Chapter 27: The Zhao Father and Son

"That crippled deadweight still hasn't died yet?"

In Jingcheng, inside a high-end residential apartment, Zhao Mingyu stared at Ye Qinghe on the computer screen with a look of pure irritation.

"What's wrong?"

Hearing Zhao Mingyu's words, Zhao Hai walked over and glanced at the screen. "Isn't that the Ye family's Ye Qinghe? How did he end up on TV?"

"Who knows — probably playing the paralysis card to beg for sympathy. I thought he'd have kicked the bucket by now. Turns out he's still breathing. What a cockroach! If you ask me, someone like him should just off himself. He's a waste of food while he's alive, and at least if he died he'd free up some resources for the country!"

The more Zhao Mingyu watched Ye Qinghe on the show, the more his irritation grew.

"Don't let anyone be fooled by this Ye Qinghe. I know him way too well. His grades back in school were nothing special, and he used to get into fights outside campus — he was even publicly reprimanded by the whole school. Oh, and he had all sorts of shady dealings with some of the girls too. The only reason he's not a full-blown delinquent ruining society right now is because he ended up paralyzed!"

Zhao Mingyu opened the live comment feed and started firing off messages.

"Why are you getting worked up over someone like him? He and we are on completely different levels now. For the rest of his life, he's stuck in that bed — there's no coming back for him. You, on the other hand, are the future heir of our Zhao family. Those factories, those businesses — they'll all be yours."

Zhao Hai watched his son's antics and shook his head.

Ye Dali had been a formidable man back in the day — always one step ahead, always keeping Zhao Hai's business from getting off the ground. But sometimes you had to believe in fate. No matter how capable a man was, what could he do? His son had come into his life like a debt collector, squandering every last penny of his fortune and leaving him, at his age, delivering food in Jingcheng.

Zhao Hai, on the other hand, had snapped up Ye Dali's business at rock-bottom prices and vaulted himself to become the wealthiest man in their county — and indeed the entire region. Now his business had expanded beyond the province and was pushing into Jingcheng.

Looking at Ye Dali on the screen now, Zhao Hai felt nothing but triumphant satisfaction.

"There's no comparison, sure — but I just can't stand looking at that Ye Qinghe. Back then, that guy lorded it over me because he was better-looking, had more money, and was in better shape. He gave me no end of grief. I just can't stand him!

And now, even in the state he's in, Zhou Wan'er still can't forget him. I heard from a classmate the other day that they're still in contact. But when I try to get close to Zhou Wan'er, she won't give me the time of day!"

Just thinking about it made Zhao Mingyu's blood boil.

The son of the wealthiest man in the entire region, versus a debt-ridden cripple — was there even a comparison?

So why couldn't Zhou Wan'er use her head and figure that out?

"Don't worry about that. Zhou Wan'er is just a soft-hearted girl. The real issue is she hasn't been beaten up by the real world yet. Once she graduates and sees that society is nothing like she imagined, she'll realize how good you are.

By then, she'll be chasing after you!"

Zhao Hai chuckled at that. He knew this Zhou Wan'er — she and Zhao Mingyu had been classmates for years. She was genuinely pretty, and her family had decent connections in the county government. If the two of them ended up together, he'd be more than happy to see it.

"Hmph! By then I won't even want her. I'll have a whole crowd of women around me right in front of her face, so she knows that I, Zhao Mingyu, am a man she can never have!"

Zhao Mingyu's words made Zhao Hai laugh. This kid still hadn't grown up.

"Still — I can't just let that Ye Qinghe off the hook. Does he think going on TV is enough to scam people out of money? Not a chance. Dad, I remember you know someone in management at a delivery platform. Can't you get Ye Dali kicked off so he can't deliver anymore?"

"That's doable, but there are so many gigs out there these days. Even if he can't deliver food, he can deliver packages, run errands, do designated driving, or even drive for a rideshare app. Block one road and you can't block them all.

They're not in our world anymore. We need to be above it all — there's no point getting angry over people at the bottom."

Zhao Hai said this with a grand, magnanimous air. Anyone who didn't know him might have taken him for a broad-minded man. But those who did know him were well aware that this man's heart was pettier than the eye of a needle.

Just then, Zhao Hai's phone rang.

"What? You didn't tell them that Ye Dali is no longer in the business?"

"Alright, I got it!"

The moment he hung up, Zhao Hai's expression darkened instantly. He stared at Ye Dali on the screen, his eyes filled with cold menace.

"What happened, Dad?"

Seeing Zhao Hai's expression, Zhao Mingyu's own irritation evaporated. He asked carefully.

"This deal has fallen through. That company only wants to work with Ye Dali. They said if it's not him, there's no partnership. The previous contract was the only thing keeping things going — now that it's expired, they're not renewing!"

Zhao Hai genuinely hadn't seen this coming. He'd arrived thinking it was a done deal, already in the bag.

And the worst part was that this partner was their single largest business relationship. Losing them would mean at least a thirty percent drop in revenue.

That damned Ye Dali!!!

Zhao Hai had absolutely no intention of letting Ye Dali off the hook now.

* * *

Ye Qinghe sat in the defending champion's seat, feeling a little bored.

The challenge against the defending champion had ended in his victory, and now he had to continue recording the second episode of the show.

Just like the previous champion, he sat in the defender's seat and waited for whoever successfully fought their way through the challengers to come face him.

Fortunately, the camera wasn't trained on him the whole time. Most of the time it was focused on the challengers and the podium defenders — he only appeared occasionally as background.

But sitting there was genuinely tedious. While his paralysis meant he didn't suffer from the fatigue of prolonged sitting, staying put for so long was still no easy feat. He had to do everything he could to keep himself from dozing off.

If the camera caught him sleeping, that would be rather bad.

"I think the challengers in this second episode aren't as good as Ye Qinghe!"

"Same. The speed of answering and that kind of confidence — it's just different."

"I think if it weren't for that immunity card, the last challenger would have already lost."

"See? What did I say — eliminated. I wonder if this podium defender can hold on till the end."

"This podium defender is really lucky — they were the eighth one picked. Just win the next two and they become the Stand Till the End champion!"

In the live stream, without Ye Qinghe in the spotlight, the viewership had clearly dropped from before. Many people felt there wasn't much to watch — it wasn't much different from any other episode — and had stopped tuning in.

Watching the numbers, Zhao Qingyang was turning over in his mind how to get Ye Qinghe back on stage. He couldn't rely solely on that final moment at the end.

He just hadn't figured out how to make it happen yet.

The newly arrived challenger turned out to have decent luck. The remaining two podium defenders both hit obvious gaps in their knowledge and were knocked off their perches.

"I choose not to challenge!!"