Chapter 015: This Pretty Boy Must Have Tricked My Sister

Chapter 015: This Pretty Boy Must Have Tricked My Sister

The way Li Ruotai studied Wu Chen turned into something closer to scrutiny—and slowly, something distinctly unfriendly crept into it.

Because for the life of him, he couldn’t see what was so special about the man.

Decent-looking, sure, but nowhere near handsome enough to turn heaven and earth. Average height, neither tall nor short. And far too young.

Youth counted as a virtue to plenty of people. Not to Li Ruotai.

Because youth meant no real ability, no experience. As the old saying went, a man without hair on his lip couldn’t be trusted to get anything done. In the eyes of the successful and the powerful, youth rarely came paired with real capability.

Li Ruotai knew his sister well.

If she’d shown up with a man in his forties or fifties, he wouldn’t have blinked. He knew exactly what kind of temperament she had—forceful, domineering, utterly without mercy. In her eyes, the weak and the incompetent were trash.

What she admired was capability. A super-rich second-generation heir with a heaven-reaching pedigree and nothing to show for it wouldn’t earn so much as a glance from her, no matter how deep his family’s pockets ran.

But a self-made businessman—even one without great wealth, even one whose methods weren’t entirely clean—would earn her genuine respect.

So… Li Ruotai simply couldn’t work out how his sister had ended up with some kid barely into his twenties.

Since it made no logical sense, he’d begun to suspect the truth: his fierce, unshakable sister had been fooled by a pretty face.

He knew she was mature in her thinking, sharp in her dealings, never one to be pushed around. But she’d never truly been in love before. She was a complete novice at romance. It wasn’t hard to imagine her falling for some sweet-talking pretty boy’s lines.

Love made people blind. It hollowed out their judgment entirely.

That had to be it.

It absolutely had to be.

The more he turned it over, the more convinced he became. He’d already resolved, quietly, to rescue his sister from disaster and rip the mask off this pretty boy for what he really was.

“Atai, what are you staring at?” Li Ruobing frowned and waved a hand in front of his face. He’d been staring at Wu Chen for a good long while now.

Anyone else might have started squirming under that look. Wu Chen seemed entirely unbothered, still smiling.

“Ah… nothing. Just sizing up my brother-in-law.” Li Ruotai gave a hollow smile, then added, casual as anything, “Brother-in-law looks awfully young.”

“Twenty-two,” Wu Chen said, smiling.

“Only twenty-two? Fresh out of college?” Li Ruotai asked.

“Graduated this year.”

“Just graduated. So when did you meet my sister?”

“Three months ago. She led a team to Donghai University to recruit interns in person. That’s where we met.” Wu Chen answered without missing a beat.

Li Ruobing shot him a glance.

She had indeed gone to Donghai University three months ago. But she’d never once mentioned that to Wu Chen.

“Only three months, then.” Li Ruotai smiled with practiced grace, glancing sideways at his sister. “And you’re already talking marriage? Sis, didn’t you swear you’d never marry, not in this lifetime?”

“I didn’t come here to make small talk with you!” Li Ruobing glared at him.

“Let’s talk a little.” Li Ruotai was pushing his luck today, deliberately needling her. He’d take the beating if it came—he had to expose this pretty boy no matter the cost.

“By the way, brother-in-law—Guaizi and the others seem to have had a bit of a misunderstanding with you last night. Let me apologize on their behalf,” Li Ruotai said, with every appearance of sincerity.

“No need. We’re family,” Wu Chen said.

“Brother-in-law really is generous. Huh—Guaizi mentioned you were at Huahe Bar last night with some young lady. Who was that? Not your sister, surely?” Li Ruotai asked, the words loaded with implication.

“A young lady?” Li Ruobing cut her eyes at Wu Chen, quick as a whip.

In truth, she knew nothing about the previous night and cared even less. Whatever Wu Chen had going on with other women meant nothing to her—their entire relationship was fake to begin with.

But.

In front of her brother, she had to look like she cared. Had to seem the jealous type.

“Not my sister. Mu Qianqian,” Wu Chen said at once. “The daughter of the man who runs Donghai Mu Biopharmaceutical Group—Mu Sihai’s girl. Honestly, you owe me a thank-you. If I hadn’t stepped in yesterday, Bearded Liu would’ve actually laid hands on her, and even you might not have been able to clean that mess up.”

Li Ruotai’s expression shifted slightly.

