Chapter 386: Dumbfounded

Li Fuzhen did have a son with her ex-husband, but she didn't get custody of him.

Their relationship had always been strained.

Many people knew this, and Wang Chenning was aware of it too.

But Wang Chenning still believed that no matter how poor their relationship was, many of Li Fuzhen's actions were still with her son in mind.

After all, her son was her only legacy, unless she remarried and had another one.

This was a woman's greatest weakness, a fatal flaw.

No matter how much Wang Chenning trusted Li Fuzhen, he still had to take this into account.

Li Fuzhen was taken aback. She hadn't expected Wang Chenning to say that.

"It seems you'll never be able to completely trust me, will you?" she said dejectedly.

"If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have said any of this!" Wang Chenning sighed. "But we still have to accept reality, don't you think?"

Li Fuzhen fell silent. After a moment, she said in a low voice, "If I told you I'd only give the father and son what I've given them before, plus what the court awarded them, and nothing more ever again, would you believe me?"

"I don't believe you!" Wang Chenning shook his head. "When you get old, you'll still want your son by your side."

"Unless I have another son!" Li Fuzhen finished his thought, then flashed a brilliant smile. "Why don't you help me have one?"

"Alright, let's drop the impractical talk." Wang Chenning knew when to quit while he was ahead. "I'm actually being very sincere with you. I don't hide my thoughts—I just said what was on my mind."

Li Fuzhen sighed and said no more.

In the end, she couldn't figure out what had led to this painful outcome.

'Was it because she'd taken this younger man, Wang Chenning, too seriously? Because she was getting jealous of other women over him?'

She wasn't sure if that was it, but one thing was certain: she felt vexed whenever Wang Chenning didn't take her seriously or misunderstood her.

After feeling down for a moment, Li Fuzhen had a sudden realization. 'Could this be one of Wang Chenning's push-and-pull tactics?'

'Was Wang Chenning deliberately treating her this way, making her feel that he'd grown distant, to instill a sense of insecurity in her?'

'Once she felt insecure, she would fear being neglected and would try to find ways to please him. If that happened repeatedly, she would only grow more attached to him.'

'If that's the case, then he's far too calculating. He understands human nature all too well!'

Li Fuzhen's guess wasn't far off. Wang Chenning did indeed have such a strategy in mind.

Wang Chenning knew full well that the best way to conquer a woman's heart was to make her feel insecure. He had to make her feel she wasn't all that important in his life, while at the same time letting her know that if she tried to get closer and better herself, she could bridge the distance between them and win more of his affection.

In this way, the woman would gradually lose her sense of self, making him the center of her universe and revolving her life entirely around him.

The prouder the woman, the more easily she would fall for it. After all, what they couldn't tolerate most was being looked down upon. That indignation in their hearts would be their own undoing.

The art of manipulation was not easily mastered, but Wang Chenning was diligently practicing.

This push-and-pull stratagem had to be executed with finesse to be effective.

After walking into the Lord Yue Temple, Li Yanxian suddenly asked Wang Chenning, "To you, is Lord Yue a national hero?"

"Of course he is, and he must be!" Wang Chenning answered without hesitation.

Li Yanxian said with a half-smile, "But some people in your country say that since the Jin people eventually became part of Huaxia, the conflict between the Song and Jin dynasties was merely a fraternal dispute, not a war between nations. Therefore, they argue that Lord Yue, like many others in history such as Wen Tianxiang and Shi Kefa, was a hero, but not a *national* hero."

"You have to evaluate historical figures from the perspective of their own time, not judge them by the standards of a later era. Back then, the Jin and the Song were two separate nations. The war between them was a life-or-death struggle between countries. They were heroes who fought bravely to resist a foreign enemy, and they deserve our reverence for generations to come! To say otherwise is a desecration of their memory!" After answering Li Yanxian's question, Wang Chenning asked her with a puzzled look, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Nothing," Li Yanxian said, shaking her head. Then she added meaningfully, "When you look at things from different standpoints, you naturally reach different conclusions. 'Where you sit determines where you stand.' That's the saying, isn't it?"

"Oh, I see!" Wang Chenning said, the realization dawning on him. "You're trying to remind us that when conflicts of interest arise from our different positions, you hope we can be mutually understanding and considerate. Is that right?"

"Your IQ and EQ are both higher than average," Li Yanxian said with a smile. "It's pretty hard to get one over on you!"

"Thanks for the compliment!" Wang Chenning chuckled.

A phrase couldn't help but surface in his mind: 'Those who are not our kin are sure to have different hearts.'

No matter how well Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian treated him, they were ultimately outsiders. Their mindsets and standpoints could never be completely aligned with his.

'Looks like I'll have to brainwash them regularly to get them to truly integrate into the great family of Huaxia!' Wang Chenning still wanted Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian to develop a genuine sense of belonging with him and with Huaxia. He wanted them to eventually abandon their own standpoints entirely and contribute to Huaxia's prosperity.

His emotional entanglements with them had to ultimately be converted into tangible benefits. He couldn't lose sight of this principle.

He would use every trick in the book to make them submit to him completely. He also had to keep a firm grip on their weaknesses so they wouldn't dare to defy him.

As he was preparing to leave the Lord Yue Temple, Wang Chenning received a message from Wu Jingyi, saying they had already checked into the hotel, their room on the floor below his.

"Let's have dinner together. Wang Jiangxing is treating again!" Wang Chenning reminded Wu Jingyi and Lv Qinglan to go over the cooperation plan again and aim to make a big splash with their presentation tonight.

After leaving the Lord Yue Temple, Wang Chenning took the women to climb Gem Mountain.

Wang Chenning had originally planned to take the three women to Gem Mountain to see the night view after dinner, but since Wang Jiangxing was treating them to another banquet, he had to change his plans.

However, his new plan was met with identical complaints from all three women.

They had already walked so much today. Just crossing the Su Causeway was several kilometers, and then they had wandered around Lord Yue Temple for ages. Now they had to climb Gem Mountain on top of that—they were exhausted and couldn't take much more.

"I'll help you all... recover tonight," Wang Chenning coaxed with a sly grin. "Of course, if you don't need my help recovering, just say the word!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiao'an and Li Fuzhen, who each had their own ideas about his offer, immediately agreed to go climbing with him. Li Yanxian eventually tagged along as well, grumbling all the way.

Seeing the reactions of both Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian, something seemed to click for Zhao Xiao'an.

"Is Li Fuzhen after you, too?" she asked Wang Chenning quietly when the Li aunt and niece weren't paying attention.

"What do you mean?" Wang Chenning frowned.

"I'll let you use your tricks to win over Li Yanxian, but I forbid you from having some kind of sordid affair with Li Fuzhen!" Zhao Xiao'an warned sternly. "Even if it's for the 'national interest,' I won't accept it."

"..."