Li Yunhui hadn’t seen Li Zhengshen in a long time.

The last time they met face-to-face was about three years ago. Back then, Qi Wendong had just returned to the Qi family and had even attended the banquet held for his return to the country.

As for meeting online, the opportunities were just as pitifully few.

But every time they met, it was always just like today—

The moment Li Zhengshen opened his mouth, the annoyance in Li Yunhui’s heart would become so intense that he immediately wanted to kick over the table and storm out!

If it were before, Li Yunhui would have definitely done so.

But today, he wasn’t the only one facing Li Zhengshen. If he threw a tantrum and left, what would Shuyun do?

Li Yunhui forced himself to look away, suppressed his temper, and said to Li Shuyun in an equally calm tone, “It’s alright, Shuyun. We’re just looking for a reference for the project. The materials will be enough. I’ll study them with you then.”

Li Yunhui didn’t want to say a single word to Li Zhengshen, let alone echo or agree with him.

Unfortunately, on this matter, he and Li Zhengshen happened to share the same attitude. Li Yunhui simply pretended Li Zhengshen didn’t exist and stated his own position.

But how could that work?

Li Shuyun looked at his dad, then at his brother, his eyes downcast. He said softly to Li Zhengshen, “Dad, I won’t run around. Just like before I came back to the country, I’ll be very obedient! It’s just… I haven’t seen you in three months, Dad. I miss you a little.”

Li Shuyun spoke softly and gently, his words direct and sincere.

Li Zhengshen was silent for a moment, his stance softening slightly. He said slowly, “If you insist on coming…”

“No.” Li Yunhui’s eyes snapped open.

He cut off Li Zhengshen’s words bluntly, his eyes fixed on the man in the video. “How can you let Shuyun go to such a dangerous place?”

Li Zhengshen turned his gaze to him. “Oh? So you finally know my place is dangerous?”

Li Yunhui said coldly, “Don’t try to trap me with these word games. Let’s deal with one thing at a time. It’s not suitable for Shuyun to go. If anyone’s going, it’s me!”

Li Zhengshen didn’t even blink. His tone was flat as he made the final decision. “Then neither of you should even think about coming.”

The system, listening in, grew anxious. “Aiya, Host, how come these two look like they’re about to start a fight after just exchanging a few words!”

In just a few sentences, the air in the room had grown thick.

But Li Shuyun seemed completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere and inserted himself into the conversation very naturally.

He first said softly to Li Yunhui, “Brother, how can you be like this? Why can you go, but I can’t?”

Then he said gently to Li Zhengshen, “Dad, but aren’t you so lonely over there by yourself?”

Li Shuyun said with heartache, “Look, Dad, you’re injured now, but there’s no one there to take care of you. If I were there, wouldn’t I be able to stay and take care of you?”

These gentle words, so out of place with the atmosphere, instantly dissipated the tension. Both Li’s gazes were captured by Li Shuyun.

Li Zhengshen touched the spot on the bandage where blood was seeping through. He lowered his eyes and rubbed his fingers together; there was indeed blood on them.

He said nonchalantly, “It’s nothing, a small injury.”

Li Shuyun said with concern, “But it’s your neck that’s injured! What if it had been a little off and hit a major artery? Dad, how did you get this injury?”

Li Zhengshen casually lit a cigarette, holding it between his fingers without smoking, and said concisely, “A competitor used dirty tricks. Don’t ask these useless questions. If you have any other questions, say them quickly. I have to leave in five minutes.”

The system was jumping up and down listening. “Aiya! Does Boss One even know how to talk? This is the time he should be dramatically describing how painful the injury is, how dangerous the opportunities are over there, and use this chance to refuse your visit!”

Lin Chen glanced at Li Yunhui.

He saw Li Yunhui standing there with his lips downturned and his eyes lowered, not uttering a single word, as if he hadn’t heard any of their conversation.

Li Shuyun said with disappointment, “So soon…”

He thought seriously for a moment, his eyes lighting up as he said expectantly, “Dad, my brother and I need lots and lots of materials from war-torn areas for our project. Since you won’t let me go over, can we set a time every day for you to tell me stories about what it’s like over there?”

Li Zhengshen listened patiently, then answered bluntly, “No.”

Li Yunhui took a deep breath, his fists clenched tightly.

Li Shuyun’s eyes dimmed.

Li Zhengshen paused for a moment, then said, “I’ll have my subordinates find a place on the road and set up a camera to live-stream for you all day.”

Li Shuyun’s eyes lit up. “Really, Dad?”

He smiled and turned back to ask Li Yunhui, “Brother, what do you think?”

Li Yunhui didn’t think much of it.

Perhaps it was a good suggestion in itself, but when the suggestion came from Li Zhengshen’s mouth, everything about it was tinged with a color that he felt he should oppose.

He glanced at the pure joy in his brother’s eyes and, after a moment of silence, still didn’t want to ruin his good-brother image in his brother’s heart.

He looked away and said, “You decide. You talk to him. I have something to do, I’ll wait for you outside.”

Li Yunhui was worried his brother might misinterpret his tone as being directed at him.

