He studied it for a full minute, then suddenly slammed his hand down on the table, rattling the silverware. The soup in the celadon bowls splashed over.
“Preposterous!” Huang Lide fumed, shaking with anger, his voice rolling like thunder through the dining room. “To grab attention, they’d even invent this nonsense!”
The servants hurried forward, carefully removing the spilled dishes and politely wiping the oily stains from the rosewood table.
The room fell deathly silent, save for Huang Lide’s heavy breathing.
Even illiterates could sense something fishy about the ad.
Nowadays, enamel stoves on the market generally cost around four or five yuan.
But this new company’s Scotland Enamel Stove was shockingly cheap—only three yuan fifty cents.
And yet they offered a costly antique as a prize?
How could any business afford to lose money like that just to attract customers?
Huang Tianjiao sneered and tapped the table with long fingers.
“The first rule of business is honesty. If a new company wants to enter the market, credibility is essential. Yet this person fabricates such lies just to make money. Do they really think customers are fools?”
A mocking curve lifted the corner of his mouth, eyes full of contempt.
This kind of scheming, despicable scoundrel was the very person Song Qingyuan had called a “peerless genius”?
“They must have the wrong person,” Huang Tianjiao said firmly. “I refuse to believe Mr. Song’s judgment is that terrible.”
Yet the Huang Family had searched every newspaper that day and even sent servants to buy every available newspaper on the street.
Other than this Mingzhao International advertisement, there was no other new advertising company in sight.
Huang Wanyi gently traced the advertisement with her slender finger and clicked her tongue. “Mingzhao International is quite bold, placing ads in over a dozen newspapers.”
Her gaze flicked through the dense print with disbelief.
“You don’t get it,” Huang Tianjiao said offhandedly, “You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing the lamb. This person’s boldness is shameless.”
He then went to discuss matters with his father, missing the subtle eye-roll his sister gave.
Huang Wanyi thought to herself, What don’t I understand? Even a seven-year-old knows this.
But she elegantly pressed her lips together, hiding her dissatisfaction behind a courteous smile.
In the Huang Family, unless you were Huang Tianjiao, the child their father was proud of, the others were just insignificant cats and dogs in his eyes.
Huang Wanyi slowly folded the newspaper and faced her younger brother, swearing before their father, “There must be some mistake. Father, you should ask Uncle Song again— there’s definitely some misunderstanding.”
Her father nodded in agreement. “I’ll send Song Qingyuan a telegram immediately and get this clarified.”
Huang Wanyi secretly hoped that Song Qingyuan had made no mistake— that there really was such a peerless genius.
Better yet, that this peerless genius was that advertising salesman her brother despised.
Then, the expressions on both father and brother’s faces would be quite entertaining.
She happily imagined the scene for a while, then sighed inwardly— her feelings were sour and bitter.
She didn’t believe it was possible.
Though she disliked Huang Tianjiao, she had to admit her brother was indeed a genius.
Before Tianjiao’s birth, Huang Wanyi had enjoyed some of their father’s affection due to her own intelligence.
Though that affection was often tinged with sighs of “such a pity she’s a daughter.”
Huang Wanyi had once naively argued to her father, “What’s wrong with daughters? There were Hua Mulan, Wu Zetian, Qin Liangyu in history. Who says daughters are inferior to sons?”
But all those grand ambitions ended with Huang Tianjiao’s birth.
She finally understood what a true genius was.
Huang Tianjiao was four years her senior.
Yet he surpassed four years’ worth of her efforts in just six months.
Huang Wanyi refused to accept this and resolved to work harder— much harder.
She studied day and night for three full years.
After those three years, she graduated from Jincheng Women’s School with nearly perfect scores and advanced to the high school division.
Meanwhile, her younger brother, at only twelve, was admitted to Shanghai’s best high school as the top student in the entire school.
Upon hearing this, Huang Wanyi broke down crying, tearing up all her notebooks and reference books, abandoning all her childhood dreams.
From then on, Huang Wanyi understood that before an absolute genius, effort was the least of concerns.
During Huang Tianjiao’s first two years in high school, Huang Wanyi secretly hoped another genius would rise to crush him.
