A Single Person's Infinite Wonderful Life

Shiina Mari said in a somewhat hurried tone, "Li Weijun, my father is extorting you! You even offered him 100 million yen, doubling the amount. I don't know what you're thinking."

Li Wei said, "Compared to Yashu-kun, what is this piece of waste paper? I once thought about making him a reliable man, so that he could inherit my mantle and become an excellent doctor. Like you, I don't want to see this happen. This little bit of money can't fill the void in your hearts. I can only say that I'm doing my best."

Shiina Mari fell silent. The man before her was someone who couldn't be fathomed by common sense. With this huge sum of money, the family's financial situation would suddenly become very comfortable. It wasn't that they could have whatever they wanted, but the survival problems that troubled ordinary people would no longer bother this family.

However, Shiina Mari felt distressed because this huge sum of money was essentially her brother's life-saving money. Although Li Wei had offered to give her the money, her father's attitude, especially the stark contrast between his previous and subsequent actions, was unacceptable to her.

Li Wei sighed, "Jasmine, I know you accept this reality, but if I were just an ordinary person, I couldn't do much besides offering a few bland words of comfort. However, I am a person with superpowers. Since I possess abilities beyond those of ordinary people, I naturally have to do more than ordinary people. Uncle and Aunt have to accept the pain of losing their child. Since I can help, I can use this method to make their future lives full of color again."

Shiina Mari didn't know what to say, but she remembered a sentence she had once seen: "If you have money, you can do whatever you want."

However, unlike those arrogant rich people, Shiina Mari felt that Li Wei was a very responsible person, and that someone like Li Wei was very rare.

Moreover, she was utterly disappointed in her father. When they first started talking on the phone, her father spoke in a serious tone, but when Li Wei offered compensation, and a huge sum at that, her father's attitude changed completely. He became arrogant at first but obsequious at second, like a clown.

The stark contrast between then and now completely shattered the image of her father as a towering figure in her heart, making her realize that in his mind, human life could be measured in money. She feared that if she encountered a similar situation in the future, her father would handle it in the same way, a thought that chilled her to the bone.

Li Wei stood behind Shiina Mari with a playful smile. The reason he had switched his phone to speakerphone was so that Shiina Mari could hear their conversation clearly.

Faced with enormous profits, very few ordinary people can uphold their principles. Li Wei's proposed huge sum, presented as compensation, inherently places him on a moral high ground, making it difficult for Shiina Mari to understand his motives. After all, a hundred million yen is no small sum even for the wealthy; only someone as financially secure as Li Wei could employ such psychological tactics.

Now, the seed of rebellion has been planted in Shiina Mari's heart, and soon, this seed will sprout and blossom, making Shiina Mari understand what she should do.

Li Wei patted Shiina Mari on the shoulder and said, "Adults have their own troubles too. Uncle has had a tough time too. Mari, this is the only thing I can do for this family."

Shiina Mari wanted to say something, but her mind was a complete mess. She just felt extremely uncomfortable, as if she were drowning.

Chapter 4. The Seeds of Rebellion

Shiina Mari returned to her room, dejected. The phone call she had just received made her feel betrayed by her father. Some things, once started, are hard to stop.

She didn't even know how she got back to her room. When she returned, she lay down on her cot on the floor, staring at the ceiling in a daze.

However, her mind was in turmoil, a chaotic storm of thoughts. She thought about many things, and the more she thought, the more uneasy she felt. Especially when images of her younger brother, Shiina Aki, appeared in her mind, she would always recall the words her father had said. Comparing the two, her fear and disgust towards her father intensified.

Not long after Shiina Mari left, Yukimoto Yuzu and several other girls who were studying in China came to Li Wei's bedroom. They had previously agreed with Li Wei that the following time would be dedicated to their tutoring.

The three girls, carrying their own study materials, sat down at the long table that Li Wei had specially made.

Yuzu Yukimoto placed her materials on the long table and said, "Brother Li Wei, I think I just saw Miss Jasmine. She seemed really off, like something bad had happened to her."

Li Wei said, "It's because he knows there's no way to find his younger brother that he's so sad. Four days have passed since Aki-kun went missing, enough time for many things to happen. Even if we continue searching, the chances are slim. Right now, it's unknown whether Aki-kun is still in Japan."

