Chapter 108: That Is A Remarkable Individual

He Haoxuan cursed under his breath. Song Li had actually gone to his room to look for him. It seemed that next time, he would have to bolt the door and climb out through the window to see if she could still get in.

"I saw you just now; how come you didn't see me? Are your eyes failing you in your old age?" He Haoxuan joked.

"Mom, you should be careful. Dad is still in his prime. If you don't take good care of yourself, he might find us a stepmother."

"He wouldn't dare!" Song Li huffed, hands on her hips. "Go make breakfast immediately, then we’re going out to buy some things."

"Alright." He Haoxuan ran to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Once they finished eating, Song Li went upstairs to get dressed up.

In the past, she hadn't fared well in the Li family, so she never dared to put on airs. But now things were different; two BMW X7s were enough to completely overshadow her relatives. Today was her maternal family's reunion day, and all her siblings would be there; she wasn't about to waste this opportunity.

When He Haoxuan stepped outside, two men were carrying a large crate toward him.

"Mr. He, this is what you requested."

"Good, put it in my trunk. I’ll transfer the money to Xiao Qiang later." He Haoxuan nodded. Even though Xiao Qiang and his crew didn't care about the money, favors were one thing and business was another; he couldn't let them work for free.

He Haoxuan opened the trunk, and the two men deposited the items and left. Song Li walked out, assuming the two men were delivery workers, and sneered, "He Haoxuan, don't think that just because you ordered some cheap junk from JD.com, you can ask me to reimburse you. Let me tell you, I won't reimburse you a single cent. As the Li family's son-in-law, you should be spending some money too. By the way, how much did you spend?"

"Around a million, I think," He Haoxuan replied after a moment's thought. Honestly, he didn't pay much attention to the price.

At the time, he had asked Xiao Qiang, who said he didn't want any money. Later, when He Haoxuan insisted, Xiao Qiang finally said, "Fine, just give me a million."

He Haoxuan guessed the items were worth more than a million, or perhaps that was just the wholesale price. If they were sold on the open market, they would certainly be much more expensive.

"What? One million?!" Song Li erupted in anger. "He Haoxuan, have you lost your mind? You bought a hundred dollars' worth of junk and expect me to pay a million?" Even the things Song Li ordered for herself didn't cost ten thousand. That He Haoxuan would try to extort her like this truly infuriated her.

"Mom, don't be angry; he’s just joking with you," Li Qingying said as she walked out to mediate. This He Haoxuan was really something—joking at such an inappropriate time. Her mother valued money above all else.

"Hmph, I wouldn't dream of joking with a loser like him." Song Li shot He Haoxuan a vicious glare and turned to shout, "Li Dong, where on earth are you? Why aren't you out here yet?" A moment later, Li Dong appeared, dressed in a suit and tie. "Wife, didn't you tell me to dress more formally? That's why it took a little longer."

"Hmm, that’s acceptable." Song Li cast an approving glance at Li Dong. He was still quite handsome; despite his age, one could still see the charm he had in his youth.

As for He Haoxuan, when Song Li turned to look at him, her mood soured instantly. Today, He Haoxuan was actually wearing decent clothes—a casual outfit and loafers—and he looked surprisingly sharp, as handsome as a celebrity on television.

Truth be told, based on looks alone, He Haoxuan was more than a match for her daughter. Back in the day, Li Dong hadn't been half as handsome as He Haoxuan.

But on the inside, he was a different story: poor and lacking status. Sigh, if only He Haoxuan had half the capability of Wu Shaorong from Quange Trading, she would be burning incense before the Buddha in gratitude.

"Mom, is my outfit not okay? Should I change back into my beach shorts?" He Haoxuan asked, feeling strange under Song Li's constant gaze.

Song Li shook her head frantically. "No, wear exactly that." She had figured it out; the world was like this—if you didn't put on a show, people wouldn't take you seriously. She would simply package He Haoxuan up properly so that her relatives wouldn't dare look down on him.

"He Haoxuan, listen to my arrangements. Whatever I say, you say 'yes,' understand?"

"Whatever you say, I say 'yes'?" He Haoxuan broke into a cold sweat. If you, Song Li, say I’m in love with you, or that I’ve liked men for years, am I supposed to agree to that too? But under her aggressive gaze, He Haoxuan had to grit his teeth and remain silent. If it weren't for Li Qingying's sake, he would have lost his temper.

To show off, Song Li didn't drive, letting Li Dong take the wheel instead. She had applied heavy makeup and donned an evening gown, looking surprisingly elegant. It seemed her daughters' beauty was indeed a credit to her. To show off her status, Song Li insisted that her car follow behind, while He Haoxuan and Li Qingying took the lead.

Li Qingying tried to console He Haoxuan: "Don't blame my mom. That's just how she is. For my sake, please don't hold it against her."

"Sigh, fine. For the sake of us sleeping in the same room, I won't hold it against your mother," He Haoxuan said with a cheeky grin.

"You scoundrel." Li Qingying's face flushed red at the mention of last night. Seeing her embarrassment, He Haoxuan knew better than to push his luck and focused on driving.

He didn't know the way, so with Li Qingying's directions, they arrived at a manor in the suburbs. The Song family was merely a third-rate family in Qingshan City, with only a few small companies and relatives scattered across various industries.

For an average family, they were doing quite well, but compared to the Li family's hundred-million-dollar conglomerate, they were nothing special.

That was why the Song family had originally hoped that marrying Song Li off to the eldest son of the Li family would lead to great things. They never expected that, after all this time, Li Dong not only failed to amount to anything but became increasingly useless, eventually being sidelined by the Li family.

If not for Li Qingying marrying He Haoxuan, their household wouldn't even be able to hold their heads up in the Li family. But now, things were different; their daughter was a general manager, and they had bought two BMW X7s—they were riding high.

When they arrived at the Song family's small manor—which was actually just a village house in the suburbs that had gained some wealth from selling land to the city—they found the villagers living comfortably, running small companies in town.

"Oh, why hasn't Song Li returned yet? Honestly, she said she was going to make a grand entrance this time," a few Song family members stood by the gate, cracking sunflower seeds and gossiping.

At the front was Song Li's cousin, Song Fang, dressed in high fashion and decked out in gold and silver, looking ostentatious.

Suddenly, Song Li's eldest brother, Song Li, noticed the BMW X7 ahead. His eyes lit up. "Whoa, whose car is that? That's impressive! A license plate ending in 68888—that must be a big shot."