Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Acting Patriarch & Peking University Anniversary
No matter how you look at it, he's still my grandson.
It's bad enough that he'll be confined to a wheelchair for life, but now he's been so badly injured that he's lost his mind and can't even speak. How can the old man remain indifferent?
Liu Yishou, who was already on bail pending trial, was detained for the second time. Not long after, his hands and feet were unexpectedly crippled. His uncle, Liu Yaoqing, who had specially bailed him out, was also implicated.
Originally the largest building materials supplier in Yanjing, it was suppressed by several powerful families and quickly declined within a month, unable to recover.
Even so, it does not change the fact that Pei Hengzhi has been deposed.
The entire old house was filled with a heavy, deathly atmosphere.
Wang Manshu cried day and night, while Pei Wenxian had already handed over all the affairs that could be transferred afterward.
Pei Yanli took Luo Yunqing back and saw him sitting in the courtyard, pushing his son in a wheelchair, his back hunched and silent.
"I heard from my father that my eldest brother is leaving."
Pei Wenxian looked up at him and replied indifferently, "The doctor said that fortunately he was brought to the hospital in time, and there is still hope for improvement. I'll take him around to see different places. After all these years... I'm tired too."
A warm breeze blew into the courtyard from the south.
Saying the word "tired" actually made Pei Wenxian feel much more relaxed.
"Ah Li," he called him as he had years ago when they were close, "I'm entrusting Father's situation to you."
Pei Yanli suddenly felt a surge of emotions, words she had wanted to say all these years but couldn't find the words to say, and in the end, they all turned into a simple "Okay".
He didn't linger after saying that, and left with Luo Yunqing.
As soon as the two left, Wang Manshu rushed out of the house, roaring as if facing a formidable enemy: "What are they doing here? Did they come to laugh at us?!"
Pei Wenxian was extremely annoyed. "Can't you think of something better?"
"Want something positive?" Wang Manshu pointed in the direction the two had left. "Who caused Xiaoheng to become like this? Wasn't it that Luo Yunqing!"
How dare you bring that up?
She had the nerve to say it, but Pei Wenxian was too embarrassed to even listen.
"The whole thing started because of Xiao Heng himself. He knew that someone was taking care of a sick child in the hospital, so he used the child to blackmail them. If it weren't for this, would he have gotten involved with that Liu Yishou?"
Wang Manshu ignored the warnings and said, "He has his reasons too!"
Liu Yishou alone couldn't quell her anger; Luo Yunqing was also involved in this!
"Xiao Heng is already like this, what more do you want?" Pei Wenxian was truly exhausted. "Are you only satisfied when this family falls apart?"
"Pei Wenxian! Is Xiaoheng still your son?!"
“Precisely because he is, let’s stop here.” Pei Wenxian really didn’t want to argue with her anymore. “If you really care about our son, pack your bags and leave with me. If you don’t want to, then let’s get a divorce.”
Wang Manshu asked incredulously, "You want a divorce?"
“I should have divorced you a long time ago. No,” Pei Wenxian shook his head and smiled bitterly, “I should never have married you in the first place.”
If she hadn't taken advantage of him while he was drunk and gotten into bed with him, and hadn't brought so many people to catch them red-handed, his wife would be...
Well, it's too late to say anything now.
…………
The ongoing debate drifted into the courtyard on the wind.
The old man kept sighing, regretting, "If I had stubbornly disagreed back then, without her, the eldest son wouldn't be like this now."
"She was already pregnant at that time, and with the Wang family pressuring her from behind, what could she do?"
When Pei Yanli grew up, she learned that she was just one of the many illegitimate children of the Wang family, and that made sense.
She wanted to climb the social ladder by marrying into the Pei family, while the Wang family, a family with only a few generations of history, also wanted to climb the social ladder by marrying into the Pei family.
They were all plotting the same thing, and they even targeted the same person.
Also, to avoid putting his elder brother in a difficult position, he has tried his best to avoid returning to China over the years.
Thinking that without him, the family might be able to live happily together.
But he was wrong. It was all scheming from the very beginning, so where was the genuine harmony?
"Let's not talk about them anymore." The old man brought it up first, then changed the subject: "Your leg looks almost healed. I... am getting old. The position of head of the family should be given to you."
He asked, "When do you plan to take over?"
Pei Yanli didn't speak, but instead looked at Luo Yunqing.
The old man followed his gaze, and Butler Zhang also looked over, just as Luo Yunqing was picking up the tangerines from the table.
