Chapter 83: Our Way of Winning People Over with Virtue

Chapter 83: Our Way of Winning People Over with Virtue

Around six o'clock in the evening, Wei Sanpao approached Li Yi and asked, "Brother Yi, what time does Qingyao finish school in the evening?"

"The last evening self-study session should end around 9:30 PM," Li Yi replied.

"Should we head over there now and wait?" Wei Sanpao suggested.

Hearing this, Li Yi immediately set aside everything else. The top priority now was to resolve Qingyao's problem as soon as possible.

"You're right. Go and gather the brothers first. Call Dachu and the others," Li Yi instructed.

Then, he added, "I need to say a few words to your sister-in-law. Have everyone meet at the store later."

Wei Sanpao nodded, slung his military-green crossbody bag over his shoulder, and left the clothing store.

Li Yi watched as Wei Sanpao hurried off, his posture looking somewhat aggressive. He smiled and shook his head.

Meanwhile, Xu Qingnan was still worried. Her younger sister had been in a bad mood lately. It turned out she had been harassed by some gangsters at school.

This troubled Xu Qingnan greatly. She knew her sister's personality very well—there was no way she would yield to a few gangsters in such a situation!

"You should be careful," she cautioned Li Yi.

Hearing Xu Qingnan's concerned words, Li Yi smiled, patted her shoulder reassuringly, and said, "Sister, don't worry!"

Soon, Wei Sanpao gathered the group together.

Li Yi took a quick look—there were more than twenty people.

Aside from Xiaowu and Dachu, who worked at the store, there were also a few others whom Li Yi didn't recognize.

Most of them were dressed in simple two-strand vests, shorts, and rubber shoes.

Standing in front of the assembled group, Li Yi raised his voice and said, "Sanpao has already told you all, right? My sister is being blackmailed by some gangsters at school. What do you think we should do?"

Xiaowu was the first to step forward, shouting, "Beat them up! How can we tolerate this?"

Immediately after, Dachu echoed, "That's right! Let's teach them a lesson on how to be decent people!"

Weizi, standing nearby, even grabbed a shovel from the store entrance, clearly prepared to take action right away.

Seeing this, Li Yi couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth helplessly. However, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

No matter the time or situation, these brothers standing by his side were the people he could trust the most.

Thirty years later, when Li Yi had become famous, all the people around him were so-called "friends", but none of them were true brothers.

Those so-called "partners" only called themselves his brothers because of their personal interests.

Despite being wealthy, Li Yi had felt a deep loneliness.

Now, however, things were different. His business had just started, but he had a loving family and the best brothers by his side.

For Li Yi, that was something truly worth cherishing.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded and spoke firmly, "Put the weapons down. We're here to solve the problem, not to beat people up. We win people over with virtue."

"Besides, we're only dealing with a few small-time gangsters. There's no need for such drastic measures."

"Alright! Listen to Brother Yi!" someone responded enthusiastically.

With that, more than a dozen of them set off toward the school, chatting as they walked.

The clothing store was about three kilometers away from the school—a 40-minute walk.

When they arrived near the school, Li Yi signaled for Wei Sanpao to take a few men and hide in the wooded area behind the school. Meanwhile, he himself walked toward the school gate.

There were still about ten minutes left before school ended. The people currently gathered at the entrance were mostly parents waiting to pick up their children.

Li Yi carefully scanned the crowd but didn't see any gangsters among them.

Most likely, these gangsters were afraid of drawing too much attention and planned to ambush Xu Qingyao on her way home instead.

Realizing this, Li Yi quickly turned back to the woods where Wei Sanpao and the others were hiding. He whispered a few instructions to them before heading back toward the school entrance.

Wei Sanpao and his group took a detour around the school and positioned themselves in a small alley nearby.

This alley was a bit secluded, but it was the only route Xu Qingyao could take to get home.

If the gangsters planned to block her, this would be the place they'd choose.

Li Yi returned to the school gate and patiently waited for Xu Qingyao to finish her classes.

9:40 PM

Xu Qingyao's figure finally appeared in the crowd.

Seeing her, Li Yi stepped forward with a smile. The moment Xu Qingyao noticed him, she was visibly surprised but quickly walked up to him.

Although she hadn't expected to see him here, Li Yi was her older brother. It was naturally a pleasant surprise to have him pick her up.

"Brother? What are you doing here? Where's my sister?" she asked curiously.

Li Yi smiled, patted her shoulder, and said, "What? Can't your brother come pick you up after school?"

"That's not what I meant!" she quickly replied.

Li Yi chuckled and reassured her, "Your sister already went home. She asked me to bring you back and help you with your homework."

Xu Qingyao nodded instinctively, but then her expression shifted. She suddenly remembered something and hesitated. "Brother, I…"

She knew those gangsters had said they would come for her after school today.

What if they confronted her in front of Li Yi?

What if things escalated?

The thought made her nervous.

Of course, Li Yi noticed her apprehension, but he chose not to expose it. Instead, he smiled and said, "Let's go. Your sister is waiting at home. She made stew tonight to help you regain some strength."

Still feeling uneasy, Xu Qingyao nodded but didn't say anything more.

As they walked, she suddenly asked, "Brother… did you visit my school today?"

Li Yi paused for a moment, surprised by her question, but quickly nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I came to see you and also spoke with your homeroom teacher. But you weren't in class at the time, so I didn't get to see you then."

"What did Teacher Ji say?" she asked nervously.

"She said you're doing well academically. As long as you keep working hard, you'll have no problem getting into a good university."

Hearing this, Xu Qingyao nodded but still seemed uneasy.

After a moment of silence, she hesitated before asking again, "Brother… did Teacher Ji say anything else?"

Li Yi raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No, why? Did you get into trouble at school?"

Xu Qingyao quickly shook her head. "Of course not! I was just curious…"

As they continued walking side by side, they reached the entrance of the alley.

With each step, Xu Qingyao's anxiety grew stronger.

Finally, just before stepping in, she stopped and turned to Li Yi. "Brother… I have something to tell you…"