Li Mocheng had grown up by his father’s side and was trained as the successor, so scenes like this were nothing new to him.
But seeing lives laid out across the ground, blood spreading through the streets, and pedestrians fleeing in panic still stirred something in him.
Not to mention—if he had arrived at the meeting earlier, even if he hadn’t died, he would not have escaped injury.
At that moment, the driver returned after checking the situation.
“Young Master, it was an internal conflict within the Axe Gang that affected the business meeting. Several young masters who came today are already dead. It’s really fortunate—you were delayed by the little miss! Otherwise, we…”
At this point, the driver’s face flushed with shame.
He regretted complaining earlier.
That little child wasn’t troublesome at all—she had saved both his and the young master’s lives!
“Head back,” Li Mocheng ordered calmly.
The driver, afraid the gang might return, quickly drove away.
When Li Mocheng arrived home, Li Mobing was just about to rush out. Seeing the car stop at the gate, he froze for a moment, then hurried over and asked the driver,
“I just heard something happened at the meeting. How is my big brother?”
Standing by the car, sweat dampened his bangs, and his delicate face flushed slightly from anxiety.
Before the driver could answer, the rear window slowly rolled down, revealing Li Mocheng’s calm face.
Li Mobing immediately leaned in to confirm. “Big Brother, I was just about to go save you. Thank goodness you’re alright!”
Li Mocheng glanced at him coldly and didn’t get out of the car.
“Were you going to save me, or watch the show? You know the answer yourself. Seeing me return safely—you must be disappointed.”
“I… of course not! Even if we’re not from the same mother, I’ve always treated you as my real brother. Thinking of me like that really hurts!” Li Mobing clutched his chest dramatically.
Li Mocheng let out a cold snort, his handsome face aloof. “If you were going to ‘save’ me, you should’ve at least brought some men. Next time you act, make it more convincing. Drive.”
“But I didn’t have time to gather people—hey?”
The car drove off, leaving Li Mobing standing there alone, his lips twitching.
“Good intentions wasted. I shouldn’t have bothered!”
…
When Li Mocheng returned to his residence, Song Zhenzhen had already received news of the incident and was anxiously arranging people to go rescue him.
“Mocheng, are you alright?” Seeing her son safe, she grabbed his arm and checked him over repeatedly.
“I’m fine. I had something to deal with earlier and arrived late, so I happened to miss it,” he replied.
“Thank heavens!” Song Zhenzhen clasped her hands and muttered prayers.
At that moment, the Old Master and Old Madam also hurried back after hearing the news. Seeing Li Mocheng safe at home, they finally relaxed.
“Those heartless gangs, harming so many lives for petty gains—they’ll get their retribution sooner or later!” the Old Madam said angrily.
Li Mocheng said nothing, but his thoughts drifted to the delay that morning caused by Wanwan. A trace of gratitude rose in his heart.
“Grandma, where is little sister now?” he asked, unable to wait to see her.
The Old Madam was surprised. “Why are you suddenly looking for her?”
Suppressing his emotions, his voice softened when he mentioned Wanwan. “This morning I helped her save a baby sparrow. I want to check if it’s still alive, so she won’t be sad.”
“You mean you missed the incident because you helped Wanwan save the sparrow?” the Old Madam exclaimed.
The Old Master also grew emotional. “Ever since Wanwan came, my illness was cured. And now she unknowingly saved you as well. She truly is the lucky star of our Li family!”
“Yes, exactly!” the Old Madam agreed repeatedly.
Hearing this, Song Zhenzhen—who had previously been somewhat displeased at being told to take special care of the fifth wife and her daughter—suddenly understood. She began to think the little girl really did carry some good fortune.
“A Cheng, since Wanwan helped you avoid this disaster, you must treat her well in the future and set a good example as her elder brother,” she instructed.
“Yes. I’ll go see her now,” Li Mocheng replied before leaving.
…
“Big Brother!”
The moment Wanwan saw him, she ran toward him like a little cannonball, her pink dress fluttering like a lively little fairy.
Li Mocheng smiled gently. Before she could reach him, he crouched down and caught her securely in his arms.
“Slow down. Look at you—you’re sweating all over from playing,” he said, taking out a handkerchief and gently wiping her face, showing no trace of嫌弃.
Zhang Nan stepped out upon hearing the commotion and froze at the sight of her daughter being held and doted on by the eldest young master.
In just over a month, Wanwan had not only won over the Old Master and Old Madam—even Li Mocheng had grown so close to her.
“Fifth Mother, I’ll take Wanwan to my place to play for a while,” Li Mocheng said.
Zhang Nan snapped back to her senses. It was the first time she had heard him call her “Fifth Mother.” She felt both flattered and overwhelmed.
Seeing her still standing there, Li Mocheng took it as silent consent and carried Wanwan away.
Along the way, servants greeted him.
“Young Master.”
Li Mocheng stopped, his gaze turning cold as he looked at them.
“Didn’t you see the little miss?”
The servants quickly bowed deeply. “Little Miss!”
Only then did Li Mocheng nod in satisfaction. Before leaving, he warned, “From now on, greet the little miss properly. Remember that.”
“Yes.”
After he left, the servants wiped cold sweat from their foreheads and spread the message throughout the courtyard.
“Remember, you must greet the little miss properly. If the young master finds out we’re disrespectful, we’ll be in serious trouble!”
“She’s only been here a short time, yet the Old Master, Old Madam, and now even the eldest young master value her so much?”
“Don’t you know? Today, the young master delayed attending the business meeting to help her—and that delay saved his life!”
“So the little miss is quite extraordinary…”
At that moment—
Li Mobing, on his way to see the Old Master, passed by and noticed their tense expressions. He stopped.
“What are you talking about?”