The oranges were burning hot.
Luo Yunqing was caught in a dilemma: to release him or not to release him.
Why are you all looking at him?
Pei Yanli took the orange from his hand, peeled it casually, picked at the white edge, and asked nonchalantly, "Father has high hopes for me and wants me to take over. If I become the head of the family, Xiao Luo should be the mistress, right?"
In Yanjing, which matriarch of a prominent family doesn't have some influence?
Luo Yunqing...
Initially, it was intended to bring good fortune to Pei Yanli, euphemistically called a marriage alliance; no one would have thought of such things at that time.
Personally speaking, the old man really liked Luo Yunqing, especially after he came into the family, Ali's health improved day by day, and he liked him even more.
She is also good at assessing situations and understanding people's hearts; in this respect, she is indeed a qualified matriarch.
But that's not enough.
I'm afraid that if I bring it up, the other elders will reject it.
"How about this," the old man suggested, finding a solution that would benefit both sides. "You will succeed as head of the family first, and then..."
“Father, head of the household, and mistress, succeeding each other separately, what kind of talk is this?”
…………
The oranges were sweet and delicious, but Luo Yunqing only ate half of one. He simply couldn't continue eating the other half while the topic was still relevant to him.
In the end, all I could do was hold it in my hand and take it away.
Once outside the yard, he began to mutter, "Dad's idea is pretty good, why don't you take over first?"
Why bother getting so hung up on this kind of thing?
Pei Yanli stopped walking and sighed: "If we don't settle things now, there will be a lot of trouble later."
She was the wife of the head of the household, but not the mistress of the house.
What will others think of him after this?
Luo Yunqing understood, "You did it for me."
Pei Yanli: "For you, for us, and for the Pei family."
Pei Shi judged everything by his attitude.
“I respect you and cherish you. Others will think twice before they try anything funny.” Pei Yanli took his hand, took out the other half of the orange, and fed him segment by segment. “My wife has to stand by me.”
The idea was good, but Luo Yunqing also knew that with his current abilities, he couldn't stand by Pei Yanli's side.
"When will that be? What about Dad...?"
"He'll figure something out; after all, he's the head of the Pei family."
The head of the family is an indispensable and important figure in the succession of a family, directly related to the rise and fall of the entire family. Historically, the head of the family has always been chosen as the one in the family who is outstanding in ability but can remain humble and composed.
The question Pei Yanli posed was no challenge for the old man.
In early May, an appointment order was issued, appointing him as the acting head of the family.
"The elders actually agreed?"
After the butler left, Luo Yunqing opened a formally delivered appointment letter and then looked at the electronic document in his hand.
The seal of the patriarch and the fingerprints of the eight elders were clearly stamped on it.
Pei Yanli was not surprised at all: "I knew Father would think of a way."
"It must have been tough on Dad."
After all this, it seems as if he forced the old man to make this choice.
"Don't worry about your father yet." Pei Yanli put away the appointment letter and pointed at his coursework design. "Your theory can't support this experiment. Redo it."
Luo Yunqing stared at him for a long time, then suddenly slumped over the table and wailed, "I've already redid it three times!"
“Don’t even mention three times, even if it’s done three or ten times, you have to redo it until you succeed.” Pei Yanli never indulged him when it came to academic matters.
But every time he failed, I would stay with him, even if it meant staying up late into the night, to find out what the problem was.
"Let's take a break first," Luo Yunqing said, indulging in her occasional laziness. "Next week, Senior Xia Lin has to take her graduation photos."
Pei Yanli: "You want me to take photos?"
"More or less."
Luo Yunqing half-lyed down and fiddled with the gold cufflinks on his sleeve.
…………
The day the graduates took photos happened to coincide with Kyoto University's anniversary celebration.
At 10 a.m., the drama club was still busy rehearsing for the play at the evening party. After Xia Lin finished her defense, she finally had some free time to come and take a look.
She sat on a small stool, and after a short while, she rested her chin on her hand and turned to the person leaning against the desk next to her. She held back for a while, but couldn't help asking, "Why didn't you participate?"
"I……"
"If you don't participate, wouldn't it be a waste of your good looks?"
"But……"
"You've started slacking off while I'm not around, haven't you?"
"Senior," Luo Yunqing quickly made a pause gesture, "you have to give me a chance to finish what I have to say."
"you say."
"I've been too tired lately."
"Just because of this?"
