Chapter 66: An Unintentional Success

After dominating the front pages of newspapers and magazines for several days as the "youngest beauty pageant winner," Li Sishi finished her scheduled radio and television interviews, and then, as she mentioned in the interviews, she went back to keeping a low profile and resumed her studies and artistic pursuits.

She will be taking the university entrance exam in the middle of this year, so apart from the Hong Kong Miss duties she must fulfill and the schedule to maintain a certain level of exposure, Zhuang Menghua and Lu Yiting do not plan to give her any more tasks. Since Li Sishi was selected, she has always been promoting the slogan of "beauty and wisdom are equally important". If her studies are neglected for the sake of exposure, it would be a case of forcing growth and losing more than she gains.

The most appropriate approach would be to encourage and support Li Sishi to get into a good university, and then increase her workload after she steps down during the summer vacation.

Hong Kong people are notoriously forgetful. After the reports of Lee Sze-sze winning two championships were over, everyone who had been talking about it turned their attention elsewhere, enjoying other gossip while preparing for the Lunar New Year.

As the year draws to a close, the atmosphere of the Lunar New Year in the port city is always particularly strong, especially in old streets like Liu Street. Whenever Li Sishi goes back, she sees a vibrant and dazzling array of gold and red, revealing people's anticipation for the Lunar New Year.

Correspondingly, the number of activities, both large and small, visiting various community nursing homes and orphanages has gradually increased. Ordinary evening events are easy to postpone, but charity events organized and hosted by the Li Xian Association are not so easy to postpone.

After all, the Li Xian Association is the only charity organization in the world founded by beauty pageant contestants. Almost all of its members are Li Sishi's "seniors," and quite a few members have used the Li Xian Association as a springboard to marry into wealthy families. So, out of respect for those former Miss Hong Kong contestants and socialites, Li Sishi, as a junior and a newly minted celebrity with two titles, would definitely have to accept any invitation.

For a young girl in a port city, a beauty pageant is a bridge to a whole new world, using her beauty and intelligence as capital. The social circles that follow the beauty pageant are even more intense and realistic competitions. They analyze, dissect, comment on, and compare her from various aspects such as personality, family situation, career development, and network resources. If she is lacking in any of these aspects, she is destined to be unable to squeeze into the social circles.

Previously, due to her background as a "fallen heiress," even though Li Sishi won the Miss World third runner-up title, she could only be considered a prospective member pending evaluation, and therefore had no opportunity to participate in the Li Xian Association's organizational activities.

Until recently, when she won the Miss Chinese International Pageant for the second time, rumors circulated that she might have returned to the upper class due to her mother's remarriage.

Rumor has it that Li Xianhui, who particularly values ​​the word "noble" after "wealth and honor," finally gave her his approval.

If she declines an invitation from such an elite socialite circle, the next day someone in the newspapers and magazines will be writing articles criticizing her for being "arrogant after gaining power," "disrespectful," and "unworthy of respect for elders"...

Anyway, she needed proof of social activities to apply for university, so she could take this opportunity to enhance her image: Although there was infighting among the members of "Li Xian Hui", there were no scandals or controversies on the surface. It was considered a well-known charitable organization that was enthusiastic about public welfare. In contrast, the reputation of another murky Miss Asia gathering, "Ren Mei Hui", was worlds apart.

Even if Li Sishi doesn't plan to marry into a wealthy family in this lifetime, the connections that Li Xian Club can provide her are a pretty good resource in themselves. This isn't just Li Sishi praising herself because she's a Miss Hong Kong; it's mainly because the requirements and focus of the Miss Hong Kong pageant are quite different from those of the Miss Asia pageant in Taiwan.

Since Shu Ningning, the Miss Hong Kong pageant has been based on the principle of "beauty and wisdom." Shu Ningning, who created the myth of Miss Hong Kong marrying into a wealthy family, is also the founder and honorary president of the Li Xian Association. Therefore, from the beginning, it was destined that the Li Xian Association would follow the tone of the Miss Hong Kong pageant, preferring the dignified and generous style of "proper wife" and "strong woman". The members also mainly believe in getting married properly or achieving success in their own careers.

