Chapter 1432 Cruel Mercy

When people are tipsy, they are most eager to communicate. You speak vaguely, and they do too, words winding around from one mouth to another's ear until the wine wears off and dawn breaks.

Yu Feihong's current state is more or less like that.

Because she was in a bad mood, she wanted to drink to vent, but the more she drank, the worse her mood became. Then the worse her mood, the more she wanted to drink.

It went on and on, an endless cycle.

"Sis, drink less. Wait until Old Jiang and the others arrive before you drink more."

Zhao Fusheng's words of persuasion, if one didn't know better, would make it seem like he and Yu Feihong weren't even friends.

But Yu Feihong understood in her heart that he was afraid she would drink too much and wouldn't be able to talk properly later.

She chuckled softly and shook her head: "You know, Fusheng, sometimes I really envy you."

"Envy me?"

Zhao Fusheng was startled, a bit puzzled: "What's there to envy about me?"

He honestly didn't know what he had that Yu Feihong would envy. This older sister wasn't someone who cared much for money, nor was she particularly passionate about acting. On ordinary days at the company, unless necessary, Yu Feihong rarely took on roles, spending most of her time on charity work.

Wait!

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, his eyes suddenly lighting up as a flash of inspiration struck his mind. He looked at Yu Feihong in surprise: "Is there some trouble with the foundation?"

As far as he could remember, the things that could make Yu Feihong so sad, in a bad mood, and even somewhat dejected were always about her career.

After all, she didn't have a boyfriend, so there were no romantic issues to speak of.

And because of his connections, in the film and television circle, generally no one foolish enough would dare to cause trouble for Yu Feihong. Even if someone was reckless, they would be dissuaded, since everyone knew that although Yu Feihong and he weren't biological siblings, they were just as close.

Provoking a billionaire for no reason was not a choice a smart person would make.

Moreover, if it were for that reason, Yu Feihong wouldn't have called so many people over to drink.

So the answer was obvious: Yu Feihong was upset about her career, or more precisely, about the charity foundation.

"How did you know?"

Yu Feihong was stunned when she heard Zhao Fusheng's words, a look of surprise on her face.

Clearly, Zhao Fusheng had guessed correctly.

He shook his head helplessly and gave a bitter smile.

He would rather have been wrong.

After all, if it could make Yu Feihong this sad, Zhao Fusheng felt that hearing about it himself wouldn't be pleasant either.

"Actually, it's nothing. It's just that one of the grandmas passed away." Yu Feihong spoke slowly: "You know, over the years I've insisted on visiting every grandma, and they've all gotten to know me well. But you know, Fusheng, the biggest wish of these grandmas isn't to have enough to eat, but to get justice!"

Zhao Fusheng remained silent.

He suddenly understood why Yu Feihong was so sad, and he also understood her feelings.

Regarding the matters of those elderly people, Yu Feihong had almost fallen into depression before, and now, clearly, she was caught up in it again.

In fact, Zhao Fusheng knew better than Yu Feihong that although there were still nearly a hundred elderly people alive now, by 2012 there would be only thirty-two left, and by 2014 only twenty-two.

By 2017, there would be only eight left.

And in the eyes of many media outlets and so-called elite public intellectuals, this was just a set of numbers.

As time slowly passes and wounds heal, what these elderly people, who have endured unimaginable hardships, hope for is simply justice, an apology.

But is there anyone seeking justice for them?

……

……

Zhao Fusheng was a man who valued his reputation, or to be more precise, he wasn't very bold. Having experienced too many things and seen too much darkness from his past life to the present, he had always felt that his heart was cold.

Or rather, he believed that people shouldn't live too tired. The saying 'with great power comes great responsibility' was certainly not wrong, but the problem was that the more responsibility one bore, the harder it became, and the easier it was to walk down a path of no return.

Regarding the foundation, Zhao Fusheng rarely inquired about it after it was established. He only instructed Zheng Yao to allocate funds to Yu Feihong whenever she needed money.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, this was the limit of his ability.

But clearly, it wasn't enough.

"You know, when Grandma was passing, she asked me if there would ever be a day when the Japanese apologize?" Yu Feihong looked up at Zhao Fusheng and said slowly: "I didn't know how to answer her, you know? Because this country of ours has already forgotten about this matter."

Zhao Fusheng fell silent again.

He had no right to comment on the decisions of the higher-ups, but he truly felt that the entire nation, even the whole country, owed these poor elderly people.

In fact, we were even worse than those Koreans we usually looked down on.

At the very least, the Korean government's tough stance on this matter was something we couldn't match.

As for us, we only obsess over Korean and Japanese pop culture, only talk about being close neighbors, only focus on economic construction.

"Sis, it's okay to say these things to me, but don't say them outside." After a long while, Zhao Fusheng looked up at Yu Feihong and said seriously: "You know, the higher-ups care a lot about this."

Yu Feihong sneered upon hearing this but said nothing more.

Although she had drunk a lot, she hadn't lost her senses.

She naturally understood what Zhao Fusheng meant. If her words got out, the big shots at the Radio and Television Bureau would certainly not let her off.

Blacklisting an actress was a trivial matter for these officials; they didn't even need to issue a document—a phone call would suffice.

Even if you were telling the truth, it wouldn't be allowed.

……

……

Knowing the reason, Zhao Fusheng still couldn't console Yu Feihong, because he knew this matter was a dead knot.

Without the government stepping in, relying solely on a few individuals to fight such an international lawsuit would require immense manpower, material resources, and money, not to mention that the chances of winning were practically zero.

Even Zhao Fusheng was powerless.

Because he knew very well that in the original timeline, this lawsuit simply hadn't been won.

So he could only comfort Yu Feihong, telling her to try to be more open-minded. After all, this wasn't everything in life. If she let this matter completely drag her down, the loss would outweigh the gain.

But Zhao Fusheng knew that for a literary young woman like Yu Feihong, the impact of this matter was truly too great.

"Am I really useless?"

Yu Feihong drank a glass of wine, looked up, and gazed at Zhao Fusheng.

Her eyes were very red, as if she would cry if Zhao Fusheng nodded.

Zhao Fusheng sighed. In truth, he wanted to tell Yu Feihong that the truly useless people were not her but some others.

But he couldn't say that.

So he had no choice but to say to Yu Feihong helplessly: "Sis, think about it, at least you helped these grandmas live out the last days of their lives. Without you, their lives might have been even harder than you imagine, right?"

Yu Feihong opened her mouth to speak, but the door was pushed open and Jiang Wen walked in.

"Why have you drunk so much?"

Seeing the large pile of bottles, Jiang Wen was momentarily stunned, then frowned and spoke to Yu Feihong bluntly.

Then he turned to Zhao Fusheng: "You just let her drink?"

Clearly, Old Jiang thought Zhao Fusheng had stood by and watched Yu Feihong drink so much.

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes at him and said irritably: "I didn't drink. When I called you, I had just left the house. By the time I got here, she had already drunk this much."

Jiang Wen frowned even more tightly. He found it hard to believe that something could drive the always cheerful and optimistic Yu Feihong to such a state.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Wen said: "Whatever it is, speak up. If you need money, Fusheng will find a way. If someone in the circle is giving you trouble, Fusheng and I together can surely suppress them. If it's really too much, you can go abroad. I don't believe anyone would chase you overseas to cause trouble."

At that moment, Old Jiang had made up his mind: no matter what happened, he would definitely stand by Yu Feihong.