Chapter 63 Saving the exploited sister in modern drama
Li Huairou saw a series of changes and thought that her task was almost complete. Who would have thought that Zuo Zheng seemed to have changed his goals?
“Gotten off work? Where are you going? Let me take you?” Li Huairou looked at Zuo Zheng, who was leaning against the car door, and blinked. Did he think he was handsome?
“Ah? No, I’ll go back in my dad’s car,” Li Huairou said, the corners of her mouth twitching.
Zuo Zheng smiled. “Well, actually, my mother asked me to pick you up. Today’s my mother’s birthday, and she reserved a place at Jiangnanji. She and Auntie have already gone there, so she asked me to pick you and Uncle up. If you don’t believe me, look at your phone. There should be a call and WeChat message from Auntie.”
Li Huairou took out her phone. There really was a message.
While reading the message, Papa Li’s car also came and stopped beside Li Huairou. “Huairou, your Dad has something to do at night and won’t be having dinner with you!” He gave Li Huairou a wink.
Li Huairou leaned over and said, “Dad, drink less. Otherwise, Mom will get angry, and I won’t help you talk to her.”
“Don’t worry, Dad knows,” Papa Li said with a smile.
Li Huairou could only go with Zuo Zheng’s car.
Zuo Zheng was driving a limited-edition Ferrari, and he gained the attention of countless beauties along the way. When he stopped by the roadside and waited for her, there were already seven or eight girls applying lipstick and touching up their makeup at the car window.
But after Li Huairou sat down, she didn’t make any extra glances at all. Instead, she started following a drama with her phone in her hand; although she was wearing headphones, it didn’t affect Zuo Zheng.
But Zuo Zheng was a little unhappy.
He thought that, according to Li Huairou’s family background, she should recognize what kind of car this was, right? Had she behaved so indifferently because she was used to it or because she wanted to be different and attract his attention?
Either way, Zuo Zheng didn’t like it.
He’d originally wanted to take this opportunity to have a good chat with Li Huairou about the domestic and foreign economic situation. But now, did Li Huairou regard him as a chauffeur?
When they arrived, Zuo Zheng parked the car, got off first, and then wanted to go to open the door for Li Huairou. Li Huairou opened the car door by herself and got out. “Which room is it?”
Zuo Zheng smiled. “8808. I’ll take you there!”
The two of them entered the room, one after the other.
Inside, Qin Fang and Mama Li were talking about the events of their college days, and they were very lively. Seeing Li Huairou and Zuo Zheng coming in, Qin Fang warmly greeted them, grasping Li Huairou’s hand.
“Huairou is here! Are you tired from work? Hurry up and sit down. Zuo Zheng will have them serve the food!”
Li Huairou looked at Mama Li. Mama Li shrugged, indicating that she didn’t know what was wrong.
Li Huairou calmly pulled out her hand. “Thank you, Auntie—I’m not tired. I just go to work to play around.” Then she sat down beside Mama Li. “Dad said he had something to do, so he won’t come. He wanted to let you have a good time.”
“Got it. Did you tell him to drink less?” Mama Li asked softly.
Li Huairou gave an “OK” gesture.
Mama Li nodded in satisfaction.
Mama Li said to Qin Fang with a smile, “She has neither learning nor skill. She works as an assistant in the company, but, in fact, she just goes to mess around. Her dad and I have both thought about it. As for Huaiyu, we don’t need to worry. As for Huairou, she is not cut out for it. When we get old, we’ll follow the example of the people in Hong Kong: set up a family trust fund and get money every month to ensure that they have no worries about food and clothing.”
[Bu shi na kuai liao (不是那块料) literally means “not that material”, but when it’s used to describe someone, then that means that that person has no ability to do a particular job or task]
Qin Fang frowned. “What about the company?” She’d only learned about it after she came back. Although it was not obvious from all aspects of the Li family’s life, the valuation of the Li family’s company was hundreds of millions!
Mama Li smiled. “We’ll let a professional manage it. Huairou is just not cut out for it!”
“It’s too careless. You have to think about it—what kind of trust fund will it be, and it’ll only be able to get a little money every month; how could it be enough? They are girls, and they spend a lot of money—that little bit of money is not enough. At that time, it will be too late to regret it,” Qin Fang said.
“No, although Huairou is lazy, her expenses are not big, and she doesn’t pursue those big name brands, bags, or anything else,” Mama Li said with a smile.
Li Huairou nodded at the side. “This decision was approved unanimously at one of our family meetings. I also agree.”
Qin Fang pointed at Li Huairou with her finger in the air. “You are too young. It will be enough for one person, of course, but what if you get married and have children in the future? It’s not enough at all.”
Li Huairou smiled. “Then I won’t get married. My parents have promised me that they won’t force me to get married, right?”
“I didn’t promise that,” Mama Li said angrily.
“Dad promised. He said he wished that I’d never marry and that I’d stay with him for the rest of my life!” Li Huairou smiled.
“Look at what you said—there is no girl who never gets married for a lifetime,” Qin Fang said with a smile.
