After leaving the Jiang family’s ancestral home, Li Yi felt a mix of emotions.
He had never imagined that the old man would actually want him to be the heir.
On the one hand, the Jiang family was no ordinary clan; in terms of power, the current Jiang family ranked at least among the top five in the country.
The position of heir to such a prominent family would never fall to someone from outside the clan.
Furthermore, the second and third generations of the Jiang family were no weaklings; whether it was his father-in-law, his second older brother Jiang Longyin, or his fifth older brother Jiang Longze, none of them lacked ability.
While they might not be the type to break new ground and lead the Jiang family to even greater glory, they were certainly capable of maintaining the family’s current standing.
Therefore, in Li Yi’s view, the old patriarch pushing him—an outsider by marriage—into a leadership role seemed somewhat inappropriate and unreasonable.
Moreover, the Jiang family isn’t just strong on its own; its allies are no slouches either, including the Ye, Lin, and Liang families, among others.
Even if the Old Master wanted him to be the heir, would the other families agree?
That was why, when the Old Master brought up the matter just now, Li Yi’s mind had been in a daze the entire time.
Moreover, deep down, Li Yi truly had no desire to be the successor.
After all, for him, this role holds no real significance beyond the added burden it would place on his shoulders.
He currently lacked neither money nor power, and if he truly wanted to build his own power base, he wouldn’t need to rely on the Jiang family.
To borrow a line from a certain actress in his past life: “I’m a powerhouse in my own right.” Why would he want to become the Jiang family’s heir? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?
So… he wasn’t particularly interested in the matter!
At the same time, however, Li Yi understood that in this complex society, many things are beyond one’s control.
“Once you’re in the game, you’re at the mercy of circumstances”—that’s exactly what this means.
Often, even if you’re unwilling, external factors will push you to act.
Take Zhao Kuangyin, for example, when he was draped in the yellow robe. If he hadn’t accepted it when his subordinates placed it on him, his generals wouldn’t have respected him, and the emperor above would have grown suspicious of him over it—ultimately leaving him with no choice but death.
Although his current situation was nowhere near as dire as Old Zhao’s, it still forced Li Yi to give the matter serious thought…
Just as Li Yi was deep in thought, Zhang Ziqiang’s voice rang out: “Brother Yi, where should we go now? Home, or…”
“Let’s head to the Dong’an Market branch first!”
He hadn’t visited Third Sister since returning, so Li Yi decided to check on her first, then deal with Wang Anguo and Li Gang later.
As for how to handle it, he already had a plan in mind—one that would ensure that scumbag and the Liu family backing him would pay dearly.
In short, when it came to dealing with this kind of self-important rich kid, Li Yi had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.
“Got it!”
With that, the car pulled away and headed toward Dong’an Market…
After driving for a while, Li Yi asked, “Qiangzi, when are you and Zhang Feng heading back to your hometown?”
“I just submitted my leave request to the higher-ups yesterday. We’re waiting for approval now. We’ll be able to leave as soon as the comrades taking over our duties arrive!” Zhang Ziqiang replied.
“Huh? They’re actually sending someone to take over your duties?” Li Yi asked, somewhat surprised.
“Yes, Brother Yi. Director Zhou gave those instructions, and we must follow them strictly!” Zhang Ziqiang said.
Li Yi smiled and said, “That’s not necessary. It’s still very safe here in the country; there’s no need for so many people to protect me!”
At that moment, Zhou Wen, sitting in the passenger seat, immediately interjected, “Brother Yi, I’m afraid you don’t fully realize your current status and position. We simply cannot allow your personal safety to be compromised.”
“It can’t be that serious, can it?” Li Yi said.
“It is. After these recent financial battles, all the major factions know you represent our country, China. There are countless people who would love nothing more than to eliminate you.”
Zhou Wen continued, “We can’t let our guard down just because we’re back in the country. After all, the FBI from the ‘Eagle’ and the KGB agents from the ‘Bear’ are everywhere—we absolutely won’t give them any opening.”
“Alright, you guys handle the arrangements!”
When it came to personal safety, Li Yi dared not be too careless. He now had money and power; his child wasn’t grown yet, and his wife was still as good as new—he couldn’t let others get the better of him…
Chatting all the way, the car soon arrived at Dong’an Market.
Since it was still early for lunch, there were no customers in the shop when Li Yi, Zhang Ziqiang, and Zhou Wen walked in. However, they could see the waitstaff bustling back and forth in the kitchen, looking particularly busy.
