Chen Chaojiang showed no displeasure at Xu Zhengyang's seemingly mature remark. He nodded and said, "Yes, I've thought about it."
"That's good."
The car fell silent again.
...
The capital city.
In that villa in the Jingshi Mountain area.
Li Ruiyu and Li Ruiqing, brothers, sat on the sofa in the living room, drinking tea and talking about some things.
They weren't talking about Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie's engagement, of course. For them, since Li Bingjie was engaged to Xu Zhengyang, there was no need to overthink it. After all, there was no question of a political marriage between them and Xu Zhengyang. Therefore, this so-called engagement was merely a formality—a banquet to let those who needed to know know. That was enough.
What they are talking about now is that some people at the same level, or above, have not lost interest in Xu Zhengyang because of Li Bingjie's engagement to him. On the contrary, they have begun to take this young man with absolutely no fame more seriously.
No one cares anymore about why the trouble Xu Zhengyang caused in Dunsbo, M country, made the Li brothers so concerned and attentive. The fact that Xu Zhengyang was the Li family's prospective son-in-law and that the engagement date had already been arranged was enough to leave everyone speechless.
The question is, now these people are starting to wonder, who exactly is Xu Zhengyang?
It's astonishing that the Li family, which wields immense power in both the military and political spheres, would choose him and marry Li Bingjie, the granddaughter whom Old Master Li doted on most during his lifetime... As the saying goes, even the most meticulous plans can have oversights, and the brothers Li Ruiyu and Li Ruiqing truly overlooked this unusual detail.
In particular, the secrecy surrounding this matter will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among some people within their own faction.
No matter how you explain it, it's hard to avoid the fact that many people have started to pay attention to Xu Zhengyang.
If someone were to investigate secretly, they would not find it difficult to discover just how bizarre and incomprehensible the things Xu Zhengyang has done over the years are.
Jiang Lan suddenly transferred a huge number of shares in Huatong Company to her daughter, Li Bingjie, and then chose to retire as if she had seen through the vanities of the world, even reducing her contact with the outside world. This was even more unbelievable to the Jiang family in Jiangnan. They knew Jiang Lan's personality best, but they couldn't get any explanation from her. Therefore, the Jiang family members questioned Li Ruiyu countless times, both openly and secretly, "What exactly did you do?"
Cracks inevitably appeared.
Fortunately, Jiang Lan is still here, so those people shouldn't be targeting Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie for the time being.
In the game of politics, no one wants to see their powerful faction, which originally belonged to them, turn to the other side.
However, it's inevitable that the Jiang family, along with others, including those at higher levels, will pay close attention to Xu Zhengyang and conduct covert investigations. Moreover, given that Xu Zhengyang suddenly and inexplicably entered such a large family and rose to prominence in one step, bringing him into the sphere of attention of people at this level, it's likely that some foreign institutions will also pay more attention to him.
Li Ruiqing said with a wry smile, "If we really can't hide it, let's reveal Xu Zhengyang's identity little by little. If we handle it well, there shouldn't be any trouble."
"You'll have to ask Xu Zhengyang about that." Li Ruiyu took a deep drag on his cigarette. "You can't see through this kid's thoughts at all, and he hates it when people try to figure out what he's thinking."
"The problem is, we still don't know what he's going to do in this world," Li Ruiqing said helplessly.
Li Ruiyu thought for a moment and said, "Here's what we'll do. You should make arrangements as soon as possible and urge the Ministry of Public Security to launch a nationwide crackdown on organized crime before the Spring Festival. Also, after the New Year, we should also crack down hard on corruption nationwide."
"Hmm?" Li Ruiqing was slightly puzzled.
“Xu Zhengyang is young and impetuous, and he hates evil like poison. We can’t wait for him to do these things.” Li Ruiyu flicked his cigarette ash and frowned. “In recent years, the problems of social order and official corruption have become more and more serious, especially in various places. Officials collude with criminal gangs, which is simply heinous… It’s time to do something about it.”
Li Ruiqing nodded thoughtfully and said, "Yes, if it's really as my father said when he was alive, and Xu Zhengyang discovers all these things, his temper will flare up and he'll cause a huge commotion that the people won't understand."
