Chapter 214: Teacher Li Comes Online

Looking at Li Xian's expression, Zheng Weishi snorted coldly. Ignoring the advice of Old Wang and Old Qin around him, he picked up his wine glass and started drinking alone.

Li Xian scratched his head and suddenly felt something was wrong.

He squeezed Old Qin aside with one move and sat down next to Zheng Weishi. "Grandpa Zheng, what does my godfather being with Aunt Su have to do with Su Ya and me?"

Direct marriage within the direct line of descent is not allowed in China. In 1950, marriage was prohibited within five generations of collateral relatives, and in 1980, it was revised to three generations.

Although later, both domestic and foreign geneticists confirmed that only direct relatives had a slightly higher chance of producing deformed offspring, the probability of deformity in collateral relatives is not significantly high. For detailed cases, you can refer to Li Ka-shing marrying his cousin, Queen Victoria marrying her cousin, Einstein, Beethoven, Newton, Hitler, Da Vinci... though the descendants of Da Vinci intermarried and, unfortunately, tragedy ensued.

But as for Su Ya and me, it seems... there's no connection whatsoever.

Also, who said it's good for siblings to become partners?

There should be something like that, right?

Hearing Li Xian's low explanation, Zheng Weishi put down his wine glass and smiled mysteriously. In his eyes, it was obvious—*Kid, you're too young.*

Just when Li Xian couldn't understand the situation, Su Ya, pulling Su Hui and Aunt Su, came to their table.

Surprisingly, the young girl was holding a glass of wine.

She first approached Old Wu and deeply bowed with Su Hui.

She lifted the glass: "Uncle."

Although she didn't say it out loud, her lips clearly mouthed the words. Su Hui's voice was very soft, but he followed his sister in addressing him.

"Ah!" Old Wu stood up excitedly, his hands and feet a bit clumsy, and accepted the toast, downing it in one gulp. Aunt Su was also blushing deeply; taking this step was really not easy for her.

After toasting Old Wu, Su Ya pulled Su Hui over to Li Xian.

Seeing the calm and resolute smile on her face, Li Xian frowned, not knowing what she intended to do.

Su Ya stood still in front of him and raised her wine glass again.

Her lips moved as if to speak, hesitating repeatedly, but she finally spoke.

"Brother."

Again, it was just her lips moving. But the expression on her face was like someone who had made up their mind to end something.

This was not a good sign.

"Pfft."

Beside him, seeing Su Ya's complex and determined gaze, Zheng Weishi burst out laughing.

Amid the surrounding cheer, Li Xian's face darkened, and he beckoned to the Su siblings, "Come to my room, I have something to say to you."

At the door, Li Xian waved Su Hui off, "Xiao Hui, I need to talk to your sister. You..."

Su Ya's mother didn't know about what was going on between Li Xian and Su Ya. But Su Hui was the first to know, and he even understood Li Xian's feelings before Su Ya did.

The young man, still with a bit of fuzz on his lips, nodded steadily, and a guard appeared at the door.

Forcibly pulling Su Ya into the room, Li Xian closed the door. He took out the pen and paper he had just left on the bedside table and slapped them onto the table, sitting down boldly on the edge of the bed.

"Today, I want to make things clear to you. No more beating around the bush, let's put it on paper."

Li Xian felt he had the authority to be this assertive in this matter.

From the beginning, he had been the one taking the initiative. It was one thing when there was no progress before, he could treat it as flirting for fun. But ever since the life-and-death encounter by the river, he couldn't let it go.

He couldn't always be so passive.

Su Ya hesitated for a moment and picked up the pen and paper.

"What did you mean by that just now?" Li Xian knocked on the table, clearly angry.

Under the dim light, Su Ya bit her lip and began writing, possibly needing to sort out her own incoherent thoughts. She wrote for a long time.

"Mom hasn't been happy for over twenty years. Now that she's with Uncle Wu, I'm happy for her and want her to live a little more freely. I don't want our relationship to make her take back the step she just took."

Li Xian took the note, patted his leg, and said, "What does this have to do with us?"

"People will laugh! Your godfather is with my mom, and then I'm with you. What does that make us? Incestuous?" Su Ya snatched the notebook from Li Xian's hand and wrote.

Li Xian found it hard to understand this line of thinking, but having lived in this era for so long, he understood a bit. Although it was a godparent relationship, in situations like this, it was still seen as a mother and daughter marrying a father and son, which in Northeastern slang is called *zhan dou bao*—almost synonymous with incest.

A very foolish moral standard.

