Chapter 9

After treating Yun Zhenzhen, Li Yi planned to go home, but Yun Haiyong insisted on inviting him to dinner.

"Have I heard that your mother also works at the hospital? Let's have lunch together. You are the one who saved my Zhenzhen, so I must show my gratitude!"

"But, I want to go home and see my sister. I haven't seen her for several days."

Li Yi has a sister named Li Ting. Now that their father has passed away, their mother is raising them both. He hasn't seen his sister in three million years and really misses her.

"Oh, that's easy. Xiao Huzi, go and pick up Xiao Yi's sister and invite her to join us for the meal!"

Yun Haiyong and Li Yi were becoming more familiar, and he started calling Li Yi "Xiao Yi."

"Yes, Commander!" Qian Hu immediately responded.

Li Yi pondered for a moment. In China, social relationships are very important. Although dining and gift-giving may seem vulgar, they are the best ways to strengthen friendships. Since Yun Haiyong insisted on inviting him to dinner, there was no need to refuse.

So he nodded to Qian Hu and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Brother."

When Qian Hu heard Li Yi call him "Brother," he was extremely nervous. This young man, though young, was a highly respected figure who could interact with the Commander as an equal. What merit did he have for Li Yi to call him "Brother"?

"Brother Yi, I can't bear the title of 'Brother.' If you respect me, Qian Hu, just call me Xiao Huzi like the Commander does!"

Li Yi didn't refuse. At three million years old, he had no habit of being a junior, so he smoothly replied, "Then I'll trouble you, Xiao Huzi!"

"Of course, of course!" Qian Hu nodded excitedly and drove the Commander's car to pick up Li Ting.

Li Yi returned to his mother's office. The cat had finished its IV and was sleeping. Li Yi checked its condition and found that its bodily functions were recovering, which put his mind at ease.

"Where have you been, you naughty child? Come home obediently and don't run around anymore, understand?" Lin Ruyu's tone was slightly scolding.

Li Yi smiled and walked over to help his mother take off her mask, softly saying, "Mom, it's time for a nap. Don't go to the hospital cafeteria for lunch. Someone is inviting us to eat."

Lin Ruyu's eyebrows immediately furrowed. "Who is inviting you to eat? I warn you, you're still a student. Don't associate with those unsavory people in society!"

Li Yi chuckled, "Mom, don't worry. The one inviting us is absolutely upright and not unsavory!"

Lin Ruyu's face turned stern, and she grabbed Li Yi's ear. "Look at you! How many of your friends are good? Tell me, who is it?"

Li Yi, feeling his ear being pulled, was somewhat helpless. No matter how much time had passed, his mother's authority remained unshaken.

"Alright, stop pulling. I'll tell you. The one inviting us to dinner is the Commander of the city's Armed Police Brigade, Comrade Yun Haiyong!"

"What?" Lin Ruyu was stunned.

As they walked down the stairs together, Lin Ruyu thought she was dreaming when she saw the Commander, who often appeared in the VIP ward, with two bars and four stars on his shoulder.

What's going on today? The Commander is personally inviting us to dinner?

Then something even more shocking happened. The tall and imposing Commander stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Aunt, hello!"

Since Yun Haiyong wanted to build a relationship with Li Yi, he had to lower his stance. As they were of the same generation, Lin Ruyu was naturally his aunt. In the world of social relationships, generation and etiquette were crucial!

"Mom, Brother Yong is my brother. You can call him Xiao Yong in the future!" Li Yi introduced.

"You naughty child, always causing trouble!" Lin Ruyu wished she could give Li Yi a beating right away.

This Commander of the Armed Police is a prominent figure in the city, older than me. How can you ask me to call him Xiao Yong? If this nickname spreads, where will his dignity be?

But Yun Haiyong responded, "That's right, Aunt. You can call me Xiao Yong!"

Lin Ruyu was speechless. She wanted to call him Xiao Yong but couldn't bring herself to do it.

Zhang Hongjuan's face wasn't much better. Her husband was making a mess. The Commander is younger than me, and now I'm being called an aunt!

Since Qian Hu had gone to pick up Lin Ting, they took a taxi. Yun Haiyong originally wanted to take two, but Lin Ruyu, being frugal, insisted on one. So Yun Haiyong sat in the front passenger seat, while Li Yi, Lin Ruyu, and Zhang Hongjuan squeezed into the back.

Seeing the taxi stop in front of the most luxurious hotel in the city, the Jiuzhou Grand Hotel, Lin Ruyu was secretly amazed.

"This place is too expensive. A meal costs at least a few hundred. We shouldn't come here!" Lin Ruyu whispered.

Although she worked at the hospital and wasn't in the low-income bracket, she had never been to this luxurious hotel. It was said that only high-ranking officials and dignitaries dined here, and they were not to be offended.

Li Yi couldn't help but laugh and said to his mother, "A few hundred? Mom, if you don't spend a few thousand, you'll be disrespecting the Commander!"

"That's right. Order whatever you want. If you don't pick the expensive dishes today, you'll be disrespecting me, Old Yun!" Yun Haiyong laughed heartily. His daughter's condition was improving, and he was genuinely happy.

"You naughty child!" Lin Ruyu glared at Li Yi, wanting to pull his ear as punishment, but hesitated because of the presence of others.

As they entered the hotel, Yun Haiyong was calling for a private room when a few more people walked in. The first man was in a police uniform, with a square face and large ears, and two bars and three stars on his shoulder. He was the Deputy Secretary of the Tangshui Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission and the Chief of the Public Security Bureau, a First-Class Police Inspector, Hu Wanshan.

Behind Hu Wanshan was another middle-aged man, slender and somewhat scholarly, the Deputy Secretary of the Tangshui Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission, Liao Shengwei.

