Tang Feng felt rather curious when he heard about the Internet Water Army, but Xiao Yu had banned him from reading any articles or discussions about himself online. However, Tang Feng had a strong mind, plus he was stubborn, so he shrugged off Xiao Yu’s words. Brimming with curiosity, he opened up a page on a well-known discussion board. Quite a number of people were talking about him, though there were significantly more insults than anything else.
As Tang Feng read through some of the comments, he burst into laughter.
“I’d thought you would be angry after seeing those comments. In the past, if anyone ever insulted you, you’d argue with them without stop.” It was a beautiful morning. Lu Tian Chen was flipping through the newspaper dressed in a casual outfit of neutral tones. Glancing at the headline on the page, Lu Tian Chen’s lips curled up briefly in a cold smile.
“Then you must’ve found me incredibly annoying in the past.” Tang Feng put the tablet aside and lowered his head to take a sip of milk.
When Lu Tian Chen put down the newspaper to look at Tang Feng, the other man’s lips had a ring of white around it. Tang Feng licked his lips delicately, but feeling that there was still some milk left , he picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth.
“What’s past is past. You’re fine the way you are right now. Anyways, what do you think of the insults you’ve read online?” Dragging his gaze away from Tang Feng’s lips, Lu Tian Chen casually asked as he looked down again at the newspaper.
“I find them interesting. Some of these people act like they know me personally. Some describe in detail how I had bullied Ge Chen as if they had witnessed it themselves. And then there are the people who praise me excessively. All of these people envision their own version of ‘Tang Feng’ based on their assumptions.” Ever since he had been living under the same roof as Lu Tian Chen, they’d eaten breakfast together. Rather than sitting together in awkward silence, Tang Feng had decided that he’d rather make an effort to communicate with his boss a bit.
Tang Feng didn’t have a good first impression of Lu Tian Chen, but he wouldn’t judge someone just from that. To understand someone, he would have to spend time and talk with them.
Summing it up, Lu Tian Chen’s flaws were also the keys to his success. He was decisive, ruthless, and indifferent. Whether he liked or hated someone, he would not bother hiding his feelings.
“Are the opinions of strangers important to you?” Lu Tian Chen looked at Tang Feng. “People misunderstand and insult you. They don’t understand the reasons for your actions and even deliberately seek to hurt you. How can you stay as calm as you are now?”
Tang Feng shook his head and responded, “I’m not a saint, so of course I would feel unhappy. I found a good saying online the other day, ‘If you’re not calm, then your balls will hurt.’ It’s crass, but straight to the point. Also, I simply don’t believe that I don’t have anyone on my side in this world. There will always be at least one person who will understand me, believe in me, worry for me, and stand by me. What kind of person I am, what I have or have not done will all be revealed with the passing of time.
“As for these statements that could be true or false, they may fool some people, but they’re underestimating the public’s intelligence if they think they can fool everyone.” Tang Feng expressed his views honestly. He had never been afraid of what other people thought of him. The only thing he was worried about was whether his performances would live up to his own standards.
People who treated the audience like monkeys to play tricks on would one day be laughed at in the same way.
“It’s good that you think this way. The press conference for True Star Training Class is tomorrow. It’d be best for you to stay at home today. I’ll have the PR department deal with all the articles on the web and in the newspapers.”
Tang Feng was fine with that. He didn’t mind staying at home for a day, but there were still some things he had to say.
“I trust that the company will do its best to promote the interests of its employees. I also trust that you are a good president. While I don’t mind the public judging me, I do mind being attacked for no good reason.” Tang Feng stood up and beamed a charming smile at Lu Tian Chen. “President Lu, can I trust you?”
“In terms of work, you can trust me.”
♦
Having been ordered to stay at home, Tang Feng sat in Lu Tian Chen’s beautiful garden sipping on a cup of afternoon tea. While doing so, he read through some international news on the tablet. Some time had already passed since he had “died,” and news about him was gradually diminishing.
He didn’t mind what strangers thought of him, as those people never made an effort to understand him. However, he was very concerned about his friends. His sudden departure had deeply hurt some of them. Reading through their remembrances and words of grief seemed to take Tang Feng back to when