After finishing the meal, we went to see Da Huang. Upon seeing me, Da Huang, who had been holding a bag under his arm, swung it at me repeatedly. I turned and fled, but he chased me and kicked me a few more times.
"You brat, who do you think I am, your errand boy?" Da Huang roared in dissatisfaction, unable to catch me.
"No, Brother Da Huang, how could that be? Aren't you my own brother?" I kept my distance, laughing and trying to appease him.
"What do you want?"
Da Huang wasn't truly angry, but my frequent changes of plan were indeed a bit unusual for me.
"To help someone!"
"Who?"
"Him! Come, Brother Da Huang, let me introduce you."
I pointed to Li Feng, who was standing there respectfully. Da Huang looked like a boss, arrogant and overbearing. Li Feng was very socially adept and showed great respect to Da Huang, greatly satisfying Da Huang's vanity. I didn't want to reveal my identity, so I said I wanted to ask Da Huang to invest in opening a farmhouse restaurant with a wood-fired cooking theme.
Da Huang had known me for years and knew perfectly well this was one of my schemes. He played along well, repeatedly asking if it could be profitable. After several inquiries, he reluctantly agreed, still with a hint of suspicion. I could only marvel at Da Huang's improved acting skills.
...
Since Gao Ziyan was still detained and couldn't be bailed out, I had to speed things up. With the financial backing, the restaurant began renovations the next day. I immediately went to Wang Ren's house to ask her to assess whether Li Feng would commit further crimes. I believed Li Feng wouldn't re-offend. My reasoning was simple: if the former Li Feng, feeling unappreciated and bullied with a bleak future, resorted to crime out of desperation, I could understand that. But did the current Li Feng need to commit crimes? He was about to become the co-owner of a farmhouse-style restaurant in Beijing. Many people in the city enjoyed wood-fired meals. With my investment in publicity, as long as the quality was good and the price reasonable, the restaurant would be very profitable.
Today, Jiang Kexin wasn't around, and Wang Ren's husband was at work. It seemed Wang Ren knew I was coming today. She had not only taken leave to rest but also sent her daughter away, allowing us to have an uninhibited private conversation.
"But doing good deeds without asking for consequences is your skill, isn't it?" Teacher Wang Ren asked me with a smile. Her attitude made me uncomfortable, like the feeling that no matter how Sun Wukong struggled, he couldn't escape the palm of Buddha.
"Of course."
"Are you sure you are doing a good deed?"
"Why would Master Aunt ask that?" I was a little surprised. Didn't opening a restaurant and solving Li Feng's living problems count as doing a good deed?
After a long sigh, Wang Ren said, "After you returned, your mentality changed greatly. You've matured. Just by you calling me Master Aunt again, I have to admit that Li Jiu and Cao Shi had good judgment. You are qualified to be the successor of the fifty-sixth generation of The Schemer. Since I admit it, I have naturally gone all out against you. I specifically used Li Feng. He has distinct characteristics and an unfathomable inner world, yet you underestimated him, thinking this was a 'knowledge trap' I set for you?"
"Isn't it?"
"Of course not. Since I promised you that you could use any means necessary, I never intended to obstruct you in any other way. Li Feng is an exception. He lacks empathy yet understands the joys and sorrows of life. The only way to stop him from committing crimes is to make him understand that if he commits a crime, this world will impose severe punishment. Deterrence might prevent him from becoming a murderer in the future. If it were me, I would use the same method. You were originally on the right track but changed your approach due to wild speculation."
"It wasn't wild speculation. I didn't think he was wrong. Slashing someone's tires was just helping someone vent their anger. Although the method was different, I've done similar things. Does that mean I will also become a murderer in the future?"
"You won't. If you were a murderer, you would have died last time. But Li Feng is. He helps others not out of a sense of justice, but because he needs a shield to hide his hatred. He wanted to slash tires, but if he did it for himself, he might be scorned by others. So, while helping others, he vents his inner hatred."
Hearing Teacher Wang Ren say this, I was actually quite shocked. She wasn't boasting about her skills but was earnestly teaching me, as if the Wang Ren I trusted had returned.
With that thought, I quickly dismissed it and said loudly, "I don't agree with your assessment."
"Tang Nan, do you really think Li Feng is an ordinary person? Compared to the other schemers you've met, he's practically a nobody. You underestimate him too much. You started scheming only after being deceived by Boss Xie and guided by Little Shi. But Li Feng has been scheming for survival since he was old enough to understand."
"What do you mean?" Wang Ren's words didn't sound like a lie, and it shocked me. How was that possible? How could someone scheme from the time they were sensible? My heart began to waver. With doubt, I asked, "What do you mean? Is he a more formidable schemer than me?"
"The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Who would generously help a stranger who doesn't know how to be grateful? Li Feng understood this principle from a very young age. Remember Zhang Si's calligraphy? Every family has its own difficulties. Someone who hasn't experienced life's hardships cannot become a schemer."
"Just based on this, you can't say he's been scheming since he was sensible."
I didn't want Li Feng to be a schemer, so I tried my best to refute Wang Ren, saying she was wrong.
"Is that reason not enough? You just refuse to believe it, no, you dare not believe that while you were playing Sun Wukong with a stick, he was already scheming for survival. You think you're a master in the realm of schemers, but he had long ago become an insurmountable presence in the realm of survival."
"I admit you have a point, but I can't be sure you're telling the truth. Compared to Li Feng's lies, your lies might be even more terrifying."
This statement of mine finally hit the mark. In truth, I could no longer trust Wang Ren as I used to, especially after we made a bet.
"It doesn't matter. This is a gamble. After you lose, you'll understand. Tang Nan, I can also sincerely tell you that this Li Feng was originally a trump card, intended to deal with your senior sister Cao Qian. Your return this time has truly shaken me, and I even felt for a while that you were right, which is why I pushed him onto you."
"Thank you, Master Aunt."
"Don't be so sarcastic. Let's change the terms of the bet. No more 'two out of three wins.' As long as you win one round, I lose."
"Master Aunt, are you that confident?"
"When I first met you, I told you that high-IQ criminals lack real-life experience. That statement wasn't made lightly; it's a summary of my many years of experience in the criminal world. But Li Feng is different. Yet, he is a person with a high IQ."
"How high is his IQ?"
"160!"
I smiled helplessly, recalling the embarrassing incident of taking an IQ test years ago. "Scheming and IQ aren't entirely unrelated. At least he doesn't need such a high IQ."
"You're wrong."
"Where did I go wrong?"
"Ever since you became The Schemer, many people have been helping you. Because you have resources, scheming doesn't require a very high IQ. Think about it, if you didn't have resources, would your schemes be so simple?"
...
Is Li Feng truly as Wang Ren described? In this world, the more real people are, the more complex they are. Often, I can understand my opponents and even put myself in their shoes to think about what they are thinking. But when facing an ordinary person, I truly can't be sure what they are thinking. I certainly can't shift my perspective and think about what's in their mind. Because what they've encountered is something I've never experienced. Even if I understand empathy, I can't comprehend Li Feng's inner world.
...
To win this bet, I must work harder to understand Li Feng. To prove Wang Ren wrong, I will never let Li Feng continue to commit crimes.
Therefore, I must leave Beijing for a trip to the village where Li Feng grew up.
Upon arriving there, I will meet the people who watched Li Feng grow up and understand Li Feng's true character from their descriptions. Only by truly seeing through this person can I help him selectively. Then, what I do will truly be a good deed for him.
It's settled. The next step is to go to the village.