Because of the strict membership requirements of the Li Xian Association, after Shu Ningning, the first "Most Beautiful Miss Hong Kong" in the 1970s, Yin Jiali, the second "Most Beautiful Miss Hong Kong" in the 1980s, was not recommended for membership due to her scandals and poor reputation, let alone being able to join the association.

In contrast, the Miss Asia pageant "Yan Mei Hui" is similar to the Miss Asia pageant itself, focusing primarily on looks, figure, and hype, with less emphasis on education and local origin. Contestants range in age from their teens to their forties. Consequently, the notoriously critical Hong Kong media, while profiting from the pageant's popularity, also criticized it for its petty and narrow-minded nature, portraying the top three contestants as opportunistic, targeting wealthy men regardless of marital status, simply seeking any available financial gain.

Although in the following years, the Miss Hong Kong and Miss Chinese International contestants, whose resources gradually declined, began to follow the path of Miss Asia contestants who "follow whoever has money," at least for now, the Miss Hong Kong and Miss Chinese International titles still hold some weight in the hearts of Hong Kong people.

In particular, Li Sishi is a genuine double champion, holding the top three titles in three beauty pageants in total. Apart from the controversial issue of her family's unacknowledged origins,

Everything else perfectly meets the Li Xian Association's membership criteria, and now he's about to return to a wealthy family... Therefore, they have no reason to refuse such an outstanding junior.

Moreover, this is also to show those who do not meet the membership requirements but are desperate to join Lixian Club in the hopes of gaining a good reputation and marrying a rich man: as long as your grades are good enough and you are reliable in your work, Lixian Club will never refuse an excellent newcomer to join!

Looking at the pink Li Xian Club uniform in front of her and the admission letter for the new member's induction celebration placed next to her, Li Sishi couldn't help but sigh in her heart, even though she knew that such a high-profile invitation was a way to put pressure on certain people and the media through her induction. In her previous life, she had worked hard and tried to please others, spending a lot of effort and effort to join this gathering circle. However, after joining, she was mostly assigned to stand on the edge.

Now, she doesn't need to do much; she just focuses on improving herself, and invitations to join the Lixian Club come to her door.

Moreover, they went to such great lengths to hold a new member induction event with her as the "theme" in order to demonstrate the generosity and fairness of the Lixian Association in welcoming new members.

She was probably really infected by Cheng Erjian's "cleverness".

Faced with this situation, I inexplicably felt a sense of triumph. In Cheng Erjian's words, "You lose badly in the first game, but if you start a new game with experience, you can usually play much more smoothly..."

Although she wasn't quite as high up as some later sayings suggested, she was now considered a nobody and wouldn't be ignored.

Seeing Li Sishi staring blankly at the things on the table, Lu Yiting spoke up to comfort her: "Although these activities are indeed forming cliques, you still have to go—the women in this association are not easy to deal with. If you offend them, even Miss Zhuang may not be able to protect you."

"I knew I would go, but... I was just a little nervous. After all, they are all my seniors," Li Sishi explained softly, shaking her head.

"That's the right way to think." Lu Yiting smiled and patted her shoulder. "Don't be too afraid. Your age is your biggest protective shield. In short, just listen more, talk less, and keep smiling. That's enough."

Li Sishi nodded, then took the uniform to try it on to make sure it fit. After confirming that it fit, she put away the uniform and admission card and continued to practice her voice according to the method taught by Le Yun.

Zhuang Menghua had previously told her that after she stepped down in the middle of this year, she would be given a leading role in a TV series of the level of an anniversary drama.

She will take advantage of this relatively free time to study and improve her singing and acting skills as much as possible, along with the corresponding record resources that will be adjusted according to the situation.

Compared to Li Sishi and Zhou Jia, who were still busy at the end of the year, Li Jinhao's side was much more relaxed as the year drew to a close.

However, the Zhou family and Li Jinhao, while enjoying their leisure time, were also mixed with a mix of excitement and nervousness, especially Li Jinhao – Li Sishi's birthday was quite "picky". It was February 14th, the Western Valentine's Day, on the Gregorian calendar, while the Lantern Festival, the "Eastern Valentine's Day", fell on the 15th day of the first lunar month. And it also happened to coincide with her turning eighteen. This superposition of events really made the elders and younger generation extremely worried about how to celebrate.

