Chapter 2729 - 2791: Brother Hu Is Getting Married

However, Li Yifei doesn’t hope to overcorrect either. He just wants to say that internet addiction isn’t a disease, at least not yet confirmed by any authoritative institutions. Therefore, those kids shouldn’t be treated as patients. What’s more, that’s not treatment, but imprisonment, confinement, and inhumane punishment. Not even strangers should treat a child that way, let alone parents.

But overcorrection is not good either. Li Yifei never thought online games were absolutely beneficial for growing children. They might have some benefits, but the harm outweighs them. So, beating Yang Wei and those bastards doesn’t mean Li Yifei encourages kids to go online and play games.

Some parents have been leaving messages and sending private messages to Li Yifei online; some are reminding him to guide in this aspect, while others fiercely refute and curse. Li Yifei realizes he hasn’t spoken much about this, so he edited a tweet and wrote: "I’ve been offline for a few days because of other matters and saw some of the tens of thousands of private messages today. Here are my thoughts: Going online, or playing games, has more cons than pros, not just for kids but for adults as well. In fact, being addicted to anything isn’t good. Especially not the internet and online gaming. I’m a parent too; my kid is at the age where he’s getting interested in games. But this is when parents need to reason with them, develop their self-control, and respect their independence as individuals, not treat them like raising animals! Think about what the Post-80s did? Game arcades? Billiard halls? Karaoke? And the Post-70s? Post-60s? Every generation has its own obsessions. The things you were obsessed with back then are not essentially different from today’s online games, though perhaps the latter is more harmful! Having said so much, I just hope you respect your kids, and don’t destroy their future with such rough methods. Sometimes they just need a few kind words and a little more care from you."

Of course, Li Yifei also knows not all kids are good kids. Such kids face many restraints in their growth environments. Just like Li Yifei used to do whatever and then joined the army. Yet now, hasn’t he turned out well?

Every kid is different. Not all kids are suited for studying. Some kids aren’t dumb; they’re just not suited to studying. Wanting your children to become Jackie Chan is great, but practical considerations are necessary. Otherwise, it’s useless.

Li Yifei rubbed his temples, feeling that these matters are hard to articulate. He can deal with Yang Wei, letting him meet his downfall, either spending his life in jail or going to see Yama. But he can’t forcibly change those parents’ mindsets, many of whom have their bitter experiences.

"Sometimes it’s just fate, maybe!" Li Yifei said to himself, sighing lightly. He really can’t manage so much, nor does he have that ability. The Li family’s children should take this as a warning, hoping their lives can grow freely within limits.

Just then, Li Yifei’s phone rang. He answered and heard a familiar voice saying, "Is... is it Boss?"

"Brother Hu, what made you think of calling me?"

"Oh, Boss, please don’t call me that! Calling you Boss already takes my courage; I’m afraid you won’t like it. If you call me brother, I can’t handle it!" Brother Hu quickly said.

"Haha, alright, stop with that. You haven’t called me in so long, so what’s up?" Li Yifei laughed. Besides a few comrades, he could almost say he has no friends. But how can a person live in this world without friends? Now countless people want to befriend him, but how to proceed with such friendships?

Brother Hu counts as one of his friends, nominally a subordinate. But Li Yifei now considers him a friend. Previously, he sent Brother Hu to the provincial capital for development, not expecting those families there to be handled so smoothly. They were completely overturned. So now Brother Hu’s task ended long ago, and he successfully turned over a new leaf. From an Underworld boss to the current Boss Hu, his status has transformed. He now owns multiple restaurant chains, becoming a multimillionaire overnight. His subordinates have also completely reformed, realizing that dabbling in the underworld ultimately doesn’t work. Even if one earned money in the shady world, it wasn’t respectable. Seeing police, even if they weren’t there to arrest anyone, still made one’s heart uneasy. Plus, Li Yifei’s influence in Mile City and Ning Province makes those mixing in the underworld either flee elsewhere or clean up their acts, not daring to continue wrongdoing. Brother Hu realized this too, seeking change himself. Fortunately, he hadn’t committed serious crimes over the years. What he did was merely bullying and charging protection fees.

So people like this still have hope and potential to clean up. If it were murderers or arsonists, forget about it; they should first surrender to justice.

