"Hello, CEO Li."
Li Xi smiled and nodded, then asked,
"Haven't gone back yet?"
"I still have some work to finish; I'll go back once it's done."
"Alright then. I see you have serious dark circles, take care of your health."
Li Xi nodded, then walked into the elevator.
The Renren.com employees in the elevator saw Li Xi enter, either greeting him with stiff expressions or subconsciously shrinking into a corner, none daring to breathe loudly.
Within Renren.com, although Li Xi might not be as terrifying as Wan Yuqian, his position was clear, and few weren't intimidated.
When they reached the floor where the restaurant was, two female employees nervously called out,
"CEO Li…"
Li Xi then realized and moved aside.
After getting out of the elevator, the two female employees finally relaxed.
"I feel more nervous seeing CEO Li than seeing Chairman Chen, what's going on?"
"Because the distant official is no match for the local boss. Chairman Chen will only smile kindly at you, but CEO Li is the one who executes."
"Sigh, speaking of which, CEO Li is two years younger than me, but he's already climbed to such a high position. Sometimes, following the right person is really important. I heard a rumor that before he joined our big boss, he was doing odd jobs at school. It's said that he got the job based on a particularly funny resume and self-introduction."
"He's also considered a founding hero; he's managing such a large company at a young age, with a net worth of several hundred million."
"It's a shame such a person is getting married. Our company just lost another eligible bachelor."
"Hehe, even if he doesn't get married, it wouldn't be your turn."
"..."
Li Xi took the elevator straight down to the second basement floor.
Only after getting out of the elevator and into his car did he finally relax.
He had to maintain his leadership authority in front of employees.
Because he looked relatively young, he usually kept a straight face, acted formal, and also grew a beard.
Li Xi didn't rush to start the car.
Instead, he reviewed all of today's work in his mind, and only after confirming there were no omissions did he set off for home.
On the way, Li Xi also called his girlfriend to discuss the wedding procession.
Originally, he planned to wait until his girlfriend graduated with her master's degree to get married, but unforeseen circumstances led to a pregnancy, so they had to get married earlier.
In others' eyes, Li Xi's luck was incredible.
He had a successful career and a loving relationship; countless people envied him.
Li Xi was quite satisfied with his current life.
The Renren.com Group he managed was making great strides, its stock price was rising steadily, and the market share of its products was consistently increasing.
His girlfriend was also his 'white moonlight,' and the two were deeply in love and respected each other.
He knew deeply that all of this was brought to him by Chen Pingjiang.
It was Chen Pingjiang who recruited him to Renren.com, and it was Chen Pingjiang who, against all opposition, promoted him to the position of Renren.com CEO.
Li Xi always admonished himself to avoid arrogance and impetuosity.
Everything he had today did not come easily.
If not for his boss, he didn't know which forgotten corner he'd be stuck in.
Upon returning home, as soon as he pushed open the door, he heard his younger brother and sister arguing.
Li Xi frowned:
"What are you two arguing about? You've only been without Mom and Dad for two days and you're already fighting. Li Shi, what's wrong with you? Your sister only comes back once a week, and you can't even be a little yielding?"
His younger brother Li Shi and younger sister Li Meng had both grown up now.
Li Meng was a freshman this year, having been admitted to Dongjiang Institute of Technology.
She usually lived on campus and came home on weekends.
Li Shi had just started his senior year of high school, attending a regular high school near home.
These two siblings were no longer the unfortunate children who played with mud in the mountain gully.
Li Meng, whose hair was once dry and yellow from malnutrition, now had lustrous black hair.
She had grown into a graceful and elegant young woman, and her style of dress was quite fashionable.
However, Li Shi, who gave Li Xi headaches, was not so well-behaved.
He was restless, too fond of playing, and his parents couldn't control him.
He often caused trouble at school.
Skipping classes, surfing the internet, fighting, dating—he was skilled in everything.
As for his academic performance, it was better left unmentioned; a bachelor's degree was definitely out of the question.
Getting into a vocational college would be good enough.
Li Xi had already decided to send this kid to the army after he graduated.
"Brother, please judge. As soon as I came back, Li Shi was playing games online. I told him to read books and do his homework, but he wouldn't listen and even cursed at me."
When they were young, Li Meng could still assert dominance over her brother due to girls developing earlier, but now she was powerless.
Facing his older brother Li Xi's stern gaze, Li Shi's eyes darted around nervously.
The person he feared most in this family was his eldest brother.
Yang Kaixiu and Li Zuquan were both honest, simple farmers; they couldn't control him and certainly didn't understand academic matters.
Only Li Xi would really hit him when there was trouble.
