following this, he received an opportunity he had never dreamed of.
He was invited to participate in the Spring Exhibition of Paris Fashion Week next year.
He had received some work requests to go abroad before, but because Peng Fei didn't have a passport and had never been abroad, his agent felt it was optional and declined.
But this was different. Those who could participate in Paris Fashion Week were remarkable individuals. Peng Fei would be on the same stage as them, a true symbol of status, and he had to go no matter what.
After finishing his current work, his agent immediately began coordinating his schedule, asking him to return to his hometown to apply for a passport.
This was his first time returning home in over a year, and he was returning in glory.
Peng Fei called his sister and mother to inform them, and the news spread the next day.
When he landed and transferred to a business car, bumpy ride all the way back to town, he was met with an almost overwhelming welcome.
Reporters from the county television station, carrying cameras and banners, and all the villagers had come to town, surrounding him tightly as if welcoming back a great figure.
Peng Fei didn't care about how others praised him or how they praised him. Hearing that the necessary parts of the road had been cleared and construction had already begun in many places was the greatest comfort.
His mother, sister, elder sister, and maternal uncle, along with his cousins, stood at the front of the crowd. Peng Fei greeted them one by one, introduced his agent, and asked them to get into the car to go home.
This was the first time his mother and maternal uncle had ever ridden in a car in their lives, and they were incredibly proud and honored.
However, their demeanor was different in front of outsiders compared to when they were at home.
His mother couldn't help but complain to Peng Fei.
"You've earned so much money, why didn't you think of sending more home to help fix the houses, or to help your cousin get married? Why did you donate it all to the road construction?"
"You don't know how angry I was when I heard that you were paying for the road construction all by yourself! I raised you with so much hardship. Besides your sister, and with your uncle's help, who else ever helped us? Why should you build it for them?"
"Are you stupid? Millions of dollars, your uncle and I would work until the next lifetime to earn this much. If we spent it ourselves, what kind of life couldn't we have? You're so foolish!"
Hearing his mother say these things now, Peng Fei could better understand Zhan Jing Chun's feelings back then.
When people stand at different perspectives and view things from different levels, their understanding is completely different. It's like talking to a chicken about a duck.
You can't understand what they say, and you can't agree with what they say. It's truly powerless.
He was glad he had left back then and reached this point.
No matter how angry his mother was, he would earn more money in the future to build his hometown and help everyone else leave as well.
He couldn't let the next generation of children repeat their old path; it was too tragic.
After his mother said a lot and saw Peng Fei ignoring her, she pressed him.
"What's your attitude? Why are you ignoring me? Are you still angry with me? I'm your mother, how can you be so heartless? If it weren't for me, would you be where you are today?"
"In ancient times, scholars studied diligently for over ten years, and upon becoming the top scholar, they would still strive to gain a noble title for their mothers. You haven't even brought home that much money, and you're already looking down on me?"
"Or have you found that woman again, reconciled with her, and she's not letting you acknowledge me?"
Peng Fei didn't get angry no matter what his mother said, but he couldn't stand it when she slandered Zhan Jing Chun.
"Can you stop talking about her? It was us who wronged her, we harmed her, why should we still scold her?"
"Especially you, you even... such a trashy family. If she hadn't run away, can you imagine what kind of life she would be living now?"
"That's right, I found her again, but she doesn't think highly of me! She will never reconcile with me, you can rest assured!"
"Sigh, Mom, I don't blame you. You've hardly ever been to the town in your life, so there are some things you simply cannot understand."
"You can't imagine how rich her parents are, how successful their family is, how much of a pampered lady she is, and how kind they are."
"If she wanted revenge after running away, forget about you and me, even the entire town could be wiped out by her family, do you know that?"
Her words silenced Peng's mother.
She believed him.
After all, not long after Mr. Peng left, a group of people driving black cars came to the village and even entered their house.
The man leading them was very tall and intimidating.
However, they only looked around briefly, didn't say much, and then left.
Could it be that those people were sent by Zhan Jing Chun?
She didn't dare to argue with Peng Fei anymore: "The money is spent, there's no use saying more. I won't say it anymore from now on, okay?"