The Prodigal Son [Revised]

Reborn as a Prodigal Son (Complete) Author: Ba Ye Dang (Jinjiang Silver Recommended High-Popularity VIP / Business Warfare)

Synopsis:

Li Rongxiu, the youngest son of the wealthy Li family in Wancheng, grew up pampered by his parents, indulged by his uncles, and doted on by his elder brother. Naturally, he became Wancheng's infamous playboy. Living by the motto "no zuo no die," Li Rongxiu played harder and harder until he successfully got himself killed in a street-racing game.

When he opened his eyes again, Li Rongxiu had returned to more than ten years earlier, on the eve of his fiancée Shen Manyao breaking off their engagement. Li Rongxiu thought he had received the script of a rejected-fiancé underdog leveling up and fighting monsters. But then—

Life! Was! Unpredictable!

A proud, tsundere prince-type bottom VS a loyal-dog top (attributes unknown?)

Important note: This story is set in an alternate fictional world. Please read in the spirit of entertainment and do not connect it to reality. Muah =3=

Warning: This is an area of extreme melodrama, wish fulfillment, and absurdly overpowered cheat abilities. The author is a country bumpkin, and this story is what "high society" looks like through a country bumpkin's eyes~

Tags: Wealthy Families, Rebirth, Business Warfare, Modern Alternate Setting

Chapter One [Revised]

Chapter One

Some geniuses, given a lever, might be able to move the Earth. But some bastards, given a lever, would probably only want to smash someone else's head in...

Li Rongxiu was probably the latter. →_→

Born into one of Wancheng's wealthy families, he had grandfathers and elders above him working diligently to expand the family empire, and an astute, capable elder brother below whom could inherit the business. As the youngest son, Li Rongxiu neither needed to strive for success and bring glory to the family nor had any reason to do so. Having had a son late in life, Father Li and Mother Li doted on their youngest beyond measure and granted his every request. Spoiled as Li Rongxiu was, under such circumstances, he naturally grew into one of Wancheng's new generation of notorious playboys without a hitch.

If nothing unexpected had happened, Li Rongxiu's future would likely have resembled that of every other rich young wastrel. Once he reached a certain age, his parents and elders would stuff him into the family company with a glamorous but powerless sinecure, give him shares entitled only to dividends but no decision-making power, then have an elder from a family friend introduce him to a well-matched wife. He would have a son who might be as clever as his elder brother or as foolish as himself, keep several mistresses outside—either stunningly beautiful or gentle and obedient—and peacefully, comfortably enjoy the life he had been meant to live.

But life was unpredictable—

Who could have imagined that after a car accident, the nearly thirty-year-old playboy Li Rongxiu would suddenly become sixteen-year-old high school student Li Rongxiu? More than ten long years had passed in the blink of an eye, as though they had never existed at all.

It was as if those extra ten-odd years of memories had merely been a dream in his mind. Once he woke up, they should have turned to ash and smoke—

Unfortunately, none of it had been a dream. Li Rongxiu clearly remembered driving his sports car through the guardrail beside the mountain road. Then, car and man alike traced an arc through the air before plunging into the ravine below. The violent impact injured his internal organs, shattered glass sliced across his skin, and warm scarlet blood seeped out, filling the sports car. A few minutes later, a leaking fuel tank triggered an explosion. In a burst of flame, he and his red sports car were blown to pieces, leaving not even a corpse behind.

He had always heard that good people died young while scourges lived for a thousand years. Li Rongxiu had never believed it. But now that he thought about it, the ancients truly had not deceived him.

Seeing the youthful, familiar yet somehow unfamiliar exquisite face reflected in the washroom mirror, Li Rongxiu once again touched his cheek in disbelief. The shock in his eyes and the dumbfounded expression on his face made him look even more adorably dazed.

