Chapter 36: Such Relatives

On the evening of the 8th, at Dongping Grand Hotel.

Dongping Grand Hotel was probably the most upscale hotel in the county, with a high cost of consumption.

Today, the Li family was hosting a banquet, and even though Li Dong's parents were usually frugal, they had booked a banquet at Dongping Grand Hotel.

According to Cao Fang, no matter how much you save, you absolutely cannot skimp on matters that affect your face.

At this moment, Li Dong was standing at the hotel entrance with his mother, welcoming guests. After smiling all evening, his face had become expressionless.

When familiar faces appeared, Li Dong quickly greeted, "Uncle Wang, Aunt Chen!"

These were vendors from the market, most of whom Li Dong knew.

Most of the guests were market vendors, with a few loyal customers who heard about the banquet also coming to join. Relatives were few.

Cao Fang and Li Chengyuan had few relatives, and Li Dong's maternal grandparents were far away in Guizhou, requiring two days by train, so they hadn't been notified.

"Oh, Dongzi, you've really made it! Jiangda is a prestigious university…"

The first two guests who arrived praised Li Dong profusely, and he had heard these compliments at least ten times that evening but still smiled happily and accepted them.

Once the guests went upstairs, Li Dong sighed and said to Cao Fang, "Mom, is there anyone else? If not, let's go upstairs."

Cao Fang checked the time—it was nearly 7:30 PM, and most of the guests had arrived.

She said, "Let's go upstairs now; it's almost time…"

"Cao Fang? What are you doing here?"

Cao Fang stopped talking and turned around to see who spoke. Her face immediately fell.

Li Dong also turned to look, and his expression darkened even more than Cao Fang's.

"Elder Brother, what a coincidence! When did you come back to Dongping?" Cao Fang forced a smile.

Li Chenghui, holding a briefcase and puffing up his stomach, raised his head and said, "Just returned this morning. I'm here to entertain guests. I didn't expect you to be here as well."

"I…"

Li Dong couldn't stand Li Chenghui's arrogant demeanor, even though he was technically his eldest uncle.

Seeing his mother at a loss for words, Li Dong interrupted rudely, "Do we need to ask Uncle for permission to have a meal?"

Li Chenghui's face turned dark instantly, and he let out a heavy snort.

Seeing Li Chenghui's displeasure, Cao Fang was worried he might make a scene and tugged on Li Dong's sleeve, smiling as she said, "The child doesn't know better. Elder Brother, please don't take it to heart."

"You've raised a good son! Where's the second one?"

Li Chenghui, feeling slightly embarrassed by Li Dong's behavior, shifted his gaze to Li Chengyuan.

When Cao Fang heard that Li Chenghui would also be dining here, she knew the situation couldn't be kept a secret anymore. Seeing Li Chenghui's question, she could only reply, "Chengyuan is upstairs hosting guests."

"Oh, you two actually have money to host a banquet at Dongping Grand Hotel? Have you struck it rich?"

Li Chenghui rubbed his belly and widened his eyes in surprise, giving a look that seemed to say, "You actually have money to eat here?" This almost made Li Dong's blood boil.

Just as he was about to retort, Cao Fang tugged at Li Dong's sleeve and replied reluctantly, "We haven't struck it rich. It's just that Dongzi got into college, and we're treating people to a banquet. We can't be too frugal, can we?"

"Got into college?"

Li Chenghui clearly didn't remember that Li Dong had taken the college entrance exam this year. However, he took it for granted. He put on a stern face and said, "How come I didn't know he got into college? And you didn't even inform me about the banquet? Is this how the second one handles things?"

It wasn't that he wanted to come to the banquet, but being informed and coming or not was one thing. Not being informed at all meant he was not considered.

He was the eldest of the Li family, and Li Chengyuan not inviting him meant he was being given no respect!

Cao Fang found it difficult to respond, as they indeed hadn't informed him. It was just a coincidence that they ran into each other.

Li Dong, however, spoke sarcastically, "How would we dare inform Uncle? We're afraid we'd be kicked out before even stepping into your house."

"Hmph! After all these years of schooling, you're still this mannered! Getting into college doesn't make you anything special! I won't argue with you. With your father being like that, what can you expect him to teach you?"

Li Chenghui's face darkened. He was a person who cared about face, and with so many people around, he couldn't afford to lose it.

"My father lives with integrity and earns a living through hard work. What's wrong with that?"

Hearing Li Chenghui's repeated insults about his father, Li Dong couldn't contain his anger. The memories of past events flashed repeatedly in his mind.