They say an elder brother is like a father, and he was the strictest one.
"The college entrance exam is next year, do you even know that? Aren't you nervous at all? Or are you just planning to completely give up? Is that rotten game really that fun?"
Li Xi truly felt a sense of disappointment, fearing his own son would be just as mischievous in the future.
Li Shi nodded crisply:
"It's a game from your own company, don't you know if it's fun or not?"
"You!"
That single sentence made Li Xi's chest ache with frustration.
He had calculated everything, but never expected that the company's "League of Legends" would captivate his own brother.
"I'm giving you an ultimatum today. Otherwise, starting tomorrow, I'll have someone block the home IP, and you can forget about playing LOL on the home computer. Also, if any internet cafe dares to let you online, I'll even BAN that internet cafe's IP."
Li Xi reached out and tapped his brother's forehead several times:
"Let's see who's more powerful, you or me?"
Hearing such a nuclear-level threat, Li Shi could no longer hold back.
Mustering all his courage, he said,
"Brother, I don't want to study anymore. I want to become a professional gamer."
"What did you say?"
Li Xi suspected he misheard and repeated,
"What are you talking about?"
"I said, I want to play professionally, really, believe me, my Renekton is super good. I'm already Master tier, and I'll be Challenger soon."
Guided by Chen Pingjiang, although League of Legends was only in S1, it had already abandoned the point system and directly established tiers.
The tiers were still the old ones: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, and Challenger.
Li Xi was dumbfounded and utterly shocked.
"I, the dignified CEO of Renren.com, never expected my younger brother to be a severe internet addict, playing a game from my own company, and even wanting to become a professional gamer?"
"You're dreaming, I'm telling you! With your amateurish skills, you want to play professionally? Do you know how hard professional players train every day? So many people nationwide want to play professionally, and not even one out of ten players in the youth training camp makes it."
As the CEO of Renren.com, he was intimately familiar with esports:
"Even if you did make it, don't harm the team and make their sponsors collectively run away."
"But I still want to play professionally!"
Li Shi repeated like reciting a mantra.
"Then go ahead and try, let's see which team dares to keep you."
Li Xi did not discriminate against professional esports players; he was just worried that his brother, at an age when he should be studying, would go into professional gaming, only to find he wasn't cut out for it, ultimately wasting time and youth for nothing.
It was precisely because he understood it so well that he knew how difficult this path was.
"Brother, don't mind him, go attend to your own matters first. You're getting married the day after tomorrow."
Finally, seeing the brothers at an impasse, Li Meng stepped in to mediate.
After convincing her older brother, Li Meng glared at Li Shi again:
"Go do your homework. Tomorrow we have to pick up relatives from the airport, and the day after tomorrow Brother is getting married. If you don't do your homework today, you won't have time to do it later."
Their parents, Yang Kaixiu and Li Zuquan, had already returned to their hometown to arrange for relatives and friends there to come to Dongjiang for Li Xi's wedding banquet.
According to his parents' wishes, they originally hoped Li Xi would have a separate wedding banquet in his hometown, which would be more convenient and save relatives from having to travel back and forth.
However, Li Xi rejected this.
He had taken five days of wedding leave himself, planning to return to work after his honeymoon with his wife.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Li Meng ran to open the door.
As soon as she opened it, she exclaimed in surprise,
"Sister-in-law, why are you here?"
"Li Shi WeChat-messaged me, asking me to come over and take a look."
Li Xi glanced at his younger brother speechlessly, then chuckled angrily:
"You're really something. So you had it all planned out, didn't you? You called your sister-in-law even before I got back, right? Were you planning to confront me today?"
"What's wrong? Everyone looks so angry. Have you eaten yet?"
Li Xi's girlfriend, Xiang Bin, came in and first looked around.
Sensing the atmosphere in the room was off, she turned and asked Li Meng.
Li Meng shook her head:
"Not yet."
"What time is it already? Aren't you hungry from just arguing?"
Xiang Bin walked over and tugged at Li Shi, who was standing as punishment, then complained to Li Xi:
"You too, you just got home and you're already scolding him. Just talk to him nicely, he's grown up now."
That one sentence made Li Shi feel wronged; he almost wanted to hug Xiang Bin and cry:
"Sister-in-law, you're still the kindest to me."
Li Xi: "..."
Veins bulged on his forehead; this kid used this trick every time.
After Li Meng explained the whole story, Xiang Bin finally burst into laughter:
"Why on earth do you want to become a professional gamer? Isn't it good enough just as a hobby?"
