Chapter 2

Li Rongxiu's face appropriately showed a trace of disdain as well.

Chi Junhao, seeing this, argued somewhat unwillingly, "What's so impossible about it? Lin Junrui may be poor, but he's good-looking, studies well, and has a gentle personality. Lots of girls at our school like him. There are even a few rich young ladies among them. Since that's the case, isn't it normal for Senior Shen to like Lin Junrui?"

Deep down, Chi Junhao did not believe Shen Manyao would fall for Lin Junrui either, much less that Li Rongxiu, with his pride and arrogance, would believe such a rumor. But since his older brother had instructed him to say it, he could only comply.

Li Rongxiu gave Chi Junhao an expressionless glance and deliberately emphasized, "Manyao told me about this. She has nothing to do with Lin Junrui. They only happened to meet a few times at the library."

The implication was naturally that he did not want Chi Junhao to keep harping on the matter.

Chi Junhao let out an enlightened "Oh" and said, "No wonder the girls in Senior Shen's class often say that she's recently been talking on the phone with someone named 'Junrui'... Maybe they were arranging times to meet over the phone."

Zhao Qijun frowned beside them, apparently disliking Chi Junhao's increasingly misleading tone. He cut in, "Not everyone named Junrui has the surname Lin. If we're talking about that, I remember your brother is also named Junrui, isn't he?"

Chi Junhao's heart skipped a beat. He blurted out, "Hey, my brother is already twenty-eight this year, and he's busy taking over the family business right now. He wouldn't have had any chance to get to know Senior Shen, okay? Don't talk nonsense!"

Zhao Qijun had never liked Chi Junhao. Seeing how tense he was, as though facing a great enemy, he curled his lip. "I only mentioned it casually. Why are you so nervous? Got a guilty conscience?"

Chi Junhao flew into a rage and immediately snapped back.

Leaning against the railing, Li Rongxiu listened absentmindedly as Zhao Qijun and Chi Junhao traded barbs. Suddenly, he recalled how, in his previous life, Shen Manyao had torn up their engagement at the ceremony. At the time, he had not reacted much, yet several months later, he had sent people to brutally beat Lin Junrui, who had been reading with Shen Manyao in the school library... It seemed Chi Junhao had been the one constantly egging him on then too.

What had this brat said back then?

"I always knew that sneaky Lin Junrui was no good, and sure enough... How long has it been since you broke off your engagement with Miss Shen, Young Master Xiu? The two of them are already all lovey-dovey together. They have no regard at all for your reputation or the Li family's name. It really makes me angry on your behalf. In terms of status, family background, looks, or ability, how are you inferior to that poor kid who only knows how to bury his head in books?"

Just a few sentences had enraged Li Rongxiu, who had already felt deeply humiliated.

The consequence of that impulsive beating was that Lin Junrui spent three months bedridden, missing that year's Ivy League universities interviews, while Shen Manyao miscarried from the shock. The Shen family refused to let the matter go, believing Li Rongxiu's actions had gone too far—

"...Even if our Manyao was young and foolish, and thought Rongxiu was an idle wastrel unworthy of her, breaking off the engagement publicly was indeed an insult to your Li family. But our Shen family served tea, admitted our mistake, and apologized. We even disregarded our dignity enough to publish an apology in the newspapers. Your Li family said you would not pursue the matter. Yet now you're still harassing my daughter, even sending people to beat up her new boyfriend and frightening her into a miscarriage—do you know that Lin Junrui was the live-in son-in-law our Shen family had chosen? The child in Manyao's belly was supposed to bear our Shen family name and carry on our line. Yet your son killed him alive... That was a boy!"

In their fury, the Shen family secretly hired people to abduct Li Rongxiu, threatening the Li family that they would teach this "insensible junior" a proper lesson.

To quell the Shen family's rage and keep the peace, Grandpa Li and his father ultimately, for some reason, handed over control of the T Country infrastructure project to the Shen family. The Shen family rose to prominence as a result, while Shen Manyao, after recuperating in the hospital for several months, went to study in the United States under the pretense of getting away for a while. If not for a fortunate coincidence, the Li family would never have discovered in the United States who the person was that had truly gotten involved with Shen Manyao and cuckolded Li Rongxiu.

But what Li Rongxiu found most unbelievable was that he had never understood why Shen Manyao would give up the position of the Li family's young mistress, only to willingly stay by that man's side as an unacknowledged mistress for over a decade...

Every time he thought of this, Li Rongxiu became irritated and restless. He suddenly kicked the railing in front of him hard, startling the two younger men who had been arguing. Zhao Qijun looked over with concern, afraid that the impulsive Li Rongxiu would be provoked by Chi Junhao into doing something foolish. Chi Junhao, however, could barely conceal the delight in his eyes. Full of fervor, he said to Li Rongxiu, "What do you think, Young Master Xiu? Want me to find a few people to have a talk with that guy surnamed Lin?"

Li Rongxiu shook his head at that and gave Chi Junhao a deep look. "Not for now. In my experience, any problem solved with violence... will eventually create a whole pile of trouble. So... behave yourself lately. Before the engagement, I don't want anyone using my name to stir up some scandal involving the Li family."

Ordered about in Li Rongxiu's unquestionable tone, Chi Junhao's expression immediately darkened with displeasure. The next second, however, he answered obediently, "Understood, Young Master Xiu. Without your instructions, I won't do anything."

Li Rongxiu watched Chi Junhao quietly for a while. His aggressive gaze forced Chi Junhao to lower his head awkwardly. Only then did Li Rongxiu curl his lips in satisfaction and say, "I'm not feeling well. I'm going home first today. Ask the school for leave on my behalf."

