Wu Lingxuan’s words left Wu Hao completely bewildered. Although they were siblings, their intelligence operated on entirely different wavelengths.
Wu Lingxuan was sharper than a fox, while Wu Hao was duller than a pig.
Yet, Wu Lingxuan inexplicably doted on this dim-witted brother. Her cleverer siblings had all been schemes to death by her.
She smiled.
Wu Lingxuan explained, “You may not know much about Chang Yunwei, but I know quite a bit about him. He apprenticed under Xie Yuqing and possesses exceptional talent in appreciating fine cuisine, which caught Xie Yuqing’s eye and led to his training. The issue is, while Chang Yunwei learned Xie Yuqing’s skills, he failed to inherit his mentor’s integrity.”
She picked up a grape from the table, peeled it, and continued her slow explanation.
“Xie Yuqing, though a bit stubborn, was a man of unimpeachable character who never acted improperly. Chang Yunwei, however, is entirely different. He’s an exceedingly selfish and petty individual! He’s avaricious and obstinate. ‘Taste of the Misty Capital’ was filming its third season, and its reputation plummeted. The first two seasons only featured outstanding restaurants. The third season was different; any establishment that paid could get on. The more money they paid, the longer their segment. This caused the show’s reputation to decline sharply, bringing it close to collapse.”
At this point, Wu Lingxuan deliberately paused, eating grapes and observing Wu Hao.
She didn’t elaborate further, leaving him to ponder, much like an adult guiding a child to think for themselves.
As expected.
Wu Hao took the initiative to analyze, “So… given Chang Yunwei’s character, even with Xie Yuqing’s recommendation, the Su family would have to pay to get on the show? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Would the Su family pay this money?”
Wu Lingxuan nodded affirmatively.
Absolutely!
With Chang Yunwei’s money-grubbing nature, would he let you on the show for free? Hmph, pigs would fly.
Wu Lingxuan held up two fingers and said, “If the Su family pays to get on the show, then we’ll seize this opportunity and tear them down mercilessly. We’ll publicize it widely, letting the entire nation know that the Su family would stoop to any level to appear on the show, and call for everyone to boycott such a disreputable restaurant!”
Tsk, brilliant.
Wu Hao gave her a thumbs-up. “This idea is superb! The Su family loses money and gets slandered; it’s truly a case of losing both the wife and the soldiers, hahahaha.”
Suddenly, his brow furrowed, and he asked, “But what if the Su family doesn’t pay?”
Wu Lingxuan smiled. “If they don’t pay, then the Su family won’t get on the show, and their publicity will be severely undermined.”
“That’s true too,” Wu Hao mused. “If they pay, they lose both wife and soldiers; if they don’t pay, their publicity will be insufficient. Regardless of whether they pay or not, the Su family will be in trouble, hahahaha.”
Now Wu Hao understood why Wu Lingxuan had previously called Chang Yunwei their helper.
He was an absolute benefactor!
Even though the Wu family had no prior dealings with Chang Yunwei, his very existence provided the Wu family with an opportunity to target the Su family. The thought alone was exhilarating.
A brilliant tactic of using a borrowed knife to kill!
This was also Wu Lingxuan’s most favored stratagem: without lifting a finger herself, she could eliminate her enemies by leveraging others. She had employed the same approach to seize control of the family headship and destroy the Fan family, and now she was using it to deal with the Su family.
It could be said that Wu Lingxuan had mastered the art of killing with a borrowed knife to perfection, turning anyone she could utilize into a blade in her hand.
Whether she knew them or not, whether they had prior dealings or not, whether there was a debt of gratitude or enmity.
Under heaven, all could be exploited.
This was the source of Wu Lingxuan’s formidable prowess.
Now, only one question remained: what if Chang Yunwei didn’t charge and did his job honestly?
Wu Hao voiced his concern, “Regardless, the Su family’s appearance on the show was recommended by his mentor, Xie Yuqing. What if Chang Yunwei genuinely respects his mentor’s face and offers them a free spot?”
Wu Lingxuan had already anticipated this problem and taken action.
She let out a cold laugh. “Don’t worry, I’ve made arrangements.”
Huh?
Wu Hao was utterly perplexed and asked, “Sister, when did you arrange this? And how?”
Wu Lingxuan replied, “It’s very simple. Chang Yunwei is a degenerate gambler, and he loves playing cards. He booked a spot in the northern district for tonight and plans to play all night. I’ve already spoken to the dealer in advance, ensuring Chang Yunwei will lose a substantial sum of money tonight. If Chang Yunwei loses money and is in a foul mood, will he still let the Su family on for free?”
Wu Hao listened, exclaiming his disbelief.
He gave her a thumbs-up. “Amazing, Sister. How did you manage all this? You had it all planned in advance, and I didn’t even think of it.”
Heh.
This was the difference!
The moment the recipe issue arose, Wu Lingxuan had already begun contemplating how to handle the ensuing situation.
Her first thought was ‘Taste of the Misty Capital.’
Thinking of the show led her to consider the director, Chang Yunwei, and based on his character, she devised a series of meticulously planned, foolproof strategies.
Such a scheme could only be conceived by Wu Lingxuan.
Though she appeared impeccably kind on the surface, in reality, she was far more insidious than anyone else.
Wu Hao said, “Sister, you are truly too intelligent. Sigh, compared to you, I’m like a pig, utterly foolish.”
“Hahahaha.”
Wu Lingxuan looked at Wu Hao and laughed until she could barely speak.
She genuinely enjoyed watching Wu Hao’s foolish demeanor. It was peculiar, but Wu Lingxuan disliked being around intelligent people, even feeling an instinctive disgust towards them.
Therefore, whenever Wu Lingxuan stood next to Lu Ming, she felt utterly revolted.
Wu Lingxuan detested Lu Ming from the bottom of her heart.
It was precisely because Lu Ming, like her, was an intelligent person!
…
Late at night.
Chang Yunwei, the chief director of ‘Taste of the Misty Capital,’ arrived in the northern district and played mahjong all night.
Despite believing his skills to be excellent, he lost throughout the entire night.
It was a terrible, truly terrible loss.
He lost over a million in one night, losing his last pair of pants.
Although he was wealthy, he couldn’t sustain such losses. This was his most devastating defeat in his gambling history. Initially angry, then depressed, he eventually became numb.
By the time the sun rose the next morning, Chang Yunwei was dazed, his head spinning as if he’d been beaten.
His alarm clock rang.
One of his gambling companions said, “Alright, time’s up. Let’s call it a night.”
The three companions bowed to Chang Yunwei and said with a chuckle, “Thank you, Director Chang, for paying us today, hahahaha.”
Wasn’t this rubbing salt in the wound?
Chang Yunwei’s face darkened. “Get out, get out, all of you! I’m never playing cards with you again!”
The three companions left with hearty laughter.
Chang Yunwei, seething with frustration, pondered how to recoup his lost money.