Li Taihang had already surrendered to Li Xiaoning.
Li Xiaoning didn't care if Li Taihang was willing or not; she only needed him to be her puppet. If she couldn't control even one person, how could she manage the vast Li family in the future?
This was Li Xiaoning's inner thought.
"I don't care how you handle these matters, but don't think about causing trouble for me. Otherwise, you can consider the fate of yourself and your son." Li Xiaoning gave Li Taihang a deep look before getting up and leaving.
It wasn't until she left the villa that Li Taihang fell to his knees with a thud.
To save his own life, he had killed his wife.
He covered his face and wept, vowing in his heart that he would avenge Pang Jingqi.
For Li Taihang, becoming Li Xiaoning's puppet was both a challenge and an opportunity. If he played his cards right, he might be able to substitute himself and completely crush Li Xiaoning!
"Li Xiaoning, you demoness, remember this. I will never let you go," Li Taihang roared in his heart.
On the other side.
Li Xiaoning, now in the car, crossed her legs, her mind replaying the events of moments ago.
When she recalled Li Taihang's gaze at the end, Li Xiaoning broke out in a cold sweat. She realized belatedly that Li Taihang might not just be cursing her in his heart; he might also be thinking of how to replace her.
"No ruthless man can succeed," she murmured.
"But he seems to have overlooked one thing: the most poisonous heart belongs to a woman. It seems I need to secretly support another proxy to keep them in check. This way, I'll know immediately if Li Taihang makes any rash moves."
Unbeknownst to her, Li Xiaoning's skill in managing subordinates was slowly improving.
She gazed at the receding scenery outside the car window, wondering if she would one day become the most powerful woman in this land.
"Heh, I should think less about these things. The women beside Mr. Chen are so formidable; it's unlikely to be my turn as an outsider." Li Xiaoning put herself in her place and resolved to serve Chen Jin-chao wholeheartedly from then on.
Another seven days passed.
Li Xiaoning controlled her fourth uncle in the same manner.
Li Taihang was in the open, Li Tai-cheng in the dark.
She shared her achievements with Chen Jin-chao. After carefully reviewing them, Chen Jin-chao was surprised and couldn't help but look at Li Xiaoning deeply. "You've done very well. With these two, we can smoothly take over the Li family."
"Go back and prepare. Li Erzhou will be retiring soon," Chen Jin-chao said.
Li Xiaoning's heart fluttered with excitement. "I understand, but..."
"Don't hesitate to speak," Chen Jin-chao said.
"I fear the old master already has countermeasures in place, and it won't be easy to remove him from power." Li Xiaoning voiced her concern. Chen Jin-chao smiled and said, "I haven't made my move yet, so how could he have countermeasures?"
"Even I don't know what cards I'll play next."
Li Xiaoning found herself increasingly unable to see through Chen Jin-chao, let alone fathom his thoughts. She dismissed the idea, knowing that Chen Jin-chao disliked people prying into his mind.
"I'll go back and prepare now," Li Xiaoning said.
After Li Xiaoning left.
Luo Feng's brow remained furrowed. Chen Jin-chao smiled and asked, "What's wrong? You look so glum?"
Luo Feng hesitated to speak. "Never mind, I won't say it."
"Speak," Chen Jin-chao's calm tone allowed no room for Luo Feng to refuse.
Luo Feng relented and said, "Mr. Chen, haven't you noticed that Li Xiaoning keeps giving you flirtatious glances? I have a feeling she has ulterior motives towards you and wants to use this to climb the ladder. I hope it's just my imagination."
Chen Jin-chao tapped his fingertips on the armrest, making no sound.
Luo Feng realized he might have overstepped. His expression shifted slightly, and he asked, "Mr. Chen, did I say something I shouldn't have?"
"Look at this mouth of mine. Perhaps I should go to the front lines instead?"
"I feel that place is more suited for me."
No scheming, only straightforward combat – that was the life Luo Feng longed for.
