Chapter 72: Meeting the Parents

On the campus of Yanhuang University in the imperial capital of Huaxia, Li Fu walked hand in hand with Wang Yun beneath the shade of verdant trees. Dressed in pale yellow, Wang Yun’s cheeks were flushed, especially when passersby glanced their way—her face almost burned with shyness.

“You’ve only come back twice in more than half a year. Are you really that busy?” Wang Yun’s tone was tinged with playful reproach. Eighteen years had already half passed, but Li Fu had been preoccupied with his company’s affairs, returning just once for the final exams. The two had spent this half-year more apart than together; now that they finally had a rare moment side by side, Wang Yun could not help but voice her feelings.

“These past months truly have been hectic—between the company and the laboratory. But now that the business is on track, things are much easier. Every time I have a moment, I come here to be with you.” As Li Fu spoke, he gently caressed Wang Yun’s hand, his eyes lingering on the serene beauty of the campus as he quietly savored the tenderness of the woman beside him.

“My grandfather heard you’re back in the capital. He wants to meet you,” Wang Yun said, nodding. She was a clever girl and understood that Li Fu was working hard for his future. She wouldn’t harp on such matters—she believed a man should be ambitious, a value instilled in her since childhood by the Wang family.

“What? Your grandfather wants to see me?” At that, Li Fu was visibly startled. He was well aware of who Wang Yun’s grandfather was.

“Look at your expression—do you think my grandfather bites?” Wang Yun rolled her eyes at him.

“Of course not. It’s just a bit sudden. I wasn’t prepared at all—I don’t even have a gift. How could I show up empty-handed?” Li Fu shook his head with a smile, already mulling over what present might be appropriate.

“My grandfather never likes receiving gifts. You don’t need to bring anything,” Wang Yun reassured him.

“That won’t do. It’s my first time meeting your family—I can’t be impolite,” Li Fu insisted.

The next day, Wang Yun led Li Fu to the entrance of a traditional courtyard residence near the imperial city’s center. Li Fu’s heart was still uneasy; meeting the family for the first time, anyone would be nervous.

At the courtyard gate stood a tall young man, with sharp brows and bright eyes, his features resolute. He stood ramrod straight, a clear sign of long military training. Upon seeing Wang Yun and Li Fu, he broke into a smile.

“Brother!” Wang Yun called out with a cheerful greeting.

“You must be the renowned Li Fu, I presume?” Wang Xiao, the second son of Wang Yun’s eldest uncle, extended a friendly hand in greeting.

“Hello, Second Brother,” Li Fu responded smoothly, readily addressing him as Wang Yun did. His skin had grown considerably thicker.

“Come on, Grandfather’s been waiting for you two for a while,” Wang Xiao said, clapping Li Fu on the shoulder and ushering them in. As a soldier, he appreciated Li Fu’s straightforwardness, and he had been sent by the old patriarch himself to welcome Li Fu—a sign of how much the family valued him. After all, among the third generation of the Wang family, all were boys except for Wang Yun, their cherished little sister.

With Wang Yun gripping his hand, Li Fu entered the Wang family’s courtyard. The inner garden was lush with flowers and trees. Though it was already summer and the air outside was stifling, inside the courtyard the atmosphere was cool and refreshing. Every detail radiated an ancient elegance, steeped in a sense of history.

In the guest hall beside the courtyard, the old patriarch of the Wang family was conversing cheerfully with another elderly gentleman, whose features bore a resemblance to his own. Many family members sat nearby, accompanying them.

“Granduncle, what brings you here?” Wang Xiao led Li Fu and Wang Yun into the hall, and as soon as Wang Yun saw the elderly man beside her grandfather, she greeted him affectionately.

“Haha, I heard about your news, so I came uninvited,” Wang Zhengxing beamed at his granddaughter. As the only granddaughter in the third generation, Wang Yun was doted on by Wang Zhengxing even more than by the patriarch himself.

