Chapter 26

"Before I knew it, my little Ryoji has grown so much," Mieko said with a gentle sigh, a warm smile on her face, without any teasing or mockery. "Your chubby little face seems like it was just yesterday."

"Mother..." Li Xu wanted to say something, but was immediately interrupted by his mother: "But you have grown up, and you will always grow up, just like an eagle that will surely spread its wings."

She placed her hands on his shoulders: "I was a first-time mother, inexperienced, and could only refer to others, so it's hard to say how well I did. But, my son, is an outstanding son."

Those hands then cupped his face, her gaze particularly serious: "My son is very smart, and mature, with his own goals and the determination to pursue them. He is always patient, even when I made mistakes in educating him, he wouldn't mind, and would only use rational methods to subtly fight for his interests."

Li Xu moved his lips but made no sound. Facing those rare, unmasked eyes filled with kindness and tenderness, he didn't know what to say.

"If it weren't for you, Ryoji, if it weren't for you, your father and I would have divorced long ago, and I would have been trapped in this narrow world, not knowing when I could break free." Mieko's voice became very soft.

"No, Mother..." He finally called out, but was immediately interrupted: "I am very clear about this, my Ryoji, I am very clear about this."

His mother smiled and gently pinched his cheeks: "I still remember how you threatened your father, such a handsome little boy."

Li Xu smiled awkwardly, about to say something, but Mieko had already withdrawn her hands: "Well, now the fledgling has spread its wings, ready to fly in its own way. I just want to say, go, fly freely, chase your goals in your own way, no matter what you do..."

At this point, she glanced at Deng Lijun, who was not far away: "I will always stand behind you."

Noticing this, Li Xu's smile became somewhat awkward, but he then bent down and hugged his mother again: "Thank you, Mom!"

He no longer used the formal "Mother" but the simplest, most universal term in all languages.

After a moment, they separated: "I will set off now, Mother, please take care of yourself, and don't push yourself too hard."

Mieko smiled slightly: "Struggle against heaven, and the joy is boundless; struggle against earth, and the joy is boundless; struggle against people, and the joy is boundless."

"Oh, don't always be like this, I don't know how to respond!" Li Xu immediately covered his forehead.

The plane took off, and below, Tokyo or Chiyoda Ward became smaller and smaller, the stubborn residents long out of sight. But Li Xu still kept his gaze on the window, even as they passed through the thick cloud layer and entered the stratosphere.

"Edward?" Deng Lijun, who had been silent in front of him, called out.

"Hmm?" Li Xu finally reacted, then said "Oh," and reached out to pull down the window shade.

"Don't worry," he waved his hand, showing a self-deprecating smile, "I just... started missing my mom as soon as we took off from the airport."

He sighed lightly in his heart, never expecting that his mother would do something like this.

Living with a mask was the first thing Li Xu learned after being born into this family—well, not exactly learned in this life. In society, who doesn't wear a mask? It's just a matter of more or less, and over time, the mask becomes part of one's personality.

For example, his grandfather's authority, his father's frivolity and cynicism, yet powerful position, and his mother's strong woman. As for himself, he was certainly mature, at least for now.

Though family members should be able to let down their guard, the problem was that they were not from the same family, and there were constant issues between them, such as the constant conflicts between his grandfather and father, and the marriage of convenience between his father and mother.

Over time, as my third uncle said... wrong, mixed up the words, but in short, wearing a mask for too long makes it hard to take off. Expressing feelings always becomes awkward and roundabout, like his grandfather in the vineyard.

So, when his mother, who had clearly stated she wouldn't come to see him off, unexpectedly appeared at the airport and said such a thing, the feeling was really... hard to describe.

Li Xu couldn't help but sigh lightly. To be honest, in this family, his relationship with his mother was always closer, probably because, beyond the blood ties of this life, they had many things in common.

His mother, in a society where feudal remnants still lingered and discrimination against women was far more severe than in most developed countries, managed a company, a company that most men couldn't manage.

