Zhang Moyun’s heart gave a thump, his chest feeling somewhat hot. He asked: “Are you alright?”

Li Weiyi nodded forcefully: “Yes!”

Zhang Moyun fell silent for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward and embraced his tall, strapping son in his arms. Li Weiyi stiffened slightly, then relaxed. Over his shoulder, she raised her face toward Zhang Jingchan, revealing a triumphant smile that said “see, I told you he loves you,” then reached out to return the embrace.

Zhang Jingchan silently stared at them.

The father and son hugged for a full half minute. Eventually, someone—no one knew who—began applauding, and applause filled the air. The father and son released each other. Li Weiyi’s face was flushed red, her eyes bright and sparkling. Zhang Moyun laughed quite heartily: “What are you all applauding for? What’s so worthy of applause?”

Zhang Jingchan’s second uncle Zhang Fengming was the first to speak. His eyes were also red, appearing deeply moved as he said: “Third Brother, you and your son have such deep affection. A-chan is young and accomplished, upright and kindhearted. Fu Ming has a successor—we’re happy! Can’t we applaud?”

Li Yunmo’s father, Construction Director Li Jingxiong, laughed heartily and said: “Well said! A-chan did great! A tiger father truly has no dog for a son.”

Everyone laughed. The atmosphere was warm and celebratory, with all attention focused on them.

Wu Xinhui said: “A-chan, when your father heard you had an accident, he dropped the project without managing it and bought the fastest flight back. Your uncles also all rushed over from the company. Now that everything’s fine, go home and rest first. In a few days we’ll invite everyone for dinner.”

Everyone agreed. Wu Xinhui pulled her son’s hand to leave. Li Weiyi: “Wait a moment!” She walked over and pulled Zhang Jingchan’s hand, saying: “Dad, Mom, this is Li Weiyi. Thanks to his protection today, otherwise I… uh… would have been beaten even worse.” The last sentence was extremely quiet.

Zhang Moyun was someone who—the moment his son entered the hospital—by the next moment already knew everything that had happened today crystal clear. He recognized this as the little girlfriend his son had brought to Shanghai two months ago. But since then he hadn’t seen her, and thought they had broken up. He hadn’t expected his son would risk so much for her today.

Although the matter arose because of the Li family, Zhang Moyun still smiled slightly and said to Zhang Jingchan: “Child, you’re very brave. Thank you.” Wu Xinhui always went along with whatever her husband said. Although her son getting beaten because of this girl was uncomfortable, since her husband didn’t say anything, she naturally didn’t take it to heart either. Moreover, the last time she saw this child, she had immediately taken a liking to her.

Wu Xinhui pulled Zhang Jingchan’s hand, asking after her well-being warmly, asking if Father Li was better, asking if she was scared. Seeing that though she was thin and small, her back was straight and she had considerable backbone, her heart filled with even more affection.

Zhang Moyun asked: “Are you and A-chan classmates?”

Zhang Jingchan looked at his father, who was rarely so amiable, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he said: “I’m seventeen, still in my second year of high school.”

Zhang Moyun: “……”

Wu Xinhui: “……”

Li Weiyi: What a rebellious son!

The group still crowded around Li Weiyi to leave. Li Weiyi’s heart was concerned about Fu Ming matters, so she grabbed Zhang Jingchan’s hand and said: “You come back with me.”

Zhang Moyun and Wu Xinhui looked at each other. The others all pretended nothing was amiss while suppressing laughter. Some thought to themselves that this crown prince was really still as wild and reckless as before.

Zhang Moyun could only say: “A-chan, come here. Let me say a couple words to you.”

Li Weiyi walked aside with him, looking at him uncomprehendingly. When Zhang Moyun saw her eyes, his heart softened again. He just felt that today his son looked especially vulnerable and helpless—after all, still a child, must have been scared—originally prepared to scold him for not knowing proper limits, he also softened his tone: “Have you thought about how bringing an underage young lady home isn’t quite appropriate? Her family would also be worried.”