Li Shi shook his head:
"I don't want to go to school, and I definitely won't get in anyway. Professional gamers are so glorious now; many people in my class want to play professionally. Brother, just let me try. If I don't get selected, I'll definitely come back and study hard."
Li Xi no longer wanted to argue with him:
"Go ask Mom and Dad. If they agree, then it's fine; I'm not getting involved."
"Brother, please just agree."
Li Shi was almost in tears from feeling wronged:
"If I ask them, they'll just come and ask you again."
Seeing the stalemate, Xiang Bin finally smiled and said,
"Why don't we let him try? Anyway, looking at him now, he really has no interest in studying. Instead of aimlessly wasting time, it's better to let him try his luck. If he's got what it takes, that's even better; if not, he can honestly come back and study."
"Yes, yes, that's what I think too. At least let me try, otherwise I won't give up."
Li Xi looked at his younger brother's eager and hopeful eyes, falling silent.
After a long while, he finally sighed:
"Since it's like this, I'll let you try. But we'll have three rules: First, you only have one year. If it doesn't work out, come back and honestly prepare for the college entrance exam. If you can't get in, you'll repeat a year or join the army. Second, you are not allowed to tell anyone on the team about your relationship with me, and I won't help you pull any strings. Third, if you're going to try, then make a name for yourself."
Li Shi was quite happy at first, but after he calculated the time, he made a long face:
"Can I have more time, Brother? It's almost October. I'd need to reach at least the top ten in Challenger to be noticed by a team and get a tryout opportunity."
"Just one year. Take it or leave it."
"Then... alright!"
Li Xi waved his hand:
"Let's eat. Wife, have you eaten?"
Xiang Bin smiled:
"I've already eaten."
......
Li Xi was now a well-known figure within Dongjiang.
Many people wanted to personally attend and congratulate him on his marriage.
Unfortunately, Li Xi only invited close friends, relatives, and some company colleagues; he didn't invite anyone from society, and he didn't accept a single penny in wedding gifts.
As the CEO of Renren.com, he had to set an example, otherwise, the partners below wouldn't know how big a red envelope to give.
However, Chen Pingjiang prepared a villa and gave it to Li Xi, insisting that he accept it.
The house itself might not be invaluable, but it represented Chen Pingjiang's attitude, acting more like a signal to the outside world.
Otherwise, if word got out, who knows how malicious individuals might interpret it.
Watching Li Xi reach where he was today, Chen Pingjiang was also very emotional.
So many people joined Renren.com back then, but only three or four ultimately stayed and made something of themselves.
The vast majority perished on the beach.
Either they gave up halfway, or their abilities couldn't keep up with the company's growth rate and they were eventually marginalized.
Some also chose to retire after Renren.com went public.
For a startup, the camp is fixed, but the soldiers come and go.
Li Xi's achievements today are inseparable from Chen Pingjiang's promotion and appreciation, as well as his own hard work.
In the early days of the company, Li Xi's performance was number one every month.
He then led his subordinates to fight battles everywhere, going wherever manpower was needed.
He even secured advertising deals with multiple car manufacturers before the launch of the social game "Parking Wars."
After being promoted to more important positions, Li Xi also performed admirably, proving to be an excellent executor and very loyal.
Outsiders only saw Chen Pingjiang's brilliance, often overlooking Li Xi's capabilities.
If Li Xi's abilities were ordinary, how could Chen Pingjiang entrust him with daily management tasks and act as a hands-off boss himself?
At 6:30 PM, the ballroom on the third floor of the Kempinski was bathed in Chinese red.
Li Xi and Xiang Bin's wedding adopted a Chinese wedding style.
The entire ballroom was decorated grandly and solemnly.
After checking the time, the emcee walked over to Li Xi and asked,
"CEO Li, can we start at 6:58?"
"I... let me see, probably not yet, some guests haven't arrived."
Li Xi looked around, not seeing any sign of Chen Pingjiang.
Just as he was wondering if the boss wasn't coming, Chen Pingjiang arrived, hand-in-hand with Yan Yan.
As soon as Chen Pingjiang appeared, murmurs rippled through the banquet hall, and many people began taking out their phones to photograph Chen Pingjiang and Yan Yan.
Needless to say, these were all the bride's relatives and friends.
Li Xi's relatives were mostly middle-aged and elderly people from the mountains, and very few of them actually recognized Chen Pingjiang.
Renren.com employees also wouldn't bother photographing their own big boss, fearing repercussions.
Only the bride's relatives and friends were extremely excited.
"That must be Chen Pingjiang, he looks even more handsome than on TV."
"Is that his girlfriend next to him? My goodness, she's so beautiful."
"Ugh, I'm jealous. It's better to marry well than to be born well, I really envy Xiang Bin."