Yuzu Yukimoto said, "Although it may be a bit unkind of me to say this, it's normal that we can't find him in this situation. Everyone in Tokyo knows what's going on lately, and everyone's become more cautious. For someone to swagger out like that at this time, he's very popular with certain perverts."

Li Wei said, "We can't use victim blaming to characterize this kind of thing. After all, Aki is also a victim in this matter. Also, it's fine to say these things in private, but don't let Miss Jasmine hear them, otherwise, they'll definitely start arguing."

Yuzu Yukimoto said, "I understand that, but speaking of which, Miss Jasmine's mental state has been getting worse and worse these past few days, and her appetite isn't very good either. At noon, I saw that she didn't eat much. If this continues, her health will suffer."

Kazami Yuri and Tsukimi Sumire nodded in agreement. Shiina Mari's condition had indeed been visibly poor these past few days, with dark circles under her eyes every day, indicating that her sleep quality at night was not good.

Sumire Tsukimi said, "So how do we wrap up Shiina Aki's matter? Even though he can't be found, there still has to be some resolution, right?"

Li Wei said, "I have spoken with Yashu's father and I can feel his pain, so I gave him a generous offer that will help him get out of his grief."

Li Wei originally wanted to say that it was a condition the other party couldn't refuse, but that sounded too sinister, making him seem like a mafia godfather. So, he changed his mind at the last minute.

Through the monitoring of the paper cranes, Li Wei had a considerable understanding of Shiina Aki's parents. After learning that he would receive a huge compensation of 100 million Japanese yen, Shiina Aki's father was so happy that he almost fainted. He immediately called his wife to share the good news.

To Li Wei's utter dismay, this couple, as Shiina Aki's parents, didn't seem to be much of a shock at her disappearance. It's understandable that Shiina Aki harbored resentment towards her parents. After learning they were about to receive a huge sum of money, the two began making plans, meticulously outlining how to use it.

Both of them wore bright smiles, showing no sign of the grief they had just experienced from losing their child. Unfortunately, this scene couldn't be recorded and shown to Shiina Mari. If Shiina Mari saw her parents' attitude like this, she would probably choose to leave home like Shiina Aki.

Li Wei said, "This matter can only be left as it is. It's a real pity that we couldn't find the person."

The three girls were all thinking that not finding him might not be a bad thing. Shiina Aki was a ticking time bomb in Sunohara-sou, and now that this time bomb had brought about his own demise, they no longer needed to worry about their personal safety in Sunohara-sou. After all, no one knew what Shiina Aki might do. If the other side brought some kind of sleeping pills or anesthetics, then there would be big trouble.

Therefore, Shiina Aki's disappearance might not be a bad thing for the three of them. Of course, considering their image in Li Wei's eyes, they wouldn't say such obvious gloating aloud; at most, they would celebrate in private.

Kazami Yuri approached Li Wei, placed her textbook in front of him, and pressed herself against him, saying, "Brother Li Wei, I don't quite understand this part. Could you please explain it to me?"

Li Wei said, "No problem. This is indeed a difficult point. Although detailed self-study steps have been provided, it is still a bit challenging for your age. We'll start explaining from here..."

Kazami Yuri leaned against Li Wei, and gradually, she sat on his lap, nestled against him like a little bird. Li Wei knew exactly what she was thinking. Having seen this many times before, he was quite adept at remaining unmoved by her advances.

Kazami Yuri's little scheme naturally didn't escape the notice of the other two girls. With Kazami Yuri's behavior as an example, Yukimoto Yuzu and Tsukimi Risuke became bolder and took the opportunity to snuggle into Li Wei's arms while asking questions.

When the tutoring session ended, the three girls were all satisfied. Although they hadn't made it to the final stage, they were content with their current progress. They understood very well that haste makes waste. Moreover, having witnessed their situation, the three girls learned to stick together. Compared to other girls, they were still young and lacked the charm of women, unable to directly compete with their older sisters. Therefore, sticking together for mutual support became their tactic, and so far, they felt this tactic had been quite effective.

Chapter 4. Deteriorating Relationship

That night, Shiina Mari called her mother, hoping to get some comfort from her. However, to her disappointment, her mother, like her father, had fallen into a frenzy over the huge sum of money—hundreds of millions of yen. To her surprise, the hundred million yen promised by Li Wei had already been transferred before 7 p.m., and now the Shiina family was suddenly rich.

