Middle-aged tycoon: Twins come knocking on his door when he goes home for Chinese New Year

Li Ze had just stuffed the heavy suitcase into the Audi's trunk, the lid not yet closed.

Zhang Ruoran had already rushed forward in two steps.

She reached out and grabbed Li Mengli's wrist as she was about to climb into the passenger seat.

"Mengli, get down."

"Don't get in his car. Mom just called a taxi, it'll be there in two minutes. Mom can afford the taxi fare, and we don't want to owe anyone a favor."

Li Menghan followed closely behind and stood by the car door, blocking it like a goalkeeper.

His young eyes were full of hostility as he glared fiercely at Li Ze, then turned to his sister and said:

"Yeah, sis, why did you insist on riding in his car?"

"We're family. We can ride in Mom's car or take a taxi together, it's fine."

"This man may have some money, but he's not our father. We may be poor, but we can't lose our integrity."

Li Mengli felt somewhat helpless as her mother held her wrist.

She glanced at her angry brother, then at her mother whose face was ashen.

He glanced one last time at Li Ze, who stood to the side looking somewhat lost.

She sighed, but instead of getting out of the car, she gently took her mother's hand in return.

Li Mengli's voice was gentle, with a hint of pleading:

"Mom, Xiaohan, please don't do this."

"No matter what happened in the past, he's back after all."

"Judging from his attitude just now, he genuinely wants to make amends and is willing to apologize."

"We're family by blood, after all. Why do we have to act like enemies meeting each other?"

"Even just giving him a chance to explain would be helpful."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruoran's body trembled slightly.

She released Li Mengli's hand, a hint of disappointment and heartache flashing in her eyes.

"An explanation? An opportunity?"

Zhang Ruoran gave a cold laugh and said with reddened eyes:

"Mengli, have you forgotten the pain once the wound has healed?"

"Have you forgotten how you grew up?"

"Have you forgotten the days when the three of us, mother and son, crammed into that drafty tin shack?"

"If he hadn't left, if he hadn't abandoned us, would we have suffered for those eighteen years?"

Li Menghan added indignantly from the side:

"Exactly! Sis, don't be fooled by his sweet talk."

"Have you forgotten what it used to be like when Mom washed dishes in the winter?"

"In the freezing cold, his hands were covered in chilblains, the cracks looked like a child's mouth, and they were excruciatingly painful when they touched water."

"To save money for our medicine, Mom wouldn't even buy herself a pair of gloves."

"Where was he then? He was enjoying a life of luxury abroad!"

Hearing his son's accusations, Li Ze felt as if his heart had been squeezed tightly.

It hurts, it hurts too much.

He subconsciously looked at Zhang Ruoran's hand.

Although it's well-maintained now, you can still vaguely see that the knuckles of my fingers are a bit thick, a mark left by years of hard work.

Li Ze opened his mouth, wanting to say sorry, but found that his throat felt like it was blocked with cotton, and he couldn't make a sound.

At this moment, any words seem pale and powerless.

Li Mengli's eyes were also red inside the car.

She certainly remembered those hard days; every cold night was etched into her very bones.

However, she looked into Li Ze's eyes, which were filled with guilt and self-reproach.

The woman's intuition told her that this man was not heartless.

Li Mengli sniffed, but still insisted on saying:

"Mom, I know, I remember everything."

"But... I think Dad is a good person at heart."

"I asked him the same question on the train. He said there was a reason he left, and it wasn't for another woman."

"Since he's said that, why don't we hear what the real reason is?"

Zhang Ruoran took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the bitterness in her heart.

She turned around and stared intently at Li Ze, her eyes sharp as knives:

"OK."

"Since your daughter has pleaded for you, I'll give you a chance."

"Li Ze, tell me this clearly in front of the child."

"Back then, you left a letter and vanished without a trace. What was the enormous reason behind that?"

"If you can give me a convincing reason, I'll let you take your daughter home."

All eyes immediately turned to Li Ze.

Li Mengli looked expectant, Li Menghan looked disdainful, and Zhang Ruoran looked scrutinizing.

Li Ze stood in the cold wind, but his palms were sweating.

reason?

The real reason is that he is bound to a super-rich system that will cause him to explode if he doesn't go abroad.

But can you really say that?

Who would believe that if I told them?

I bet not only won't believe him, but they'll also think he's crazy.

Or perhaps it's a ridiculous excuse fabricated to evade responsibility.

Li Ze remained silent.

He looked at Zhang Ruoran, his lips moved, but in the end he couldn't reveal the truth about the system.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

In Zhang Ruoran's eyes, Li Ze's silence was a sign of guilt and an inability to respond.

The faint glimmer of hope in Zhang Ruoran's eyes was completely extinguished, replaced by a deeper disappointment.

She gave a cold laugh, spread her hands, and said to her daughter:

"See, Mengli."

What's wrong with your father?

"He simply couldn't explain it! Because there was no real reason; he was just selfish and pleasure-seeking!"

Looking at her silent father, Li Mengli was extremely anxious, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

Dad, you usually seem like a very shrewd person, how come you let us down at such a crucial moment?

Even just making one up would be helpful!

Just then, Li Menghan decided she didn't want to waste any more time.

He grabbed Zhang Ruoran's arm and said:

"Mom, that's enough, stop arguing with him."

