CH 33

Editor: Meouwch

The entire night, except for Xiao Zhao, no one took the initiative to contact Ning You. 

He called Li Zhao, but it kept going straight to voicemail; he called the landline and decided to return to the villa tomorrow morning to discuss it in detail.

As for the person that Ning You wanted to contact the most, even after such a big incident, there was no news at all.

He pulled up Li Mu’s phone number several times, and several times he dispelled his thoughts.

Ning You wanted to see when this person would contact him. 

The next morning, Ning You didn’t go to the company, but returned to the villa where his parents reside.

There is a familiar Rolls-Royce parked in the garage, which belonged to Li Zhao. Ning You wasn’t surprised, but he did not expect that Li Zhao’s parents also came.

“Ning You.” Ning Xin beckoned to Ning You, “Come and greet your uncle and aunt.”

There are two rows of dark gray leather sofas in the spacious living room, with Ning You’s parents sitting on one side and Li Zhao and his parents sitting on the other.

Ning You had seen the two elders of the Li family before, and they were slightly fatter than his parents. It should be because they had let go of many of their responsibilities and were relaxed physically and mentally.

“Hello, uncle and aunt.” Ning You greeted the two elders, then sat down beside his parents.

He looked at Li Zhao on the opposite side quietly, and found that this person was not nervous at all, and nodded to him with a smile.

The two families continued to chat about the arranged marriage. Ning You took a while to keep up with the rhythm, but the more he listened, the more he felt like an outsider. 

“Administrative penalties don’t matter, as long as they can be resolved with money, it’s not a problem.” Ning Xin said.

“Paying a fine is indeed a trivial matter, it’s just that I’m afraid it will affect the Ning Clan.” Li Zhao’s mother said.

“Don’t worry about this, it was originally my intention.” Ning Xin said.

Ning You had a lot to ask, but it wasn’t easy to butt in on this occasion. At the right time, Li Zhao gestured his chin slightly at him. He understood Li Zhao’s glance and said to the elders present: “Mom, Dad, Uncle and Auntie, why don’t you talk first, I’ll take Li Zhao to see my room.” 

Ning Xin nodded, and then got down to business.

Ning You got up and walked towards the second floor, Li Zhao consciously followed behind him. When the two turned into the stairs, Li Zhao was still in the mood to tease: “Is it inappropriate to go to your room? If Li Mu knew, he would definitely trouble me.”

Ning You didn’t plan to take Li Zhao to his room. He took him to the large terrace on the second floor and asked, “Was it my mother’s intention to investigate your company?”

“That’s right.” Li Zhao took out a metal cigarette case from his pocket and asked Ning You, “Do you mind?” 

There is a smoking area on the terrace itself, and it is not a public place. Li Zhao asked for permission so sincerely. If Ning You says he minds, he would seem petty.

But he was still very upset. Obviously, Li Zhao knew that he didn’t like people who smoked, and he asked deliberately, as if he was saying, “I have this virtue, what can you do with me?”

“Why would she do that?” Ning You continued to ask.

“She knew all along about the illegal emissions, after all, every company has a little problem.” Li Zhao said, “You know it, it’s all about exploiting the loopholes in the policy.” 

Ning You knew this. No private company will pay its employees three times their wages during holidays in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Law. They are all trying their best to take advantage of the loopholes.

He believes that the illegal emissions from the Li family’s factory must also be controlled within the scope of administrative penalties. They only need to pay a fine to solve it, and it is impossible to have himself end up in jail.

“The recent pressure on public opinion is a bit high, and it is not easy to deal with. Auntie simply asked me to turn myself in and solve the problems left over from the past at once.” Li Zhao said, “This is also for the Ning Clan’s sake. It’s better to expose it now than to expose it after marriage. In this way, our family has a clean background, and your family doesn’t have to worry.”

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“To calm public opinion, this matter will definitely have an impact on the company’s image.” Li Zhao said, “But don’t worry, I will go to the overseas business department as the general manager.”

Who would worry about this old……

“So you’re leaving a bunch of messes for Li Mu?” Ning You frowned. 

“He has a very good image. He has been an environmental protection volunteer for so many years and will bring positive reviews to the company.” Li Zhao said.

Ning You suddenly wanted to get angry, but his good upbringing still made him suppress his temper and said, “Aren’t you just using him? He has been doing environmental protection for so many years, just to come and clean up your mess?”

“You can think so, but you should also think about why he is willing to come back.“ Li Zhao exhaled a mouthful of smoke, saying lightly, “It’s not for you.”

