Shen Hui caught sight of Shen Wancai at a glance, and her heart instantly plummeted. She thought, This is bad. Her eyes darted around swiftly, and she said with a cheerful smile, "It's nothing, Old Master, you must have misheard?"

Shen Wancai, who had built his empire from nothing and spent his life engaged in cutthroat competition, was an expert at reading people. He glanced at Shen Hui, snorted, and said, "Your eyes are spinning so fast, what mischief are you up to now? Explain what you just said clearly. Who left that made you so happy?"

Shen Hui forced a laugh. "It really is nothing!" As she spoke, she turned around and winked vigorously at her companions. "Tell him, isn't that right?"

The girls managed a dry laugh. "Yeah, it's really nothing."

Shen Wancai was not one to be convinced. He swept his gaze over the young women, then subtly looked toward the center of the hall. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he fixed an unfriendly look on Shen Hui. "Li Yundong was here just now?"

Shen Hui opened her mouth, instinctively about to retort, but the moment she saw Shen Wancai's eyes, sharp as a falcon's, her heart trembled. The lie died on her lips, and she couldn't speak it. She managed a strained smile and had no choice but to tell the truth. "He was here a moment ago, but he left again."

Shen Wancai squinted again, his gaze growing even sharper. "The banquet hasn't even started. Why did he leave?"

Shen Hui looked up at the sky, offering a disingenuous reply. "How should I know? You know his temperament is peculiar, Old Master, don't you?"

Shen Wancai snorted. "His temperament is peculiar? Young Master Li is the most talented man I have met in my life; his demeanor is steady and magnificent. I think you are the one with the peculiar temperament." He paused, then added meaningfully, "You drove him away again, didn't you?"

Shen Hui was stunned. "Again? What do you mean, 'again'? I didn't drive him away; he left on his own!"

Shen Wancai's anger began to flare. He glanced at the girls surrounding Shen Hui and said in a deep voice, "You all step aside."

The girls exchanged uneasy glances, forced a smile at Shen Hui, and then fluttered away to another corner like a flock of orioles.

Shen Wancai took a deep breath, walked up to Shen Hui, lowered his voice, and said, "It's your birthday today, and I don't want to get angry. I'll give you one chance: go bring him back right now, and I will pretend this never happened. Otherwise…"

Shen Hui braced herself and said, "It really wasn't me who drove him away. If you don't believe me, you can ask everyone here!"

"Still arguing?" Shen Wancai’s eyes snapped open, glaring fiercely. Though old, his imposing authority remained, startling Shen Hui so much she stumbled back two steps.

Shen Hui steadied herself. Steel entered her heart, and she pointed toward Rong Jun, who was not far away. "It was him and Fourth Auntie who drove Li Yundong away, not me!"

Shen Wancai was slightly taken aback. "Young Master Rong? Xiaoxian? They have no grudge against Young Master Li. Why would they chase him off?"

Shen Hui sneered, "How would I know? Go ask them?"

As the father and daughter were speaking, a voice interjected from the side. It was Shen Wancai's youngest son, Shen You, who walked over looking displeased. "Father, I truly don't understand why you hold this Li Yundong in such high regard. What's so great about him? Isn't he just some riffraff who climbed up through connections? Is it worth offending family to please a stranger on Huihui's birthday?"

Shen Wancai was furious inside, but as the banquet was underway, he dared not erupt. He merely shot Shen You a cold glance and hissed softly, "What do you know!"

With that, he walked over to Rong Jun himself and asked sternly, "Young Master Rong, Xiaohui says you persuaded the Mr. Li I invited to leave just now?"

Rong Jun, seeing Shen Wancai approach, had been preparing to show off to his prospective "father-in-law." He was caught off guard by the direct accusation and instinctively looked toward Shen Hui.

Shen Hui immediately glared at him, her eyes full of menace, as if to say: If you dare give me away, you are finished!

Shen Wancai didn't even need to turn around; it was as if he had eyes in the back of his head. He let out a cold chuckle. "Don't worry, Xiaohui. Even if she put you up to it, you don't need to cover for her."

Rong Jun inwardly lamented his fate. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, "No, sir. I intended to ask him for a favor, but he ended up playing games with me instead. In the end, Auntie Shen couldn't watch anymore and spoke up for fairness, and then this person left, overcome with shame."

Shen Wancai couldn't help but burst into loud laughter, as if he had heard the most absurd joke. "He left, overcome with shame? Hahahaha!"

Shen Wancai’s laughter instantly drew everyone's attention. The great hall fell silent, echoing only with his exaggerated mirth.

Rong Jun’s heart pounded wildly. Shen Wancai’s laughter made him nervous, so he passed the buck to Fourth Aunt Li Xiaoxian. "Uncle Shen, if you don't believe me, you can ask Auntie Shen."

