Chapter 14: Shao Yiying Has an Appointment

Shao Yiying had specifically pleaded with her uncle to bump up the bonus tier for Li Shuo, and she had been keeping a close eye on his high school. Upon learning that Li Shuo had received his reward and returned home, she sat waiting for his call.

As it turned out, an entire afternoon passed, and she didn't receive a single word of gratitude from him. If he were just an ordinary high schooler, she might have let it slide, but given Li Shuo's clever nature, how could he possibly forget to call and say thank you?

Around 3:00 PM, Shao Yiying finally lost her patience and called him herself.

To her surprise, as soon as the call connected, Li Shuo opened with

"Hello, Sister Shao, you're being a bit inconsiderate here..."

Shao Yiying laughed in anger. "Inconsiderate? Do you have any idea how much the police department rewards acts of bravery? Usually, people only get a certificate of merit—not even a formal diploma, let alone a bonus. It took a massive effort on my part to convince the Chief to give you the highest possible reward!"

Surely that was enough? Wouldn't he be bowing in gratitude by now?

Li Shuo said bluntly, "Sister Shao, you did put in a lot of effort, but we agreed on something before: the bonus was supposed to be 100,000 yuan. Since it went from 100,000 down to 10,000, doesn't that count as being inconsiderate?"

Shao Yiying fell silent. After a moment, she gritted her teeth and said, "You little brat, you're such a money-grubber. Do you even know how much 100,000 is? You're just a high school student; what do you need that much money for!"

Li Shuo replied righteously, "What's it to you? I'm about to go to university. Can't I buy a house near the campus?"

"Pfft," Shao Yiying sneered. "100,000 is enough to buy a house? You're kidding me!"

"Fine, then I'll buy something else."

"Besides a house, what big-ticket item could you possibly buy?"

"Tsk, Sister Shao, my first impression of you was quite stunning. I thought you were a mature, glamorous, older-sister type..."

"Hmph, at least you have a sweet mouth!"

"So, please make sure to maintain that image. Don't start acting like a nagging old lady, okay?"

"You... Li Shuo!!!!"

Li Shuo hurriedly moved the phone away from his ear to prevent Shao Yiying's scream from bursting his eardrums.

After a while, the voice on the other end calmed down, and he continued, "Sister Shao, I really am grateful to you. After all, even if the police department's bonus isn't much, the certificate is quite useful..."

"Hmph! Now you know how to say nice things!" Shao Yiying wasn't actually angry; she just felt that this kid was incredibly difficult to handle—slippery as an eel. She was currently thinking about how to completely subdue him.

"I, Li Shuo, can still tell good from bad. If, in addition to the police department's reward, Sister Shao could transfer 100,000 yuan to my bank account, that would naturally be even better..."

Shao Yiying was speechless. She hadn't actually intended to cheat him; after all, 100,000 wasn't much to her. It was just Li Shuo's attitude—he showed no intention of being obedient. It seemed this kid needed to be taught a lesson.

After a thought, Shao Yiying said, "I'll give you the 100,000, of course, but not right now. Let me ask you: if you had this 100,000, what would you do with it?"

*I can't tell you that.*

Li Shuo countered, "What about you, Sister Shao? Now that you've successfully gotten your revenge, what do you plan to do in the future?"

Shao Yiying paused on the other end of the line, sounding somewhat lost. "Nothing. I don't really want to do anything..."

Li Shuo added, "Sister Shao, you are in the prime of your youth, and there is plenty of good time ahead. Even if you don't 'do' anything, how do you plan to live your life?"

This question completely stumped Shao Yiying. She had wanted to recruit Li Shuo simply because she saw his talent, but thinking about it carefully now, she truly didn't want to do anything.

After a moment of silence, Shao Yiying said, "My father used to be a developer. Even today, he left me several plots of land. Perhaps... I will restart my father's business..."

Real estate!

Li Shuo felt a sense of gravity. This wasn't something just anyone could do. Even as a reincarnated person, he only wanted to buy several houses to hoard for future resale. Once one got involved in real estate development, given the complex web of interests in that industry, even if you made massive profits for ten years, there was no telling what your fate would be after those ten years.