In his previous life, Li Rongxiu had used that pleasing face and honeyed tongue to coax countless elders into beaming with delight. As a result, no matter how much trouble he caused, he had never been punished by the family rules. Even when others bullied him, he could use his youth and ignorance as an excuse to run before his parents and elder brother to demand that they avenge him. Such an ultra-playboy, who placed all his survival pressure and self-respect upon his parents and brother... showed no obvious change even after returning from nearly thirty to sixteen—

No, there were changes. At the very least, Li Rongxiu's condition had changed from severe eighth-grader syndrome to moderate eighth-grader syndrome. His way of thinking could now barely communicate with the people around him—yeah, right.

Chi Junhao looked somewhat bewildered as he watched Li Rongxiu slowly emerge from the washroom. This was already the eighth time the other boy had gone to the bathroom in less than three hours since arriving at school that morning. Such a frequent rhythm inevitably made Chi Junhao secretly wonder whether something might be wrong with one of his organs. But remembering Li Rongxiu's usual temperament, Chi Junhao thought it over several times and still did not dare joke about it. Instead, he cautiously asked, "Young Master Xiu, where do you want to have fun tonight? I heard a new club opened in the West District, and it seems pretty good. How about we..."

Without hearing Chi Junhao's rambling at all, Li Rongxiu walked straight past him and leaned over the railing outside the classroom building's corridor. He idly spun his car keychain around his fingers while looking down at the girls coming and going across the sports field. Though every one of them was flat-chested and plain compared with the girls he had dated in his later years, their youthful figures wrapped in slightly oversized school uniforms and their fresh, makeup-free innocence still made his eyes light up.

Chi Junhao, who had been speaking only to be completely ignored, stood awkwardly where he was. A flash of irritation crossed his face, but he quickly turned around, copied Li Rongxiu's posture, and leaned against the railing as well. "Who are you looking at, Young Master Xiu?"

Zhao Qijun, standing behind them, thought he had seen through Li Rongxiu's thoughts. Grinning, he bumped Chi Junhao with his shoulder and said slyly, "What's there to guess? Young Master Xiu must be looking for Senior Shen. Young Master Xiu and Senior Shen grew up together and are so close. No wonder he misses her so much after not seeing her for a few days. But that's Wancheng's old custom—before getting engaged or married, the man and woman can't meet, or it'll bring bad luck. Don't worry, Young Master Xiu. You only have to endure for another week... I heard the Li family and the Shen family invited every prominent family in Wancheng, and all of Wancheng's media and newspapers will be covering the engagement banquet. Even Old Master Mo, who has withdrawn from the social scene these past few years, will attend personally. That's really something... In all of Wancheng, only the Li family can throw a banquet with such splendor."

Listening to Zhao Qijun's lengthy flattery, Li Rongxiu gave him a faintly amused look. "You certainly investigated thoroughly."

Zhao Qijun grinned. "I didn't investigate on purpose. It's just that over the past few days, every newspaper has been covering this matter nonstop, whether in the financial pages or the gossip section. It'd be hard not to know!"

What was more, Li Rongxiu's fiancée, Shen Manyao, was a goddess-level figure in their circle. She had talent, beauty, intelligence in her studies, and a gentle, understanding personality. She also came from the Shen family, an old-established Wancheng powerhouse. Unlike the Li family, which had arrived halfway through as outsiders, the Shen family was a local gentry clan that had stood firm in Wancheng for centuries. With deep roots and countless marriage and social connections, they had given the Li family quite a few harsh lessons when the Lis first arrived. Several major crises in the Li family's business had the Shen family's shadow behind them, whether openly or secretly.

Fortunately, Old Master Li was resourceful and skilled at navigating society. He had also married the eldest daughter of the equally prominent local Mo Family. With his wife's family mediating, he had survived those earliest and most difficult years and secured a foothold in Wancheng.

Still, heaven rewarded diligence. Through the determined efforts of three generations, the Li family's business flourished, and they became Wancheng's richest family in one fell swoop. The Shen family, on the other hand, had gradually begun to decline due to the financial crisis of the past few years and a series of poor decisions.

As the old saying went, "The outer frame may still stand, but the inside has already been hollowed out."

