Chapter 76

After resting in Japan for three days, Li Xu returned to Los Angeles by plane after his mother had met Isabel and Annabelle. Now that his parents had seen his daughters, it was time for his grandfather to see them, and of course, Isabel would go along as well.

His mother, who often flew back and forth across the Pacific, joined them this time as well.

To be honest, Li Xu did not want to travel with his mother. Why? He didn’t need to explain! He might be drawn into a conversation and end up revealing things, which would feel very unpleasant.

His interest in Sony was actually quite simple: 20 years later, Sony Music would occupy one-third of the global market, not to mention the acquisition of Columbia and other ventures like Sony BMG.

Moreover, Sony was one of the few Japanese companies with a relatively Westernized internal culture.

Among the large and small Japanese companies, only two had ever appointed foreigners as CEOs: Carlos Ghosn, a Frenchman, at Nissan, and Howard Stringer, a Briton, at Sony.

However, Stringer had a tougher time than Ghosn. Who knew what Ken Kutaragi was thinking when he decided to transform a well-established tech company into an entertainment company after the millennium, leading to years of losses. Stringer was brought in to clean up the mess, but he didn’t do a great job, and his reputation suffered as a result.

Relatively speaking, Li Xu preferred dealing with such companies and had been planning to invest in Sony. Some of the Japanese business practices were truly frustrating.

However, he couldn’t tell his mother this—was he going to tell her that he was interested in Sony because of what they would become in the future?

What was strange was that his mother, who used to use her words to draw out his secrets and then tease him, hadn’t done so continuously and with such varied methods before.

After that day, she didn’t mention the matter again and didn’t bring it up during the entire journey. Even when she talked to him for a few minutes, it was only about family matters or his investment holding company, and even then, only briefly.

As for other topics, such as Isabel or his other women, she didn’t mention them at all, which was quite unusual.

Since he couldn’t figure it out, he decided not to think about it. He was 100% sure that his mother wouldn’t have any ill intentions.

After returning to San Francisco, his mother went about her business, while Li Xu took Isabel and the girls to see his grandfather.

The meeting with his grandfather was uneventful. After all, he was an old man who had seen it all and had become a great-grandfather. Even if he didn’t like his daughter-in-law, he didn’t take it out on his grandson, especially when faced with a blank slate of a great-granddaughter, even if she was illegitimate.

Annabelle was a bit afraid of her great-grandfather and didn’t accept him as quickly as she did her grandparents. She even cried the first time he held her, which made Li Xu quickly take her back, and the old man felt a bit awkward.

However, after a few times, she accepted her great-grandfather and often sat in his lap, babbling and trying to grab his beard, which made the old man laugh heartily.

As for Isabel, since that day, she had become quiet and distant, reverting to her initial cold and aloof demeanor, even in front of his grandfather. She only smiled when holding her daughter.

His grandfather didn’t mind. Li Xu had privately told him that he wouldn’t marry Isabel.

This led to a somewhat strange atmosphere in the grandfather’s estate, but their family relationships were already somewhat... strange. Bringing a lover and an illegitimate daughter back wasn’t a big deal.

Isabel had a film contract, for "Quartet," which she had already signed, but "Obsession" was not yet signed. However, it wasn’t urgent, so Li Xu arranged for her to stay in a hotel suite while he went about his business—his villa was still under renovation and wouldn’t be ready until mid-September, which was frustrating, as he would be on the East Coast by then.

He couldn’t really be a hands-off investor, even though the team was provided by his father. He also had to prepare for a trip to Taiwan with Intel and Texas Instruments at the end of the month.

Additionally, he needed to check on some people’s progress.

---

"Your performance is excellent, Joan. Your oral, written, and listening skills are already at a level where you can communicate fluently," said a white woman in her fifties to Lin Fengjiao in a spacious study.

"Thank you, Mrs. Barna, thank you for your guidance," Lin Fengjiao replied with a smile in fluent English.

"Bridget still needs to work harder. While she can manage general conversations, she struggles when the speaker’s pace is a bit faster or when there are more colloquialisms," Molly Barna, who had been specially invited to teach the Lin sisters, then turned to Lin Qingxia, who was somewhat dazed, and gave her feedback.

"Sorry... sorry, Mrs. Barna," Lin Qingxia stammered, "I've been a bit... distracted lately."

Molly Barna pondered for a moment. "Bridget, while it’s not my place to say, I still want to remind you that Mr. Li hired me to help you both speak fluent English and recite Shakespeare’s lines with emotion. This is a long-term goal, so the short-term goal is to reach a level of ordinary conversation. Joan is almost there, but you still have a long way to go. I think you should focus more."