Third Sister Li Na was still manning the counter, keeping track of the accounts while clicking away at her abacus.
Hearing the commotion at the door, she immediately looked up.
When she saw it was Li Yi, Li Na was so happy she tried to stand up.
But with her large baby bump, she was a bit unsteady on her feet. As soon as she stood up, she leaned against the countertop and dared not move any further.
Seeing this, Li Yi hurried over a few steps and said, “Sis, take it easy!”
Li Na smiled and said, “It’s fine. When did you get back, kid? Why didn’t you give me a heads-up?”
“I got back yesterday afternoon. I just came to see you this morning!”
“I’m glad I raised you right. Are you here alone? Didn’t Mom and your older sister come over?”
“No, Mom and my older sister went to the hospital for a prenatal checkup this morning. They just got back home…”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Na said with some surprise, “I just got back from the hospital too. Why didn’t I see Mom and Big Sister?”
“Maybe we just missed each other. By the way, sis, how did your checkup go? How many days until your due date?”
“Less than a week left. The doctor said the baby’s a bit big, so he told me to try to eat a little less these next few days!” Li Na said.
Hearing this, Li Yi’s expression immediately grew tense.
A large fetus, especially for a first-time mother, greatly increases the risk of a difficult delivery.
In those days, giving birth was like walking through the gates of hell.
“Sis, you’d better be careful. If it comes down to it, we’ll just have a C-section…”
As soon as she heard the words “C-section,” Third Sister looked terrified and said, “I don’t want them cutting open my stomach—I want a natural birth…”
“Sis, a C-section isn’t as scary as you think, and it actually saves you some pain!”
If the baby is very large, a C-section is usually the best option. Otherwise, if you wait until the very end, you might end up needing surgery anyway—and then you’ll have cuts both inside and out, plus all the pain, making the suffering twice as bad.
“No way!”
Li Na didn’t have much education and didn’t know much about C-sections. All she knew was that it involved cutting open her stomach to take the baby out, and just thinking about it scared her.
“Sis…”
“I’m not listening, I’m not listening—it’s like a turtle chanting sutras…”
Seeing his third sister like this, Li Yi felt a bit helpless. Just as he was worrying about how to persuade her to make alternative arrangements, a delighted voice suddenly came from behind him: “Xiao Yi, you’re back?”
Hearing the voice, Li Yi turned around and saw his third sister’s husband, Long Zhanjun, walking toward them.
He was holding a plate with several apples still dripping with water—clearly, he’d come to bring his sister some fruit.
“Nana, have an apple!”
“I won’t. The doctor told me to cut back!”
Long Zhanjun replied gently, “Apples won’t make you gain weight; it’s okay to have a few.”
“Come on, just have one…”
Hearing their sickeningly sweet exchange, Li Yi couldn’t help but shudder.
Wow, wise men don’t fall in love—the ancients were certainly right.
He’d never seen Long Zhanjun and Third Sister like this before. He had to admit, love really does drive people crazy!
“Could you two tone it down a bit? I’m still here!” Li Yi said.
“So what if you’re here? Don’t think I don’t know—you and Xiao Xue are even more lovey-dovey in private!” Third Sister said with a laugh.
“Nana, what were you just saying to Xiao Yi? It looked like you two were having an argument,” Long Zhanjun said.
“Nothing. Xiao Yi just wanted me to have a C-section, and I turned him down!” Li Na replied.
Long Zhanjun glanced at her and asked, “Why a C-section?”
Li Yi immediately replied, “The baby in my sister’s womb is a bit large. To avoid the risk of a difficult delivery, I suggested a C-section would be best.”
Upon hearing the words “difficult labor,” Long Zhanjun couldn’t help but take the matter seriously.
“Xiao Yi is right. We can’t take any chances with this. If a C-section is necessary, we have to do it!” Long Zhanjun said.
“But I’ve heard that C-sections are terrifying. I… I’m a little scared!”
“It’s fine. With medical technology so advanced these days, a C-section is practically a routine procedure!” Long Zhanjun said.
Li Yi chimed in, “We don’t necessarily have to have a C-section, but it’s best to be prepared for both possibilities. If there really is a difficult labor, we need to perform the surgery immediately!”
Seeing her husband and younger brother so insistent, Li Na couldn’t help but waver. She nodded firmly…
……….