Chapter 69

To put the whole story in detail would take a long time, and it involves the near-divorce of his parents. Although his father did not rekindle his old romance with Audrey, they still had to face this obstacle.

To put it simply, since Li Xu was six years old, he had started accompanying his father to various investment banks, commercial banks, and even some cocktail parties. So when his father went to Los Angeles for a Hollywood-related cocktail party, he volunteered to go along, after all, in his previous life, he had dealt with the entertainment industry.

And at the cocktail party, he met Audrey Hepburn.

Regardless of the rumors surrounding her, whether true or false, the image of Princess Anne and her subsequent efforts in charity work in impoverished areas were enough to earn her a place of her own.

So Li Xu approached her, as he was also a big fan of Princess Anne.

After that, as he had told Diana, Audrey, who had just experienced a miscarriage and was in a low point, came to the cocktail party to cheer herself up.

However, she hid in a corner from the start, and no one could talk to her for long. Only Li Xu, taking advantage of his child's identity, managed to capture her attention.

Perhaps because of the miscarriage, she was more open to him, and they chatted happily. Li Xu also put a lot of effort into playing the role of a six-year-old and finally invited her to his seventh birthday party.

To be honest, if he had known what would happen later, he wouldn't have extended the invitation.

Later, Audrey came as promised, but after a brief appearance, she disappeared. It took Li Xu a long time to find her in the garden, where she was sitting with a man, her head resting on his shoulder. That man was his father, Edward Li.

At that moment, Li Xu's feelings could only be described in one sentence: "I'm utterly f***ed!"

So, he had gone through all the trouble to invite Audrey Hepburn to his birthday party just to give his father a chance to flirt?!

It was extremely frustrating, and what made it even worse was that after some thought and subtle probing, it seemed that his father had already been preparing for this when he invited Audrey to his birthday party.

Li Xu didn't know what expression to make, and with this, he felt that Audrey and Mel Ferrer's divorce in late 1968 was due to his father's involvement.

From that day on, he fully understood his father's long and complicated romantic history. Facing the long list of familiar and unfamiliar names, one could only kneel in awe.

Then came the divorce incident. Who knew what nerve his father had hit when Grandpa said he could consider marrying Audrey after the divorce. He really started preparing for the divorce.

"Come on, Grandpa just said he could consider it, right? You guys always use 'just considering' to pressure me, and you fell for it so easily?!"

So, from this perspective, his father was truly... deeply in love with Audrey?

In any case, this caused an earthquake at home. His mother, who usually spent a few weeks in Japan and a few weeks in the U.S., moved her team to the U.S. and stayed for more than three months because of this.

Worse still, his usually rational father acted emotionally and insisted on the divorce, even when his mother laid out the pros and cons of the divorce in front of him.

His mother was a strong woman. She might lower her stance for compromise, but she would never beg for mercy.

As the lawyers from both sides were about to start the first round of negotiations, it was Li Xu who stepped in to save the situation.

"I hope to change my school environment. Anywhere will do, as long as there's a nanny to take care of my daily life. After all, I'm still young and can't cook for myself." After dinner, the six-year-old Li Xu, after wiping his hands, said very seriously.

"Anyway, I will be discriminated against wherever I go. I've already learned a lot in Japanese elementary school. It's better to learn independence early, isn't it?" He continued, then rudely jumped off his chair and left, leaving his parents speechless.

To be honest, this was a risky move. Before this, he had always played the role of a somewhat mischievous child who occasionally said something mature. Suddenly becoming so mature would inevitably raise suspicions.

But on the other hand, this was indeed a worthwhile risk. A child who becomes mature overnight due to the shock of his parents' divorce was a convincing reason.

After all, he was tired of pretending to be a child. Although his goals were not as clear as they are now, he knew that financial independence was key to personal independence, and making money early was important.

The facts proved that Li Xu had won the bet. His parents did not have any other thoughts because of his intense reaction, and the divorce was put on hold.

This delay lasted for a year, and it ended with Audrey Hepburn's sudden marriage to the Italian, Andrea Dotti, in Switzerland.

The family returned to peace, and both parents resumed their usual harmony as if nothing had ever happened. There might still be some lingering issues, but Li Xu didn't feel them. He began to show more maturity.

