Chapter 37 The open doorway at the end of the corridor let in…

A cold wind howled through the open doorway at the end of the corridor, and the orange lamplight flickered in the antique stained glass windows.

Tan Su's expression was enigmatic under the overhead light. Li Li belatedly realized and confirmed, "Tan Su, I don't understand what you're saying."

What do you mean by bringing up your parents' marriage?

Judging from her expression, Tan Su had a vague idea of ​​what was going on, but he couldn't believe it.

He was instilled with a template of an ideal partner from a very young age.

She would probably be a slightly warmer version of Qi Xi, a well-bred lady from a respectable family, knowledgeable and polite, with a stable temperament that wouldn't falter even if the sky were to fall, and without as many of the problems associated with women.

But the person standing in front of me now is definitely not that kind of person.

She shouldn't be this young.

Young and naive, spoiled and rebellious.

Unfortunately, he was spoiled at home and became lawless and unrepentant.

Despite his irrational choices and his untamed, spoiled personality, Tan Su had, for the first time, other ideas.

Strange and inexplicable feelings arise inexplicably and cannot be stopped from the moment they occur.

He said, "You're right."

"ha?"

Li Li pointed to herself: "You're using your parents' marriage as an analogy, which is about me."

Tan Su did not deny it.

Li Li gripped the bag strap tightly, but this time she didn't impulsively throw it at him like before.

She looked at the drawing board, something seemed to be going through her mind, and then, as if she had finally figured it out, she said in an "I see" tone, "So, you're not really after Tan Yi at all. You've got your eye on Wan Jing, haven't you?"

"You're like a toad trying to eat swan meat!"

Old man, lunatic, toad.

The adjectives she used were always surprisingly fresh, and Tan Su smiled and slowly shook his head.

However, Li Li could never accept his feelings.

She said sarcastically, "No wonder you've been pestering me so much lately; you had ulterior motives all along. If my surname wasn't Li..."

Tan Su decisively chimed in: "Since you're not surnamed Li, things will actually be much easier."

He moved closer to the room and saw the sketch on the easel: a lone boat sailing under the vast starry sky.

Tan Su noticed that Li Li had hidden something in his painting—who it was modeled after. His eyes flashed coldly as he admired it and said, "You've put in a lot of effort. But what you're trying to achieve right now is all in vain. The Li family will not agree to a man who has no sense of responsibility becoming your future partner."

Li Li hated his arbitrary accusation: "What makes you think he didn't do it?"

Tan Su reached out and touched the solidified paint on it, saying in a nonchalant tone, "A man's judgment can be seen from even the smallest things."

"Only a brainless girl like you would believe that love can make you content, and that having a pretty face is all you need."

Li Li is indeed a complete looks-obsessed person. When she agreed to give Tan Yi a try, it was only because he was the most handsome and tallest among her peers.

But her affection for Tan Yi deepened gradually. From his years of disappointment and loneliness to his arduous struggle to survive, she was a steadfast companion every step of the way.

Li Li was furious; she wasn't as superficial as Tan Su had described.

Tan Su stopped arguing with her about the topic and said, "Whether you believe me sincerely or not, it doesn't matter."

"But it's best if what happened today doesn't happen again."

He hinted at a warning: "You know me."

Li Li was easily swayed by gentle persuasion but not by force. Annoyed, she shoved Tan Su aside and went downstairs to leave. Once in her car, she took out her phone and saw a message Tan Yi had sent her half an hour earlier: "[Have you left yet?]"

She replied: [Mm.]

Tan Yi replied instantly: [Go to bed early. Cat.]

Li Li was driven directly home by the Tan family's car. Frustrated, she sneaked into the villa in the dead of night. Li Zhoudu, for some reason, was not asleep.

He stood upstairs in his pajamas, holding a teacup, and asked from above, "Weren't you going to see Fang Xuan? Why are you back?"

Li Li lied and said, "Someone came to her house temporarily, and there wasn't enough room for them."

Li Zhoudu didn't know if he had believed her or not: "Oh, go to sleep early. Get up early tomorrow morning and come with me to visit relatives for the New Year."

"Tomorrow?" Tan Yi is about to start school and might leave soon, so Li Li was planning to go see him again.

"Otherwise what?" Li Zhoudu asked with a half-smile, "Are you going to visit Fang Xuan several times in a row during a holiday like the New Year?"

"Should I call her myself and ask her what you're so busy with that's so important?"

Li Li immediately fell silent.

The next morning around 10 a.m., Fang Xuan, carrying a shopping bag and wearing a scarf, rang the doorbell of the villa in the southern suburbs.

There was no movement inside.

She stood there for two minutes, then, with her cold, stiff fingers, sent Tan Yi a WeChat message: [Are you still home?]

[Li Li said she couldn't come out today, and was worried you wouldn't be able to get food at the villa during the holiday, so she asked me to bring some things for you.]

The message disappeared without a trace. She waited patiently for a while before someone came downstairs to open the door.

Tan Yi squinted and pushed the door open. His face was ashen, and he looked even more haggard than when he rushed back from catching the plane yesterday.

He stepped aside to let Fang Xuan in. There was no air conditioning on the first floor, so it was just like being outdoors; you could breathe in white mist.

Tan Yi returned to the living room and turned on the air conditioner.

Fang Xuan asked him from behind, "You came back together yesterday, why didn't Li Li stay overnight and go home?"

Tan Yi remained silent.

Fang Xuan didn't ask any more questions. The vegetables in her hand were what she had picked up from the aunt at the Li family's house early that morning. At that time, Li Li and Li Zhou had already left.

They've gotten completely cold after waiting at the door for a while, so I need to go to the kitchen to reheat them.