The Mu Group was a homegrown Donghai enterprise, a leading name in the city’s biopharmaceutical industry. Its owner, Mu Sihai, was worth over a billion yuan, served as a delegate to the People’s Congress, and held deep roots and connections throughout Donghai.

The Mu family’s standing couldn’t compare to the Li family’s, of course—different leagues entirely.

But there was an old saying: even a mighty dragon can’t suppress a local snake.

In Donghai, Mu Group was that local snake.

And Li Ruotai, for all his power, was the dragon crossing the river.

The biopharmaceutical world ran deep and murky. Without the right connections, no one broke into it at all.

Wu Chen wasn’t wrong. If something truly had happened to Mu Qianqian the night before, even Young Master Li would have found it no easy thing to smooth over. Mu Sihai had only the one daughter, and he doted on her without limit.

Not that Li Ruotai feared Mu Sihai outright—but if it ever came to a real fight on Donghai soil, even a win would cost him dearly.

“Then… I really do owe you my thanks, brother-in-law.” Li Ruotai’s expression had soured considerably.

“Enough of that. Atai, I came here today because there’s something urgent,” Li Ruobing said.

“Sis, go ahead,” Li Ruotai said at once.

The matter of Mu Qianqian was thus set aside, and he didn’t push further—Wu Chen’s earlier words made it sound as if he knew Mu Sihai.

Wu Chen had let the misunderstanding stand on purpose. For now, he knew Mu Sihai, though Mu Sihai had no idea who he was. Still, if he ever wanted to make that man’s acquaintance properly, it would take him no time at all.

“Let your brother-in-law explain,” Li Ruobing said again, nodding toward Wu Chen.

Li Ruotai’s brow furrowed slightly.

Had this pretty boy really wrapped his sister this tightly around his finger?

Every one of her past fake boyfriends had cowered before her, hardly daring to breathe too loud in her presence. Li Ruotai had seen it with his own eyes, every time.

But this one…

Wu Chen paid no mind to whatever was running through Li Ruotai’s head and laid out the situation for him plainly.

“The higher-ups are going after Crown Entertainment? That’s impossible. How would you even know that?” Li Ruotai narrowed his eyes, unconvinced.

He knew well enough that Crown Entertainment drew attention for its size, but he’d always greased every wheel that needed greasing. Everyone knew he was the Li family’s eldest grandson. Who would dare act against him?

His grandfather wasn’t even dead yet.

“You shouldn’t have secretly filmed those videos and used them to blackmail people. And your dealings with Xie Hu—those should’ve ended a long time ago,” Wu Chen said.

“You—” Li Ruotai’s composure cracked at once. He glanced sideways at his sister.

Xie Hu was a son of the Xie family up north. His business dealings with Xie Hu were something not even his sister knew about. He had no idea how Wu Chen had learned of it.

“You’re still dealing with that Xie person?” Li Ruobing’s reaction was immediate and violent. She shot to her feet, jabbing a finger at her brother. “How many times have I told you? That man is rotten to the core! Do my words just go in one ear and out the other?”

“Sis, sis, calm down—take care of yourself. Sit, please, just sit down.” Li Ruotai shrank back, afraid she’d slap him again.

“Your sister’s right. Xie Hu really is rotten,” Wu Chen said. “And it’s Xie Hu who sold you out this time. He got into trouble first, but he pinned all the blame on you—claimed it was your idea from the start.”

Li Ruotai’s face went dark. Slowly, his fists clenched.

He still half-doubted Wu Chen’s words, but Xie Hu really had been acting strangely these past few months—hadn’t brought in a single new client in some time now.

“How do you know any of this? Why should I believe a word you say? Who told you?” Li Ruotai fixed him with a hard stare.

Suspicion was creeping in now.

Something about this felt very wrong.

“Some things I don’t need to spell out for you. The only reason I’m here at all is Ruobing.” Wu Chen glanced at her, then turned back to Li Ruotai. “You’re her brother. If something happened to you, it would break her heart. That’s why I came.”

“Cut the cryptic bullshit! I’m telling you right now—if you don’t explain yourself, you’re not walking out of this room alive!” Li Ruotai slammed his palm on the table and stood.

Wu Chen smiled.

Blood really did run true. Everything Li Ruotai was saying now, his sister had said before, nearly word for word.

“Atai, what do you think you’re doing?” Li Ruobing’s temper flared too.

“Sis! Listen to me! I don’t care how he’s fooled you—he’s a con artist, plain and simple! He’s after something! You can’t trust him!” Li Ruotai shouted, finger jabbing toward Wu Chen.