Sang Ling, Liu Chen knew this name. She was also the top scorer in liberal arts in his previous life, and it seemed she went to Peking University.
While helping Sang Ling with her makeup again, Liu Chen learned that Sang Ling had applied for the Computer Science and Technology program at Tsinghua University. Upon hearing that Liu Chen had surprisingly chosen the somewhat niche Food Science and Engineering major, Sang Ling expressed envy, although a little surprised.
“It seems you’ve thought through your future development path.”
“You’re the second person to comment on my choice of major like that.”
Sang Ling, revealing her originally somewhat tanned skin, looked at Liu Chen, who was gently applying makeup to her in the mirror:
“That’s truly cause for celebration. You have people as smart as I am around you.”
“Pfft!” Liu Chen couldn’t help but chuckle at Sang Ling’s indirectly complimentary words. Then, he nodded:
“I’m afraid he might be even smarter than you. He’s one of our seniors, oh, and in your department too.”
“Alright, then it must be Senior Ren Yu. Smarter than me, at least a top scorer, and in Tsinghua’s Computer Science department. Now I’m truly envious of you for knowing Senior Ren Yu. He’s my idol!”
With Liu Chen’s makeup touch-up, Sang Ling looked somewhat like Mulan from a Disney movie, with her tanned skin, sharp gaze, and straightforward words.
By the time the two arrived at the studio, a fiery and beautifully made-up host was already seated behind the table opposite them. There was also a chair beside her. After a minute, the female reporter, with whom Liu Chen had a previous interview connection, sat down.
Liu Chen and Sang Ling sat on the sofa opposite them. To their side, below them, was the audience seating, approximately five rows, with over a dozen bus-like seats in each row.
The studio lights were adjusted, cameras were tested, sound was checked. Once everything was complete, the director signaled to begin.
The host first read a series of opening remarks and sponsor advertisements, then turned the topic to the two college entrance examination top scorers invited that day.
During this time, the female reporter remained seated beside the host, not rushing to interject or making any inappropriate expressions or movements. To get an opportunity to appear on a talk show was already enough for her.
Liu Chen, on the other hand, answered the female host’s questions cautiously. Occasionally, if he felt a question was misleading, he would directly deny it.
“It’s rumored that student Liu Chen comes from a very wealthy family. Do you believe that your family’s wealth has provided you with better educational resources, thus contributing to your achievement as the top scorer in science?”
The host asked a question not on the script with a smile, framing it as a closed-ended question. Most people would instinctively answer yes or no, and both answers would make Liu Chen’s response seem disingenuous.
Since the station intended to do an interview about top scorers, the female host, as a prominent figure at the station, naturally knew that this science top scorer was from a single-parent family. His mother ran a shop in a wholesale market, making it impossible for her to afford a detached villa in Qiushui Mountain Villa.
Most likely, that photo was taken at a relative's or friend's house. The host was certain that children of this age, driven by strong vanity, even if they wouldn’t admit it was their own home, would never deny it.
Upon hearing this question, Liu Chen glanced at the beautiful host smiling at him. Holding the microphone, he began to answer:
“Actually, all the scores for our class were released last night. Everyone scored above the threshold for first-tier universities, and even 60-70% of students scored tens of points above the threshold. I believe that family background can play a certain role in tutoring,
For instance, cram schools and supplementary materials don't fall from the sky. But more importantly, it’s personal effort and the joint commitment of the school and parents.
Of course, I’m also aware of some misunderstandings online about my family background. The photo with the crystal chandelier was taken at my godmother’s house. The complex where I actually live is located outside the Third Ring Road. We bought it last year, at an average price of just over 4,000 yuan per square meter.
Furthermore, it was bought by my mother with a loan, and she is still making monthly payments. Therefore, I believe the host’s assertion that I achieved the top score in science due to wealthy family background and better educational resources is quite different from my reality.”
The audience below was curious about the information revealed in Liu Chen’s words. However, the female reporter beside the host steered the conversation back:
“Then, student Liu Chen, could you share some of your learning experiences with everyone?”
The two-hour interview concluded. Although the director was somewhat displeased with the host’s misleading question midway, this interview not only featured learning experiences shared by the top scorers in both liberal arts and sciences but also revealed the true background of the beautiful academic prodigy who had been the subject of much online discussion.
With these two elements, the viewership for this talk show was guaranteed to be good.
As Liu Chen and Sang Ling walked off stage, Sang Ling couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief:
“Never coming to any kind of talk show again. The host’s questions were more convoluted than exam papers.”
“It’s just that we encountered this kind of situation. We can’t generalize. Isn’t that reporter sister quite nice?”
Sang Ling recalled and nodded affirmatively, “That sister was indeed good. Oh, let’s add each other on QQ. We can travel together when we report to Tsinghua. It’ll be nice to have company on the road.”