“Li, please, have a seat,” the old patriarch said, his eyes scrutinizing Li Fu. Li Fu’s looks were ordinary but pleasant, his attire simple yet tasteful. His eyes, however, were deep as the night sky, impossible to read, and he carried an aura—calm as still waters, yet as if a tremendous power lay dormant beneath. Under the patriarch’s keen gaze, Li Fu remained composed, unflinching, though it felt as though he was being seen through completely, every secret laid bare before the elder.

The old patriarch nodded inwardly. He already knew Li Fu’s background in detail, but meeting him in person, he found the young man even more inscrutable than expected. Smiling faintly, he gestured to the seat prepared for Li Fu at his side. Around the room, all eyes turned to Li Fu, each person sizing him up.

“Good afternoon, Grandfather, Granduncle,” Li Fu greeted them politely. As in the dramas he had seen on television, both elders, though advanced in years, were ruddy-cheeked and full of vigor, their eyes gleaming with penetrating intelligence.

Wang Yun obediently returned to her grandmother’s side, where the family’s women sat in a circle, all smiling at her—making Wang Yun blush so furiously she wished she could sink into the floor.

“Li, how is your company doing lately?” the old patriarch asked with a smile.

“We’re on a steady track now. Last month, the new drug for AIDS officially went into production, and we expect to expand capacity in the future,” Li Fu reported, detailing the company’s progress.

“Excellent. It’s commendable that you’ve chosen to return home to build your enterprise and contribute to the local community. What are your plans for the future?” The patriarch nodded approvingly and pressed further.

“I expect to continue focusing on high-tech development, particularly expanding into broader fields within biotechnology—genetic engineering, novel bioviruses, and bioelectromagnetics. These three areas will be our main focus. In addition, I plan to branch into aviation and aerospace; that will be my primary direction going forward.” Li Fu outlined his vision, especially emphasizing his last point: he wished to lead Huaxia beyond the confines of Earth, with massive future investments in this sector. From the very beginning, all his efforts had been for the advancement of space technology, striving to bring Huaxia into the era of interstellar exploration.

“Oh? Aviation and aerospace? That’s a lofty ambition. Tell us more,” Wang Zhengxing, Wang Yun’s granduncle, immediately took interest. Having come from a military background and overseen the air force, he was keenly attentive to such matters.

“I’m curious as well. Aerospace is no ordinary field—it requires immense funding and robust technical prowess,” the old patriarch said with a chuckle, eager to hear Li Fu’s thoughts.

“With the relentless advance of human technology and the ever-increasing population on Earth, global resources are becoming ever more scarce. I believe humanity’s future inevitably lies in space. The future of our species is among the stars—the tiny planet of Earth will no longer suffice for our development.”

Li Fu paused, then continued, “In space, there is boundless room, inexhaustible energy, and resources that will never run dry. The prospects are immense. For instance, energy production, manufacturing, asteroid mining, and interstellar colonization—all these hold limitless potential. Not long from now, humanity may embark on interstellar expansion, ushering in a new Age of Discovery among the stars. All this is possible. For Huaxia to truly rise, we must not miss the era of space and the universe.”

Li Fu painted a vast blueprint for the future, a vision of the interstellar age brimming with infinite possibilities—one that set hearts racing with longing.

“Such grand ambitions—they stir the soul. I, too, hope that one day our people will traverse the stars, that the descendants of Yan and Huang will be seen throughout the cosmos, no longer confined to this tiny Earth,” the old patriarch sighed, wondering if perhaps he had grown old—he had not expected the younger generation to already be setting their sights beyond Earth, toward the stars.

“But achieving this is no easy feat. Aerospace is the pinnacle of high technology and demands colossal investment. Li Fu, you’re a genius scientist—do you have any breakthroughs in this field?” Wang Zhengxing nodded, well aware of the challenges. Aerospace was a true high-tech industry, one that required not only money but also profound technological and industrial strength.

It must be known that, though there are many developed countries in the world, only a handful can truly be called aerospace powers—each a genuine titan of the Earth, with immense comprehensive strength. Nations like South Korea, for example, though economically advanced, have little to show in aerospace—they simply lack the means to compete in such a high-level arena.

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