Shen Wancai stopped laughing and turned to Li Xiaoxian, his eyes already brimming with impatience and suppressed rage.

Li Xiaoxian had managed to secure her position in the Shen family based on more than just her looks. Seeing Shen Wancai poised like a volcano ready to erupt and unleash thunderous fury at any moment, her heart trembled, and she hurried forward. However, unlike Shen Hui, she didn't dare play games with Shen Wancai at this juncture. She immediately confessed. "Old Shen, I was the one who chased him away. But he was utterly rude; he showed no respect even to me. Why on earth did you invite someone like that?"

Shen Wancai suppressed his fury and lowered his voice. "Do you know why I invited him?"

Li Xiaoxian said dismissively, "Isn't it to find a tutor for You'er and Xiaohui? Oh, Old Shen, there are so many good teachers in the world; why did you have to find him?"

Shen Wancai was trembling with barely contained anger, his hands shaking, but he kept his rage in check. "A tutor? What an idea! Even if I wanted to find a top graduate from Harvard to be a tutor, I could find a dozen with a mere call! But... but someone like Li Yundong—do you know how much effort it took for me to invite him? I was worried my old face wouldn't carry enough weight, so I specifically approached Yin Mengfan, who had some acquaintance with him, and asked Yin Mengfan to contact Zhou Qin, just so he would show respect for the sake of others, if not for me! I begged him to come!"

Shen Wancai shuddered as he spoke. "And you, with a casual sentence, chased him off? Do you know how hard it is to invite someone like him? Do you know how high-minded and proud people like them are?"

Li Xiaoxian inwardly realized the situation was dire, but with so many people watching, she refused to concede verbally. "Old Shen, it’s Xiaohui’s birthday today. What are you doing? If it’s that bad, just go and bring him back."

Shen Wancai let out a cold 'ha.' "Fine. You drove him away; you go bring him back! Remember, invite him back!"

Li Xiaoxian’s smile froze. She whispered, "Old Shen, it’s Xiaohui’s birthday; there’s no need to embarrass me in front of so many people."

Shen Wancai returned the cold mockery without hesitation. "Did you ever show me any consideration? When you drove him away, did you think of me at all?"

Li Xiaoxian’s smile instantly became extremely unpleasant. Shen You, standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, "Father, are you mistaken? Are you making things difficult for my mother over an outsider?"

Shen Wancai finally lost control. His anger exploded like a volcano, and he roared at Shen You, "Am I still the one whose word counts in this household?!"

This single roar terrified everyone!

Li Xiaoxian immediately pulled Shen You aside and forced a smile at Shen Wancai. "Old Shen, please don't be angry. I’ll go bring him back right now."

Saying that, she quickly hurried out.

Only then did the guests in the hall begin to murmur amongst themselves. Most of them knew Shen Wancai and understood that the Old Master doted on his Fourth Auntie above all others. They had almost never seen him lose his temper so severely in front of so many people. They began to speculate wildly: just who was this guest that Shen Wancai had personally invited?

Li Xiaoxian felt deeply wronged as soon as she left the door. She had never been made to feel so humiliated in public in her entire life; tears were close to falling. But having lived in a wealthy family for so long, she was already mentally prepared. This wave of emotion lasted only a moment before vanishing. She quickly composed herself and rushed to ask the servants for the whereabouts of Li Yundong and Su Chan, then hurried after them.

Li Yundong and Su Chan hadn't gotten far, only about two hundred meters, when they heard an anxious shout from behind them. "Young Master Li, please wait! Please wait!"

Li Yundong turned around with a smile and said to Su Chan, "See? Didn't I tell you someone would come looking for us?"

Su Chan pouted high, looking decidedly unhappy. "Do we really have to go back?"

Li Yundong smiled and patted the little girl's head. "I'll listen to you. If you say we go back, we go back; if you say we don't, we don't, okay?"

Su Chan smiled brilliantly and nodded. "Alright then! I’m going to give her a good scolding, and then we’ll leave, just to make her angry!" With that, the little girl turned, looking mischievously at the approaching Li Xiaoxian.

Li Xiaoxian was no fool. She immediately sensed that Su Chan was determined to make things difficult for her, while Li Yundong stood by, clearly enjoying the spectacle. She quickly formulated a plan.

Li Xiaoxian offered a forced smile to Su Chan and Li Yundong. "I apologize, truly, I am sorry. It seems like we've had a misunderstanding; I failed to recognize you as honored guests invited by our Old Shen."

Su Chan snorted. "You realize it now? Too late! What were you doing before?"

