Volume 14
Chapter 3: The Boy of the Past (Part 2)
The bodyguards at the door were soldiers. Lu Li keenly noticed the difference between this group of people and ordinary bodyguards. They all carried guns, wore in-ear communicators, and were no different from the secret agents he had seen in movies. It was just that this group of soldiers, who could have been protagonists in a spy movie, were now guarding Chu Xiaodong’s main gate. And this was just the tip of the iceberg of the Chu family. Recalling the few death warriors that the Yan Matriarch had painstakingly raised, the gap between them was so large it was laughable.
“Mr. Lu? Please show your ID and go through the security check again. All metal devices must be handed over to us for safekeeping.”
Lu Li remembered that the first time he had gone to the Chu family, it was Jingyi and her aunt who had invited him. He had nervously brought fruit in a plastic bag as a gift. He still remembered his mood at that time: uneasy, nervous, filled with a young man’s unique awkwardness and even self-abasement. Today, he was visiting again, but Lu Li’s state of mind had undergone a huge change.
His first computer had been a gift from his Silly Goose. He had always said it was a loan, but he had never mentioned “returning” it.
Going through the security check, Lu Li was inexplicably reminded of his first visit to the Chu family. At that time, Secretary Long had driven to pick him up, and he had even fantasized in the car about Chu Xiaodong’s speech. He had even thought, at that time, that if the Chu family gave him five million, he would really take the money and leave Chu Jingyi. Thinking of this, Lu Li couldn’t help but smile.
And his Jingyi. That day, she was wearing a goose-yellow dress, as delicate as a butterfly, her smile as charming as a flower. That person is like a rainbow; you only know they exist when you meet them. Chu Jingyi was the most perfect girl Lu Li had ever known. He must have been extremely lucky to have been chosen by that lovely girl.
She was probably shopping abroad right now, thinking about what local specialty to buy for Lu Li. Or maybe she was staying in the hotel, worried, and hoping to return home soon. Lu Li thought, no matter if this meeting is successful or not, I must go abroad and take Yibao away, even if I have to snatch her!
“Mr. Lu, please.” An old butler, seeing that Lu Li had finished the security check, smiled and led the way for him. What Lu Li didn’t know was that within the Chu family, the name “Lu Li” was known to everyone. Everyone knew that this was the gentleman who had almost become the future son-in-law. Some thought he couldn’t grasp the opportunity, some thought he had backbone and integrity, and some thought he had dropped his brain.
If Lu Li had to choose, he felt he had indeed dropped his brain. Perhaps he had been hit too hard by the gas tank explosion before his rebirth, and his brain had been damaged. Otherwise, how could he have owed so many emotional debts in this life?
“Have you had breakfast, Mr. Lu?” the old butler asked warmly.
“Ah, I’ve already eaten.”
“Then please follow me directly.”
The old butler led Lu Li straight through the Chu family mansion. Wherever they passed, everyone would stop and look. Everyone knew who he was, why he had come, and they were even more expectant of what he could achieve for himself today. This nameless nobody from the Chuanhai Low-Rent District was now dressed in a white suit, striding generously through the top aristocratic family of Shenzhou. Lu Li turned a blind eye to these gazes, whether good or evil, his eyes fixed only on the small tea room at the end of the road.
The old butler said, “You don’t need to mind their words. When a family is large, there will be more gossip. It’s all just the ignorant words of the collateral branches. The direct line of the Chu family is only Prime Minister Chu’s branch. You only need to care about Prime Minister Chu’s evaluation.”
“I don’t care about evaluations,” Lu Li said with a smile. He didn’t care about anyone’s evaluation. His own value didn’t need to be bestowed by anyone. Perhaps he would have cared when he was just reborn, but after experiencing so much, Lu Li felt his value could no longer be defined by anyone. At the very least, Chu Xiaodong had never experienced such a magical three rebirths.
He was no longer that boy. That boy who stood at the door with a plastic bag, feeling uneasy.
The old butler was stunned for a moment, then said with a smile, “Mr. Lu is indeed a remarkable person.”
The two of them stopped in front of the tea room. The old butler bowed and stepped back. “Prime Minister Chu is waiting for you inside.”
“Thank you.”
Lu Li pushed open the door and saw a not-so-luxurious tea room. The floor was paved with wooden boards, the walls were fitted with bamboo, and a huge scroll hung on the wall at the end of his vision: “Wu Wei.” In front of him was a tea table, which was a carved mountain stone. There was even a miniature landscape sculpture on the tabletop, with clear tea water flowing slowly as a mountain waterfall. To his left was a screen, and behind the screen seemed to be a seated person, but the shadow was blurry and not very clear. In front of the screen was a pot of incense. Lu Li didn’t know what scent it was; he had never smelled it before. The scent was elegant, not very strong.
Just as Lu Li thought the person sitting behind the screen was Chu Xiaodong, the real Chu Xiaodong walked in from a side door. There were still some water stains on his hands. Seeing Lu Li, a smile bloomed on his face. “Little Lu has finally arrived. Quick, sit, sit. Don’t be polite. I just went to wash my hands and get some tea leaves.” Chu Xiaodong had clearly aged a lot compared to a few years ago. His temples were already white, and his crow’s feet were more and more obvious. Even one of the most powerful men in this country, in the end, could not escape the erosion of time.
Lu Li hesitated and glanced at the screen, then sat down opposite the tea table.
Chu Xiaodong shook his hands and said with a smile, “No need to mind. The matter to be discussed today is quite large. I can’t make the decision alone, so I invited the retired old master to preside. He will only listen and will not easily express his opinion.”
So it was the Chu family’s old master. Lu Li remembered the Silly Goose saying that the old master had once invited him to the Capital City for a visit. He somewhat regretted not having done so back then. At least he could have built a good relationship with the old master, right? He wondered if this old man had held a grudge against him in his heart.
In this small tea room, two generations of the Chu family’s masters, and even two members of the country’s central core group, were waiting for him. Lu Li felt Chu Xiaodong’s emphasis on this meeting, and that formless pressure came again.
Chu Xiaodong sat down on the other side of the tea table, pressed some button, and the rockery began to gurgle with hot water. Chu Xiaodong placed the teapot under the waterfall, and in a little while, it was filled with hot water. Lu Li was a little curious. He was rather rough when it came to drinking tea and didn’t have as many fancy tricks as a cultured person. There were still many small objects on this table whose purpose he didn’t understand.
Chu Xiaodong poured the first steep of tea, glanced at Lu Li, and said with a smile, “Little Lu is still not used to it?”
“Yes. I’m used to living a hard life,” Lu Li nodded.
“You’ll get used to it slowly. Sometimes, if you don’t learn this kind of thing, you can’t integrate into this circle. Be it tea or hobbies, you can go and learn to ride a horse or play golf when you have time. By the way, the young people in the Capital City are quite keen on hunting. There’s a hunting ground to the west of the capital. There are often some wolves and wild boars with their teeth and claws pulled out. You can go and try.” Chu Xiaodong’s tone was peaceful, like an elder in the family making casual conversation. “Try the taste of this tea. It was airlifted here at six this morning.”
“From within the country?” Lu Li was a little surprised.
“From India,” Chu Xiaodong smiled.
“It has a hint of lemon,” Lu Li took a small sip.
“Take a bag back with you when you leave. You can brew it and drink it in your leisure time,” Chu Xiaodong said with a smile.
