Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 518

“Uncle, if someone breaks up with his girlfriend just for a little benefit, would you really trust such a person? Anyway, I’m not that kind of person.”

Xu Xiuwen wasn’t sure if this response would satisfy Li Pingguo.

He felt uneasy inside.

However, Li Pingguo suddenly smiled.

“You do have some integrity. If you really agree, I’ll give you some help. But don’t even think about being with Xiaomei.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen immediately felt relieved.

It seemed that Li Pingguo’s earlier words were just a test.

Thinking about it, that made sense.

Considering the huge age gap between him and Li Haimai, along with her family background and position, it was only natural for Li Pingguo, as her brother, to be concerned about his intentions and test him.

After that, Li Pingguo no longer pressed on the topic of marriage.

Instead, he asked about Xu Xiuwen’s Guangming Distillery.

He was curious why Xu Xiuwen dared to take over Guangming Distillery in the first place.

Xu Xiuwen shared his views on the distillery and his thoughts on the future of real estate.

Li Pingguo was surprised that someone so young had such a long-term vision.

Their conversation was rather relaxed.

Li Pingguo’s gaze toward him carried more appreciation than before.

Initially, after learning that Li Heng had gone drinking and partying with Xu Xiuwen the previous night, Li Pingguo disapproved of their association.

But after today’s conversation, he felt that Xu Xiuwen wasn’t just an ordinary kid from a regular family.

He showed remarkable qualities in many aspects.

Letting Li Heng spend more time with him didn’t seem like a bad idea.

It was certainly better than hanging around with those useless rich kids all day.

Xu Xiuwen left the study.

He had no idea what was on Li Pingguo’s mind.

When he returned to the living room, Li Heng was waiting for him.

Seeing him come out, Li Heng immediately approached him.

“You talked with my dad for so long. What were you guys talking about?”

Xu Xiuwen replied, “Uncle knows I own a distillery, so we talked about that. He gave me some advice.”

“That’s it? I thought he’d talk to you about my aunt.”

“We talked a little about that too…”

“I see. Wait, Xiuwen, you own a distillery?”

Xu Xiuwen nodded. “Yeah, have you heard of Guangming Distillery? I bought it. I came to Beijing this time to discuss business with distributors.”

Li Heng casually asked, “Did you close the deal?”

“No. They weren’t interested in our liquor.”

“Then you came all this way for nothing.”

“Not really. If I hadn’t come, how would I have met you, Brother Heng?”

Li Heng burst into laughter at Xu Xiuwen’s words.

“Xiuwen, just for that, I can’t let you leave empty-handed. Wait a moment while I make a call.”

Li Heng pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

Xu Xiuwen listened as he mentioned Guangming Distillery during the conversation.

After the call, Xu Xiuwen asked, “Brother Heng, who did you call? Don’t tell me you know Peng Pu?”

Li Heng smirked. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Less than five minutes later, Xu Xiuwen received a call from Peng Pu.

The other party invited him to meet in the afternoon to discuss a potential partnership.

Xu Xiuwen looked at Li Heng in surprise.

Li Heng gave him a smug smile.

Xu Xiuwen accepted the invitation.

“Brother Heng, you really didn’t have to go this far for me.”

Li Heng simply waved it off with a smile.

Just then, the butler arrived to inform them that lunch was ready.

At the dining table, Xu Xiuwen met Li Heng’s mother, who was also Li Haimai’s sister-in-law.

Xu Xiuwen had assumed that the wife of a high-ranking official would look quite young—at least well-maintained.

But he had been mistaken.

Li Heng’s mother was actually a few years older than Li Pingguo.

It was clear that she had undergone some skincare treatments, but she still didn’t look particularly young.

However, her facial features hinted that she must have been quite beautiful in her youth.

Now, while she wasn’t as stunning, she carried a refined elegance and had the warmth of a kind mother.

At that moment, Li Pingguo also stepped out of the study.

Li Heng had a few uncles, but no siblings.

His uncles had all moved out, so this meal was just Li Heng’s immediate family and Xu Xiuwen.

When Li’s mother saw Xu Xiuwen, she was slightly surprised and began asking a few questions.

Li Heng, always quick to speak, jumped in to answer.

When Li’s mother found out that Xu Xiuwen was Li Haimai’s boyfriend, she was visibly stunned.

Her shock was obvious.

But once she processed it, her attitude instantly became at least twice as warm as before.

When the meal officially began, Li Heng fell silent.

Both Li Pingguo and his wife quietly ate, saying nothing.

It seemed like their family strictly followed the old saying: Don’t talk while eating or sleeping.

Despite the silence, Li’s mother frequently picked up food for Xu Xiuwen.

Xu Xiuwen didn’t want to refuse, so he accepted everything she gave him.

