When He Xingjue brought up two large plates, what he saw was Li Ze frowning and fiddling with the quantum computer.
"Some are cooked, some will take a little longer," He Xingjue said. "Let's eat while we wait."
Li Ze hummed in agreement and clicked "decline call" again on his personal terminal.
"Who is it?" He Xingjue asked curiously.
“Li Zonghe.” Li Ze’s voice was icy.
A hint of surprise flashed across He Xingjue's eyes. He didn't even want to answer the call, so it seemed that the hatred between father and son was quite significant.
"Either block them, or see what they want," He Xingjue suggested.
Li Ze hesitated for a moment before answering the call.
At this moment, He Xingjue quietly turned on his personal computer and activated the recording function.
"You unfilial son, you're throwing money around again!" As soon as the call connected, Li Zonghe's furious voice came through.
Li Ze immediately thought of the donation; it must be that Chen Kaiyang had taken action.
He said calmly, "This is my money. I can spend it wherever I want. What's it to you?"
"That's the Li family's money, how can it have nothing to do with me!" Li Zonghe glared.
“It belongs to the Li family, and it’s mine too. You’ve already taken your share.” Li Ze said calmly.
"You'd rather give it to outsiders than to your father, your younger siblings?" Li Zonghe's face darkened. "How could I have given birth to such a cold-blooded and heartless bastard!"
"What a coincidence, I don't want a heartless, shameless father like you either," Li Ze retorted casually.
"you--"
Li Zonghe pointed at Li Ze, his chest heaving violently with anger, looking as if he was about to faint.
"Xiao Ze, how could you talk to your father like that?" Lin Ran appeared on the screen, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, looking disappointed in him.
Li Ze glanced at Lin Ran, his contempt obvious.
Across from him, He Xingjue was already searching for the Li family's company. When he saw the relevant reports, he wasn't surprised at all; instead, he had a feeling that he had expected this.
He Xingjue enlarged his screen and placed it opposite Li Ze. When Li Ze looked over, the first thing he saw was the large text: "Li's Group is facing a major crisis due to poor management."
Li Ze raised an eyebrow, immediately guessing why Li Zonghe had contacted him.
"Are you short of money? Is your company failing?" Although it was a question, Li Ze's tone was certain.
Li Zonghe and Lin Ran's faces changed, as if their fig leaves had been ripped off, making them extremely embarrassed.
"You know?" Li Zonghe asked through gritted teeth.
Li Ze nodded, then shook his head. "Just a guess. But even if your company goes bankrupt, it has nothing to do with me. It's yours, not mine."
"It's your grandfather's life's work." Veins bulged on Li Zonghe's forehead as he struggled to suppress his anger. "Are you just going to stand by and watch your grandfather's life's work be destroyed?"
"Grandpa knows you don't have the ability, yet he still gave it to you, which means Grandpa has given up on it. What does it matter if it's destroyed or not? Throughout history, prosperity and decline, the old and the new, are all normal things. If the company is going to fail, then let it fail." Li Ze appeared nonchalant, seemingly genuinely unconcerned.
"You're talking nonsense!" Li Zonghe cursed angrily. "If the company goes bankrupt, how will our Li family maintain its standing in high society? Your younger siblings are still in school. If the company collapses, what will happen to their tuition fees?"
"That's your problem to consider, what does it have to do with me?" Li Ze took the lobster that He Xingjue had peeled for him and slowly began to enjoy it. After taking a bite, his eyes lit up, and he commented, "Delicious."
"Eat, eat, eat! You still have the mood to eat? I'm talking to you about serious business!" Li Zonghe cursed again, spitting as he spoke. "I don't care. You can donate 2 billion star coins and 100,000 energy crystals to the Guyu and Xiazhi star regions. There's no reason for you to ignore your only living relative. I, as your father, don't ask for much, just 2 billion."
"No." Li Ze refused very decisively.
"I don't believe you. If you don't give me two billion star coins, I'll sever ties with you. Once I sever ties with you, I'll see how you survive in the empire after offending the royal family!" Li Zonghe thought he had Li Ze firmly in his grasp.
"Whatever. You can announce it to the world right now," Li Ze said indifferently.
"Go ahead and announce it! Do you think I wouldn't dare? Then you'll be deserted by everyone, and I'll see who dares to talk to you then." Li Zonghe said, while secretly glancing at Li Ze.
Looking at his eldest son's cold and expressionless face, he began to feel insecure. Was he really not afraid?
"Do as you please." Li Ze remained unmoved.
Li Zonghe was so angry he nearly choked, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood. "You unfilial son, you bastard! You should never have—"
"Mr. Li!"
He Xingjue, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. He came to Li Ze's side, his deep, cold eyes sweeping over Li Zonghe on the screen, and said in a voice devoid of any warmth, "Li Ze is now my partner. Please be careful with your words, Mr. Li."
Li Zonghe hadn't expected He Xingjue to be there. The moment He Xingjue's gaze swept over him, his body froze.
The aura emanating from that person is terrifying!
However, he was no ordinary man now; he was He Xingjue's father-in-law, and He Xingjue was his junior. He shouldn't be afraid of He Xingjue; on the contrary, He Xingjue should respect him!
After thinking it over, Li Zonghe was no longer afraid. He straightened his chest and said earnestly, "Xingjue, you be the judge. When a family encounters difficulties, shouldn't the family members lend a helping hand and help each other?"
He Xingjue nodded. "That's how it should be."
A smile appeared on Li Zonghe's face. He was about to lecture Li Ze when He Xingjue said, "However, Xiao Ze is now part of my family, not yours. His money is my money, meant for our Snow Wolf team. As you probably know, we often need to replace our weapons and equipment during battles, and we can't do without money. Xiao Ze's money is only enough for us to replace our equipment once or twice. So, even if he wanted to help you, he probably couldn't. He's willing to help, but I hope you understand."
Li Zonghe was stunned. Was this really He Xingjue? How could the commander of the First Legion say such a shameless thing?
But he couldn't argue with that in the Empire, partnerships took precedence over father-son relationships. If He Xingjue disagreed, he really couldn't force Li Ze to give him the money.
But, "Didn't you Snow Wolves just plunder the entire Death Starfield? You have hundreds of warships and countless mechs, how could you be short of money?"
"Who would complain about having too much money? Don't you think so?" He Xingjue said with a smile, but there was no hint of amusement in his eyes.
When Li Zonghe met He Xingjue's eyes, his body trembled and cold sweat broke out on his back.
“Xiao Ze, our Li family owns five companies, including the parent company and subsidiaries, which support nearly 100,000 people. If the companies go bankrupt, those people will lose their jobs. Can you bear to do that?” Lin Ran spoke up from the side. “We are only borrowing two billion from you. We will repay you two billion after the difficulties are over. You can rest assured.”
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