Chapter 204: A Wake-Up Call and Self-Redemptio
On the way back to the hotel, Li Chengyuan was preoccupied.
Li Dong frowned and said after getting out of the car, "Dad, we can't agree to this."
"Ah!"
Li Chengyuan sighed deeply, looking worried. "No matter what, she's still a member of the Li family. If this…"
"Dad, she has a mother and older siblings. Can't you worry a little less?"
"Li Qing and Li Nanming? Can they really take care of her? Chen Jing isn't a good person either. Your uncle said she's been messing around outside…"
There were some things Li Chengyuan found hard to express. Chen Jing had been chaotic and absent from home frequently, which Li Chenghui had mentioned to him.
If Chen Jing acted this way while Li Chenghui was alive, how would she treat the girl after his death? If she didn't care at all, Li Chengyuan feared that Li Lan might end up being corrupted by her mother. How could he be at ease with such a mother?
"That's not for you to worry about!"
Li Chengyuan glared at Li Dong and said harshly, "That's my niece. How can I not be concerned? You're young but you have no human feelings at all!"
Li Dong, angered by this, retorted, "How do I lack human feelings?"
"Isn't Li Lan your cousin? Even if you don't have real siblings, a cousin is still a sibling. Can you really bear to see her suffer? With your attitude, who knows how you'll treat Mom and me in the future!"
"You only remember how your uncle treated you badly, but don't forget his kindness either! When you were young, he bought you food and clothes. Have you forgotten? Since you got money, you've changed, become cold-hearted. Has it hurt you that he's dying? He's your only uncle. Apart from money, what else do you value?"
Li Dong, furious, said, "Dad, is this how you see me?"
With that, Li Dong got into the car, slammed the door shut, and shouted, "Dad, I'm going back to Pingchuan. I'm not dealing with this anymore!"
"You ungrateful kid! I'm your father. What's wrong with me saying a few words? You're throwing a tantrum!"
When Li Dong's car really drove away, Li Chengyuan stomped his feet in frustration and cursed, "Little brat, I talk to you a bit, and you run away. The more money you have, the less human you become!"
After waiting downstairs for a while and seeing that Li Dong wasn't coming back, Li Chengyuan angrily went upstairs.
In the hotel room, Cao Fang was watching TV. Seeing Li Chengyuan enter alone, she asked, "Where's Dongzi?"
"He left!"
"He left?"
"Yes, I just said a few things, and this brat ran off!"
"…"
...
Li Dong didn't return to Pingchuan but had Zhou Haidong drive him around Qingyang.
It wasn't until the car reached the Yangtze River Bridge that Li Dong said, "Stop, let me get out."
Zhou Haidong, disregarding any traffic rules, hurriedly stopped the car.
Li Dong got out and stood by the bridge railing, feeling more awake with the night breeze.
After lighting a cigarette and smoking for a while, Li Dong told Zhou Haidong, who was waiting nearby, "Old Zhou, you can go back. I'll stay here for a bit longer."
"Mr. Li, let me stay and keep you company."
"No need. You go back. I need to think about some things."
Unable to persuade Li Dong otherwise, Zhou Haidong had no choice but to drive back to the hotel.
Once Zhou Haidong left, Li Dong continued smoking several cigarettes, then murmured, "No human feelings?"
Li Chengyuan's words had truly struck Li Dong. He hadn't expected his father to accuse him of lacking human feelings.
If it were someone else, Li Dong would have slapped them without a second thought. But when it came from his father, Li Dong couldn't stop thinking about it, questioning whether he really was as lacking in human feelings as his father said.
The more he thought about it, the more he doubted himself. Was he really devoid of human feelings?
He thought about Sun Tao, who had worked hard for him in distant lands, always diligent and dependable, but Li Dong had never fully trusted him.
He thought about Yuan Xue, who had gone abroad. Besides feeling sad for a moment when she left, he seemed to have almost forgotten about her.
He thought about Wang Jia, whom he had helped repeatedly, seemingly out of pity, always viewing her from a savior's perspective.
