Chapter 73

After staying at the Peace Mansion for nearly four days, Old Edward finally said goodbye to his son and daughter-in-law—this was how he saw it, after all, those who could see it, did see it.

"You did a pretty good job, Second Generation." On the plane back, Old Edward called Li Xu over and said, "First, you used the information asymmetry to make her worry, then you used Catherine to loosen her heart, and finally you took advantage of the situation. To be honest, even if I were to do it, I couldn't have done better."

"Come on, Dad, how could I possibly compare to you." Li Xu teased, "Such a grand gesture, to be honest, it was my first time seeing it. Aunt Audrey is indeed different in your heart."

"Of course." The old man accepted this "praise" without hesitation.

"However, this is just the beginning. Marriage is not easy to manage, and Daina is not the kind of woman your mother is." He added.

"I know." Li Xu shrugged and turned to look at Diana, who was reading a book. Noticing his gaze, she shyly smiled and then lowered her head again.

To be honest, despite some unexpected situations, the visit to Audrey Hepburn in Mozhel was generally within control and achieved its purpose.

Regarding the deal between Sarah and Charles, Li Xu knew about it earlier than Diana, as they had been corresponding privately. In promoting Sarah and Charles' marriage, Li Xu also helped through his father's connections. As part of the deal, Sarah naturally pushed her sister into his arms with all her might.

Originally, he planned to bring up the topic and let Diana talk about it herself, then comfort her, and further develop their relationship. In the tranquil environment of Mozhel, with the elegant Audrey nearby, people tend to open up more easily.

But Li Xu didn't expect that his father would put on such a grand show, flaunting their affection so outstandingly that it immediately stimulated Diana, who directly confided in Audrey instead of him.

Well, in the end, she did come to him, but it wasn't as scripted.

Li Xu had to act decisively, skipping the intermediate steps and going straight to the heart of the matter. Such deep communication could better deepen their feelings—only heaven knows he originally planned to savor it slowly. In another timeline, Diana only consummated their marriage on their wedding night.

And that's how it ended up.

It seemed to be going well, the problem was solved, and things were moving in the direction Li Xu hoped to see. But as his father said, this was just the beginning.

Do you remember what was said before? How to make a naive and innocent person become your possession? Teach her to face reality, but don't teach her to resist it.

After all, economic independence comes before personal independence.

When everything she has, her dreams, her career, can only be realized with your support, she will only get more entangled in the web you've woven.

But there's a new issue here: how to keep her aware that everything she has depends on your support, rather than taking it for granted after a long time together.

"What do you suggest, Dad?" Li Xu asked.

"Of course not," Old Edward laughed, "This depends on your own skills, Second Generation."

Hey, don't forget, you're counting on me to convince Aunt Audrey to do charity work! Li Xu rolled his eyes in his mind, too lazy to say more, and immediately gave his father the middle finger before calmly returning to Diana's side.

That's just how they are, both he and his wife like to tease and taunt their son, especially when Li Xu shows signs of early maturity. However, his mother does it in an exaggerated way, while his father does it in a serious manner, which is quite complementary.

Of course, after the teasing and taunting, they will still meet his requests. His father, in particular, likes to make it clear that "I'm helping you now," and the implications of this are obvious.

To be honest, if Li Xu weren't a reincarnated person, he might have already run away from home.

In any case, there's no need to worry about his father not helping. As mentioned before, he thinks Diana is a pretty good choice. Plus, with Charles and Sarah around, providing a contrast for Diana, Li Xu believes there shouldn't be much of a problem.

After staying in London for another day, Li Xu then took the family plane to Japan, without his father, who still had a lot of work to do in the UK.

Diana didn't go either; she had her own matters to attend to and needed time to calm down after everything that had happened. So, another woman and a little one went instead. Grandpa had already met them, and it was time for Grandma to meet them too.

"What a truly adorable girl, I've never seen a more beautiful child." In the small Japanese garden, a middle-aged man who somewhat resembled Mihiko looked at the little one in Li Xu's arms, who was blowing bubbles, with a tone of admiration and envy.

"Did you hear that, Anna? Uncle Grandpa says you're very beautiful." Li Xu immediately pinched Annabelle's little cheeks.

"Cheep, cheep..." The little one flailed her arms, seemingly very unhappy, and even tried to bite her father's fingers, which made Kujō Michiyuki laugh uncontrollably.

"Do you want to hold her, Uncle Michiyuki?" Li Xu asked at this moment.

