Chapter 67: He Wants to Replace Him.

The two elderly people looked around like weasels in a melon patch, completely baffled as to why these two children of different generations were fighting each other.

Logically speaking, their lives and work should not overlap.

Smoke billowed from the restaurant.

The uncle and nephew were sitting and standing, with several documents on the dining table in between. If interpreted through the lens of a photographer, the dining table and the documents form a clear dividing line between them.

Li Mushi sat in the light, his heart at ease, looking at his little nephew standing in the shadows.

The outcome need not be declared.

Whoever gets anxious will lose.

Li Zhan gritted his teeth. He didn't like playing games with him and wanted to be more direct, but he couldn't be more unrestrained.

The real Li Mushi is not the peaceful and easy-going person he appears to be right now.

"Uncle," Li Zhan's tone softened, "I'm begging you, please let those three go this time, okay?"

The old man and woman were completely baffled: "Let who go?"

Li Zhan: "My classmate."

"How did your classmate get involved with your uncle?"

"......"

Li Zhan didn't say.

For some inexplicable reason, I didn't want to connect Jing Ge and Li Mushi together, and I especially didn't want my elders to know.

It's as if once they realize that many things are beyond redemption.

The aunt brought over new bowls and chopsticks, but Li Mushi waved his hand, signaling her to take them away.

The aunt went down without hesitation.

Li Zhan looked away, an invisible stinging pain as if a giant cactus had smashed into his heart, leaving behind countless tiny thorns.

This is probably the feeling of dissatisfaction and rebellion that a naive young man, fresh out of school, feels when faced with a man who has already attained a high position of power and prestige at a young age.

There is also an extremely subtle emotion.

She wanted to replace him.

I want to be like him.

“The other two classmates apologized to me, and their parents also came to beg me,” Li Mushi said calmly. “There was only one missing. I really thought she was calm and didn’t care. It turns out she was begging someone else.”

Li Zhan's face was grim.

Li Mushi raised his eyelids: "Leave her."

"..." Li Zhan's chest rose and fell slightly. "What do you mean?"

Li Mushi: "This is my warning to my nephew as his uncle. If you implicate your parents and the Li family, I will destroy both of you."

The two elderly people were terrified.

Li Mushi never makes harsh statements.

He can do what he says.

But on this peaceful afternoon, with a calm expression, he spoke harsh words to his nephew that were no different from threats.

This isn't harsh talk; it's a warning, a warning given out of consideration for our family.

Fearing that the uncle and nephew might harbor resentment, the two elders quickly mediated between them.

Li Mushi didn't say anything more, only saying that he had something to do at the company, before getting up and leaving.

With the oppressive feeling gone, the two elders secretly breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Li Zhan aside to persuade him: "Your uncle just has a bad temper, but you really have to listen to him. Look at him, when has he ever made a mistake? He's never missed a question; he's a top student in every subject..."

The thorn in Li Zhan's heart sank even deeper: "Am I that bad?"

"...No, how could you be bad?" the old lady coaxed. "My grandson is the best!"

Li Zhan smiled enigmatically: "Compared to my uncle?"

The old man couldn't take it anymore: "Why do you always compare yourself to him! You have your strengths, but he has a lot of obvious weaknesses! What were you talking about just now, whether it was a person or an event, there must be a source of trouble between you two. Tell me, and Grandpa and Grandma will judge for you!"

A source of trouble?

Li Zhan lowered his eyes and sneered.

Isn't there a little troublemaker around?

-

When Xiao Ai was seeing Jing Ge and Xiao Zhang downstairs, she happened to run into her boss returning home.

The three quickly formed a deep friendship through gossip, and were exchanging contact information as they exited the elevator.

The marble floor reflected the figures coming and going, along with the sounds of voices rising and falling: "Hello, Mr. Li."

Li Mushi nodded in response.

Jing Ge then remembered that his work card was still with him.

