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Chapter 663 - No Different to the Tangs (1)
Chapter 663 - No Different to the Tangs (1)
Chapter 663 - No Different to the Tangs (1)
Li Meili cupped her chin and looked out the window of the private jet her family owned. She was accompanied by Li Yuanyi who was currently seated across her, observing her. She didn't make a deal out of it when he broke the news that she was being summoned back to Beijing by their parents, which was very surprising for Li Yuanyi.
Had she already conceded their parents' wishes? Is that why she was now willing to return home after such a long time? He had vehemently disagreed with her when she sought her parents' help to send her back to Shenzhen. He could have arranged everything on his own, so why did she swallow her own pride and accepted their parents' terms blindly?
For such a long time, Li Meili proved that she didn't need the Li family to reach the status she had right now. Li Yuanyi wasn't worried about his younger sister because Li Meili had always been with Tang Moyu. Thinking about it, it was unusual not to see the two of them together as they would rarely part from each other for too long.
Li Yuanyi could already predict that the empress wouldn't waste time and would follow after his sister once the news about Li Meili's betrothal reaches her ears. He wouldn't be surprised if she came and immediately dragged Li Meili back to Shenzhen.
If it was Li Yuanyi, he would allow his sister to do everything she wanted in her life, albeit sometimes, he couldn't help but envy her. Unlike her, he had an obligation to their family, so he couldn't be reckless with his decisions in life, but Li Meili was different. He had already swam in these waters and had promised himself not to allow Meili to suffer the same burden he did.
"Are you sure about this?" He asked his sister. If Li Meili showed even a little hint of hesitation, Li Yuanyi decided that he would do his best to get in between her and their parents to protect her.
"Better to deal with it as soon as possible. I have enough running." Li Meili replied nonchalantly, her eyes blank, missing the usual glint that Li Yuanyi was accustomed to. Seeing her like this, Li Yuanyi hoped that she would eventually make peace about Tang Beixuan's death and move on with her life but for now, he could only keep an eye on her.
After hours of traveling, the Li siblings arrived at their family mansion. Their parents were already waiting inside. When they saw Li Meili, they gave each other a knowing look but didn't utter a word to greet her.
"Go up and take a rest. There should be enough time before dinner." Li Yuanyi gently shoved his sister, urging her to leave him with their parents.
"Yuanyi, you are spoiling her too much! Look at what she did just now!" Their mother complained to Li Yuanyi once Li Meili was out of their sight.
"That's because you are not giving her any reason to respect you anymore." Li Yuanyi retorted, shedding his coat before flopping on the couch across his parents. "Please don't give her any more reasons to hate the two of you."
He could see the frown on their father's face deepening, his hand tightening on the cup he was holding.
"We are doing this for her sake. Since Meili didn't want to join our family business, we can only do this to secure her future." He said in reply to his son.
Li Yuanyi scoffed and lazily crossed his legs.
"You have seen how Meili managed to support herself for the past ten years, Dad. Ten years and look what The Black Nightingale is now. She could stand on her own, Dad. She doesn't need a man to depend on." He countered.
"Meili is still young and you should know that her business is only doing well because she has Tang Moyu to back her up." He heard his mother argue. "Now that the empress has married Feng Tianyi and collaborated with him to establish a new company, do you think Tang Moyu would waste her time on Meili's business?"
This was one of the things Li Yuanyi hated hearing from their parents. It only solidified Li Meili's decision to be rebellious and to turn down her title as an heiress of their massive family business. She was their daughter, but how can they not trust Li Meili's capabilities?
A woman wasn't supposed to be limited to only becoming a mother and a wife. She could also be anything she wanted to be. The Black Nightingale's success wasn't solely because of Tang Moyu's support, it was mainly Li Meili's blood and sweat.
"Enough. We already made up our mind, Yuanyi. Try to convince your sister to stay here for a few weeks and meet some of the prospective men we found for her." His father said with finality.
"We've already allowed her to do what she wanted for the past years. Meili isn't a kid anymore. It's time for her to do her part as a member of this family."
Li Yuanyi had enough of this talk already.
"By selling her to another family to strengthen our influence?" He sneered. "Then you are no different to the Tangs who sell their own daughters to keep their business afloat. I see now that you don't fully trust me or Meili to handle our family business. It's truly disappointing to know that you trust strangers more than your own blood, Dad."