In the morning, Luo Ziling received a call from Li Haiyang, inviting him and Luo Yuqing over for dinner that evening.
Luo Ziling didn’t agree right away, because Luo Yuqing was still in Hengdian.
He called Luo Yuqing and asked if she could make it back in time.
If she could make it back, then they’d go to Li Haiyang’s place together for dinner.
Luo Yuqing agreed without hesitation, saying she would definitely make it back before dinner.
Around four in the afternoon, Luo Yuqing sent a message saying she’d already gotten off the plane and was on her way downtown, and asked Luo Ziling where they should meet.
Luo Ziling named a spot that was the most convenient for both of them to head over from, and told Luo Yuqing to wait there so they could meet up and go together.
Luo Ziling had Shi Yidan drive him over.
These past few days, Wuyue had been extremely busy.
Not only was she busy, everyone else was busy along with her, so the only one staying by Luo Ziling’s side was Shi Yidan.
Luo Ziling believed that now that he had exploded in popularity again, no one would try to make a move on him at such a sensitive time.
Except for people like Yang Qingye, who doesn’t have much brain but still thinks she’s smart.
Right now, even Yang Qingye wouldn’t dare do anything to him openly, and Luo Ziling was quite sure of that.
So, he sent Zhu Yijun away as well.
Luo Ziling waited for Luo Yuqing near a subway station.
After Luo Yuqing and the attendant Lin got in the car, it headed toward the place where Li Haiyang lived.
In the past, Li Haiyang had always lived either at the Dragon Rise base or in the convalescent facility, and basically didn’t go home.
His current wife was also in the military, a mid-level officer in the logistics department. She usually spent most of her time living on base as well, so the home was basically empty.
After Li Haiyang took a post at headquarters, the couple started spending more time at home.
Knowing they had guests coming, Li Haiyang’s wife went straight into the kitchen to get busy after getting off work.
She was probably in too much of a hurry and didn’t even have time to take off her uniform.
Li Haiyang changed into casual clothes as soon as he got home; when Luo Ziling and Luo Yuqing arrived, he had already changed and was loosening up in the yard.
The housing conditions in the military were actually pretty good; the place Li Haiyang lived in was a small courtyard provided by the unit, a standalone compound with its own gate.
That kind of housing setup instantly outclassed that of ninety-nine percent of the residents of Yanjing.
When Luo Ziling and Luo Yuqing arrived and saw Li Haiyang exercising in the yard, they hurriedly greeted him.
"You’re here, that’s enough. Why bring gifts?" Seeing that both Luo Ziling and Luo Yuqing were carrying presents, Li Haiyang reproached them, "Between us, do we really need to be so formal?"
"It’s just some fruit and two bottles of liquor, nothing fancy." Luo Ziling lifted the bottles in his hand. "Yellow wine from Yuezhou, it tastes pretty good. If you’re interested, senior, I’ll have a few drinks with you later."
Li Haiyang readily agreed. "Alright then, I haven’t had a drink in days. Since you’re giving me permission to drink, I’ll have a bit with you."
Luo Yuqing hadn’t been very familiar with Li Haiyang before, because he’d always been in the army and rarely came home.
And because of her own background, once she grew up and understood things, Luo Yuqing herself didn’t go home much either, so the two of them had met very few times.
All along, Luo Yuqing hadn’t felt much warmth toward the Li Family, but toward Li Haiyang, she was still quite respectful.
Especially now that she needed something from Li Haiyang, she was all smiles and calling him very affectionately. Li Haiyang and Wu Ningjing’s husband, Li Tianguan, were paternal cousins, and Li Haiyang was a bit older, so Luo Yuqing very naturally addressed him as "Uncle."
Luo Yuqing’s "Uncle" came out so warm and intimate that even Luo Ziling felt a little creeped out inside.
But Li Haiyang seemed to like being addressed that way by Luo Yuqing; there was a constant smile on his face.
While the three of them were chatting idly in the yard, Li Haiyang’s wife came out of the kitchen and invited Luo Ziling and Luo Yuqing inside to sit.
She also scolded Li Haiyang for not asking the guests in when they arrived, saying it was bad manners.
Li Haiyang’s wife was a lieutenant colonel, and her face still looked quite youthful.
Luo Ziling and Luo Yuqing greeted her very politely and told her not to stand on ceremony, saying it was nice to chat in the yard too—at least the air was good.
When Li Haiyang’s wife went back into the kitchen to continue preparing dinner, Li Haiyang still called Luo Ziling and Luo Yuqing into the living room to sit and talk.
Li Haiyang asked directly about the matters between Luo Yuqing and Li Xiaoqing, and Luo Yuqing answered his questions one by one.
She also promised Li Haiyang that she would definitely keep a close eye on Li Xiaoqing, not let him do bad things, and not let him cause trouble for the Li Family or for Luo Ziling.
"The saying ’born in sorrow, die in ease’ is absolutely true," Li Haiyang said with some emotion. "When the conditions are too good, many kids can’t endure hardship, and won’t be willing to endure hardship. They just want to sit back and enjoy the achievements of their elders, becoming greenhouse flowers that can’t withstand wind or rain. Look at the grandkids of a few families—only Fang Dongxun is even slightly outstanding. The others are basically useless wimps who can’t accomplish anything and only mess things up."
"Your eye is sharp, senior." Luo Ziling chuckled. "Even though I’m their contemporary, I still feel that in every aspect, they’re a notch below me. I also think that among them, Fang Dongxun is a bit better, and the others are all people whose ambitions outrun their abilities."
"There aren’t many outstanding ones even in the generation above them," Li Haiyang said with a laugh. "Good thing the older generation is still holding things up, otherwise signs of decline would’ve appeared already. That’s exactly what those old fellows are worried about—they’re afraid the glory of their own families won’t be passed down."
"That really is the case!" Luo Ziling laughed. "Otherwise my Great Grandfather wouldn’t still be dividing his attention over these things at his age."
"You lot are much more capable than they are," Li Haiyang said, glancing at Luo Ziling and then at Luo Yuqing. "The two of you as a sibling pair are far better than the kids in those other families. It’s just a pity that Li Xiaoqing isn’t as capable as you, his sister."
"Don’t worry, Uncle, I’ll definitely keep a tight rein on Xiaoqing and not let him go astray. After all, he’s the eldest of the Li Family’s grandchildren; his behavior will set an example for the others." Luo Yuqing said firmly, "Even though I’m not a daughter of the Li Family, Xiaoqing is still my younger brother. I have a responsibility to teach him."
"You’ve done pretty well these past few days; I hope it will have a positive effect on him." Li Haiyang affirmed what Luo Ziling had been doing recently. "But Xiaoqing is already an adult and a bit rebellious. If you really want to change his temperament, it’ll still take some effort."
"I’ll definitely teach him well, and I also hope you can keep an eye on him from time to time, Uncle, and support me in certain situations." With Li Haiyang’s kindly attitude, Luo Yuqing grew bolder and spoke quite directly. "After all, many in the Li Family don’t like me and see me as an oddball—they’re prejudiced against me. I don’t want them to misunderstand my supervision of Xiaoqing."
What Luo Yuqing said was very blunt, and Luo Ziling couldn’t help muttering to himself in his heart.