Chapter 20 In the early hours of the morning, Li Zhoudu was startled by a phone call…

Li Zhoudu was awakened by a phone call in the early hours of the morning. The room was pitch black, with only the outside light casting a dim glow through the gauze curtains.

He barely managed to come to his senses and sat on the bed, frowning as he listened to the phone call from the sea, where the signal was extremely poor.

Wang Zhuokang's voice was halting and intermittent, like a plastic bag floating in water.

After getting a rough idea of ​​the situation, Li Zhoudu asked for his opinion on whether they could hold out until the next port.

Wang Zhuokang hesitated for a moment and said, "We still have more than ten days to go before reaching our destination, Durban Port. I think it's best to go as soon as possible."

Li Zhoudu said, "Okay, I'll handle it as soon as possible. Wait for my reply."

He threw off the covers and got out of bed to ask his secretary for the captain's phone number. As he passed through the corridor, he saw that Li Li's room door was open, and it was dark inside.

He subconsciously lowered his voice.

Although they earn much higher salaries than on land, life on ocean-going cargo ships is very monotonous and lonely.

Living in cramped, enclosed cabins for extended periods, with only a few square meters of personal space, they often had to fall asleep to deafening noise and raging waves during extreme weather that would shake their very core.

This kind of life, separated from family and friends, is not suitable for everyone.

Especially if there is a conflict with superiors, the shipping schedule, which can last for more than six months, will be even more difficult to endure.

Wang Zhuokang himself has a deep understanding of this point.

So when he noticed that the new child on the ship seemed to be showing some bad signs, he immediately informed the captain.

The captain felt that Wang Zhuokang was being too nosy. No one else had reported any discomfort, and everything was just speculation. In addition, the delivery deadline was urgent, so who had time to deal with such unfounded problems?

Wang Zhuokang's call to Li Zhoudu was actually a serious violation of regulations, as he was not very confident because nothing had happened yet.

Li Zhoudu could have shared the captain's opinion and decided that no action was needed.

However, a few hours later, an emergency rescue helicopter took off from the nearby port of Colombo.

Many of them had been sailing for decades and this was the first time they had ever seen a helicopter. They gathered on the deck and chatted with the rescue workers who came down. After the helicopter stayed for about ten minutes, it took away the young man who had finished packing his luggage.

Wang Zhuokang stood on the outskirts of the crowd, the sea breeze blowing his easy-to-manage buzz cut, his scalp feeling cool, as if it were none of his business.

During dinner, the captain casually remarked, "Little Wang is quite capable."

He figured he didn't need to care about the captain's opinion, because he had already received a call back from Li Zhoudu saying he had done a good job.

Wang Zhuokang said on the phone that he was only worried that he was making a mountain out of a molehill. Each rescue plane flight costs tens of thousands of US dollars, and a false alarm could add unnecessary expenses to the company.

Li Zhoudu interrupted him: "When the ship is overseas, there will be many issues that require immediate response and handling. You must always learn to trust your own judgment."

If a risk event occurs, it may not be something that can be resolved with just tens of thousands of dollars.

He hung up the phone with Wang Zhuokang and was about to go back to sleep when he passed by Li Li's room and saw the aunt tidying up the quilt.

He asked, "Did the kitten go to work?"

The aunt said, "I haven't seen him today; he must have left early this morning."

——

Early in the morning, Tan Su straightened the buttons on his shirt wrist as he came downstairs.

At this moment, in this extremely quiet house, there is now a Li Li.

She sat upright on the sunlit living room sofa, her face clean and without makeup, her eyes red and swollen as she looked up at him, looking truly pitiful.

"What brings you here?" Tan Su knew she wouldn't come without a reason.

What can Li Li do?

She was simply blinded by Tan Yi's words last night and came to inquire about news first thing in the morning without any regard for the consequences.

Those aunties who watched her grow up and loved her are now keeping their mouths shut tighter than clams, refusing to utter a single word about Tan Huiming.

Disheartened and saddened, she used the same tactics she had employed against Li Zhoudu, acting like a delicate flower on the living room sofa.

Seeing that she looked like a female ghost with deep resentment, Tan Su ignored her and went to the restaurant to have breakfast.

When he went out, the little ghost girl followed him from behind again.

Li Li opened the door from the other side, got into Tan Su's car, and sat next to him.

Tan Su pretended that she wasn't there and called Chen Ya to confirm today's schedule.

Chen Ya took the day off today. Her daughter had a fever last night and was hospitalized. The fever had been lingering on and off.

While taking care of her child's IV drip, she finished her work on her laptop, adding at the end, "Tan Congxu and his team's flight takes off at 9 a.m.

Tan Su hummed in agreement.

After he hung up the phone, Li Li, as if she had caught him red-handed, said in a tone that said, "You were monitoring Tan Yi!"

Tan Su was too lazy to argue with her: "Is there a problem?"

She was very assertive: "I will tell Grandpa Tan about this when I see him."

"Go see her." Tan Su scoffed, not even glancing at her.

This question has Li Li's Achilles' heel. Only Tan Su knows Tan Huiming's whereabouts, so he is now completely fearless.

Li Li immediately bombarded him with questions: "Where is Grandpa?"

"Is he still able to move around freely?"

"Is he very ill? Or are you keeping him under your control?"

Tan Su was getting a headache from her nagging: "Miss Li, you need to provide evidence before you speak."

“You really can’t accept defeat, Tan Su,” she said, no longer pretending to call him brother, and deliberately provoked him, “You’re actually very scared, aren’t you? Scared that Tan Yi will be liked by Grandpa again.”

