Leaving the study, Jiang Shiying didn’t go downstairs but turned a corner and entered the master bedroom where Ye Lingyun lived.
Realizing his father-in-law didn’t want to interrupt his serious conversation with Zhou Rui, Li Yi went downstairs alone.
As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, Li Yi spotted Zhou Rui, who looked worn out and exhausted from his long journey.
Zhou Rui was chatting casually with his nephew when he heard footsteps at the top of the stairs. He immediately stopped talking and looked up.
Upon seeing it was Li Yi, he immediately stood up from the sofa and walked toward him.
“Director Zhou, when did you get back? Did everything go smoothly?”
Zhou Rui knew Li Yi was asking if he’d received the goods, so he smiled and replied, “Everything went smoothly. The goods were delivered last night. I came over right after I dropped them off at Old Xu’s place!”
“You look like you’ve been on the road all day—haven’t you eaten yet?”
“I had a quick bite on the way, so I’m not hungry.”
Then, Zhou Rui glanced upstairs and said, “If it’s convenient, shall we find a quiet place to talk?”
Li Yi nodded and said, “Let’s go to my father-in-law’s study then!”
“Sure!”
The two followed one after the other and soon arrived at the study.
Li Yi remained in the same spot as before, only now his conversation partner was Zhou Rui.
As soon as they entered, Zhou Rui said eagerly, “Comrade Zhou Yang, the funds you brought back have really solved a major problem. I’ve already called the Beijing office, and Director Yang said he’ll submit a commendation to higher-ups for you as soon as possible!”
Li Yi immediately replied, “No need—it was just a small favor…”
Before he could finish, Zhou Rui interjected, “It may have been a small effort for you, but for the country, it was a real lifeline. Such a significant contribution—if there’s no recognition at all, wouldn’t that discourage the people?”
Although Zhou Rui knew from his nephew that Li Yi was a very low-key person and understood that he didn’t want to be the one to take the spotlight, Zhou Rui simply couldn’t let him get away with it.
Li Yi didn’t realize that he now represented far more than just himself—he represented a team of thousands.
That’s right—a team of several thousand people!
This team included personnel from the National Security Bureau, banks, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and even the military—for instance, the more than 1,200 retired reconnaissance soldiers at Shield Security had been directly seconded from the armed forces.
Now, these thousands of people revolve entirely around Li Yi; their fortunes are inextricably linked—when he succeeds, they all succeed; when he fails, they all fail.
If Li Yi were to give up on claiming credit today, it wouldn’t just affect him—it would mean that the efforts of thousands of people over the past few months would be wasted. This was something Zhou Rui was absolutely unwilling to see happen.
Li Yi felt a sense of helplessness; he truly did not want to make such a high-profile move.
But at the same time, he knew that there were many matters neither he nor Zhou Rui could decide on their own—this was something that required the Old Master’s intervention!
With that in mind, Li Yi immediately said, “Alright, you handle this as you see fit. Is there anything else?”
“Yes. After reports of your investments in both London and New York reached the country, the higher-ups were quite shocked. Comrade Chen, who oversees economic affairs, personally issued instructions: if such an opportunity arises again in the future, you must inform us in advance…”
“What’s the point? Don’t we have a foreign exchange shortage back home? Does just saying it make the investment capital appear out of thin air?” Li Yi said with a laugh.
He knew the higher-ups were trying to squeeze out a few extra benefits, but the problem was that this was an investment. Li Yi could forgo his commission, but they couldn’t withhold the principal, right?
Even ordinary people know you can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing the lamb—surely the higher-ups weren’t trying to get something for nothing…
Zhou Rui smiled and said, “Old Chen said that next time there’s an opportunity, he’ll sell everything he owns to get you more principal!”
“We’ll see. I probably won’t make any moves in the second half of the year—let’s wait and see what next year brings!”
Li Yi knew that by next year, the economies of many regions—including Gangdao—would begin to emerge from the slump, and with the global economy entering a recovery phase, there would be plenty of investment opportunities.
If the chance arose, he wouldn’t mind making a killing.
“You really aren’t planning to make a move?”
“Yeah, there aren’t many opportunities in the second half of the year. Even if I did make a move, I wouldn’t make much profit. It’s not worth it for such a small sum!” Li Yi said.
“That’s fine. With these 1.15 billion dollars, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange should be able to hold out for a while!”