Her mother's words made her feel extremely uncomfortable, and she lost the desire to chat. After exchanging a few perfunctory words with her mother, she hung up the phone.

Unable to sleep, Shiina Mari tossed and turned on her futon on the floor. She felt like she was going crazy. If she stayed at home, she would definitely run away because she couldn't stand the atmosphere. Not only had her father betrayed her and her brother, but her mother had too.

She had never imagined that money could change a person so drastically. Witnessing such a thing happen firsthand left her feeling chilled to the bone. Li Wei had indeed given the compensation out of good intentions, but this good intention revealed her parents' true colors, making her feel both alienated and terrified. Why had her father and mother become such frightening figures?

Shiina Mari picked up her phone from the side and checked the time. It was already past 10 p.m., and it would soon be midnight, but she was wide awake and her mind was filled with chaotic thoughts.

Shiina Mari hesitated for a moment, then got up, dressed, and left her room. When she quietly stopped in front of Li Wei's door, she hesitated, wondering whether to knock and wake him up.

Just as she was hesitating, the door to the room suddenly opened, and Li Wei, wearing glasses and holding a teacup, stood in the doorway, looking at her with surprise.

Li Wei said, "You're still up so late? It's bad for a girl's skin if she stays up too late."

Shiina Mari smiled bitterly, "I know about this, but I just can't sleep. I haven't been able to get a proper rest for several days. After all, what has happened these past few days is hard for me to accept. I know that Aki is not coming back, but my life has to go on. I guess I need some time to process this."

Li Wei said, "I can understand how you feel right now. It's really hard to lose someone important. And this feeling will last for a very long time. Even long afterward, just thinking about it will still make you feel a tightness in your chest."

Shiina Mari was surprised. Although Li Wei didn't look very old, his face was full of stories and his eyes were full of vicissitudes. She felt that Li Wei must have experienced a lot, and perhaps, like her, he had also experienced the pain of losing someone important.

Li Wei said, "If you can't sleep, then come with me, but I need to get a Coke from the fridge first."

Li Wei took the cola and led Shiina Mari to the balcony of the building. He wrapped his arms around Shiina Mari's slender waist, and before Shiina Mari could even scream, he had already jumped onto the roof with her.

Shiina Mari was startled, but when her feet touched the roof, the feeling of solid ground beneath her feet gave her a sense of security.

The renovated Chunyuan Manor has a very gentle roof slope, so you don't have to worry about slipping off the roof.

Li Wei said, "If you're in a bad mood, look at the starry sky. Looking at the vast starry sky will probably make you feel better."

Shiina Mari looked up at the sky. Due to light pollution in the city, and with the sky covered in clouds, she could only see dark clouds that were shrouded in orange light. She couldn't see the stars, or even the moon.

Shiina Mari said disappointedly, "There aren't any stars at all..."

Li Wei laughed and said, "If I say there is, then there will definitely be. Although I am not good at finding people, I do have power. The reason why we can't see the stars is because the clouds are too thick and are blocking the starry sky. So I will blow the clouds away."

Shiina Mari said, "How could such a thing be possible?"

Li Wei said, "Believe me, the starry sky will appear before you soon."

Li Wei pointed one hand towards the sky, and with a muffled bang, a blue light bullet shot from his palm into the sky. The light bullet was incredibly fast, like a shooting star flying in reverse, with a long trail. It instantly entered the clouds and then exploded. The huge impact directly blew away all the clouds, leaving the sky above the entire city cloudless.

Without the obstruction of clouds, and with the help of magic, a dazzling starry sky appeared above Shiina Mari's head like a giant screen.

Shiina Mari stared in disbelief at the change, speechless with astonishment. Such power to alter the heavens would have been worshipped as a god or demon by ignorant ordinary people in ancient times.

Li Wei said, "The night sky is exceptionally bright tonight, as beautiful as an oil painting. This is the first time I've ever seen such a starry sky. I'm so glad I saw it, Jasmine."

Shiina Mari snapped out of her daze and exclaimed, "This?! How did they do that?!"

Li Wei said calmly, "It was just firing a qi blast into the sky and blowing away the clouds, so what? Is it that strange?"

