Li Hao gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. The city lights streaked past the tinted windows like hurried paint strokes against a canvas of dark grey, barely touched by the predawn light.
His usual calm was gone, replaced by a fiery anger that burned hotter with each passing moment. He felt the cold metal of the pistol tucked into his waistband, a solid weight against his skin. He didn't plan to use it on his father, no. But its presence was a silent promise to himself: he wouldn't be played for a fool.
The huge gates of the Li family compound, usually standing still and quiet, slid open without a sound as his car neared. The guards, knowing his car, saluted quickly. Li Hao didn't even look at them. He jumped out of the car before it had fully stopped, walking with the angry grace of a predator towards the main house.
Inside, the house was just starting to wake up. A few early-rising servants flinched, startled by the heavy thud of his expensive leather shoes on the marble floor.
He ignored their hushed greetings and quick glances.
"Where is he?"
"In the study."
His eyes were fixed on his father's study, where a thin line of light already showed beneath the heavy oak door. His father was an early riser, a man who believed the most important fights were won before breakfast.
Li Hao didn't knock. He simply twisted the golden handle and pushed the door open. The sudden entry sent a small gust of air through the perfectly neat room.
Mr. Li, a man with silver hair and sharp eyes that demanded respect, looked up from the financial reports spread across his antique desk. He wore a silk robe, half-moon reading glasses perched on his nose, and a faint smile played on his lips. His expression, at first calm and focused, changed to one of mild surprise, then a carefully put-on warmth.
"Hao'er," Mr. Li said, his voice smooth like old wine. "You're up early. To what do I owe this... unexpected visit?" He glanced at the clock on the wall, noting the ridiculously early hour.
"Surely early enough for a celebratory breakfast, wouldn't you agree?"
Li Hao remained standing, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes blazing with an anger that made the older man's smile twitch.
"Celebratory breakfast?" he repeated, his voice dangerously low, each word sharp as a shard of ice.
"You call this a celebration, old man? You make a public joke, you trick the media with fake photos, and you expect me to celebrate a forced engagement?"
Mr. Li slowly took off his glasses, placing them carefully on the desk. "Fake photos? My dear boy, I merely helped release a picture that showed the clear 'spark' between you and Miss Dongfang. A striking picture, I must say. Very... eye-catching."
His gaze was steady, a challenge in his eyes.
"And as for 'forced,' it's for the good of the family. For the good of the company. A marriage between Li Defense and Dongfang Defense... the power, Hao'er, the sheer, unbeatable power we would hold."
"Power?" Li Hao scoffed, taking a step closer to the desk, his presence filling the room with a thick tension.
"You think I need to marry some helpless girl to get power? You think I'm so useless, so weak, that I need you to arrange my life, my future, even my wife, just to make sure I keep my position?"
Mr. Li leaned back in his chair, a small frown creasing his forehead.
"You don't understand, Hao'er. This isn't about weakness. It's about smart planning. About our family's future. You're a brilliant planner in business, but when it comes to politics and society... you're like a bull crashing through a delicate shop."
He waved a manicured hand vaguely. "A good marriage makes everything stronger. And Yuna Dongfang is a perfect match. Beautiful, smart, from a respected family—"
"Respected family?" Li Hao cut him off, his voice rising, a tremor of pure fury running through it.
"You think I care about 'respected families' when you're making me look like a dirty old man, staring at a woman's chest, just to satisfy your old-fashioned ideas of family power?! You think I will just do what you want because you've put my face all over the morning papers with a made-up story?"
Mr. Li's face hardened. The pleasant fake smile dropped, showing the strong, unyielding father underneath.
"Watch your tone, boy. I am still your father. And I acted thinking of what was best for you. The headlines have created a huge buzz. The market has reacted well. To back out now would cause massive harm, both to our companies and to your own name."
"My name?" Li Hao let out a short, bitter laugh. "You've already done more damage to my name than any enemy ever could, by turning me into a public circus. But let me be perfectly clear."
He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the shiny wood of the desk, his eyes locking with his father's. "There will be no wedding. I will not marry Yuna Dongfang, or anyone else, under these conditions. You have pushed too far.
Mr. Li stared back, his own eyes narrowing. "And what exactly do you plan to do, Hao'er? The announcements have been made. Promises have been hinted at. The media is going crazy. Do you intend to publicly deny your own engagement? To shame the Dongfang family, and by extension, our own?"
"That, Mr. Li" Li Hao said, straightening up, his voice now calm, chillingly so,
"is completely up to you. I can, if I have to, explain the situation myself. I can release a public statement, laying out the 'political move,' as I called it, and the 'forced date.' I can expose the carefully chosen photo and your part in this disgusting trick. Or," he continued, a cold smile touching his lips,
"you can find a way to gracefully get us out of this... 'family alliance' without causing public embarrassment. The choice is yours.
But understand this: I will not be pushed. I will not be controlled. And if you think a few well-placed articles and one bad photograph can force my hand... you truly don't know your own son."
He paused, letting his words hang heavy in the quiet air. "Consider this my official notice: the engagement is off. If it isn't dealt with by the end of the day, I will handle it myself. And believe me, when I handle things, they tend to get messy."
With that, Li Hao turned sharply on his heel. He didn't wait for a reply, didn't spare another glance for the powerful man who sat, perhaps for the first time in years, completely speechless behind his desk.
The door clicked shut, leaving Mr. Li alone in the silent study, the morning light painting a stark picture of the battle he had just lost. The game had begun, and it seemed his son was playing by his own rules.
As Li Hao walked away, his hand instinctively went to the pistol at his waist.
"If my mother hadn't loved you so much," he thought, a dark cloud crossing his face,
"I would have shot you dead right there."
Li Hao is about to get into his car, keys in hand, when his phone rings. He checks the caller ID and answers, stepping back slightly from the driver's door.
Li Hao: Mr. Zhang? Any news on the matter?
Mr. Zhang (on phone): Mr. Li, we have a significant development. I'm at the office – it's best we discuss this in person. I'm waiting for you.