But you can't deny that concepts like a widow keeping chaste after her husband's death, a woman unable to raise her head if she couldn't bear a son, the raucous bridal chamber antics considered a form of honor—things that completely contradict normal values—have persisted for hundreds or thousands of years, and it seems they might continue.

"For your mom's sake, you don't want to be with me? That's all I'm asking. Don't think about anything else, just answer me—yes or no."

Li Xian felt a bit stifled, and he expressed that frustration, pointing at Su Ya's notebook as he asked.

Heaven help us, Su Ya's reaction at this moment was like a boy in his first relationship, asked whether he would save his mom or his girlfriend if both fell into a river.

The clash between new and old ideas, spanning more than twenty years, successfully plunged a burdened young girl, who had endured too much suffering and recently experienced happiness, into the overwhelming dilemma of "How did these two people end up in the water together?"

Her face, somewhat pale and now flushed with emotion, with a thin layer of sweat forming on the fine hairs of her cheeks, was presented before Li Xian.

Seeing this girl, who considered herself mature but was full of *superego* and had forgotten that her happiness and her family's happiness were equally important, Li Xian couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Pfft."

His facade broke in a second.

When it came to people he cared about, his ruthlessness was always limited.

Li Xian laughed.

Su Ya, however, became more anxious. Her feet crossed nervously, and she lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes, like a student who had arrived late to class.

Seeing this, Li Xian's mischievous side made him lift Su Ya's chin, "Say, 'Good morning, Teacher.'"

*King of Comedy* wouldn't be released for another seven years; Cecilia Cheung was still just a fourteen-year-old girl.

Obviously, this joke, like the previous "We're all adults here, I've been under a lot of stress lately, need someone to keep me company at night," was too early.

Su Ya took a step back, flustered and confused.

Li Xian decided to stop teasing her.

It's important to be reasonable.

"I'm not forcing you, but a person must be responsible for themselves, right? Let's not talk about others, let's talk about your mom. After your dad passed away, she closed herself off for twenty years, living unhappily or rather miserably. You know this best, right?"

Su Ya nodded.

Seeing that reason was working, Teacher Li softened his tone: "She was punishing herself for someone else's mistake. So the pain she endured over the past twenty years isn't really deserving of pity. But fortunately, she's opened up now. What about you? You're in a position similar to hers back then."

Su Ya blinked, wanting to argue that all this was caused by the man who abandoned his wife and children.

But then she thought, was the suffering her mother endured for so many years really worth it for such a person?

Though she didn't like hearing it, she felt Li Xian's words had some truth.

Teacher Li's lesson continued: "The difference is she lost passively, while you still have a choice. You should know what kind of person I am. I'm so excellent, with looks and charm—can you find a better-looking guy in all of Bangye? Anyway, I haven't seen one yet."

Su Ya wanted to call him shameless.

But thinking about it, though it's awkward to say she's pretty, it's also true.

So, let it be.

Li Xian was very pleased that Su Ya didn't argue, feeling that his boasting might have gone a bit too far, so he added: "There's a slim chance there are better-looking guys farther than Bangye, but are they as wealthy as I am? Even if they are better-looking and wealthier, you have to know that everything I have today, I created myself. In summary, someone as good-looking, rich, and capable as me, who's also interested in you, is truly one of a kind in this world. Su Ya, if you hesitate

 now, I might get snatched away tomorrow. When that happens, you might regret it for the rest of your life!"

His argument was reasonable, almost heartfelt.

Su Ya opened her small mouth.

After a long pause, she picked up the pen and paper.

"Then what should I do?"

Her words conveyed sincerity.

"Of course, listen to me."

Li Xian was bringing his lesson to a close: "I'll give you some time. During this period, let Aunt Su and my godfather's feelings warm up, and ideally, let them get married. During this time, you and I will be siblings in name. But you have to remember, this is for them. You must keep our feelings in mind."

"I'm also thinking of taking you to see a doctor in a while, to see if your voice can be treated."

Li Xian made a promise, but it seemed a bit flat—seeing Su Ya's somewhat dim expression, he immediately changed his tone: "But whether it can be treated or not, I want to take you to see the outside world, to learn some new things. You're so smart, I'm sure you'll pick them up quickly."

Only then did Su Ya brighten up and nod.

Good girl!

Li Xian felt gratified. "Lastly, since we're siblings in name now, we can appropriately get closer. You should check in on your brother every morning and evening; can you do that?"

Outside, listening to someone's relentless brainwashing, Su Hui sighed quietly.

He thought it was very dangerous for his sister to be with someone like this.

"Luckily, he's rich, so he doesn't seem like a human trafficker."

Su Hui thought.