Even though Li Sishi called back and said it would be fine to keep it simple because she had recording schedules with other artists to wish the people of Hong Kong a happy holiday on both of her birthdays and could only go home at night... what elder wouldn't value these days?

In particular, Li Jinhao, the future stepfather who was waiting to take over, had his hair turn several gray while thinking about the coming-of-age birthday gift for his future daughter, Li Sishi. He bought a lot of gifts and put them at home, but he just felt that none of them were grand enough...

"What's going on? Why did you buy so many New Year's goods?" Just as he was worrying, he suddenly heard a very familiar voice. Li Jinhao subconsciously looked in the direction of the voice and saw his mother, Madam Li, walking to the door of her room with the help of the maid, Sister He.

"Mom, why did you come back early?" Li Jinhao was startled, but quickly changed the subject.

Madam Li gave him a meaningful look: "It's nothing, I just miss Hong Kong a little. I was planning to come back for the New Year anyway, so I came back a little earlier."

After exchanging greetings, the mother and son, each with their own thoughts, Li Jinhao first made an excuse that he had work to do at the company and hurriedly left. Then, Madam Li summoned her grand-nephew Wu Weisheng, asked him some questions, and then returned to her room with a sullen face.

If Wu Weisheng hadn't secretly tipped her off, she wouldn't have known the real purpose of her son's return to Hong Kong!

It's unbelievable that Zhou Jiaxian has also returned to Hong Kong.

"Miss, it's been so many years, and our young master really only cares about this one? Perhaps..." The maid, Sister He, had served Madam Li for many years. Though they were mistress and servant, their relationship was more like that of old sisters. Sister He had watched Li Jinhao grow up, so she knew him well.

I could say a few words to the old lady.

"Sigh, do you think I don't want Ah-hao to be happier? It's just that I can't get over it..." Old Madam Li sighed deeply. "If it weren't for that woman Zhou Jiaxian, Ah-hao wouldn't have become estranged from me. Plus, so many things have happened to him, I... I really..."

"Grandma, I've brought the information you requested." Wu Weisheng knocked on the door from outside.

Madam Li glanced at Sister He, who immediately understood and got up to take the documents from Wu Weisheng's hands, but made no move to invite him in.

Wu Weisheng wasn't annoyed. He smiled and said, "Grandma, remember to call me if you need anything," and then turned and left.

When Sister He closed the door and handed the documents to Madam Li, Madam Li sighed again: "This child's cleverness has gone a bit too far."

Deep down, she vaguely knew that her nephew's family was eyeing their family fortune. However, her nephew's family had always acted close and well-behaved over the years, so she deceived herself into thinking that if her son really didn't want the Li family's children to inherit, then she could let her grand-nephew Wu Weisheng be her son's successor, so that he could take care of Li Jinhao in his old age and see him off in his final days.

She is already old and no matter how much she misses her son, she won't be able to see him for many more years. This year, her son is nearly forty and still single. How can she be at ease?

However, after receiving Wu Weisheng's "tip-off," she began to hesitate—Wu Weisheng's actions clearly showed that he was worried that after her son remarried, he would leave the family property to his wife and stepchildren...

With such short-sightedness, if the family fortune is left to him in the future, will he still take care of her son in his old age and see him off when he dies?

Although both sides are relatives, there is definitely a difference between a grandnephew and a biological son. After weighing the pros and cons, Madam Li's mindset gradually began to lean back towards Li Jinhao, her biological son.

The only challenge right now is how to overcome her psychological barriers and accept Zhou Jiaxian, her future daughter-in-law, who, although innocent, has left her with a lingering sense of injustice for many years.

"Young Master Wu probably doesn't know why you want these documents." Sister He clicked her tongue, recalling Wu Weisheng's undisguised gloating expression as he left.

"I'm not that clueless about who's close and who's distant." Madam Li flipped through the documents, quickly finishing the brief profile of Zhou Jiaxian, who wasn't very famous, and then moved on to the profile of Li Sishi.

A whole host of accolades and detailed information, down to the date, were displayed, but at the very top was a full-color headshot on a red background. The girl in the photo had a cool and aloof air about her, which seemed to... be more like Li Jinhao's bloodline.

Madam Li's heart skipped a beat, and then her gaze involuntarily drifted to the birth date on the side of the photo.