Ride to the Li Estate
The inside of the escort car was quiet, softened by the low hum of the engine and the faint sweetness of the milk tea in Xue's hand.
She sat beside Feng with her back straight, shoulders relaxed, legs crossed neatly at the ankle — composed, elegant, almost like a little lady of the family. Anyone glancing in from outside would think she was perfectly calm.
Her movements were graceful as she lifted the cup for a sip…
Almost too graceful.
Almost too careful.
Feng noticed immediately — the slight tension in her grip, the momentary stillness before she raised the cup. Subtle enough to fool the world, but not him. He could read the unease beneath her perfect composure.
He glanced sideways at her, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"You're drinking that milk tea like you're in a board meeting."
Xue blinked, the straw pausing just before her lips.
"…It's called elegance, ge."
"Mm," he said lightly, "elegance doesn't usually come with locked shoulders."
Her posture didn't break, but the faintest flicker crossed her eyes — caught.
"I'm perfectly relaxed," she replied, voice steady… a little too steady.
Feng's smile deepened — the kind of warmth he showed only to her.
"Xue," he murmured, "your fingers are stiff."
She hesitated — not long, just a breath — then lowered the cup with deliberate calm, her composure still intact.
"…You notice everything," she said under her breath.
Feng's eyes softened. "Only when it's you."
Xue's gaze softened toward the window, her voice dropping to a gentle honesty.
"…I just don't want to disappoint you and dad."
"You won't."
She didn't say anything, but her fingers curled around the cup again. The stiffness was small, but present.
Feng shifted slightly closer and tapped her hand — light, reassuring, warm.
"Relax, Xue. Everything's been taken care of."
She looked at him then — really looked — and the worry hiding under her elegant composure flickered in her eyes.
"You're sure?"
"Absolutely."
His tone was calm, matter-of-fact, unshakeable.
"The moment we step inside, nothing will touch you. We'll take care of everything."
A breath escaped her — softer, looser than before.
Her posture eased by a fraction. Enough for Feng to see the tension leaving her shoulders.
She returned to drinking her milk tea, not hurried, not forced — just naturally now. The stiff edges were gone; the poise remained.
This was the Xue he wanted to see — unburdened.
He took out his phone, thumb gliding over the screen.
A message to his father:
[Feng: Dad, are you ready?]
He locked the screen again without looking worried.
Xue watched him from the corner of her eye, and after a quiet moment she murmured, barely above a whisper:
"Ge… thank you."
Feng exhaled lightly and rested his hand on the crown of her head for a second — not ruffling her hair, just grounding her.
His voice was low.
"I would always be here for you."
Xue's breath steadied, her shoulders fully relaxing as she leaned the slightest bit toward him — not for comfort, but out of trust.
With her worries lifted, she went back to enjoying her drink properly, her elegance returning to being natural rather than performed.
Outside, the main estate came into view.
Inside, Li Xue was calm — because her brother was here.
And Li Feng… Li Feng looked ahead with quiet certainty.
Everything was already under control.
---
Flashback — 3 weeks ago (a week before the end of the 3 weeks time skip when Li Feng finished Phase 2 of The Li Web)
Second Branch Residence — Dining Area
The fluorescent kitchen lights hummed softly as Li Guohua set plates on the dining table, movements slower than usual.
His brows were faintly drawn, his mind clearly miles away.
He placed two bowls down… then realized he hadn't brought chopsticks.
He turned back toward the counter—
forgot what he came for—
and stood there, staring blankly at nothing.
From the other side of the table, Feng looked up from arranging cups.
"Dad," he said quietly. "You've put the bowls down three times already."
Guohua froze mid-step. "…Have I?"
Feng nodded once.
A small, tired laugh escaped Guohua.
"Sorry. My head's not… cooperating."
Feng didn't smile.
He simply waited — giving space for the truth to surface.
Guohua rubbed the back of his neck.
"…I haven't contacted Bright Horizon in over a week."
That made Feng look at him fully.
"The patriarch tightened surveillance on us," Guohua continued, trying to keep his tone light. "Every call, every message — someone's listening. If I so much as tell my assistant to water the office plants, it'll get flagged."
He placed the chopsticks down, a little harder than necessary.
"Our people are waiting for new instructions. The R&D team needs direction. The model team is idle. And if the patriarch decides to review our activity logs…"
He exhaled.
"We'll lose the time you bought us."
Feng considered him for a long, quiet moment.
Then he reached into his pocket and placed a small black band on the dining table — simple, unassuming, almost cheap-looking.
Guohua blinked. "…A bracelet?"
"Put it on," Feng said.
Guohua hesitated, then slipped it onto his wrist.
The device pulsed once.
Feng spoke calmly, almost casually:
"The Li Group won't be able to monitor anything within ten meters of it. Signals degrade naturally. Nobody will notice."
Guohua stared.
He looked at the band.