"What's there to envy? There are only a handful of potential stocks like Li Xi in all of China, let alone someone with luck as good as his."
"..."
After the experience gained during the startup period, Yan Yan had adapted to appearing in public.
She held Chen Pingjiang's hand and walked slowly behind him.
With every glance and step, she exuded grace and beauty.
Coupled with her cool demeanor and graceful, composed expression, "exquisite" wasn't enough to describe her beauty.
"Sorry, sorry, traffic was bad, we're late."
Seeing Li Xi, Chen Pingjiang smiled and went up to hug him.
Yan Yan also smiled and offered her blessings:
"I saw your wedding photos on WeChat Moments; the bride is very beautiful. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together."
"Thank you, Boss's wife, please have a seat quickly."
Li Xi said, about to lead Chen Pingjiang to the head table.
However, Chen Pingjiang declined; sitting with both sets of parents and elders would be quite uncomfortable.
After finding the Renren.com management table, Chen Pingjiang took a seat.
"CEO Yan, how long has it been since you visited our company?"
Miao Bingwei smiled and spoke to Yan Yan.
During her time working at Renren.com, Yan Yan had good relationships with these people.
At this table were Miao Bingwei, Lin Bin, Zhou Guangping, Zhang Yiming, Gao Songbin, Wen Yan, Shu Mang, Wan Yuqian, and others.
Everyone smiled and greeted her, and the conversation revolved around Yan Yan, elevating her like stars around the moon.
Everyone knew that giving face to the boss's wife was giving face to the boss.
Most questions were about the development of Xiaohongshu.
At 6:58 PM, the wedding officially began.
After the emcee finished the opening remarks, Chen Pingjiang went up to speak a section as the marriage witness.
Western weddings have marriage witnesses, but traditional Chinese weddings don't really have such a role; it was purely added for Chen Pingjiang.
Chen Pingjiang also didn't mind giving Li Xi more face in front of the bride's relatives and friends.
In traditional Chinese weddings, heaven and earth are the witnesses, and the couple's three bows and nine kowtows complete the witnessing.
Next, it was the bride's entrance.
Xiang Bin, in her phoenix coronet and robes, was truly dazzling and exuded a powerful presence.
Yan Yan's eyes lit up with little stars.
Sure enough, few girls could resist such an impact.
"This Chinese wedding is indeed beautiful and grand, but I heard it's particularly expensive?" Gao Songbin said with a smile.
"Normal. Chinese style is never cheap, whether it's decoration, weddings, furniture, or luxury goods. Especially luxury goods, foreign ones are mass-produced, but domestic luxury goods are purely handmade and take years to create."
"Haha, I didn't expect this kid Li Xi to be ahead of us, he's actually the first one to get married."
"Hehe, if the bride doesn't get married soon, she won't be able to hide it anymore."
"Hey, we can talk about this privately, but don't say it publicly."
"..."
After the three bows and nine kowtows, it was time to offer tea to both sets of parents.
After the ceremony, Li Xi took the microphone and spoke.
"First, I'd like to thank all my relatives and friends for taking time out of their busy schedules to attend my and Xiang Bin's wedding."
"Here, I want to thank one person, and that is the Chairman of our company—Mr. Chen Pingjiang."
"The reason I thank him is because he changed the trajectory of my life."
"My family background was very ordinary. When I was in school, I worked odd jobs to save up for living expenses. I served meals in the school cafeteria, worked as a cashier in a convenience store, handed out flyers, and even worked in a kitchen. Before I met Chairman Chen, I thought my life would just be like that, and I dared not hope for the future."
"It was he who hired me, gave me a job, and gave me my first performance commission of forty thousand yuan. I used that money to improve my family's life."
"He also gave me the opportunity to stand on a bigger stage. Today, I have brought my parents to Dongjiang, my younger brother and sister are growing up happily, I myself am married to the girl I love, have a very satisfying job, and friendly colleagues."
"It can be said that without Chairman Chen, there would be no Li Xi today. He is my benefactor in life. Thank you, Chairman Chen."
After speaking, Li Xi, standing on stage, bowed remotely in Chen Pingjiang's direction.
When he looked up again, his eyes were red.
At Chen Pingjiang's table, especially Miao Bingwei, Gao Songbin, and others who started the business with Chen Pingjiang, felt the most empathy.
Chen Pingjiang also changed the trajectories of their lives, and their feelings were no less profound than Li Xi's.
"Don't look at me with strange eyes. When the newlyweds come to toast later, remember to make them drink a lot."
Chen Pingjiang said with a smile.
(End of chapter)