Before Chi Junhao could react, Zhao Qijun immediately patted his chest and jumped in, "No problem. Young Master Xiu, go back and rest if you're unwell. I'll take care of everything."

Li Rongxiu turned to look at Zhao Qijun and thought for a moment before saying, "Not bad. I heard your Zhao Family recently opened a club. Let me know when it opens. My mother doesn't have much to do lately anyway, so I'll have her bring her mahjong friends over to show your family some support..."

With that, ignoring Zhao Qijun's instant ecstasy and Chi Junhao's drastically changed expression, he turned and left.

Chapter 2

After leaving the school, Li Rongxiu, who was feeling slightly pleased at having put one over on the Chi family, called his assistant, Fei Man, from the car. The moment the call connected, he gave his orders without waiting for the other party to speak. "How is the matter I asked you to investigate a few days ago?"

Fei Man paused upon hearing this, then said hesitantly, "Following the direction you gave us, we've been tracking Miss Shen and the Chi family's eldest young master these past few days. But so far, there has been no obvious contact between them—"

"Impossible. They definitely have a connection. Keep investigating." With memories spanning more than ten years of the future in his mind, no matter how foolish Li Rongxiu might have been, faced with the facts, he knew who Shen Manyao's true lover was. Just because no one had uncovered it yet did not mean it had not happened.

Fei Man could hear Li Rongxiu's anger in his tone. After a brief pause, he said, "Understood. I'll instruct our people to intensify the investigation. But, Young Master Xiu... if Miss Shen truly has that kind of relationship with the man surnamed Chi, they must be extremely cautious. According to reports from our investigators, almost no one has seen them appear at the same public place at the same time... However, yesterday our people uncovered something very strange... A few days ago, Miss Shen visited the obstetrics and gynecology department of a private hospital in Wancheng for an examination... and when she registered, she used the name of the Chi family's eldest daughter, Chi Fengya..."

At those words, Li Rongxiu's agitated mood immediately lifted. He said at once, "Then follow that lead. Make sure you get proof that they're together!"

"...But, Young Master Xiu, if Miss Shen truly is carrying someone else's child... I think this is an important matter and should be reported to—"

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Fei Man's final words instantly ignited Li Rongxiu's temper. He impatiently cut him off, threatening in a stiff and domineering tone, "I told you already. This is my own business, and I will handle it myself. If my parents and older brother hear even the slightest bit of news from you... I may not be able to kick you out of the company, but I can definitely persuade my father to transfer you to Africa as a resident president. Do you believe me?"

Rendered speechless by Li Rongxiu's threat, Fei Man could only compromise despite his deep concern. "Since it is your order, Young Master Xiu... I will do as you say. After all, I am the assistant Mr. Li assigned to you, so naturally I must follow your instructions."

The implication was still that he strongly disapproved of what Li Rongxiu was doing.

In Fei Man's eyes, Li Rongxiu's persistence was merely a fit of temper. But now that things had reached this point, it was no longer something Li Rongxiu could resolve alone. If Shen Manyao was truly pregnant with another man's child as he suspected, the Li family would never allow a woman of such loose conduct and questionable character to become the Li family's young mistress. More importantly, the Li family would never proceed with further cooperation with the Shen family, whose stance on this matter was clearly suspicious...

As Fei Man calculated in his mind, he suddenly heard Li Rongxiu order, "Find a way to get intimate photos of Shen Manyao and Chi Junrui meeting in private, then put them into a PPT. If possible, get Shen Manyao's examination report and medical records from the hospital too... Get everything ready and hand it to me within a week. I need it."

Fei Man's heart stirred at those words, and he could not help asking, "Young Master Xiu means..."

"What I mean is none of your business. Just do it. Remember, be careful. Don't alert anyone." With that, Li Rongxiu hung up impatiently and drove home.

Unlike most wealthy and influential people in the city, who lived in Mingshan District in western Wancheng, the Li family residence was located in Wancheng's old eastern district. This was an old residential area that retained the architectural characteristics of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Following the winding streets inward from the city center, the forest of high-rises gradually thinned, and the view became increasingly open. Courtyard houses with gray tiles and white walls could be seen everywhere, along with Western-style villas and mansions built by foreigners in years past...

Decades ago, the Li family patriarch had brought his wealth and household from their homeland to settle in Wancheng, choosing this area as their foothold. Later, when the family business expanded, the old patriarch grew nostalgic. He also believed that constantly breaking ground would disrupt feng shui and bring bad luck, so he refused to move. Seeing this, Grandpa Li simply used the first two sums of funding after the company went public to buy the entire street, then spent a fortune renaming it Li Family Street. Every year, they spent a considerable sum repairing and maintaining those dilapidated old buildings... They called it sentiment.

In the past, Li Rongxiu had never understood his grandfather's and father's actions, believing their ideas were truly "old-fashioned." It was not until later, when the country began placing importance on protecting historic and cultural buildings, that Li Family Street was fortunate enough to be designated one of Wancheng's historic sites. Li Huamei, meanwhile, won public support for its years of restoration and preservation work on historical relics. After appearing on the front pages and in financial reports several times in a row, even its stock soared severalfold... Only then did Li Rongxiu understand what it meant to be "old and cunning."

Of course, that was only Li Rongxiu's private thought. As far as Grandpa Li and Father Li were concerned, their generation truly possessed the sentiment and ambition of "helping the world when one had the means." Li Rongxiu, stubborn as he was, had never doubted that.

Yet in his previous life, Li Rongxiu had actually hated these low courtyard houses and old-fashioned Western villas. He had once complained that living here made him feel stifled. After causing several scenes, he had left Father Li and Grandpa Li with no choice but to compromise. They bought several luxury homes outside for Li Rongxiu to stay in as he pleased. Their only demand was that he return home on time every weekend for the family dinner—one of the Li family's rules.