Chapter 23 Jinjiang First Release (Revised) What an unforgettable coming-of-age ceremony...
Li Zhuo's birthday party was scheduled to be held in a famous castle hotel in Hai City. The news was released more than a month ago, and the invitation was delivered a week in advance.
Li Huachuan really put a lot of thought into this banquet: the castle is magnificent, with spires reaching into the sky, the stained glass reflects colorful light under the lights, and gorgeous crystal chandeliers hang down, each crystal sparkling with brilliant light.
Before the show started, as the protagonist of the coming-of-age ceremony, Li Zhuo rehearsed it countless times in his mind.
In order not to embarrass his parents, he imitated the way he remembered Li Xuan and put on a perfect smile. But maybe it was because he hadn't worn formal clothes for too long, or maybe it was for other reasons, he always felt uncomfortable all over and his smile was very stiff.
He wanted to say a few words to his parents, but they were busy in different groups of people, so Li Zhuo didn't even have the chance to say a word to them.
Wait a little longer, he said to himself.
Everything went on as usual in the first half of the banquet. Waiters were carrying exquisite silver trays and moving back and forth among the crowd, while the guests were chatting and flattering each other.
No one paid any attention to the stage, so many people didn't realize what was happening.
The system played the recording back frame by frame to confirm when the initial flame was ignited: it was still Li Huachuan's fault!
He did prepare a grand coming-of-age ceremony for Li Zhuo, and invited many prominent figures in the circle under the pretext.
But the reason why he invited so many people and spent huge amounts of money to make the scene so luxurious was not because he loved his son so much. The real highlight, or the real purpose, was the charity auction that followed.
You have to know that the Li family's position in the circle has always been a little awkward, belonging to a tier that is neither up nor down, so the Li family has always needed an opportunity to show itself.
If you can't wait for this opportunity, then create it.
Charity auctions not only win social acclaim, but also indirectly control some resource allocation rights and obtain tax benefits. A considerable portion of the donations can be reasonably retained in the name of operating costs to supplement funds.
The direct benefits alone are so tempting, and the indirect benefits are even more so. Demonstrating family strength to the outside world can improve one's social status...
Since the organizers can get such benefits, the guests who come to participate can of course get similar interests: charity, this kind of thing that is good for individuals and even brand image, of course the more the better, not to mention that you can reduce taxes when participating in charity auctions. If you have a good relationship with the organizer, it is normal to have some behind-the-scenes operations.
As for who really came to attend the coming-of-age ceremony?
They are all here to exchange benefits.
Who do you think Li Zhuo is? That's not important.
Everyone was tacitly waiting for the "main course" to arrive. Li Zhuo was probably the only one in the audience who was truly looking forward to the three-layer cake pushed by the waiter.
Li Huachuan was the most anxious. He didn't even give the real protagonist Li Zhuo a chance to have a good bite of the cake. He hurriedly said a few superficial blessings and couldn't wait to introduce the real "main course".
And the accident... happened at this moment.
Li Zhuo took the initiative to ask Li Huachuan to give him a piece of the cake. This should not take much time, but Li Huachuan looked at the auction brochure that had been distributed and the auctioneer and host that had been prepared...
He whispered to Li Zhuo not to get angry at this time, and asked him to go down first, saying that there was no time to cut the cake now, and if there was anything, they could talk about it after returning.
The target of the mission had been waiting for so long, so of course he was unwilling to go down. The argument between the two people started from whispering in low voices to gradually losing control of the volume.
The commotion on the stage attracted the attention of some guests below. Li Huachuan became even more anxious. Even Lu Fei, who was chatting with other ladies below, came on stage and tried to pull Li Zhuo down with seemingly gentle but forceful movements.
Looking back at the records, 0255 speculated that it might be because of Li Huachuan's words, "I should have known not to let you come back. I thought you had become sensible, but I didn't expect you still couldn't distinguish between the important and the unimportant..."
This sentence ignited the oppressive atmosphere and also ignited the already unstable emotions of the mission target.
He was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and he shouted excitedly, "You said that again? But you clearly agreed to it! You said it to me! Why is it my fault now?"
He stood stubbornly on the stage and refused to go down. He held the knife and cut the cake himself, eating it in big mouthfuls, not caring about his image at all. The cream got on his face, mixed with his tears.
The scene was already chaotic enough, and Mo Liang, who was sitting in the private room upstairs, seemed to think it wasn't chaotic enough. He spoke without warning: "Don't you want him anymore?"
But while the other guests were still confused, Mo Liang went downstairs and walked step by step towards the "accident center".
He walked with great force, and each step caused the hard marble to crack in circles. The system could only keep repairing it to prevent passers-by from noticing that something was wrong.
Mo Liang hadn't slept the night before. Just like back at Experimental High School, he quietly accompanied his target, chanting a special, soothing melody for them.
