Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 242 Want both and want
Li Dan never expected Li Weiguo to say such an absurd thing, and said coquettishly:
"Father, Xia Ge and I are just ordinary friends. We're not at the point of discussing marriage yet."

With a stern face, Li Weiguo said without any mercy:

"Just friends? Then there's no point in discussing this."

"So many people offer a fortune just to get me to do them a small favor, so why should I help a stranger for no reason?"

"These are my conditions. He can refuse, and I can choose not to help. It's up to you whether you want me to take action."

After saying that, Li Weiguo didn't give Li Dan a chance to bargain. He turned around and left the hall, returning to his room.

Knowing that his daughter was easily deceived, he, as her father, wanted to help her be more discerning.

Thinking this, Li Weiguo called over another subordinate and asked him to help investigate Zhou Xia's cousin.

While Zhou Xia was making contact with Li Dan, Li Weiguo had already sent people to investigate his situation.

Divorced without children, with a clean record, and good-looking enough to be a good match for his daughter.

He's just a bit of a womanizer, always trying to seduce other women.

If Li Weiguo hadn't known about Zhou Xia's situation, he wouldn't have been able to directly offer the conditions for marriage. After all, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry is qualified to marry his daughter.

But now that the so-called distant cousin has come up, Li Weiguo naturally needs to investigate it thoroughly.

……

After hesitating for a long time, Li Dan finally decided not to tell Zhou Xia about it directly.

She sought pure love, not this transaction tainted with self-interest.

If Li Dan were to speak up, wouldn't it be seen as her taking advantage of a favor?

The thought that if this matter wasn't resolved, Zhou Xia would be too worried about it to have time to date her made her feel uneasy.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Dan decided to ignore Zhou Xia's warning and go to the textile factory to find her again.

This time, she decided to propose to Zhou Xia directly.

As long as Zhou Xia also likes her and agrees to her conditions, then it will still be a pure love story.

Thinking this, Li Dan's steps became lighter.

She dressed up especially for this special day, and looked even more beautiful than usual.

Even after spending time with Zhou Xia, Li Dan gave up many of her favorite foods and visibly lost weight.

However, even when facing Li Dan in this state, Zhou Xia felt no surprise, only visible annoyance:

"Comrade Li, what exactly happened to you?"

"I think I made things quite clear to you yesterday. I have very important things to do right now, so please don't bother me."

Li Dan, her face filled with panic after being blamed by Zhou Xia, said helplessly:
"Comrade Zhou, of course I know you're busy, and I really want to help you, which is why I came to find you."

A blush quickly crept onto Li Dan's face. Clutching her fingers, she said shyly:

"Comrade Zhou Xia, I love you, let's get married!"

In this era, it is extremely bold for a woman to directly ask a man for marriage, but for true love, Li Dan decided to risk everything.

However, when faced with Li Dan's proactive declaration of love, Zhou Xia was so startled that he stumbled and took three steps back, putting himself even further away from Li Dan.

A flash of disdain crossed Zhou Xia's face, and he said with extreme impatience:

"My cousin's problems haven't been resolved yet, so how can I be in the mood for romance?"

"I have something to do, don't bother me."

At this point, Zhou Xia realized his attitude might have been a bit too harsh, so he immediately changed his expression and apologized to Li Dan, saying:
"Comrade Li, I'm so sorry, I was a little too emotional just now."

"This is not your fault; on the contrary, I am the one who did something wrong."

"But my cousin's matter is urgent, and I really can't think about anything else until it's resolved."

"Excuse me, I have to leave for a bit. Please make yourself at home."

"I'll come to apologize in person after I've sorted out my own affairs."

After saying that, Zhou Xia turned and left. Judging from his hurried appearance, anyone who didn't know better would think he was really busy.

Tears welled up in Li Dan's eyes, and she felt incredibly wronged.

In the end, she fought back her tears and said with unwavering strength:
"It must be because I didn't do well enough that Brother Xia dislikes me so much."

"It's all my fault. If I had resolved the matter today, Brother Xia would probably have agreed to our request on the spot."

With that in mind, Li Dan decided to go back and beg her father again.