He thought about Meng Qiping, whom he considered a friend, but deep down, he looked down on him.
He thought about Wang Jie, Wei Yuan, Lin Yang…
Li Dong thought about many people and realized that he had never truly trusted anyone, never considered anyone a friend, and never viewed anyone as an indispensable part of his life.
He had pity, disdain, and charity for them, but no deep feelings.
"It shouldn't be like this. I still have my parents and Yuhan…"
Li Dong murmured to himself, his face pale. What if his parents were gone and Qin Yuhan left too? Would he be devastated?
Would he be unable to bear the pain?
Yes!
Li Dong told himself firmly that if his parents were gone, he would indeed be heartbroken.
But what if Qin Yuhan left him?
Li Dong didn't dare to think further. He feared what he might find out and didn't want the results to be contrary to what he hoped.
"How did it come to this?"
Li Dong's face grew even paler. He realized he had changed. It seemed that ever since his rebirth, he had become selfish, cold-blooded, and obsessed with money. He had changed so much.
In his previous life, he wasn't like this. He had brothers, friends, passion, and enthusiasm…
But now, he discovered that he had lost so much. He was wary of everyone, doubted everyone, and maybe his rationality had indeed stripped him of humanity.
When judging something, he first considered the gains and losses, ignoring everything else.
When Fang Qingfei asked him for money, he suspected she was trying to scam him.
When his father wanted to adopt Li Lan, Li Dong worried about how Chen Jing might ask him for money later.
During negotiations with Hu Wanlin, Li Dong thought 1.5 million wasn't worth solving Wang Jia's problem.
He kept Shen Qian, letting her make trouble because he thought she could bring him greater value. What he needed was not Shen Qian's talent but her background.
As Li Chenghui neared death, Li Dong thought he would only cause trouble for his father, not feeling sadness.
"Am I wrong?"
Li Dong felt a wave of weakness, his thoughts becoming more terrifying.
If things continued like this, who could he trust? Who could he believe in? Without friends, family, or a home, perhaps only money would remain.
Smoking cigarette after cigarette, Li Dong sat by the railing, watching the river's churn, the tides ebb and flow, feeling an indescribable discomfort.
...
The next morning, Li Dong returned to the hotel with red eyes.
Like Li Dong, Li Chengyuan's eyes were also red. When he saw Li Dong, he grumbled, "Not answering calls, thinking you're so important!"
Cao Fang glared at him and said to Li Dong, "Don't argue with your dad. He couldn't sleep all night because you didn't come back."
"I couldn't sleep either, and I slept very well!"
"Stubborn as ever. If you slept well, why did you smoke all night?"
"Mind your own business. Is it wrong for me to smoke?"
Hearing his parents argue and noticing their careful attention to his mood, Li Dong felt an indescribable sense of discomfort and guilt.
This wasn't what he wanted. He wanted his parents' scolding, their unfiltered complaints and laughter.
Instead, now it was all about caution and carefulness.
Li Dong said nothing, gently hugged his mother, and said, "Mom, I'm sorry."
Cao Fang was stunned and didn't know what to say.
Li Dong didn't stop. He released his mother and walked up to Li Chengyuan, suddenly hugging him tightly and saying, "Dad, I'm sorry. I was wrong!"
Li Chengyuan's face stiffened, then he pushed Li Dong away, saying, "Get out of here. You stink of smoke!"
Li Dong laughed heartily, suddenly feeling a genuine sense of relief.
This was what he wanted. If even his parents were afraid of him and didn't dare to reprimand him, living would be so tiring.
Last night, Li Dong had thought about many things.
It was a night of self-redemption. If not for Li Chengyuan's wake-up call, Li Dong might have become richer, but he would have lost even more.
But that was yesterday. Now, Li Dong had figured things out.
Money could be earned slowly, but some things could not be lost.
Family, love, friendship—these are the most important parts of life. Without them, he was just a tool for making money.
Rebirth was meant to leave no regrets.
If it were only about money, what was the meaning of his rebirth?