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"Yoo, would you like to be the Crown Prince?" Li Xin suddenly said, half-dazed as he held his wine glass.
Choi Sung-jun and Liu Huan exchanged glances, each finding an excuse to leave. Choi Sung-jun pulled Xin Ai away, while Liu Huan gave Elder Brother Li a knowing look. Although Elder Brother Li and Hanno were not fond of each other, seeing Li Xin's bewildered expression made Elder Brother Li smile and rise, leaving space for Hanno and Li Xin.
"Is it because of Min Hyo-rin or the pressure from public opinion?" Hanno poured another glass of wine for Li Xin.
"Both," Li Xin replied after taking a sip. "I don't like my life right now; I have no freedom. I have to marry a woman I don't love for the sake of the so-called royal image, and everything is planned out for me, like living in a cage. Yoo, I don't want to continue living like this."
Hanno looked at Li Xin as if he were a child. "Xin, I know you crave freedom, but you should understand that as the Crown Prince, you are destined to be without it. Not just you; our grandfather, my father, your father—they all went through the same thing."
"But if I stop being the Crown Prince, won't I regain my freedom? Yoo, please take my place as the Crown Prince," Li Xin pleaded.
"No!" Hanno's smile faded. "Xin, do you think being a country's Crown Prince is something you can just walk away from? How would the royal family explain that to the citizens? Do you even know what responsibility means?"
"I certainly do!" Li Xin snapped back. "But this responsibility is not what I want; it's too heavy and suffocating."
"So you want to escape?" Hanno's expression turned serious. "Xin, do you want to be a deserter?"
"No, I just don't like this constrained life. Besides, you are here too! Don't you want to become the Crown Prince and reclaim what rightfully belongs to you?"
Hanno laughed in anger. "Is that how you see me? Or is that what the Queen has instilled in you? Ha! If I wanted to, do you think your mother could still hold her position as Queen? Don't project your own filth onto others."
Li Xin panicked and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Yoo! I didn't mean it that way. I just... got angry and thought of my mother's words..."
Hanno scoffed coldly. "If it weren't for coming back to find Rahe1, do you think I'd return to a place like Korea? Do you know what my nickname in the financial world is? The Financial Emperor! If I wanted to, I could destroy Korea's economy at any time and make your dear Queen's son unstable. Want to test me?"
Li Xin shook his head vigorously. "Yoo, I'm wrong! I'm wrong! Please don't take action against Korea or my mother!"
"Alright!" Hanno patted Li Xin's cheek. "As long as you continue being the Crown Prince and become the future emperor, I won't lay a finger on your mother or Korea!"
"I..." At that moment, Li Xin faced the most difficult choice of his life.
"To wear the crown, one must bear its weight." Hanno emphasized, "So, have you made your choice?"
"I... I will. I will be a good Crown Prince and will no longer act recklessly." As Li Xin spoke these words, a look of sorrow and reluctance crossed his face. From now on, he would have to completely sever ties with Xiaolin. A Crown Prince cannot afford any scandals regarding infidelity.
Hanno could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his expression and smirked slightly. "Xin, are you thinking about Min Hyo-rin?"
Li Xin did not deny it. "Yes. There is a connection between us, but it is fated to be unfulfilled."
"Do you really love Min Hyo-rin?" Hanno asked.
"What do you mean?" Li Xin replied, displeased.
"I don't see any real love in you. You like Min Hyo-rin, but it certainly can't be called love," Hanno said. "I'm curious whether you are drawn to her beauty and excellence or if you feel a kinship because you think she shares a similar fate with you—like she is another version of yourself, which makes her stand out to you."
The rebuttal that had formed in Li Xin's throat suddenly got stuck there after hearing Hanno's words. Why did he find Hanno's reasoning so compelling?
Hanno stood up and patted Li Xin on the shoulder. "Think about it carefully!"
He then went off to find Elder Brother Li and left the bar with him.
Li Xin wiped his face with his hand and also left; he needed to think things through.
Afterward, Elder Brother Li took Hanno to dinner with Esher Li. The business world is quick to react; the stock of RsInernaina1 surged significantly. With newfound confidence, Esher Li decided against an alliance with Choi Dong-wook and ultimately chose Yoon Jae-ho, achieving success in both career and love. In contrast, Chairman Kim was furious when Jin Tan's illegitimate son status was exposed. Jin Yuan secretly took action and seized control of the Empire Group, leaving Chairman Kim so enraged that he ended up in the hospital. Han Qi Ai was expelled from the Jin family mansion by Jin Yuan and had no choice but to seek refuge with Jin Tan. Jin Yuan did not completely abandon his brother; although he did not give him shares in the Empire Group, he provided him with a substantial sum of money and a luxurious villa, ensuring that Jin Tan could live comfortably. Additionally, Han Qi Ai still had many expensive gifts from Chairman Kim, so their lives were worry-free. However, Jin Tan found life very difficult; Han Qi Ai disliked Cha Eunsang and believed she was a disaster who brought trouble to her son. Cha Eunsang was not one to back down from confrontation; she argued fiercely with Han Qi Ai, causing Jin Tan great distress as he found himself caught between the two women, receiving complaints from both sides. Their relationship gradually deteriorated amidst constant arguments until they eventually broke up and became strangers.