Ning You was choked by surprise and lost his position criticizing Li Zhao. 

“You can also think of it this way.” Li Zhao smiled and said, “This is a win-win cooperation. He wants to come back. I will give up my seat. Everyone is satisfied. Isn’t it good?”

Ning You did think about letting Li Mu come back, but he didn’t expect Li Mu to face so many annoying things when he came back.

“Li Zhao, what do you want in the end?” Ning You couldn’t help asking, “Do you want him to come back to help you solve the problem, or do you blame him for taking your place? You said you were single, and you got in the way between me and him.”

“I only love my career, Ning You.” Li Zhao pressed out the cigarette in his hand, “Li Mu’s return will definitely disrupt my career, so I don’t want him to come back. But he is my own brother after all, and since things are already like this, I am creating opportunities for him.” 

In the end, Li Zhao still spoke ambiguously, without really taking a stand.

But these things are no longer important, because Li Mu’s return has become a fact.

“Where is he now?” Ning You finally asked the question he was most concerned about.

“He ah.” Li Zhao smiled, a little gloatingly, “In the company having a headache.” 

After the Li family left, Ning You was called to the study room by Ning Xin.

Regarding the marriage contract, Ning You had already accumulated a lot of grievances, so when Ning Xin said to him, “Let’s talk about your marriage contract,” he rarely said in a bad tone: “You still know it’s my marriage contract.”

“You don’t care about the company, and you still don’t understand many things even after I’ve told you.” Ning Xin dismissed Ning You in a few words and continued with the topic, “I heard that you want to change your marriage candidate.”

Ning You did indeed want to change the candidate, but he hadn’t figured out Li Mu’s attitude yet, and it wasn’t convenient to talk about it now. He said vaguely, “I’ve been thinking about it.” 

“Why?” Ning Xin asked, “In terms of company management, Li Zhao should be more mature, and since you are of the same age, he can lead you better. Li Mu is only 25 years old. No matter how good he is, he is still too young to be suitable for you.”

Ning You did not refute Ning Xin, but only replied with three short words: “I like him.”

“Youyou, your marriage is not your business alone. If you want to take over the Ning Corp in the future, you need someone to help you take care of the company’s affairs.” Ning Xin said solemnly.

“Mom.” Ning You also said seriously, “I admit that Li Zhao is suitable for managing the company, but he is too complicated. I don’t want to deal with him all day. I’m afraid that I will die young.” 

“How can it be so exaggerated.” Ning Xin frowned as she grumbled.

“I know you fancy his abilities, but even if I marry Li Mu, Li Zhao can still participate in the operation of the company. Nevertheless, it is still a marriage between two families, and there will be no change.”

“Moreover, Li Mu’s image is better than Li Zhao’s now, and their company still relies on him to clean up the mess. Why do you think so little of him?”

“All right.” Ning Xin exhaled helplessly, “It looks like Li Zhao is right, I can’t talk you out of it.” 

Ning You suddenly thought of something and asked, “By the way, was Li Zhao’s resignation his own decision?”

Thanks to Xiao Zhao, who sprouted a lot of conspiracy theories, and dared to say that everything was under Li Zhao’s control.

“That’s right, I didn’t think it was necessary, but he said that things would be better resolved if Li Mu stepped in.” Ning Xin said, “He has a point, plus you’re bewitched by Li Mu, so I can only agree.”

“How can I be bewitched…” Ning You muttered in a low voice, completely forgetting how awe-inspiring he was when he said “I’m willing” to Li Mu. 

But having said that, Li Zhao is indeed not as bad as he thought.

At first, Li Zhao didn’t want Li Mu to come back, but then something happened to the company, and Li Mu had a tough attitude, so he changed his mind. Although he sacrificed his existing position, he also got rid of the mess in his hands.

As for Li Mu, he also has gains and losses, so the two brothers have reached a perfect balance, and no one has sacrificed for anyone.

“Tell Li Mu to come see me when he’s done.” Ning Xin said, “I’d like to see how charming he is.” 

This is a bit difficult to do……

Ning You looked at the phone, this brat has not contacted him until now.

From the family villa, Ning You drove to the office building of the Li family in a daze. But after just wandering around the gate, he drove the car back to their company.

Until the evening, Ning You still did not receive a call from Li Mu. 

He was reading books and doing yoga, but he couldn’t calm down, but fortunately, he realized in time that anxiety can make people grow old, so he took a nice bath, put a mask on himself, and lay down on the sofa to adjust his mood.

