The taxi pulled away from the Li estate with the soft growl of an old engine, its taillights shrinking against the tall, cold walls of the compound they had just been exiled from.
Inside, the car was small. Warm. Too ordinary for the magnitude of what had just happened.
None of them spoke at first.
Xue sat in the middle seat, her empty milk tea cup held lightly in her hands. She wasn't trembling, not lost, not panicking—just quiet. Thoughtful. Her posture was straight, elegance intact, but there was a gentleness in the way she leaned ever so slightly toward Feng.
Feng noticed, but he didn't move to comfort her with grand gestures. He simply shifted, the distance between them closing by an inch, enough for her to feel him there.
A calm anchor in the aftermath of a storm.
Guohua sat in the passenger seat beside the driver, hands folded tightly in his lap. He wasn't shaking either… but his silence carried weight. Not defeat—just a long, heavy exhale he had been holding for years.
The driver glanced at them through the rear-view mirror, sensing something odd about the atmosphere in the car, but wisely kept his eyes on the road.
Minutes passed before Guohua finally spoke.
His voice was low, hesitant.
"…I dragged you children into this."
Xue's head snapped up. "Dad—"
Feng cut in softly, without looking away from the window.
"No," he said. "You didn't drag us anywhere."
Guohua turned slightly in his seat, guilt flickering across his features. "I knew this would happen. I knew the family wouldn't let Silent Hands go. And yet… I wasn't able to protect—"
"You protected us in every way that mattered," Feng said.
Xue nodded immediately. "Yes."
Guohua's breath trembled just slightly.
The taxi rolled past the city lights, neon reflections sliding across the windows, washing the inside of the car in shifting hues.
For the first time since leaving the estate, Feng turned fully toward his father.
His voice was calm. Steady.
"This path wasn't forced on us," he said. "We chose it. Together."
Xue inhaled sharply, a quiet affirmation, and leaned a little closer toward him—not clinging, not afraid, but steadying herself around the strength she trusted.
Guohua looked between them—his children, sitting tall despite everything—and something in his eyes softened. Not sadness. Not regret.
Pride.
After a moment, Feng asked, "Home?"
Guohua nodded. "Yes. For tonight."
Xue exhaled in relief. "…Good."
Feng rested a hand lightly on her wrist, reassuring without making a show of it.
She relaxed instantly.
Outside, the taxi turned down the familiar road leading toward the Second Branch residence.
And as the estate walls disappeared behind them, something shifted in the air.
They were no longer walking under the Li Family's shadow.
For the first time…
They were walking toward something of their own.
---
While their taxi slipped through evening traffic, Longhai City buzzed beneath the surface—threads of conversation, notifications, and whispers weaving together into a storm born from the announcement they'd released.
The announcement from Blue Horizon had been live for a little over forty minutes —
but that was more than enough time for it to stir up a storm in Longhai city.
It had started small.
A few silent reshared posts on social feeds.
Then it moved across chat groups, news apps, accessibility forums, and tech circles…
carried by genuine attention rather than noise.
---
Parents' Groups — Evening Community Forums
In several parent group chats across Longhai, the post spread fast — not because of hype, but because a few mothers recognized something quietly extraordinary.
["Silent Hands… this is the glove from the expo, right?"]
["My nephew is speech-impaired. If this works like they say…"]
["My son is speech-impaired. If the Mini version really works, this could help so much at home."]
["Glove + glasses for the deaf—they thought of everything."]
Screenshots flew into school parent groups.
Not excitement.
But a quiet, focused kind of hope.
The kind that made parents reread the post twice, then forward it thoughtfully.
---
Special Education Centers & Accessibility Circles
Teachers and specialists who had watched the expo demo months ago had always wondered if Silent Hands would progress beyond a prototype.
Now, seeing the official announcement — with patent confirmation and the siblings' names attached —
["This could streamline communication training for our students."]
["Mini version: gesture to text. That alone would help early learners."]
["If the AR glasses render text that quickly… a lot of our students will finally be able to communicate with non-signers comfortably."]
Teachers shared the post not with fanfare but with professional interest — the sort reserved for tools that might truly support their students.