Finally, when lunch ended, Li Pingguo suddenly asked, “What are you doing this afternoon?”

Li Heng replied, “I’m going out with Xiuwen for business talks.”

He fully expected his father to disapprove.

But to his surprise, not only did Li Pingguo not object, he even said, “Xiao Xu is only nineteen, yet he has already started his own company and runs a distillery. You’re already twenty-six, still accomplishing nothing. Stop wasting time with those useless friends and learn from Xiao Xu.”

This made Xu Xiuwen feel a little awkward.

Li Heng, on the other hand, was overjoyed.

He nodded repeatedly. “Don’t worry, Dad, I won’t fool around anymore.”

Li Pingguo gave a satisfied nod and left.

With his father’s approval secured, Li Heng had no intention of staying home a second longer.

“Mom, I’m heading out with Xiuwen. We won’t be back tonight.”

Before his mother could respond, he eagerly pulled Xu Xiuwen away.

Xu Xiuwen quickly said goodbye to Li’s mother before being dragged out of the house.

Outside, Li Heng grinned. “Xiuwen, I owe you one. If not for you, I would’ve gotten another lecture from my dad.”

“Uh…”

Is this really how a government official’s son should act?

Li Heng continued, “Come on, I’ll drive you to your meeting.”

“Uh… it’s not time yet. I scheduled it for 5 PM.”

“5 PM? That’s still a while away… Oh! I’ve got an idea.”

Li Heng suddenly thought of something.

“Xiuwen, do you like archery? I know a great place.”

“I don’t know how to shoot.”

“No worries, you’ll learn. Let’s go.”

What else could Xu Xiuwen say? He could only agree.

Li Heng then drove him to a private club.

It wasn’t far from the Li family home and operated on a VIP membership system—only those with a certain social status or wealth, after passing verification, were allowed to join.

With Li Heng leading the way, getting in was no issue for Xu Xiuwen.

The club offered a variety of activities.

Li Heng took Xu Xiuwen straight to the archery range.

At first, Xu Xiuwen thought Li Heng was simply being kind and bringing him here to learn archery.

But the moment they arrived, he realized he was completely wrong.

And not just wrong—dead wrong.

As soon as they stepped in, Li Heng immediately selected a female instructor.

From his smooth and familiar tone, it was obvious that he knew her well.

Before they split up, Li Heng even arranged for a female instructor for Xu Xiuwen too.

Li Heng’s instructor arrived first.

Xu Xiuwen glanced over.

She had a graceful figure and an attractive face.

The moment the female instructor saw Li Heng, she broke into an incredibly bright smile.

Li Heng, on the other hand, didn’t hold back—he immediately put his arm around the girl’s shoulder.

Anyone who believed there was nothing going on between them would have to be a fool.

Left behind by Li Heng, Xu Xiuwen could only wait patiently for the instructor Li Heng had arranged for him.

A minute later, a tall, sweet-looking girl walked toward him.

She was very polite and smiled as she asked, “Are you Mr. Xu?”

“That’s me.”

“Hello, I’m Shu Ya, an archery instructor here. Please follow me…”

Xu Xiuwen followed Shu Ya to the archery range.

He glanced around but didn’t see Li Heng anywhere.

“Hey, Instructor Shu Ya, where did my friend go?”

Shu Ya smiled and explained, “We have private ranges here. Your friend probably went there.”

Oh, great.

Xu Xiuwen recalled the way Li Heng had been acting with that female instructor earlier.

This guy didn’t come here for archery—he came for romance.

Shu Ya, unaware of Xu Xiuwen’s thoughts, asked if he had any prior archery experience.

Upon hearing that he was a complete beginner, she patiently explained the basics of archery while leading him to choose a bow.

Under Shu Ya’s recommendation, Xu Xiuwen picked a recurve bow.

Up until now, he still didn’t understand why Li Heng liked archery so much.

But soon, he figured it out.

After putting on the necessary gear, he stepped onto the range.

Following Shu Ya’s guidance, he prepared for his first shot.

Since this was his first time, his posture was a little off.

Shu Ya moved behind him to help adjust his stance.

Because Xu Xiuwen was quite tall, even though Shu Ya wasn’t short, she still seemed much smaller compared to him.

She had no choice but to press closely against his back to properly correct his form.

Xu Xiuwen could immediately feel her soft figure against him.

In a situation like this, how is anyone supposed to focus on archery?

Shu Ya continued adjusting his posture while explaining key points.

But Xu Xiuwen wasn’t reacting at all.

That’s when she suddenly realized the awkwardness of the situation.

She quickly took a step back, her delicate face turning bright red.

Shu Ya knew that guests at this club were either rich or powerful—people she couldn’t afford to offend.

And since this had been her own mistake, not Xu Xiuwen deliberately taking advantage of her, she could only swallow her embarrassment.