She turned into the open kitchen and stopped abruptly.

On the kitchen floor, a bottle of wine lay broken. The clear yellow liquid had stopped spreading but had not yet solidified, indicating that it had not just happened or had occurred a long time ago.

Fang Xuan tiptoed, avoiding the broken glass scattered on the floor, first heating up the dishes, then taking cleaning tools to mop and sweep the kitchen clean.

When she returned to the living room with the dishes, the room had already warmed up. Tan had moved the TV and was playing a game with a controller.

His long, slender fingers moved rapidly, manipulating the characters on the television screen to turn, jump, and attack nimbly.

Fang Xuan thought for a moment and still reminded her, "Li Li said that these wines at home have been unattended for a long time and may not be stored properly, so it's best not to drink them."

Tan Yi stared at the large screen in front of him: "Can you not talk? My head hurts."

Fang Xuan pursed her lips and said apologetically, "I'm sorry."

——

Qi Xi didn't return to S City until after the Lantern Festival. She went to her studio early in the morning, carrying tea. Through the window, she saw a short-haired girl with a plaid scarf around her neck greeting her assistant in the courtyard.

This was the first time Tan Su had taken the initiative to call her and mention this girl.

Sunlight shone on her porcelain-like cheeks, and her bright eyes were as large as a cat's pupils. Qi Xi had seen this face before.

She waited in the office for a moment, then went out, turned right, and knocked on the door.

Li Li was starting the first thing she did every day when she arrived at the studio: making coffee. She untied her scarf and tossed it onto the back of her chair, and the freshly filled coffee pot began to gurgle.

She turned around, saw Qi Xi, recognized her at a glance, straightened up and politely said, "Aunt Qi."

Qi Xi smiled and said, "We meet again, Li Li."

"Do you know me?"

"Of course. We met when your aunt had her birthday. Are you comfortable here?"

Li Li said, "It's fine."

"That's good." Qi Xi said, "Then you go ahead with your work, we'll have lunch together nearby at noon."

The restaurant Qi Xi chose was similar to her personal style: Zen-like music and wood-style decor. She herself has a calm and gentle temperament and doesn't talk much. Apart from her professional expertise, she usually only touches on things briefly.

However, he was quite proactive and caring, asking a couple more questions about Wenxi and her family.

Li Li answered them one by one, saying that everyone at home was doing well and that she would go back to wish Aunt and Auntie a Happy New Year on your behalf.

Qi Xi said that's great, thank you for your help.

Their seats were by the window, where they could see the fallen maple leaves scattered all over the ground outside.

Li Li drank the vegetarian soup in her bowl and wondered in disbelief how such an unrealistic fairy could give birth to a son like Tan Su, who was cunning and invincible in the business world.

It's no wonder that the mother and son are not close; they probably don't see eye to eye.

While she was eating, Qi Xi received a phone call. She paused for a moment when she saw the caller ID.

After the call connected, I said something to the other person and gave them an address.

Some ominous thoughts began to form in Li Li's mind.

She seemed a little restless, and sure enough, in just over ten minutes, Tan Su's car stopped outside the restaurant.

Li Li immediately felt annoyed. Facing Tan Su who had entered, she straightened her back, faced the window, and remained motionless, pretending to be deaf and dumb.

Qi Xi's gaze swept over her imperceptibly before landing on Tan Su, and she asked him, "Have you eaten? Would you like another set of chopsticks and a bowl?"

Tan Su said that he had tried the desserts at that nearby shop and that they were very good, so he brought them over for you to try.

you.

Very interesting word choice.

Qi Xi tasted it for a moment and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Tan Su placed the paper bag on the table, looked at Li Li through the reflection in the window glass, and laughed: "Little Li, you're so young, be careful not to get cervical spondylosis."

Qi Xi was slightly surprised by his intimate and natural tone.

She didn't concern herself with the Tan family's affairs, but she had heard early on that Tan Huiming wanted to arrange a marriage between Li Li and Tan Yi. Tan Su had no reason to give this girl special treatment again and again.

Qi Xi frowned slightly.

Tan Su's car drove away quickly, before she could carefully choose her words and think about how to ask Li Li for clarification.

The girl, looking bewildered, asked, "Aunt Qi, do you know where Grandpa Tan is now?"

Qi Xi looked at her: "You want to see him?"

“Yes,” Li Li said.

She recounted what had happened over the past year, saying that Tan Yi was trapped because of Huisheng's shares and was now being suppressed by Tan Su and unable to move.

Even he himself was still being bossed around by Tan Su.

Li Li believed that she had already been very tactful and polite in her words.

She stubbornly insisted, "Tan Yi was certainly wrong, but we weren't adults back then. Five years have passed, and even Uncle Tan Congxu has been released from prison. Can't Grandpa forgive him?"

"Even if Grandpa still feels that Tan Yi's crimes are unforgivable, then let us get a definite result. At the very least, give us a chance and hope to plead our case, okay?"

Qi Xi looked at Li Li and said honestly, "I do know where my father-in-law is."

Before Li Li could feel any hope, she suppressed it again: "But..."

“But I cannot agree to that, Li Li.”

"Why?" Li Li couldn't hide her disappointment.

“Tan Su is my son,” Qi Xi said. “Although I may not understand the reasons and logic behind his actions, I will not break his rules.”

"sorry."

You see, even artists who seem detached from worldly affairs have an unshakable sense of self and selfishness.

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Author's Note: [Laughing and crying emoji] Finally, an update is out! I had to get up at 6 AM to catch my flight, so I'll revise it a bit more when I get there. Everyone, get some rest too!