It was at this moment that the doorbell rang suddenly.

Ning You asked “who” several times, but no one answered. He had to get up from the sofa and go to the videophone to check the surveillance outside the door.

“Li Mu?” 

After clearly seeing the person on the screen, Ning You immediately tore off the mask on his face and put it aside, and opened the door.

The man outside the door was dressed in a suit. His unkempt stubble was neatly cleaned up. Three buttons were undone on his collar. His tie was pulled in an irritable circle——it was an urban barbaric style that Ning You had never seen before.

“Youyou.” Li Mu fell in as he said, his huge body almost hanging on Ning You.

Ning You vaguely smelled the familiar scent of verbena, but more than that, it was the smell of alcohol that hit his nose. 

“Why are you drinking like this?” Ning You frowned as he helped Li Mu into the house, staggering along to put him on the sofa.

Li Mu kept hugging Ning You and refused to let go, causing Ning You to fall down as well.

“That group of shareholders is very difficult to deal with.” Li Mu muttered in a daze, obviously drunk.

“Then you should really learn from your brother.” Ning You wanted to get up and fetch a cup of hot water for Li Mu, but the person holding him was strong and refused to let him go. 

“I’m back.” Li Mu said irritably, “You’re mine now, don’t mention my brother.”

“Yes yes yes, let me go first.”

“No.” Li Mu hugged Ning You tightly, “I know you don’t want to hear my explanation, but I still want to explain myself.”

Ning You couldn’t help rolling his eyes, why do men talk more when they are drunk? 

Well, he has no position to talk about Li Mu. He did the same himself, and he also said he wanted to peek at Li Mu taking a shower.

“I didn’t answer your question right away because I knew that as soon as I agreed, I would have to go back to the city with you.” Li Mu said, “That’s an assumption for you, but it’s not for me.”

Ning You lay on Li Mu’s chest and quietly listened to his heartbeat.

“Do you know how unlikely it is that you will give up everything? But I’m different, if I agree, then I must take action, because that’s what’s realistic, and I don’t want to be a sweet-talking liar.” Speaking of which, Li Mu still looked at Ning You obstinately and asked, “Do you think I’m making sense?” 

Ning You understands what Li Mu means, whether he is willing to pay for another person involved, these aren’t empty words between ordinary couples, but the reality in front of them.

There must always be sacrifices among them. Ning You’s sacrifice is huge, and Li Mu’s sacrifice is relatively small. From a sensible point of view, it can only be that Li Mu and Ning You return to the city.

Because of this, Ning You’s “I’m willing” is romantic, while Li Mu’s “I’m willing” is realistic, so he does not dare make promises easily.

“Yes yes yes.” Ning You said. 

Bastard, don’t want to bother with him.

“I admit that I wasn’t ready when you asked me, because I wasn’t sure if I could handle the conflict between me and my brother.” Li Mu said, “I’ve thought about it too, it’s so hard for both of us, so let’s forget about it——”

“What?” Ning You immediately raised his head, his pointed chin resting on Li Mu’s chest.

“But I can’t, Youyou.” Li Mu rubbed the back of Ning You’s neck, “I don’t know where the line between ‘like’ and ‘love’ is, but I know very well how much I like you. I like the days you spent with me. I liked it when you went to play in the woods and pretended that nothing happened. I liked it when you made me drive you to the village when you had diarrhea. I like it when you call me gege——” 

“Shut the hell up you!” Ning You couldn’t help but cover Li Mu’s chattering mouth.

“I like you, Youyou.” Li Mu held Ning You’s hand, “When I solve the matter at hand, let’s go back to work in the mountains, and then go back to the city when necessary. There is great scenery in the mountains, and we can ride horses and bask in the sun every day.”

Recalling his days in the cabin, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Ning You’s mouth, and he replied, “Okay.”

“We will go to get the marriage certificate tomorrow.” Li Mu said again. 

Ning You raised his eyebrows unexpectedly, thinking that this person was really insatiable.

But he thought it would be sooner or later, so he casually responded: “Okay.”

However, after Li Mu didn’t respond for a long time, Ning You raised his head and found that this person had fallen asleep.

He narrowed his eyes dangerously, and there was a raging fire flickering in his eyes. 

Does this brat want to get married or not?！

The author has something to say:

Li Mu in his sleep: Married to his wife, happy (*^▽^*)

Li Mu woke up in the middle of the night: It’s so cold, where is my wife? 

T/N and Editor: Advanced Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Everyone!!!