Chapter Ninety-Four: Interception Was Inevitable

Here comes the second update, delivered in the middle of the night—hoping for your recommendations, dear readers, and relying on your support.

The old man, who had unearthed the cups, listened to Yang Yue’s comments and nodded approvingly, handing the warm kettle to Yang Hui. He added his own agreement to Yang Yue’s words.

“Yes, yes, Xiao Yue is absolutely right. We’ll let Yang Hui set the things down, everyone can have a sip of water, and then we’ll head over to Old Yang’s place. There’ll be more people there, much livelier.”

As he poured the water, it was clear that the old man had accepted Yang Yue’s proposal. Now, in this private moment, Yang Hui should address him properly as Old Yang.

The Li patriarch in the family had evidently developed a sense of belonging to Old Yang’s side—he’d barely sat down before suggesting they head out.

“Old man, you’re really living the carefree life now. Looks like you’ll get a free meal tonight.”

Free meal? How could it be called a free meal? The old man was clearly displeased with Yang Hui’s phrasing and immediately retorted, “What do you mean, free meal? I hand over my meal tickets too—no meal ticket, no food or drink for free.”

Seeing how strongly the old man reacted, Yang Hui quickly corrected himself.

“All right, all right, it’s not freeloading—we’ve got meal tickets.”

The more Yang Yue watched these two, the more she wanted to laugh. It seemed these grandfather and grandson had shared many amusing moments in the past.

“Okay, Yang Hui, stop with the nonsense. There’s nothing much to say about Li Grandpa eating over there. The more, the merrier. You don’t know how much you’ve infuriated Li Grandpa before.”

Clearly, it wasn’t Yang Hui’s turn to speak. He kept silent and sipped his water.

Yang Yue’s words had stirred the old man’s memories of years gone by, prompting him to share stories about Yang Hui. Though they’d grown up in the same compound, family matters always had their secrets.

Yang Hui’s glorious deeds were unearthed one after another, each retold with merciless detail. Seeing the two still at it, Yang Hui could no longer endure it—the old man was getting increasingly revealing, even bringing up the first time Yang Hui had drawn a map.

He hurried to put a stop to it, glancing at the time—it seemed about right.

“All right, you two, it’s about time. We should get going. Old man, let these stories stay buried in your stomach.”

Seeing Yang Hui’s pained expression, Yang Yue decided not to tease him further, smiling contentedly.

“Very well, Li Grandpa, let’s go. It’s about time, and Grandpa should be back soon. Let’s head out.”

The old man still wanted to continue, but Yang Yue wouldn’t listen. He thought it over and decided to keep the stories to himself for now—someday, someone would record these glorious deeds to pass down through generations.

They closed the door and headed toward Yang Yue’s home. Yang Hui followed, carrying Yang Yue’s things, watching her stomp heavily on the floorboards, and wondered: Is this floor sturdy enough?

Yang Yue, impatient to return, quickened her pace and finally reached the third-floor attic. She knocked: ‘Knock, knock, knock.’

“Grandma, open the door! I’m back, Xiao Yue’s home!”

Yang Yue and the old man climbed up as well, just as Yang Yue’s grandmother came to open the door.

She saw Yang Yue first, and touched her face with excitement.

“Oh, child, you’re finally willing to come see your grandmother, running off so far—north and south, all over the world.”

Grandparents always dote most on their grandchildren. As the only girl in such a big family, Yang Yue was naturally beloved by everyone.

“It’s not like I’ve been gone forever—I’ve only been away from the capital for less than three months.”

Hearing Yang Yue’s voice, Grandma Zhou smiled and welcomed Yang Hui and the Li patriarch. Yang Yue’s grandmother, Yang Director’s wife, was surnamed Zhou.

“Come in, come in! This must be Xiao Hui. Haven’t seen you in years, you’ve grown so much—very promising. Xiao Yue has good taste. Hurry on in, and Li brother, you too—why be so formal after all this time?”

When Yang Hui was younger, calling Grandma Zhou was just a courteous address for an elder. Now, it felt different to call her that again, though he was used to it and had no qualms.