"I'm afraid that the father and son will join forces and shake your current position."

"Are you afraid I'll tell Grandpa about all the shameful things you've been doing behind my back?"

Tan Su glanced at her swollen eyes and her pale pink lips, which were babbling incessantly with unpleasant words.

Even though it's a pet cat without nails, it insists on acting wild, untamed, and cunning.

He asked Li Li with a sneer, "If simply keeping an eye on Tan Yi and preventing him from using the Tan family's name to do whatever he wants is considered shameful, then what about Tan Congxu, who knowingly broke the law and served five years in prison? After that, is he even allowed to show his face in public?"

"Drugging an adult man and sneaking into his bed. How can you face anyone?"

These words struck a nerve with Li Li, who became furious and instinctively reached for her phone to hit him, but Tan Su tightly gripped her wrist.

"I told you to behave yourself!"

This was the first time Tan Su had spoken to her in such a stern tone: "As long as you work under me, I can guarantee you a comfortable and good life. But if you continue to collude with Tan Yi, I won't be lenient with you."

Li Li retorted angrily, "You're the filthy one! You're the dirtiest! The dirtiest! The dirtiest!"

Tan Su didn't engage in verbal sparring with her. He turned to the driver and said, "We're not going to the company now. Let's take Miss Li home to sober up first."

The car turned around, and Li Li was thrown back to her doorstep.

She went upstairs, returned to her room, lay on the bed, and cried her heart out. She truly hated Tan Su.

If he hadn't stirred up trouble that year in his quest for power, everything would be fine now. Tan Yi is alright, his uncle is alright, his grandfather is alright, and the whole family is living in harmony and happiness.

Not to mention myself and Tan Yi, how could things have turned out like this? The two bitter gourds are separated in two different places, with a bleak future.

Thinking of this, she felt even more hatred for Tan Huiming's ruthlessness.

To him, they were all his own grandsons, of similar blood relation. Why did he show such favoritism, handing over everything to Tan Su and allowing this arrogant tyrant to wield absolute power?

Tan Yi said he wanted to give up.

But given Li Li's personality, she would absolutely, positively not let it go so easily.

She wiped away her tears, sat on the bed, and thought, even if she spent a whole year following Tan Su around every day, closely monitoring his whereabouts, what would she do?

He couldn't possibly go a whole year without visiting his grandfather, could he?

——

The follow-up to Wang Zhuokang's case was that he was sent back to China from Bandaranaike International Airport. Just in case, Li Fujing even sent someone to accompany him, and he was taken to the hospital for a check-up as soon as the plane landed.

If the other party's situation does not support continued performance of the contract, it is likely that the contract will need to be terminated through negotiation.

However, considering that the other party might sue for workers' compensation, Li Junchuan specially arranged for a lawyer to come to his home to confirm how to handle the matter in order to minimize its impact.

In the afternoon, Li Junchuan, Li Zhoudu, and the lawyer were sitting on the sofa by the study window discussing precedents in China when there was a knock on the door.

Li Zhoudu subconsciously thought it was just the kitten being mischievous, so he got up to open the door, saying, "Brother is busy in a bit."

Standing outside was Li Zhizi, with her long, flowing hair. She brought over three cups of tea on a tray.

Li Zhoudu stopped talking and made way for her.

At the end of June, Li Zhizi finished her studies. She had tutoring appointments with students this summer and therefore did not plan to return to Jixi.

In addition to tutoring, she often visited Li Li at her home. Li Li taught her to swim, first teaching her the basic breaststroke, and then progressing to freestyle and backstroke. Li Zhizi learned very quickly and very well.

No matter how late she stayed, she always asked the driver to take her back to her school dormitory late at night.

Several times when Li Junchuan returned from social engagements in the evenings, he would see Li Zhizi just leaving the house, and he would ask his wife, "Should we prepare a bedroom for Zhizi?"

Wenxi sat in front of her dressing table applying body lotion, seemingly uninterested in the topic.

She was used to the kitten's mischievous and adorable antics from a young age, and didn't appreciate Li Zhizi's maturity beyond her years and her deliberate attempts to please.

It's not fair to blame Li Zhizi. Perhaps her parents had repeatedly warned her, or perhaps she simply didn't dare to overstep the bounds in this family. However, she went too far and placed herself in a position that was too low.

She helped her aunt cook, clean up the dishes, serve tea and water to everyone, and even sweep the floor and trim her grandmother's nails. The more diligent and sensible she was, the less she seemed like a pampered junior in the family.

This always made Wenxi feel like there was a barrier between them.

She was willing to compensate Zhi Zi for her efforts with money and gifts, but she couldn't open her heart and consider her one of her own.

Wenxi sometimes felt that it was no wonder people said that businessmen were heartless. If it were an ordinary family, it would be natural for relatives to invite guests to stay overnight.

But now she looks at everyone with a mixture of warmth and scrutiny.

She joked with her husband, "What? Does the driver want overtime pay?"

"No, it's just that she's having a hard time traveling back and forth."

“Then there’s no rush,” Wenxi turned her chair around and asked him, “It’s Little Cat’s birthday in August, will Fujing and Weiwei be able to come back?”

“It probably won’t work,” Li Junchuan adjusted his pillow to make himself more comfortable. “They just got back from the New Year holiday, how could they be back so soon?”

Wenxi simply said "Oh," and with that one sentence, she effortlessly changed the subject.

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Author's Note: [Winking emoji] Li Zhoudu is so popular!