---
Tech Enthusiasts & University Students
The tech forums lit up next — not screaming, but analyzing.
["Blue Horizon got the license? Interesting."]
["Wait, the patent holders are two high school students?"]
["If their production quality matches the prototype from the expo, this is going to gain traction fast. Might even be one of Longhai's biggest innovations this year."]
Discussion stacked thread after thread — testing feasibility, pricing predictions, production expectations.
People weren't cheering;
they were analyzing… and bookmarking the announcement to follow developments.
---
Everyday Citizens — Subway, Offices, Cafés
Across Longhai's trains and late-shift offices, the headline flashed again and again on screens.
• A man on the subway nudged a friend.
"That glove from the expo is actually launching."
• Two coworkers leaned over the same phone.
"Did you see? It turns gestures into audio and text."
• Two office workers could be seen discussing mid-task.
"I thought it was a government project… but it was privately developed?"
• A university student posted:
["Glove + AR glasses? That's actually crazy practical."]
None of it was overdramatic.
But all of it added weight — little pieces of momentum stacking into something undeniable.
---
News Outlets — Drafting Headlines
Local reporters had already started preparing articles.
Some factual.
Some speculative.
Some cautiously impressed.
["Silent Hands Prototype Officially Enters to Mass Production."]
["Innovative Youth Developers Shock Longhai's Tech Scene."]
["Blue Horizon Signs Licensing Deal With Young Innovators."]
["Assistive Technology in Longhai Takes a Major Step Forward."]
They weren't exaggerating.
Just acknowledging that something significant had quietly entered Longhai's technological landscape.
---
By the time the Second Branch's taxi turned onto familiar streets, the shift was already visible online:
Silent Hands
— trending across multiple platforms
— shared in professional groups
— discussed in parent forums
— analyzed in tech circles
— praised in accessibility communities
Two names kept appearing at the center of the rising momentum:
Li Feng.
Li Xue.
Longhai wasn't celebrating them.
It was acknowledging them—
their work, their idea, their intent.
Silent Hands had stepped into the city's awareness, and the city responded with genuine interest.
---
Li Estate — Main Conference Chamber
The Li Estate's main conference chamber was already filled when the patriarch entered.
Branch heads stood behind their designated seats.
Senior executives from Legal, Tech, Finance, and Business Intelligence lined the walls.
The heavy door shut behind the patriarch with a final, echoing click.
No one sat.
The patriarch did not offer the option.
On the central screen, the documents and reports from the last thirty minutes of frantic investigation were still displayed — the patent registry, the licensing confirmation, Blue Horizon's company profile.
The patriarch stood at the head of the table, posture straight, expression unreadable.
He touched the printed patent documents with two fingers.
"Silent Hands," he began, voice level, "has already left the family's grasp."
A ripple of unease passed through the chamber.
"Patented."
"Approved."
"Licensed."
Each word dropped like a weight.
He turned his gaze to the room at large.
"The Second Branch acted quickly. More quickly than most of you believed possible."
Not anger.
Not accusation.
Assessment.
Then, a shift — subtle, but sharp.
"But speed does not determine outcome."
The room straightened instinctively.
"We do not negotiate with disobedience."
A beat.
"We do not compete with betrayal."
Then, like a blade sliding from its sheath:
"We erase it."
Silence tightened across the chamber.
"Li Guowei," the patriarch said without looking away from the documents, "your branch will begin suppression operations against Blue Horizon."
Li Guowei (first branch) bowed deeply. "Yes, Patriarch."
"Identify every pressure point they possess," the patriarch continued.
"Supply chains. Vendor relationships. Licensing dependencies. Potential regulatory triggers. Companies we can influence to freeze cooperation."
He added, voice low: "If no opening exists… manufacture one."
A murmur of acknowledgment rippled through the First Branch executives.
He turned sharply to Li Guifen (fourth branch).
"Li Guifen."
She straightened, professional poise sliding into place.
"You will dismantle their public credibility."
He listed the strikes without emotion:
"Rumors regarding instability."
"Whispers of stolen Li Family technology."
"Doubt over the legitimacy of the patent."
"Concerns about safety or reliability."