“Grandma Zhou, it’s truly fate that Xiao Yue and I can be together, but it’s thanks to her courage.”

Inside, Yang Hui set down the things and glanced at the dishes—it seemed there wasn’t enough, though it really was, but with the younger generation home, the feast should be more sumptuous.

He picked up the basket to go out, just as the key turned in the lock—it was Yang Director, home at last.

Yang Director was surprised to see so many family members gathered.

“Well, this is wonderful—Xiao Hui, Xiao Yue, both here. That’s a good thing.”

Seeing his wife holding the basket, he naturally knew what she was about to do.

“Dear, hurry, go buy a bit more vegetables. I saw some stalls still open outside as I came in—go see if there’s anything left.”

He set down his bag, sat, and prepared for a chat.

“Director Yang… ah, Grandpa Yang, we just returned from the airshow and finally had a chance to visit. Are the elders well in the capital these days?”

The two old men nodded, saying things had been good lately. Upon hearing they’d attended the airshow, Yang Director was quite interested.

“How was the airshow? And what about the project you mentioned last time? Is it profitable?”

Yang Yue finally had the chance to “boast” about what she’d seen.

“Grandpa, the airshow was absolutely stunning—the foreign aerospace companies are truly formidable. Hosting such an event is no small feat. Our model aircraft project is definitely making a fortune, especially Yang Hui—he’s so ruthless, not even the capitalists are as heartless.”

Heartless—Yang Hui didn’t know how to explain being described that way. He’d sold the model aircraft for eighty thousand dollars, with profits over a hundred times the cost. It was indeed ruthless. He could only stay quiet.

“Grandpa, let me tell you—Yang Hui sold a model worth a little over a thousand yuan for eighty thousand dollars, and he sold them all. It’s terrifying, honestly, he’s the capitalist of capitalists.”

Yang Yue kept “exposing” Yang Hui, making him want to hide—wasn’t this too brutally honest? Couldn’t she exaggerate less?

Listening incredulously to Yang Yue’s account, Yang Director’s worldview was nearly overturned—was there really such a lucrative project in the world?

“Xiao Hui, is this all true? No exaggeration? You really made that much?”

Since they’d brought up the airshow, it was best to explain everything. That way, it would be easier to discuss the trainer aircraft project later.

“Yes, it’s absolutely true. Our model aircraft is unique, the technology is top-notch, and no one can compete with us in the market.”

Now they truly believed it. The news was so shocking that not only Yang Director, but the Li patriarch was stunned as well, staring at Yang Hui. When had this rascal gotten so clever—making money from foreigners so easily and ruthlessly?

Having finished with the model aircraft, the appetizer, there was still time left, so Yang Hui continued.

“This airshow trip was eye-opening—we realized our shortcomings and even gained an unexpected surprise.”

As soon as he mentioned a surprise, Yang Yue knew what was coming and fell silent—was it really okay to talk about this now? It was a classified project.

Seeing Yang Yue’s expression, Yang Hui smiled and briefly summarized the trainer aircraft project, explaining that it was a collective decision by the base’s factory leaders, who had asked him to report.

Listening to Yang Hui’s report, Yang Director realized the issue was thorny, but he would certainly help from their perspective.

After a long pause: “The company setup falls within my scope. Have your base leaders come to me in the capital with detailed written reports, and I’ll submit them—it should be solvable. But as for the trainer aircraft being intercepted, I don’t have a solution yet.”

The old patriarch, though retired, was still sharp—otherwise, how could he have trounced his opponent in chess earlier?

When Yang Hui mentioned the interception, the old man was furious—his grandson had managed to secure a project abroad, only to have it snatched away.

He was determined to help think of a countermeasure. Just now, as Old Yang mentioned “above,” the old man suddenly thought of a bold idea.

“I think interception is inevitable—you can’t block it, better to channel it. Sometimes you shouldn’t worry about who’s intercepting. Think about the bigger picture. Xiao Hui, remember how I played the endgame in chess this afternoon—you’ll understand.”