He left in the morning when he sensed that Li Zhuo was about to wake up, and spent the whole morning talking with some relatives of the Mo family about the "mysterious disappearance" of some industries. He arrived at the coming-of-age ceremony banquet on time at noon.
If any human being had such a schedule, their body would have been unable to bear it.
But Mo Liang is different. Non-human creatures do not need to sleep for several hours like humans to stay energetic. They only need a very short rest time. If they have enough energy, they can go without food or water for a long time.
*
Mo Liang walked up to the stage step by step, completely ignoring the discussions and exclamations of the guests below, and stopped in front of Li Zhuo.
“Really…”
"How come food is stuck on your face?"
The tall man pulled out a white silk scarf from his pocket and gently wiped the mixture of cream and tears off Li Zhuo's face. He was so careful that he even wiped away the tiny dots stuck on his eyelashes.
Li Zhuo's expression was a little confused, as if he was still wondering how Mo Liang suddenly appeared in Hai City.
He even took a special look at the expressions of the guests below and his parents beside him to confirm that he was not the only one who could see Mo Liang.
"You...why are you here?"
Anyone could see that the moment Mo Liang appeared, the tense expression of the young man on the stage suddenly relaxed, like a wronged child meeting a trusting parent.
"My poor child."
"Did you just hear that?"
"They don't want you, I want you,"
As if afraid that someone would go back on their word, Mo Liang spoke quickly and firmly, "So come and be my child. I will definitely take good care of you."
Through precise scanning, 0255 identified that many of the guests present had expressions of surprise, shock, surprise, disbelief, etc.
Someone started taking pictures with their cell phones, and a few reporters came out from nowhere. One of them was a skinny guy with glasses who squeezed to the front. The flash lights were flashing so fast that Li Zhuo was dazzled.
When the photo was frozen, Mo Liang was captured protecting Li Zhuo and blocking the flash with his hands.
Li Huachuan, who was on the stage with him, seemed to be old and his brain had not reacted for a while. He looked very funny standing at the back.
Especially since he was dressed particularly elegantly that day, with his hair combed neatly, and that expression of a man who had lost interest in the game, it added a lot of fun to the whole picture.
After it was posted, many netizens who were just there for fun laughed for a long time, and some well-informed people even started gossiping in the comment section.
As a result, the family-finding program that was not very popular back then became popular again. Many people went to the videos of that year to dig up the past and replied to the comments from that year across time and space.
Some lamented that not every parent loves their children, while others kept gossiping about who Mo Liang was and what his relationship with Li Zhuo was.
Some netizens, more like Sherlock Holmes, inferred from Mo Liang's overly affectionate actions, possessive words, the strange "child" address, and Li Zhuo's familiar response that their relationship was special. They then went on to speculate about how a friend of a friend was secretly playing around, and how rich people are all perverted. Finally, they concluded, "Perhaps the original poster has jumped from one pit of fire to another. The world is truly going downhill, and it's sad."
Some of them also took the opportunity to advertise and sell films.
One popular comment said:
【What an unforgettable coming-of-age ceremony.】
*
It was indeed an unforgettable coming-of-age ceremony.
In the first half of the accident, Li Xuan was silently enjoying the farce, until Mo Liang came down from upstairs, his expression gradually became cautious.
This person has never appeared in his memory!
Never!!!
In his memory of his previous life, the Mo family did have a very mysterious behind-the-scenes head of the family, but this person never showed his face from beginning to end. His name, age, appearance and name were all mysteries.
The Mo family's trajectory in this life is indeed much faster than in the previous life. They have accumulated more than others and have the most cutting-edge technology in their hands. Naturally, they have become a figure that many families in the circle flatter and admire.
When Li Xuan saw Mo Liang on the guest list, he immediately thought he'd made a mistake. He wasn't the only one who thought so; Li Huachuan also thought so. But then he realized this was a great opportunity.
Not to mention getting close to him, even if you leave a good impression, it will be easier to talk about cooperation in the future, right?
Until something unexpected happens...
His stupid younger brother has always been very naive. Ever since he returned to the Li family, he has always cared about the illusory family affection. It was like that before, and it is still like that now. It is not surprising that he would make such a fuss.
Li Xuan was not surprised that he would lose his composure like this.
To be more precise, Li Huachuan's reaction and Li Zhuo's reaction were all part of Li Xuan's plan.
For his own personal gain, he hoped to make a bigger fuss. Given Li Huachuan's pride, who knows if he'd be in trouble. Wouldn't that make it easier for him to take another bite?
He was like a dormant poisonous snake, spitting out its tongue in the dark, waiting for the moment when its prey was at its weakest.
The first half proceeded in an orderly manner according to Li Xuan's assumptions: a cold and profit-oriented father, a devastated and incredulous child, and when he was about to step in to clean up the situation, another voice that was not in his plan appeared.
How did the mysterious head of the Mo family get involved with Li Zhuo?! Judging from their conversations and demeanor, they seemed to have a pretty good relationship?!
What exactly happened?
