At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

Li Jianguo smiled helplessly, "No need to trouble Brother Wenyuan. That kid has been very ambitious lately. He even went out and had a wild time for a while a while ago."

Liu Wenyuan laughed heartily, "It's good for him to go out and travel. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Whenever he gets to the city, let him come over for dinner anytime. Your sister-in-law was talking about this kid the other day."

"Definitely, definitely. I'll have him personally bring some good tea to our door so he can taste my sister-in-law's cooking."

Li Jianguo smiled and exchanged a few more pleasantries with Liu Wenyuan before hanging up the phone.

Liu Wenyuan, that old fox, clearly interpreted Lansheng Capital's series of manipulative maneuvers in Jiangyang County as a signal that the Li family was preparing for a major expansion in the business world, perhaps even carrying some kind of political implication. After all, in normal logic, to be able to simultaneously and firmly control both an old bureaucrat like Cao Weidong and a financial tycoon like Shen Yanchuan, absolutely requires a very deep political background and shrewd business acumen.

Li Jianguo opened a drawer, took out a pack of specially supplied Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes, and lit one. The bluish-white smoke rose gently in the quiet study, blurring his face, a man weathered by the ups and downs of the business world.

He suddenly chuckled softly, a laugh tinged with three parts helplessness and seven parts indescribable pride.

The fathers below probably all have an extremely conflicted mindset. They fear that their sons are too mediocre and will not be able to maintain the family business in the future, resulting in a tragic end where the family falls apart; they also fear that their sons are too extraordinary and will become too powerful too quickly, causing them, as the fathers, to experience the disappointment of being left behind too early.

Li Jianguo feels this way right now.

He exhaled a pale blue smoke ring, gazing intently out the window.

Outsiders all thought that the brilliant strategy in Jiangyang High-tech Zone was orchestrated by Li Jianguo behind the scenes. Even his grandfather gave him a subtle piece of advice on the phone a couple of days ago, telling him to "leave room for maneuver in his actions and not offend the capital in the provincial capital too much."

But heaven knows, apart from approving ten million in start-up capital at the beginning, he didn't care where to stamp Lansheng Capital's official seal or how to sign the contracts!

From beginning to end, it was all his son, who had just turned eighteen and hadn't even entered university, who held sway and controlled everything in Jiangyang County.

They used a few plots of wasteland to secure the county's political achievements, used cutting-edge technology to monopolize the future of the market, and squeezed out a terrifying cash flow that would last for generations right under everyone's noses.

"That little bastard is even more ruthless than me, and even bolder than the old man back in the day." Li Jianguo laughed and cursed, stubbing out the half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray, his eyes brimming with pride.

He knew all too well the immense ambition hidden beneath his son's seemingly calm demeanor. Jiangyang, this small pond, was destined not to hold this dragon that had fully awakened.

For the next month or so, Li Xiao unexpectedly became quiet.

Throughout August, Jiangyang County was bustling with activity due to the full-scale commencement of construction in the High-tech Zone, with dump trucks and concrete mixing plants operating around the clock. However, the actual controller of Lansheng Capital seemed to have completely disappeared.

Li Xiao did not go to the construction site for inspection again, nor did he interfere with the commercialization of Xinglan Technology's V2.0 system. Instead, he handed over all the on-site affairs and coordination work to Lao Lin and Zhou Yanhuai.

He gave himself a long, thorough, and extremely uneventful summer vacation.

During this period, he slept until he naturally woke up every day, had a leisurely brunch with his mother Zhao Xiulan, and listened to her chatter about family matters while playing mahjong.

In the afternoon, he would work up a sweat in the gym in the basement of the villa, or invite Zheng Hao to go for a ride on a yacht by the river to enjoy the breeze and go fishing. Without the treacherous business games or the scheming in officialdom, Li Xiao had returned to the peaceful life that an eighteen-year-old soon-to-be college student should have.

At first, Zheng Hao found it boring and tried every day to find ways to drag Li Xiao to the city to have fun. However, after being mercilessly beaten by Li Xiao in the game for several nights and forced to read a few introductory books on finance, the kid became completely obedient and stayed at home packing his bags to go to the provincial capital for school.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the cicadas' chirping and the gentle breeze. These peaceful and pleasant days were like the calmest build-up of energy before a storm.

Until the calendar turned to September 1st.

In early autumn, the provincial capital Jianye has shed the restlessness of midsummer, and the plane trees lining the streets are beginning to turn a pale yellow.

Today, Huaqing Business School welcomes its busiest day of the year – the start of the new semester.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, the all-black Maybach did not drive into the campus. Instead, it discreetly changed to a regular license plate from the provincial capital and parked in an underground parking garage two streets away from the south gate of the university.

Li Xiao didn't ask Lao Lin to arrange any extravagant convoy of bodyguards, nor did he have Zhou Yanhuai dressed in a suit and tie following behind him to report on his work.

Today, he only brought Zheng Hao with him.

The two of them, each pushing a silver Rimowa suitcase, walked into the magnificent arched gate of Huaqing University, chatting and laughing, following the bustling crowd.

"Holy crap, Xiao-ge! Look over there, that senior in the pleated skirt in the welcome tent! She's definitely a campus beauty!" Zheng Hao was like a country bumpkin visiting a grand garden for the first time, his eyes darting around, excitedly tugging at Li Xiao's sleeve and shouting, "The provincial capital really does nurture people! She's so much prettier than those high school girls in our Jiangyang County, this university trip was definitely worth it!"

Today, Li Xiao wore an extremely simple pure white T-shirt and light blue washed jeans, with a pair of clean canvas shoes on his feet.

The coldness and oppressiveness he displayed during business negotiations had faded from his deep eyes, replaced by a clarity and nonchalance unique to his age.

Walking along the tree-lined avenue, I was surrounded by enthusiastic upperclassmen holding banners, as well as freshmen with their youthful faces and carrying large bags. The air was filled with youth, vitality, and boundless anticipation for the future.

Even though his net worth has quietly surpassed hundreds of millions this summer, Li Xiao still looks like just an ordinary freshman who is so handsome that he's almost too good-looking and makes female seniors turn their heads to look at him.

"Alright, stop acting like you've never seen the world before. Wipe your drool and go register at the School of Economics and Management to get your dorm key." Li Xiao casually patted Zheng Hao on the back of the head, a relaxed smile playing on his lips.

Having been given a second chance at life, he not only wants to reach the absolute pinnacle of power and wealth, but also cannot miss the purest campus life during his prime years.

The cutthroat world of business and those cold, multi-billion dollar contracts were temporarily locked away from him by that invisible barrier of identity. Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the sycamore trees, dappling his shoulders.

My wonderful freshman year has officially begun.