Chapter 898: You’re Not Alone!
As soon as Jiang Shiying entered, he looked at Li Yi and asked, “When did you get here?”
“Just walked in. Didn’t you go out, Dad?”
In Li Yi’s view, an official of Jiang Shiying’s rank must have plenty of social engagements. Plus, since he’d finally made it back for a visit, the dinner invitations must have been coming one after another.
“No, I was just chatting with the old man for a bit. I heard some noise over here, so I came to check it out!”
Then Jiang Shiying changed the subject and asked, “Didn’t you leave with Longcheng and Jianhua? Didn’t those two rascals take you out for a spin?”
Li Yi shook his head. “No. We spent the whole afternoon having tea at Third Brother’s place. Someone invited them out to dinner tonight, so I came over to the old house!”
“They didn’t take you with them?” Jiang Shiying frowned.
“Third Brother did invite me, but I turned him down!” Li Yi replied honestly.
“Why? Longcheng and Jianhua’s friends are all scions of prominent families in the capital. It would be beneficial for you to mingle with them more!”
However, Li Yi just smiled and said, “Dad, I understand what you mean, but I don’t want to have too much to do with them for now!”
“For now?”
“Yes. First, the timing isn’t right, and second, I’m not ready yet!”
Seeing the puzzled look on his father-in-law’s face, Li Yi immediately explained, “Father, do you know about the matter where Third Brother and Jianhua asked me to help them make money?”
“I’ve heard about it. It seems you made a million or two with them last year. That kid Longcheng even bragged about it to me!” Jiang Shiying said.
“Then do you know how much I’ve made with them this year?”
“How would I know that!” Jiang Shiying said with a laugh.
“One hundred million. To be precise, one hundred and fourteen million each!”
At those words, both Jiang Shiying and Ye Lingyun beside him looked dumbfounded, and even Jiang Xue wore the same expression.
Earlier that morning, while Li Yi and An Hong were discussing this matter, Jiang Xue had been in the living room with Zhang Xinyao and Lin Ying, so she hadn’t known the exact figures for the trade show’s profit split.
It took a while for Jiang Shiying to recover. She asked, her voice a bit flustered, “Are you really going to give those two good-for-nothings over 100 million each?”
“It’s not that I’m giving it to them—according to our partnership agreement, they’re entitled to that much!”
Li Yi then shifted the subject and continued, “Dad, although my affairs have been kept strictly confidential at the highest levels, many foreign powers are fully aware of them. In fact, numerous newspapers and media outlets have reported on them. I imagine many of the major families in the country are already well aware of my capabilities!”
“Plus, the fact that I’m helping Third Brother and Brother Jianhua make money can’t stay under wraps for long. Once word gets out, I’ll inevitably become a prize in the eyes of all the major families—everyone will want a piece of me. It’s not a good time to get involved with them right now!”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shiying fell silent.
He hadn’t actually considered the points Li Yi raised, but with his experience, he understood that his son-in-law’s concerns were by no means groundless—they were entirely justified.
It was entirely foreseeable that once Li Yi was thrust into the spotlight, and as his identity and capabilities became known, the major clans would inevitably swarm him, begging him to help them make money.
Just as Li Yi had said before, no major family could develop without money.
Once that happened, it would be a real headache to handle.
After all, people are not all equal; even a sage would struggle to treat everyone impartially, let alone an ordinary person.
If handled poorly, it could lead to offending people, and this “banbanhaobang” would truly backfire.
At that moment, Jiang Shiying looked up at Li Yi and said, “Your concerns are valid to a certain extent, but simply keeping a low profile isn’t a solution either. Don’t forget—you’re no longer just one person.”
“Dad, what do you mean by that?”
“Xiao Yi, it’s not just the people from your company who revolve around you now—it includes thousands of others, including Zhou Rui, Yang Qian, and Director Xu!”
Jiang Shiying continued, “You can choose to keep a low profile for all sorts of reasons—you can even decline the credit for the ‘Scythe Hand’ operation—but what about them?”
Hearing this, Li Yi froze in place.
That’s right—he might not care about the credit or the bonuses, but others do!
They had worked so hard and diligently, even risking their lives on missions, only to have a year’s worth of effort go to waste because he, the central figure, had given it all up.
Li Yi couldn’t help but think of Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty. At first, Old Zhao hadn’t intended to replace the Chai family, but he had no choice—his subordinates wanted promotions, so they staged a coup by draping him in the yellow robe, forcing him to ascend as Emperor Taizu of Song.
Had Old Zhao refused, the outcome might have been entirely different—he might not even have survived, since by then he had already blocked his subordinates’ career paths.
His current situation was much like Old Zhao’s—truly, the tree wants to stand still, but the wind won’t let it!
After a long pause, Li Yi finally said, “Father, I understand, but I need to think this through carefully before making a decision!”
“Good!”
Then Jiang Shiying added, “No matter what you ultimately decide, the Jiang and Ye families will always be your strongest support!”
“Thank you, Father!”
“We’re family—no need for formalities. Though I’d like to see you take center stage, your wishes come first!” Jiang Shiying said.
“Alright!”
Then, Li Yi changed the subject and said, “Father, there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with!”
“What is it?”
“I’d like to ask you to help me transfer someone to the Beijing Municipal Bureau. I’m not sure if that’s possible,” Li Yi said.
“Is it that comrade surnamed Wang, or the one from Yong County…”
“It’s Wang Anguo. His wife, An Hong, works under me. Since they’ve been living apart for so long, An Hong asked me to help get Wang Anguo transferred to Beijing!” Li Yi explained.
At that moment, Jiang Xue also spoke up: “Dad, Sister-in-law An Hong and Brother Wang have always looked out for us. Back when we were secretly selling liangpi in the county town, it was Brother Wang who kept an eye on us behind the scenes. Otherwise, we would’ve been arrested long ago. If you can do anything, please help them!”
Jiang Shiying always took his daughter’s words very seriously. He replied, “I never said I wouldn’t help. It’s just that we need to think this through carefully. Once he’s transferred here, it’ll be really hard for him to go back!”
“Father, what do you mean?”
“Xiao Yi, I’m aware of Comrade Wang Anguo’s situation. He’s doing quite well in Ning City. If things go as expected, he should be able to take the top position at the Ning City Public Security Bureau within five years. Do you really want to transfer him to Beijing?”
Before Li Yi could answer, Jiang Shiying continued, “For our Jiang family, getting him transferred to Beijing wouldn’t be difficult. But once he’s there, at his current rank, the best he could hope for is a position as a police station chief. Plus, he has no political connections or network there—he’d have to start all over from scratch!”
After hearing Jiang Shiying’s words, Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “Father, I’ll discuss this with An Hong and Wang Anguo and let them decide for themselves!”
“Alright, let me know once things are settled,” Jiang Shiying said.
“Alright!”
Just then, Ye Lingyun said with a smile, “Xiao Yi, Xiao Xue, I’ve asked the kitchen to prepare a bit extra. Why don’t you stay for dinner before heading back?”
Li Yi had other things on his mind, and since he hadn’t seen his two little treasures all day, he replied immediately, “Mom, not today. I want to get back early to check on Yunrui and Yunjin!”
“Alright then. If you’re not too busy, bring the kids back to the old house for a visit!” Ye Lingyun said.
“Sure…”
Before he could finish, Jiang Shiying spoke up again: “Don’t forget about your second brother’s matter. If you can, write it up as soon as possible so I can take a look too!”
“Alright, I’ll think about how to write it when I get back tonight!”
After saying that, Li Yi left the Jiang family’s old mansion with Jiang Xue…
………