“Why not? It’s my freedom to get married or not. And I’m fortunate to live in an enlightened and happy family. My parents won’t decide a person’s worth based on whether they get married,” Li Huairou said with a smile.
Qin Fang looked at Mama Li. “Are you serious?”
“The father and daughter have one heart—what can I do?” Mama Li smiled helplessly. “But I think Huairou is right. What era is it now? Now, how can we look at this problem with concepts from the past? Her father and I had these children, and we have no requirements for them, other than just being happy and not adding burden to country and society. So far, they’ve done it. As for the rest, whether it’s love or marriage, we’ll let them go.”
Qin Fang wanted to say something else, but Zuo Zheng said, “Mom, today’s your birthday. Let’s not talk about that, alright? Mom? I wish you a happy birthday. This is a birthday present for you.”
Qin Fang glanced at Mama Li and Li Huairou. She smiled. “Alright! You marry early and give your mother a grandchild. That will be the best gift for your mother.”
Zuo Zheng glanced at Li Huairou and smiled. “Mom, I’ll work hard.”
Mama Li’s gift had already been delivered, and Li Huairou smiled. “Auntie, I didn’t know it was your birthday, so I didn’t prepare a gift for you. I’m so sorry!
“It’s okay. Auntie is happy that you could come. Auntie has only one son—Zuo Zheng—and dreams of having several daughters. When Auntie sees you, she is happy,” Qin Fang said with a smile.
Li Huairou laughed, but she felt bad in her heart. Do you think everyone is a fool? There was such a big difference in attitude before and after; did she think that Li Huairou couldn’t see it?
After dinner, Zuo Zheng graciously sent Li Huairou and the others home, then used the bathroom in their house.
After Zuo Zheng left, Mama Li washed the fruit and brought it out. Li Huairou laid on the sofa and ate the fruit while analyzing today’s affairs with Mama Li.
“Mom, do you understand? They didn’t dare to continue hitting on my sister, so they came to me—the second best!”
“No! What does it mean to be second? You are not worse than your sister! In our eyes, you are just as precious as your sister!” Mama Li said angrily.
Li Huairou felt comfort in her heart. “Mom, let’s talk about it in our own family!”
“Mom won’t allow you to belittle yourself!” Mama Li gently slapped Li Huairou’s leg. “You’re beautiful, cute, well-behaved, and obedient. In your mother’s eyes, you are just as good as your sister.”
Li Huairou giggled. “Actually, I think so too.”
Mama Li also smiled. “No, you said what they mean? Although I am not as good as her in my studies, I am not a fool! Does she think my daughter is a napa cabbage in the vegetable market to be picked out?”
“Mom, don’t be angry. Didn’t I say today that I’m not getting married? I guess they’re anxious!” Li Huairou said.
“In the future, stay away from that Zuo Zheng. I’m afraid he’ll jump over the wall in a hurry. What will happen then?” said Mama Li.
“I don’t care. It’s just, mom, you should be careful when interacting with Auntie Qin Fang in the future. But it’s fine. We never discuss my sister’s laboratory at home, and we don’t know anything about it. They can’t get any useful information from us,” Li Huairou said.
When Papa Li came back, he smiled when he heard the conversation between the mother and daughter. “Don’t worry. Whether their company can start smoothly is a question.”
“What do you mean?” Mama Li asked quickly.
“Not all the formalities are in place,” Papa Li said with a smile. “Lao Wang told me during dinner tonight.”
“What should I do? I heard that they sold the company’s production line in the United States and returned to China to develop.” Mama Li was a little anxious.
Papa Li analyzed, “This is not very credible. After all, the United States is their home base—how could they sell the company’s production line? Selling real estate is possible. But Huairou is right; they invested so much in the early stage, so they’re naturally not willing to give it up. In order to avoid trouble… Or else, we could sign up for a tour group and travel abroad? It happens that the 18th of this month is our 25th anniversary.”
“Okay, I’ll go too!” Li Huairou immediately raised her hand.
Papa Li glanced at her. “Dad signed you up for another group. Can’t you stop being a light bulb?”
Mama Li hesitated. “What about Huaiyu? Will she be in danger?”
Li Huairou looked at her mother. “How is that possible? My sister’s security is so tight! So, Dad, convert it into cash. I don’t want to go out. I’ll just stay at home and not go anywhere. No matter who comes, I won’t open the door. You know this community’s security.”
“Deal,” Papa Li agreed very readily.
“What about the company?” Mama Li asked again.
“The company has Qin Chuan! I hired him with a high salary. I’ve investigated him for some time. This guy is really good—smart and bold, and his vision is also good. It’s a pity that he has a girlfriend, otherwise I’d want to match him with Huairou. But he doesn’t like Huairou either,” Papa Li said.
“Dad!” Li Huairou raised her voice.
“It’s not that Dad is wrong. It’s that he isn’t worthy of you,” Papa Li said perfunctorily.
Mama Li thought for a while. “Okay, then go. But I have to talk to Huaiyu first.”
“Oh, you go now. You won’t see anyone, both of you, just go. As for my sister, let me handle it,” Li Huairou said.
When Papa Li saw that Mama Li agreed, he immediately made an arrangement.
