Chapter 76: This Young Man Is No Ordinary Person

While Wang Lei was still reeling from his bitter ordeal, Li Sicheng was enjoying a lively conversation with Liu Wei’s father, Liu Chengjiang.

Their discussion had started with the dishes Li Sicheng ordered—several simple vegetarian plates, unremarkable in both preparation and ingredients. Pointing to them, Liu Chengjiang shook his head, half joking and half serious. “Li, there’s no need to save me money. I can afford to treat my daughter’s benefactor to a proper meal. Go ahead, pick a few more substantial dishes.”

Li Sicheng responded with measured politeness, neither humble nor arrogant. “Uncle Liu, I truly mean it. I’m not being polite. I’ve been a vegetarian for a long time; I seldom touch meat.”

Liu Chengjiang was momentarily taken aback, then laughed. “What’s this? At your young age, are you a follower of Daoism or Buddhism?”

“Something like that,” Li Sicheng replied with a gentle smile and a nod.

Watching Li Sicheng’s calm manner, a flicker of surprise passed through Liu Chengjiang’s eyes. “This child is not only sensible but also well-mannered! And the way he responds—so composed, so appropriate—it’s well beyond what you’d expect from someone his age.”

Although Liu Chengjiang’s position in the provincial government wasn’t high, he had met his share of the powerful and influential. Yet here, on this young high school student, he saw a certain aura of authority and composure—something he’d only expect in someone much older, perhaps a successful man in his forties or fifties. Had he not witnessed it himself, he never would have believed it possible.

“Could this boy be a scion of some illustrious family?” Unwittingly, his curiosity about Li Sicheng grew ever stronger.

Over the course of their meal, the conversation ranged far and wide—from astronomy and geography to history and culture—and as it did, Liu Chengjiang’s astonishment only deepened. Li Sicheng’s grasp of these subjects was profound, his insights unique. Clearly, in these fields, he had attained a depth of knowledge rare even among adults.

By the end, Liu Chengjiang was thoroughly impressed. “He can’t be more than fifteen or sixteen, yet he knows so much—more than many could learn in a lifetime. A genius! That’s what he is, a true genius!”

He also noticed that Li Sicheng, from start to finish, ate only the vegetarian dishes he had ordered. No matter how tempting the other plates, he never touched them.

“Not just a genius, but extraordinarily self-disciplined as well,” Liu Chengjiang thought, his opinion of Li Sicheng rising yet another notch.

There are many geniuses in the world, but few achieve true success. The reason lies in discipline: without it, even the most gifted will eventually falter—like the ill-fated prodigy Fang Zhongyong in Wang Anshi’s writings. But genius combined with discipline is a different story altogether.

For such a person, success is only a matter of time.

It wasn’t hard to see from Liu Chengjiang’s perspective that, after only a brief encounter, Li Sicheng had already earned his profound respect.

With conversation flowing alongside the meal, lunch lasted a full hour before drawing to a close. As they parted, Liu Chengjiang and his wife, Zhou Rong, expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Li Sicheng. They had wanted to give him a red envelope in thanks, but he politely refused.

“To save a life is a virtue in itself. How could I accept money for that?” he said.

“Li, it’s just a token of our appreciation,” Zhou Rong persisted, but before Li Sicheng could reply, Liu Chengjiang took the envelope from her hands. “Li is a follower of religion. It was thoughtless of us to offer money.”

Then, looking Li Sicheng in the eye, Liu Chengjiang said earnestly, “I won’t forget what you’ve done for us. If you ever need help, call this number.”

With that, he handed Li Sicheng a business card, making a promise in the process.

This time, Li Sicheng did not refuse. He wasn’t hoping for any favor; he simply understood that if he didn’t accept, Liu Chengjiang would find other ways to repay him, which would only complicate things.

So, without so much as glancing at the card, Li Sicheng tucked it into his battered cardholder. He had already deduced that Liu Chengjiang was a middling official, but such things meant little to him. If not for Liu Chengjiang’s presence, he might not have bothered to keep the card at all.

What some might treasure as a rare token, Li Sicheng dismissed without a second look.

As Li Sicheng slipped the card into his holder, Liu Chengjiang caught a glimpse: it was stuffed with over a hundred cards, their owners and titles obscured. But he did notice that most were finely crafted, many in foreign languages, and a few weren’t even paper but made of real gold or silver.

Who would be extravagant enough to have business cards made of precious metals?

Shocked, Liu Chengjiang became even more convinced of Li Sicheng’s extraordinary background.

“Uncle Liu, for Liu Wei’s sake, I’ll give you a word of advice,” Li Sicheng whispered as he accepted the card, leaning in close. “Beware the Tiger of the Third Lunar Month, and befriend the Rat of the First.”

“Beware the Tiger? Befriend the Rat? What does that mean?” Liu Chengjiang was baffled by Li Sicheng’s cryptic words. By the time he thought to ask, Li Sicheng had ridden off on his battered electric bike.

At that moment, Zhou Rong began to reproach her husband. “Why did you stop me from giving the envelope? What if people say we’re ungrateful? He saved Weiwei’s life, after all!”

Liu Chengjiang set aside his curiosity and smiled. “You don’t understand. Li Sicheng is not someone who wants for money. Our little token wouldn’t interest him at all—better not to embarrass ourselves.”

Before Zhou Rong could ask further, Liu Chengjiang turned to his daughter. “Weiwei, if you have the chance, you should spend more time with Li Sicheng.”

“What?” Liu Wei was stunned. All her life, her father had warned her to keep her distance from boys. Now he was encouraging her to get closer to Li Sicheng?

Still reeling, she replied, “Dad, you must be mistaken. We’re just classmates, nothing more.”

Liu Chengjiang glanced at his daughter. “Why can’t classmates spend time together? I’m not telling you to be his girlfriend—just friends. You may be a good catch, but I’m afraid you may not be up to his level.”

This time, not only Liu Wei but her mother as well were left speechless.

Was this really her father? What kind of father says that about his own daughter?

And yet, in all these years, they had never seen Liu Chengjiang hold anyone in such high regard—especially not someone so young.

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