"Ah? Can I?" Kujō Michiyuki was somewhat surprised.

"Of course." Li Xu smiled and handed Annabelle over.

Kujō Michiyuki hurriedly took her, lifting the little one to his face. The little one looked at the middle-aged man in front of her, seemingly confused about how she ended up in his hands from her father's arms.

So, her lips trembled, and she was about to cry. Kujō Michiyuki had to quickly return her to Li Xu.

As soon as the little one was back in her father's arms, she smiled, making Kujō Michiyuki feel rather depressed: "Oh, I guess I'm just not good with children."

"How can that be," Li Xu laughed, "Anna is just a bit shy because she just met you."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "I heard that Michi is getting married. I believe you should be able to hold a grandson soon, Uncle Michiyuki."

"Is it that easy," Kujō Michiyuki smiled bitterly, "Michi is getting married, but..."

He sighed, "If he can get married smoothly and honestly, that's already good. As for the rest, we'll see later."

Regarding such matters, Li Xu didn't want to interfere: "Michi will definitely get married smoothly. There's no need to worry. Michi has already graduated, and you can now focus on doing what you want."

"Ha, if they could be like you, no, if they could have one-tenth of your ability, I would be very happy." Kujō Michiyuki shook his head vigorously.

He has two sons: Kujō Michi, 25 years old, is the head of the sales department in one of the companies under the Kujō Chamber of Commerce. Kujō Michi, 22 years old, has just graduated from the University of Tokyo and hasn't decided what to do yet.

However, neither of these two is particularly capable. The elder son has worked in several companies under the Kujō Chamber of Commerce, but each time he has caused problems, and his father has had to clean up the mess.

As for the younger son, although he graduated from the University of Tokyo, it was more like a镀金 (gilding) experience, similar to Li Xu going to Harvard. However, the younger son is somewhat more capable, as entering the University of Tokyo does have certain academic requirements.

To be fair, Kujō Michiyuki himself is not particularly capable. At least, he has the problem of being overambitious but lacking in ability. After his mother reorganized the chamber, she gave him a leisurely position. But he is always restless, wanting to start his own business, which is normal for a man. However, the result was his mother's "剖腹" (ritual suicide) joke.

Of course, Kujō Michiyuki is generally a decent person. At least, he doesn't point fingers at Li Xu like other members of the Kujō family, and during the previous turmoil, he firmly stood by his sister, even though his influence was limited.

This is the issue of loyalty. Even if someone does a lot of bad things outside, as long as they are good to me and treat me well, they are a good person. Moreover, Kujō Michiyuki is just overambitious but not particularly capable, and he is steadfast in his loyalty, and he likes art.

His two sons are similar. Kujō Michi, although he occasionally causes problems, knows that their family relies on support from others, so he has never caused any major issues that couldn't be resolved.

Thus, the daughter of the third son of the Matsukata family, who is a direct descendant, was secured with the help of Li Xu's mother.

"Don't mention that," Kujō Michiyuki sighed, "Speaking of which, it's quite surprising that you and Isabelle Adjani have a daughter. If you go out together, it would definitely make a lot of people exclaim."

"Is Isabelle popular in Japan?" Li Xu asked curiously.

"Yes, Michi said she has been on the cover of movie magazines several times. I'm not very clear, but people should know that she is a French beauty." Michiyuki thought for a moment and then asked, "You don't know either?"

"Oh, I haven't paid attention to her news for a long time. Even the fact that I have a daughter with her was only recently told to me by Grandpa." Li Xu shrugged and looked across the small lake in the garden, where his mother was sitting with Isabelle Adjani, showing her the Japanese tea ceremony.

"In short, no matter what happens between you and my son, I will not interfere," Mihiko said in fluent French, "Young people's matters should be handled by young people themselves."

Although she can't compare to Li Xu, Mihiko's French is quite good, while his father is a bit lacking in this area, with his Japanese level only being able to distinguish between English and Japanese.

"Even if he were to die with me?" Adjani said, still with that defiant look.

"I said, this is your matter," Mihiko smiled slightly, "Of course, if such a situation really occurs, I will interfere. I will—"

She took the small teacup from the tea ceremony performer and raised it to Isabelle. Isabelle took another teacup and drank the tea in one go, just as Mihiko did.

Then she heard the other say, "I will eliminate the unruly factors in the cradle."

"Cough, cough, cough!" Isabelle suddenly started coughing.