novelaction 258
258
chapter258
When we got ashore, Butler Li was already standing there with a bath towel in his hand.
"Congratulations, sir, you've broken the record."
Li Taihe first dried his head with a towel, then wrapped himself in a bath towel, making sure he was completely covered, before finally looking at the person behind him.
His son, Li Hetai, kept his head down as always, his long hair obscuring his expression, so it was impossible to tell what was going on.
Gu Xinglan, this outsider who wasn't exactly a stranger, was bobbing back and forth on the water twice.
The water was surprisingly warm, and it felt very comfortable to soak in. Gu Xinglan couldn't help but splash around in the water.
"Come on up, I need to talk to you about something." Li Taihe said before leaving.
The butler placed another clean bath towel in front of Li Hetai and said with a smile, "Young Master, take this."
The bath towel was eventually draped over Gu Xinglan.
As the moisture on his body was gradually wiped away, wet patches appeared on the white bath towel.
Gu Xinglan raised her eyes and looked around. Seeing that no one was around, she whispered to Li Hetai, "Li Hetai, do you know why your father was in the water?"
Just because you like diving?
The boy lowered his eyes slightly, tucking the delicate lower half of his face into his collar, and transformed back into the taciturn and gloomy Li Hetai.
In the past, in this situation, the other party would treat him like an invisible wall.
After spending a lot of time together, Li Hetai could vaguely guess what the other wanted just by moving a finger.
He said helplessly, "Let's go first and find Li Taihe."
As she turned around, her fingers were grabbed by the boy behind her.
Without saying a word, the other party used force to pull him toward them.
He could break free, but he wanted to know more about Li Hetai's intention in holding his finger.
Gu Xinglan carefully walked back barefoot.
The floor has a marble pattern, and water spreads across it, making it easy to slip and fall.
But when he went over, Li Hetai just held his hand without making any gesture.
He tugged twice but couldn't budge it. Gu Xinglan tentatively grabbed it back, and the boy relaxed.
"...What exactly are you doing?"
Gu Xinglan had no choice but to lead the person into the hall.
The lobby has a dark color scheme.
The dim lighting created a very oppressive atmosphere, which made the person sitting on the sofa stand out even more.
Li Taihe, wrapped in a white bathrobe with half-dry hair, was holding a wine glass and looking at the painting on the wall.
It's just an ordinary landscape painting. If there's anything different about it, it's probably that it's too oppressive, with heavy brushstrokes and dark, somber colors.
"Sit down first." Li Taihe glanced at him.
The sofa was hard as a rock, and Gu Xinglan sat there, staring at the painting.
"This is a painting by my mother."
Li Taihe finished his drink, as if he had said it casually.
I also took out a packaging box.
“It’s been demolished.”
Gu Xinglan quickly opened the gift box, which contained two checks and a note with the word "Deed" on it. The rest of the contents were various thick documents.
"There's 16 million inside, along with the property deed for this house. Don't worry about the taxes; I'll arrange for someone to take care of them. If you stay here, I'll also send a reliable housekeeper. You just need to live here comfortably; you won't have to worry about food or drink, and you won't have to worry about anything else."
He now understood why Li Hetai had just held his hand.
After Li Taihe finished speaking, his hand was tightly grasped by Li Hetai, who kept repeating the word "no" in his palm.
The two men's hands were hidden by the table, and Li and Tai remained as taciturn as ever.
But the sweat on my palms had already made them sticky.
He couldn't help but let go.
But they were quickly and firmly caught.
"What's your decision?" Li Taihe crossed his legs, placed his hands on his knees, and looked at him with ease.
Gu Xinglan shook her head. "I don't like it here. There are pots and seasonings in my suitcase. I'm not used to either the food or the communication between people."
The harsh tone came out, and his right hand immediately loosened its grip.
Li Hetai had already left several red fingerprints on his hand, along with a lingering sticky feeling.
He could see the awkwardness between his left and right hands simply by looking down.
Li Hetai was relieved, but the smile in Li Taihe's eyes slowly faded as he sat opposite him.
The corners of his mouth were still turned up, but it gave people an inexplicable sense of oppression.
"Habits don't matter, it's just a matter of time."
The man poured half a glass of wine into a stemmed glass and slowly moved it in front of Gu Xinglan.
“Gu Xinglan, it will be dangerous for you to stay in the country. Since you don’t like danger, please think carefully about the plan I’m proposing.”
The wine had a rich aroma, and he could even smell the fragrance of violets.
The glass of wine that Li Taihe poured seemed to be telling him that drinking it was equivalent to agreeing to stay here.
He had just rejected them so decisively, and now the other party was giving him another chance under the influence of alcohol.
"Father."
The boy lowered his head, his tone unreadable, "You promised me."
“I’ve already said it, the Li family doesn’t do human trafficking. Even if you inherit my position, you can’t touch it,” Li Taihe said casually.
There was no aggressiveness, but Li Hetai seemed to have suffered a great insult, and he lowered his head even further.
The aroma in the glass had slowly transformed into that of truffles, making it undoubtedly a fine wine.
Gu Xinglan held the cup and returned it to Li Taihe in its original place.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Li, I have to catch a flight tomorrow. If I drink this, it might cause me trouble." He smiled apologetically at Li Taihe.
The man opposite watched helplessly as the wine that had just been pushed out was pushed back in.
After a long pause, Li Taihe suddenly chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling into crescents. "I underestimated you. Why did you choose the difficult path when there were clearly easier and more suitable options?"
Living here is certainly comfortable, but returning to Wushui might pose a threat to personal safety.
But that's not something he can decide...
Gu Xinglan thought to herself, "System, I think it's better to complete the hidden mission."
System: [Host, you're practically guaranteed to win without lifting a finger. Do you even understand what "winning without lifting a finger" means? Why are you doing all this pointless, pointless stuff?]
Gu Xinglan: ...
He did want to, too. Returning to Wushui and protecting Yu Yue would be equivalent to fulfilling his role-playing mission, and protecting himself would be equivalent to achieving his goal.
All he needs to do is wait for Li Hetai to come of age and return so he can smoothly receive his lunchbox and his memories, and go back to his own world to start a new life.
It was an easy thing.
But is there such a thing as a free lunch?
"System, if this pie falling from the sky is filled with stones, then forget it."
He couldn't guarantee he could live safely in the villa, nor could he stay in Lexington.
He might be kidnapped in Wushui, or captured by a cult and burned as fuel in Lexington.
Moreover, does he still have any value to Li Taihe? If he has no value, would this person still protect his safety?
This person can protect Yu Yue because Yu Yue still has value.
So, will worthless people like Hong Liang just disappear without a trace?
After asking several questions, my mind went straight to one path...
The boy beside him took his hand again from under the table, but this time the touch was gentle and cautious, as if testing whether he would agree to the big offer from Li Taihe.
Gu Xinglan gradually calmed down.
The world revolves around Li Hetai; the most dangerous place is the safest place. By staying by Li Hetai's side, all problems are easily solved.
The fingers that were lightly touching under the table were instead firmly grasped by Gu Xinglan.
Yu Guangli's Li Hetai visibly froze for a moment.
Gu Xinglan stared intently at Li Taihe across from her: "President Li, do you still remember the conditions I proposed to you a year ago last winter?"