Chapter 21

First, there's one thing that needs to be clear: Why did Li Xu do all this, from developing games to speculating on silver, and setting a goal to earn 10 billion yuan in pocket money by 1993?

The answer was already given before: Of course, it's for fun, and he wants to play big!

So, if it's just for fun, why is he working so hard? Why is he staying up late every other day, feeling exhausted and sleep-deprived, and buried in paperwork? Shouldn't these be the responsibilities of professional managers?

It's important to understand that working hard to earn money for future enjoyment and earning money to enjoy life now are two different concepts.

Therefore, Li Xu can come up with ideas and let programmers complete the game development, he can closely monitor the sales of the Rubik's Cube, and he can stay in New York for several days to speculate on silver, but he will never exhaust himself all the time.

There are ways to play with no money, ways to play with a little money, and ways to play with a lot of money. Why be in such a hurry? Why not make life more leisurely?

Of course, if those who work hard for a living and can barely save any money heard this... they would probably be envious, jealous, and even resentful. As for storming into the villa, singing "Arise, ye wretched of the earth," and burning him alive, that's simply impossible.

It's precisely because of this mindset that Li Xu allowed Atari to develop, and even after Morita Akio showed no interest in consoles, he still contacted Yamauchi Hiroshi, despite knowing that Nintendo might be a pitfall.

After all, he just wanted a cash cow from the game business. Even if there are many opportunities in the future, capital is still needed. Money begets money, and the more money, the more it can generate.

However, he forgot that the Nintendo of today is not the Nintendo of 20 years later, and how notorious his mother from this life is. As a result, his overture to Yamauchi Hiroshi was a bit off, causing the old man to be startled.

In any case, even if he knew about Yamauchi Hiroshi's concerns, he would just laugh it off. Once someone is set on something, it's hard to change their mind.

After all, the value of the D-pad is obvious to anyone with a clear eye, let alone the fact that the original author is one of Yamauchi Hiroshi's top lieutenants. Although the game he wanted to develop wasn't explicitly mentioned that night, it might have raised some suspicions, but Li Xu felt that if the D-pad couldn't convince them, what good would it do to say more?

If Nintendo wanted to refuse, that was fine. At most, the arcade sales would be slightly affected, and if it wasn't more suitable for handhelds, he wouldn't have contacted them at this time.

However, he wanted to play as he pleased, but some things always happened to spoil his fun.

For example, during these few days in Tokyo, besides visiting his mother, he planned to take Deng Lijun, who hadn't been there in a year, to tour around. But on the second night after Yamauchi Hiroshi's visit, another unexpected guest arrived at the villa in Shizuoka Bay.

"Mr. Bao, it's quite a surprise to see you so free," Li Xu said with a smile, gesturing for him to sit down.

Deng Lijun was by his side this time, unlike the previous night when she had retreated inside. However, like in New York, her eyelids were lowered, and she looked indifferent.

"I have some matters to attend to, so I had to come and disturb you," Bao said with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm in Li Xu's words, and much more respectful than their first meeting.

Li Xu shrugged, indifferent. Thick skin is a must for politicians, especially for speculators like Bao.

He then looked at the other middle-aged man who had sat down, and before he could ask, the man introduced himself: "My name is Wang, and my given name is Chuanpu. I have a small company. After Bao returned, he was constantly sighing, regretting that he didn't realize the extraordinary relationship between... Mr. Li and Lijun, which led to a misunderstanding. I happen to have a connection with Mr. Deng, so I volunteered to come and mediate."

He was around 50 years old, with a square face, glasses, and a gentle, kind smile, somewhat resembling a Maitreya Buddha. However, his words were overly flattering, making Bao look a bit embarrassed.

"Mr. Wang, I see," Li Xu said with a chuckle, slightly surprised.

His mind raced, and he finally recalled the information about the man. It seems they had gathered quite a bit of information about him.

"Mr. Wang, what brings you and Mr. Bao here today?" he asked.

"I wouldn't dare to give advice, but I hope Lijun can go back and visit. Before coming, I specifically went to see Mr. Deng. He really misses Lijun," Wang Chuanpu said, sighing as if truly regretful.

"Ah?" Deng Lijun, who had been sitting like a statue, immediately looked up, her eyes filled with surprise and worry.

