At this moment, the four-story luxury villa was brilliantly lit. The ground floor, together with the front lawn and swimming pool, formed a semi-open-air banquet venue.
As the host, Li Ting wore a dark green haute couture satin gown with a matching cashmere shawl. Even approaching fifty, she remained strikingly elegant.
Guests raised their glasses around her in flattery.
“Director Ting, congratulations. The Ji Sheng project isn’t something just anyone can take on—you really have the capability.”
Another person quickly joined in.
“Director Ting, let me toast you as well. Our Fang family was able to get a share in the Ji Sheng project thanks to your support.”
Li Ting smiled lightly, maintaining perfect social etiquette. “You’re too kind, both of you. It’s a mutual success.”
She scanned the venue and then hooked her arm through her husband’s. “Yu Feng, entertain everyone well. I’ll go inside for a moment.”
Lin Yufeng had married into the Li family.
Over the years, he was both Li Ting’s considerate husband in private and her right-hand man in business.
At her instruction, he immediately nodded in agreement.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Ting stepped inside in her high heels. She placed her wine glass on a servant’s tray, her polite smile disappearing.
“Where’s Xiao Sheng?”
The servant replied truthfully, “Young Master just drank some sobering soup and is changing clothes upstairs.”
Li Ting frowned. “No sense of propriety.”
Li Sheng’s room was on the third floor. When Li Ting pushed the door open, she saw him slowly adjusting his tie, still slightly intoxicated.
Mother and son met eyes.
Li Sheng rubbed his aching temples. “Mom, why did you come up here?”
“You still have the nerve to ask? Do you know what kind of occasion tonight is?”
Li Ting noticed the hickey on his shoulder and grew even more annoyed.
“You didn’t even come back early to help, and you were out fooling around last night?”
Despite her scolding, she still stepped forward to fix his tie.
Li Sheng tilted his head slightly. “Can I just not go down tonight? My head hurts from drinking.”
It had been less than a week since that humiliating banquet. He really didn’t want to face such a scene again—especially the mocking looks from guests.
Li Ting said angrily, “So just because that Jing Shun said a few words in front of others, you can’t show your face anymore? Don’t tell me you’ve really taken a liking to that cripple?”
“Mom!”
Li Sheng immediately stopped her, grinding his teeth.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Why would I like him? I’m not into men.”
He had only approached Jing Shun in the first place because of his looks and status as an actor—having him as a “friend” made him look good in public.
As for the confession, there had been some selfish calculation involved, but he hadn’t expected Jing Shun to break his legs—or lose his mind—and publicly humiliate him despite years of acquaintance.
Li Ting straightened his tie. “Enough. Stop with your useless schemes. Listen to me—”
“Tonight’s guests are all influential figures in the business world. I will officially announce that the Ji Sheng project will be handed over to you.”
“In this circle, what matters is profit. Whoever holds project authority has status. Your little matters of love and sentiment won’t matter in half a month.”
Li Sheng’s drunken haze cleared a little.
“Mom, aren’t you worried about that one in the north building finding out? You deliberately held the banquet at home.”
From the past three generations, the Li family had an unwritten rule: only the family head—or someone authorized by the head—could hold banquets within the estate.
In other words, only the true authority of the Li family had this right.
A trace of hatred flashed in Li Ting’s eyes.
“So what if that bastard finds out? The Ji Sheng project is already set in stone.”
“Li Sheng, as long as you behave, your father and I will help you reclaim everything that belongs to our main branch.”
Mother and son were united.
Li Sheng smirked confidently.
“Don’t worry, Mom. One day, I’ll make Li Gui get out of that seat that doesn’t belong to him.”
…
The two returned downstairs. Lin Yufeng immediately approached.
“All the guests have arrived. Shall we go up to speak?”
Li Ting nodded and took her husband’s arm again.
Seeing his parents’ affectionate backs, Li Sheng lifted his chin smugly. He grabbed a glass of whiskey from a server and followed.
“Good evening, everyone. First of all, thank you for coming…”
Li Ting began her speech, drawing everyone’s attention.
“The purpose of tonight’s banquet is twofold.”
“First, to celebrate that our Li Group’s Run Guang Technology has successfully secured the Ji Sheng Biological Project, which will soon enter a ten-year research and investment cooperation with relevant authorities.”
“Second, to announce that my son, Li Sheng, will fully take over and be responsible for this project. We ask for everyone’s continued support.”
The moment she finished speaking, admiration filled the room.
Industry insiders had previously estimated that the Ji Sheng project could generate at least 1.5 billion RMB annually.
A ten-year contract meant enormous profits for Run Guang Technology—and Li Sheng’s status and the entire main branch’s wealth would skyrocket.