Xu Xiuwen noticed her flushed cheeks and asked, “Instructor Shu Ya, is this how you normally teach others?”

Her face turned even redder.

“Mr. Xu, please don’t say that…”

“Don’t say what? I didn’t do anything.” Xu Xiuwen looked completely innocent.

Shu Ya thought about it and realized he had a point.

She could only explain, “Most guests who come here already have experience. You’re actually the first beginner I’ve taught, so I wasn’t careful enough…”

“Okay, got it. Let’s continue.”

Following Shu Ya’s instructions, Xu Xiuwen took his first real shot.

As expected from a beginner, his arrow completely missed the target.

To demonstrate, Shu Ya picked up the same type of recurve bow.

In Xu Xiuwen’s hands, the bow felt as awkward as a wooden stick.

But in Shu Ya’s hands, it was like a deadly weapon.

One shot—bullseye.

Shu Ya let out a small breath of relief and smiled. “Whew, at least that went well. Didn’t embarrass myself.”

With that, Xu Xiuwen continued his archery training under Shu Ya’s guidance.

And he had to admit.

Xu Xiuwen seemed to have a natural talent for archery.

Except for his first shot, his accuracy improved rapidly with each attempt.

Shu Ya kept praising him, saying he had a real gift.

Xu Xiuwen was thoroughly enjoying himself, but after firing too many shots, he started feeling a bit tired.

Deciding to take a break, he also realized that Li Heng had been missing for quite some time. So, he asked Shu Ya to take him to find Li Heng.

Li Heng had booked a private range for himself.

Inside, it was just him and the female instructor.

When Xu Xiuwen found him, he saw Li Heng practicing archery—wait, no, flirting.

The female instructor was holding the bow, and Li Heng was standing behind her, arms wrapped tightly around her.

And tightly was an understatement.

That single arrow had been nocked for minutes, but it still hadn’t been released.

Xu Xiuwen watched for a while before he finally couldn’t take it anymore.

“Ahem!” Xu Xiuwen cleared his throat loudly.

The sound immediately broke the tension between the two.

Li Heng turned his head, momentarily stunned to see Xu Xiuwen, but then he broke into a grin.

Meanwhile, the female instructor in his arms blushed bright red and quickly stepped away from him.

“Come on, Brother Heng, tone it down a bit.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, are you here to practice archery or to fall in love? You’re still in the range—at least try to be patient.”

Li Heng burst out laughing.

Instead of being embarrassed, he casually pulled the female instructor back into his arms. “This is called multitasking. Saves time for more important things.”

Just as he finished speaking, a cold voice came from behind them.

“Multitasking, huh? What an absolutely shameless statement.”

Xu Xiuwen and Li Heng both turned their heads, just in time to see Qin Muni standing not too far away.

Xu Xiuwen immediately recognized her—it was the same girl who had “interrogated” him the day before.

Li Heng sighed and gave a helpless smile. “Muni, I don’t remember offending you, so do you really have to roast me like this?”

Qin Muni shot him a cold glance. “I just can’t stand people like you.”

With that, she glared at Li Heng, then, for some reason, glared at Xu Xiuwen as well before turning on her heel and leaving.

Xu Xiuwen was baffled.

I get why you’re mad at Li Heng, but what did I do? Why am I getting the death stare too?

After she left, Li Heng let out a bitter laugh. “Man, what bad luck, running into Qin Muni here of all places.”

“Who is she, anyway?” Xu Xiuwen asked.

Li Heng explained, “She’s Uncle Song’s daughter. Uncle Song has been one of my dad’s most trusted aides for decades.”

Xu Xiuwen chuckled. “So, you two are childhood friends?”

“Sigh, what childhood friends…” Li Heng trailed off and started blinking rapidly at Xu Xiuwen.

Xu Xiuwen immediately caught on—oh right, the female instructor is still here.

Smartly, he changed the subject.

After hanging around the archery range for a while, Xu Xiuwen checked the time and decided it was about time for him to leave.

Li Heng said he had something to do that evening and wouldn’t be able to accompany him.

So, Xu Xiuwen headed to the meeting spot alone.

When he saw Peng Pu again, the man’s usual cold demeanor was completely gone.

This time, the negotiation went incredibly smoothly.

Peng Pu didn’t even bring up any of the previous suggestions about contract manufacturing.

Right then and there, they signed the deal.

To put it simply: Peng Pu’s company would purchase 250,000 bottles of aged liquor from Guangming Distillery every year for the next three years.

This contract was far beyond Xu Xiuwen’s expectations.

He was more than satisfied.

But he also knew that this deal wouldn’t have happened without Li Heng’s help.

He made a mental note to return the favor.

After signing, Peng Pu suggested they go to a nightclub to celebrate.

Xu Xiuwen politely declined but promised to join next time.

Time to head back to campus.