Chapter 13

Li Xu spent a great deal of effort to control his urge to burst out, maintaining silence. The woman's voice was formal and official, yet tinged with a bit of mockery and teasing, and also somewhat aggressive, easily conjuring up the image of a queen high above, toying with her prey.

"Mei... Mei Ziko, I am your brother, how can you talk to me like this!" A furious male voice immediately followed, though it sounded somewhat lacking in confidence.

"Ah, even if it's Brother Daokou, a 20 billion yen loss still needs to be accounted for. However, I know Brother Xing has been facing a lot of trouble lately and can't explain anything for now, so he will have to commit seppuku." The voice remained unhurried and matter-of-fact.

"I... I know I didn't handle it well at the time, but... the responsibility isn't entirely on me! And... committing seppuku is just too extreme!" The male voice struggled to resist.

"Oh? We're not haggling, are we? Since Brother Daokou doesn't want to commit seppuku, he should at least show some sincerity, right?" The woman's voice changed, now tinged with surprise, as if she wasn't the one causing all this.

"Mei Ziko! Please be serious!" The male voice carried a mix of anger and despair.

Li Xu grinned and shook his head, carefully closing the door without making a sound. If Mother found out he was eavesdropping, who knows what might happen. As for his uncle, Kudo Daokou, although they had a decent relationship, it was clearly not the right time for him to step in.

At this moment, a question he had always wanted to ask but never dared to popped into his mind again: Mother, are you really Japanese? Are you really a Japanese woman?!

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With a click, the middle-aged man opened the door and walked out, his face full of worry. Like Tanaka, he was taken aback when he saw Li Xu.

"Uncle Daokou." Li Xu bowed.

"Ah, Liangshi, " Kudo Daokou forced a smile, "you're back from America?"

"Yes, I just got off the plane and came to pay respects to Mother." Li Xu put on a face of innocence.

"Your mother is inside. She will... um... be very happy to see you." Kudo Daokou's smile was forced.

After a few more pleasantries, he nodded and left. Li Xu took a deep breath, controlled his emotions, and knocked on the door.

"Please come in." An elegant female voice came from inside.

Shrugging, he straightened his clothes and walked into the room, bowing deeply toward the desk without looking: "Mother, I hope you are well!"

He sighed inwardly. What kind of mother makes her son call her "Mother" from a young age? Even in other Japanese noble families, this isn't done.

He didn't show any of his thoughts, knowing that if he did, Mother would find some ridiculous task for him to do, as she had done for over a decade.

To be honest, he often preferred to be with his father—though neither of them was very reliable.

"Ah, my dear Liangshi has finally returned, willing to come see his mother?" The exaggerated tone made Li Xu shudder slightly.

"Please don't say that, Mother. This is also my home, and I will always come back, no matter what." Li Xu, still bent, spoke calmly.

"Really, Liangshi, the older you get, the more rigid you become. You're almost like your grandfather." Mother complained.

Li Xu rolled his eyes inwardly. What you really mean is, the older I get, the less fun I am, right?

Then, the sound of a chair being pushed back, followed by the tap-tap of high heels on the floor. A pair of hands cupped his face and lifted it.

"Liangshi seems to have grown a bit taller." The middle-aged woman stepped back a few steps, resting her chin on her hand, and smiled as she looked at her son.

Please, even if I'm still growing, it's only been two months since I left Japan, and you've been to America in between. How could I have grown so fast? Li Xu rolled his eyes again, then looked slightly down at his mother.

She was about 170 cm tall, with medium-length hair to her shoulders, dressed in a business suit, looking very efficient. Her features were delicate and beautiful, and her figure was good. Despite being in her forties, she looked only in her early thirties—money can buy a lot of maintenance.

However, the glasses on her nose obscured most of her face, and she always held her head high, wearing long pants instead of a skirt, giving off a sharp, strong-willed aura.

Naturally, to be able to lead a powerful clan's chamber of commerce in Japan as a woman, she must have some extraordinary means—no, she must have superhuman means.

"Sit down, why are you standing?" Mother chuckled and walked back behind the desk.

Ha, without your permission, I wouldn't dare sit. Li Xu continued to roll his eyes in his mind, maintaining a respectful demeanor as he sat down in front of the desk.

