Chapter 7: Postmodern Methods of Brainwashing

  Zhang Wen almost burst out laughing, today's luck was really good. Several times when he didn't know how to respond, someone would jump out to help him out of the awkward situation. This was probably what they meant by "good fortune". Although Lin Xiu calling a little loli who was nearly ten years younger than him "sister" looked ugly, his words were extremely useful. With these words, Zhang Wen could refuse Xiao Yue with a clear conscience.

  At this moment, Zhang Wen put on a "regretful" look, spread his hands and said: "You also saw it, actually I wanted to go visit Mu Da-ren long ago, unfortunately the sky did not fulfill my wish, only next time!"

  Xiao Yue's eyes scanned Zhang Wen's body, then turned to Lin Xiu's, searching for any signs of deception. Not finding any, she reluctantly said: "Since that's the case, I'll go back and inform my mistress to prepare for tomorrow's reception of Wu Lang. If he still doesn't show up tomorrow, what can be said?"

  "No way! No way!" Not waiting for Zhang Wen, Zhang Bao, this bootlicker, smiled and said: "My fifth brother is a man of his word, once he promised, he won't go back on it!" Although he was talking to Xiao Yue, he used the corner of his eye to glance at Zhang Wen, with an unmistakable intention of seeking credit.

  "What the f**k, when did I ever agree to this? Not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow, not next month, as long as I haven't fully adapted to this era and can't guarantee that I won't make a fool of myself, it's impossible for me to meet people casually. Do you think I'm the kind of person who would risk his life just to hit on chicks?"

  Zhang Wen immediately forgot Zhang Bao's merits and wanted to strangle this guy who always flattered him, but now he could only nod in agreement and say: "Exactly! Exactly!"

  Xiao Yue nodded and left with a smile.

  Watching Xiaoyue walk away, Zhang Wen secretly wiped a cold sweat and said to Lin Xiu: "Hey, I'm saying, thanks for covering for me just now!"

  "Prevarication? Fifth Brother, what are you talking about? Didn't you promise to help me?" Lin's sly smile disappeared, replaced by an innocent face.

  Zhang Wen was taken aback, he had never seen anyone set him up like this before. He thought the kid was helping him out earlier, but it turned out he was taking advantage of his vulnerability! This really proved the saying "If a person doesn't have shame, they are invincible". If it were in the past, he would have endured it silently, but now that he had status and position, he couldn't be easily blackmailed.

  "When did I ever agree to help you?" Zhang Wen retorted strongly.

  "Zhang Wuge!" Lin Xiu looked at him with an innocent face, as if she had just met Zhang Wen: "We've known each other for so long, you're not a person who goes back on your word! Didn't we agree that I'd help you deal with that little girl and you'd help me deal with Liu Fudu?"

  Zhang Wen's face immediately turned liver-colored: "It was originally 'I' who promised, not me! I'm Zhang Yi now, not Zhang Wen. The benefits of this kid Zhang Yi will fall on my head, and the debts he owes will also land on my head!"

  But just a moment later, Zhang Wen's face immediately returned to normal, and he said with a hint of apology: "Sorry I forgot, but you didn't do what you promised either!"

  This time it was Lin Xiu's turn to be shocked. A awkward smile flashed across his face: "Well, that's true!" Immediately after, he waved his hand somewhat reluctantly and said: "In that case, Fifth Brother, you should still go keep your appointment with the beauty, as for Liu Fudu, I'll take care of him myself!"

  "An appointment with a beauty? Isn't that just meeting the one who's been admired by everyone? How can that be, don't even mention what to do when I see her, I don't even know where that 'Feng Qi Lou' is right now!"

  Zhang Wen's face changed again, and a strong sense of righteousness rose up: "Brother, what are you talking about! I, Zhang Yi, am a man who values loyalty. Now that you've come, it's to give me face, how could I possibly let you go take risks alone while I go off to have fun?" He turned his head and asked Zhang Bao and the others: "Is this my usual behavior?"

  Zhang Wen Zheng was waiting for everyone to respond uniformly with a "no!", and then take the opportunity to step down. However, these three people who were afraid of themselves to death this time did not give him any face at all, but instead responded with silence, and on their faces, it was clearly written that they agreed!

  Zhang Wen felt a bit awkward and pretended not to see these ugly faces, turning to Lin Xiu instead.

  Lin Xiu also had an incredulous expression, looking at Zhang Wenda with a mixture of surprise and suspicion: "Alright, since Big Brother Zhang has said so, from now on, even if I have to climb a mountain of knives or jump into a pot of boiling oil, I won't hesitate!"