Although Liu Chen didn’t think his mother would give up the opportunity to send him to university and visit Tsinghua University, he didn’t mind exchanging contact information with Sang Ling. After exchanging contact details, they encountered Zhuzhu and two others running from the audience exit.
“These three are my good friends: Mi Zhuzhu, Ren Mo, and Lai Jielun.”
Sang Ling asked Ren Mo with some curiosity, “Ren Mo? Are you related to Senior Ren Yu?”
Ren Mo scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed, “Ren Yu is my older brother. However, my grades aren’t as good as his. This time, I only scored 603 points.”
Sang Ling blinked, “You’re Senior Ren Yu’s brother. It doesn’t matter how many points you scored.”
“Sang Ling!” A middle-aged woman in simple attire stood outside the studio door, waving and calling out in Sang Ling’s direction.
“I’m leaving now~~ My mom is here to pick me up~”
With that, Sang Ling bid farewell to the four of them and strode towards the exit. At this moment, Jiang Di’s cousin emerged from another room and waved his phone at the four of them:
“I just confirmed with the director. That question was added by the host on her own initiative. I recorded your answer on my phone just now. If the broadcast interview is maliciously edited later, we’ll release the original interview response.”
Liu Chen wasn’t surprised by Jiang Di’s cousin’s intelligence. After all, in his previous life, apart from being overly emotional at times, his cousin was usually quite reliable.
As the five were about to leave the television building, they were called back by the hurried female reporter.
“Liu Chen!”
The female reporter, wearing six or seven-centimeter heels, sprinted to Liu Chen, panting, and repeatedly apologized:
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. I invited you to the interview, and then these things happened. Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close eye on the editing later to prevent them from making any more foolish edits.”
Liu Chen shook his head. He had already seen the hostess and the makeup artist from before whispering outside. It was easy to imagine that the hostess probably wanted to vent her anger on the makeup artist by asking him that question.
“By the way… can I… can I add your QQ?”
Liu Chen proficiently recited his QQ number and confirmed the addition of the female reporter as a QQ friend. Then, he drove the four of them to New Oriental to finalize a contract and receive a check for 100,000 yuan.
When Liu Fang returned for dinner that evening, Liu Chen handed Liu Fang the backpack containing 400,000 yuan in cash.
“Why are you giving me the bag? Just put it on an empty chair next to you. Goodness, what do you carry around all day? It’s so heavy!” Liu Fang said, yet she took the bag and got up, intending to put it in Liu Chen’s study.
Liu Chen took a sip of soup to warm his stomach, then put down his bowl and said loudly, “Mom, that’s for you! Open it and see!”
Following Liu Chen’s words, Liu Fang held the bag in one hand and unzipped it with the other.
The backpack was full of red hundred-yuan bills, stacked in bundles, filling more than half the bag at first glance.
Looking at the money in the bag, Liu Fang instinctively quickly zipped it back up. She turned to Liu Chen, who was drinking soup, and asked curiously, “Where did you get so much money?”
“Mom, don’t you remember? It’s the remuneration from the cram school, plus some other legitimate endorsement fees. With this 400,000 yuan, is it enough for you to buy a shop?”
Liu Fang turned back with the bag and placed it on the seat next to Liu Chen. Then, she sat back in the main seat and exchanged a look with Chen Long beside her.
“Chenchen, your Uncle Chen Long and I have discussed it. The shop will be purchased in your name, and we’ll take you along to change the legal representative on the business license to your name.
When the new shop relocates, we’ll transfer 5,000 yuan to your bank account every month. The remaining twenty percent of the net profit each month will be saved in a card, which we’ll give to you after you graduate from university.”
Liu Chen looked up at Chen Long. This kind of suggestion, which clearly protected his interests, couldn’t have come from his mother. It must have been proposed by Chen Long himself.
As expected, after receiving Liu Chen’s questioning gaze, Chen Long nodded.
“There’s one more thing. After this is settled, we’ll get married. After getting married, I’ll take you and your mother back to my hometown to see.”
Liu Fang, sitting beside him, looked at Chen Long in surprise. She hadn’t heard that this suggestion was followed by such a long string of conditions!
Why did she feel like she was being tricked?
Liu Chen thought about Chen Long’s true family background and silently nodded. It seemed Chen Long was playing a long game, trying to make his mother feel guilty. That way, when his mother discovered he was a rich second generation after getting married, she wouldn’t explode with anger.
To be honest, he was a little curious. What kind of person was the current chairman of Meili Brand Hams? Someone who could start from scratch and build Meili Brand to its current scale?
Years later, when Liu Chen, who was being chased to inherit Meili Brand Company, recalled his current curiosity, he only felt regret. He should have prevented any meeting with the old man back then!