29 Chapter 29 The Commoner

"Wait!" Levi called out to Li Tian just as he was grabbing his coat. "I've got it."

"I don't got time! Hurry up!"

"I know!" the hacker smashed one more button before a loud siren boomed throughout the entire Zhou Clan manor, even piercing through the speakers loud enough to affect them.

WOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEE...

INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!

"What the fuck!?" Li Tian covered his ears from the noise and turned to view the screen.

Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, from the hateful Zhou Clan Head's reaction, it was a big deal. The man had immediately stopped what he was doing to process everything and ran out of the room seconds later to handle the situation personally. An intruder warning that big was enough for anybody to become concerned.

"What the heck did you do, Levi!" Li Tian yelled above the noise.

The hacker swiftly lowered down their connected output volume, easing their hearing and answered the question, "I triggered a high-level trap in their safe. Police should be on the way soon as well. There should be enough damage done to keep Zhou Liuxian busy for at least a few days."

The anxiety-driven Li Tian let out a sigh of relief and gazed at his little brother rocking back and forth in the corner. It pained him so much seeing him so vulnerable.

After noticing his father wasn't coming back any time soon, the little boy crawled to his table slowly, opening the side drawer to grab something.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨?

The boy pulled out a wrapper, opening it to reveal a few broken pieces of chocolate. He held it with trembling hands, staring at it obsessively as if to calm himself down, before plopping a single piece into his mouth. As the piece melted down, his shaking noticeably stopped, surprising the outsider watching him.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴...

The boy wiped his tears and put the unfinished chocolate back into his drawer, content with his situation. His lips opened and closed, as he spoke to himself silently words that no one could hear.

Li Tian couldn't hear them at all but he could make out a few words that he knew.

".... Big Brother Lang..."

All he had deciphered was his own name, but it meant enough. His little brother was depending on him.

"I'm heading out," he declared to the hacker still busy.

"What?" Levi paused his work to see the star headed towards the door in a hot mess. "You mustn't, Little Sky!"

"I'm not leaving him like that! Not in that damn house!"

"Are you that ignorant of the consequences!?"

"Fuck the consequences!! This is my little brother's life we're talking about!" Li Tian roared savagely at the blonde on the screen.

"That's precisely why I'm telling you to stay," Levi tried to coax him gently. "As always, I have a better idea."

Hearing his words, the heated young man lowered the coat in his hands.

"But it'll require some sacrifices."

Li Tian glanced at his little brother curled up in a ball alone in his room and made his decision. "Let's hear it."

.....

The next day.

"I appreciate the time, Branch Head Xinya," Li Meilin sighed lightly as she sat down on the sofa facing the paramount man before her.

"Meilin, always call me Uncle Xinya. There are no outsiders here," his overbearing aura diminished completely, leaving only a chipper middle-aged man smiling at his niece. "I've already looked at your proposal concerning Xiao Tian and of course I have no issues with it."

"Thank you so much, Uncle Tian," the young woman let herself beam happily for once.

The man in front of her was nonother than the person at the very top of the Li Corporation North Branch hierarchy; Li Xinya. Other than Clan Head Yelan, there was none above him.

He was her brother, yet contrary to her stoic personality, he was more emotional and enjoyed spoiling his family members more.

When it came to outsiders, he was like a lion that guarded its territory with intense ferocity. But in front of his family members, he was nothing more than a doting uncle.

"Is Xiao Tian showing any signs of giving you trouble?" he asked her curiously, his adorable expression in outright contrast to his well built figure.

Meilin thought to herself before answering, "Not at the moment, but he has been acting a little moody lately-"

Beeeeeeeep. Beeeeeeeeeeep.

A call suddenly came in, causing her phone to start vibrating.

It was against her principals to answer a call when in a meeting but Uncle Xinya smiled and ushered her playfully.

She still wasn't intending on answering the phone, only wanting to check the caller ID but the name on the screen caused her eyes to grow wide.

Speak of the devil.

The expression couldn't escape the sharp eyes of a man standing at the top of the business world, especially one as eccentric as him. He asked with a glint in his eye, "Well?"

"It's Tian. Usually, he would never call me on an off day."

"Then shouldn't you be answering it, Meilin? Put it on speaker."

𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳? Meilin jumped in surprise, but Uncle Xinya's innocent expression revealed nothing of his intentions.

No matter how high she had climbed up in the entertainment industry, it wasn't at a level where she could contend with business empire tycoons like Li Xinya. They were in entirely different worlds.

If only she could act like a proper spoilt niece. Maybe she could have nagged her way out of it.

It's fine. There probably wasn't anything about Li Tian she had to hide anyway.

Click. The vibrating stopped.

"Good morning, Tian," she answered the call. "It's your day off today. Is something the matter?"

"Meilin. I... I need a favor," the caller sounded extremely hesitant.

"A favor?" she repeated in surprise. Li Xiao Tian asking for a favor? She glanced at Uncle Xinya who also had an eyebrow raised up. "What kind of favor?"