"I will, Mrs. Barna," Lin Qingxia nodded without any sign of displeasure.

"Then that’s it for today. We’ll see you next Monday," Barna stood up and left the study after saying goodbye.

The room fell silent. Lin Fengjiao and Lin Qingxia remained quiet, neither of them speaking.

After a few minutes, Lin Fengjiao finally broke the silence. "Are you okay, Qingxia?"

"I... I’m fine, what’s wrong?" Lin Qingxia, who had been somewhat distracted, straightened her posture and adjusted her clothes, trying to act as if nothing was wrong.

"Is there something on your mind lately?" Lin Fengjiao asked, looking at her.

Although Lin Qingxia had initially been cold towards Lin Fengjiao, they had grown closer after living together for a while, as they were both in similar situations.

"Nothing... nothing," Lin Qingxia shook her head, but her hesitant tone betrayed her thoughts.

"You’ve been distracted these past few days," Lin Fengjiao continued, "If you have any problems, can you tell me? After all, there are only the two of us here."

"Really, there’s nothing, Fengjiao," Lin Qingxia shook her head again, "It’s just... I almost let something slip while staying at Lixia’s place."

She had intended to use this as an excuse, but as soon as she said it, she knew she had made a mistake. Sure enough, Lin Fengjiao’s head drooped.

"Feng... Fengjiao, I didn’t mean to..." Lin Qingxia hurried to explain.

"It’s okay, Qingxia. You and I are different. Your sister lives in San Francisco," Lin Fengjiao smiled understandingly, but the sadness in her eyes was evident.

"I’m sorry, Fengjiao, I didn’t mean to..." Lin Qingxia felt sad but didn’t know what to say.

"Let’s not talk about it," Lin Fengjiao stood up, "Today’s lesson is over. It’s the weekend tomorrow. Why don’t we go out together?"

"Okay..." Lin Qingxia said one word and then closed her mouth, looking uncomfortable.

"Are you going to your sister’s place again?" Lin Fengjiao’s expression darkened.

"Well... we... we had planned it," Lin Qingxia stammered.

"But you just got back two days ago. If you go again tomorrow, what if... what if that person finds out?" Lin Fengjiao was worried.

"He said I could go, as long as... as long as I told you," Lin Qingxia was a bit unhappy.

"But last time, you also wanted to go after just two days, and he didn’t agree over the phone," Lin Fengjiao reminded her.

Lin Qingxia became even more unhappy and was about to argue when a knock came at the door.

The two women were taken aback, looking at each other. Lin Fengjiao asked, "Who is it?"

"Room service," came a formal English voice from outside, but the two Lin sisters immediately changed their expressions.

This was the study of the villa where they lived. There was no such thing as room service here, so it was clear who was outside.

Lin Fengjiao took a deep breath, adjusted her emotions, and walked a few steps to open the door. "Edward?"

"Ha, haven’t seen you in a few days. Did you miss me?" As soon as the door opened, Li Xu’s light-hearted voice rang out, and he reached out to pull Lin Fengjiao into his arms.

Lin Fengjiao let out a gasp but couldn’t break free, so she could only let him hold her and watch as he leaned in to sniff her neck. "Mmm, not bad."

Her cheeks flushed, and she felt a mix of anger and embarrassment. Before, this man had always spoken of her and Qingxia as his possessions, but he had generally behaved like a gentleman.

But after half a month, he had become so frivolous. Not only did he hold her in his arms, but he also... actually touched her.

Lin Fengjiao could clearly feel the hand on her waist, gently and firmly kneading. She wanted to push him away, but his masculine scent made her body feel weak.

"Hi, Qingxia, you look good too," Li Xu then turned to Lin Qingxia, who was still sitting.

"Still... still okay," Lin Qingxia managed a forced smile.

"Come here and let me see," Li Xu smiled and beckoned, but Lin Qingxia hesitated and didn’t move.

"Come on, come here," Li Xu said again, his tone unchanged but with a hint of command.

Lin Qingxia trembled slightly, finally stood up, and slowly walked to Li Xu’s side. She let out a low gasp as he pulled her into his arms, just like he had done with Lin Fengjiao, holding her by the waist.

"That’s better. It’s been a while, so you should be a bit more affectionate," Li Xu chuckled, and the two women, who were being held, exchanged a glance and both smiled bitterly.