But before the applause could begin, a commotion erupted at the back of the crowd.
“Chairman Li is here!”
“Mr. Li is here?”
Amid the rising exclamations, guests instinctively parted to form a path.
Li Gui walked in steadily, his presence cold and commanding. He instantly became the center of attention.
Beside him were his usual assistants—and unexpectedly, a young man in a wheelchair.
Half of the young man’s face was wrapped in a black scarf, but his features were still visible: pale, soft, and refined, especially those strikingly delicate eyes.
Li Gui did not walk quickly, seemingly matching the wheelchair’s pace.
Whispers spread.
“Who is that young man beside Mr. Li? Never seen him before.”
“To walk alongside Mr. Li, his background must be extraordinary.”
“Wait… he looks kind of familiar?”
Jing Shun ignored the murmurs and stared directly at Li Sheng on the stage.
……
Li Sheng’s grip tightened around his glass.
Meanwhile, the main branch couple was clearly unprepared for this intrusion and exchanged glances.
Regaining composure, Li Ting stepped down.
“Why are you here?”
Though they were half-siblings, there was never any real familial warmth between them.
Li Gui did not answer immediately. Instead, he swept his gaze over the guests calmly, like an eagle surveying its territory.
“Quite lively here, elder sister.”
Someone from the crowd—the Fang family head—quickly spoke up.
“Mr. Li, Director Ting secured the Ji Sheng project, so we’re here to celebrate.”
“Celebrate?”
Wei Di, standing behind, seized the moment.
“Director Ting, isn’t it a bit early to open champagne halfway through?”
Li Ting’s expression darkened. “What do you mean?”
Wei Di produced a document stamped with an official seal.
“Internal information from the boss: Fang Group, which partnered with Run Guang on this project, has long had violations and data manipulation issues. After review by authorities, Run Guang has already lost eligibility to continue cooperation.”
“Fortunately, Mr. Li intervened. Starting next week, the Li Group will officially take over the project core. The contract was signed this afternoon.”
“Director Ting, didn’t you know?”
The room erupted.
“That’s impossible!”
Li Ting snatched the document, scanning it rapidly.
The Fang representative panicked and rushed forward.
“Director Ting, listen to me—those numbers were within acceptable range! It wouldn’t have caused any real issue!”
What had he done to offend Li Gui? Why was he targeting their family?
If they were blamed for ruining the project, their entire reputation would be finished!
Li Ting slammed the document back at him, glaring at Li Gui.
“Was this your doing?!”
Li Gui remained calm.
“If the group steps in, Run Guang can still get a share through family ties. Otherwise, you’ll get nothing at all.”
Everyone present understood exactly what was happening, even if they stayed silent.
Li Sheng gritted his teeth.
“Uncle, so we should be thanking you?”
Li Gui glanced at him.
“You’re not qualified to be project lead.”
A single sentence shut him down completely.
Jing Shun watched quietly, then smiled faintly.
He didn’t care who owned the project. But he could clearly see that Li Gui had set everything up in advance—only to appear as if he were rescuing the situation at the last moment.
No wonder Li Sheng hated him so much.
But times had changed.
Jing Shun added lightly, “Young master Li is only good at chasing after romance. He’s indeed not qualified.”
Li Sheng’s expression froze. “Ah Jing!”
Li Ting snapped, “What are you? How dare you slander my son?”
Unable to confront Li Gui directly, she turned her anger toward Jing Shun instead.
……
Li Gui’s gaze darkened slightly.
“You should ask what your son actually is.”
Jing Shun didn’t flinch.
“Shouldn’t that be obvious? I remember Li Sheng was quite close with Fang family’s young master Fang Yu—birds of a feather.”
“He was the one who brought Fang family into the project, right? How impressive.”
That simple remark struck straight at the heart of the matter.
Li Ting’s face turned ashen.
“……”
Chuigui lowered his eyes to look at the person in the wheelchair—Jing Shun—and didn’t expect that someone standing outside the situation could still have such a quick mind.
A short, almost imperceptible laugh escaped him. Casually, he placed his hand on the back of the wheelchair.
The guests who saw this were even more shocked.
What exactly is the relationship between this young man named Jing Shun and Chuigui? It clearly didn’t look like an ordinary friendship.
Soon, someone reacted.
“Wait! I remember now!”
“My daughter said a few days ago that the eldest young master of the Chu family was pursuing Jing Shun—he even booked an entire banquet hall to confess, but Jing Shun rejected him outright and followed Chairman Chu instead!”
“There’s such a thing?”
“The nephew and uncle competing over the same person? That can’t be real, right?”
