Chapter 8: No One in the Li Family is Simple

“Although Big Brother has regained consciousness, his leg hasn’t healed yet. The top priority now is to recover his health.

If he’s still in charge of this collaboration, firstly, it might delay the progress, and secondly, and most importantly, I’m afraid his body won’t be able to handle it.

We can’t have Big Brother going to negotiate with the other party in a wheelchair, can we?” Li Yanshen said earnestly.

The old patriarch turned to look at Li Yancheng, sighing almost imperceptibly. Just as he was about to speak, Li Yancheng stood up from his chair.

“Grandpa, my leg is almost healed. Walking a dozen steps isn’t a problem now,” Li Yancheng said. “The doctor also said that with persistent rehabilitation exercises, I can walk normally in just over ten days.”

Having said that, as if to prove his point, Li Yancheng moved his chair and walked several steps.

“Big Brother…” Li Yanshen hadn’t expected Li Yancheng to be able to walk already. The surprise and astonishment on his face quickly turned into a smile. “Congratulations, Big Brother.”

“But Big Brother, don’t push yourself. Your health comes first.”

As he spoke, Li Yanshen took the collaboration proposal, which had been prepared beforehand, from the servant behind him.

He walked to the old patriarch and respectfully handed it over: “Grandpa, I’ve already prepared the collaboration proposal. As long as you approve, I can immediately send it to Uncle Xia’s email.

If there are no problems, the collaboration project can start immediately.”

“It seems my dear brother has been well-prepared,” Li Yancheng’s smile deepened, but the storm brewing in his eyes was evident.

The old patriarch didn’t immediately take the proposal, seemingly waiting for Li Yancheng to speak.

“I’ve also prepared a proposal,” Li Yancheng also took the prepared proposal from the servant behind him.

He walked step by step, somewhat laboriously, to the old patriarch and respectfully presented the proposal with both hands.

The old patriarch glanced at the two proposals in front of him, but he didn’t take either one.

Turning his head, the old patriarch looked at Jiang Yan beside him: “My eyes are getting old and blurry. How can I understand your proposals? Yanyan, take a look for Grandpa.”

“Ah?” Jiang Yan, who was suddenly called upon, was completely dumbfounded.

Wasn’t Li Yancheng and Li Yanshen competing for a collaboration?

Why did it suddenly come to her?

“Grandpa, I… I don’t understand these things,” Jiang Yan said, bewildered and apprehensive.

“Yes, how would she understand these things?” Yuan Liru immediately said, “If I may say so, Yancheng just woke up. If he immediately returns to the company to handle such a large project, it will spread the word, and people will think we, the Li family, are abusing him.”

“Grandpa asked you to look, so you look,” Yu Lan looked at Jiang Yan, giving her a look of obedience.

At this moment, everyone’s eyes were on Jiang Yan. She bit her lip slightly and, gritting her teeth, took the two proposals.

In everyone’s gaze, she opened the two proposals one by one, pretending to look at them seriously.

However, her mind was racing, wondering what the old patriarch meant.

She didn’t think the old patriarch really wanted her to look at the collaboration proposals.

It was most likely that he was using her as a shield, pushing her forward to make a choice.

And she was now Li Yancheng’s wife, so normally she would naturally support Li Yancheng.

In other words, the old patriarch wanted to give the collaboration to Li Yancheng.

After pretending to look for a while, Jiang Yan said, “I think Yancheng’s proposal might be better.”

“You’re Li Yancheng’s wife, of course you’ll speak for him. You…”

Yuan Liru pointed at Jiang Yan with dissatisfaction. Li Mingshan beside her immediately pulled her back, afraid that her mouth would blurt out something inappropriate again.

Unlike Yuan Liru, Yu Lan smiled.

“Since Yanyan says so, then Yancheng will be in charge of this proposal,” the old patriarch said, then raised his hand, and Atian behind him immediately stepped forward to help him up. “This meal is over, and it’s time for my afternoon nap.”

Watching the old patriarch’s shaky back as he left, everyone respectfully bowed their heads and said, “Take care, Dad.”

“Take care, Grandpa.”

After the old patriarch’s figure had completely disappeared, Yuan Liru’s angry expression was completely unrestrained. After giving them a cold stare, she coldly snorted and turned to leave.

“Congratulations, Big Brother,” Li Yanshen had a smile on his face, his sincere expression as if he was genuinely congratulating him. “Big Brother’s body hasn’t fully recovered yet. If you need any assistance with work, feel free to ask.”

Li Yancheng’s lips twitched, returning a faint smile.

Li Yanshen didn’t say anything else, but after turning around, the smile on his face slowly, little by little, faded away.

“It’s good that Dad hasn’t lost his mind yet. He gave the collaboration to Yancheng,” Yu Lan breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, her gaze fell on Jiang Yan’s wrist.

Jiang Yan immediately raised her hand and took off the bracelet: “This bracelet is too precious. I’m usually clumsy, I’m afraid I’ll accidentally damage it, so it’s better if Madam keeps it.”

Looking at the bracelet that Jiang Yan respectfully handed over, Yu Lan’s face showed a satisfied expression.

However, she didn’t reach out to take it.

“Since Dad gave it to you, why would I keep it for you?” Yu Lan said indifferently. “Keep it yourself.”

As soon as Yu Lan finished speaking, Li Minghai’s gaze beside her became serious.

He reached out and took the bracelet, examining it carefully.

Finally, with a serious face, he said solemnly: “This is not the Li family’s ancestral jade bracelet.”

Li Minghai looked at the jade bracelet again to confirm, his tone becoming more certain: “Although this jade bracelet is the same color, size, and has similar cloud patterns as the ancestral jade bracelet, the position of the cloud pattern here is different.”

Yu Lan and Li Yancheng both looked at the place Li Minghai pointed to.

They hadn’t seen the ancestral jade bracelet a few times and didn’t know the difference.

But Li Yancheng recalled the old patriarch giving Jiang Yan the jade bracelet, and said with a heavy expression: “Grandpa never said this was the ancestral jade bracelet, it was Yuan Liru who said so.”

“Dad deliberately found a similar jade bracelet to give to Jiang Yan, making us mistakenly believe that he gave her the ancestral jade bracelet?” Yu Lan said.

“Grandpa is truly Grandpa,” Li Yancheng turned to look at Jiang Yan, his gaze cold. “He wanted us to think that he likes Jiang Yan, his granddaughter-in-law, very much.

In this way, in the future, if there are things he is not convenient to decide, he can directly push them onto Jiang Yan.

Just like the collaboration just now.”

He even used Jiang Yan as a shield.

In the future, Yuan Liru and the others would shift some of their resentment towards them onto Jiang Yan.

They all knew that the old patriarch gave the collaboration to Li Yancheng through Jiang Yan’s mouth.

But they didn’t expect that the old patriarch had planned the use of this bracelet from the moment he gave it.

The Li family, truly, no one is simple.

“I said, Dad just met Jiang Yan, how could he possibly give away the ancestral jade bracelet?” Yu Lan sighed, unsure of what she felt.

“Although this is not the ancestral bracelet, it is still a high-quality jade bracelet.” Li Minghai looked at Jiang Yan, as if afraid she would be disappointed, and comforted her. “Dad still likes Jiang Yan, his granddaughter-in-law.”

“Put it on,” Li Minghai handed the bracelet back to Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan lowered her head slightly, her expression unreadable, and she obediently took the bracelet: “Since it’s not the ancestral one, then I’ll wear it.”