"Congratulations, congratulations! This calls for a hotel celebration." Jiāng Luán quickly reacted, calling to inform the bodyguard captain to make a reservation.
"Hey, that won't do. How can we let a guest treat us?"
Chí Wànlǐ picked up a pastry. "It's just a meal. Little Li studies while accompanying my daughter, so it's only right for us to show our appreciation."
Jiāng Luán secretly searched for information and was slightly surprised. "It's still a legitimate international award. Impressive."
Chí Mò looked up and nestled into Jiāng Luán's arm, gazing at the news on her phone.
"Wow!" She was overjoyed and looked at Lǐ Yàn.
Lǐ Yàn chuckled, scratching his head shyly. "It's thanks to the help of my classmates. I just played a key leadership role..."
"You really don't know the meaning of humility," Mother Li said verbally, but she was so happy her mouth couldn't close.
Old Li also sidled up to Chí Wànlǐ, looking at the news on Weibo.
Lǐ Yàn suddenly thought of something, frowning, and muttered under his breath, "Damn it, I miscalculated."
He had originally thought that the sensational news about him "usurping a script" would be publicized. Instead, the film itself was of such high quality that it won an award.
Then, someone would surely start investigating closely. Once Lín Qīngxuán realized this, he would find a way to patch up the loopholes.
Lǐ Yàn wouldn't be naive enough to register a copyright and rest easy.
"Son, the director and screenwriter listed here are other people's names. What's going on?"
Father Li added, "I'm not doubting you…"
"Dad, it's okay, I know. Even if you say I'm lying, I won't go half a year without calling you Dad."
Lǐ Yàn joked, but his expression remained grim.
A father knows his son best. Father Li frowned. "Son, is there any trouble?"
"I found a penny by the roadside~?"
The WeChat call rang again. Lǐ Yàn saw Lín Qīngxuán's name, snorted coldly, and turned off the screen.
Then he looked at Chí Wànlǐ. "Uncle Chí, do you have any business dealings with the Lin family?"
"Which Lin family?"
"The Lin Group, which operates in the media and education industries, with Modu University as its territory."
Chí Wànlǐ nodded. "We need to collaborate with them for some advertising placements, but they are not the only option, and you are more important."
Lǐ Yàn: "…"
"Mom, can I borrow your phone for a moment to record something? I'll need Uncle and Dad's help with a few things. Please don't say anything for a while."
After instructing them, he opened his phone and answered the WeChat call.
"Lǐ Yàn."
"Oh, Senior Lin, what's up?"
He got straight to the point. "Did you scheme against me?"
Lǐ Yàn said coldly, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. How could I dare to scheme against Senior Lin?"
"Still pretending? Why did you register my script for copyright?"
"Senior Lin, I have the mind maps, outlines, storyboards, and manuscripts in my hands. What do you mean by registering my script for copyright?"
"This is shameless theft."
"Oh, oh. My fingerprints are the only ones on the computer, and there are operation records. The manuscripts have my handwriting. You can call the police."
"You're quibbling. Where are you now?"
"If you have this attitude, there's nothing for us to discuss. Let the school expel me. With fame, why worry about not making money?"
"We agreed that the script would be sold to me."
"Senior Lin, this is too ridiculous. You broke the agreement first, and you never mentioned this before. I haven't received a cent. And even if it were sold, the authorship should still be mine."
He feigned surprise. "The one million hasn't arrived?"
Lǐ Yàn gasped. "One million?"
After a long silence, the other side said, "I just checked. There was a payment anomaly. Let's re-sign a contract. Where are you now?"
"I just got back to my hometown, in a mountain village. Senior Lin, give me an address, and I'll head back now. I can be there by tomorrow afternoon."
"Give me the address, and I'll send a car to pick you up."
"We use a donkey cart in the mountains. My second uncle is driving the donkey right now. My phone is almost dead, so I'm going to turn it off. I'll call you as soon as I reach a place with a car."
The call ended, and the phone was turned off.
Mother Li said sternly, "Son, we won't take this money. What's rightfully ours is ours. We'd rather not have the money than be bullied like this."
Father Li smiled and held his forehead. "Silly wife, your son is playing a game with them. It's not about the money."
Lǐ Yàn stopped the recording.
"Damn it, how can these capitalist bastards have so many tricks up their sleeves? They didn't let slip a single clue on the phone."
Chí Wànlǐ's smile faltered.
Jiāng Luán's eyes sparkled. She hadn't expected her future son-in-law to be so capable, possessing the demeanor of her husband when he was young, and even more astute than Old Chí at the same age!
Chí Mò looked at her mother vigilantly, crawled out from her embrace, and moved closer to Lǐ Yàn's side.
Lǐ Yàn quickly tried to smooth things over. "Uncle Chí isn't that kind of black-hearted capitalist. The Lin family is too despicable!"
Chí Wànlǐ nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Why do you want to deal with the Lin Group?"
Jiāng Luán asked doubtfully, "Isn't it about dealing with his senior? What does it have to do with the Lin Group?"
Chí Wànlǐ shrugged. "If it were just about dealing with a classmate, the evidence Little Li holds would be more than enough. He wouldn't have asked me about my cooperation with the Lin Group. If I hadn't mentioned Little Li's important position in our family, wouldn't this matter have failed to be resolved?"
Mother Li knew her son was smart, but she hadn't expected him to be so cunning. She realized now that he usually pretended to be an obedient boy, just to tease her.
However, seeing her son succeed, she was naturally happy. But causing such trouble also made her worried. She was already anxious enough when her husband had trouble at work, alas! There was nothing she could do.
"Mom, do you remember the incident of a female classmate jumping off a building when I went to school?"
Mother Li recalled and nodded. "That girl, it was said she had a conflict with her family."
"It wasn't a conflict. I investigated it later."
"She was an outstanding student at Modu University. She jumped to her death after being gang-raped." Lǐ Yàn's face turned grim. He continued, "Her family conditions were good. Both parents were employed, with a son and a daughter. Their lives were going well. This senior was good-looking and wanted to enter the entertainment industry or become a host after graduation. Lín Qīngxuán heard about it and, under the guise of an introduction, actually seduced and raped her."
"When the senior went to report it to the police, Lín Qīngxuán was arrested. The Lin family then targeted her parents, so the senior had no choice but to compromise."
Mother Li's eyes widened, and she slammed the tea table. "How could a public prosecution case like this be withdrawn?!"
Chí Wànlǐ sneered. "The Lin Group has been deeply involved in the media industry for many years. To create momentum for some ambitious officials and promote their careers is incredibly easy. To be honest, when a business reaches a certain level, without getting involved in this, it will quickly hit a ceiling. I myself benefited from Little Li meeting talented people like him, which gave me the opportunity to reach where I am today."
Lǐ Yàn did not ask further about what Chí Wànlǐ benefited from, and continued, "After compromising, it became a bottomless pit. She was gradually dragged into the abyss by Lín Qīngxuán, and finally, she was repeatedly gang-raped by some management staff of the school. Unable to bear the humiliation, she committed suicide by jumping off a building. She was so afraid of implicating her parents that she didn't even dare to write a suicide note."
"Afterward, her father took his family and left Modu. Her mother couldn't accept it and had a mental breakdown, living in a psychiatric hospital."
"Before this, the number of girls Lín Qīngxuán had designs on was countless. Most of them were settled with money, and no one dared to report it to the police."
Father Li's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, his sword-like eyebrows raised in extreme anger. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!\