After a moment of silence in the living room, Li Ruiyu continued, "After the crackdown begins, you need to pay close attention to the relevant aspects to see if it might affect the capital. There are always some people who, even in their current positions, are still forced or willing to do foolish things!"
Li Ruiyu thought for a moment and said, "It's best to give Xu Zhengyang a heads-up beforehand, just in case."
"Yes, I will talk to him."
...
Just as Li Ruiyu and Li Ruiqing had thought, the news that Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie were getting engaged, and that the date had been set long ago, spread in a small circle. At first, some people seemed to understand why they had to go to the embassy level to negotiate because of Xu Zhengyang.
But when they later learned that Xu Zhengyang was a nobody they had never even heard of before, they became confused.
So all eyes began to turn to Fuhe City, that little-known village, and to a family surnamed Xu. They wanted to dig up the history of the Xu family, even their ancestors for eight generations, to find out why he was favored by the Li family and why they had betrothed their precious daughter to him.
On the afternoon of their arrival in Beijing, both sets of parents met and chatted briefly. After that, Li Ruiyu called Xu Zhengyang into his study and spoke with him about the matter privately.
Xu Zhengyang felt a headache coming on after hearing this, and said with a wry smile, "Is it really necessary? What business is it of theirs if I get married? Do you think someone of your status would be jealous of me? Well, speaking of which, Bingjie is indeed very beautiful... but it's none of your business to be jealous, is it?"
"Nonsense!" Li Ruiyu, a man of great status and prestige, especially now that he was about to become the future father-in-law, was utterly ashamed that his son-in-law spoke so rudely in front of him. Yet, Li Ruiyu showed no anger whatsoever. On the contrary, he felt that Xu Zhengyang's words were genuine, but unfortunately... in high-level political circles, where could genuine feelings still exist? After showing anger, Li Ruiyu couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's also a kind of jealousy, isn't it? There are quite a few people who want to marry Bingjie into their families. The old folks wouldn't think that way, but the old folks all have little ones at home."
"Forget it, don't worry about it. You don't need to explain your attitude to them, and you don't need to worry about them finding anything out about me." Xu Zhengyang rubbed his temples and continued, "Sometimes, the more you explain, the more trouble you get. As for them investigating me, let them do what they want... If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear."
"Zhengyang, this is not a matter of whether I have a guilty conscience or not."
“I know, I mean, they shouldn’t do anything wrong.” Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, “I’ve said before that I have a bad temper.”
Li Ruiyu was completely exasperated. Having such a son-in-law was truly a headache for him. He waved his hand and said, "You, Zhengyang, put aside your divine identity for now. This identity cannot be revealed casually, or it will cause a huge mess! Also, if you find anything that upsets you, tell me and I will take care of it for you. Or, tell Rui... um, your second uncle. He can always handle it for you."
Xu Zhengyang smiled and nodded, saying, "That would be perfect. Oh, by the way, I have something to tell you right now."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"I need to find a way to stop those bastards from investigating me at the FBI. I don't have a good impression of them. If they piss me off, I wouldn't mind tearing down their embassy."
Li Ruiyu raised his hand to his forehead, and said with a helpless wry smile, "Okay, okay, I'll do my best."
Xu Zhengyang's thoughts had already jumped to another place. He was thinking that after the engagement, when he talked to Li Ruiyu again, he would have to call him "Dad"... How could he change that? With his divine status, would Li Ruiyu be able to accept being called "Dad" by him?
Volume 5, Spirit Official, Chapter 242: A Low-Key Engagement Banquet
On the day Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie got engaged in Beijing, the weather was terribly gloomy when they woke up in the morning, with a biting wind and thick clouds.
By 11 a.m., the snow began to fall heavily, quickly covering the entire capital city in a blanket of white. However, this was, after all, the capital, unlike the countryside with its vast farmlands and low-rise villages. While the snow-covered landscape was exceptionally beautiful, in this modern metropolis of steel and concrete buildings, apart from a few places that possessed some aesthetic appeal, most areas appeared increasingly discordant, evoking a sense of oppression and ugliness.
Fortunately, it seems that Li Ruiyu did not intend to hold a grand banquet, but wanted to keep the engagement low-key; or perhaps, most of his relatives and friends were too busy with work to attend the engagement banquet.
