Chapter 45: She is the key to the turnaround
Chapter 45
"You even know to give equity to Li Xiaoya," Sheng Yuxiao said, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.
Dou Dawei's heart skipped a beat as he realized that the young master Sheng truly lived up to his reputation. Their little schemes were as clear as day to Sheng Yuxiao!
"Xiaoya, it's your turn to sign," Dou Dawei said, suppressing his tumultuous thoughts.
Li Xiaoya felt as if she hadn't done anything special, yet in Sheng Yuxiao's words, it seemed she had accomplished a great deal.
She looked around at the people present, bewildered. From Sheng Yuxiao's previous comment, she astutely deduced that refusing now might not be the best course of action.
So she asked Sheng Yuxiao, "Is it okay to sign?"
Sheng Yuxiao was instantly even more pleased.
She even knew to ask him!
Good! Very good!
He immediately adopted a serious demeanor, taking the gift deed and flipping through it while saying, "I've studied a bit of contract law. Let me take a look."
In truth, Sheng Yuxiao knew that since Dou Dawei and his associates were determined to curry favor with Li Xiaoya, they certainly wouldn't have left any loopholes in the contract.
But he liked seeing Li Xiaoya depend on him and listen to what he said.
"No problem, go ahead and sign," Sheng Yuxiao said, putting down the gift deed.
Signing, fingerprinting, and notarization followed.
Dou Dawei and his team had already taken care of the tax issues in advance.
"You're now a small shareholder," Sheng Yuxiao paused, then added, "The word for shareholder is 'shareholder.'"
The others thought to themselves, "..."
Really? Even at a time like this, he hasn't forgotten to teach English?
Dou Dawei and his group had completed their task for the day and were preparing to leave.
"Xiaoya, when we finish recording the show, Uncle will come pick you up and take you to the city. We'll treat you to a meal," he said, reluctant to part.
Li Xiaoya nodded.
She hadn't expected to have "friends" like this, such important "friends" at that. They wanted to treat her to a meal, just like her father's friends used to treat him.
As for the equity gift deed in front of her, Li Xiaoya didn't have much of a reaction.
Perhaps it was because the money felt so distant from her, giving her an overwhelming sense of unreality.
After Dou Dawei and his group had left, Ning Heng finally approached to greet, "Sister Ruying."
Xu Ruying glanced at him, "What are you doing here?" For someone like Ning Heng who loved to have fun, coming to this rundown place was even more bizarre than Sheng Yuxiao being here.
Ning Heng said, "It's nice here. I love it, absolutely love it."
Xu Ruying: "..." "You sound like you've been brainwashed by a pyramid scheme."
Sheng Yuxiao interjected, "Aren't you going back to the city with them?"
Xu Ruying watched the retreating figures of Dou Dawei and his group, then suddenly declared firmly, "I'm not leaving."
Sheng Yuxiao looked at her, his eyes conveying a "Have you lost your mind?" sentiment.
Feeling his gaze, Xu Ruying became even more determined and said, "I want to stay and keep you company for a few days."
Ning Heng said, "We don't need company."
"That won't do. As your older sister, I should at least check on my little brother's living conditions," Xu Ruying said, then realized they weren't exactly welcoming her.
She rolled her eyes and turned to Li Xiaoya, forcing a smile, "Little one, would you welcome big sister to stay?"
Sheng Yuxiao frowned in displeasure, "Don't you..."
Before he could finish saying "use emotional blackmail," Li Xiaoya hesitantly said, "But my house is too small."
Xu Ruying looked at the dilapidated house behind her.
It really was... a bit too small.
She immediately turned to ask the staff, "Where are you staying?"
"We were originally staying at the village chief's house, but after he was arrested, we've been staying with other villagers."
"That works, I'll stay in the village," Xu Ruying quickly decided.
"I'd like to hear what else you plan to teach her," Xu Ruying said, looking at Sheng Yuxiao.
Sheng Yuxiao raised an eyebrow, "We're here to record a show. Why are you butting in?"
"I'll be careful not to appear on camera."
Xu Ruying had an impulsive personality, evident from how she immediately booked a flight and came over after hearing about the investment.
Now, she was doing the same, heading off with her bodyguard and driver to find accommodation.
Although the village chief had been arrested, his son Li Song was still living in the house.
Li Song hadn't been doing well lately. He had been reported for accepting bribes, and the investigation was still ongoing. The feeling of having a sword dangling over his head, yet not falling, was truly unbearable.
Xu Ruying went over and knocked on the door, only to be greeted by a scruffy-looking Li Song.
Li Song had a sharp eye and immediately recognized Xu Ruying's expensive attire. He quickly asked, "And you are?"
"Do you know Sheng Yuxiao? I'm his cousin, my surname is Xu. Can I stay here for a few days?" Xu Ruying's tone sounded somewhat imperious.
But for Li Song, this was good news.
It's not a problem when people come! The problem is when no one comes!
Sheng Yuxiao's cousin must be some rich kid too, right?
"Of course, of course you can stay!" Li Song hurriedly welcomed her in, and that night he called Li Qingqing.
After listening, Li Qingqing was also a bit surprised. She hadn't expected Xu Ruying to go stay at her house.
"It's a good thing, keep her there. She and Li Xiaoya won't get along. Although Xu Ruying's parents are just a university professor and a zoologist..." Li Qingqing certainly looked down on these non-lucrative professions, so her tone was contemptuous.
But then she quickly changed her tune, "Her uncle is very capable, even more so than Sheng Yuxiao's father."