Damn! Li Xu couldn't help but exclaim in his mind. Do you think I'm a fool? When did you, an arms dealer, have any connection with Mr. Deng, a retired lieutenant?

But upon further thought, he couldn't really refute it. In this life, he wasn't from their side, so how could he know for sure that a retired lieutenant and an arms dealer had no connection?

Moreover, in his previous life, there were reports that Mr. Deng had some connection with Zong Weigeng, known as the first war correspondent in China, and had even asked him to take care of Deng Lijun when she went to Hong Kong.

"Wang... Mr. Wang, is my father... is he okay?" Deng Lijun asked, somewhat conflicted.

"Mr. Deng is fine, but he misses you. You know, it's not easy for him to come out. He couldn't visit you in the U.S. for the past year, which he deeply regrets," Wang Chuanpu said, half-truthfully.

The truth was that with the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S., it had indeed become more difficult for them to travel abroad. As for the falsehood, it was impossible for Mr. Deng to come to the U.S. without government pressure.

Additionally, the strained relationship between Deng Lijun and her family was another reason. She had been supporting her family through singing since she was young, and for a long time, she was the sole breadwinner.

Throughout history, human society has developed, but within families, parents often view their children as their private property. In China, there's a saying, "A small favor is a debt, a big favor is a grudge."

At first, when Deng Lijun was the only one supporting the family, her parents and siblings felt embarrassed and still had some self-respect.

But as the situation worsened and no new sources of income appeared, her parents and siblings began to feel anxious. No one wanted to be seen as "useless and dependent on someone else" for living.

If the situation didn't improve or improved insufficiently, and she remained the primary source of income, her family would find excuses, such as "She's my child" or "She's my sister."

This led to a situation where they didn't want to see her, feeling ashamed when they did, but also hating this feeling, so they consciously or unconsciously pushed her away.

Faced with this, Deng Lijun was powerless to resist. After all, they were her family. But she was certainly not happy or comfortable, and this naive girl didn't know how to handle it. Over time, her relationship with her family became increasingly strained.

That's why she rarely mentioned her father to Li Xu and almost never called him. When her mother came to the U.S. to see her, she begged Li Xu not to appear and not to reveal their relationship to her family—Li Xu was happy to do her a favor.

Even so, he was still her father, and hearing Wang Chuanpu's words, she couldn't help but be concerned.

"Lijun, come back. Don't you want to see your father, and the fans and friends who have been waiting for you?" Bao finally spoke, looking at Deng Lijun with a very serious expression, as if he truly meant it.

Before Deng Lijun could react, he quickly added, "Lijun, we know we wronged you. We apologize. We had no choice."

Deng Lijun was speechless. As the head of the News Bureau, he had the power to make or break singers and actors. When had he ever been so humble?

Li Xu couldn't hold back a laugh, shaking his head as if finding it truly amusing.

But Bao remained calm, showing no sign of anger. He turned to Li Xu and said sincerely, "I know there was a misunderstanding, Mr. Li. I hope you can understand our difficulties."

"Alright, alright," Li Xu raised a hand. "I understand your difficulties, but whether Teresa goes back is her decision."

"No problem, no problem, we absolutely won't force her!" Bao said with relief, looking at Deng Lijun.

Not only he, but Li Xu and Wang Chuanpu also looked at her. She, who had been somewhat dazed, shivered, pulled her neck back, and lowered her head.

But it was no use. A few minutes later, she raised her head, stammering, "I... I..."

After hesitating for a while, she glanced at Li Xu and finally said timidly, "I... I... I'll go back."

"That's great!" Bao looked relieved, while Wang Chuanpu, though smiling warmly, was not overly excited and kept a watchful eye on Li Xu.

"I'll start making arrangements right away," Bao said, his joy evident.

After all, as the head of the News Bureau, he had been criticized for failing to persuade Deng Lijun to return to New York. Now that he had finally resolved the issue, his political achievements were secure, and he had every reason to be happy.

However, Li Xu had to pour cold water on the situation: "Not so fast, Mr. Bao. It's not that quick. Teresa's return is a big deal. Her departure was grand, and while her return doesn't have to be the same, it should at least be dignified. Besides..."

He smiled, "I have two conditions."

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