Chapter 24

On the next few days, both brothers acted like they didn't know anything and it appeared harmonious on the surface. Li Shaoze didn't care about Li Qinfeng's life so he never mentioned his encounter with him to his brother. Li Junfeng also didn't dare to mention their father's name to his brother to add to troubles.

Li Junfeng was also dead. He was aware of his own situation so he wasn't in the place to look for truth. It was too late anyway.

"I'm going to a meeting so stay put," Li Shaoze wore his blazer and got ready to leave.

Just as he was about to leave his room, he looked back and found Li Junfeng nodding absentmindedly. He noticed Li Junfeng acting like this ever since they got back from the hospital and he knew immediately what the problem was. He must have encountered Li Qinfeng on his own, and perhaps he saw him with the boy. Li Junfeng might be full of doubts already.

Nevertheless, Li Shaoze didn't have a slightest intention to mention anything. He would act like he hadn't a clue.

Above all, this meeting today was with the insider of Quze Industries so Li Shaoze felt it was a blessing in disguise that Li Junfeng didn't have the motivation to tag along. He still didn't have any idea on how to tell Li Junfeng the truth about him being related to the Qin family.

***

Li Qinfeng read a report in his huge presidential office located in one of the highest floors of Li Group building. Not long after, the report in his hand was crumpled and thrown away on the floor with a smack.

His subordinate held himself from flinching.

"Useless thing! It's been a few days and all you got is this rubbish?!" the older man snapped, his face threatening.

He ordered for his subordinate to look into Li Shaoze's activity in the hospital. He had also transferred the woman he visited to another hospital and deleted the records just in case.

But he found nothing even if he looked through every nook and cranny in the hospital departments.

The unexpected encounter with Li Shaoze was something he saw as an annoyance in his eyes. He wasn't worried about Li Shaoze getting to know his secret, since Li Shaoze didn't have any power to blackmail him anyway, but Li Qinfeng still wanted to be careful.

However, despite his efforts, Li Qinfeng couldn't trace Li Shaoze in the hospital as if he wasn't there in the first place.

"President-" the poor subordinate tried to talk but was cut off.

"What?!"

"I- I think he was there to visit someone else..." the subordinate was telling him that Li Shaoze was most likely a visitor rather than a patient.

"That's why there's nothing?" Li Qinfeng suddenly thought of the day he met his son.

Li Shaoze appeared healthy and nothing like a patient. Instead, he looked as if he was there on business.

'Pfft- business?' Li Qinfeng sneered at his own thoughts. There was no way that worthless son of his could be there on business.

"I never gave him anything to build himself a prominent career. Not a house, not a penny. Not even education," Li Qinfeng chuckled as if he was proud of what he said.

The more he thought of Li Shaoze, the more he was forced to remember the crazy woman who was insanely head over heels for him in the past; Li Shaoze's mother.

'That bitch with no brains...' Li Qinfeng never had her in his eyes but she was so persistent that it gave him a number of problems back in the day.

He almost had a falling out with his mother and one little mistake could make him lose his heirship and presidential tittle. Moreover, Li Shaoze wasn't planned and he wasn't ready back then.

***

Li Shaoze was accompanied by Mu Ziyi since Zhu Zijin was busy with another task. She drove him to a private riverside restaurant and escorted him inside. When they arrived, she could see around five people who were older than Li Shaoze and seemed to be very influential.

"He's finally here,"

"We waited,"

"The lad looks different from when I saw him onscreen,"

Mutter that was loud enough to be heard made Mu Ziyi confused but Li Shaoze remained impassive as he bowed somewhat formally to the five people present.

"I hope I'm not late,"

"Come and sit here, Shaoze," an old man who could be called a grandfather said as he pointed to his right side with his cane. A smile on his face.

This man was the current chairman of Quze Industries. He had no blood ties with the Qin's and his name was Liu Gang. Supposedly, he couldn't take charge as chairman because Qin Meili's will had stated clearly that her only successor would be Li Shaoze.

However, back when Qin Meili passed away, Li Shaoze refused to take over and instead focused on his own investment company. Liu Gang was Qin Meili's Director of Finance when she was still in power. And he was once her mentor before she became the chairwoman.

As of now, nobody knew what exactly happened to Quze Industries because it had no blood-related successors. People thought the giant conglomerate was in a state of power struggle and the victor came out to be Liu Gang who had no relation whatsoever with the deceased Qin Meili.

Two years ago, Quze Industries was faced with many backlashes in shares due to the premature death of its only blood descendant. But soon after, Liu Gang took after the position and declared in a press conference that he was just an acting chairman. He stated clearly that Qin Meili's will already had a name in mind to replace her and this person was her blood-related nephew.

The news shook the business world for quite some time and people realized Liu Gang wasn't any victor of any struggles. He was just there to fill in the spot for a while before the real owner of the conglomerate took his post.

Li Shaoze sat down beside Liu Gang in silence. The old man appeared to be smiling and was genuinely happy to see Li Shaoze. He hadn't had many chances to meet Li Shaoze after he became the acting chairman but Liu Gang had known Li Shaoze ever since he first went abroad at 18.

The same could be said for the other four oldies on the table, they all had bright faces and smiling expressions, as if they were so happy to finally see Li Shaoze set foot in the country after more than a decade of absence.

This might just be the cue that Li Shaoze was really to take the mantle.