Before the banquet started, Li Xuan went to greet Mo Liang on behalf of the Li family. At that time, he didn't even see him in person, as they were only separated by a door.
At that time, he vaguely saw a profile, and he was still sighing in his heart, thinking that the mysterious behind-the-scenes head of the Mo family must be gray-haired. He didn't expect that he was so young, looking only about thirty years old.
At that time, there were several other people outside besides Li Xuan, and they all clearly felt his arrogance.
Not only was he cold and indifferent to outsiders, he was also a little disdainful towards the people of the Mo family. To put it more bluntly, he was even a little disdainful.
Li Xuan observed carefully and found that he was completely absent-minded when talking to others, and it seemed that nothing could really pique his interest.
But anyone with ears could hear how gentle his tone, his manner, and his expression were when he spoke to Li Zhuo later.
His gaze followed Li Zhuo closely, and it was so... soft, as if he was looking at the most precious treasure in the world, so gentle to the point of being outrageous.
He was completely focused, his expression showing both pity and admiration, as well as a strong greed, which was completely beyond Li Xuan's understanding.
He was confused about their relationship for a moment. There was only one thought in his mind: What on earth happened?!
disturbed.
This feeling of being out of control made Li Xuan feel vaguely uneasy. He even felt that the air around him was thin and his breathing was becoming difficult.
He has been having this feeling a lot lately, as if something has grown in his lungs, but the X-rays showed nothing. So, a comprehensive check-up is necessary, right?
I've been really busy lately. Why don't I wait until next month and have a thorough check-up of my health after I've finished all the things I have on hand.
In a panic, Li Xuan almost subconsciously looked behind him, and the bodyguard Hong Lin, who had been waiting not far away, silently approached: "Master, what's wrong?"
He wasn't well-educated, and his mind was narrow-minded, so he couldn't understand all those complicated things. He simply saw that Li Xuan looked unhappy. Usually when he had that expression, something must have been bothering him.
Since something was bothering him, Hong Lin lowered his head, leaned close to Li Xuan's ear, and asked very consciously, wanting to know what he could do for him.
"Find someone to check on Li Zhuo."
The last time Li Xuan asked Hong Lin to contact Li Zhuo's class teacher to inquire about his brother's situation at school was when Li Zhuo had just transferred to another school.
Of course, he wasn't that kind-hearted, he was just bored, just like the action of transferring living expenses to Li Zhuo on a regular basis every month and attaching a message, it was all boring.
Perhaps a little bit of the reason is that "Li Zhuo, whom he first met at the airport", reminded him of himself who was struggling at the bottom of society?
But that was only a small reason. Li Xuan still believed that the main reason was boredom. After all, Li Zhuo did not block his way at that time.
In fact, he should have thought of it earlier. His brother looked much better this time when he came back. His skin color, figure and appearance were completely different.
He suddenly grew a lot taller.
He no longer hunches his shoulders when walking, and no longer looks around aimlessly when talking to people. His skin is rosy and fair, his eyes are bright, there is not a trace of red blood in the whites of his eyes, and his fingernails are in healthy condition.
It would be a stretch to attribute all these changes to "puberty" and "developmental period".
One could tell from his condition that he had been lovingly cared for and taken care of. It must have taken a lot of time and effort to make him look like this.
How could the food at an ordinary public school be so good? Or was it that the feng shui of Changyang, a small place, was so nourishing? It was unbelievable when I thought about it.
Hong Lin responded: "Okay."
In his previous life, Li Xuan worked as a worker and had to clean up many messes for that stupid boss. Accidents of this magnitude were easy for him to handle.
While the guests were whispering to each other, he walked onto the stage calmly and skillfully explained the incident in a few words.
The auction continues.
When the banquet ended that day, it was already completely dark outside. Li Xuan walked into the lounge with a tired smile on his face, followed closely by Hong Lin.
Neither of them spoke as they walked into the elevator together and the car slowly descended.
Li Xuan looked at the floor numbers that kept jumping, and thought of the cannibalization plan in his mind. Although something unexpected happened in the middle, the overall direction remained unchanged.
Li Huachuan was so angry that he was hospitalized. His adoptive mother, who always pretended to be stupid, was very smart. She blocked the news immediately and didn't want him to know.
But...if he still doesn't have this information channel at this point, he would be such a failure.
My good performance this time will surely make those hesitant old guys speechless. If everything goes according to plan, once the erosion is complete, Hong Lin...
The car slowly drove out of the castle, and the biting cold winter wind blew into the car through the gaps in the windows that were never closed tightly.
Li Xuan frowned. He had been afraid of cold since he was a child, and the suit he was wearing was for a banquet. It looked good but was not warm enough.
Hong Lin, who was driving in the front seat, seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. He immediately closed the windows and considerately turned up the temperature of the car's air conditioner.
Li Xuan leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.
"Hong Lin, you've followed me for so many years, what kind of person do you think I am?"
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