Chapter 30

Chapter 30

A sudden wind came up, scattering the ink-black clouds and revealing the moon hidden behind them, spilling clear moonlight on the ground.

A faint smile flickered and vanished in an instant, as if blending into the hazy night sky above.

The dappled tree shadows swayed and danced, almost making him think he was seeing things. Song Nian's eyes glistened as he stared blankly at the person, forgetting to look away for a moment.

"It's cold outside. Let's go inside first."

That large hand ruffled his hair again before withdrawing, like smoothing a puppy's fur. After saying this, Li Yanchuan pushed his wheelchair into the house.

"Hey, okay, sure, wait up!"

By the time he shook off his daze, the person beside him had already entered the house. Song Nian quickly stood up and scurried after him.

The silvery moonlight fell on the back garden, spreading a thin veil over the tender buds about to bloom.

Though the moonlight was usually cold, tonight, for some reason, it had a touch of warmth.

Just like the warm touch left by that large hand on his head.

The moonlight was beautiful, and the wind was gentle.

Greenery reappeared in the garden, moonlight pierced through the clouds, and the night was no longer just dark and cold.

It seemed like something was subtly changing.

————

"President Li, there's new progress in the investigation of that car accident. Evidence shows that the elder Mr. Li tried to obstruct the investigation..."

The assistant's words came through the phone one sentence after another. The more he heard, the deeper Li Yanchuan's frown became, and the tighter his fists clenched.

By the time the report ended, gloom had settled over his face, as dark as storm clouds, and his oppressive aura made it hard to breathe.

Even the assistant on the other end sensed the tense atmosphere and asked cautiously:

"What would you like to do next?"

"Hold off for now. Wait for my instructions on the next steps."

"Yes."

After hanging up, Li Yanchuan's face remained overcast, with uncontrollable hatred seething in his eyes, clamoring to ignite the flames of revenge.

Just then, the phone rang again.

Seeing the name on the screen, he couldn't help but sneer, radiating a chilling coldness.

He answered, his tone flat but with turbulent emotions surging beneath the surface.

"Yan Chuan."

The person speaking on the other end was none other than Li Yi, his so-called biological father.

"Come home for dinner this weekend."

Though this sentence would be perfectly normal in any other family, coming from his father's mouth, it sounded extremely eerie.

He didn't phrase it as a question; instead, he used an affirmative tone, carrying a commanding implication with no room for discussion.

Normally, Li Yanchuan would never agree to such a tedious request, but recalling what the assistant had just said, he paused and changed his mind.

Then he sneered and gave his reply:

"Sure."

Probably finding this straightforward answer unusual, Li Yi on the other end was momentarily stunned, but then thought that since the goal was achieved, he didn't press further and hung up after a few meaningless words.

Staring at the ended call screen, Li Yanchuan's mouth curled into a weak, self-deprecating smile, and he raised a hand to cover his face.

Then, the smile vanished completely, his expression turned cold and sharp, and his piercing eyes glinted through his fingers like blades.

The hatred and murderous intent on his face were barely concealed, burning anger searing in his chest, as if about to transform into poison-tipped arrows flying forth.

With a crash, he swept the porcelain cups off the table, making a terrifying clattering sound.

Just as his expression turned grim, the study door suddenly opened a crack.

Then, a fluffy chestnut-brown head with a cowlick peeked in through the door.

It was Song Nian.

After locking eyes with the person in the room, a brilliant smile blossomed on his fair face.

"Honey, are you okay? I heard a loud noise from the room."

He had come to check on things and asked tentatively. Just as he finished speaking, he caught sight of the shards on the floor, was startled, and his cowlick stuck up in fright.

Without any further questioning, he hurriedly ran to get a broom and cleaned it all up.

Watching his back as he bustled around, Li Yanchuan dropped his gaze, his mind already filled with that gentle smile.

Unexpectedly, without any comforting words or deliberate soothing actions, just this simple exchange was enough to calm the blazing anger in an instant.

It was as if seeing that smile alone could calm his restless heart.

His heartbeat was strong and steady, as if a nourishing rain had fallen, bringing spring warmth and washing away the gloom.

"Song Nian."

The man in the wheelchair spoke softly, his voice a little hoarse.

Hearing his name, the person bent over cleaning stopped, turned around to look, and made a questioning sound.

"Come with me to the Li family home this weekend."

Though Li Yi had told him to go back alone, he hadn't specified that it was only him. Somehow, Li Yanchuan felt that if Song Nian came along, he might be able to face it calmly.

"Sure."

Upon hearing this, Song Nian agreed without thinking, not even asking why they were going.

So docile and obedient.

It made one want to hold him tight in his grasp, so he couldn't go anywhere.

Or put a collar around his fragile neck, so he could never leave.

An inappropriate thought surged into his mind, and Li Yanchuan's expression darkened. He lowered his head and clenched his fists.

————

On Saturday afternoon, the two of them were chauffeured to the Li family's main residence.

It wasn't until they were on the way that Song Nian belatedly realized he was about to meet the rest of the Li family.

