Chapter 16

As he spoke, Li Rongxiu turned and instructed Zhao Qijun, "Go to the school library and check what materials Lin Junrui has looked up and what subjects he has been paying attention to over the past six months. Handle the rest as you see fit."

At that, Zhao Qijun nodded like a chick pecking at rice. He waited beside Li Rongxiu for a moment, and when he saw that Li Rongxiu had no further instructions, he immediately ran off with a thud-thud-thud.

Just as The Art of War said, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. When dealing with Chi Junhao, the playboys had been somewhat restrained because of his former status as one of their own. But Chi Junhao had followed Li Rongxiu for so long that Zhao Qijun was the most familiar with his way of doing things. Using Zhao Qijun against Chi Junhao was guaranteed to hit the mark.

Seeing how calm and composed Li Rongxiu was, the many playboys could not help stepping forward to pat his head. Deeply gratified, they said, "Xiu Xiu, you've grown up too."

With a smack, Li Rongxiu slapped their hands away. He flirtatiously brushed back his hair and said haughtily, "Watch it. A man's head and a woman's waist aren't for just anyone to touch."

When he returned home that evening, Li Rongxiu was pleasantly surprised to find an extra man in the house—a man in his thirties, tall and handsome, with a gentle and refined temperament. He wore a dark navy suit over a white shirt, without a tie or bow tie. The top two buttons were undone, revealing his fair, exquisite collarbones. His long, firm legs were crossed, one hand resting on his thigh while his other arm bent slightly against the armrest beside the sofa. He looked utterly relaxed and at ease.

When his long face was unsmiling, he bore a sixty- to seventy-percent resemblance to Li Rongxiu's father. What left the deepest impression, however, was his pair of narrow phoenix eyes. Whenever he smiled, light seemed to flow from the corners of his eyes, while tenderness lingered at his brows, making him appear exceptionally affectionate—

"Uncle, why are you back?" Li Rongxiu casually tossed his coat and backpack to the approaching servant and spoke to the guest in the living room.

At that, Li Bingru, seated on the sofa, smiled and waved at Li Rongxiu. His clear, elegant voice, like a violin, rang beside Li Rongxiu's ears. Smiling, he said, "Because I missed Xiu Xiu, so I came back. Is Xiu Xiu happy?"

Li Bingru was Grandpa Li's third son and ranked fourth among the men of his generation in the Li family. He was the one Li Rongxiu called "Uncle." He was thirty-five this year. Following the tradition for the men of the Li family, Uncle Li had gone abroad to study at eighteen and had never truly returned afterward. During his studies and after graduation, his whereabouts had been exceptionally mysterious, as had the things he did. He rarely kept in contact with his family, returning only during the Spring Festival and Qingming Festival each year to pay respects to the ancestors and visit his parents.

But Li Rongxiu, who possessed memories from his previous life, knew that although this uncle was not particularly renowned in Wancheng, he had deep ties with several major international financial conglomerates with complicated backgrounds. He was even one of the designated external spokespeople for the Alie family, Enoria's hidden royal family. Since he still had no wife or children, he was exceptionally fond of the younger generation in the eldest branch.

Li Rongxiu knew these things because Chi Junrui and Shen Manyao had been caught by an Alie family informant while traveling in Enoria in his previous life. In order to curry favor with Uncle Li, that informant had specifically abused public resources, using the Alie family's powerful intelligence network to gather evidence that the Chi family and the Shen family had joined forces to deceive the Li family, then handed it to Li Bingru.

Li Rongxiu remembered what happened afterward very clearly, because it was the first time he had seen the gentle and refined Li Bingru fly into a rage. The curve of his ever-smiling lips remained unchanged. Yet the feeling that had once been as soothing as a spring breeze had changed. He was like a villain from a horror movie—no matter how bright and beautiful his smile was, it carried an eerie chill that made people shudder.

What followed showed everyone in Wancheng what it meant for thunderous wrath to descend. Li Bingru made only a few phone calls, yet the Chi family's overseas businesses immediately suffered the most devastating blow imaginable—their supply chains were cut off, their offices were investigated and shut down, all their stores and subsidiaries were destroyed, and even the employees at their overseas offices resigned en masse. In an instant, all of the Chi family's power overseas had been reduced to ruins.

That incident also formally exposed Uncle Li's identity as the Alie family's global spokesperson. It was said that afterward, dissatisfied with Uncle Li's unauthorized use of the family's power for personal matters, the Alie family imposed an extremely severe punishment on him. Yet soon afterward, Uncle Li rendered the Alie family a great service. Not only was his punishment offset, but his standing within the family rose even further, earning him greater trust and favor from the Alie family patriarch. After the old patriarch's death, he even became one of the ministers entrusted with the orphaned heir...

Thinking of those old events, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed Li Rongxiu's mind. But when he tried to consider it carefully, he could not make sense of it. Naturally free-spirited, Li Rongxiu shook his head and decisively tossed the inexplicable thought aside. He was not someone who liked making things difficult for himself.

With that in mind, Li Rongxiu, delighted to see a family member he rarely encountered, picked up the white jade teapot on the coffee table, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it in one gulp. Then, with the expression of a charlatan, he said to Li Bingru, "Let me guess. Uncle, you must have heard that someone bullied me, so you came back to avenge me, right?"

At that, Uncle Li smiled and patted Li Rongxiu's head. Deliberately keeping him in suspense, he said, "Yes and no."

Chapter 16

Seeing Uncle Li so leisurely inclined to keep him in suspense, Li Rongxiu knew he was in a very good mood. He glanced back at the other smiling members of the Li family, raised his brows, and said, "All right, you all chat first. I'm going upstairs to change."