"It concerns the Zhou Clan. I want to pay them a visit."

"What??" Meilin and Li Xinya exclaimed at the same time.

"U-uncle Xinya!?" the voice blurted nervously.

"My my, Xiao Tian," the Li Clan Branch Head stood up with a devious grin on his lips. He grabbed the phone from Meilin's reluctant hand and put it closer to his face. "You must be in an interesting dilemma to ask for such a thing."

"I-I-"

"How about you come to my office in an hour. You haven't come to visit me even once have you? We can discuss this favor of yours a little further."

"This..."

"Meilin will send the car for you," the man wasn't taking no for an answer. "Oh and be sure to come as your other persona. I'm curious to see it."

"... I understand. I will see you in an hour Uncle Xinya."

"Can't wait!" the uncle replied joyfully.

Meilin watched silently as the man changed from doting, playful, to assertive, the reason many were kept on their toes when working with him. He was a man of many faces, something he shuffled around easily according to whatever circumstance he encountered.

This made him more flexible than Clan Head Yelan but sometimes also harder to deal with. The two of them were the pillars that currently held the fort of the Li Clan Empire.

.....

Xiaolang entered the Li Corporation North Branch building and headed to his separated private area. Besides him and a select few, Meilin included, none had access to this area in order to continue keeping his undercover identity a secret from others. It wasn't too far from the usual entrance he took and it mostly consisted of a large dressing room catered solely for him.

"Come as my other persona, huh," the young man looked in the mirror at his unordered appearance and wondered if anyone in the Li Corporation building would actually be able to recognize him.

Because he never actually went into any other part of the building, he had yet to ever run into anyone. People just knew he was present but no one had actually ever seen him, whether as Li Tian or Xiaolang.

Due to the people here being either from the Li Clan or people working under the Li Clan, it was a given that images of the Li Family, the clan's main branch, were burned into their minds.

Disguising as Xiaolang in public and in a clan owned establishment were two entirely different things.

He recalled what Levi cautioned him about.

"Your uncle isn't someone who would do things on a whim. He's testing you. This could be an opportunity."

𝑈𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘟𝘪𝘯𝘺𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝘢𝘴 𝘟𝘪𝘢𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝘢𝘴 𝘟𝘪𝘢𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨...

Xiaolang left the restricted area and headed towards the lobby, changing nothing about his appearance.

That's right. He was now not the singer and Li Clan heir, Li Tian, but the commoner, Xiaolang.

There was a double meaning behind it that he hadn't gotten at first, but Levi's caution had made him somewhat understand.

In the Li Corporation North Branch lobby, a chaotically dressed figure like Xiaolang stuck out like a sore thumb in comparison to the other fashionable and classy outfitted visitors.

The lobby was expansive with giant marble pillars in every section, adorned by beautifully lit wall torches and a high rise chandelier decorated in the center. The sofas were made of the finest leather and accompanying them were tables filled with refreshments enough to feed a few football teams.

If that wasn't enough, there was an entire waterfall built higher than the chandelier itself, that went all the way to an indoor greenhouse on the tenth floor in another sectioned area. In the lobby, the bottom of the waterfall was connected to a tiny traditional garden complete with a pond and wooden bridge to cross it. The aquatic animals blessed to live there were would die a happy life.

Xiaolang felt wholly out of place. It was the first time while going out as his undercover persona that he felt so aware of his own presence. Even while dressed like this at the market he didn't feel as self conscious.

In general, he was indifferent to stares. With him being a national superstar AND a Li Clan heir, those stares were natural and something he had gotten used to. Whether good or bad, they were stares due to him being above them.

But now, he was nothing but a commoner, dressed less than the average commoner even. Walking around in such a high-class setting, something that would never have given him a second thought otherwise, now felt like he was a zoo animal mistakenly waltzing into a jewelry exhibit.

He wasn't informed of any specific way up to the Branch Head's office so this was also apart of said test it seemed.

He walked up to the reception desk, slightly nervous, and readied himself to speak in his controlled soft voice.

There was a short line in front of him, apparently, a job interview was to be held on the same day, causing an influx of young hopeful visitors.

"Are you here for the interview as well?" a young woman, seemingly fresh out of college asked him out of the blue. She wore a light grey business dress and had her brunette hair tied into a neat bun at the back. Her makeup was light, and the heels she wore were just the right height for modesty. Everything about her screamed proper interview attire.

While she was dressed as a professional, her eyes and expressions highlighted her inexperience. Even as she asked the question, she didn't stop her eyes from scrutinizing him top to bottom, nor did she control the corner of her lips from lowering into a disdainful frown.

Xiaolang didn't bother answering her, as even in his normal identity he wouldn't have taken a second look. He was here to focus on another task at hand, as it concerned the well-being of his precious person.

This didn't dampen the woman in front of him, who began to speak her mind regardless of whether he was listening or not. "The interview details are quite vague, mentioning only an open position as an assistant, but I've heard a few rumors on who's assistant it could be."

