CHAPTER 449: CHAPTER 449: YOU ARE BASKING IN MY REFLECTED GLORY

Li Haidong returned from the beach, only to find Wei Lan chatting even more enthusiastically with a few male models.

In his impression, Wei Lan had always been the picture of poise, a dignified lady. But now, she was laughing so hard that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crowded together.

He walked over to Sang Ning, pointing up and down at her with his right index finger, gritting his teeth as he said, "Look at the mess you’ve made! Are you just incapable of letting people have a good time? Do you have to make my life miserable?"

Sang Ning glanced at Li Haidong, her composure unshaken as she responded, "Uncle Hai, what do you mean I’m making your life miserable? Clearly, you’re doing that to yourself. If you were still youthful, handsome, sweet-talking, and good at charming people, would Sister Lan even be dazzled by all these guys outside?"

Li Haidong took a heavy breath: "I don’t care. Get Louis to send those young men away immediately! Proper meals should be eaten properly—stop arranging all this nonsense!"

Sang Ning shook her head. "Sending them away isn’t an option. These guys are very professional—they won’t finish their job until dinner ends. If it really bothers you..."

Sang Ning’s words stopped suddenly. After glancing briefly in Wei Lan’s direction, she said, "If it really bothers you, let me help Sister Lan share a bit of her sweet burden."

"Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, Xiao Qi—" Sang Ning rattled off the names of three models in one breath, wanting them to come over.

Three pairs of eyes looked over in unison, but before Sang Ning could say, "Come over and keep me company," Li Haidong raised his hand and interrupted her: "I didn’t call you guys. Keep doing whatever you’re supposed to be doing!"

The three, unsure of the situation, exchanged glances and continued diligently catering to Wei Lan.

Sang Ning, bewildered, turned to Li Haidong. "Uncle Hai, what’s the meaning of this?"

"Fine, fine! Let her play if she wants to—let her play freely, wildly, and happily!" Li Haidong waved his hand in resignation, seemingly worn out from compromising.

Sang Ning couldn’t understand his train of thought, nor did she want to. Instead, she calmly picked up a glass of red wine and savored it on her own.

Little did Sang Ning know about Li Haidong’s well-intentioned concerns. He was thinking that Wei Lan, being married after all, wouldn’t go beyond admiring the attractiveness of outsiders—it’d just stay at the level of appreciating appearances, without crossing any moral boundaries.

But Sang Ning and Li Juezhou were different. Their relationship always felt precarious to him. Sang Ning could discard Li Juezhou at minimal cost; their emotional foundation was already weak, not to mention the young and attractive temptations constantly around her. There’s no telling when Sang Ning might give in to one.

For his son’s happiness, he decided to temporarily sacrifice his own.

The more Li Haidong thought about this, the more he felt magnanimous—nearly moved to tears by his own virtue.

As Sang Ning listened carefully, it seemed like Li Haidong was sniffing back tears. Yet, upon closer inspection, he was indeed covering his face. Whether he was crying or not, she couldn’t tell.

Out of kindness, she poured him an empty glass of wine, handed it over, and asked, "Uncle, drowning sorrows in wine—care for a drink?"

Li Haidong, in his moment of vulnerability, took the glass without hesitation and downed it completely. Only after finishing did he realize something wasn’t right.

What had he been thinking earlier? He was actually considering helping preserve Sang Ning and Li Juezhou’s fragile relationship!

When had his thoughts started softening to the point where—even subconsciously—he accepted Sang Ning entering the Li Family?

Li Haidong couldn’t deal with this newfound change in himself. He slammed the wine glass heavily onto the table, casting Sang Ning a sour look: "A cat crying for a mouse—phony sympathy! I spit!"

With that, he abruptly stormed out.

For Li Haidong, whose moods could shift on a dime, Sang Ning was already used to it.

She had seen through his true nature—his heart was kind, but his tongue was harsh.

In her interpersonal interactions, Sang Ning generally matched softness with softness and hardness with hardness. For someone with venomous words, she’d likely be even worse.

As Li Haidong disappeared into the distance, Sang Ning, always one to stir trouble, raised her voice and called to Wei Lan: "Sister Lan, if you fancy those handsome young men, why don’t you take them home to serve as your personal assistants? Just now, Uncle Hai told me he has plenty of money—he can hire them at ten times the usual rate for you."

"Really?" Wei Lan’s eyes lit up, and she actually believed it.

Li Haidong stumbled, almost falling, turning to glare at Sang Ning with fury, exclaiming, "Nonsense! When did I ever say that?"

Some troublemakers are just out to sabotage him—Sang Ning was one of them!

[Sang Ning, you sly one. This is basically suggesting that Sister Lan secretly keeps a boy toy at home—and on Uncle Hai’s dime, no less.]

[Excellent suggestion. Just never suggest anything again, or Uncle Hai might actually assassinate you someday.]

[So the sparring pair this season is Sang Ning and Uncle Hai? Watching them bicker is absolutely hilarious—it’s like an old child playing with an immature adult. If you’re going to fight, fight more often!]

The seven young male attendants were exceedingly professional and warm-hearted. That night, not only did they charm the female guests into delight, but even Li Haidong—initially disdainfully dismissive of them—eventually dropped his prejudices and bonded with them.

The bonding ended with Li Haidong being swept away by their praise, drinking one glass after another until he was completely drunk.

Seeing that Li Haidong was thoroughly intoxicated, Wei Lan called Louis over to help escort him back to the hotel.

Before leaving, Li Haidong, wobbly on his feet, drunkenly gestured in the air, slurring, "Boys, Uncle had lots of fun today. Leave your contact info—Uncle will call you guys next time I come by."

The young attendants were startled and looked at one another in confusion.

Embarrassed, Wei Lan shoved him forward, grumbling, "Enough, enough! Just shut up already!"

After Wei Lan and Li Haidong left, the rest of the group gradually returned to the hotel as well.

Only Sang Ning didn’t head back right away—she strolled leisurely along the coastline. Song Shiye initially wanted to accompany her, but she shooed him back to the hotel to study instead.

Qin Feng, having been pulled into drinking by Li Haidong, couldn’t handle the dizziness and left early.

As for Jiang Xiaoti, she had been completely wrapped up in the sweet-talking of the young attendants and was still deep in night chatter with them.

To capture an aesthetically pleasing shot, the production team filmed Sang Ning walking along the shoreline from afar.

This wide-angle shot lasted less than a minute before a figure suddenly intruded.

When Sang Ning turned her head, she saw Lu Yujing walking side by side with her.

Sang Ning knew well that Lu Yujing wasn’t there to make friends, so she generously reminded her, "This stretch of coast is huge. If you really want to take a walk, you can go somewhere else."

Lu Yujing clenched her hands at her sides, settled her breathing to hide the tension, and then looked at Sang Ning with a haughty smirk: "You’re only here because of me. Why should I leave?"