Chapter 4

However, Li Rongyu, who had gone through much the same experiences, knew very well that Shen Manyao was by no means as gentle and harmless as she appeared. On the contrary, the more flawlessly Shen Manyao packaged herself, the more suspect her true nature became. Besides, even if Shen Manyao herself were truly harmless, Li Rongyu did not think his younger brother Li Rongxiu could handle a woman like her.

Simply put, Shen Manyao was too strong-willed. People like that tended to be stubborn and obsessive. She might make a good business partner, but she was absolutely unsuitable as a companion.

Of course, Li Rongyu would never say such things while his brother was wholeheartedly set on marrying Shen Manyao. Besides, in Li Rongyu's view, no matter how shrewd and calculating Shen Manyao was, she could not outmatch their grandfather and father. And if all else failed, the Li family still had him. He would never let his younger brother truly suffer a loss.

But all those plans rested on Li Rongxiu wanting to bring Shen Manyao into the family. Now that he had heard Li Rongxiu's hesitant words, Li Rongyu's heart stirred. Without revealing anything, he added more fuel to the fire where Shen Manyao was concerned.

"...Besides, she's three years older than you. Mom and Grandma have always said that marrying a woman three years older is like gaining a brick of gold, so they don't think it matters. But people also say there's a generation gap every three years. When you're with her, do you even have much in common to talk about?"

Hearing that, Li Rongxiu could not help thinking of Shen Manyao's current secret lover, who was known for being mature, steady, capable, and shrewd. His face darkened. He unconsciously turned his head away and said, "Brother, you're exaggerating. It's only three years. How could there possibly be a generation gap... It's just that men and women think differently. Isn't it normal for them to focus on different things?"

Seeing Li Rongxiu's uncomfortable, bristling expression, as though someone had stepped on his tail, Li Rongyu secretly nodded in understanding. Not wanting today's conversation to end with his brother flying into an embarrassed rage, he smoothly changed the subject. "Your engagement ceremony is next week. After that day, you'll be grown up, a man with a family of his own, not a child anymore. Grandpa and Dad think it's necessary to give you a coming-of-age gift... I won't tell you what they prepared. Let it be a surprise. Want to guess what your eldest brother got you—"

Before Li Rongyu could finish, Li Rongxiu revealed the answer without any suspense, rushing to say, "I know. A yacht, right? There's never any suspense when it comes to the gifts you prepare."

They had always been the things he wanted most—his first sports car, his first villa, his first yacht...

Seeing how certain Li Rongxiu looked, Li Rongyu laughed. "It seems I really am not good at creating surprises as an older brother."

As though he had thought of something, Li Rongxiu let out a long sigh and unconsciously said, "Not being able to create surprises doesn't matter. As long as you don't disappoint people."

Li Rongyu paused slightly, but Li Rongxiu no longer wanted to continue the subject. He looked at the sky, which had completely darkened. The decorative lights in the garden and around the lawn had all been turned on, bathing the entire Li residence in a glow as bright as day. Hidden amid the shade of trees and lush vegetation, the villa seemed even more magnificently antique. Li Rongxiu had never liked walking outside at night. He always felt that figures—or perhaps ghosts—were lurking amid the woods, flowerbeds, and shadows of the buildings.

Casually urging Li Rongyu to return indoors, Li Rongxiu found the Li family gathered in the spacious living room, some watching television and others reading newspapers. After greeting the elders, he immediately went upstairs to take a shower. It was one of the minor cleanliness fixations he had inherited from his family.

Li Rongyu should originally have done the same, but he had an important task tonight. After Li Rongxiu went upstairs to wash up, Li Rongyu stayed behind and shared the "intelligence" he had extracted from Li Rongxiu during their walk with the family members who had been waiting eagerly.

Unaware that his family had been probing him, Li Rongxiu finished showering in his room's bathroom and took out a clean, soft towel to dry his wet hair. The moment he returned to the bedroom, he heard the phone he had tossed onto the bed begin to vibrate. Picking it up, he saw that Shen Manyao was calling. After hesitating for a moment, Li Rongxiu answered.

Shen Manyao's voice came through the receiver, so gentle it could have drowned someone. "How was your day? When Mom came back, she told me you seemed a little unhappy. What's wrong? Don't tell me you missed me?"

So she obediently called after hearing Mother's instructions?

Li Rongxiu sneered inwardly, but outwardly he remained composed as he said, "It's nothing. I just think the little brother around me is stupid and can't read the room. He's a little annoying."

Shen Manyao's soft laughter came through the phone, traveling along the wireless signal and straight into Li Rongxiu's ears. It immediately felt as though soft feathers were brushing against his ears, and the faint tickling sensation spread directly into his heart. It was not that Li Rongxiu still had feelings for Shen Manyao. Her voice was simply too pleasant, and she was exceptionally skilled at using every bit of her natural talent to increase her value. It was said that Shen Manyao had specifically studied under renowned voice actors from around the world to make her voice sound more beautiful and rich. So it was only natural for Li Rongxiu to react this way. What a pity, though. Such a wonderful person... had done such terrible things.

Shen Manyao, on the other end of the call, had no idea what Li Rongxiu was thinking. Relying on her usual habits and experience, she began gently comforting and persuading him. At last, as if mentioning it casually, she brought up Li Rongxiu's intention to support the club run by Zhao Qijun's family and asked with feigned puzzlement, "...Didn't you tell me you didn't really like Zhao Qijun? Why do you want to help him now? Aren't you afraid that doing this will make your good friend Junhao uncomfortable in front of his family?"

"I dislike Chi Junhao constantly speaking badly about you in front of me even more. Saying that you and Lin Junrui are together..." Li Rongxiu abruptly asked, "Manyao, is there something you haven't told me?"

