Peng Zong knew his uncle and older sister’s families were facing difficulties. He also understood their deeply ingrained belief that if one relative succeeded, they should help the others.
Therefore, he left them with money.
Each family received 100,000 yuan. Peng Fei cautioned them against buying wives, which was his only request.
As long as they didn’t buy wives, he could help find jobs for his brother-in-law and cousin after returning to Nan Cheng.
Big cities had plenty of beautiful girls. With earned money, they could even move to the city and ride in cars daily. The era of living by farming was over.
Everyone knew Peng Fei had changed, but they never expected such a complete transformation.
From his behavior to his thoughts and even his speech, he had become identical to the former Zhan Jing Chun.
Peng Fei was now a prominent figure in the entire county, or rather, the entire city.
The next day, before he could even leave to find Chen Dong Yang, reporters from the city television station arrived at the village for an interview.
His manager insisted that Peng Fei receive them, so he had no choice but to sit down.
The conversation was simple. Peng Zong had no grand ambitions; he didn’t aspire to be a film emperor, nor did he necessarily aim for a high position in the entertainment industry. He stated that his next focus was to help renovate and expand the schools in the town, ensuring all eligible children in the entire town could attend school.
He hoped the schools and government would take the initiative to make attendance mandatory.
The reporters were moved by his words, and a news report about how education could change destinies was broadcast that very evening.
Peng Fei now had over a million Weibo followers. Wherever he went, fans would follow, and this time was no exception.
Not only did they follow him everywhere and analyze his every move, but they also established a fan club to help him with various data metrics.
Upon seeing the news about him, they immediately boosted its popularity.
The following day, even the People's Daily reposted the article, specifically praising Peng Fei as an excellent representative among young actors in the new era.
His conduct was upright, his values were sound, he didn’t forget his hometown despite his fame, he was not arrogant, and he actively promoted the benefits of education. Everyone should learn from him.
In an instant, Peng Fei trended again, reaching unprecedented popularity.
Since participating in the fashion show at Paris Fashion Week, Peng Fei’s value had soared even higher.
Regardless of what he attended, his appearance fees casually reached seven figures.
By the end of the year, he had wired over 18 million yuan to Chen Dong Yang.
Chen Dong Yang spent half a year repairing all the cement roads in the entire town leading to the villages.
He also purchased 500,000 apple saplings, subsidizing each one with two yuan, and distributed them to every household in the town, urging them to plant them.
He had consulted experts, who confirmed that the local soil and water were particularly suitable for this type of apple. After two years of cultivation, with their technical support, once the fruits yielded a harvest, they could be sold, processed into canned goods, or made into fruit preserves. All these were good ways to escape poverty and achieve prosperity.
The government also cooperated by offering tax exemptions and inviting Chen Dong Yang to establish factories, as someone was willing to provide avenues for prosperity in their hometown.
Chen Dong Yang consequently invested in two canning factories and discussed with Zhan Bei Jue the possibility of building a branch factory from the Northwest region there.
With improved transportation now, not only did it provide jobs for the local population, but the group also genuinely profited.
Zhan Bei Jue heard from Tian Tian about Peng Fei’s affairs and Chen Dong Yang’s efforts to help rebuild his hometown. Although he was unhappy about being kept in the dark, he was ultimately open-minded.
Compared to condemning someone entirely for one mistake, he preferred to see young people turn over a new leaf.
Therefore, although he didn’t openly express support, he still delegated authority to Chen Dong Yang.
The Zhan Group’s 1,068th electrical branch factory was planned to be established in the town next year!
Hearing that the Zhan family intended to build a branch factory in their town, which would not only provide jobs for many people but also allow his and Zhan Jing Chun’s surnames to converge in one place, Peng Fei was so happy he could have cried.
Was this indirect proof that her parents weren't holding grudges about the past?
Was this indirect proof that as long as he persisted and worked hard, he and Chun Chun still had a chance?
Peng Fei’s hopes reignited. He felt that if he continued like this and worked hard for another year, earning some money and buying his own house, he would have the confidence to face Zhan Jing Chun.
However, plans couldn’t keep up with changes. Before he could dwell on his excitement for too long, something happened.
Because of his immense popularity this year, he had taken away resources from many male celebrities of the same genre, and he had set a much higher bar for the responsibilities an idol should bear. His peers deeply resented him.
They had been actively collecting dirt on him.
Unfortunately, he didn’t date, rarely attended social events, and his words and actions were impeccable. Thus, they started digging into his background.
After some time, they indeed found something.
The place where he was born had a prevalent custom of buying wives, and this vulgar practice hadn’t changed.
Moreover, Peng Fei had bought a wife before his debut!
He wasn’t single at all; he wasn't a high-quality idol, but a complete criminal!
When the news exploded, it was imaginable how shocked his fans were.
How could such a seemingly perfect and high-quality idol have been married?
And the wife was someone he had bought!
Although there were no pictures, there was a recording that provided many details, making it incredibly vivid.
The fans were outraged, demanding Peng Fei come out and provide an explanation.
Netizens who were not Peng Fei’s fans paid even more attention to the matter.
The practice of buying wives in impoverished mountainous areas had been mentioned in many film and television works, and people were aware of how dark and oppressive it was.
If Peng Fei had engaged in such disgusting acts under the guise of being a high-quality idol, then the entertainment industry would not tolerate him; not to mention the entertainment industry, even normal society would not accept him!
His studio was frantic and immediately hired a public relations team to find a solution as soon as possible.
Fortunately, their region was relatively backward, people were united, and they were good at keeping secrets, so they wouldn’t reveal such things to outsiders.
Furthermore, without pictures, there was no proof, and Zhan Jing Chun wouldn't come forward to identify him. By denying it and issuing a lawyer's letter, the matter would essentially be resolved.
The PR team hastily prepared a lawyer's letter and a statement for Peng Fei to post on his account.
Peng Fei himself had seen many comments online, witnessing the public’s anger and accusations.
He knew that every word in the recording was true, and he couldn’t lie with his eyes open.
What if Zhan Jing Chun saw it too?
If he brazenly denied their past and shamelessly refused to admit his mistakes, wouldn’t she look down on him even more?
Peng Fei had been in the entertainment industry for so long that he deeply understood the consequences of admitting his mistakes.
However, facing Zhan Jing Chun’s disgust, and the disgust of random onlookers, he found the former even more unbearable.
Therefore, without much thought, he made up his mind.
He deleted the statement and lawyer's letter, hid in his room behind his manager's back, and secretly recorded two videos that he uploaded online.