"That's really weird! That blue, meteor-like thing, you shot it out, Li Wei-kun?! Li Wei-kun, you're like those superpowered people fighting in the streets, you have special abilities?!" Shiina Mari could no longer maintain her composure. Although she knew Li Wei was no ordinary person, she didn't know that Li Wei's strength would be so exaggerated, able to change the weather with his own power.

Li Wei said, "Yes, most of the strong in the inner world, except for a few very special individuals, can release their internal energy to achieve long-range killing effects. I'm no exception. But now is not the time to worry about these trivial matters. The starry sky, the starry sky is the most important!"

Li Wei took out his phone from his pocket, pointed it at the dazzling lights overhead, switched the camera to night mode, and pressed the virtual shutter button.

Following Li Wei's gaze, Shiina Mari also began to admire the night sky. In the past, she had only seen such a starry sky in picture books, but now she saw such a beautiful sight with her own eyes. If it weren't for Li Wei, she might never have seen such a view in her entire life.

Beautiful scenery can make one forget their troubles for a short time. Shiina Mari glanced at Li Wei beside her; he was intently taking pictures with his phone. She had been in a terrible mood for the past few days, but now she finally felt a little better, all thanks to Li Wei.

Chapter 4. Psychological Induction

Shiina Mari realized that she was only fortunate enough to see the brilliant starry sky in her childhood hometown. At that time, she was only a few years old. Back then, she didn't have many worries. Just an ice cream or a piece of watermelon could make her happy for half a day.

As she grew up, she learned more and more, but she also became increasingly unhappy. However, she found joy in playing the role of a parent and raising her younger brother.

It's like a raising simulation game, only this one is a real-life version. Watching her younger brother, under her guidance, embark on a path she loves gives her a great sense of accomplishment. She knows that it's problematic for a boy to appear too delicate, but she just can't control herself. Shiina Aki's natural features are just too good; if he wears girls' clothes, without makeup or any other embellishment, he'll be mistaken for a girl.

Although this caused Shiina Aki a lot of trouble, she still enjoyed it immensely and was proud to have such a cute younger brother.

But now, all of that is in the past. From this moment on, whether she likes it or not, her life has entered a new chapter.

Although Shiina Mari was unwilling to accept it, it was the truth, and accepting reality was her only way out. It wasn't a choice, because she had no other options.

Li Wei said, "Jasmine, life is never perfect. The more you want something, the less likely you are to get it. So I always look forward. Although I am a nostalgic person, sometimes being nostalgic is not a good habit. Being nostalgic means being dragged down by your memories and unable to get out of the past for a long time. I don't want you to be like that, so I will keep an eye on you to help you get rid of the past."

Shiina Mari said, "I understand. I will get rid of the shadow as quickly as possible."

A muffled explosion came from afar. Shiina Mari stood up and looked in the direction of the sound. Flames from the explosion rose up, and she seemed to hear people screaming. Faintly, she could also hear the sound of sirens.

Shiina Mari said, "What happened again? That direction... it feels like it's still some distance from here."

Li Wei said, "In Tokyo now, this has become the norm. It's relatively quiet here, but other places could become battlefields at any time. Of the three secret scrolls, two have been found so far, leaving only the last scroll missing. But even the two scrolls that have been found have changed hands several times and been owned by several different people. No ruthless person has been able to hold onto this thing."

Shiina Mari said, "Is that legend true? To be honest, I still can't quite believe that such power exists in the world. To be able to obtain power that surpasses all things by collecting all three scrolls, it's just like a plot from a manga."

Li Wei said, "I also hope this is just a plot in a comic book. After all, so many people wouldn't die. These guys in Tokyo have dragged many innocent people into the fight over the secret scroll. I can't stop such things. The only thing I can do is protect the people around me and help them get through this difficult time."

Shiina Mari said, "Tokyo is very chaotic, but once you leave Tokyo, people outside are completely indifferent to what's happening here. Even I knew very little about what was going on here before."

Shiina Mari knew that Tokyo had a population of over 20 million and was one of Japan's three major metropolitan areas, but she had previously been in the Nagoya metropolitan area, so she focused on things in that area. The Tokyo metropolitan area was simply too far away for her.

In Japan, the three major metropolitan areas are essentially operating independently, with numerous smaller cities and towns connected below them. The amount of information that ordinary people can absorb is limited, so people tend to focus on information from wherever they live. As for things happening far away, for modern people, especially busy Japanese, it's a luxury.