She had to make herself strong, and as she grew stronger, she became increasingly isolated. Few could keep up with her, and even fewer could stand by her side, especially women. After all, this was Japan. Moreover, her marriage to his father marked her with a heavy American capital label, and in a sense, she had already severed ties with Japan.

As for Li Xu, he seemed like a "prophet" living in the "old era," but was essentially an ordinary person. From birth, he had carefully performed, making himself look like a mature child rather than a freak.

He had few friends, no one to confide in, let alone a confidant. Most of the time, he was an outsider, coldly observing everything, keeping everything buried deep in his heart, only bringing it out when needed.

They both didn't fit in with this world, were very lonely, and persisted in their loneliness, finding joy in it. Moreover, they both disliked Japanese society, so...

Thank you, Mom. Li Xu sighed lightly again. According to his mother, as long as he didn't mess things up to the point where the family couldn't handle it, he could do as he pleased?

He reined in his thoughts, not thinking too much. Then he noticed that Deng Lijun, who had suddenly lowered her head, seemed to have a strange expression on her face.

About two seconds later, Li Xu realized, thankfully he hadn't been drinking, but he still helplessly covered his forehead: Sister, what are you imagining? Can you stop imagining things? Can you think normally?

I'm really stupid, really, what can I say to someone who likes to imagine things... like Oedipus complex.

After a steady flight of over ten hours, the plane landed at San Francisco International Airport. After sending Deng Lijun to her suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in the Bay Area, Li Xu returned to the villa in Marin County.

He didn't try to correct any of Deng Lijun's imaginings. As mentioned before, such attempts would only make things worse, especially when the silly girl had already made up her mind.

On the surface, she would "oh oh" and say she wouldn't misunderstand, but in her heart, she would probably have even more associations. So, let her be. If it got too bad, there were still the Tokyo Bay, San Francisco Bay, and Hudson River to fill, yeah, yeah, yeah.

After a night's rest, he had a comfortable breakfast the next morning and went to school.

Yes, although he had many things to handle, such as asking his grandfather about the progress of junk bonds and mortgage securities, and whether Northrop knew his plans and supported them; and his father had called from Tokyo, saying they needed to talk when he returned; and he had promised to develop a suitable handheld game for Nintendo.

But the most important thing right now was school. No matter what, he was still over a month away from turning 18 and graduating from high school.

In the top tier of American society, one can drop out of college, but absolutely not from high school.

Moreover, Li Xu attended the best high school in San Francisco, the third-best in the nation, known as a preparatory school, and it was even a boarding school.

To be honest, if it weren't for the silver market, he wouldn't have been able to take leave, and even then, it was only because his grandfather helped.

In the United States or the Western world, the children of the elite never attend schools outside of private ones, and most of these private schools are boarding schools to promote social interaction and the formation of circles among the young.

Such schools have strict standards for school culture and cannot tolerate a student repeatedly taking leave and wandering around outside.

Of course, those who achieve success at a young age are an exception—family support? Please, which board member of the school isn't wealthy or influential, and which didn't rely on family support when taking their first steps?

So, as long as the ideas, creativity, and concepts are one's own, it can be considered earning money on one's own.

Returning to the main point, if a student has earned a fortune on their own at a young age and occasionally donates to the school, it's not impossible to consider, special cases require special handling, and top students always have privileges.

However, one must still maintain a balance, as the school's reputation is important. Unless it's a very important matter, Li Xu cannot take leave casually, and once he takes leave, he must stay at school for a long time.

If he needs to take leave again, the parents must step in, as in this case.

Whether it's his grandfather or father, they would always kick him back to school after he proved himself once. So far, most Americans still don't know that he is the inventor of the Rubik's Cube and the creator or idea provider of many popular electronic games.

Therefore, no matter how unwilling Li Xu was, no matter how annoyed he was to mix with a bunch of kids, he still had to go to school honestly, unless he gave up his goals and became a fifth-generation rich person.

Could he give up? Of course not. Without goals, what's the difference from a dried fish? So, he still had to go to school honestly.

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