Even so, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. The Shen family's social connections and foundations remained beyond comparison with those newly risen upstarts. Now that the Shen and Li families were joining through marriage, one had money and the other had influence, and both were eyeing the juicy prize of T Country's infrastructure projects. For that reason, Li Rongxiu's marriage was the envy of many young people in Wancheng.

Of course, if the Shen family had not been willing to marry their most outstanding daughter of this generation into the Li family, then given their current assets and capabilities, they might not have been able to participate in the massive T Country infrastructure project led by the Li family.

As the saying went, no pain, no gain. This was how marital alliances between great families had always worked.

Zhao Qijun, busy flattering Li Rongxiu, did not notice that while he was praising Shen Manyao and congratulating Li Rongxiu, Chi Junhao beside him had instinctively lowered his head. Pride and contempt flashed across his face, mixed with a trace of malicious disdain and schadenfreude.

But Li Rongxiu, who had been watching Chi Junhao all along, noticed it. Seeing the intense emotion erupt from the other boy in an instant, Li Rongxiu smiled and shook his head. Some things might still be hidden beneath the surface, but their clues had already been revealed, intentionally or otherwise. It seemed that in his previous life, he had truly been stupid not to notice Chi Junhao's clumsy performance.

Sneering inwardly, Li Rongxiu deliberately sighed in frustration and said with annoyance, "I don't know what's going on, but I feel like Sister Manyao has been hot and cold toward me these past few days. Whenever I call her, the line is always busy, or she sounds distracted and absentminded. Do you think Manyao has something on her mind... Could it be that she doesn't want to marry me?"

Before he could finish, Zhao Qijun blurted out, "How could that be? Our Young Master Xiu is the young master of Wancheng's Li family. Everyone in Wancheng knows that Young Master Xiu is Mr. and Mrs. Li's most beloved son. Whoever marries Young Master Xiu will become the young mistress of Wancheng's richest family. She'll never have to worry about money again, and her own family will benefit too... What woman wouldn't want to fall into such a nest of fortune? It's probably just pre-wedding jitters."

Besides, this marriage had been initiated by the Shen family. If Shen Manyao had been unwilling, why would she have agreed when Madam Shen repeatedly hinted for the Li family to come propose?

Seeing Zhao Qijun seriously making wild guesses, Li Rongxiu nearly laughed out loud.

Chi Junhao, however, clearly did not agree with Zhao Qijun. His eyes shifted as he deliberately hesitated before saying, "Actually, it's not impossible. I really did hear rumors that... Senior Shen might be seeing another guy—"

Before he could finish, Zhao Qijun abruptly shoved Chi Junhao and snapped in a low voice, "What nonsense are you talking about? Senior Shen is already Young Master Xiu's fiancée. How could she still be seeing another guy? Don't talk nonsense and ruin Senior Shen's reputation."

Besides, if news of something like this got out, it would also damage the Li family's reputation.

Seeing Zhao Qijun fawning over Li Rongxiu like a lapdog, Chi Junhao felt a burst of contempt. Yet he kept an honest, sincere expression on his face as he said, "Why are you getting angry at me? I only heard it from someone else. I'm telling Young Master Xiu because I mean well, okay..."

Before Zhao Qijun could reply with his eyes wide, Li Rongxiu waved a hand and asked directly, "Oh? You said Manyao is seeing another guy. Then do you know who she's seeing?"

Chi Junhao stammered, "I think it's Senior Lin Junrui from the third year. I heard Senior Shen has been spending a lot of time with Senior Lin lately. People often see them together in the library, staying there for half a day at a time. They talk and laugh together, and they're really close."

Zhao Qijun could not help snorting. He gave Chi Junhao a deeply contemptuous look and shook his head. "I thought it was some elite young master from a rich family. Turns out it's just that bookworm whose family is so poor that he needs school scholarships to cover even his tuition and living expenses. Junhao, isn't your judgment a little too terrible? What kind of person is Senior Shen? How could she possibly like a poor kid like that?"