The boys' uniform at Diwan High School resembled a British formal suit in style. It was made from a wool-rich blended fabric and tailored by hand. Such carefully crafted uniforms looked more draping, crisp, elegant, and high-end when worn. They were comfortable to wear and pleasing to the eye, without giving off the gaudy air of a nouveau riche from the outskirts.

But no matter how comfortable formalwear was, it was still formalwear. By nature, Li Rongxiu was casual and could not wear a suit with the effortless, natural flair of his father and brother. At home, he preferred comfortable loungewear. Even when going out with friends, he would not dress himself up like a business elite.

The Li family members, who knew Li Rongxiu's true nature well, smiled. Watching him ascend the stairs with a composed posture but brisk steps, Uncle Li said to everyone with great satisfaction, "Xiu Xiu is still so optimistic and straightforward. It seems the engagement banquet did not affect him."

At the mention of that matter, everyone present darkened in expression. Father Li said, "Speaking of that, Rongxiu was the first to notice that something was wrong. The situation at the engagement banquet was also arranged according to his wishes. Though his methods were rather immature, they suited his personality—direct enough, and forceful enough. He was just a little too unforgiving once he had the upper hand."

At that, the smile on Uncle Li's lips deepened. He picked up the tea on the coffee table and took a light sip before saying mildly, "People must learn to pay the price for what they do. Only then can they learn to grow. With absolute power and strength as backing, there is no need for too many petty tricks. They would only make people laugh at our Li family for being small-minded. Besides, Xiu Xiu is still young. Young people should not be so hesitant in everything they do."

Father Li smiled and shook his head. Pointing at Li Bingru, he said with a laugh, "You, just like the second and third sons, always spoil the children. That is not good for their growth."

"It is enough for our generation of the Li family to have one peerless genius like Rongyu. If there were too many monsters—like our boss, always creating one problem after another—Big Brother, you would be run ragged. So it is good that Xiu Xiu is the way he is by nature." Uncle Li said this lightly, then looked up and saw Li Rongxiu slowly coming downstairs. He stopped speaking of the matter.

Having changed into loungewear, Li Rongxiu did not notice the slightly oppressive mood among the elders. Holding a black notebook, he sat beside his older brother, Li Rongyu, and said, "Since you're all here, help me think. If I want to participate in the school anniversary, what kind of program should I choose to stand out?"

After saying that, Li Rongxiu looked at everyone, who seemed somewhat stunned, and added, "Most importantly, it absolutely has to outshine Chi Junhao's program."

The Li family members exchanged glances. Li Rongyu asked, "Then what program did Chi Junhao choose?"

"I don't know yet. I already sent Zhao Qijun to find out." Li Rongxiu waved a hand dismissively. "Forget about him for now. Let's discuss our own... Oh, right, Big Brother, what did you do for the school anniversary back then?"

Seeing the serious expression on his younger brother's face, Li Rongyu straightened up cooperatively and said, "Back then, I drafted a plan in response to Diwan High School's practice of admitting only children from wealthy and influential families. It proposed selecting outstanding students from disadvantaged backgrounds for admission, and I planned the establishment of the Diwan Outstanding Student Scholarship. I did not expect the school to think the plan was so good that they have continued using it to this day... If you are interested, come with me to the study later. I should still have the original proposal and the details."

Watching his two nephews discuss the matter seriously, Uncle Li smiled and said, "So Xiu Xiu wants to compete for Diwan High School's Top Student title too. In that case, perhaps Uncle can help you."

Li Rongxiu's eyes lit up. "Really, Uncle? What good idea do you have?"

Li Bingru shook his head. "I do not have any good ideas. But I was invited by Diwan High School to attend the Centennial School Anniversary as an honored guest. When I attend the anniversary with members of the Empire's royal family, I will cheer you on."

"What?"

Uncle Li's words were like a thunderclap thrown onto still water, instantly drawing the attention of everyone in the Li family. Father Li put down his teacup and asked curiously, "When did this happen? How come we never heard even a hint of it?"

Uncle Li smiled and explained, "A month ago, Diwan High School's Public Relations Department sent an invitation for the Centennial School Anniversary to Fate Group's Enoria headquarters. As the executive president of Fate Group's Greater China division, it is not strange that I was sent by the boss to Wancheng to attend my alma mater's Centennial School Anniversary."

"But Uncle, you—" You clearly didn't come in my previous life!

Li Rongxiu, who had started to speak, alertly swallowed the rest of his words and abruptly changed course. "When did you become the executive president of Fate Group's Greater China division? How did we not know?"

"Just now." Uncle Li smiled faintly at everyone without mentioning any of the specific details. Still, as usual, the topic drifted elsewhere. Even after dinner, the elders of the Li family did not offer Li Rongxiu any constructive advice for his school anniversary plan. Yet that was not surprising. The men of the Li family were proud and independent by nature. They valued freedom and their true selves greatly. If they could solve a problem through their own abilities during their struggles, they would never ask the family for help.

One could see this from how all these men had cast aside the family business while studying abroad, insisting on founding their own companies and carving out their own territories. In their view, although Diwan High School's anniversary event was important and they were willing to provide Li Rongxiu with any possible assistance if he wished to participate in the competition, such assistance came with one crucial prerequisite—

Li Rongxiu had to clearly know what he wanted and accurately state what kind of help he needed, whether financial support, connections, or something else. They would never have him hold up a blank notebook and beseech them to contribute an idea, then solve every problem for him from start to finish.