"Your father has faxed over the detailed report. You did a very good job," Mother continued in a gentle tone, with a hint of emotion. "Before I knew it, my little Liangshi has grown into a capable man."

"Thanks to the guidance of Mother and Father, and the support and care of the family." Li Xu said humbly.

Ah, I hate Japanese people! This is just a never-ending cycle of putting on a mask and never taking it off!

"Oh, thanks to Liangshi, Mother can have some pocket money too." Mother covered her mouth and laughed.

"That's because Mother has a good eye..." Li Xu said reflexively, then suddenly realized and stared at his mother with wide eyes.

"How... how much did you invest?" He was so shocked he forgot to use honorifics.

"Ah, about 5 million dollars." Mei Ziko recalled, "the same as you."

After a few seconds of silence, Li Xu asked, "Father invested 10 million..."

"His is his, mine is mine. You should know that." Mei Ziko looked at her son with interest.

Li Xu took a deep breath.

What the hell! Are you really my parents? Are you really my parents?!

If you want to join in and make money, just say so. I've benefited a lot from being born into this family, so it's fine to give back a bit, but... at least give me a heads-up!

I'm shorting! I'm speculating! Even if I remember a lot of details from my past life, variables are still a significant factor!

By entering without a word, are you trying to ruin me? Are you trying to make me fail? It must be!

I must be the main character. I can still make money, still get tenfold profits. Why am I still sitting here? I should go out and make a killing!

No matter how angry or frustrated he was inside, his face remained calm, a result of years of etiquette training.

"Grandfather didn't join in, did he?" He asked instinctively.

"Oh, your grandfather didn't. After all, he wants to see your performance," Mei Ziko said with a smile. "If he had, he would have told you."

Alright, that's true. Grandfather didn't mention it at all in the manor, so he probably isn't as... unscrupulous as Mother and Father.

Li Xu felt a bit relieved. If Grandfather had joined in, he could have tested just how strong his "main character" status was.

At least Grandfather has some dignity, unlike his addicted parents... Speaking of which, they are indeed a well-matched couple, with similar ways of thinking.

Continuing to vent in his mind, Li Xu shrugged. "I thought this performance would give me full autonomy, but reality is disappointing."

"Don't be so childish, Liangshi. You can't skip university," Mei Ziko said with a light laugh. "Look at the people who deal with Mother and Father. How many of them didn't go to university?"

Li Xu wanted to argue that one can still achieve success without university, but he couldn't think of any examples.

After all, he didn't have much information about the big figures of the 1970s and 1980s in America, and the ones he knew of, Mother could easily find fault with.

Howard Hughes' story was convincing, but he was a special case, taking over the company after his parents' death.

As for Bill Gates, well, two years ago he was still trying to get Li Xu to invest in Microsoft by painting a rosy picture of its future. Let's wait another 15 years.

"Of course, you can talk to Grandfather. If he agrees, your father and I will seriously consider it." Mei Ziko smiled.

Li Xu rolled his eyes. How could that happen? Didn't he say nothing to Grandfather in the manor?

"Besides," Mother's tone changed, losing its teasing and mocking, "Mother doesn't have full autonomy either."

Li Xu, who was about to complain, fell silent. After a moment, he shrugged. "Alright, I understand. But in my investment holding company, I should be able to make some decisions on my own without always needing your approval, right?"

"Really, Liangshi, it sounds like Mother and Father have been setting obstacles for you." Mei Ziko's tone became sorrowful, as if dealing with a rebellious son. "Whether you wanted to invest in Apple, Microsoft, or those movies, did we ever say no?"

Li Xu continued to roll his eyes in his mind. He was too lazy to argue further. After a few more words, he stood up and bowed. "If there's nothing else, Mother, please allow me to take my leave."

"Ah, speaking of which, there's one more thing." Mei Ziko suddenly remembered something.

Then, she smiled and stood up. "Aren't you going to introduce me to the Taiwanese singer you're keeping?"

"Oh, yes, Mother." Li Xu bowed again and sighed inwardly.

It's been over a year since I started keeping Deng Lijun, hasn't it? Even though she's mostly in America, you've been traveling between Japan and America. Why didn't you see her when you were in America, and now you want me to bring her for you to see? What are you up to, Mother?!

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