"Let's get in the car and go back. It's too cold outside, don't catch a cold."

"As for my sister, if she wants to ride in his car, let her ride."

"Anyway, out of sight, out of mind, let's go our separate ways."

After saying that, Li Menghan pulled Zhang Ruoran towards the old Volkswagen without saying another word.

Zhang Ruoran gave Li Ze one last deep look, her eyes filled with such complex emotions that Li Ze dared not look her in the eye.

In the end, she got into the car with her son.

With a "bang," the Volkswagen door slammed shut.

With the engine roaring, the somewhat old Volkswagen spewed out a puff of white smoke and slowly drove away from the roadside.

Watching her mother and younger brother drive away, Li Mengli, sitting in the Audi, let out a long sigh.

"Sigh... what kind of mess is this?"

Li Ze watched as his daughter didn't leave with him, but instead sat comfortably in the passenger seat.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

At least, there's one person on his side.

Li Ze got into the driver's seat and closed the car door.

The car's warm air conditioning instantly shut out the harsh cold outside.

He fastened his seatbelt, started the car, and followed the Volkswagen at a moderate distance.

The carriage was quiet for a while.

Li Mengli turned her head, her large eyes, which looked remarkably like Zhang Ruoran's, staring intently at Li Ze:

"Dad, there are no outsiders here now."

Can you tell me the truth?

"What exactly was the reason back then?"

Li Ze tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

He knew that since his daughter had chosen to believe him, he had to give a reasonable explanation.

Even a white lie.

Li Ze looked at the road ahead, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke, his voice somewhat low:

"Mengli, actually back then..."

"It's because I have a brother who discovered a very good way to make money abroad."

"You know, your mother and I were very poor back then."

"So poor that they have to calculate for ages even to eat meat, let alone buy a house or a car."

"I was young and ambitious back then, and I didn't want your mother to suffer with me for the rest of her life."

"I was thinking of taking a gamble to secure a future for your mother."

As Li Ze made up his story, he tried to justify the lie to himself.

This reason, though old-fashioned, was indeed the reason many men went abroad in that era.

"That opportunity was fleeting, and my brother was urging me to leave immediately."

"I was afraid your mother would worry, and I was also afraid she would stop me from going, so I didn't dare to tell her in person, I just left a letter."

Li Mengli listened attentively and did not interrupt.

Li Ze sighed and continued:

"I originally thought that after going to America, I would only need a year or two to earn enough money before coming back."

Even if I don't make a fortune, making enough to buy a house is fine.

"But I never expected..."

"Once we got there, the situation was completely out of control."

"My business went wrong, I was detained there, and I lost my documents."

"To survive, to turn my life around, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and keep fighting there."

"This struggle has lasted for eighteen years."

At this point, Li Ze's voice trembled slightly.

Although the story is fictional, the helplessness and longing for family are real.

"If God gave me another chance to start over."

"Even if I die of poverty or starvation, I will never leave your mother's side."

"I will definitely make it clear to her that even if she breaks my legs, I will not leave."

After Li Ze finished speaking, his eyes became a little moist.

That last sentence was his true feeling.

After listening, Li Mengli remained silent for a while.

She reached out and gently patted the back of Li Ze's hand, which was resting on the gear shift, as if to comfort him.

"Dad, it sounds a bit like a scene from a TV drama..."

"But I believe in you."

Li Ze felt a warmth in his heart and looked at his daughter with gratitude.

But then, Li Mengli changed the subject, her tone carrying a hint of complaint:

"But Dad, you're so heartless."

Even if it's for making money, even if the business goes wrong.

"For the past eighteen years, why didn't you ever make a phone call or write a letter back?"

"Even just letting them know you're safe would be helpful."

Do you know how many years Mom has waited for your call?

Li Ze gave a wry smile; he had already devised a patch for this vulnerability long ago.

"I have contacted them, how could I not have contacted them?"

"For the first few years after I arrived there, I called China every day."

"But your mother's number is no longer in service."

"I wanted to write a letter, but at that time I was constantly moving to avoid debt collectors, and I didn't even have a fixed address."

"In addition, communication was not well-developed at that time, and I was abroad, so I couldn't contact my friends in China at all."

"We've completely lost contact, and I'm as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, but there's nothing I can do."

Li Mengli thought for a moment and nodded:

"Too."

"Back then, my mother moved us from the countryside to Wuhan, and then from a tin shed to a rented room. We did change our phone numbers several times."

"And back then, international calls were indeed difficult to make."

Although the reasoning is somewhat far-fetched, it is at least logically sound.

Kind-hearted Li Mengli chose to believe.

The atmosphere inside the car relaxed a little.

Li Mengli looked at the scenery rushing past the car window, and then at the understated yet extremely comfortable luxury car.

Her curiosity was piqued again.

She turned her head, blinked her big eyes, and looked at Li Ze with a gossipy expression:

"Dad, since you said you've been fighting over there for eighteen years..."

"Look at the entourage of bodyguards at the train station, and the car you're driving now..."

"Although this car doesn't look as flashy as those sports cars, I just looked it up, and it's still a decent car worth hundreds of thousands."

"And the sunglasses-wearing uncle who delivered the car to you was so respectful to you."

Li Mengli leaned closer and asked in a low voice:

"Dad, how much money have you actually made in these past eighteen years?"

"Do you have a small goal?"