Chapter 68: A Lucky Accident

Li Sishi felt a little displeased with Li Jinhao's so-called "white lie," but not to the point of being resistant: because she herself was a person who could act quickly and decisively, and as long as the result was as expected, she did not mind using some minor means that were not excessively harmful to others and for her own benefit.

Without a doubt, given Madam Li's seemingly cold but actually warm nature, the most difficult part of getting close to her is taking the first step.

But if this person appears as the "granddaughter" that Madam Li has been hoping for for many years, then she doesn't even need to do anything; she can simply lie back and wait for this old lady, who has become somewhat obsessed with longing for a grandchild, to come to her door on her own initiative...

This wasn't something Li Sishi made up; she had actually seen Old Madam Li occasionally go into a trance in her past life, staring intently at her face while she was talking—that extremely focused and incredibly complex gaze made her feel a little uneasy.

“But the only problem now is that my mommy will absolutely not agree to this,” Li Sishi said after thinking for a moment.

Li Jinhao had already understood her implication: the only problem was that Zhou Jiaxian disagreed, which implied that Li Sishi no longer objected to this "white lie".

“This is where your cooperation comes in.” Li Jinhao smiled, his expression tinged with a helpless yet indulgent affection. “Your mother is a very principled person, but at the same time, she’s quite soft-hearted. If she knew that I’m doing this because so many so-called relatives have been eyeing my family’s assets for years, and their methods aren’t exactly respectable, I believe she would reluctantly agree to help an old woman who has been deceived by wolves for so many years…”

"What do I need to do?" After hearing this explanation, Li Sishi nodded slightly. "When my mother asked me for information, she also played along with your lines, saying that I had seen the true colors of the Li family during the six months of volunteer work for the Miss Hong Kong pageant?"

“It’s fine to play along with the Li family’s true colors, but you should try to act as if you know absolutely nothing about the paternity test.” Li Jinhao softened his voice and added, “Although knowing the truth will give you an edge when we’re trying to persuade them, you’ll also be viewed with suspicion when the truth comes out. It’s better to leave these things to us adults. Then you, the ‘child,’ will be led by the adults. Even if things are exposed, you, the innocent bystander, will become a buffer between the two sides…”

Good heavens, he's already paved the way for the future before the plan has even started. Who can deny that her future stepfather is a man of deep foresight?

Seeing Li Sishi's expression, Li Jinhao gave a wry smile: "Don't be like that."

Look at me. My feelings for you are the same as my feelings for my mother—familial love. The reason I did this, besides out of goodwill, is also because of a bit of resentment from being deceived by her back then.

If it weren't for his mother's feigned generosity and open-mindedness, claiming that separating the two was a test of their relationship but actually a scheme in secret, he and Ah Xian wouldn't have missed each other for so many years.

Blood ties are hard to sever, and considering that his mother was indeed a person limited by the times, Li Jinhao transformed the "hatred" of losing his beloved into a helpless sigh of "resentment".

“I think I understand what you mean—don’t worry, my grades in performing arts have always been excellent, and my teachers have always praised me highly. I will do my best to ‘play’ this role well,” Li Sishi said confidently.

"With your guarantee, I feel much more at ease," Li Jinhao said with satisfaction. Then he looked at his watch again. "Although it's close to the New Year, I can't guarantee that my mother won't be too anxious to find an appraisal agency to do the appraisal. I'll have someone investigate her whereabouts in the near future, and we'll contact each other by mobile phone then."

Li Sishi nodded again to indicate that she understood: "I will hand my mobile phone to my assistant to look after, and she will notify me as soon as you call. Of course, I will report my schedule to you every morning when I get up. If I am recording a program and cannot answer the phone, and the matter is really urgent, please have someone come to find me."

"Yes, you should also get more rest." Li Jinhao thought for a moment, but couldn't help reaching out again to pat Li Sishi's head.

Those smooth, warm touches seeped into his heart from between the flesh and bones in his palms, seemingly giving him the courage to confront the whole world.

This time, he was no longer the powerless young man he once was, but a mature man with a loving wife and young daughter to protect. He would never let the tragedy of that year repeat itself!

Moreover, his mother's misunderstanding gave him the perfect opportunity.

After bidding farewell to Li Sishi, Li Jinhao, preoccupied with his own thoughts, calmly drove back to his family mansion.

"You're back so late? Have you been very busy with work lately?" Madam Li and Sister He were waiting on the sofa in the living room. As soon as he entered, she greeted him, "I made you a stew, it's very nourishing, eat more."

"Thank you, Madam." Li Jinhao readily agreed and came to the restaurant, but his eyes were always on the movements of Madam Li.

Seeing that Madam Li had also come to the other side of the dining table, Li Jinhao...

After chatting with her casually for a few minutes, Madam Li quickly revealed her true intentions: "Before the New Year is over, I want to go to California."

"Didn't you just get back from California? What's up?" Li Jinhao took a sip of soup, feigning ignorance.

"Oh... I have an old friend who recently went to California for a few days. She originally wanted to visit me, but I returned to Hong Kong early, so she made a wasted trip. Therefore, I thought I would go there for a few days before the New Year to keep her company. It's rare for her to have free time to catch up with me..." Madam Li spoke with such sincerity that if Li Jinhao didn't know what she was really planning to do in California, he probably would have been fooled by her.

His mother had been away from Hong Kong for many years and had no connections to get the test done there, so it was highly likely that she planned to go to California to find her old classmate Bob. She could just find an excuse to help a relative or friend with the test, and then slip some money to Bob, this money-grubbing guy, to keep it a secret. That way, she could get away with it without anyone knowing.

