Rebirth: The Villainous Young Master in a Novel

Chapter 5: The Reward of Fortune

———–

Yes, this was yet another pitfall I had dug for myself.

According to the typical pattern of urban wish-fulfillment novels, when a grassroots protagonist aims to rise against the odds, they must inevitably befriend various influential figures. For a protagonist who is a divine healer, the ultimate tool for making connections is, naturally, their medical skills.

In the earlier plot of the novel, the original protagonist, Ye Tian, had coincidentally encountered a critically ill tycoon and saved his life using his acupuncture skills, thereby earning the tycoon’s gratitude.

That tycoon happened to be one of the top ten magnates in the country, a leading figure in the internet industry. His strength had already surpassed that of Fenghua Group, and now, with the elder Song gone, Fenghua Group was on a downward spiral, falling even further behind the internet giant.

Previously, Ye Tian had dared to beat up Song Shicheng precisely because he had the backing of this internet tycoon.

If I hadn’t died suddenly and been reborn, I would have probably already written the scene where Ye Tian is threatened and retaliated against in the police station, only for the internet tycoon to step in and rescue him. Of course, there would have been the obligatory scene of Ye Tian playing the fool in the police station, followed by the tycoon inviting Ye Tian to join his group, where they would work together to achieve greatness and reach the pinnacle of life…

Although this part of the plot was never written, the groundwork had already been laid, meaning it was bound to happen in this world.

A couple of days ago, I overheard my mother complaining that the reason Shen Guotao had called her out to discuss matters was because he had been asked to act as a mediator, hoping to resolve the conflict peacefully.

The person who had made the request was, naturally, the internet tycoon.

It seemed that the tycoon was trying the diplomatic approach first. If reconciliation failed, he was prepared to risk a falling out to rescue Ye Tian.

Ah, I blame myself for portraying the internet tycoon as someone who held the original protagonist in such high regard.

This made it clear that keeping such a formidable figure with heaven-defying luck as an enemy was ultimately a significant risk.

However, for now, it seemed difficult to eliminate him. I would have to take things one step at a time.

Fortunately, I now possessed an even more powerful system cheat. As long as I followed its guidance and completed various tasks, I might still be able to turn the tables.

And now, Song Shicheng had to find a way to complete his first mission!

Glancing at Ye Wensheng, who was still hesitating, he decided to adopt the typical show-off mode of a web novel protagonist.

“Uncle Ye, are you planning to resign?”

Song Shicheng’s direct question left Ye Wensheng utterly stunned.

After a brief silence in the hospital room, Ye Wensheng opened his mouth, but seeing Song Shicheng’s unusually serious expression, he didn’t know what to say.

He was too shocked!

The thought of resigning had crossed his mind long ago, but he had never mentioned it to anyone, not even his family. Yet now, Song Shicheng had somehow figured it out!

After playing the mysterious card for a while, Song Shicheng suddenly smiled: “So it seems I guessed right. Uncle Ye, women have strong intuition, but men aren’t far behind. Besides, we’ve known each other for over twenty years. Your recent behavior has been quite unusual.”

So it was just a guess… Ye Wensheng felt relieved, but then another wave of shock hit him: When had this playboy become so perceptive and sharp?

Song Shicheng didn’t give him time to recover and continued: “Uncle Ye, let me ask you something else. What do you think of my father?”

Ye Wensheng’s mind was already spinning. After a long pause, he calmed himself and said in a low voice: “Uh… why bring this up suddenly? The chairman… was naturally an outstanding entrepreneur. He had vision, ambition, and intelligence. He built a business empire from scratch, but unfortunately, he passed away too young. Sigh.”

“I agree about the intelligence, but I don’t remember much about his vision or ambition.”

Song Shicheng shook his head with a bitter smile: “Even if you don’t say it, I know. Back when my father and you were building the business together, he was indeed a great person. But the more money he made, the colder he became, even resorting to unscrupulous means for profit. The repeated scandals with the properties developed by the group—forced demolitions, cutting corners, unpaid wages—say it all.”

“Young Master Song, you… you shouldn’t speak of your father like this…”

Ye Wensheng’s expression was complex. In truth, Song Shicheng’s words echoed his own thoughts. The once bold and generous elder brother had long been corrupted by money.

“I’m not criticizing him. I just want to use his mistakes as a lesson for reflection.”

Song Shicheng spoke candidly: “These past few days, lying in the hospital, I’ve been reflecting on everything our family has done over the years. Suddenly, I realized that the situation we’re in today is entirely our own fault… Our family has made too many mistakes. This is heaven’s punishment!”

“Now, the past is behind us. I was lucky to survive, and I should learn from this. From now on, I will reform myself and avoid repeating my father’s mistakes. At the same time, I hope you, Uncle Ye, can remember the decades of friendship and help me and my mother through this crisis. Can you?”

Bombarded with a wave of emotional appeals, Ye Wensheng felt both sorrowful and relieved.

Sorrowful because the Song family, once like his own, had fallen to such a state.

Relieved because the only heir of the Song family had finally come to his senses. Surely, his old friend could now rest in peace.

“Young Master Song…”

“Uncle Ye, just call me by my name, like you did when I was a child.”

“Alright, alright.”

Ye Wensheng took a deep breath and declared firmly: “Ah Cheng, don’t worry. Your father treated me with great kindness. Now that he’s left behind such a mess, I won’t abandon it. No matter how difficult things get, I will stand by you and your mother through thick and thin. I swear on my life that I will live and die with the Song family!”

“Ding! Successfully retained Ye Wensheng! Reward: 1 point of Fortune! Please continue to strive, character!”

As Ye Wensheng made his firm resolution, the system’s notification sounded, and at that moment, Song Shicheng smiled with satisfaction.

—

After Ye Wensheng left the room, he noticed Ji Jing still waiting outside.

“Let’s return to the group. There’s still a pile of work to handle.”

Ji Jing didn’t delve into the details of their conversation and walked straight out. When Ye Wensheng caught up, she said in a low voice: “Old Ye, I owe you an apology.”

Ye Wensheng was surprised: “Chairman, what are you talking about? I…”

“You don’t need to say anything. I understand.”

Ji Jing looked ahead, her tone calm but her face filled with emotion: “Over the years, our family has wronged you too much. What the child said earlier is right—some things are truly the consequences of our actions. Since the mistakes have already been made, we can’t keep making them. Let’s consider it as accumulating some virtue for the child.”

Ye Wensheng let out a long sigh and said nothing more.

After walking for a while, Ji Jing suddenly remembered something and murmured: “By the way, that girl from the Shen family hasn’t shown up since Ah Cheng was hospitalized. She and Ah Cheng are engaged, after all. This isn’t right. Could it be that the Shen family has other plans?”

“Shen Guotao’s attitude these past few days has indeed been unusual. It might be related to our current difficulties. I think we need to prepare early…”

The two whispered as they walked further away, unaware that a graceful figure had emerged from the corner of the hallway behind them.