Chapter 142
Chapter 142
The real trouble with this matter lay here. If it weren’t for this issue, they wouldn’t have to go to such lengths to establish connections with the upper echelons. With the Li family’s own power, they could have resolved these problems.
They were all smart people; there was no need to say much. Mr. Chen immediately understood the implication behind this statement. No wonder the juniors of the Li family insisted on meeting him alone.
At this point, there was no need to hide anything. Li Shu truthfully recounted the things the original owner had done. Fortunately, he had arrived not too late, and there was still room for redemption. If he had come a few days later and Lu Xi had been subjected to those cruel methods to test the drugs as his team intended, there would have been no turning back.
As he spoke, Mr. Chen’s expression grew darker. When Li Shu finished, Mr. Chen rubbed the cup in his hand, his tone unclear: “I knew it wasn’t that simple.”
He was on good terms with the previous head of the Li family, Li Shu and Li Yan’s father. He was an old fox. Naturally, the children raised by an old fox couldn’t be little white rabbits. The two before him were far from simple.
“Aren’t we here asking for your help?” Li Yan touched his nose. Only by offering enough chips could they make people willingly take risks.
“You didn’t mention this matter to me before,” Mr. Chen said with a half-smile. Had he known how tricky this issue was, he…well, he might not necessarily refuse to help.
“Alright, now that you’ve told me, I won’t pursue your previous concealment. This matter is indeed troublesome, but not entirely unsolvable. The victim is in your hands and is also your partner. With this relationship, everything will be easier to handle.”
“I’ll submit the documents first. As for how to deal with Li Shu, I’ll inform you later. Don’t worry.”
This was a promise to help. Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief and stood up to see Mr. Chen out.
“You’ve really given me a big surprise.” Not only was it a surprise, but also a shock. The file in his hand seemed to radiate heat, making his blood boil.
People aspire to climb higher, just like water flows downward. Who in this world doesn’t want to stand at the top? What he held in his hands offered him a shortcut.
It was both a trouble and an opportunity, and a huge opportunity at that. It was worth the risk of meeting the two juniors of the Li family. The gain was immense.
Li Shu and the others returned to the suburban estate. They had not informed the rest of the Li family about Lu Xi’s identity. Until everything was settled, it was not wise to expose Lu Xi’s existence.
In this regard, Li Shu and Li Yan shared the same thought. Telling the Li family early wouldn’t help much, it was just adding a few more worried people. So, besides Li Shu and Li Yan, only the former head of the Li family knew. Their father’s connections were used to get the private meeting with Mr. Chen.
———-
“Brother, what do you plan to do next?” Li Yan took off his suit jacket and poured himself a glass of water. He had come directly from the company.
The situation was tense, so Mr. Chen only informed them that the documents will be submitted and told them not to worry and to wait patiently. There was no further news after that. Li Yan knew that being anxious wouldn’t help. So he went to work every day as usual, and whenever he had time, he came here.
Li Shu and Lu Xi lived in this secluded estate and Lu Xi has been constantly absorbing knowledge about the human world. He had an amazing memory and could understand many things after just one look. During this time, Li Shu took on the role of a teacher, and dedicated himself to teaching Lu Xi, his special student.
Before he knew the sirens’ purpose for coming to land, he hadn’t guided Lu Xi on how to integrate into human society. At that time, it seemed unnecessary. Lu Xi belonged to the ocean and didn’t need to learn these relatively useless things. But now it was different. If nothing unexpected happened, Lu Xi, like other sirens, would spend a lot of time on land. Thus, learning about the human world became necessary.
Lu Xi had a strong learning ability and was very interested in human inventions. Of course, his happiest moments were still the time spent with Li Shu.
Because of Li Shu, he was willing to learn about this unfamiliar world; because of Li Shu, he could leave the ocean; because of Li Shu, he restrained his innate killing nature.
As long as he could be with Li Shu.
Li Shu was trimming Lu Xi’s nails. Merfolk’s nails were their weapons and were extremely sharp. Despite Lu Xi’s utmost care, he still left many scratches on Li Shu. So, Li Shu had to trim them.
“I’m going back to the base for a while. Brother, is the base still managed by that person?” Li Shu asked.
“Yes, did something happen?” The base was managed by a designated person, and there hadn’t been any problems. Could it be that he had done something and was discovered by his little brother?
“I need to confirm it first.” Li Shu shook his head. Whether what Jiang Tao did was related to the manager still needed to be seen. Since he had decided to take over, he naturally had to remove all the cancers.
“I will handle this. Brother doesn’t need to worry.”
Hearing this, Li Yan, who was about to intervene, suppressed his thoughts. Since his little brother said he would handle it, he wouldn’t interfere. He only said, “Don’t force yourself. Just do what you want to do. We’ll take care of the rest.”
The Li family’s love for the original owner was unconditional. Knowing the original owner disliked social interactions, they created a space for him to do what he wanted.