So after speaking, he deliberately and gently stroked his brother’s head, then, without even glancing at the video, turned and left the room.

Lin Chen watched Li Yunhui’s departing back, sighed, closed the door, and turned back to say to Li Zhengshen, “Boss One, you and Li Yunhui…”

He paused tactfully, hoping Li Zhengshen would get the meaning himself.

Unexpectedly, Li Zhengshen said, “You’ve taught him well. He actually didn’t yell at me today. Some progress.”

He glanced at his quartz watch. “Five minutes are up. I have to get busy. Contact me on Green Letter if there’s anything.”

Lin Chen: “…”

The video call ended. Lin Chen sank into quiet contemplation for a moment, then smiled. “Not bad, huh?”

…

Li Yunhui stood in the corridor outside the door.

His hands rested on the corridor windowsill, and he looked out at the scenery with some annoyance.

After waiting for about a few minutes, the sound of a door opening came from behind him.

Li Yunhui turned around.

He saw the soft, brown-haired young man walk out of the bedroom and come to his side.

There was a distance of less than three centimeters between their arms.

His brother stood half-turned, his body leaning slightly against the windowsill, his eyes focused entirely on him, filled with a pure and clear affection and trust for him, his older brother.

“Brother.”

When his brother spoke to him, his voice was always very gentle too.

Li Shuyun: “I’m done talking with Dad. Dad went to work.”

Li Yunhui: “…Mm.”

Li Yunhui had no interest at all in what his brother and Li Zhengshen had talked about after he left.

He didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t even want to hear about it.

Unfortunately, his brother seemed oblivious to his expression and continued to say, “I’ve agreed with Dad to do as we just discussed. In a bit, Dad will find a relatively safe place on his end and set up a camera for us to watch all day.”

His brother gave a faint smile and said, “I think this method is pretty good. Although I can’t see Dad, it’s a fairly constant source of inspiration for the project.”

Li Yunhui let out a light, annoyed “tsk.”

To be honest, he was also somewhat interested in this so-called live stream.

After all, when he went abroad to find Li Zhengshen three years ago, he was also placed alone in a secluded villa at least several tens of kilometers away from the company headquarters.

The villa had complete security, and Li Zhengshen would return to live there when he wasn’t busy and meet with him.

But he was never allowed to go out.

Li Zhengshen’s workplace? He hadn’t seen it even once!

So much so that during those two months abroad, his life experience was a hundred times more boring than back in the country!

But…

Letting Shuyun watch along?

Li Yunhui was hesitant, a little uneasy.

If what the live stream showed was a level of “thrill” on par with extreme sports, would this not become a second bait to lead his brother astray?

Perhaps his silence was a bit too long.

Li Shuyun called out to him, anxious and worried, “Brother?”

Only then did Li Yunhui snap back to reality.

He forced a smile for his brother. “Oh, that’s great. This will be a unique resource for us.”

Li Shuyun stared at him without blinking.

He suddenly asked, “Brother, what happened between you and Dad?”

Li Yunhui’s smile froze, and his lips slowly returned to a straight line.

Li Shuyun tilted his head and said softly, “Actually, I could tell, brother. From the moment I connected the video call with Dad, you were in a very bad mood.”

He thought seriously for a moment and asked, “Is it because Dad cut off your living expenses before?”

Li Yunhui: “…”

Li Yunhui sighed silently at his brother’s innocence. “Of course not. Cutting off my living expenses was just a means he used to threaten me.”

He was silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but ask, “You and Li Zhengshen seem to have a very good relationship. Do you like him a lot?”

Li Shuyun found this question a bit hard to understand. “Brother, why would you ask that?”

Li Yunhui asked with confusion, “Just like how he would use cutting off my living expenses to threaten me, to make me act and decide according to his preferences. Don’t you think he’s a bit too controlling?”

Li Yunhui tried to describe his feeling. “It’s like… like a great emperor from a feudal society. He has a little bit of power, so he thinks he has the final say in everything. He doesn’t trust our abilities, and even less respects our choices!”

Li Shuyun thought seriously and said, troubled, “Dad’s tone is indeed not very good. But… isn’t Dad just concerned about us?”

“Just like how you worry about my safety, brother, and don’t let me do extreme sports. Dad not allowing me to go over to him today, isn’t that also because he’s worried I’ll encounter danger?”

Li Shuyun said softly, “You’re both doing it for my own good. I understand.”

Li Yunhui: “…I am indeed coming from that place. But Li Zhengshen?”

He gave a self-deprecating laugh and asked, “Look at him. Does he look like someone who would think about and worry about others?”

Li Shuyun hesitated. “Is… isn’t that the case?”

Li Yunhui didn’t say anything.

He didn’t hate Li Zhengshen to that extent, nor would he, because of his own emotions, insist on making his brother’s relationship with Li Zhengshen as stiff as his own.

He glossed over the topic lightly. As he watched his brother run off again to look through project books, he hesitated by the window for nearly ten minutes.

Only then did he slowly, sluggishly, take out his phone, search for Li Zhengshen’s name in his contacts, and concisely type out a line of text:

[Show him some sufficiently dangerous scenes. Dispel his thoughts.]