Using the marriage proposal to coerce Zhou Xia?
The Li family would never be such a villain!

After a while, Li Dan arrived at Li Weiguo's office.

Seeing the tear stains on his daughter's eyes, Li Weiguo's face darkened, and he said:
"My dear daughter, did Zhou Xia bully you?"

On the desk, a fresh document lay on the table, containing the investigation results about Zhou Xia's distant cousin.

It must be said that Li Weiguo's subordinates were really efficient; they had investigated the matter thoroughly in just half a day.

Zhou Xia has no distant cousin.

There was a woman named Liu Yanran who frequently visited Zhou Xia, and she was currently under house arrest because of some trivial matters.

With this information, things became clear, and Li Weiguo understood the sordid matters almost instantly.

This is probably not a distant cousin, but a dear younger sister.

It was precisely because of this that Li Weiguo's attitude towards Zhou Xia worsened.

Faced with Li Weiguo's changed expression, Li Dan quickly wiped her eyes and said:

"Dad, Brother Xia would never bully me."

"It was me, I accidentally fell."

"No, I didn't cry. I'm not the kind of person who cries easily."

Seeing his daughter's expression, Li Weiguo couldn't help but burst into laughter and said:

"Yes, yes, my daughter would never cry so easily."

"But daughter, aren't you the one who hates being disturbed at work? What brings you here to see me today?"

Pouting, Li Dan grumbled in dissatisfaction:

“I’m here to see you on official business. An innocent female comrade has been wronged and persecuted. Doesn’t this deserve your attention?”

Shaking his head slightly, Li Weiguo thought to himself that his daughter was really easy to fool, actually believing such a clumsy lie.

However, as Li Dan's father, Li Weiguo also had a responsibility to protect his daughter. Thinking this, he took the initiative to speak:

"Daughter, you don't need to worry about this. Just wait to be with Zhou Xia."

“Although your father is an old man, I still have no problem getting my daughter married.”

Just wait to be with Zhou Xia?
Li Dan's face instantly turned into a riot of colors, like clouds in the sky.

Lowering her head in shame, Li Dan said shyly:

"Dad, what nonsense are you talking about? I don't want to be with Comrade Zhou."

"I'm leaving. I don't care about you, my father, who likes to talk nonsense."

As soon as she finished speaking, Li Dan ran out even faster than she had come, her face flushed red as if it could drip water.

Watching Li Dan's departing figure, Li Weiguo shook his head inwardly, thinking to himself that his daughter had grown up and was truly unruly.

However, she and Zhou Xia's affair cannot be ignored, otherwise heaven knows what kind of deception her daughter will undergo.

Thinking this, Li Weiguo immediately ordered his subordinate He Dong to invite Zhou Xia over.

In this era, the area under his jurisdiction was a place that everyone feared, and few dared to disrespect him.

Before long, Zhou Xia was invited over and came to stand in front of Li Weiguo.

Of course, there was also an interesting incident: He Dong's invitation to Zhou Xia did not go smoothly.

He had barely revealed his identity as a member of the Revolutionary Committee when he had already scared Zhou Xia half to death.

Although Zhou Xia appeared respectable, he actually had a guilty conscience. His first reaction upon learning that the Revolutionary Committee had come looking for him was that his affair with Liu Yanran had been exposed and that his life was in danger.

Before He Dong could even explain his purpose, Zhou Xia turned around and ran away.

When Zhou Xia was running away, he had only one thought in his mind: he absolutely could not be caught by the Revolutionary Committee staff, otherwise he would probably lose his life.

Under the threat of being shot, Zhou Xia unleashed his full power, running at an incredibly terrifying speed, instantly transforming into a blur and disappearing before He Dong's eyes.

He Dong was immediately stunned and shouted, "Comrade Zhou, don't run away, I have something important to discuss with you."

Don't run? Only a fool wouldn't run!

Hearing He Dong's shouts, Zhou Xia not only did not stop running away, but ran even faster.

Stunned, He Dong had no choice but to start a race between the two inside the textile factory.

Zhou Xia may seem respectable, but he is actually quite charlatan.

After a long chase, He Dong's experience in apprehending criminals and his abundant stamina ultimately led to victory in the pursuit.