Li Weiyi said righteously: “Where are you thinking? I’m not going to sleep in the same bed with him. Just find an empty room for him.” Then she frowned and clutched her chest: “No, Dad, I really was scared today. He flew over to protect me. If I can’t see him, my chest will hurt. When I close my eyes I see the criminal trying to kick me! Dad, take him back!”

Zhang Moyun: “……”

He took a deep breath and finally spoke sternly: “No! This is nonsense!”

Li Weiyi looked aggrieved: “Dad… Dad…” She grabbed his hand and shook it several times. “He’s willing himself. Why do you care so much? If you don’t believe me, go ask him.”

Zhang Moyun felt he was about to have a heart attack. But strangely, facing such an unreasonably demanding son, he still couldn’t lose his temper and could only hold it in.

Zhang Jingchan couldn’t watch anymore. Li Weiyi, probably because the family matter was finally resolved, was in high spirits, acting coquettishly and pleading, twisting about. The key point was that right now she was in his one-point-eight-two-meter tall body.

Zhang Jingchan strode over and nodded at Zhang Moyun: “I’ll go home right away. Let me say two more things to her.”

Zhang Moyun’s eyes flashed. He felt this little girl’s temperament was particularly stubborn, and a familiar annoying feeling surged in his heart. He only said “Mm” and gave space to the young couple.

Zhang Jingchan: “Go home first. It’s late now anyway. I’ll come find you first thing tomorrow morning.”

Li Weiyi: “Oh…”

Zhang Jingchan beckoned with his hand. Li Weiyi immediately lowered her head and leaned close to him. He said in a low voice: “You find a way to keep him there. We’ll have a showdown tomorrow morning.”

Li Weiyi’s eyes lit up as she nodded forcefully.

Zhang Jingchan smiled. Regardless of the countless pairs of eyes watching around them, he raised his hand and patted her cheek, then turned and walked away.

Zhang Moyun and several executives stood together, their gazes following them deeply. He said: “Xu Yi, drive her back.”

In such a lively scene earlier, Xu Yi, as special assistant and general office manager, had always stood to the side smiling, occasionally saying a word or two. Now he took the car keys and quickly caught up with Zhang Jingchan, saying: “Miss Li, let me take you.”

Zhang Jingchan’s steps didn’t stop: “No need.”

Xu Yi just smiled: “The chairman’s instructions. I hope you’ll help me out and let me complete my task.” He walked two steps ahead of him, pushed open the glass door for him, and led the way in front.

Zhang Jingchan looked at him in the night—suit and leather shoes, refined and cultured, advancing and retreating with propriety. To be fair, he had never had any ill feeling toward Xu Yi. At nineteen, he had even felt some admiration for Xu Yi—graduating from a top five prestigious university, earning his first pot of gold through his own startup business at a young age, then upon someone’s introduction and his father’s earnest invitation, decisively choosing to join Fu Ming Group, from then on rising rapidly with the wind. If nothing had happened to Fu Ming, with his father’s appreciation and importance placed on him, he could at least become vice president and obtain a considerable number of shares. However, someone like him would sooner or later start his own business and spread his wings to fly high anyway.

After Fu Ming’s collapse, Xu Yi neither kicked them when they were down nor became dejected. Instead, he went abroad to study and gild himself. After returning, he single-handedly founded Muchen Group, becoming one of the top figures in the province’s business world.

“Thank you.”

Xu Yi: “Thank me for what? A-chan is like a younger brother to me.”

Zhang Jingchan smiled but said nothing.

In the car, Zhang Jingchan was relatively silent. Xu Yi casually chatted with him about a few things, such as which school he attended, whether academic pressure was heavy, whether the wound on his face hurt.

Zhang Jingchan answered each question simply.

After a while, Xu Yi also quieted down.

Arriving outside the Li family home, Zhang Jingchan pulled open the car door and said: “I’m going.”

Xu Yi nodded, watching him enter that simple home until the lights came on. Only then did he turn around.

As he drove out of the residential complex, Xu Yi looked back at the Li home once more, his brows furrowing deeply.