It is said that blood is thicker than water, and even if there are conflicts between the Li family brothers, it shouldn't lead to Li Dong repeatedly clashing with Li Chenghui.

Setting aside the previous disputes between the two Li brothers, as Li Dong's stance was naturally with his own father, it wasn't entirely objective or fair.

But Li Dong knew that Li Chenghui wasn't just a seemingly indifferent and strict person; he was truly cold-blooded.

Li Dong could never forget how Li Chengyuan was seriously ill in the hospital, and as the eldest brother, Li Chenghui didn't even bother to visit him.

It wasn't that Li Chenghui was far away; his home was in Qingyang, less than a two-hour drive from Dongping!

In the later stages of Li Chengyuan and Cao Fang's illness, when the family's savings were exhausted and the house was sold, Li Dong, in desperation, put aside his pride and asked to borrow money, but instead of money, he received a lot of scorn.

If Li Chenghui was a struggling person, Li Dong could understand, after all, everyone had their own difficulties.

But he was a big boss of a construction company; while his wealth might not be in the millions, he surely had hundreds of thousands.

For a close nephew to come asking for a loan to cover medical expenses for his sick brother, and not even a large sum, just twenty or thirty thousand, any decent person would lend it.

But Li Chenghui did not give a penny!

Not only did he refuse, but he also ignored the funeral arrangements for his brother and sister-in-law.

Li Chenghui was Li Chengyuan's only sibling, and with Li Dong's grandparents long deceased, he should have helped his nephew.

But Li Chenghui did nothing, and neither he nor anyone in his family came to even take a look!

Such coldness, such indifference—no one would believe it if told.

Of course, there was a reason for this.

According to Li Dong's cousin, the entire family went abroad for vacation and didn't have time to come back, which was the excuse!

Even when his younger brother and sister-in-law were critically ill, the eldest brother still had the leisure to take his family abroad. How cold-blooded!

If Li Chengyuan had done something wrong to him, it would be one thing, but Li Chengyuan had truly done nothing to deserve this from his elder brother.

It was laughable to expect Li Dong to consider such a person as a relative.

Li Chenghui's face was ashen, and after being repeatedly confronted by his nephew, he had completely lost face.

He had nothing to say to Li Dong, knowing Li Dong's sharp tongue. He immediately pointed at Cao Fang and scolded, "Is this the good son you raised? This is how you taught him, with no manners!"

"Who's lacking manners is clear to everyone!"

Li Dong sneered. In his heart, Li Chenghui was worse than a stranger, and he wouldn't tolerate him!

"Scoundrel!"

Li Chenghui was so furious that his face turned white, pointing at Li Dong and cursing.

"..."

When Li Chengyuan arrived after receiving the news, Li Dong was on the verge of a physical altercation with Li Chenghui.

If not for Cao Fang pulling him aside, Li Dong might have seriously beaten up Li Chenghui.

Only when Li Chengyuan arrived did Li Dong manage to suppress his anger and keep quiet. He didn't care about Li Chenghui, but he still had to consider his father's reputation.

Li Chengyuan quickly apologized to the sullen-faced Li Chenghui and then turned to scold Li Dong, "Apologize to your elder uncle. Have you got some nerve? How do you speak to your elders?"

Li Dong held his neck defiantly and remained silent. Ignoring Li Chenghui was his limit; he would never apologize to Li Chenghui no matter what.

Li Chengyuan knew his son was stubborn and had never gotten along with Li Chenghui. This was not the time for a lecture. He turned back to Li Chenghui with a forced smile and said, "Elder Brother, Dongzi doesn't understand. I'll definitely discipline him when we get home."

After all, it was a celebratory occasion, and Li Chengyuan was afraid that Li Chenghui wouldn't be satisfied. He added, "Not informing you about the banquet was my fault. I thought you were busy in Qingyang and coming back would be troublesome, so I didn't tell you."

"Now that you're back in Dongping, the banquet hasn't started yet. Elder Brother, why don't you come up and have a few drinks?"

"Drink what? I'm not short of those two drinks from you!"

Li Chenghui didn't give Li Chengyuan a good look. After Li Chengyuan finished speaking, he cursed and turned to enter the hotel's private room.

Li Chengyuan's face was a bit awkward. Li Dong, seeing this, shrugged and said, "Why bother with him? Would we stop eating just because of him?"

With that, he pulled Cao Fang upstairs. He didn't like how his father treated Li Chenghui. If others didn't consider you family, treating them as family only led to more hurt.

Li Chengyuan sighed and shook his head without explaining.

After all, Li Chenghui was still his elder brother. He had only this one sibling; could he really cut ties?