My Alleged Husband

Chapter 65: Chapter 63 I Want to Join the Mercenary Group_1

Xia Jing watched Li Jiayuan’s careless demeanor with a sense of helplessness. She had never imagined that Li Jiayuan would one day become her close friend, never thought that Li Jiayuan would one day ask to join her Mercenary Group, and even less anticipated that Li Jiayuan would fall in love at first sight with someone she had once sent to assassinate her.

Xia Jing gazed at Li Jiayuan’s retreating figure, muttering to herself, ”Jiayuan, don’t worry, I will help you!”

Li Haixiao went straight home after work. Arriving home, he didn’t see Li Jiayuan and was about to call her to ask where she had gone off to play when Li Jiayuan burst through the door, in a whirlwind. Li Haixiao looked at his daughter’s reckless behavior, and said, ”Jiayuan, where have you been? Look at you, you’re all grown up yet still so careless. Who would dare marry you like this?”

Li Haixiao joked with Li Jiayuan, ”Are you bored of staying at home, wanting to get married off early? It seems I should find you a good family to marry into quickly, to stop you running around all day!”

While Li Haixiao was joking, Li Jiayuan was scared by her father’s words. She stammered for a while before managing to say, ”Dad, please don’t worry about it. Your daughter doesn’t want to leave you yet, so please just let me stay at home peacefully!”

Li Haixiao always felt that Li Jiayuan was acting differently today. If it was any other day, and Li Haixiao joked about these matters, Li Jiayuan wouldn’t be so nervous. Li Haixiao was no fool; he thought to himself, Could it be that Jiayuan has a boyfriend outside and hasn’t told her dad?

The more Li Haixiao thought about it, the more he felt it was possible.

Li Jiayuan, seeing her father deep in thought, realized he must have discovered something; otherwise, he wouldn’t be looking at her with such a strange gaze.

”Dad, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go upstairs to change,” Li Jiayuan said, not waiting for Li Haixiao to respond before turning to run off.

Li Haixiao knew his daughter was afraid he would pry, which was why she dashed off in such a hurry. Far from being angry, he decided to wait for Li Jiayuan to come to him.

An hour later, Li Jiayuan, having changed her clothes, went to the study to find Li Haixiao.

”Dad, I have something I want to discuss with you.”

”Sit down and talk.”

”Dad, I want to ask you a question. I’m thinking of joining the Mercenary Group, I don’t know if...”

Li Jiayuan hadn’t finished speaking when Li Haixiao became enraged.

”What did you say? You want to join the Mercenary Group?” Li Haixiao couldn’t believe it, he doubted his ears, but indeed he had not misheard.

”Dad, that’s right, I want to join the Mercenaries, and I hope you can agree,” Li Jiayuan repeated her decision.

Hearing Li Jiayuan’s words, Li Haixiao was so angry he gasped for breath, unable to recover for a good while. Li Jiayuan brought a glass of water to Li Haixiao, but who knew Li Haixiao would knock the glass onto the floor. He pointed at Li Jiayuan and said, ”Li Jiayuan, you listen to me; you are a scion of a noble family, you are my daughter, Li Haixiao’s daughter, the precious child of the Li Corporation, a student returned from studying abroad, not some common thug. Don’t you be thinking up one thing after another every day. You are my daughter, I can dote on you, pamper you, spoil you, but I will never agree to you joining a Mercenary Group. Get that out of your head!”

”Dad, why, what’s wrong with mercenaries, why do you look down on mercenaries?”

”Why? I’ll tell you why; it’s not that I look down upon mercenaries, but rather that there aren’t many people in the world who aren’t afraid of mercenaries. I don’t want my daughter to become someone the world fears. What I want for you is a peaceful life, not to become a woman who resorts to any means necessary to complete missions.” Li Haixiao shouted, though he had never yelled at Li Jiayuan all these years, not even raised his voice, but this time he was truly angry. He really didn’t want Li Jiayuan to be trapped in the world of mercenaries beyond redemption.

Li Jiayuan hadn’t expected her father to react so vehemently upon hearing her desire to join the Mercenary Group. She thought she could persuade her dad, but now it seemed impossible.