In her previous life, Li Qingqing had speculated about how Sheng Jun could tolerate someone like Xu Qiulai, who was so cold and didn't even want to have a second child. Perhaps it was because he didn't want to offend the genius in the Xu family?
After hearing his daughter's words, Li Song couldn't help but ask again, "Qingqing, how do you know so much?"
"Haven't I told you before? I have the ability to foresee the future. Everything I've predicted before has come true, hasn't it?"
Li Song awkwardly said, "But you didn't foresee your grandfather being arrested..."
Li Qingqing coldly retorted, "That's why I say Li Xiaoya is my stumbling block. She was born specifically to counteract me. If it weren't for her, my foresight would be 100% accurate."
After hearing this, Li Song firmly said, "Don't worry, Dad will pave the way for you."
"Mm-hmm."
"But you said Miss Xu's uncle is formidable? Just how formidable is he?"
Li Qingqing spoke with a complex tone: "Xu Ji is the kind of person... who doesn't even regard so-called Wall Street elites highly. He's a smiling tiger who can manipulate a country's internal affairs."
"What?" Li Song was stunned by what he heard.
Having been to college and worked in the town, his perspective was much broader than his father, who was a village chief. But his understanding of the world was still far from sufficient. He was still just a frog in a well.
Li Qingqing said, "He can control those foreign political systems, like elections. If people like Sheng Jun are the ones printed on financial magazine covers and listed in Forbes rankings, then people like Xu Ji are destined to be recorded in history books."
In her previous life, with her social circle and perspective, she actually couldn't understand what kind of person Xu Ji was.
It wasn't until later when she accidentally browsed a niche forum and saw someone start a thread gossiping about the figure "Xu Ji". As people dug deeper, they became more and more amazed. In the end, countless people in the thread were sighing:
The truly top-tier wealthy families are like they're from a different world than us.
At that time, Li Qingqing didn't even dare to daydream about knowing Xu Ji.
But now...
She suddenly had a new idea.
Since the Sheng family path wasn't working out...
Li Qingqing repeatedly instructed Li Song: "You must treat Xu Ruying well. She will be the key to our turning point."
In her previous life, what was discussed most on social media was the discord between Xu Ruying and Li Xiaoya. People said that Xu Qiulai and Sheng Yuxiao were so good to Li Xiaoya, a wild girl, while neglecting the one with actual blood ties.
This impression was so strong that Li Qingqing momentarily forgot...
Many gossip news, when introducing Xu Ruying, mentioned that her parents had both died in an accident, and she was later raised by her uncle.
After hanging up the phone, Li Qingqing immediately went to search for news.
...She couldn't find any.
Did that mean that at this time, Xu Ruying's parents were still alive and well?
If I help Xu Ruying's parents predict and avoid this death, how will the Xu family treat me?
Thinking of this, Li Qingqing's heart started racing, dispelling her previous dejection.
Another day passed in the blink of an eye.
A new livestream began.
Xu Ruying got up and rushed to Li Xiaoya's home, looking around in confusion: "Where is everyone?"
The staff told her: "They left at six o'clock."
"That early? Where did they go?"
"Li Xiaoya has to go to school," the staff member said, caught between laughter and tears.
After Sheng Yuxiao, Qin Sui, and Ning Heng, this young lady also felt a great shock. What? Primary school students have to leave that early? And walk mountain roads? For several hours?
"Can't they drive?" Xu Ruying asked.
"The previous road is still blocked due to a landslide and hasn't been repaired. They can only take the small path, which isn't suitable for cars."
"What kind of life is this? And Ning Heng said he likes it? Is he crazy?" Xu Ruying muttered, then decided to walk over and see for herself.
At Shitou School.
As the lunch bell rang, Li Xiaoya carried her lunchbox to get food, with Sheng Yuxiao on her left and Ning Heng on her right.
"Li Xiaoya is so cool! It's like she has two guardian warriors!" classmates whispered in admiration.
Just then, a fashionably dressed young girl limped in from outside the school gate, carrying a Chanel bag in one hand.
She had a bodyguard on her left and a driver on her right, both supporting her.
It was Xu Ruying.
She appeared before Li Xiaoya, covered in dirt and grime.
Her clothes were covered in mud, her hair was a mess, and she even had two blades of grass stuck on her head.
She wasn't supposed to appear on camera.
But the staff couldn't stop her in time, and they didn't dare to. Mainly because this young lady looked extremely resentful at the moment.
Ning Heng exclaimed, "Oh! Sister Ruying, did you fall into a paddy field?"
Xu Ruying gritted her teeth: "Yeah, I fell into a hole every ten steps."
"Who's that?" classmates whispered behind their backs.
"Is she Li Xiaoya's sister?"
"How come Li Xiaoya has so many relatives?"
Xu Ruying wanted to say "I'm not her sister," but then she saw Li Xiaoya hand her lunchbox to Ning Heng and turn to fetch a basin of water.
"You can wash up with this."
"Where did you get it?" Sheng Yuxiao asked.
"I borrowed it from the teacher," Li Xiaoya said, then asked Xu Ruying, "Did you fall into a rice paddy?"
"I did..." Xu Ruying said with a sour face.
Li Xiaoya asked her: "Can you squat down a bit? You're too tall, I can't reach. I need to check if you have any leeches on you."
Leeches?
Xu Ruying's scalp instantly went numb.
No longer caring about saying "I'm not her sister," she quickly squatted down and asked nervously: "Can you see any? Are there any?"
At this moment, the danmu (live comments) also scrolled densely:
[Who is this now?]
[She seems close to Ning Heng, is she another rich kid?]
[No, what's going on with you wealthy families? Are you really treating Li Xiaoya like a game dungeon to farm?]
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