Seeing that the old man was in good spirits, Zhou Xuan asked, "Grandpa, how are you feeling?" He then turned to Wei Haihong and said, "Brother Hong!"
After sitting down in the living room, Aunt Wang brought over some tea. She casually remarked, "Zhou, have you seen Xiaoqing recently?"
Zhou Xuan immediately felt embarrassed, and the old man couldn't help but sigh when he heard Wei Xiaoqing mentioned.
Zhou Xuan quickly changed the subject, asking, "Is Old Master Li feeling better?"
Wei Haihong had already called Old Li's family to tell them that Zhou Xuan had arrived.
The old man chuckled and said, "Old Li was indeed very suspicious at first. Hehe, after you left, he took his son to the hospital for a checkup. After the X-rays came out, both father and son were stunned. All the shrapnel in their bodies and brains had disappeared without a trace!"
"Then I'm relieved!" Zhou Xuan smiled slightly and said, "I came here firstly to inquire about Old Master Li's health, and secondly to apologize to the old man and Brother Hong. Regarding Xiaoqing's matter, I can only apologize."
"Sigh," the old man sighed, "Forget it, I'm old now, and my children and grandchildren are all grown up. They have their own lives to live, and I, an old man, can't control them."
Brother Hong also sighed deeply and remained silent.
The old man continued, "Don't mention that. You gave me my life. I originally thought that if you could hold Xiaoqing's hand, it would be a way for the Wei family to repay you. Alas, let's not talk about things that aren't meant to be!"
Zhou Xuan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then stood up, saying, "Grandpa, Brother Hong, I'll head back now. Call me if you need anything. Hehe, I bought a cell phone online; I'll write down the number!"
After saying that, he took out a pen and paper and wrote down his phone number. Wei Haihong saved it directly to his phone, then laughed and said, "Little brother, I think you'd better not leave. Uncle Li's third son is here. Once he arrives, you won't be able to leave. Even if you go home, he'll make sure you leave, so as not to scare your family. You'd better just wait here."
"The third son of the Li family?" Zhou Xuan asked in surprise. "I don't know him. It's none of my business if he comes here, is it?"
"How can it not concern you? You saved his grandfather's life. You're their great benefactor now." Wei Haihong said with a smile, "Uncle Li's family are all very straightforward people. They called this third son over this time because they really want to thank you. This kid is notoriously difficult to deal with; he won't give up until he gets what he wants. He's part of the Prince's Gang in Beijing, and he has quite a reputation. He has a nickname: 'Desperate Saburo!'"
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Volume One: The Lotus Buds Just Begin to Emerge, Chapter Two Hundred: The Wine Cup
Li Lei wept for his second son, Li Wei. Zhou Fu understood even more the meaning of "reading the words" – a phrase meant to convey a sense of unease.
Li Wei is twenty-seven years old, about the same age as Zhou Xuan, but he has a baby face and looks only twenty-one or twenty-two. If he hadn't said it himself, Zhou Xuan really wouldn't have believed it.
After arriving at Wei Haihong's house, Li Wei smiled and warmly invited Zhou Xuan to his home.
Zhou Xuan politely declined, saying, "Xiao Li, I really have something to do and don't have time. Please tell Old Li that I thank him for his kindness!"
Li Wei chuckled and greeted the old man and Wei Haihong: "Grandpa, Third Uncle, I'm taking him away!" After saying that, he pulled Zhou Xuan towards the door, while the old man smiled and shook his head.
Despite his baby face, Li Wei had a surprisingly strong grip. He held Zhou Xuan's hand like an iron claw, making Zhou Xuan's wrist ache.
In fact, Old Li always educated his children and grandchildren in his own way. Whether it was his children or grandchildren, they were all strictly trained in military discipline. Li Wei didn't want to be an official or a soldier. He just hung out with a group of princes in the capital. However, the strict military training he received from Old Li since childhood gave him a good physique. He may not have the skills of a guard like A-Chang, but he could easily take on two or three ordinary men.
Although Li Wei was trained very hard from a young age, he did nothing but loaf around all day when he grew up. Although Old Li hated him for being useless, he also doted on this youngest grandson the most, and he let it go as long as he didn't cause any big trouble.
Li's self-justification was that his grandfather, uncles, father, brothers, and sisters were all high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants, and he had no shortage of food or clothing, so why should he bother with anything? He could eat whatever he wanted while sitting or lying down, so he didn't need to do anything.
Although Li Wei was a bit of a scoundrel, he still had some sense of propriety. He generally didn't do things that were against him. He was the type who made a lot of small mistakes but not big ones. In addition, he was very loyal to his friends and ruthless to his enemies. He had a great reputation and was very popular in the circle.
Zhou Xuan helped him into the car. With Zhou Xuan's abilities, he could easily have gotten away from him, but it wouldn't be good if he hurt him. In any case, Li Wei had no ill intentions towards him.