"Sister Shao, real estate is good, but the industry is too complicated. You've already achieved financial freedom; is it really necessary to wade into such murky waters?" Li Shuo advised from the bottom of his heart.

"You actually know how deep the waters are in this industry?"

Shao Yiying raised a beautiful eyebrow. Since the topic was on the table, she stopped hiding it and said directly, "In that case, come and help me. I'm going to set up a real estate development company, and you can be my assistant. When the time is right in the future, I'll give you full authority and make you the General Manager. How about that?"

The head of a real estate company! In the future, no matter where one was, that would be a person of significant status.

Without a second thought, Li Shuo refused. "Sister Shao, my dream is to make a pile of money and then just live a life of leisure. Companies and all that... things are too complicated. I'm not cut out for that..."

Furthermore, Shao Yiying was only making this promise because she wanted to poach him. As a reincarnator, Li Shuo naturally wouldn't leave his future in someone else's hands.

Shao Yiying grew annoyed and snapped, "No wonder you're asking me for 100,000! How old are you, and you already want to live a life of leisure? Don't you know how empty life will be if you don't do anything?"

This was her sincere thought. Since getting her revenge, she had been feeling very empty and lost these past few days.

Li Shuo said dismissively, "What do you mean 'not doing anything'? I still have four years of university left. University life is great; I'll enjoy those four years first..."

Shao Yiying laughed in frustration. "I have never heard anyone say university life is 'great'!"

"Your sentence structure is flawed. I won't argue with you," Li Shuo said.

Shao Yiying froze for about three seconds, then a sudden blush crept onto her face. She shouted sharply, "Li Shuo! You dare make dirty jokes in front of me!"

"Oh, Sister Shao, I'm only telling you the truth because I consider you a friend. Don't go shouting every time..."

"Where are you? Come out and meet me!"

"I'm a high schooler, of course I'm at home..."

"Come out..."

Though Shao Yiying sounded fierce, she actually wanted to meet Li Shuo to settle things clearly. This time, Li Shuo readily agreed. Following the address Shao Yiying gave him, he took a taxi to the Ace Bar in the county town.

However, as soon as he reached the entrance, he was stopped by a security guard. "Minors are not allowed inside."

Helpless, Li Shuo called Shao Yiying. Five minutes later, a middle-aged man who looked like a manager walked out and waved the guard away.

"Xiao Si, bring Mr. Li in. He is Sister Shao's guest."

The guard gave Li Shuo a surprised look before quickly switching to a smile. "I didn't realize you were Sister Shao's guest. My apologies for the oversight. This way, please..."

Li Shuo was also a bit surprised. In his previous life, he hadn't socialized much with his cousin-in-law, so he truly hadn't expected her to have influence in a place like a bar.

Walking through the bar's corridor and into the main hall, Li Shuo immediately spotted Shao Yiying sitting by the bar. It wasn't night yet, so the bar was sparsely populated. Shao Yiying sat there alone, with a bottle of XO in front of her.

Hearing the movement behind her, Shao Yiying turned around and beckoned him over.

Li Shuo walked up and smiled. "Sister, I thought you called me out on a date."

"You... you really have no shame..."

Shao Yiying scolded him playfully and pointed to the seat beside her. Once Li Shuo sat down, she poured him a glass of XO before asking, "Can you drink?"

"No, I've never had alcohol."

In his previous life, Li Shuo had been quite a heavy drinker to climb the social ladder, but in this life, he was a blank slate. He would never drink just for the sake of socializing or business engagements.

"Then learn. It'll be useful when you enter society."

Shao Yiying pushed the glass toward Li Shuo with an air of authority.

Li Shuo smiled. He didn't continue to refuse, but he didn't touch the glass either.

Seeing this, Shao Yiying couldn't help but raise a beautiful eyebrow. She took a deep breath and told herself: *I'm bringing this kid out today to persuade him. As for dealing with him, I'll wait until I've turned him into my subordinate...*