Chapter 1048: Chapter 1048

However, now that such an opportunity seemed to have presented itself, how could they not be excited!

"Yes, I just inquired about Xiaoya’s situation and, after learning about her physical constitution, I didn’t expect her to be exactly like a friend of mine. That friend of mine is now at the Initial Stage of Dark Energy, which is pretty amazing as well." Seeing Li Chengde and Fu Mandie so thrilled, Li Changlin himself felt somewhat astounded.

However, he didn’t dwell on it, as Xiaoya hadn’t shared her experiences with him which meant Li Changlin naturally didn’t know that Xiaoya had grown up bearing the stigma of being useless.

"Good, this is an opportunity, Changlin, you must invite your friend to the Capital City. As long as she can help Xiaoya, I, Li Chengde, promise to pay any price!" Upon receiving affirmation from Li Changlin, Li Chengde became even more excited and immediately made a solemn promise.

Li Changlin said with a smile, "Dad, there’s no need to be so excited. My friend is very easygoing. I’ve already called her, and she’ll arrive in Shanghai City this afternoon; there’s no need to go to the Capital City."

"That’s even better!" Fu Mandie nodded in agreement, hearing the concern for his sister in Li Changlin’s words.

Fu Mandie had been somewhat worried about Li Changlin’s personality and temperament issues, after all, Li Changlin had been adopted by others since childhood, and they had no idea what kind of upbringing he had received.

Now seeing Li Changlin’s genuine concern for Xiaoya, Fu Mandie felt even more comforted.

"We should order food first; Xiaoya must be starving by now. Oh, and Uncle Ming, come and sit with us, don’t just stand there, come take a seat." Li Changlin laughed as he picked up the menu from the table and then lifted his eyes to wave over Li Ming.

Li Ming laughed awkwardly and waved his hands hurriedly, "We have another table in the main hall; it’s fine for me to eat with those youngsters, the young master need not be polite."

"No trouble at all, come and sit, there’s no need for such formalities, we are family." Li Changlin knew that Li Ming was Xiaoya’s Personal Bodyguard, and the reason he hadn’t accompanied Xiaoya to Dragon TV today was that he had arranged for a bigger group to provide protection. In fact, Li Changlin had already noticed the tails following him, but he knew they were members of the Li Family, so he had not pointed them out.

"Ah Ming, since Changlin has said so, please take a seat," said Li Chengde, who had grown up with Li Ming and the two actually shared a bond of life and death.

However, because Li Chengde was the eldest son of the main branch, while Li Ming was from a collateral branch, their statuses were worlds apart.

In the past, although Li Chengde valued Li Ming highly, he had never actively invited Li Ming to join them at the table because Li Chengde believed it was a matter of hierarchy. He was polite to Li Ming because Li Ming was of utilitarian value, but this value was far from reaching a level where he could sit as an equal with Li Chengde.

But now things were different, since Li Changlin had spoken up, Li Chengde gave face.

Even though Li Chengde was aware that his son had no chance of taking over as the Family Head in the future, becoming one of the high-level figures in the family would definitely not pose any problems.

Moreover, having just reunited with Li Changlin after twenty years of separation, the fatherly affection between them made him even more reluctant to snub Li Changlin’s face.

"Yes, thank you, Brother Tian, thank you, Young Master." Li Ming, moved and humbled, bowed and took his seat tentatively.

In his heart, there had always been a sense of hierarchy.

Li Changlin showed him respect, which was to give him face, and it moved him deeply.

Li Changlin smiled and waved his hand but said nothing more; he passed the menu to Li Xiaoya, "Xiaoya, what would you like to eat? Brother will order for you. Today it’s my treat, the meal is on me."

"Eating for free? Brother, you’re too amazing!" Li Xiaoya slightly startled, then exclaimed in surprise.

Beside them, Fu Mandie couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle, thinking Li Changlin was just teasing Li Xiaoya to make her happy—after all, how could a meal at a hotel possibly be free?

Huarui was quite a high-end dining establishment in Shanghai City, and it was rumored to be the designated dining spot for the Heavenly Queen superstar Ye Xiyao. With a total of sixteen chain stores in Shanghai City, Huarui’s strength was at least enough to rank in the top five of the city’s restaurant scene.

In such a place, the idea of not paying for a meal seemed improbable. Fu Mandie felt Li Changlin was purely joking to make his sister happy, but she did not voice this out loud.

Li Xiaoya chose two dishes she liked, after which Li Changlin let Fu Mandie and others pick their dishes, even Li Ming ordered one for himself.

Li Changlin finally ordered four more dishes and a soup, rounding up to twelve plates. Li Chengde watched with a slight frown, feeling Li Changlin was being a bit too extravagant.

Li Changlin then ordered some red wine and drinks, paying no mind to Li Chengde’s expression.

"Changlin, for the five of us to eat eleven dishes plus a soup, isn’t this a bit too extravagant?" Fu Mandie, noticing her husband’s disapproval, reminded him gently.

Hearing this, Li Changlin couldn’t help but chuckle, "Dad and Uncle Ming are both martial artists; their bodies require nutrition. Actually, I think what I’ve ordered is still too little. If I weren’t worried that Huarui couldn’t make it, I might have even ordered a whole cow!"

"Young Master jests, I certainly can’t eat an entire cow," Li Ming heard the conversation and immediately burst into laughter.

Li Chengde next to him also smiled wryly, feeling he had misunderstood Li Changlin, and nodded, "Changlin, you’ve probably read too many martial arts novels. In fact, our practice of ancient martial arts doesn’t result in a grand appetite. Our bodies’ nutritional needs are met by the family’s provision of elixirs. Once you start practicing ancient martial arts with Uncle Ming, you’ll also be able to receive some stipend from the family."

The elixir mentioned by Li Chengde was the stipend provided by the family.

Generally speaking, a legitimate son like Li Changlin would receive a considerable stipend from the family. If Li Changlin had a talent for martial arts, the stipend would accordingly increase.

However, this was a privilege for the direct descendants of the family. As for collateral members like Li Ming, despite being nurtured by the family in his youth due to his gift, he ultimately couldn’t enjoy the same benefits as the direct descendants.

Li Changlin listened and began to understand slowly.

As for the stipend mentioned by Li Chengde, Li Changlin genuinely didn’t care at all. He now possessed the strength of Peak Virtual Energy—could the Li Family provide him with equivalent elixirs?

Clearly, that was impossible. However, Li Changlin didn’t want to reveal his strength too soon. He hadn’t formally acknowledged his family roots yet and didn’t want to become the center of attention.