However, his father and Audrey still maintained a certain level of communication and occasionally visited her, unlike after her first marriage when they completely cut ties. It was quite interesting.

Of course, this also caused a bit of a butterfly effect. The most obvious was that Audrey had already divorced Dotti by the end of last year, rather than waiting until 1982.

Li Xu selectively told Diana about these events, focusing on the near-divorce of his parents and how he had taken a bold step to save the situation. She listened with wide eyes, afraid to miss a word.

"So, as you see, the matter was resolved relatively well in the end," Li Xu concluded his story with a sigh.

"I never thought..." Diana murmured, looking at the still smiling and chatting Edward and Audrey, "Uncle... Uncle is always so wise and rational, and yet he could act so emotionally."

"Everyone does, after all, we are not machines," Li Xu grabbed her hand and patted it gently, "As long as you learn from the experience, occasional emotional impulses are not necessarily bad."

Although he said that, when had he ever had such an emotional impulse? Li Xu recalled, and it seemed he never had, at least not to that extent. Could it be... he was not only a freak but also developing into a robot?

"Then... what is the relationship between Uncle Edward and Aunt Audrey now?" Diana asked.

"Let's say... they are confidants," Li Xu frowned and thought, "If they were lovers, they would have gone deeper, but they carefully maintain their friendship. If they were just friends, they would be too close."

Diana was a bit lost in thought for a moment before asking, "Does... does Aunt Miko not care at all?"

Ignoring her clumsy pronunciation, Li Xu shrugged, "It's all agreed upon. They are more like a partnership secured by marriage than a real marriage."

As he said this, he glanced at her beautiful face from the corner of his eye. Sure enough, it first showed surprise, then indescribable sadness, and finally a distant look.

"Alright, don't think too much about it. At least everything is out in the open. Compared to those who hide things, this won't hurt anyone," Li Xu patted her hand again.

Diana didn't say anything.

Summer nights always get dark late, even in the mountains. After a not-so-lavish but decent dinner, Old Edward invited Audrey to take a walk on the lawn.

Li Xu and Diana naturally followed, staying a distance behind, while the servants were even further back.

As for Ruby, he had no interest in going for a walk. He preferred to stay in the room and challenge higher scores in "Tetris," already showing a bit of a gaming addict's nature.

And Mrs. Ella, an elderly woman, had spent most of the day in a wheelchair and went to rest after dinner.

The sun soon set, but the sky still had a beautiful afterglow, painting the clouds in vibrant colors.

Old Edward occasionally made Audrey laugh, and young Edward occasionally teased Diana, making her scold him playfully. At this moment, there were some rustling sounds from the nearby bushes, as if something was moving inside.

"Who's there?" Old Edward immediately shielded Audrey and called out loudly.

There was no answer. After a moment, there was another rustling sound. Just as he was about to push Audrey back and Li Xu was about to catch up with Diana, a small head finally emerged from the bushes. It was a... deer!

It was a fawn, with pointed ears and no antlers, its big eyes filled with caution.

It limped out of the bushes, took a few steps back from the group of upright apes, and then they saw its hind leg was bleeding.

"Don't move!" Audrey called out as soon as the fawn appeared, then carefully took a few steps forward, spreading her hands and waving them at the fawn.

The fawn took another two steps back, still cautious but also curious.

"Pipon!" Audrey turned and called, "Help me, ask Martha to bring the first aid kit. This poor little one's hind leg is injured."

"Okay," Li Xu responded, then ran back to find the servant and asked Martha to bring the first aid kit.

When he returned, the fawn was already lying in front of Audrey, allowing her to pet it as she knelt down. It seemed she had cast some magic on the little creature, and his father and Diana could only watch from the side.

"Aunt Audrey, they'll be here soon," Li Xu said.

"Thank you, Eddie. Don't worry, I've got this," Audrey looked up and smiled, her eyes shining with joy.

Li Xu glanced at Diana, who helplessly spread her hands, indicating that they had also tried to help but were stopped.

He smiled and walked over to his father, watching Audrey Hepburn patiently comforting the fawn. He gently nudged his father with his elbow and whispered, "Honestly, how long did you prepare for this scene?"