Caught off guard by Li Rongxiu's question, Shen Manyao clearly did not know how to react. She instinctively let out an "Ah," fell silent for a moment, then said, "Don't let your imagination run wild. What could I possibly need to hide from you? Didn't we promise each other that we would never lie to one another... And you're already grown up. Don't do childish things just to deliberately make your friends embarrassed and angry. You're such a kind person. You wouldn't want Junhao to be hurt, would you?"

Anger flared in Li Rongxiu's heart, and he blurted out, "Chi Junhao, Chi Junhao—why are you so concerned about the Chi family's affairs?"

Hearing the jealousy spilling from Li Rongxiu's words, Shen Manyao could not help laughing. "He just called me, and he complained about you for ages. I'm afraid you'll act impulsively now and regret it in a few days. It's not as though you haven't done that before... I'm only looking out for you. Why are you being so fierce?"

Li Rongxiu was silent for a long time before stiffly saying, "...My mother asked me to go over. It's probably about the engagement ceremony."

Shen Manyao laughed again. Li Rongxiu had always been like this—stubborn and quick to bristle. Even when he had done something wrong, he never admitted it. He would only awkwardly change the subject. When facing elders, he would act clingy and sweet to muddle through. Therefore, Shen Manyao did not find Li Rongxiu's mood strange.

Or perhaps Shen Manyao was simply too confident when it came to Li Rongxiu. She had never imagined that he might get angry with her, much less suspect her.

"Then go ahead. Don't miss me too much. We'll see each other in a few days. Bye-bye." Shen Manyao sounded utterly unchanged on the other end of the phone, as gentle as ever. With that final goodbye, she deliberately lowered her voice and softened her tone. At first hearing, it sounded tender and lingering, filled with affection.

Yet the rage in Li Rongxiu's heart only surged higher. He mechanically said goodbye into the phone. After hanging up, he called Fei Man again. Without waiting for a response from the other end, Li Rongxiu said directly, "Number 145, Bili Manor, South District, Wancheng. I don't care what methods you use—sneak in, disguise yourselves as plumbing repairmen, whatever it takes. I want you to install pinhole cameras in that house in the most discreet way possible."

Before this, Li Rongxiu had hoped Fei Man could use lawful and reasonable methods to find evidence of intimacy between Shen Manyao and Chi Junrui in public, then end this engagement, which should have ended long ago, in a way that allowed both sides to save face.

But that phone call tonight had changed his mind. Whether Shen Manyao had fallen for someone else or had never liked him at all, matters of the heart belonged to two people. People came together and drifted apart; nothing should be forced. But Shen Manyao should not have betrayed him while trying to manipulate his feelings to win benefits for her adulterous lover. She knew the relationship between Chi Junhao and Chi Junrui. She knew Chi Junhao was sowing discord. Yet without regard for Li Rongxiu's feelings or dignity, she had helped Chi Junhao plead his case. It made Li Rongxiu feel incredibly stupid and ignorant, like he had been toyed with by another man without understanding a thing.

Since Shen Manyao truly cared so little about the Li family's reputation and dignity, why should he care about Shen Manyao's good name?

So he really should give Shen Manyao a grand gift at the engagement ceremony—as a reward for their promise that they would never deceive each other.

Chapter 4

Shen Manyao's phone call left Li Rongxiu feeling unusually stifled. No matter how much extra-spicy boiled fish he ate, he could not shake off that sense of suffocation and grievance. So Li Rongxiu decided to go out for a drive. Perhaps the speed and thrill of driving a sports car would help him leave those humiliating emotions behind.

But in front of his entire family, Li Rongxiu would not say he had been upset by Shen Manyao. For the time being, he did not want to alert the enemy. So he found himself a perfect excuse—he told his family that he could not wait to see the yacht his older brother Li Rongyu had given him. And that eighty-two-foot luxury yacht was, without question, still docked at South Bay Pier in Wancheng's southern outskirts, quietly awaiting its owner's arrival.

Apparently, Li Rongxiu's excuse was convincing enough. No one in the room showed the slightest doubt. Even Old Master Li, the most old-fashioned and stern of them all, merely reminded Li Rongxiu not to deliberately shake off his bodyguards when he went out—

"These past few days, Wancheng hasn't been very peaceful. There are always people who don't like using proper means to settle business disputes and insist on stirring up trouble. As a member of the Li family, you need to be especially careful when coming and going. Don't think it's troublesome or be willful. Safety comes first."

The Li family was one of Wancheng's wealthy elite. A great tree drew the wind. Li Rongxiu was a wastrel by nature and had never concerned himself with the company's affairs. Still, he had heard some of what people said outside about the Li family's conduct in business—

While they had not gone so far as to scheme endlessly or stop at nothing, the Li family had expanded their business to such an extent and spread their reach so widely in only a few decades. They had transformed from mere outsiders into people who made the rules in Wancheng's upper circles. Clearly, every move the Li family made in the business world was not as founded on virtue and harmonious prosperity as Old Master Li claimed.

Therefore, after hearing Old Master Li's reminder, Li Rongxiu obediently nodded and said he would not throw a tantrum and ditch his bodyguards. His docile, cooperative attitude pleased Old Master Li greatly. Only after giving him several more reminders did he allow Li Rongxiu to leave.

The bright red sports car sped along the silent, deserted mountain road like a streak of crimson light. Behind it, the Li family's bodyguards followed closely in a black Ford, roughly ten car lengths away. The distance was neither too near nor too far: it allowed the bodyguards to act when their employer was in danger without making him resent their close surveillance. They had judged the distance perfectly.