Li Yifei and Brother Hu have known each other for years. They met during humble beginnings. Li Yifei commanded Brother Hu to do some things, and there naturally formed some camaraderie. Aside from identity, this can be said to be one of the few friendships Li Yifei has. Seeing a friend improve makes Li Yifei quite happy, especially since he didn’t offer much help, and Brother Hu achieved what he has mostly through his own efforts.

From Li Yifei’s angle, if standing in Brother Hu’s shoes, it’s different. Brother Hu knows how much of a mess he was back then. If Li Yifei hadn’t subdued him, made him a subordinate, and sent him to the provincial capital, there wouldn’t be the Brother Hu of today. He is deeply grateful to Li Yifei in his heart, also very admired and respectful.

"Boss, um...you..."

"No more formalities, just be yourself." Li Yifei said.

"Okay, Boss, are you at home? I mean, are you within the province?" Brother Hu knew Li Yifei was busy and often out, so he asked cautiously.

Li Yifei laughed, "Just got home, what, you want to buy me a drink?"

"Of course, I’ll buy! Boss, it’s like this... if you have time, can you attend my wedding?" Brother Hu finally asked. If he could get Li Yifei to attend the wedding in person, it would be a great honor. The entire wedding’s class would rise significantly. Even with some money now, he’s just an ordinary family. If they can get the richest man in Ning Province, the legendary Li Yifei, to attend, the wedding’s class would immediately change. If word spreads that Li Yifei is attending, provincial capital leaders might also catch wind and come. After all, Brother Hu never heard of Li Yifei attending events casually, not marriages, nor economic forums.

It’s not that Li Yifei doesn’t want to participate, but he’s just too busy. Even if invited, he can’t always go. Sometimes, someone from his house goes on his behalf; other times, he simply can’t participate.

Hearing Brother Hu’s getting married surprised Li Yifei. His smile widened. Brother Hu mentioned before, wanting to invite him when getting married, and Li Yifei agreed on the spot. Now mentioning it again, Li Yifei remembered he forgot about it. Wasn’t it last year when Brother Hu mentioned it? He hadn’t contacted him, so Li Yifei assumed he might have already married.

"Which day? I’ll attend." Li Yifei agreed immediately.

"Really? That’s great, haha! Boss, my wedding is the day after tomorrow, in the provincial capital. I’ll send the invitation to you soon!" Brother Hu said happily.

"No need for you to bring it yourself, just have someone send it over. Getting married is a big deal, handle your preparations at home. I won’t come early to avoid causing trouble; I’ll come on the wedding day!" Li Yifei said.

"Then...alright, alright. Boss, if you can come, that’s great. You’re my most esteemed guest. The fact that I, Huzi, have today is all because of your help, Boss. Otherwise, I would still be a small-time punk, probably getting arrested by the police any day."

"No need to talk about the past, we’re friends. I still hope you do well, even if it means making more money." Li Yifei said.

Brother Hu’s eyes welled up; such a big guy almost felt like crying. Speaking of which, he’s even older than Li Yifei. Marrying at this age wasn’t because of lacking money or ability, nor lack of women. In these times, it’s poverty that draws ridicule more than anything. When one has money and ability, who cares how it’s gained? Brother Hu knew that doing this was unreliable, he himself was unreliable, and the women he found mostly unreliable. So not until he cleaned up and successfully transitioned did Brother Hu start to consider marriage. If he waited any longer, he’d indeed be old.

It was his luck to meet a woman, who is thirty, a doctor. She was a graduate student who was twenty-eight when she graduated, having just started working for a couple of years. Meeting Brother Hu was quite special; it wasn’t a hero saving a beauty but rather a beauty saving a bear. Back then, Brother Hu drank too much, leading to gastric bleeding. His subordinates rushed him to the hospital, where this doctor was on night duty. After emergency treatment, Brother Hu’s life was spared, with no gastric perforation or anything.

When Brother Hu woke up and saw the doctor for a check-up, she was just off her night shift. Brother Hu chatted a bit, and of course, the female doctor’s words weren’t kind, saying things like how your life is your own and continuing to drink like this, someday there’d be an issue. By then, even being sent to the hospital might not save you.

An always fond of drinking Brother Hu surprisingly abstained from alcohol after being discharged, not touching it at all. His subordinates said Brother Hu was under a spell, having been in this profession for so many years, how could one not smoke or drink? Not drinking a bottle of white spirit isn’t considered drinking, not standing on a beer crate when drinking isn’t drinking?

Amazingly, from that time, Brother Hu never drank again, not a single sip.