Li Xiaoxian tried to maintain her smile. "As the saying goes, acquaintance often begins with a quarrel. Little sister, please be magnanimous and forgive me this once, alright?"

Su Chan stuck out her tongue at Li Xiaoxian and chided, "I won't forgive you! I hate people like you—bullying others with status, looking down on people!"

Li Xiaoxian saw that Su Chan was absolutely resolved not to return. She grew anxious. Feeling both aggrieved and fearful of facing Shen Wancai without Li Yundong, she felt a mix of shame and guilt, and suddenly, tears began to fall, pat-pat.

Su Chan was taken aback and couldn't help but glance at Li Yundong. She was kind-hearted and soft-natured; seeing this person cry, her anger immediately softened by seven parts. The little girl looked pleadingly at Li Yundong and whispered softly, "Yundong, what should we do?"

Li Yundong smiled at Li Xiaoxian and said, "Don't cry. Let's talk things out calmly."

Li Xiaoxian wiped her tears. "I know what I said earlier was a bit excessive, but I beg the two esteemed experts to forgive me this once for Old Shen's sake, alright? If not for Old Shen, then for Yin Mengfan, for Zhou Qin—for the sake of others, can you forgive me?"

Li Yundong sighed softly. "If you knew this day would come, why do it in the first place? To be honest, I didn't want to come to this banquet at all. But CEO Yin Mengfan showed me kindness in the past, and I haven't had a chance to repay her. Furthermore, when my tea house opened, she showed great generosity and added prestige to the ceremony. I have no way to repay her. So, rather than saying it's for Shen Wancai or Zhou Qin, it's better to say it's for CEO Yin's sake. Otherwise, you would never have managed to catch up to me."

Seeing a turn in the conversation, Li Xiaoxian instantly stopped crying and broke into a smile. She quickly said, "Yes, yes! It’s good that Young Master Li doesn't mind and isn't angry. I will apologize to you later and toast you."

Li Yundong smiled and waved his hand. "Let's skip the toast; I don't drink." Then, smiling at Su Chan, he asked, "How about it? Shall we go back?"

Although Su Chan knew Li Yundong had already made up his mind, she was immensely pleased that he showed consideration for her opinion in front of an outsider. Her heart felt sweet. She smiled sweetly and said, "Wherever you go, I go. Why are you asking me?"

Li Yundong nodded with a smile and told Li Xiaoxian, "Lead the way, please."

Li Xiaoxian quickly nodded, taking on the manner of a careful young wife, cautiously leading the way.

In the villa's main hall, Shen Hui felt every moment drag like a year. She was terrified that Li Xiaoxian wouldn't be able to bring Li Yundong back; then the Old Master’s rage would be disastrous, and she certainly wouldn't escape blame. Yet, Shen Hui feared even more that if Li Xiaoxian did manage to bring Li Yundong back, she would be forced to become his apprentice!

While Shen Hui was frantically pacing like an ant on a hot surface, she suddenly heard a gasp from her female companions who had gathered nearby. "Oh my, that handsome guy is back!"

Shen Hui looked up and indeed saw Li Xiaoxian leading Li Yundong and Su Chan back into the hall. She instantly cried out in despair, "It's over, I can't escape this time!"

The girls nearby were utterly bewildered and asked, "Huihui, is becoming a disciple of such a handsome guy so painful?"

Shen Hui ground her teeth and said, "You all don't know, this man is a complete lecher!"

The girls burst into laughter. "A lecher? Wonderful! We like that kind!"

Shen Hui looked frantic and exclaimed, "Please stop messing around! What's so great about having a teacher? I won't have any freedom at all!"

The girls exchanged glances and nodded. "That's true, but what exactly are you supposed to learn from him?"

This question stumped Shen Hui. She couldn't help but think: Right, the Old Master keeps insisting I become his apprentice, but what am I supposed to learn from him?

As she pondered this, a sly thought sparked in her mind. A trace of cunning flashed in her eyes, and she turned to the girls beside her with a smile. "Do you want to know what he can do?"

These girls had long wanted to strike up a conversation with the newcomer. Hearing Shen Hui say this, they all nodded eagerly.

Shen Hui chuckled slyly. "Actually, he can perform magic tricks! You can ask him to do magic tricks later. This guy can do magic! No matter how difficult the trick, he can pull it off. Best of all, whatever you ask him to conjure, he can conjure it!"

The girls' eyes lit up when they heard this. "That amazing? Is he better than Liu Qian?"

Shen Hui threw her head back and laughed heartily. "Of course! If you don't believe me, try it yourselves later!"

With that, Shen Hui thought smugly to herself: Hmph, if this fellow can actually perform the trick, I’ll admit defeat. But if he can't, hehe, then this apprenticeship is called off! Hahahaha, I’m a genius!"

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