Zhou Rui then added, “By the way, when do you plan to return to Beijing? Do you need me to help arrange it?”
“It depends on what my in-laws say. As for arrangements, if we can still get tickets on a regular flight, we probably won’t need any help!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Alright then. If that’s the case, I’ll head back to Beijing this afternoon!” Zhou Rui said.
“So soon?”
“Yeah, I need to go back and report to the bureau, and I also need to brief the relevant leaders on some other developments in Hong Kong!”
“I see. See you in Beijing, then!”
“Alright, see you in Beijing…”
After seeing Zhou Rui off, Jiang Shiying also came out of the room, apparently getting ready to go to work.
“Dad, off to work?”
“Yes, I have a meeting to chair this afternoon!”
Then, as if remembering something, Jiang Shiying asked, “By the way, when are you two coming back to the capital? Have you set a date yet?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “That’s entirely up to you and Mom to decide!”
“What do you mean?”
“Xiao Xue and I are ready to go anytime. If you and Mother want to spend a few more days together, we’ll just delay our return a few days!” Li Yi said.
Jiang Shiying’s face flushed red for a moment, then he said, “No need. We’ll head back tomorrow. You two get ready!”
Li Yi quickly picked up on the key phrase in his father-in-law’s words and asked, “‘We’—are you coming back with us?”
“Yes. I need to return to Beijing to report on some work, and besides, the daughter of a distant uncle in the capital is getting engaged, so I have to go back for that as well!” Jiang Shiying said.
However, Li Yi just grinned and said with a smirk, “You don’t need to explain all that to me. Besides, there’s no shame in wanting to spend time with your own wife!”
Teased by his own son-in-law, Jiang Shiying instantly felt mortified and, in a fit of anger and embarrassment, snapped, “You’re getting bolder and bolder, you little rascal—you even dare to tease your own father…”
Before he could finish his “threat,” Li Yi turned and walked away, leaving Jiang Shiying standing in the courtyard, looking utterly flustered and helpless…
…………
It was another stifling, cramped night, and before dawn the next day, Li Yi was already up.
Looking at his body covered in mosquito bites, he immediately decided to buy a house in Guangzhou as soon as possible.
Although his father-in-law’s villa was fully equipped, the living space was genuinely small—only about 140 to 150 square meters in total, upstairs and downstairs combined.
It was fine for three or five people, but now that he’d arrived with his entire family in tow—plus six male and female bodyguards—his father-in-law’s place was starting to feel a bit cramped.
Realizing he would inevitably have to come here every few days, Li Yi decided to spend his own money on a larger place—after all, he certainly had the means.
After getting up, Li Yi went with Zhang Ziqiang and Zhou Wen to the breakfast stall outside the provincial government compound to buy breakfast for everyone.
By the time they returned to the villa, Jiang Xue, his in-laws, and his sister-in-law were already up, and everyone was busy helping the little ones get dressed and wash their faces.
Perhaps because they’d been woken up a bit too early, the three children weren’t very cooperative and kept crying and fussing.
After a flurry of chaos, everyone was finally ready just before eight o’clock.
Afterward, Jiang Shiying called her office to arrange for a few cars to be sent over.
Immediately afterward, Li Yi and the others, carrying the gifts they’d brought back from Hong Kong, got into the cars and headed straight for the airport…
Zhang Ziqiang had booked the tickets through special channels, so they didn’t even have to go through security; they simply used a special lane to board the plane smoothly.
The rest of the journey went very smoothly as well. The plane took off at 9:30 a.m. and landed safely at Beijing Capital International Airport at 1:00 p.m.
Upon learning that his grandson-in-law had returned home in triumph after another successful mission, Old Master Jiang had sent security guards with a motorcade to wait outside the airport well in advance. As soon as Li Yi and the others stepped out of the terminal, they were driven back to the Jiang family’s ancestral home.
Meanwhile, the Old Master had arranged for a family banquet to be prepared at the estate. Upon their return, Li Yi and his companions were served a hot meal.
Li Yi had assumed that since the old man had sent people specifically to pick him up, there must be something he wanted to discuss with him.
But to his surprise, after the meal, the old master simply sent the entire family back to their courtyard home.
However, after Li Yi, Jiang Xue, and the others had left, the old man summoned Jiang Shiying to his study…
……….