Fortunately, Bob was a money-grubber, and he had even invested in him years ago, and he still owned 33% of the appraisal firm... This greatly facilitated his plan to operate in secret.

Of course, it still needs to look "good" on the surface.

Thinking this, Li Jinhao asked with concern, "It's such a rush... Can you manage to go back alone? How about I go back to the law firm tomorrow to arrange some work, and then we can fly to California together in the afternoon?"

"No, no, no, it's not necessary. I have Ah Hong to go with me. You've only been back in Hong Kong for a short time, and you're busy with work. Don't worry about me." Old Madam Li refused repeatedly, and then pulled Sister He along to show that she didn't need her son to take care of her. "Besides, what business is it of yours for us old ladies to catch up? You'll only cause trouble if you come with me!"

"Alright then, Sister He, please take care of my mother along the way." Li Jinhao hesitated for a few moments, but finally pretended to be persuaded and looked at Sister He who was standing next to Madam Li.

"Young Master, what are you saying? I will definitely take good care of Miss, so you don't need to worry." Sister He quickly added.

After finishing the stew and returning to his room, Li Jinhao closed the door, then took out his mobile phone and, referring to the phone book, made calls to those he needed to contact, from hiring a private investigator to follow Old Madam Li, to arranging work, and then booking tickets for the next flight...

A week passed seemingly calm but actually turbulent. Li Sishi, who was practicing her voice, suddenly received a call from Lucky Tea Restaurant: "Hey, Changchang? What's up?"

"Cousin! Cousin!" Zhou Huichang was so anxious on the phone that she could barely speak. "Today, a very elegantly dressed old lady came to the tea restaurant looking for my aunt, and my aunt said it was an old friend, and then she went out with her..."

"Later, when my dad came back from buying New Year's goods, I casually mentioned it to him, and that's when I found out that the old lady was actually Uncle Li's mother..."

"So what's the situation now?" Li Sishi asked.

“I couldn’t get through to my aunt on the phone. My dad and mom were worried that the old woman would bully my aunt again, so they took Guangzai out to look for her separately. They asked me to call you and Uncle Li…” Zhou Huichang replied.

“I understand. You don’t need to call Uncle Lee anymore. I’ll call him. You stay in the tea restaurant. If my mother comes back early, call me to let me know.” Li Sishi gave a few instructions to the person on the other end of the phone. After receiving confirmation from Zhou Huichang, she quickly hung up and then dialed Li Jinhao’s number.

“I was just about to call you too. The private investigator said my mom went to the Lucky Tea Restaurant and called Ah Xian out. Are you able to leave?” As soon as the call connected, Li Jinhao immediately told him about his situation. “I’m already on my way. Should I send someone to pick you up?”

“No problem, I’ll ask my master for leave and then have my assistant take me there.” After hanging up the phone, Li Sishi turned to Le Yun, who was frowning as she listened to Cheng Erjian practice his voice, and called out, “Master, I have something to take care of at home, so I need to ask you for the afternoon off!”

"Go ahead, go ahead, is there anything I can help you with?" Le Yun waved her hand.

"Thank you, Master, but I don't think I need to for now. I'll be going now!" Li Sishi quickly packed her things and then called Zuo Lili, who was sitting and waiting on the other side, and asked her to take her to the restaurant that Li Jinhao had mentioned on the phone.

On the way, she called Liang Shao'e and the other two who were out looking for Zhou Jiaxian. Unfortunately, the three of them were still indignant about the bullying Zhou Jiaxian had suffered. No matter what Li Sishi said, they wanted to dig out Zhou Jiaxian's current location from her, saying, "Even if it's not convenient to show up, we have to keep an eye on her secretly, so that the old woman won't bully people again..."

Unable to persuade them otherwise, Li Sishi had no choice but to give them the restaurant's address. She then made a phone call to let Li Jinhao go in first, and after telling Zuo Lili to wait for her nearby, she disguised herself and got out of the car, waiting at the restaurant entrance to ambush them.

Before long, the three "rabbits" that had been waiting...

He hurriedly got out of a taxi.

"Over here! Over here!" Li Sishi hurriedly went over and pulled Liang Shao'e and the other two aside, trying to reason with them.

"We can't just show up like this; it's better to stay by their side and observe how things unfold."

"Fine, but if that old woman looks down on me again, I won't be so polite." Zhou Jiayun snorted.

"Dad, add one for me!" Zhou Huiguang said quickly.

Then Liang Shao'e tapped each of the father and son on the head: "Don't think so much!"

"Wife/Mother?" The father and son rubbed their heads where they had been hit, looking at her with extreme confusion. "Why won't you let us avenge Ah Xian/Aunt?"

“That’s an old woman. You two grown men are too rough with her. Of course, you should just help out—let me handle it!” Liang Shao’e said, making several standard fighting moves of a shrew, grabbing, pulling, and tugging, looking eager to try.

"Calm down, maybe things aren't what we think..."

Li Sishi, feeling both amused and exasperated, pressed each person into their seat.

Meanwhile, Zhou Jiaxian, who had silently finished her cup of coffee, finally heard Old Madam Li, who was sitting opposite her, speak: "Fill in a number."

A blank check was pushed towards them from the other side.

"Madam Li, you used this trick on me back then, and my answer is still the same as before." Zhou Jiaxian pushed the blank check back without changing her expression.

Madam Li was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized that her actions had caused a misunderstanding, and immediately wanted to explain—

Unexpectedly, before she could speak again, several gossipy socialites who looked somewhat familiar to her suddenly appeared beside her, along with several young people carrying video cameras and recording pens.

Their eyes were filled with the excitement of watching a good show: "Madam Li, what are you doing?"

A wealthy old lady battles a secondhand Cinderella again!

It looks like it'll be on the front page tomorrow!