Chen Jin-chao looked at Luo Feng with a smile. "What, are you scared?"
Luo Feng realized Chen Jin-chao seemed to be joking and scratched his head. "How could I not be scared? They say serving a ruler is like accompanying a tiger. I'm truly afraid I might accidentally say something wrong one day, like just now."
"Logically, I shouldn't pry into Mr. Chen's private life, but I feel that Li Xiaoning is too calculating, and her attire when she visits you always tries to attract your attention. I think it's best for Mr. Chen not to get entangled with her."
Chen Jin-chao burst into laughter. "If you can see it, how could I not?"
"You are my closest brother. You don't need to hide anything from me. My feelings for you are different from my feelings for them, do you understand?"
A warm current flowed through Luo Feng's heart, and he nodded heavily. "Brother Chen, I understand."
"Since you understand this, why do you still indulge her?"
Chen Jin-chao shook his head. "It's not indulgence. Firstly, I don't have any usable subordinates right now, and I can only indirectly control the Li family through Li Xiaoning. Secondly, I really want to see if she can maintain her integrity in the face of immense temptation."
If she could, Li Xiaoning would be qualified to be Chen Jin-chao's confidante.
If she couldn't...
Chen Jin-chao would not get too close to her.
Luo Feng understood.
History was filled with bloody examples; the human heart could not withstand prolonged tests.
"Let's go, we need to see someone else," Chen Jin-chao said, rising. Luo Feng quickly followed, and the two soon arrived at another courtyard not far away.
Luo Feng immediately spotted a middle-aged man in the courtyard who bore some resemblance to Li Xiaoning. Qian Deshui was already there, reprimanding the man. Upon sensing Chen Jin-chao's arrival, Qian Deshui immediately stood up and said to the middle-aged man, "Quickly, greet Mr. Chen!"
The middle-aged man was about to kneel.
Chen Jin-chao strode forward and placed a hand on the middle-aged man's arm. "No need to be so formal, please sit."
The middle-aged man looked surprised.
To Li Taihang, Chen Jin-chao should have been a wicked individual, at least that was the image he had gleaned from Li Erzhou.
However, after meeting Chen Jin-chao in person, he realized that Chen Jin-chao was actually a gentle person.
As the saying goes—
A man of jade on the path, a peerless gentleman in the world.
"Old Qian, what did you say to him to make him so nervous? Relax, I have something to ask of you." Chen Jin-chao patted Li Taihang's shoulder. The latter immediately tensed up. "May I know what Mr. Chen requires?"
"Elder Li is old, and we juniors cannot let our elder continue to toil tirelessly. Therefore, I hope that in the future, you will shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Li family and continue to bring prosperity to Lingnan," Chen Jin-chao said.
Li Taihang looked confused.
In Chen Jin-chao's words, Li Xiaoning was not mentioned at all?
"Mr. Chen, I don't understand. Didn't you designate Li Xiaoning? Why would you still..." Li Taihang hesitated.
Qian Deshui's face darkened. "Is that how you speak to Mr. Chen? Mr. Chen has made himself perfectly clear, and you still don't understand?"
Li Taihang quickly apologized.
He didn't fail to understand; he just wasn't sure.
Chen Jin-chao smiled faintly. "Li Xiaoning is young and impatient; her actions are bound to be somewhat careless. I am not entirely at ease."
Li Taihang's excitement surged.
This was exactly what he had understood before – he could replace Li Xiaoning!
"Mr. Chen, I..." Li Taihang was so excited he was speechless.
Qian Deshui, standing beside him, said, "There's something I forgot to tell you. Mr. Chen has already instructed Governor Qin to take good care of your two sons in Japan. Their lives are assured. You are truly blessed by your ancestors to have met Mr. Chen, such a wise lord."
Li Taihang immediately knelt down before Chen Jin-chao!
He even felt a desire to be loyal to Chen Jin-chao with his life!
"I am willing to pledge my life to Mr. Chen, until death do us part, and I will never disappoint you!"