"Commander Yun!" As soon as Hu Wanshan saw Yun Haiyong, his face was full of flattery, and he approached with a bow, greeting him non-stop.

"Commander Yun, what a coincidence!" Liao Shengwei, noticing Hu Wanshan's actions, quickly followed, nodding his head like a chicken pecking at rice.

If it were a regular high-ranking official, even if their position was higher, Hu Wanshan and Liao Shengwei wouldn't be so fawning. But who was Yun Haiyong? The son of Old Yun!

As a national elder who started in Tangshui, the Yun family held significant influence in the city. Half of the officials in Tangshui were directly or indirectly promoted by Old Yun, and even in the entire Zhili Province, half of the officials came from the Yun family.

One word from Old Yun could decide your political career and your future. Who would dare to be disrespectful to his son?

"Ha, hello!" Yun Haiyong extended his hand and shook hands with Hu Wanshan and Liao Shengwei. These two were high-ranking officials in the city, and he had no reason to be cold.

After shaking hands, he casually introduced them to Lin Ruyu and Li Yi, "These two are Secretary Hu of the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission and Secretary Liao of the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission!"

Although Lin Ruyu worked at the hospital and didn't often see high-ranking officials, upon hearing that these two were city secretaries, she immediately widened her eyes and hurriedly nodded to greet them. Li Yi, however, smiled faintly without much reaction.

Hu Wanshan and Liao Shengwei exchanged a glance, their faces showing confusion, but they didn't dare to be disrespectful, nodding even faster than Lin Ruyu.

Introductions in the political arena were very sophisticated. The lower-ranking person should be introduced to the higher-ranking person first, as the higher-ranking person had the right to know first. Since Yun Haiyong introduced them to the middle-aged woman and the young man first, it meant that in Yun Haiyong's eyes, their status was lower than these two!

Who were the middle-aged woman and the young man? Their status was even higher than these two department-level officials?

They knew all the provincial and municipal-level leaders, and the woman in the white coat didn't look like an official. As for the young man, it was even less likely!

At this moment, Yun Haiyong introduced them casually, "This is my brother, Li Yi!"

A brief introduction with only one descriptor: "my brother"!

But the expressions of Hu Wanshan and Liao Shengwei changed dramatically!

The brother of Commander Yun! Who could be on such familiar terms with Commander Yun? This young man must have a significant background!

He might even be a prince from the capital!

"Hello, hello!"

Thinking this, Hu Wanshan and Liao Shengwei immediately bent their waists to a ninety-degree angle, their faces beaming, placing themselves in a very low position, almost calling him "Brother."

"This is my brother's mother, my aunt!" Yun Haiyong continued.

As the aunt of Commander Yun, Hu Wanshan and Liao Shengwei didn't dare to be disrespectful. They bent their waists to a ninety-degree angle again and called Lin Ruyu, "Aunt, hello!"

Lin Ruyu felt very uncomfortable. These two high-ranking officials in the city, who looked older than Yun Haiyong, were calling her "aunt," making her feel very old.

But since they called her "aunt," she couldn't say anything else and could only nod, "Hello!"

Liao Shengwei smiled flatteringly and then turned to the young man who had followed him, "Xinghui, come and meet your Uncle Yun, Aunt Yun, Uncle Li, and Grandma Li!"

"Oh!" A somewhat unwilling voice came, and then a young man in designer clothes approached, addressing Yun Haiyong and Zhang Hongjuan softly, "Uncle Yun, Aunt Yun!"

"This is my wayward son!" Liao Shengwei introduced to Lin Ruyu and her son, then said to his son, "Quick, call Uncle Li and Grandma Li!"

"Eh? Aren't you Li Yi from Class Three?" Liao Xinghui suddenly shouted, recognizing Li Yi.

Li Yi also recognized Liao Xinghui.

In the Tangshui No. 16 High School where Li Yi studied, there were four notorious troublemakers known as the "Four Hooligans of No. 16 High School," and Liao Xinghui was one of them. It was said that Liao Xinghui's father was a high-ranking official, but he never expected it to be this Liao Shengwei!

"How disrespectful!" Liao Shengwei, seeing his son's attitude, kicked him and then said to Li Yi with a face full of apologies, "The child is ignorant and spoiled by me!"

"Indeed." Li Yi, thinking of Liao Xinghui's misdeeds at school, nodded.

Liao Shengwei's face turned black. When a father says his son is spoiled, and the other person agrees, what does that mean? Where would his dignity be?

But this young man was the brother of Commander Yun, and he couldn't afford to offend Commander Yun!

In frustration, Liao Shengwei kicked his son again and said, "Quick, call Uncle!"

Liao Xinghui was very frustrated. He was clearly a classmate, and now he had to call him "uncle." How could he face his classmates when he returned to school?

But he didn't dare to disobey his father, especially after being kicked twice. So the young man walked to Li Yi and called softly, "Uncle Li!"

"Um!" Li Yi nodded and said, "Don't cause trouble at school!"

"Damn, you're really acting like an elder!" Liao Xinghui wanted to find a rock to bash his head against!

Liao Shengwei, hearing this, didn't dare to be disrespectful and asked, "Brother Li, is my son really in the same school as you?"

"Um, we're in the same year but different classes." Li Yi answered truthfully.

Liao Shengwei thought his son might have offended this noble person. If that was the case, it would be a big problem!

"Brother Li, this child is no good. If you see him doing something wrong, please help me discipline him!" Liao Shengwei said, putting on a thick face.

"Sure!" Li Yi nodded casually.

Liao Xinghui felt the sky was darkening!

Letting my classmate discipline me, what kind of situation is this?

Liao Shengwei still felt it wasn't enough and turned to his son, "In the future, listen to Uncle Li at school, understand?"

"Yes!" Liao Xinghui nodded helplessly.