“Brother, there are some things I must face myself. If it weren’t for me, the Li family wouldn’t be facing this crisis…”
“Li Shu!” Before he could finish, Li Yan interrupted him sternly. “This has nothing to do with you. Don’t overthink it, and never say this again.”
Li Yan’s tone was stern, but Li Shu smiled and squeezed Lu Xi’s hand. “I understand, Brother.”
He was always someone who repaid kindness with kindness and revenge with revenge. He was determined to protect the Li family.
The estate belonged to Li Yan and there was a room specially prepared for Li Shu. Lu Xi stayed with Li Shu. He originally lived in the swimming pool, but after he could grow legs, he no longer wanted to stay there alone. Even if Li Shu sent him to the pool at night, Lu Xi would definitely sneak back to Li Shu’s room in the middle of the night.
After it happened countless times, Li Shu allowed Lu Xi to stay in his room.
“Lu Xi,” Li Shu sat on the bed, looking serious. “Didn’t I tell you before that you are not allowed to use your powers recklessly and not to hurt people? What were you trying to do today?”
Lu Xi moved closer to Li Shu. He had reverted to his merman form. He wrapped the strong tail around Li Shu’s leg and tried to hug Li Shu, but was pushed away.
Li Shu was angry, and Lu Xi sensed it. Li Shu rarely got angry. Lu Xi had seen him angry only a few times, but this time, Li Shu was really mad, and it was because of him.
He didn’t understand why. He looked at Li Shu’s profile, his eyes full of confusion.
“Li Shu…”
He couldn’t figure it out. He hadn’t done anything, so why was Li Shu angry? He didn’t want Li Shu to be angry, so he reached out and grabbed Li Shu’s hand and held it in his own.
Li Shu’s hand was warm and soft. He didn’t know if other humans’ hands were like this, nor did he want to know. It was enough to hold this person’s hand.
“Let me ask you, were you about to attack my brother just now?” If he hadn’t squeezed Lu Xi’s hand in time, Lu Xi might have struck. Li Shu had grown up in a world of battles, and he trusted his instincts completely.
“You’re angry about this? I didn’t…” He did have the intention to kill, but he really hadn’t planned to do anything. He knew that person was Li Shu’s relative. If he hurt him, Li Shu would be sad. However, he couldn’t stand seeing Li Shu bullied and lost control for a moment.
“He was mean to you…” Lu Xi said reluctantly, “No one can bully you.”
Li Shu was stunned for a moment. He didn’t expect such a response, and he sighed helplessly. “That’s my big brother. He won’t hurt me.”
He raised his hand to stroke Lu Xi’s hair. It was his fault. While Lu Xi could take on a human form, the habits of a siren were deeply ingrained in him. It was unreasonable to impose human moral standards on him.
After understanding this, Li Shu leaned over and kissed Lu Xi’s cheek. “It’s my fault.”
Lu Xi was very pleased with this form of apology. He held Li Shu, who was trying to pull away, and embraced him tightly.
Li Shu had discovered that at certain times, Lu Xi really liked to use his merman form. For example, at night, he liked to wrap his tail around his leg while sleeping. Even if he forced him to change his tail into legs before bed, he would wake up in the restraints of Lu Xi’s tail.
The temperature under the covers was high, and Li Shu broke out in a fine sweat, unconsciously moving closer to the only cold source. Lu Xi, as the cold source, was content to catch the lover who threw himself into his arms.
As expected, they were tangled together when they woke up. Li Shu was used to this. He moved a bit, and the highly alert merman quickly woke up. Feeling the familiar breath, the sharp look in his eyes faded, and he nuzzled the soft cheek nearby, followed by a kiss.
Li Shu pushed away the head that kept pecking at him. “Stop it, it’s time to get up.”
Lu Xi didn’t comply, so Lu Shi grabbed his wandering hands and narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Get up!”
Faced with his partner’s firm stance, Lu Xi withdrew his hands regretfully. His tail left the warm skin and instantly turned into legs. He got out of bed first, and before Li Shu could react, he picked him up.
“What are you doing?” Suddenly lifted off the ground, Li Shu exclaimed and grabbed Lu Xi’s shoulder.
“I’m taking you to wash up.” Satisfied with the way Li Shu relies on him, Lu Xi’s eyes were full of smiles. Even the unhappiness from being rejected earlier faded. Looking at the marks covering Li Shu’s body, the annoyance vanished completely.
He knew humans were different from sirens. He couldn’t monopolize his partner all the time, especially during the day. There were very few times when he could enjoy the pleasure of holding his partner.
There was a private bathroom in the room. Seeing that Lu Xi was behaving, Li Shu allowed himself to be carried into the bathroom. Even after entering, Lu Xi didn’t put him down but carried him to the sink.
Above the sink was a large mirror reflecting their figures. The slender man was held in the arms of a tall man. The skin exposed outside his pajamas was covered with red marks and there was a touch of red at the corners of his eyes, which was incredibly seductive.
Just as Li Shu was about to say something, Lu Xi placed him on the sink and leaned in.