Fortunately, Su Ziyue didn’t seem to blame him. After looking Li Chang’an up and down, he spoke first. "No need to be nervous. I only came here today to see what kind of man has my daughter so captivated she doesn’t even want to come home. Now that I’ve met you, you seem even more outstanding than I’d imagined!"
Li Chang’an replied humbly, "Uncle Su, you flatter me. I suddenly couldn’t get in touch with Ruo Bing, so I may have been a bit rude to you. I hope you won’t take offense."
After the two exchanged a few brief pleasantries, the three of them returned to Linjiang Prefecture City.
The servants at the City Lord’s Mansion had already prepared a lavish banquet. It seemed Su Ziyue had anticipated that Li Chang’an would come.
Throughout the banquet, Su Ziyue drank a great deal, causing Su Ruobing to keep secretly rolling her eyes at her father, but he ignored her completely.
Under normal circumstances, Li Chang’an didn’t touch a drop of alcohol.
But he made an exception today and drank a fair amount.
After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere between the three of them finally relaxed.
Su Ziyue, whether truly drunk or just pretending, was the first to speak. "Chang’an, giving Ruo Bing shares in your company was a nice gesture, but you’ve offended so many people and landed yourself in so much trouble. Didn’t you ever think that Ruo Bing would get caught in the crossfire?"
’After all this beating around the bush, this is the real reason for tonight’s dinner,’ Li Chang’an thought. ’Su Ziyue can only say what he really wants to by pretending to be drunk, giving himself plausible deniability.’
Hearing the slightly probing question, Li Chang’an mulled it over for a moment before nodding. "Of course, I’m aware. But how can you build something great without taking risks?"
"Besides, I’m the one managing Cangxuan City’s technological development and arms production. Ruo Bing just collects a share of the profits; she has no decision-making power in the company. So if they’re going to target anyone, it’s far more likely to be me than her!"
Su Ziyue’s eyes narrowed. He chuckled, "Haha, bold words, young man. But you’ve underestimated how low your enemies will go. You think that by shouldering all the responsibility, your opponents will see you as a thorn in their side and target only you? The reality is the exact opposite. When they hate your guts but realize they can’t touch you, they start going after everyone and everything connected to you..."
Su Ziyue paused, not continuing.
After another sip of wine, he continued with a grin, "To be honest, some people contacted me a while back. They secretly promised me all sorts of benefits, using a mix of threats and temptations. They wanted me to use my own daughter to pressure you, to force you to expose an opening so they could make their move..."
At these words, Li Chang’an’s mind jolted.
The alcohol he’d just consumed seemed to vanish in an instant, leaving him completely sober.
In recent times, the Energy Particle Beam Cannons and Super Electromagnetic Cannons produced in Cangxuan City had become wildly popular. Orders were already backed up into the next year.
The arms market is a fixed-pie game.
The pie is only so big. For every slice Li Chang’an took, the other great families got less.
They were all direct competitors.
Li Chang’an had found it strange. Despite having such a large share of their market encroached upon, the other families had remained quiet for a long time, like timid turtles in their shells.
He never imagined they had actually been making plenty of moves in the shadows; he just hadn’t been aware of them.
Su Ziyue paused, waiting for Li Chang’an to process this before he continued, "I, Su Ziyue, may not be a perfect Patriarch, but I consider myself a decent father. Of course I would never agree to something like selling out my own daughter—especially not when the young man in question is as outstanding as you are!"
"I refused them on the spot, but I kept my guard up. After all, they’d already come to me. After being rejected, would they resort to desperate measures? So I arranged for some people to secretly protect Ruo Bing..."
"And I’m sure you can guess what happened next. This afternoon, Ruo Bing was attacked by three Tier Eight Evolvers. She almost lost her life!"
Hearing this, Li Chang’an finally understood everything.
No wonder Su Ziyue’s tone had been so strange on the call. It was because Su Ruobing’s life had been threatened.
Li Chang’an’s expression darkened. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Uncle Su, I’m sorry. This is my fault. I wasn’t careful enough..."
Su Ziyue waved his hand dismissively and smiled. "Don’t be. You were right about something earlier: how can you achieve anything great without taking on the associated risks?"
"Since Ruo Bing is willing to stick with you through thick and thin, these are risks she must be prepared to face!"
"The angrier those people get, the more desperate and unscrupulous their methods become, the more it proves you’re on the right track. If you weren’t making them feel the sting, they wouldn’t even bother to look your way, would they?!"
Li Chang’an remained silent. ’How can I prevent this from happening again?’ he wondered. But rack his brain as he might, he couldn’t think of a perfect solution.
’When it comes down to it, it’s because I’m still too weak.’
’If I were a Tier Eight Peak or even a Tier Nine Evolver right now, my enemies would have to think twice before pulling any of their dirty tricks.’
’Even the top families of the Main World would have to tread carefully when facing the retaliation of a Tier Eight Peak, let alone a Tier Nine Evolver!’
Seeing Li Chang’an’s silence, Su Ziyue didn’t get angry. Instead, he said with a beaming smile, "My Su Family will find a way to ensure Ruo Bing’s safety. And if you need it—and if you can trust me—I can also send a group of my men to your territory to serve as guards..."
"I believe that with the talent you’ve demonstrated, you won’t disappoint me if you’re just given a little more time!"
At this, Li Chang’an snapped out of his thoughts. He glanced at Su Ruobing, who still looked a bit embarrassed, then back at the beaming Su Ziyue. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, "If Uncle is willing, then of course, I would be grateful!"
’This is no time to worry about pride.’
’Besides, he did have feelings for Su Ruobing.’
’Though he often didn’t want to face it, a man could lie with his mouth, but he couldn’t fool the little guy downstairs.’
Seeing that Li Chang’an wasn’t opposed to getting closer to the Su Family, the smile on Su Ziyue’s face grew even brighter, like an old fox that had just successfully snatched a chicken from the coop.
’Are you kidding me!?’
’My daughter found such a perfect son-in-law. When I first heard the news, I was so happy I was laughing in my sleep. How could I possibly stand in their way?’
’If it weren’t for this incident putting my daughter in danger—which I’m not happy about at all—I would have already been pushing her to set a wedding date and marry Li Chang’an.’
Of course, Li Chang’an was oblivious to these cunning little plans of his.
He was still busy contemplating his next move.
After a little more food and drink, a thoroughly satisfied Su Ziyue made the excuse that he couldn’t hold his liquor and departed, leaving just Li Chang’an and Su Ruobing alone in the massive dining hall.
Seeing that her father had left, Su Ruobing spoke up cautiously, "My dad likes to talk nonsense when he’s drunk. Don’t take what he said to heart. And about today... even if my dad hadn’t stepped in, I could have handled it myself!"
Li Chang’an looked up at Su Ruobing.
Perhaps because of her father’s arrival, the Su Ruobing he saw today was a world away from the cold goddess he was used to. There was a newfound shyness and tenderness about her, making her seem more like a vibrant young woman than the untouchable, ice-queen CEO.
Li Chang’an didn’t say anything, remaining silent for a long while.
Before today, his relationship with Su Ruobing had been somewhat ambiguous, but there had always been an unspoken barrier between them that had never been breached.
But with the sudden appearance of her father, Su Ziyue, that unspoken barrier between them had been shattered.
As a result, they both felt incredibly awkward.
So much so that Li Chang’an found he had no idea what to say.
...