Chapter 389: Isn

In fact, family ties are a powerful remedy for awkwardness.

Just a simple address between them eased Fu Guiru's lingering fear of Li Zhongfa, and relieved Li Zhongfa's persistent guilt over the unspeakable past.

When Fu Yiruo sweetly called out "Grandpa," the atmosphere among them grew even warmer.

Li Zhongfa looked at his daughter-in-law, whom he hadn't seen in over a decade, and couldn't help asking: "Should I call you Guiru now, or Hongying?"

Fu Guiru replied cheerfully: "Dad, just call me Guiru! If you call me Hongying, I'd really feel strange."

Li Zhongfa nodded silently and said, "You're right. Over the past dozen years, you've been treated unfairly—it was my fault back then."

Li Zhongfa assumed that since Fu Guiru didn't want to mention her old name, she still harbored resentment, so he wanted to ease those grievances.

But Fu Guiru quickly said: "Dad, I haven't been wronged these past years—not at all. I've had enough to eat and wear. It's just that Xiao Ye and Xiao Yue told me you suffered because of me."

"What kind of burden is that?"

Li Zhongfa waved his hand: "Forget it. Let's not dredge up old grudges. This trip to Pengcheng Red Bull has opened my eyes."

"Guiru, you have real talent. In the future, you'll need to support Xiao Ye more—he's young and successful, has had everything go smoothly, and has grown a bit arrogant. He needs someone steady and big-picture-minded to have his back."

"I can only push hard for him on the mainland. When it comes to overseas matters, I'm counting on you."

Fu Guiru nodded: "Dad, don't worry. Xiao Ye is my own son. I'll give him ten percent effort—I won't hold back even one percent. I'll make sure everything is done with caution and careful thought."

Fu Yiruo chimed in from beside her: "Grandpa, don't worry—I'll help my brother too once I graduate."

"Hahaha, good, good, very good."

Li Zhongfa laughed: "They say brothers fight side by side, but your brother only has one brother—so there's no choice. You three women will just have to carry the load together!"

Fu Yiruo smiled sweetly: "It's not tiring at all! My brother's been so good to me. But Grandpa, you're wrong—it's not three of us, it's four! Don't forget Xiao Yue!"

With little Fu Yiruo's help, the three generations gradually relaxed. Li Zhongfa sincerely asked Fu Guiru many questions, and she answered them all—some she didn't know, she promised to look up later.

But when they finished eating and Li Zhongfa was about to leave, he couldn't help asking Fu Yiruo: "I heard from Xiao Ye and Xiao Yue that you didn't show up when Xiao Yue got married. Did that hurt you?"

Fu Guiru replied calmly: "Dad, you're underestimating me. Did my absence at Xiao Yue's wedding affect her happiness? Back then, a single letter ruined my life with Kaibian—I had to be careful."

Li Zhongfa looked at Fu Guiru, then nodded and walked out the door.

This wasn't really about caution—it was about how broad-minded a person was. Normally, a mother missing her daughter's wedding would be unthinkable, a violation of basic human decency.

Put bluntly, if this wasn't arranged properly beforehand, and Fu Guiru suddenly showed up at the ceremony, that would be the real embarrassment!

Li Ye drove Li Zhongfa back to the hotel, and on the way he joked: "Grandpa, you two were so worried about each other—yet now you're laughing and chatting, and everything's fine? Family members afraid of each other, one feeling guilty, the other feeling owed—it's ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?"

Li Zhongfa suddenly said coldly: "Do you think I came here today just to chat about family nonsense with your mother?"

Li Ye blinked: "Isn't that it?"

Li Zhongfa said: "No. Your mother was missing for over a decade—I had to come see her with my own eyes. Also, I came to Pengcheng to find out if she returned to seek revenge."

"What?"

Li Ye was so shocked he pulled the car over.

Li Zhongfa looked at Li Ye calmly: "That letter back then nearly killed your mother. There was a lot more to it—especially the person who reported her. Your mother wanted to kill her."

Li Ye was stunned: "No way! It's been so many years—does my mom still hold a grudge?"

"That's laughable," Li Zhongfa sneered. "After being wronged for over a decade, would you not hold a grudge? Even I've found excuses to punish two bastards in the past two years!"

"Your mother had a famously stubborn temper. Back then, she might've done something drastic on impulse—our mainland police aren't amateurs."

"So what about your mother now?"

"Your mother's cultivation has improved far beyond what it was—she won't do anything foolish anymore."

Li Zhongfa chuckled: "She's been through who knows what these past years—she's become far sharper than before."

"And just now, I made it clear: she needs to be steady and big-picture-minded to support you. Your weight as her own son is far heavier than any revenge."

Li Ye bit his lip and couldn't help saying: "Grandpa, I never realized how formidable my mom is. I only heard from Xiao Ruo that she once won first place in a militia martial arts competition."

"She only told you half the story."

Li Zhongfa smiled faintly and looked at Li Ye: "Do you know what 'wudou' means?"

Oh my god!

Li Ye silently cried out, "My dear mother!"—he thought he'd gotten back a warm, caring mother, but instead… he'd gotten a matriarch!

The next day, Pengcheng Red Bull only scheduled half a day of visits—but even that half-day produced another unpleasant incident.

Because Pengcheng Red Bull's formula workshop was off-limits to visitors, Wang Changchang, who already had a sour expression, grew even more irritated.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Li Zhongfa advised Wang Changchang: "We're guests—we should respect their rules. Besides, they've arranged some sightseeing for the afternoon. Don't make this trip miserable, okay?"

But Wang Changchang said: "You all go sightseeing on your own. We from Changbei have important business to attend to."

Li Zhongfa's temper flared. We came as a group—you're ditching us halfway? Are you giving us the cold shoulder? Did you eat my Yellow River carp for free?

"Wang Changchang, you've got other business? So visiting Red Bull was just a side trip?"

Wang Qishan shook his head at Li Zhongfa: "No. We contacted a machinery factory in advance—we wanted to see if they could process some parts for us. This morning they told us we could visit this afternoon."

Li Zhongfa frowned: "You contacted a machinery factory in Pengcheng for outsourcing? How'd you even manage that? It's so far."

"Hehe, what a coincidence!"

Wang Changchang laughed it off, not elaborating.

But Tang Mingtai beside him said: "They contacted us. We ran an ad on TV recently—they called us directly."

"Oh."

Li Zhongfa glanced at Wang Changchang, sensing something off.

Chen Yanhong, the receptionist assigned to the tour group, kindly asked: "Then where exactly will you be going this afternoon, Wang Changchang? We can send a car to take you."

Wang Changchang said: "We're going to Zhongai Machinery Company. Address: 889 Fuxing Road."

Chen Yanhong froze. "889 Fuxing Road? That's just the construction site next door to us—we're 888."

Now Wang Changchang was stunned too—because next to Pengcheng Red Bull was just a construction site. Where was Zhongai Machinery Company?

Li Zhongfa chuckled. These days, everything exists—including scammers.

But he couldn't expose it outright. He just smiled: "It's just a few steps away—let's go take a look."

Everyone was baffled. They left Pengcheng Red Bull and walked over to the adjacent construction site.

But when they arrived, Li Zhongfa's face dropped.

Because the site had two flagpoles—one flying a red flag, the other a Japanese Rising Sun flag.

(End of Chapter)