She took out a compact mirror from her purse to check her makeup as they continued to get closer to the reception desk. "It should be the assistant position of nonother than the Li Tian," she speculated as she made sure her outer appearance looked perfect. "After all, there's news of his journey North recently and many are suspecting his true intentions here."

Xiaolang kept his poker face on, staring at the line getting shorter at a snail's pace ahead of him. However, inwardly, he couldn't help but snort at such words.

He could tell what the woman was going on about. Not just this woman either. She and everyone else in the building in one way or another expected him to plant a foot in the Li Clan business up North.

Their expectations were high indeed.

Too bad he could only disappoint them.

Even if somehow him joining the business were true, there was absolutely no chance he would leave the job of finding him an assistant to the Clan. If it weren't because Meilin was actually his cousin, he wouldn't have accepted her as his manager, and she wouldn't have been able to stand him either.

Not to mention anyone else in line.

"I do believe I'm perfect for the job, no offense," she blabbered on confidently. "I've followed Li Tian's journey since the beginning, and understand his personality and needs best. Although I highly doubt he came North to work at Li Corp, I believe that it's what's best for him as an heir so it isn't as farfetched either."

The disguised young man behind her rolled his eyes silently; she almost sounded like his family. The conclusion she made, in the end, wasn't too far from the truth, and soon enough he 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 have to work for the family. But it wouldn't be because it was what was best, rather, it would be because he had no choice.

They finally arrived at the counter where the reception smiled at them normally and took in the young woman's name.

"My name is Wu Stacey. I'm here for the interview," the talkative woman announced, as she showed her identification card.

"Miss Stacey," the receptionist repeated and scrolled down on the long list containing hundreds of applicants. Wu Stacey was among the top scorers, making it simple to find her name. "Please take the elevator to the 20th floor and head into conference room A."

"Thank you!" she said proudly and walked to the side slowly, so that she could eavesdrop on the next person. The rest of the applicants who heard the room she was given began whispering amongst themselves, evoking her self esteem higher than it needed to be.

Yes, she was a prime candidate for this job. Even if it wasn't for the Li Clan heir, being an assistant to anyone within the hierarchy of the Li Clan would already be an honor. She couldn't help herself from fantasizing about being able to wait on the CEO of the Li Corporation North Branch itself.

No, that was inconceivable, she shook her head silently, at least not so soon. This was one of the people at the top of Huaxia Nation. Such a person would never accept an assistant so easily, especially with the rumors of him being a total eccentric.

She looked around to scout her competition and made a conclusion arrogantly; she was definitely the best.

Soon her eyes laid upon the young man that came after her as well, who seemed to look confused about what he was supposed to do. It made her snort in contempt.

What was such a lousy man doing here anyway? It was originally an attempt of associating with the competition that she approached him, but thinking back on it now, it was just a waste of time.

If such a person got the job, she would prostrate her head to the floor for being inferior. No, if this guy could even get anywhere within two feet of the CEO, she would just give up now and go back to college to repeat from the beginning and relearn the basics.

"Are you here for the interview, young man?" seeing his hesitation, the receptionist asked kindly without a hint of discrimination. It was a big sign of experience and portrayed a good Li Corp image towards the hopeful newbies.

The onlookers secretly listened in, curious on how such a shabbily dressed person could even appear in this exclusive building.

The young man arranged his words and finally spoke softly, enough for only the people close by to hear, Wu Stacey among those included.

"I'm Xiaolang... I'm here to see Li Xinya."

The receptionist looked up at him in surprise but managed to keep his cool. "Do you have an appointment?"

After a short moment of deliberation, the young man answered, "Yes..."

That one answer sent waves of emotions to Wu Stacey standing not too far away. Others may not have heard, nor would they have understood the implications had they did, but as a person who studied specifically for this industry, she knew exactly what it meant to have an appointment with the man up top.

𝘕𝘰. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯.

"Hold on one moment, sir," the receptionist was quick to change his manner of speech, should the claim be proven true. A few calls were made and finally another staff member came down from the private section minutes later.

The new arrival was clearly an officer of higher rank from the clothes and demeanor alone. Unlike the usual bun women tied to look professional, she had her dark hair in a neat bob, and instead of a business dress, she wore a blouse and slim fit pants down to her ankles.

Comfortable and classy. It was obvious she was high enough to not care about appearing pleasing to the eyes of her superiors.

She walked towards them with grace and stopped right in front of the distinctly out of place young man.

"Mister Xiaolang," she smiled at him politely. "Branch Head Li Xinya has been awaiting your arrival. This way please."

The young man known as Xiaolang merely nodded his head slightly in approval, a show of superiority, and followed her towards the private elevator entrance.

The entire scene, although not completely understood by the majority of onlookers, still managed to make everyone stunned.

Someone of high rank came down to attend to him?

Wait. Did that woman just say THE Li Xinya was waiting for him!?

Such thoughts raced around in many of their minds.

There was one woman that was particularly affected.

Her face was pale as she stood dumbstruck in place. 𝘏𝘦... 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦...?

But she would never know. Not at her level.

.....