Then at Feng.
Then back at the band.
"…Feng… this is…"
He didn't finish.
He couldn't.
The relief that washed over him was too sharp, too sudden — like coming up for air after being held underwater.
Feng set the last cup on the table.
"You can call the company after dinner," he said. "And every day after that... Without worry."
Guohua swallowed hard, voice unsteady. "…Thank you."
Feng only nodded.
Then he turned toward the hallway.
"I'll get Xue."
Guohua nodded. "Ok. We'd talk after dinner."
Feng nodded and walked towards Xue's room — quiet steps echoing softly through the house.
Guohua stood there for a long moment, looking at the little device pulsing gently around his wrist.
For the first time since the patriarch's surveillance began…
He felt like he could breathe again.
---
Dinner ended quietly, and the house settled into its usual evening calm.
In Li Feng's room, the door closed behind them, and the real discussion began — not dramatic, not loud, just the steady unfolding of long-delayed planning.
For the first time in weeks, Guohua could speak freely without fear of being monitored.
The portable blocker Feng gave him had done its job perfectly — the Li Group's surveillance net simply slid off it like water.
With that small freedom regained, they finally turned to the project that had been frozen in place since the expo:
Silent Hands.
The three of them — Guohua, Feng, and Xue — went over everything:
• the patent already filed
• the variants they intended to build
• the correct launch order
• the pricing strategy
• the target users: special-needs schools, hospitals, accessibility centers, private consumers
• and the R&D responsibilities between Xue, Feng and Blue Horizon
Xue's ideas formed the core of the conversation.
She outlined what she wanted Silent Hands to become — not just a single miracle device, but a family of tools that made communication easier for anyone who needed it.
Feng translated her ideas into technical feasibility.
Guohua handled the commercial structure, manufacturing channels, and the long-term scaling plan.
Nothing dramatic happened.
It was simply a quiet, focused alignment — the kind real companies were built on.
By the end of the night, their plan was complete:
• Silent Hands Core would launch first (Glove only — For mute and speech impaired).
• Silent Hands Duo (Glove + AR Glasses — For the deaf) would follow.
• The Pro and Mini versions would be developed after initial traction.
Blue Horizon would handle production, distribution, legal protections, and partnerships.
Feng would direct and handle development.
Xue would be credited as conceptual co-founder.
But the discussion didn't end here.
They all understood what was coming.
If Silent Hands launched independently of the Li Family, then two things were inevitable:
1. The Li Family would cut them off from support — not fully, but enough to isolate them.
(Because of Xue's engagement, complete severance would be unwise.)
2. Blue Horizon would fall under scrutiny.
The Li Group would dig into its books, its works, its staff — everything.
It wasn't fear that settled in the room then.
Just acceptance.
A shared readiness.
They had made their choice, together — and they would face whatever consequences came as one.
---
Flashback Ended
---
The car eased to a stop beneath the sweeping stone arch of the Li Family's main estate.
Even before the doors unlocked, Li Feng felt it — the shift in the air. A stillness wrapped tight around the estate, too controlled to be normal.
His phone vibrated once.
A message from his father:
[Yes. Let's do this.]
Feng slipped the phone into his pocket.
Xue's voice was small but steady.
"Ge…?"
He placed a warm hand between her shoulders, a quiet anchor.
"Come on."
The doors opened in perfect synchronization.
Feng stepped out first.
Xue followed, her milk tea cupped in both hands — a single soft contrast against the cold, polished authority surrounding them.
The estate grounds were busier than they should ever be for a family summons.
But not loud.
Not disorderly.
Prepared.
Feng took it all in instantly:
— Senior managers from multiple subsidiaries positioned in clusters
— Assistants moving with purpose, folders thick with color-coded tags
— PR, Finance, and Tech executives gathered discreetly near the side entrances
— An expanded security presence — nearly triple the normal detail
— Quiet hand signals exchanged between inner-circle guards
Nothing dramatic.
But everything deliberate.
The patriarch wasn't treating today as a domestic discussion.
This was a corporate maneuver.
Xue's steps grew smaller as they crossed the central courtyard.
She didn't cling to him — she had grown past that — but she stayed close enough that the faint brush of her shoulder against his matched his pace.
Two escorts met them at the entrance and led the way.
The interior was silent.
Not empty — just the kind of deep, controlled silence that meant decisions were either being drafted… or sharpened.
Feng walked without hesitation, movements even and composed.
Not surprised.
Not tense.
Simply aware.
This atmosphere made the intention clear:
The Li Family was preparing to seize Silent Hands — and everything tied to it — decisively, cleanly, and without room for refusal.
And he was being walked straight into the heart of that intention.
But Xue was beside him.
And because she was, his pace didn't change — steady, unhurried, every step marked by quiet confidence.
They followed the guards deeper into the main hall.
Toward the inevitable.
---
Hello, Author here,
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