Then:
"Third Branch will provide the technical context needed to make these narratives believable."
Li Guotao nodded immediately, almost eager.
"Understood, Patriarch."
The patriarch clasped his hands behind his back — a gesture the family recognized as judicial.
"As for Li Guohua…"
The chamber fell absolutely still.
"…he chose to separate his branch from the family."
The patriarch spoke without raising his voice:
"Cancel all bank credit privileges tied to Li Group institutions."
"Freeze any pending financial transfers routed through Li Group channels."
"Notify external partners — subtly — that cooperation with him is discouraged."
"And anyone offering him support will be considered suspect."
A faint chill passed through the room.
The patriarch wasn't simply retaliating.
He was cutting off every root system the Second Branch could rely on.
The patriarch let the silence stretch — not for drama, but for weight.
"They believe they can stand without the Li Family."
His gaze sharpened, glacial.
"They will learn otherwise."
His voice fell to a cold, deliberate cadence:
"They chose to rebel."
A beat.
"Show them the consequences."
The branches bowed deeply.
Orders would be executed before midnight.
The retaliation had begun.
---
Second Branch Residence — Evening
The house was quiet when the three of them stepped inside.
Not oppressive.
Just… transitioning.
What had been their residence hours ago was now simply a building they were using temporarily.
Xue slipped off her shoes, glancing around once.
Feng caught the flicker and gave her a light touch on the back — subtle, grounding.
Guohua locked the door behind them, then rolled his shoulders once, the gesture less tension and more resetting.
"Alright," he said calmly, stepping into the living room. "Brief meeting."
Feng and Xue followed him in.
"The patriarch would be pulling all Li-connected resources. Shares, corporate privileges, access, and this house. As we expected."
Xue nodded, taking a seat. Her posture calm, not shaken — only curious about next steps.
Guohua continued: "But he can't touch what matters — Blue Horizon, our private finances, or personal assets outside the Li network."
Feng nodded once.
Guohua tapped his phone, pulling up a folder.
"We'll move to the villa in the West End. I bought it years ago under my own holding company. Nothing the Li Family can contest."
Xue blinked in surprise.
"You had a villa prepared?"
"It's not large," Guohua said lightly, "but it's comfortable. And most importantly: it's ours."
Her lips tugged into a tiny smile.
"Tomorrow morning," he continued, "I'll send staff to prepare it. Movers the day after. We'll be out of here well before the seven days are up."
He turned to his children.
"As for what comes next… there will be pressure. Financial noise. Rumors. Attempts to disrupt suppliers linked to Silent Hands."
Xue listened closely — not anxious, but serious.
Guohua's tone remained steady:
"They'll try to create friction for Blue Horizon. They'll try to unsettle us socially. None of this is unexpected."
He looked at Xue specifically.
"You don't need to worry. These are just… predictable moves. And they won't touch you, not directly."
Xue let out a slow breath, her shoulders easing.
Guohua gave her a faint, reassuring smile.
Then he clapped his hands lightly once, signaling the end of the briefing.
"That's all for tonight. Get some rest. It's going to be a busy week."
Xue rose first.
"Goodnight, Dad. Goodnight, ge."
She headed toward the stairs, steps light but stronger than before.
Feng turned to follow, but paused when Guohua spoke in a quieter tone.
"Feng."
He looked back.
Guohua didn't give a speech.
Didn't voice worries.
Didn't dramatize the moment.
He simply asked, in the most natural, grounded fatherly way possible:
"You'll watch over your sister?"
Feng's answer was calm and absolute.
"Always."
Guohua nodded once, fully satisfied.
Feng went upstairs.
The house settled into a late-evening stillness.
And in the living room, Guohua pulled out his phone — not to lament, but to execute:
— calling the villa caretaker
— arranging movers
— reactivating private security he'd hired years ago
— informing Blue Horizon of the upcoming pressure
— preparing for the next phase
This wasn't a man recovering from a loss.
This was a man preparing for expansion.
---
Hello, Author here,
Thanks for reading — Leave a comment to tell me what you think about this chapter, and drop a Power Stone if you're enjoying Li Feng's story so far! Let's grow this story together.