  Zhang Wen finally regained some face and naturally received great praise from his elder brother, who asked without hesitation about the specific details.

  Speaking of the matter at hand, Lin Xiu's sly expression was swept away, and his tone became serious: "Actually, Liu Fudu is my cousin, but he has a problem, just like his father - he's extremely stingy. When my mother was alive, his mother, who is also my aunt, would sometimes secretly help our family out. But after my aunt and mother passed away one after the other, this father-son pair treated me like they were guarding against thieves."

  "My uncle is still quite well, and when he saw me, although his pockets were tightly closed, he at least offered a few warm words. But my cousin was not so polite, this guy would say whatever harsh words came to mind. Fifth Brother, tell me, apart from our family being poor, in what way am I inferior to him? A talented person, skilled in both literature and martial arts, generous and kind..."

  "Stop it!" Zhang Wen didn't hide his disdain: "The key is that your cousin swept away your face, you want to strike back in revenge, right?"

  Lin Xiu's face turned red: "Where is the revenge, I just want to stop him from continuing to make mistakes and sink further! Zhang Wuge, you don't know that this cousin of mine not only owes money to those shops in Dongshi, but also has a huge debt in the brothel."

  "No way, you're saying he's a pimp and also cheats on his bills? How does he manage to do that, I'd like to ask him about it..." Zhang Wen blurted out a sentence in a moment of abandon, but before he could finish, he immediately saw from everyone's expressions that something was off. He awkwardly said: "Just kidding, purely joking, you continue!"

  Lin Xiu looked at Zhang Wen with a relieved expression and continued, "Fifth brother, to be honest, it's easy for you to get away without paying in any brothel. After all, you're the eldest son of the second branch of the Zhang family, and you've always had a reputation for being generous and open-handed. As your cousin, I'm similar to you in status, but our personalities are vastly different. When I owe money, I close up shop and apologize. So, I ended up suffering the consequences. Everyone knows I'm their relative, so they all came looking for me. The more polite ones would hint at the meaning behind their words, asking me to pass on the message of debt collection. But those who were less courteous directly asked me to pay off the debts! Fifth brother, tell me, is it right that these brothel madams come to me with outstretched hands demanding money? What's going on here?"

  Zhang Wen was furious, he gently patted Lin Xiu's shoulder and said: "Hey, brother, don't say anything else, I've wronged you. This matter, I'll take care of it myself. Tell me, how do you plan to teach him a lesson? Or should we use a sack to cover his head and give him a good beating tonight?"

  "Ouch?"

  "Oh, just beat him severely!"

  Lin Xiu immediately shook her head: "Hitting people is not good, no matter how hard you hit, it's just painful for a while, and maybe he'll forget about it afterwards. It's better to let him remember it for a longer time."

  Zhang Wen was speechless for a moment, and Lin Xiu was ruthless enough: "Then what do you say we should do?"

  Lin Xiu shook his head and said, "I asked you to come here just to get your opinion. You're always full of ideas!" As he spoke, his serious expression disappeared again, replaced by the sly look from before. The people beside him, including Zhang Bao, looked at Zhang Wen with expectant faces, their expressions seeming to say, "This is right up your alley."

  Zhang Wen thought to himself: "Am I the most cunning? You might as well say I'm the most sinister and ruthless. Damn it, it turns out that Zhang Yi has a 'special talent' too! But I'm known for being honest, how could I possibly frame someone? However, since everyone's expectations are on me, I have to come up with something."

  After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Wen suddenly brightened up and said, "You mentioned earlier that Liu Fu was particularly concerned about saving face, right?"

  "Exactly!" Lin Xiu's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

  "They're so stingy at home, with very few servants, it shouldn't be hard for us to sneak in, right?"

  Lin Xiuyue thought for a moment, nodded and said: "It's not difficult. Although the wall of their house is very high, there is only one gatekeeper in the entire mansion, and he guards it alone for all 12 hours of the day. He eats and lives in the gatehouse. Now that it's bitterly cold tonight, even if we make a little noise, he should be too lazy to come out and take a look."

  "Alright then! Tonight, we'll sneak into Liu Fu's room and pour water on his bed. Since he's so concerned about saving face, at his age, he's still 'wetting the bed'. How will he get out of bed tomorrow morning? You can visit him tomorrow morning, even if he doesn't want to get up, you should urge him to. Just control the timing well until you 'accidentally' discover this secret. Heh heh, once you grasp his weakness, won't it be easy to manipulate him as you please? However..."