People were coming and going on the first floor. Li Mushi was accompanied by several senior executives. Jing Ge avoided getting involved and didn't go up to him. He planned to give the work card to Xiao Ai later and ask her to return it to Secretary Lin.

She had only taken two steps when the man called her in a deep voice: "Jingge".

"..." The three of them stopped at the same time. Jing Ge turned around and said dryly, "Ah, hello, President Li."

Li Mushi's deep eyes showed displeasure: "Aren't you going to call for help?"

"......"

Didn't Xiao Ai just shout that?

Jingge works for an outside company, so he can just nod along. It would be too conspicuous for him to stand out on his own!

And when he called out to her, didn't she add something else?

A group of people stared at them, or rather, stared at Jing Ge.

Xiao Ai and Xiao Zhang pulled and shoved her from behind, so she quickly responded.

Jing Ge touched his employee ID in his pocket and simply stepped forward: "Uncle, here's your employee ID back. Thank you for the treat."

Since it's already so conspicuous, it's better to be open and honest, so as to avoid others guessing and causing unnecessary trouble for them.

Li Mushi took it and asked calmly, "How's the taste?"

“Okay,” Jingge replied obediently. “The beef rice noodle rolls are very thin and chewy, the sweet and sour pork ribs are just the right balance of sweet and sour, the rice crust of the claypot rice is crispy and fragrant, and there’s also fresh shepherd’s purse with sesame oil. Uncle, you have to give the chef a bonus.”

Several executives inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

There's a sense of tension, like when a supervisor comes down to inspect.

I was afraid she would say it wasn't tasty.

Li Mushi raised his lips slightly and handed her the work card again: "Keep it for yourself. Come over when you get tired of eating out."

Jingge hurriedly waved his hands in refusal, saying, "No, no..."

With a single glance from Li Mushi, Jing Ge swallowed the rest of his sentence and put his work card back into his pocket.

"Thank you, Uncle."

"Um."

The elevator arrived, and Li Mushi strode away, with the executives following closely behind.

Xiao Ai shattered into pieces: "You even lied to me and said you didn't like chatting with your elders."

"..." Jing Ge was slow to react. "I didn't talk to them. Who would talk to an elder?"

She always makes excuses to run away when she sees her elders.

"President Li asked you about your taste," Xiao Ai complained. "You could have just said it was delicious, but instead you wrote a whole article about Li's restaurants. Is that what you call a conversation?"

Xiao Zhang was laughing so hard he was practically dumbfounded.

Jing Ge's mouth trembled: "What kind of chatting is this..."

Xiao Ai: "Isn't that what it's called!"

Jingge quickly comforted her, "I mainly don't dare to be perfunctory with him. Don't you know how terrible he is!"

"..." Xiao Ai was somewhat convinced. "You promise you won't tell anyone about our gossip?"

Jing Ge: "I promise, if I tell anyone, I'll make your boss a dog!"

Xiao Zhang: "?"

Xiao Ai: "

What a cruel oath! I'll believe her for now.

As the elevator ascended, the executive reported on the afternoon's work arrangements: "The list has been given to Secretary Lin. Please take a look. If there are no problems, we can send out invitations."

A well-tailored men's suit has strong, smooth lines in the shoulders and arms, and tapers smoothly to the waist, making the wearer appear tall and imposing.

"Um."

"And another thing," the executive continued, "the bonuses for all departments have been finalized..."

Li Mushi looked at himself in the elevator car: "I've seen it."

Executive: "Okay, if you have no objections, the finance department will proceed accordingly..."

The man slightly twitched his chin as he looked at him: "Don't chefs get year-end bonuses?"

"Ah, yes, because it's outsourced."

"Um."

Seeing his expression and recalling what had just happened, the executive immediately asked, "So, how about this year's payout?"

“No need,” Li Mushi said calmly. “Don’t break the rules. I’ll arrange one for them privately.”