She waited and waited.
She didn’t wait for a genius to outshine her brother, but received an acceptance letter from Yale instead.
And her brother was immediately snatched up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs upon graduating university, becoming a hot diplomatic talent.
Everyone said he was destined to become the next ambassador to the United States.
Huang Wanyi thought, maybe her brother truly was a one-of-a-kind genius.
When Nüwa sculpted humanity, she must have carved her brother carefully, gifting him with extraordinary talent, handsome looks, and sharp intellect.
Nüwa had destined him for greatness, smooth sailing through life, and to accomplish great things.
Soon, Song Qingyuan replied.
His brief letter hit like a bombshell, shaking the entire Huang Family to its core.
“This is the peerless genius I have searched for all these years,” Huang Tianjiao read the telegram aloud with a scowl, enunciating every word with heavy emphasis, his fingers whitening with tension.
“Affairs in Beiping completed, I shall immediately depart for Shanghai to take on a disciple.”
Huang Wanyi’s eyes widened, her embroidered handkerchief slipping quietly from her hand.
…There really was such a peerless genius?!
No matter how much her father and brother belittled Song Qingyuan’s judgment, Song’s reputation as a grandmaster linguist, well-versed in both East and West, and his famously high and cold standards— well…
Her heart had never raced this fast.
Her youngest sister exclaimed, “Second sister, your face is so red! Do you have a fever?!”
Huang Wanyi frantically fanned herself, panicking: “Oh my God! Pinch me! Pinch me quickly!”
Her youngest sister had never heard such a strange request.
But since her sister asked, she dared not refuse.
With a mischievous smile, the youngest sister gave Huang Wanyi’s arm a hard pinch.
A red mark immediately bloomed on her fair skin.
Huang Wanyi screamed, clutching her arm like lightning, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
The youngest sister took a step back timidly. “Second sister, but you told me to pinch you.”
The next second, instead of chasing after her, the second sister broke into loud, tearful laughter.
She laughed so hard she trembled, bent over, losing all the composure of a refined young lady.
Her laughter echoed through the elegant parlor, startling birds outside into flight.
The youngest sister was terrified.
She bolted out, “It’s bad, it’s bad! Father! Mother! Come quickly! Second sister has gone crazy!”
Mother and the two aunts rushed over, stunned by the uncontrollable laughter of the second daughter, completely at a loss for words.
Lady Liushi’s fan dropped to the ground with a sharp “clap.”
The youngest sister calmly said, “We need to find a doctor for second sister immediately.”
She asked hesitantly, “Why not father?”
The eldest concubine replied distractedly, “Master and Tianjiao are discussing something.”
The youngest sister stomped her foot, “What could be more important than second sister’s illness?!”
“That Song Qingyuan!” their mother said indignantly, picking up the fan. “Tianjiao wants to meet that peerless genius and is discussing with your father how to give him a warning.”
Just as the words left her mouth, Huang Wanyi abruptly stopped laughing and strode toward her mother, skirts flying with every step.
Lady Liushi was startled by her daughter’s sudden change of expression and trembling voice. “Wanyi, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me.”
“I’m fine, just thought of something that made me happy,” Huang Wanyi said eagerly, eyes sparkling. “Mom, you just said Tianjiao wants to meet that peerless genius? When? Can I go too?”
“Tomorrow afternoon… ah, you can’t go,” Lady Liushi said awkwardly, gently tapping her daughter’s hand with the fan. “Your brother’s bringing some friends, all boys. You’re a girl — wouldn’t be appropriate to tag along.”
“I can bring some of my girlfriends! Please, Mom, let me go!” Huang Wanyi pleaded with all her might, tugging on her mother’s sleeve, her voice dripping with sweetness.
After much coaxing and begging, Lady Liushi finally agreed to mention it to her son.
Huang Wanyi beamed, joy spreading across her face.
She was sure her brother wouldn’t refuse their mother’s request — after all, what boy would turn down the company of a group of lively young ladies?
Huang Wanyi gleefully anticipated the fun of tomorrow.
She gently stroked the red mark her sister had left on her arm, a knowing smile curling at the corner of her lips.
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