“……”
Chen Yiming appropriately interrupted the gossip nearby.
“Everyone, our chairman has already arranged a warm banquet at the main residence. The shuttle cars are ready at the entrance. You are welcome to move over at any time.”
The guests looked at each other, many already tempted.
No matter how powerful the Chu family’s first branch was, how could they compare to Chuigui, the true head of the family? Who wouldn’t want to build even a slight connection with him?
Since Chuigui was usually low-profile, they rarely had the chance to curry favor—this opportunity felt like it had fallen from the sky.
One by one, opportunistic guests could no longer resist. After exchanging perfunctory words with the first branch couple, they began heading out.
Soon, more followed.
Before long, more than half of the guests had left.
A celebration banquet turning into this mess right at the start—if word got out, where would the first branch put their dignity?
Chu Ting could no longer hold back.
“Chuigui! Don’t go too far!”
Chuigui lazily rotated the ring symbolizing the authority of the family head and glanced over.
“Big sister, your appetite has gotten a bit too large recently. Aren’t you afraid of choking on it?”
A clear warning hidden in plain words.
Lin Yufeng quietly stopped his wife.
“Ah Ting, don’t act impulsively.”
After all, Chuigui was the current family head and chairman. Going against him openly never ended well—the downfall of previous collateral branches was proof enough.
“You useless man!”
Chu Ting shot her husband a furious glare and stormed off in her heels. Lin Yufeng forced an awkward smile at Chu Sheng and quickly followed.
Chuigui didn’t care about the couple’s argument. He lightly tapped the back of Jing Shun’s wheelchair.
“Let’s go.”
Most guests had already headed toward the main residence under his presence, and the rest of the night would still need to be dealt with.
Jing Shun nodded and turned the wheelchair.
On the stage, Chu Sheng called out instinctively.
“Ah Jing!”
……
But Jing Shun acted as if he hadn’t heard and continued forward without a word.
Chu Sheng was about to go after him, but he suddenly met Chuigui’s heavy gaze. His steps froze—he didn’t dare move again.
Five minutes later, the shuttle stopped at the main residence entrance.
The main residence had already been prepared for the banquet. Pavilions, corridors, and flowing water scenery stretched out in view—the scale was even more extravagant than the first branch’s venue.
Jing Shun couldn’t help thinking:
People always say actors in the entertainment industry make quick money and live glamorous lives, but compared to true elite families, it was still far behind.
A single banquet here probably cost more than the investment of a low-budget film.
“Right now, many guests are probably guessing your identity. If you don’t want to be disturbed later, just stay by my side the whole time. No one will dare cause you trouble.”
Chuigui suddenly turned back as he spoke. Jing Shun almost bumped into him.
He looked up slightly, surprised.
“No need to clarify our ‘relationship’ to everyone?”
“These guests are all sharp. Those who should guess will naturally guess.” Chuigui’s eyes flickered faintly in the dim light. “If you think it’s necessary, I can announce it publicly.”
Jing Shun hesitated. “You’re the client. You decide.”
Chuigui looked away, calm and clear-headed.
“Most of the time, imagination spreads faster than the truth. And…”
He paused, eyes carrying a meaning others couldn’t read.
“…if you ever regret this agreement in the future, you’ll still have a way out.”
Those words made Jing Shun’s heart tremble slightly.
At that moment, a group of eager guests approached.
“Chairman Chu, you’ve finally arrived.”
“Mr. Chu, what an honor…”
They quickly surrounded Chuigui, trying to ingratiate themselves.
Jing Shun, seated in his wheelchair, was almost completely overshadowed. He quietly turned back, not intending to join the exchange of politeness and calculation.
Buzz.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. An unknown number: “Ah Jing…”
He only saw the beginning and immediately blocked it. As his fingers brushed the cold phone again, a chill crept into his heart.
Lowering his lashes, Jing Shun’s expression darkened slightly. He asked Chen Yiming:
“Assistant Chen, where is the restroom? I need to go.”
Chen Yiming pointed. “Shall I take you there?”
“No need. Stay here with Mr. Chu.” Jing Shun glanced at Chuigui, still surrounded by people. “I’ll ask a staff member to guide me. I’ll be right back.”
The noise of the banquet faded behind him.
After confirming he was out of sight, Jing Shun dismissed the attendant he had called and did not go in the direction indicated.
Instead, he turned into a corridor.
The old mansion was dim in areas outside the banquet zone, but every few steps there were faint surveillance lights, making it seem safe.
The wheelchair rolled softly over the stone floor.
Behind him, footsteps gradually became clearer.
Jing Shun stopped.
His expression turned cold.
“Chu Sheng, are you done yet?”