RYEY -Chapter 536 Li Ming’s Decision

Cheng Qiao reluctantly bid farewell to the young couple. When children grow up, they must leave the nest and spread their wings. All she could do was support them and offer her blessings.

The family stayed in the capital for a few more days before returning home. Li Ming opened his mouth several times, wanting to say something, but never dared to. Cheng Qiao, overwhelmed with too many things on her mind, didn’t notice.

Time flew by, and soon it was the day Li Xiaonuan graduated from junior high school. Zhao Hui personally came to Liangzhou to handle Xiaonuan’s overseas study arrangements.

CAN had already returned to France. Over the years, he had kept in constant correspondence with Xiaonuan, often assigning homework, checking her work, and telling her about current international fashion trends.

Their correspondence transitioned seamlessly from English to French. Qian Longxin deserved much of the credit—she was proficient in English, though her French wasn’t very strong.

But for Xiaonuan’s sake, Qian Longxin always had Qian Longkun scour major bookstores and libraries in the capital. Whether borrowing or buying, any books related to French or introducing France were brought back.

While teaching the twins, she also improved herself, laying a solid foundation for eventually going abroad to promote their beauty salons.

Xiaonuan herself was exceptionally diligent. From CAN’s assignments, she had already grasped the endlessly changing yet fundamentally consistent principles of fashion design, gaining a much clearer understanding of the path she wanted to take.

Finally, it was time to part again. Cheng Qiao had countless worries about her only daughter going abroad to study. She always felt that Xiaonuan was still a child and shouldn’t leave her mother’s embrace.

Zhao Hui smiled and took out a photograph, handing it to Cheng Qiao. She found the family of four in the photo both familiar and unfamiliar, and looked at Zhao Hui in confusion.

“Silly girl, don’t tell me you don’t even recognize your cousin and his wife anymore?”

“Uncle, could that be Brother Zhao Qiming? Wasn’t he in the far northwest?”

“Haha, he went to France a couple of years ago to help manage my estate.”

“Uncle, you actually have an estate in France?”

“Of course. But it’s not mine—it was left behind by your grandfather. Your mother’s name is on it as well. So now you can rest easy, right?”

Cheng Qiao carefully examined the people in the photo, then handed it to Xiaonuan. Li Xiaonuan’s previously uneasy heart finally settled. Having a home of her own in a foreign country—what was there left to worry about?

“Sigh… This time last year, I was seeing your eldest brother off on a plane. This year, it’s you. One by one, my children have grown wings and are flying toward the blue sky.”

“Mom, when I come back after finishing my studies, I’ll create a brand that belongs to us, then break out of Asia and take on the world.”

“Alright. Mom supports you. Go for it.”

After encouraging each other, mother and daughter hugged tightly. Once separated, no one knew when they would meet again. Though Mother Li’s heart ached, she could only wave goodbye.

“Grandma, please take good care of yourself. Wait for me to come back.”

“My precious, I will. I still have to wait for your father to come back—wait for our whole family to reunite.”

The words Li Ming had wanted to say were forced back down by Mother Li’s words. There were still six months before his high school graduation—he would talk about it then.

Li Ming planned to keep it a secret until graduation, but Xiao Gui was straightforward and blurted everything out. Ye Xiaolin remained silent for a long time, while He Fei nearly went frantic.

That very night, she called Cheng Qiao, asking whether she knew that Li Ming and Xiao Gui had already signed up for the special forces—and had passed the physical examinations.

Cheng Qiao froze for a moment, then laughed softly. Her children truly were all outstanding: the eldest in scientific research, the second in finance, the third in the military, the fourth obsessed with medicine, and the fifth studying design.

As the mother of such exceptional children, what more could she ask for? Gripping the phone tightly, her voice was firm:

“He Fei, I support Li Ming’s decision. It’s a brave decision, an ambitious one. As parents, we should support it.”

He Fei could hardly believe her ears. Cheng Qiao, who loved her children more than anything, was actually willing to let Li Ming endure such hardship. Just as she was about to speak, Ye Xiaolin shook his head slightly and took the phone.

“Cheng Qiao, I also support Xiao Gui’s decision. This child was born to be a soldier. But there’s one thing I’d like to ask of you…”

“Brother Xiaolin, you don’t need to say it—I know exactly what you want. I’ll provide it with everything I have. Xiao Gui is my daughter-in-law, a member of the Li family. Of course I’ll protect her life.”

Ye Xiaolin let out a long sigh of relief. With Cheng Qiao’s pills, even if the King of Hell himself showed up, he wouldn’t be able to take their daughter’s life.

“What kind of riddles are you two speaking in? I can’t understand a thing.”

He Fei was completely puzzled. Ye Xiaolin smiled. Did she really think that he had survived so many years in such harsh conditions relying only on himself?

No. Without the medicine Cheng Qiao had given him, he would have been a corpse long ago. But these matters were top secret—he could never tell He Fei.

In Spring City, Li Ming held Li Chen’s hand and handed him two letters. He knew his grandmother couldn’t bear to leave him, and he knew even more clearly that his biological mother would never agree to let him go.

“Brother Li Ming, if you leave, what will I do all alone?”

“How would you be alone? You have to take care of Grandma, help me watch over the grocery store, and when you have time, go see my mom and my younger brother. Those are the people and things that matter most to me.”

“But you don’t have to go at all. Look at you—your grades are good, getting into university is no problem, your family’s well-off, the shop earns money every day. What exactly are you after?”

“What he’s after is an ambitious heart. What he wants is the honor of our Li family.”

A familiar voice came from outside. Cheng Qiao stood at the doorway holding Ye Jing’s hand, while Mother Li smiled at him.

“Grandma, Mom… you… you all know?”

“Silly child. What you’re doing is a good thing—why hide it from us?”

Li Ming looked embarrassed. He’d just been afraid his mom and grandma wouldn’t agree. His eldest brother couldn’t come back, his second brother had left, his little sister was gone too—only he and his younger brother were left. How could his mother not be reluctant?

“Come inside with me.”

“Mom, didn’t you just agree with my decision? Are you going to lock me up? Mom, I beg you—I really want to go.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I just have something to say to you.”

“Oh…”

Li Ming followed Cheng Qiao into her room with worry written all over his face, bracing himself for her anger. He knew he was no match for Cheng Qiao— even if he could beat her, he wouldn’t dare. After all, she was his biological mother, the one who had given birth to him.

“Take this and keep it well. Get familiar with it tonight. If anything happens in the future, it could save your life.”

“Mom, this is…?”

“Shh. Don’t tell anyone. There are two portions of pills here—one for Xiao Gui, one for you. You must keep them on you at all times. Don’t let them get wet.”