Therefore, the engagement was simply a banquet held at home with three tables, inviting only a few important figures from the main family and the Jiang family.
Compared to that, it wasn't as grand as the scale of the event held in Xu Zhengyang's hometown village.
Last night, only Li Bingjie, Jiang Lan, Xu Neng, Yuan Suqin, and the nanny, Wu Ma, stayed in the villa. After dinner, Li Ruiyu and Li Ruiqing smiled and said they had some things to do, then left.
Early this morning, the house was bustling with activity. Two chefs and several young women in plain clothes came and busied themselves preparing things. There were also noticeably more armed police officers outside the villa.
It was past eleven o'clock, and Li Ruiyu and his brother had not yet returned. Instead, Li Ruiqing's wife, Miao Anzhi, arrived first with their daughter, son, and nephew. Xu Neng and his wife, along with Jiang Lan and Miao Anzhi, sat down in the upstairs living room to chat.
Li Ruiqing's daughter, Li Bingying, was in her thirties. After exchanging a few polite words with the adults, she went to Li Bingjie's bedroom. Li Bingzhe, on the other hand, was 23 years old and had a serious and cold expression that was completely inconsistent with his age. He sat on the sofa in the living room on the first floor. At this time, the coffee table in the living room had been moved and two large round tables had been placed in its place.
Xu Zhengyang has already driven to pick up his younger sister, Xu Rouyue.
In the living room on the second floor, the four elders had little in common to talk about, especially Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin, who felt increasingly awkward sitting there. It's often said that clothes make the man, but that's not always true. For example, even though Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin were decked out in designer brands, they still couldn't hide their unsophisticated air. Especially when sitting with Jiang Lan and Miao Anzhi, whose every gesture and word exuded elegance and refinement, Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin appeared utterly vulgar.
Of course, no one will underestimate them now.
Fortunately, with Li Bingying's four-year-old son Yang Xi present, the adults managed to avoid awkward silences by teasing the child.
Finally, Jiang Lan and Miao Anzhi said they were going downstairs to see how the arrangements were going, and asked Xu Neng and his wife to wait a moment. Then the two sisters-in-law led little Yang Xi downstairs together. Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to themselves that they had thought it would be a good thing to have such in-laws, but now they felt a lot of pressure.
It seems that being mismatched in terms of social status has its downsides. Fortunately, my son is truly successful.
Yuan Suqin looked at the snowflakes falling outside the window, fluttering wildly in the cold wind, and couldn't help but say with some distress, "Dad, look at the weather today, why is it snowing so heavily... Bingjie is a good girl, but will she become like her mother in the future...?"
"Stop talking nonsense and spouting rubbish." Xu Neng, unusually assertive as the head of the household, reprimanded his wife.
Yuan Suqin dared not say anything more, but she still couldn't shake off the restrained look on her face.
There's an old saying in my rural hometown that's been passed down from who-knows-when: if it's cloudy, windy, rainy, or snowy on the day a family gets married, it means the bride is unruly, and the future parents-in-law will have to be extra careful around her.
So Yuan Suqin, who was already quite nervous, immediately thought of this place.
Goodness, we must be wary of Xiao Yi. Our in-laws are no ordinary family. If our future daughter-in-law bullies us, we won't dare to say a word!
"Dad, you said today is Zhengyang and Bingjie's engagement, but I feel like we're here to suffer?"
Xu Neng glared at him and said, "Why are you looking for trouble? You're not sure what's going on. Our in-laws have been very polite to us and haven't looked down on us. Just keep quiet."
"Are there any other guests coming later?"
How would I know?
...
At this moment, Xu Zhengyang had already driven his sister and Ouyang Ying to the gate of the residential area.
Although a special pass had been prepared for them in advance, the three people were still strictly checked by the security guards at the entrance of the community. Only after they were contacted by phone and granted permission were they allowed to enter the community.
Several guards were standing in front of the villa. After the three got out of the car, they were stopped by the guards again. If Li Chengzong hadn't come out from inside and given the order, they would probably have been subjected to a strict check and a notification.