Li Wei arrived in a military jeep. He drove quite fast, and when he arrived at the entrance of the residential area, the security guard recognized him but didn't dare to stop him. He just smiled and quickly opened the gate for him.
After they got on the road, Zhou Xuan said, "Xiao Li, your name is Li Wei, right? Let me tell you, I did have an appointment with a client this afternoon, but I have something to do. How about I come to your house another time?"
Li Wei said with a smile as he drove, "I'll call you Brother Xuan, it'll be better to have a title. It's okay if you don't want to come to my house, I can just make a phone call. But you have to promise me one thing."
"What is it?" Zhou Xuan asked, noticing Li Wei's strange expression. He wondered what Li Wei was up to now.
"Hehe, Brother Xuan!" Li Wei said with a smile, "In our family, I'm not afraid of anyone except my grandfather and my father. But I'm only afraid of my father and grandfather. From what they've said, they seem to have nothing but praise for you. Someone who can be praised so highly by the two of them must be an extraordinary person. But now that I've met you, I'm a little surprised. You're only about my age, right? What are your skills?"
Zhou Xuan said calmly, "He has no Benfeng whatsoever, and he hasn't known your grandfather and father for very long."
Li Wei laughed and said, "Don't be so modest. Do you think I don't know my grandpa and my father's temper? They wouldn't value someone who doesn't have real skills. From the way Grandpa Wei and my third uncle looked at you when they first met you, I knew you were definitely a capable person. So I've decided that from now on, you'll be my elder brother!" With a smile, Li Wei added, "It seems like it would be a bit messy for me to call you elder brother when my father calls you brother. Well..." Li Wei scratched his head awkwardly, then laughed and said, "From now on, you'll be my elder brother outside, but I won't use that title in front of my grandpa and my father."
Zhou Xuan was both amused and exasperated. This kid was acting recklessly, yet he was clearly very sensible. He was childish, yet some of his words were quite mature.
Li Wei released his right hand, then put a finger to his lips to make a shushing gesture, and then pressed a button on the car phone holder, and the phone automatically dialed a number.
The blue Bluetooth light on my ear blinked repeatedly; the call had connected.
"Grandpa, I saw the person, but he had something to do today and couldn't get away. I can't just drag him here, can I?" "Hehe, okay, Grandpa, please talk to my dad. I can play with your little friend for a bit. You have to approve it. Besides, Dad has been keeping me locked up really hard this past week." "If you don't believe me, you can talk to him yourself, okay?"
Li Wei quickly took out the Bluetooth headset and handed it to Zhou Xuan. Zhou Xuan had no choice but to put the headset on his ear and said softly, "Hello, is this Mr. Li? It's me, Zhou Xuan!"
"Oh, hehe, Xiao Zhou, hello, hello! My gratitude towards you is beyond words, which is why I wanted to invite you to my home to give you a proper welcome." Old Li's delighted voice came through the earpiece.
Li Wei gestured to Zhou Xuan, who was mute, to tell him about his situation.
Zhou Xuan said with a wry smile, "Old Li, your third son insists on coming with me. I don't know what he'll do. You know I'm just a country bumpkin with no experience. Coming with me will just mean eating and playing around!"
Old Li chuckled and said, "I know your character well. I feel at ease with Lao San with you. Just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't escape. As long as he's willing, let him follow you around for a few days. As the saying goes, you learn from good people. What do I have to worry about with you? His dad has been keeping him locked up too much these past few days; he'll get suffocated if he stays locked up any longer!"
Zhou Xuan awkwardly hung up the phone and handed the Bluetooth headset back to Li Wei. He thought to himself, now that he had so many little followers, it wasn't appropriate to go home. A young master like Li Wei, who came from a wealthy family, wouldn't have much to talk about with his family. Even if they did, they probably wouldn't have anything to say to each other.
Li Wei turned his head and asked, "Where are we going now? Just do whatever you need to do. Treat me like your secretary, I'm just here to run errands for you!"
"I can't afford to hire someone like you to run errands!" Zhou Xuan scoffed, then thought for a moment. His meeting with Xu Juncheng at six o'clock was still early, so he said, "I have a very important appointment at six. But it's still early, you decide what to do. Just wander around somewhere and make the most of this half-day!"
Li Wei smiled. Couldn't he go to his house with half a day to spare? But Zhou Xuan's reluctance to go suited him just fine. With the old man's personal permission, he could cause as much trouble as he wanted without fear. If he were locked up at home, he really couldn't stand it.
"Then I'll take you to this place!" Li Wei said with a smile, his winking expression making Zhou Xuan feel that he was acting suspiciously.
Zhou Xuan didn't know where Li Wei was driving, so he just sat there and let him drive recklessly. A dozen minutes later, they arrived at an entertainment complex called "Mingzhu Entertainment Complex." Zhou Xuan smiled wryly; Li Wei had indeed brought him to this kind of place.
At the front desk, a slender and elegant young lady greeted him respectfully. Li Wei didn't even glance at them, and simply said, "Get the largest room, the Pearl Room!"