Although he had seen them briefly at the wedding, he had no real memory of Li Yanchuan's parents. And since they were depicted as terrible people in the original novel, he had no favorable impression of them anyway.

Setting those two aside, the most important person to consider was Li Wenguang.

"Honey, is your brother going to be there? I don't want to see him."

He gently tugged Li Yanchuan's sleeve and asked in a low voice.

"Yeah."

The man nodded, but instead of questioning or mocking him, his words carried a hint of reassurance.

"Don't worry. He won't dare do anything to you. Last time was enough to teach him a lesson."

Li Wenguang's break-in at the villa that night hadn't been leaked to the media, but it had been deliberately leaked to Li Yi.

Li Yi, who cared deeply about his reputation, became furious, scolding Li Wenguang harshly, and confined him to the house ever since.

So, with both him and Li Yi around, Li Wenguang definitely wouldn't dare do anything now.

The car pulled into the Li family's main residence. When they stepped out into the courtyard, no one came to greet them.

Seeing this, Song Nian frowned. He hadn't expected the Li family to not even bother with the pretense of courtesy.

Li Yanchuan, on the other hand, looked perfectly calm, as if he was completely unsurprised by the scene.

"Let's go."

Perhaps Song Nian's dissatisfaction was too obvious, so the man gently squeezed his hand in return, a gesture of comfort.

Upon entering the villa, they finally saw the host of the day.

"You're here?"

Li Yi, sitting on the sofa, put down his newspaper and lifted his eyes with little expression.

His gaze swept over the man's wheelchair, his brow slightly furrowed. When he saw Song Nian, he looked slightly surprised but quickly nodded in greeting.

That was all. He didn't even stand up to welcome them.

It seemed as if he wasn't very welcoming, as if they had insisted on coming home.

Song Nian frowned at this, sensing an ominous feeling, feeling that this meal had an ulterior motive.

Li Yanchuan responded with an equally flat murmur, and then there was no further exchange between father and son.

For a moment, the living room fell silent, broken only by the sounds of the housekeeper cooking in the kitchen.

It was a bit awkward.

When Li Wenguang and his biological mother, Qiu Shi, came downstairs, the awkwardness became even more pronounced.

"Song—"

Upon seeing Song Nian beside Li Yanchuan, Li Wenguang instinctively rushed forward.

But Qiu Shi grabbed him quickly and shot him a warning glance, then subtly nodded toward Li Yi's direction.

Stopped in his tracks, Li Wenguang was displeased but knew that doing so would anger his father. He reluctantly gave up and obediently followed behind his mother.

"Let's go eat."

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Li Yi spoke slowly.

Everyone sat down at the dining table, but on the large table, no chair had been removed in advance.

This meant that no one had thought about Li Yanchuan's needs.

Looking at the scene, Song Nian could barely suppress his disgust, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

He threw all dining etiquette out the window, strode over to the seat next to the head of the table, and removed the chair himself.

Then, in front of everyone, he pushed Li Yanchuan to that spot and helped him sit down.

Everyone at the table witnessed this scene, and each reacted differently.

Li Yi just raised his eyes slightly, seemingly indifferent to it, just as he had always been indifferent to Song Nian's existence.

Qiu Shi, on the other hand, kept glancing between the father and son, observing their expressions, ready to chime in.

As for Li Wenguang, he was full of resentment, his sullen gaze fixed directly on the pair across from him like a tangible force.

Song Nian, the object of his gaze, pretended not to see it, not sparing him even a glance, as he focused on taking care of Li Yanchuan.

Although it was supposed to be a family meal, the whole table was cold and lifeless. Aside from the occasional clink of silverware on porcelain, there was no other movement.

It was far from a joyful family meal. There was no lively chit-chat, and even conversation was rare.

Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and no one spoke first.

Sensing the unusually tense atmosphere, Song Nian sighed inwardly, thinking that this was indeed a dangerous "feast of Hongmen." He wondered what ulterior motives these people had.

But since no one brought it up, he, as an outsider, naturally pretended not to notice and just kept his head down and ate.

He also kept piling food onto Li Yanchuan's plate.

"Eat more," he said, shelling a large piece of crab leg meat and leaning in to whisper to Li Yanchuan.

"Mm," the man responded, his tightly knit brows relaxing slightly as his expression softened.

Such attentive and warm gestures were a stark contrast at the table, especially to Li Wenguang.

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his joints popping.

Li Yi, seated at the head of the table, naturally noticed this disgraceful display and gave two disapproving coughs as a warning.

"Yan Chuan, how is your recovery going?"

Finally, he turned his gaze to Li Yanchuan and remarked with a hidden agenda.

"It's okay."

Li Yanchuan replied indifferently.

"Are you keeping up with company matters?"

"I can manage."

Then Li Yi asked some trivial questions, which didn't sound like genuine concern but just going through the motions to keep the conversation going.

Finally, he wiped his mouth and made his real intention clear:

"Since you're still recovering, don't overwork yourself. Your health comes first."

"Why not let Wenguang handle the company affairs for you, so he can lighten your load?"