Now that LI Yuzhi had shed his previous despair and was ready to return to the company, Old Master LI was overjoyed.
They needed more leverage.
âYou, come here,â Old Master LI commanded, walking up to LI Yanchen. âCome with me to the ancestral hall.â
LI Yanchen hid the hatred in his eyes. âYes, Grandpa.â
**
That afternoon, at Si Fuqingâs studio.
Si Fuqing received a call from Raphael.
Raphael hadnât returned to the Muston Dukedom and was currently inspecting other cities.
He expressed his admiration for her show and mentioned he would send her a box of gold before leaving.
Yuejian, listening in, shrugged. âWhat a pity. I really canât expect anything from his intelligence.â
âItâs understandable,â Si Fuqing mused. âThird senior sister, if I sent you a message claiming to be your dead junior sister, would you believe it?â
âNo,â Yuejian crossed her arms. âI would think youâre someone the second senior brother sent to prank me.â
Si Fuqing sighed. âThen others definitely wonât believe it.â
âI know exactly what youâre thinking, little junior sister,â Yuejian pinched her cheek. âAre you implying that Iâm stupid?â
âOf course not,â Si Fuqing raised her hand in a mock serious gesture. âThird senior sister, youâre even smarter than me!â
At that moment, her phone rang.
It was Gu Huaiyan.
âHello, Elder Gu,â Si Fuqing answered. âGo ahead, Iâm listening.â
âThe International Youth Cultural Exhibition is scheduled for March 4th,â Gu Huaiyan announced happily. âYour painting âThousand Miles of Rivers and Mountainsâ won first place. Iâve also arranged with the show producers to record an episode abroad, to let you shine.â
He had watched the two episodes of the medical grapoud and felt Cai Zhongnianâs approach wasnât grand enough.
If it were him, he would have focused the camera directly on âThousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains.â
Si Fuqing let out an uninterested âOh.â
Gu Huaiyan was taken aback. â???â
He paused. âCan you be a bit more excited? I even secured an 800,000 bonus for you.â
âWhat?â Si Fuqing suddenly caught onto the key phrase. â800,000?â
Gu Huaiyan sighed, feeling a pang of pain. âGirl, in the art world, you shouldnât place too much emphasis on money. Youâll find your work to be priceless.â
âIâm not an artist,â Si Fuqing retorted confidently. âIâm very mundane and superficial; Iâm all about making money.â
Little Bai nodded repeatedly beside her.
Si Fuqing then asked, âSo after the competition, can I sell my painting?â
Gu Huaiyan was speechless again.
Before he could respond, Si Fuqing muttered to herself, âNever mind, I wonât sell it. If itâs priceless, Iâll gift it to my boss. He loves history and is a fan of Emperor Yin. Heâll definitely like it.â
âNo way!â Gu Huaiyan panicked. âSell it to me, Iâll pay a billion!â
Si Fuqing hesitated.
As she weighed the importance of a billion yuan against Yu Xiheng, the doorbell rang.
Yuejian went to open the door, and Su Yang walked in with a basket of fruit.
âElder Gu, weâll talk later,â Si Fuqing said, ending the call. She then turned to Su Yang with concern. âHow are things with the LI family?â
âSecond Master LI has been dealt with,â Su Yang replied, frowning slightly. âBut because of the LI Groupâsââ
Si Fuqing finally looked up. âAre you saying that President LI used his potential to help the LI family enter the Free State as leverage, so Old Master LI only disowned Second Master Li and spared him?â
âYes,â Su Yang nodded. âBig sister, what kind of place is the Free State?â
âItâs not a good place,â Si Fuqing said emotionlessly. âOnly those who know nothing about it yearn to go there. The class system is rigid, and the common people have no rights. Technology has advanced, but their social system has regressed. Itâs not worth going.â
Su Yang showed little interest, nodding slightly. âDad said that both domestic and international prominent families want to enter the Free State.â
As for smaller families, it wasnât that they didnât want to go; they simply hadnât heard of the place.
âSo eager to get into the Free State? Fine,â Si Fuqing smiled, her eyes turning cold. âTell the LI family that unless they deal with LI Yanchen, they can forget about entering the Free State in this lifetime. I mean what I say.â