Li Li silently pulled her phone away from her ear as Patriarch Li’s roaring voice emanated from the receiver.
Her assistant blinked. Should she cover her ears and pretend she hadn’t heard anything?
Li Li tossed the phone aside, eyes narrowed, remaining silent.
Patriarch Li, receiving no response, tempered his temper slightly. "You know full well that Yupuyuan accounts for one-fifth of the Li Corporation’s annual revenue. If I hand it all over to you, your company's cash flow will be severely diminished."
"It’s not that I don’t want to give it to you, it’s just that if I hand it all over, the operational risks for your company will multiply."
Patriarch Li was pleading with earnest concern, attempting to reason with her.
The young lady, however, wasn't listening.
"So, what you’re saying is that I still have to back down?"
She admired her manicure, contemplating the need to book another appointment soon. Absentmindedly, she added, "You won't give me management rights to the company, and when I settle for second best and ask for Yupuyuan, you can't give me that either."
"I decide to let it go, and now you’re backing out."
"Li Yongqian, that is no way to do business."
In this negotiation, Li Li had no taboos, while Patriarch Li was restrained by his own hesitation; he was destined to lose from the start.
Sure enough, seeing the police enter the courtyard, Patriarch Li gritted his teeth: "Fine! I’ll give it to you, I’ll give you everything!"
"Get the police to leave!"
Satisfied, Li Li picked up the phone, her tone arrogant and languid: "They can't leave."
"They can't?!" On the other end of the line, Patriarch Li’s voice cracked with rage.
Li Li gave a light smile: "The police need to clean up your mess. How else do you plan to end this?"
Without waiting for his response, she hung up.
The farce ended with Wang Cong being taken away by the police. Shang Yang and Li Xiang’s engagement party was a chaotic, sloppy mess that ended in shambles. Although Li Xiang avoided direct punishment, after this spectacle, her standing with Patriarch Li would be precarious. Even if she walked away clean, everyone present was intelligent; once the seed of doubt was planted, it would only be a matter of time before she slipped up.
At the very least, she was now walking on thin ice within the Shang family. Every step she took had to be carefully weighed to avoid being caught in a mistake. The Li family couldn't tolerate any sand in their eyes, and the Shang family viewed their family reputation as paramount—if they could ruthlessly cast aside their own biological son, Shang Che, to the man-eating pits of Jingcheng, they would certainly do the same to Li Xiang.
As for Yupuyuan, Li Li wasn't worried about Patriarch Li reneging; she had the recording to ensure he couldn't go back on his word.
The setting sun dyed the entire city crimson. Li Li had obtained everything she wanted, yet she couldn't feel happy.
Shang Che was an unexpected variable in her plan. She had assumed they were on the same front; the moment he produced the evidence, Li Li had believed they could achieve even more together. But she was wrong—Shang Che was merely there to muddy the waters. The video he held had clearly been edited. He appeared to be on her side, but in reality, he was protecting Li Xiang.
As the wind whipped past the high-rises during the drive, Li Li’s thoughts were in turmoil. The images of them entangled the night before swirled in her mind, impossible to banish. Putting everything else aside, she had to admit that Shang Che was skilled—not just technically, but in every way, he was exceptional.
Li Li hadn't been with many others, so she couldn't be sure if everyone possessed such superior "hardware" as Shang Che. What kept her lingering on the thought was that she had indeed enjoyed herself last night. Having tasted the fruit, she had no intention of denying her most primal human desires and needs.
If not for today’s events, which made her unable to read him, she wouldn't have minded a deeper interaction with him. He was under no obligation to help her, but he could not be one of Li Xiang’s people.
Li Li prided herself on being able to see through the motives and deep-seated secrets of most people. Shang Che, however, was the only one she couldn't decipher. He was connected to everyone in her circle. He appeared around Ji Huaiyan, he was Shang Yang’s brother, and in Li Xiang’s scheme, he had happened to appear within her line of sight...
Although she had been the one to choose him, Li Li had to admit that compared to others, becoming entangled with him made her already scandalous reputation even more impossible to resolve. As for Shang Che, the threads were tangled and difficult to unravel.
Lost in silence, she didn't even notice when the car arrived at the hospital until her assistant reminded her: "Ms. Li, we're here."
Pulling her thoughts back, a gust of wind brushed past, and Li Li briefly tucked her concerns away. Checking her appearance in the mirror, the moment she leaned out of the car, a perfectly measured, light smile curved her delicate features.
The assistant let out her daily, heartfelt exclamation: "To have a boss with such god-tier beauty—I would die at my desk happily!"
Li Xiang had targeted Li Li for so long because, before Li Li’s return, Li Xiang was widely recognized as the great beauty of their circle. Since Li Li’s return, she had been "slaughtering" the competition with that face, making Li Xiang look pale and lackluster by comparison.
The Ji Family of Gangcheng had raised Li Li with the utmost care, her life one of unbridled luxury. Every detail of her upbringing—from food and clothing to travel—was handled personally by Madame Ji. The Ji family had produced only sons for generations; their wealth was immense and their power unrivaled, but they had lacked a daughter. Li Li’s arrival filled that void, and the entire family poured all their affection onto her.
Li Li had been adorable since she was small. Even when abandoned and wandering the streets, those clear, innocent eyes had instantly captured Madame Ji’s heart. After taking her home and cleaning her up, the family was so stunned by the chubby, pink little bundle that they didn't even bother looking for her biological family, declaring instead that the Ji family now had a princess.
Before the age of ten, Li Li barely touched the ground; from the heads of the Ji family down to the servants, everyone treated her like a deity. If she so much as tripped or scraped her knee, the whole household would be in an uproar. She attended an international school entirely owned by the Ji family; were it not for the fear that she would become socially isolated, Madame Ji and Patriarch Ji would have opened a private class just for her.
At school, Ji Huaiyan provided constant protection. The naturally cold-natured heir transformed into a doting brother, personally picking her up and dropping her off, terrified that his little princess might meet with any mishap. When Li Li expressed a desire to return to the Li family, Madame Ji appeared to accept it with grace, but she spent the entire night weeping at her bedside.
A rose raised by the wealthiest, most powerful family in Gangcheng was naturally the finest in the world. The pride in Li Li’s bones was the nutrient solution that nourished her day and night, soaking this rose until it grew even more breathtakingly vibrant.
The sun dipped low, painting the hospital corridor in shades of gold. Li Li walked down the hall in custom-made, black-bead-encrusted heels, wearing a matching beige trench coat. Passing nurses couldn't help but turn back, their eyes filled with awe as they excitedly grabbed each other’s hands and stomped their feet in excitement: "Ms. Li is here!!"
"Oh my god, her outfit today is so cool!"
"A young lady is a young lady. I look like a bear wrapped in a trench coat, but Ms. Li wears it with such effortless allure, like she's walking a runway."
Li Li’s trench coat belt was cinched tight, highlighting her slender waist, while the open collar revealed her long neck and pale, jade-like collarbones. The curve of the neckline framing her cold, elegant face perfectly balanced charm and arrogance. Her hair, styled in soft curls and dyed a light tea color, made her skin appear luminous. Every strand was meticulously styled.
Li Li owned her own fashion brand and entertainment company; regardless of whether it was a public appearance or private attire, anything she wore sold out instantly. By the time she reached the old lady’s ward, she was already trending online.
Only, today, there was quite a bit more noise than usual.