That evening.
While Li Chonglou was feeding his mother in the hospital, his phone rang.
It was Huang Yongshou calling.
"Master Li, Xu Tianhou is dead, he jumped to his death!"
Huang Yongshou's tone was one of considerable shock.
This lead was something he had set up himself on Li Chonglou's orders.
He had never intended to kill anyone, only to bankrupt Xu Tianhou, but it had ultimately resulted in a death.
One had to admit that Li Chonglou's methods sent a chill down his spine.
"I see," Li Chonglou replied indifferently and hung up the phone.
Then he continued feeding his mother.
"What's wrong? Son, are you in trouble?" Zheng Xiumei asked with concern.
Recently, her son had been spending more time with her than before, giving her a chance to notice subtle changes.
A mother knows her son best. The more Li Chonglou matured, the more worried she became.
No one becomes mature overnight; the price of growth is hardship.
What had her son gone through, he always refused to tell her.
He must have been afraid of her heart condition flaring up again.
"It's nothing, Mom. An old client of the Jiang family went bankrupt and jumped to his death. It has nothing to do with me," Li Chonglou answered, half-truthfully.
However, he knew the truth in his heart.
How could Xu Tianhou have committed suicide? If he had intended to, why would he have waited until now?
It must have been the work of that assassin, merely disguised or hidden well.
Since that was the case, it truly had nothing to do with him.
However, Xu Tianhou was, after all, a small boss in Qin Zhou, and with the current excellent public security in Qin Zhou, his death was reported on television that very night.
Even Jiang Yuxin, when she came to visit his mother that evening, mentioned it as Li Chonglou walked her downstairs.
"Xu Tianhou went bankrupt and committed suicide. I heard he was tricked into buying a tomb."
"Is that so? For someone like him, it's his own doing," Li Chonglou feigned ignorance.
Jiang Yuxin was not suspicious. She had never considered that Li Chonglou might be involved in this matter. It was only due to his performance at the birthday banquet regarding the fake antique that she mentioned it, seeing a slight connection.
She nodded and changed the subject, "You said publicly that you would be my secretary that day, but you just stopped showing up afterwards."
"You clearly slapped my face at the company."
Her tone was a little chiding, and a little like she was pouting.
"I wouldn't dare!" Li Chonglou quickly forced a smile. "I'm clumsy and inept. If I really stayed at the company, wouldn't I just be a joke to you?"
"Besides, what you said that day was just to save face. Since the cooperation with the Lü family is going well, and now Dad is back to help you manage things."
"You can just let me off the hook, this insignificant pawn."
"It just so happens I have something to tell you too."
It was time to tell Jiang Yuxin something.
After all, in two days, he would be leaving Qin Zhou with his senior sister for a while.
His mother was still hospitalized and needed care.
"Go on!" Jiang Yuxin nodded.
"I'm going to do something with friends, related to antiques. I have to go on a business trip the day after tomorrow, with no fixed return date," Li Chonglou said frankly. "This is also why I didn't want to go to the Jiang family company."
"You know how the Jiang family used to see me. Although they don't dare to show it now because of you, their gaze hasn't changed."
"Unless one day, I can make a name for myself without relying on you."
"Otherwise, I'll be looked down upon by them my whole life."
Hearing this, a gleam appeared in Jiang Yuxin's beautiful eyes, and her gaze shifted from casual to scrutinizing.
For three years, Li Chonglou's impression on her had been one of lack of ambition, useless as mud that couldn't be plastered on a wall.
Although he had changed greatly in the past few days, his ambition remained unchanged.
Moreover, not going to the company and being secretive all day, doing who knows what, even if she didn't have the time to overthink, she always felt displeased.
It was just that for various reasons, she didn't want to show it.
But she never expected this piece of mud, Li Chonglou, to suddenly utter such words.
It truly gave her a sense of surprise and admiration.
After looking at him for a few seconds, Jiang Yuxin agreed, "I don't know anything about antiques. If you think you can do it, then go ahead. However, the company is just starting to recover from its low point, and I won't have any time, energy, or resources to help you."
"But during your business trip, I'll have Lingling come over in the evenings to help take care of Mom."
"Don't worry too much."
Since Li Chonglou wanted to do something serious, she naturally wouldn't interfere.
Who wouldn't want to be with an ambitious man? Did she have a disorder that made her like mud?
His ability to change so much was enough to comfort her.
"Your words are enough," Li Chonglou had never expected Jiang Yuxin to help him.
Having his cousin Lingling come to take care of his mother was already going above and beyond.
This Jiang Ling had a good personality, quiet and demure. Perhaps because she was young, she didn't show any prejudice towards him, the live-in son-in-law.
She also didn't know about the recent events in the Jiang family. With her accompanying his mother, there was no fear of any problems.
Once Xu Lie recovered from his injuries and was discharged, he would naturally be responsible as he had been before.
"Oh, right, October 13th is my mother's birthday. If I have time, I hope you can come back," Jiang Yuxin instructed as she got into the car and rolled down the window before driving away.
Li Chonglou stood in place. Although he didn't reply, a smile appeared on his face.
October 13th was not only his mother-in-law's birthday but also his wife Jiang Yuxin's birthday; this mother and daughter shared the same birthday.
In his mother-in-law's words, she wanted her daughter to remember her suffering mother when celebrating her birthday in the future.
Jiang Yuxin clearly hoped he would attend her birthday banquet.
This indicated that he had secured a place in Jiang Yuxin's heart.
Perhaps it was small, like a grain of dust, but it was enough for a seed to take root and sprout.
"Don't worry, on her birthday, I will make you the most dazzling woman in all of Qin Zhou!" Li Chonglou vowed silently in his heart.
He would definitely return on the thirteenth, and his mother should also be discharged by then.
And at that time, it would be the day he formally returned to the family.
Li Chonglou returned to the ward. After his mother fell asleep, he first went to the bathhouse to wash up and then practiced the sheepskin scroll cultivation method as usual.
After so many days, his understanding of this cultivation method had deepened.
Consequently, his curiosity about the four major realms naturally grew stronger.
He had already reached the first realm, "Inner Strength, Great Expansion," and his cultivation deepened and solidified each time.
His strength and physical reaction speed also increased accordingly.
He also had a vague sense of the second level, "Spirit Entering the Valley," which might be related to the concealment of the mind.
Once the body's potential for qi and blood was developed to a certain stage, he would begin to cultivate his temperament and spirit.
However, the third level, "Empty Room Generates Whiteness," was completely incomprehensible.
Not to mention the fourth level, "Spirit Topping the Heavens."
Judging by the name alone, it was absolutely extraordinary.
It was highly likely that the ancestor of the Lin family who created this technique was a true immortal on earth.
After pondering for a long time, Li Chonglou felt like he had walked into a dead end and began to feel uncomfortable, so he had to give up thinking for the time being.
Let nature take its course.
Two days passed in accompanying his mother and practicing.
Besides informing his mother that he would be on a business trip.
He also took time to visit Xu Lie. His foundation was indeed strong, and the injuries on his body were recovering at an astonishing rate.
It looked like he would be able to get out of bed and move freely within a week at most.
Not long after, he received a call from his senior sister.
"Junior disciple, come pick me up. I'm going to see my dad. We'll fly directly after the visit!" Lin Ying's style was as direct and sharp as ever, without any hesitation.