Luo Yunqing: Isn't that enough of a reason?
"Hey, senior!" You Jianan rushed over to defend him, "Don't blame Xiao Luo, he has to take care of his child when he gets home, besides..."
Brother Pei got into that mess.
It seems that things are going to be quite difficult for the Pei family for some time to come.
“I told him to take a break,” Cheng Xu said, then came over and offered a better reason, “We should give the other members a chance to perform.”
What she said made sense, but all this back and forth made Xia Lin seem aggressive. "Alright, alright, I just asked a couple of questions because I was in a hurry. Look at you all, do you think I'm going to eat him alive?"
"Hehe, how could that be?" You Jianan chuckled sheepishly. "By the way, senior, how did your defense go?"
"Ha!" Charlene held her head high. "Who am I? This is no problem for your sister!"
"Senior, you're amazing." You Jianan then asked, "Where did you find a job, senior?"
"She hasn't looked for a job," Yang Ying remarked as she passed by. "She's planning to study abroad after taking the IELTS exam."
"Studying abroad! Which country is the senior going to?"
"Germany."
Yu Jianan: "..."
Cheng Xu: "..."
Looking completely bewildered, Luo Yunqing asked, "What's wrong with Germany? Isn't it good?"
Aside from Charlene, several other faces looked at him with indescribable expressions.
"You don't know?" You Jianan cleared her throat. "Those three years studying in Germany will be the most unforgettable seven years of my life... Senior! Why did you choose Germany?! Does that mean I'll never see you again?! Waaah~~~"
You Jianan cried and tried to hug him, but Cheng Xu grabbed her by the back of her collar and said, "Even a kettle isn't as loud as you, stop howling."
“Exactly.” Charlene waved her hands dismissively as she watched him sob. “Can’t you wish me well for once? What if I break this tradition?”
"Senior," Yang Ying said, reluctant to expose her, "Do you think everyone who studies in Germany thinks this way?"
Charlene: "..."
"Anyway, I still wish you all the best in your studies." Luo Yunqing gleaned the meaning from their conversation: studying abroad is difficult.
Since things are already this difficult, let's not talk so pessimistically.
"Listen to that, that's more comforting to hear." Charlene finally heard something pleasant, and she didn't even care that he had skipped the school anniversary play anymore. "But you have to come with me to take pictures today, understand?"
"Okay, senior."
"So obedient."
However, less than two seconds after the words were spoken, the cosplay club, having somehow gotten wind of the situation, rushed over to arrest the person.
"Oh, so you're not rehearsing, junior? We can borrow yours then!"
While saying they would lend it to her, the group of people pushed and shoved Luo Yunqing, giving her no chance to refuse.
Charlene: "Huh? You're robbing me outright!"
"It's the school anniversary today, so please be understanding."
The activity room door slammed shut.
They came quickly, and left even faster than lightning.
Since she had nothing else to do, Xia Lin went along to join in the fun.
Sneaking open the door to the COS club activity room, they saw Luo Yunqing cornered.
"Junior, you should wear this. The little devil one looks good on you. Anyway, it's May and it's getting warm. Showing a little bit of your belly won't make you catch a cold."
"How about this one? It's a Hanfu robe. My junior would look incredibly handsome in it."
"Or this one, JK high school girl."
...
A crowd of people thronged before him, each with bloodshot eyes, as if they wanted to devour him.
Luo Yunqing was completely overwhelmed. At this moment, she saw Xia Lin peeking over the crowd and hurriedly opened her mouth to shout for help.
I didn't even notice the phone light up while I was holding it tightly.
Charlene then pushed open the door and went in: "Junior, you should wear this one!"
…………
After finishing her work, Pei Yanli went to Peking University to pick up someone, and also to attend the university's anniversary celebration as the acting head of the Pei family. Upon arriving at the cultural activity center, she sent three messages to Luo Yunqing, but received no reply.
"She's not in the drama club's activity room." Chen Zhao went to ask, "The cosplay club dragged her there."
He pointed to the address given by Cheng Xu.
It's right across from us.
Pei Yanli turned around and knocked on the door. The door to the activity room opened with a clatter, revealing a pearl shawl draped over her chest and a silk wisteria-colored cheongsam underneath.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for..."
He immediately looked away, but noticed the hand that was holding the door; it was long, slender, and looked very familiar.
Pei Yanli slowly moved the hand upwards, landing on the person's blushing face, "Wife!"
Bang!
The activity room door slammed shut.
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