Grabbing Zhou Xia's arm, He Dong said breathlessly:
"Comrade Zhou, why are you running?"

“Our Revolutionary Committee Director Li wants to meet with you. If you have time, you’d better come with me right away.”

It was just a meeting, not an arrest?
After realizing it was just a false alarm, Zhou Xia finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But he quickly realized what he meant and said, "If you're not going to arrest me, then why are you chasing me?"

"Why didn't you tell me something so simple sooner? Look at how exhausted I am from running."

Faced with Zhou Xia's questioning, He Dong was quite speechless and said:
"I didn't keep telling you not to run, you just insisted on running."

"Alright, enough of this nonsense. Come with me to see Director Li."

"You can't afford to keep Director Li waiting for too long."

Having run around for nothing, and with his fat jiggling all over his body, He Dong was also full of complaints.

If Zhou Xia hadn't been the person Li Weiguo had asked to meet, given Li's usual behavior, he probably would have already given Zhou Xia a severe dressing-down.

Director Li? Combining Li Dan's surname, Zhou Xia already had a vague guess in his mind.

Immediately, a nameless anger rose within her. This Li Dan was truly oblivious to the times, actually telling her father about her affairs.

A woman this stupid, I can forget about marrying her in this lifetime.

With that in mind, Zhou Xia apologized to He Dong, and the two then embarked on their journey to the Revolutionary Committee.

In the office, Li Weiguo looked at the panting Zhou Xia, puzzled, and asked:
"Comrade Zhou, it's so hot, yet you still pay so much attention to exercise. Your spirit is truly commendable."

Zhou Xia: ...

He really wanted to refute Li Weiguo's words, but in the end, all he could do was leave with a fawning expression and cautiously say:

"Director Li, these are all trivial matters. I just don't know what brings you here today."

Zhou Xia was completely pretending to be ignorant. What else could he be qualified to meet Li Weiguo besides being financially supported by Li Dan?
Li Weiguo didn't have time to play games with Zhou Xia, and immediately got straight to the point:
"I asked you to come here because of my daughter's situation."

"I heard there's something you want me to help with, but I can't do this for nothing. You have to agree to one condition first."

Li Weiguo had already made his point so clear, yet Zhou Xia was still pretending to be stupid, thinking that he could get Li Weiguo for free by manipulating Li Dan.

A hint of confusion appeared in his eyes, and Zhou Xia shook his head, saying:
"Director Li seems to have some misunderstanding about me. I never intended for you to help me with anything."

"I can handle my own affairs, so there's no need for Director Li to worry about it."

Upon hearing Zhou Xia's statement, Li Weiguo frowned immediately. Zhou Xia was trying to have it all.

My silly daughter! If she really forces me to help Zhou Xia, he'll probably turn his back on me immediately.

I didn't ask you for help. Who gave you the right to make decisions on your own?

Li Weiguo could already picture Zhou Xia's words and his smug, two-faced expression.

An unnamed anger instantly flared up, and Li Weiguo shouted:
"Enough, Zhou Xia, do you think I'm stupid? Do you think you're the only smart person in the world?"

"You may be able to control my daughter, but you can't control me."

"If you dare to play dumb with me again, then I will absolutely not help you with this matter."

"I'll ask you one more time, do you need my help?"

"You should think this through carefully; the consequences of continuing to play dumb are beyond your capacity to bear."

As expected, after Li Weiguo so directly exposed Zhou Xia's true colors, his face immediately turned ashen.

The word "no" remained stuck in his mouth, but he dared not utter it.

Li Weiguo was Zhou Xia's only hope for saving Liu Yanran. If he refused to help, Zhou Xia would no longer be able to rescue Liu Yanran without paying any price.

Given his current situation, and the fact that he still owes Wang Chengpeng a huge debt, how could he possibly have the ability to spend a lot of money to find other people to help him?

After hesitating for a long time, Zhou Xia still didn't have the courage to say "no." Instead, he changed the subject and said:
"I've been really busy with something lately, and Director Li is very capable; he might be able to help me out."

"If Director Li is willing to help me, I will be extremely grateful."

(End of this chapter)