Li Xiaoxin's unrequited love for Quan Xianzhu was discovered by his parents, who promptly sent him abroad. Quan Xianzhu faced severe repercussions for "seducing" students and was expelled from Imperial High School. Jin Yuan had already become engaged to another woman in order to seize control of the Empire Group before this incident occurred. Quan Xianzhu did not become a Cinderella; instead, she left for an unfamiliar rural area where she found a teaching job and married an utterly ordinary man, living out her life in simplicity. Li Baona and Yin Canrong were the happiest couple among everyone; they got married right after graduating from university and took the opportunity to invite all their classmates from Imperial High School as if hosting a high school reunion. Elder Brother Li, now a princess, also attended their wedding, captivating everyone with her grace and beauty—truly deserving of being called a goddess, far surpassing any so-called Cinderella. Seeing Liu Rahe1 like this made Jin Tan regretful; if only he had pursued such a girl back then, would the outcome have been different?
After dinner with Esher Li, Hanno received a call from Li Xin. On the other end of the line, Li Xin's voice sounded weary: "Hanno, you're right. My feelings for Xiaolin are not what I thought they were; I see her as another version of myself—a sense of shared suffering. I've broken things off with Xiaolin; I won't have any more ties with her."
Hanno chuckled lightly. "You've moved on, but Min Hyo-rin isn't ready to let go, is she?"
Li Xin was taken aback. "How do you know?"
"Because I can read people. The first time I saw Min Haolin, I realized she was ambitious; she wants the best of everything. After her career faltered, you became her only lifeline to the pinnacle of glory. She won't let you go easily."
Li Xin forced a smile. "You've got me again, Lu. You're truly the most suitable candidate for Crown Prince and Emperor. Are you really not considering it anymore?"
Thinking back to his previous conversation with Min Hyo-rin and her reaction... Li Xin sighed, realizing he was nowhere near as perceptive as Lu, especially when it came to reading people. And Hyo-rin... she had really disappointed him.
"No way!" Hanno rejected without hesitation. "In the future, if Min Hyo-rin tries to use your past relationship to meet up, you'd better not go. I'm afraid she might resort to underhanded tactics."
"She wouldn't do that..." Li Xin couldn't believe Min Hyo-rin would act that way. In his mind, she was proud and wouldn't stoop to scheming for her own ends. Because of this belief, he ended up suffering greatly and had to rely on Hanno to help him out.
"Just keep that in mind," Hanno reminded him. "Shin Chae-kyung is a nice girl. Since you two are already married, treat her well. Her personality suits you perfectly."
"I... will," Li Xin replied hesitantly before hanging up the phone.
Hanno tossed the phone aside and turned to embrace Elder Brother Li—she really enjoyed this gesture, wrapping her tall frame around his slender one, laughing as she rubbed her forehead against his: "Wei Feng, things in Korea are almost settled. Let's go travel the world!"
"You decide!" Elder Brother Li replied somewhat gloomily. He longed to return to reality and back into his strong body.
Before they could set off, Xin Ai had other plans. She had already accepted Choi Sung-jun's proposal, and how could Hanno, her benefactor and boss, not be present at the wedding? So, Hanno and Elder Brother Li had no choice but to stay behind. However, before they could attend Xin Ai's wedding, a call for help came in from Li Xin. This guy was truly caught in Min Hyo-rin's schemes. Without Xu Huaying's assistance, Min Hyo-rin's tactics against Li Xin were much less sophisticated but still numerous. She drugged him, took him to a hotel, and then notified reporters to catch him in the act, hoping to pressure him into divorcing his wife and marrying her instead. Fortunately, Li Xin woke up during this ordeal and escaped from the room Min Hyo-rin had taken him into. However, the drug's effects lingered; he felt groggy and weak, unable to leave the hotel while a swarm of reporters arrived outside. To avoid being discovered by them, Li Xin could only hide in a storage room and call Hanno for help. Why didn't he contact his bodyguards or seek help from Queen? Well, once royal people showed up, it would be too obvious.
"Stay hidden; I'll be there right away," Hanno said after hanging up the phone with Elder Brother Li. "Darling, let's go for a drive."
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