Li Xiaoya returned home from school to find her grandfather and the others discussing the news of a wealthy tycoon's death.
"Du Lu died very suddenly," someone remarked.
"Everyone thought Ke Muning was rushing over to kill the second young master and the little young master. No one expected him to suddenly change course and kill Du Lu instead," Wei Lin sighed.
"Oh, Xiaoya's back," Wei Lin said, his face softening into a gentle smile.
Was it because of Li Xiaoya's quick wit and intelligence that the three of them—uncle and nephews—had managed to escape with their lives this time?
Apparently not.
They had simply been lucky.
It turned out that Ke Muning's initial target had always been Du Lu. The Wei brothers were just a decoy!
"Who's Du Lu?" Li Xiaoya asked curiously.
"I think it's best if we don't let Xiaoya hear about these things," Wei Lin said, glancing at Wei Xuanming's expression.
"There's nothing she can't hear. Sit down," Wei Xuanming gestured for a servant to take her schoolbag.
Wei Wenjuan chimed in, "Bring some snacks and desserts."
The servant acknowledged and left.
Soon, a duet of cracking sounds filled the air—Wei Wenqing was shelling hazelnuts on the left, while Wei Wenjuan was cracking walnuts on the right.
Of course, it was all for Li Xiaoya to eat.
The old master's eyelid twitched at the sight, feeling a twinge of sourness in his heart. He hadn't enjoyed such treatment himself in all these years.
Wei Lin's mouth twitched uncontrollably, thinking this was somewhat exaggerated.
His concerns seemed superfluous in this scenario. These two masters had been reinvigorated by Li Xiaoya's arrival, their spirits lifted, even willing to go out now. But where was all that energy being directed?
They weren't asking the old master for control of the company, nor were they fighting with him.
It was all being spent on doting on Li Xiaoya!
"Grandpa, who exactly is Du Lu?" Li Xiaoya asked again, munching on the nuts.
"The president of Yuemei Airlines."
"Airlines?"
"Yes, many of the flight routes to destinations around the world belong to their company."
Li Xiaoya nodded, understanding now. He was a very wealthy man who owned planes.
Wei Lin suddenly said, "Ke Muning is truly vicious."
As he spoke, he kept a close eye on Li Xiaoya's changing expressions.
"They didn't actually have any direct conflict. It was just because Ke Muning cut off Du Lu's brother-in-law's ear, and after that, Du Lu refused to do business with Ke Muning. So he killed him," Wei Lin shook his head. "He's really quite mercurial and brutal."
Li Xiaoya turned to him, "Uncle Wei Lin, did you provoke such a terrifying enemy?"
Wei Lin hadn't expected to shoot himself in the foot. His expression froze for a moment before he asked, "Who told you that?"
Wei Xuanming calmly interjected, "Yes, he messed it up. But it was his first assignment, and after botching it, he didn't try to hide it but sought help from above. He still took the right path, more or less."
Wei Wenjuan's lips curled in a mocking smile, but he said nothing. His father had always been lenient towards Wei Lin.
"Uncle Wei Lin, how many more times have you messed up like this?" Li Xiaoya asked seriously.
Wei Lin's expression grew even more rigid. "Where is this coming from?"
Was the little girl deliberately giving him a hard time today?
"I need to know who else might be our enemies. Otherwise, I won't recognize them if we meet face to face, and we'll end up getting killed," Li Xiaoya's reasoning couldn't have been more legitimate.
"Preparing for the future, very good," Wei Xuanming praised coolly. "You should write a detailed list for Xiaoya tonight."
"Tonight?"
"The sooner the better, naturally. Du Lu's death has frightened quite a few people. Many have become alert, fearing they might be next. It's a good thing that Xiaoya has recognized the crisis early."
"...Yes, sir."
Wei Lin never imagined that after this conversation, he would be the one left with all the work.
He stayed up all night, forced to constantly recall various past failures... Amidst shame and resentment, he toiled until dawn, finally managing to compile a clear list.
He even wrote down where and how each grudge had been formed.
After all, the old master had given the order, and he dared not slack off.
The next day, when Li Xiaoya returned from school, Wei Lin handed the list to her in front of the old master.
"Xiaoya," Wei Lin's facial muscles twitched as he forced a smile, "If there are any words you don't recognize, make sure to ask me."
This was his way of implying that she couldn't even read all the characters, let alone understand what was written.
Li Xiaoya grabbed the booklet and flipped through it rapidly.
Wei Lin was speechless.
What kind of reading method was this? Quantum speed reading?
At best, she was just going through the motions.
At this point, Li Xiaoya put down the booklet, looked at Wei Lin, then at Wei Xuanming.
She said, "Grandpa, you guys are really good at making enemies, aren't you? How come there are enemies everywhere?"
Wei Lin nearly choked, unable to catch his breath.
The old master was also taken aback.
Was she... scolding him?
Wei Wenjuan couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
Wei Wenqing couldn't make a sound, but apparently feeling the need to join in on this rare occasion, he used his phone to participate.
The mechanical voice from the phone coldly squeezed out two perfectly enunciated words: "Ha ha."
Wei Xuanming: "..."
The old master, who usually maintained an immovable demeanor, now looked like his expression was about to crack.
He turned to Wei Wenqing, "What was that sound?"
Li Xiaoya looked up and said, "Grandpa, I taught Little Uncle. This way, Little Uncle can talk too. Isn't it convenient?"
"...Yes." This word was squeezed out from between the old master's teeth.
As the first victim, Wei Lin wiped his face. Well, today even the old master had fallen victim. What more could he say?
However, after Li Xiaoya's "scolding," the family surprisingly didn't start arguing about having too many enemies.
The atmosphere had shifted from tense to relaxed.
"I want to take this back and memorize it," Li Xiaoya said, putting away the small booklet.
"I didn't get a chance to ask the other day, who did you go to the island with? Why were there so many people on the phone?" Wei Xuanming asked, changing his tone.
"They were all employees of the company," Li Xiaoya answered.
"The company you bought shares in?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Why did your second uncle go along? ... Did he provide the money?"
Wei Lin thought to himself, so he went to be the fall guy?
"No, it's because Second Uncle is also a major shareholder in the company," Li Xiaoya replied.
Wei Xuanming paused once again.
He had been wondering how Xiaoya was managing to balance things.
It turned out she had already... balanced everything perfectly and quietly!
"Investing everything in one company, isn't that too risky?" Wei Lin said, then immediately caught himself, "Of course, Xiaoya hasn't studied finance yet, so it's normal that she doesn't understand this concept..."
But for you two adults not to be more mindful, that's not quite normal, is it?
"Risk? There's no risk. Only money to be made. If we're going to make money, of course we should invite uncle to join in," Li Xiaoya said, shaking her head.
Wei Lin smiled and put on an expectant expression. "Well, this year is almost over. The shareholder dividends will make everything clear."