The Redirected Schedule
Li Tianyi arrived back at his penthouse, slightly disgruntled that the kidnapping incident had delayed his simple coffee acquisition by a full forty minutes. Su Qingyao was waiting, impeccably calm, with a fresh cup of his preferred blend.
"The Bronze Tiger Syndicate's stock is in freefall, Chairman Li," Su Qingyao reported, handing him the coffee. "They are begging for an emergency meeting with your father, Li Guozhong."
Li Tianyi accepted the cup. "Let Father handle the messy, dramatic negotiations. I only deal in finalized elegance."
"Understood. Regarding your schedule: due to your extended time away from the public eye—and to curb the media rumors that you are secretly running a cryptocurrency mining empire—your mother, Lady Wang Liling, has mandated your attendance at the Imperial Star University for a single, public enrollment day."
Li Tianyi sighed, rubbing his temples. University was chaos. Youthful energy, disorganized ambition, and cramped classrooms. All the things he elegantly avoided.
"A full day of unnecessary social interaction?" Li Tianyi countered. "That violates my Maximum Enjoyment principle."
"It is a necessary political formality," Su Qingyao countered gently. "Your enrollment validates your mother's influence over the educational sector, ensuring our family's soft power remains intact."
The Imperial Star University Entrance
Li Tianyi submitted to the inevitability of the political maneuver. He arrived at the Imperial Star University campus—an institution wholly funded and therefore subtly controlled by his mother's media empire. The campus was a stunning display of wealth, resembling an ancient European estate rather than a modern school.
He arrived not in the Aston Martin, but in a bespoke, armored black sedan, flanked by four silent members of the Shadow Contingent (including Long Wei).
His arrival instantly brought the typical university chaos to a halt. Students parted like the Red Sea, silenced by the sheer, imposing presence of Li Tianyi's wealth and the intimidating professionalism of his security detail. He was not just a student; he was a financial sovereign attending a class.
Li Tianyu: The Twin's Tactical Briefing
Waiting for him inside the administration building was his older twin sister, Li Tianyu. Li Tianyu managed the Imperial Star's PR and Crisis Management—the family's chief intelligence and narrative controller.
Li Tianyu was dressed in an impossibly chic, monochromatic power suit. Her eyes, sharp and assessing, held the same intense intelligence as Kiyoshi's, but focused entirely on social dynamics and media perception.
"Brother Tianyi, you are thirty seconds late," Li Tianyu stated, handing him a discreet earpiece. "That kidnapping scene you witnessed created a six percent jump in the Dragon Capital Security stock. Good passive PR."
"My presence here is the only inefficiency, Tianyu," Li Tianyi countered, accepting the earpiece.
"Listen," she said, cutting to the chase. "I have placed you in a high-level Corporate Strategy lecture. Your goal is simple: Be flawlessly bored, subtly brilliant, and entirely untouchable."
She leaned in, her voice dropping. "There is a minor inconvenience here: The House of Lionheart heir, Zhao Lei. His family controls 40% of the regional pharmaceutical market and has been testing our mother's influence here. He views this university as his social playground."
"A rival?" Li Tianyi sighed, adjusting his tailored sleeve. "Such unnecessary drama."
"He will try to challenge you socially or academically to gain prestige," Tianyu warned. "Do not engage. Win without effort. I need you to demonstrate our family's absolute supremacy in an academic setting, while making it look like a charming accident."
Li Tianyi merely nodded. A predictable challenge from a predictable rival. He would treat the arrogant heir like the low-value stock he was—destined for an elegant, surgical short-sale. He had come for a single, boring day of formality, and he would ensure that boredom was absolute, despite the inevitable chaos the rival would bring.