”Dad, what will it take for you to agree to let me join the Mercenary Group?” Li Jiayuan knew her attempts at persuasion had no effect on her father, so she had to change her approach and ask him outright.

Li Haixiao figured his daughter wouldn’t want to join the Mercenary Group for no reason; there had to be a cause, and he planned to use this opportunity to get some answers from Li Jiayuan.

”Then tell me, why do you suddenly want to join the Mercenary Group? Is there a reason that you absolutely must join?” Li Haixiao was indeed a sly fox. If Li Jiayuan told the truth, she would surely not end well, but if she didn’t, she would never get his consent.

Li Jiayuan was acutely aware of this, knowing that her father was trying to draw her out. She felt torn, not knowing whether to advance or retreat, as either option seemed wrong.

After some thought, Li Jiayuan gritted her teeth and said, ”Is it so that if I tell you, you will let me join the Mercenary Group?”

Li Haixiao knew Li Jiayuan was also trying to draw information from him. Though aware, he still felt quite pleased inside, thinking: This is indeed my daughter, just as clever as her father. But because of this cleverness, she’s not easy to deceive!

Li Haixiao looked at Li Jiayuan with a mixture of laughter and helplessness. Initially, he only wanted to coax out the real reason why she was so insistent on joining the Mercenary Group. However, he hadn’t anticipated Li Jiayuan’s counter-question, which now placed him in an awkward position. If he said no, he knew he wouldn’t learn anything, but if he didn’t deny it, Li Jiayuan would join the mercenaries. His mind whirring, after a moment, he said to Li Jiayuan, ”If you tell me, I might consider what you’ve said.”

Without a word, Li Jiayuan just sat there with a smile. Li Haixiao, puzzled, asked, ”Jiayuan, what are you laughing about?”

After laughing for a while, Li Jiayuan stopped and turned to Li Haixiao, saying, ”Dad, have you forgotten something?”

After thinking for a moment, Li Haixiao said, ”I’ve finished everything I had to do today; I haven’t forgotten anything.”

”Dad, you forgot the most important thing: I am your daughter, Li Jiayuan. Do you really think you can trick me with those little schemes?” Li Jiayuan said with a half-smile, ”Aren’t you just saying this so that after I tell you, you will argue that you don’t want me to get hurt and therefore don’t agree to let me join the Mercenary Group?”

Li Jiayuan saw right through Li Haixiao’s intentions, and he suddenly regretted it a bit. He said to her, ”Initially, I was happy to have such a clever daughter, but now I truly wish you hadn’t inherited my genes. I really wish I was a fool, then could you still be this clever?”

Li Jiayuan just smiled and took Li Haixiao’s hand, saying, ”Dad, I know everything you do is for my good, but I really want to join the Mercenary Group. I want to train myself, so I can be strong enough to ensure your safety!”

”You’re just being sweet-talked, Jiayuan. Still, I hope you can tell me your compelling reason not to tell me something like it’s for my sake, because I won’t believe that. Just tell me the truth!” Li Haixiao glanced at Li Jiayuan.

”Alright then, I’ll tell you, but please don’t get angry! Actually, I have two reasons for wanting to join the mercenaries. One is what I just told you, and the other is that the person I love is in the Mercenary Group, so...” Li Jiayuan candidly stated her reasons, causing Li Haixiao’s eyes to widen.

”Dad, I really hope you’ll let me join the Mercenary Group. You were once so in love with mom, and I believe you can understand how I feel. Please agree!” Li Jiayuan pleaded, bringing her mother into her argument in fear her father would still disagree.

”Sigh! Alright, but remember, Jiayuan, if you ever feel aggrieved, come back home. This will always be your home, and your dad will wait for you to return. Take good care of yourself, okay?” Li Haixiao finally, albeit reluctantly, agreed to Li Jiayuan’s request.

”Thank you, Dad!” Li Jiayuan threw herself into a hug with Li Haixiao, knowing she owed her father so much. She understood the love her father had for her couldn’t be expressed in words.