Ouyang Ying grew up in a wealthy family and considered herself a pampered young lady. The neighborhood wasn't particularly luxurious or grand, and the villas weren't anything special; in every way, they couldn't compare to the extravagance of all the villas her family owned.
However, upon arriving here, Ouyang Ying felt ashamed and embarrassed.
She and Li Bingjie are worlds apart, one in heaven and the other on earth.
Ouyang Ying couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Leaving aside her loss in love, just considering family background, she couldn't compare. She was a pampered daughter of a wealthy family, while Li Bingjie was practically a princess. It's no wonder Ouyang Ying felt a strange sense of comparison; girls, regardless of their status, position, or family background, except for those with Li Bingjie's unique personality, can't escape the innate competitive mentality of women.
Upon entering the house, before Xu Rouyue and Ouyang Ying could even greet her, Jiang Lan stepped forward with a smile and said, "Rouyue, you're here. This must be your classmate. Hmm, they're all so beautiful. Come upstairs and sit for a while."
"Auntie, hello."
Xu Rouyue and Ouyang Ying quickly greeted each other, both looking reserved.
This form of address was something Xu Zhengyang had reminded him of on the way here; he had genuinely overlooked this before, simply addressing people based on their appearance. However, after arriving yesterday and listening to the conversation between both sets of parents, he learned that Li Ruiyu and his wife were actually older than his own parents. It seemed that the difference in living conditions and environment did indeed make his parents appear much older.
Laughing and chatting, Jiang Lan led them upstairs together.
Xu Zhengyang walked behind. As he stepped onto the stairs, he turned his head and glanced at Li Bingzhe, seemingly unintentionally.
Li Bingjie, who had been staring blankly at Xu Rouyue, quickly turned his head away, still keeping a straight face, but his heart was pounding. He had never met a girl who had so deeply moved him. It wasn't that Xu Rouyue was particularly beautiful, but rather that she exuded an invisible, flawless, and refreshing aura. This feeling was unseen, yet perceptible; at least, that's what Li Bingjie thought.
Perhaps it was a case of loving the house because of the house; because of Xu Rouyue's sudden appearance, Li Bingzhe's previous dissatisfaction and contempt for Xu Zhengyang, Xu Neng, and Yuan Suqin as a family of three subsided considerably.
Originally, he was already displeased with the rustic couple when he arrived today. Although Xu Zhengyang was better than his parents, it was still obvious that he came from a poor background. Although Xu Zhengyang gave Li Bingzhe a strange sense of oppression and power, Li Bingzhe was still dissatisfied.
Who are they? How did we become relatives with people like that?
It wasn't that Li Bingzhe looked down on people, but rather that he felt their identities were far too mismatched.
After Xu Rouyue arrived at the living room on the second floor, Li Bingjie and Li Bingying also came out of the bedroom, and everyone sat together on the sofa in the living room and chatted.
Women are always the most sensitive. When Li Bingjie and Ouyang Ying's eyes met, Li Bingjie immediately knew that Ouyang Ying liked Xu Zhengyang, and Ouyang Ying also felt that Li Bingjie had seen through her thoughts. However, she couldn't say these things aloud.
They had barely sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries when Li Ruiyu's voice came from downstairs.
Looking down from the railing, the people upstairs saw Li Ruiyu, Li Ruiqing, six or seven middle-aged men, and two women walk in, followed by Li Binghe and a young man who looked to be about the same age as Xu Zhengyang.
Jiang Lan stood up and gestured for Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie to come downstairs with her.
Sitting on the sofa, Xu Neng and his wife, along with Xu Rouyue and Ouyang Ying, felt their hearts race, filled with anxiety and astonishment. Good heavens, how could they be here? They never expected to see such people in person, alive and well! You see, three of them had faces that, while familiar to ordinary people, were only seen on television.
What surprised them even more was that Xu Zhengyang showed no signs of nervousness or restraint. Under Li Ruiyu's introduction, he remained calm and composed, bowing slightly and addressing her politely. He seemed much more relaxed than Li Bingjie, who appeared shy.
Everyone smiled and chatted politely before sitting down at the innermost table at Li Ruiyu's suggestion.
Li Ruiqing personally went upstairs and invited the nervous and reserved Xu Neng downstairs, where he sat next to Li Ruiyu in the chief seat.