Chapter 71. Tan Su has persisted until now, even willing to let go...

Tan Su has persisted until now, preferring to give up Yan Qi rather than ever mention giving up on her; Li Li is not a blockhead.

She couldn't betray Tan Su's resolve at this time by privately promising to sever ties and never see him again.

Li Zhoudu saw through Li Li's silence and hesitation, and coldly said, "Is Tan Su only capable of asking women for help? If he can't let go of anything, then let's wait and see."

The conversation between Tan Su and Li Zhoudu in Yan Qi's office ended unhappily. When he returned home, it was already dark, and Li Li was waiting for him in the living room.

She looked anxious and rushed to Tan Su, who then pulled her into a tight embrace.

Tan Su pinched her cheeks with two fingers, pecked her lips with a kiss, and led her upstairs.

Li Li had been thinking of many ways these past few days. She was panicked and didn't care about anything else. When Tan Su came out after taking a shower, she said directly, "I will ask my father or my uncle. They will definitely have a way to control my brother."

"How can this be allowed?" Tan Su rubbed his hair with one hand and said with a smile, "Is the first time I formally meet your parents, I have to beg Li Zhoudu to be lenient? Do you want me to look so incompetent?"

"What time is it already!" Li Li said anxiously, "My spring break is almost over, there's still time to ask my uncle in person!"

Tan Su walked up to her calmly, stroked Li Li's cheek, and said patiently, "There's really no need."

"Li Xiaomao, as long as you're on my side, I can't lose."

——

The new shareholders' meeting of Yanqi was held at the end of April, and the seven seats on the board of directors were to be re-elected. Whoever won more than half of the seats would gain actual control of Yanqi.

After many years, Tan Yi finally met Tan Huiming in G City. While he was talking to his grandfather in the room, Tan Su sat on the sofa in the living room, gazing at the mechanical clock on the wall that was slowly ticking.

Crack, crack, crack...

Several tens of minutes later, Tan Yi came out of the room and closed the door.

His eyes were red and swollen, he must have had a good cry.

Tan Su asked him calmly, "Do you understand what to do next?"

"Yes," Tan Yi replied, his voice tight.

Tan Su needed him to go back and use Tan Congxu's connections to win over the support and votes of small and medium-sized shareholders in the election as much as possible. This was something that Tan Congxu had trained him to do since he was a child, and he was very good at it.

Tan Su closed his eyes, tapped the sofa lightly with his fingers, and said, "That's good."

The intention to end the conversation was clear, but Tan Yi did not leave. He stood there, looking at the thoughtful Tan Su, and asked, "Brother, are you really going to completely let go of the contract?"

Tan Su replied casually, "If I could retire early smoothly, I would certainly be more than happy to do so."

Tan Yi had suffered too much at Tan Su's hands, and now he was so fearful of being schemed against by Tan Su again.

Tan Su lifted his eyelids to look at him, without explaining. He said, "If you are speaking from the Tan family's perspective, like me, then don't question my decision."

Tan Yi said, "Okay."

During that month, things appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents were surging beneath. Not only did Tan Yi become more active, but Xie Zongfang, who was forcibly "retired due to illness," also frequently appeared in public.

On the day of the shareholders' meeting, the two sides separated and sat on opposite sides of the meeting room. In addition to ordinary shareholders, the company's current senior executives were also present.

Tan Su's situation of having few shareholders and many senior executives is not advantageous.

Before the meeting began, Tan Su, on behalf of the current chairman Tan Huiming, delivered the opening remarks.

He then announced that he would donate 7% of his 21.37% stake in Yanqi to Li Li, the daughter of Wanjing's vice president, free of charge. According to the company's articles of association, the donation of shares requires the consent of more than half of the shareholders; therefore, he requested a vote by raising his hands.

The meeting had just begun when Tan Su voluntarily cut off his own arm and handed it over. Combined with the shares of Yanqi held by Li Zhoudu, the Wan Jing Li family had effectively become the largest shareholder of Yanqi.

Lu Dai, standing beside him, stared wide-eyed, but before he could speak, Li Zhoudu, sitting opposite him, raised his chin and asked, "What do you mean by this?"

Tan Su said frankly, "This is my sincerity towards Li Li and the Li family. However, before the shares are officially transferred, the voting rights today still belong to me."

Li Zhoudu sneered: "Histrionic personality disorder, is it? Add your own drama if you want."

He raised his hand in agreement, and the meeting's charter was quickly and smoothly passed.

Next came the battle for the few seats on the board of directors, excluding the employee representatives. A morning and an afternoon of heated debate ensued. Although Tan Yi was unable to attend, Tan Su saw his results; at least in the nomination contest, the outcome was much better than he had expected.

He glanced at the time on his watch, met Li Zhoudu's indifferent gaze, and smiled.

Around 3 p.m., during the break between the final nomination votes, Chen Ya came up from the back of the meeting room and whispered to Tan Su.

Tan Su joked, "Since Ms. Li Li of Wan Jing will be the fourth largest shareholder of Yan Qi in the future, I'll call her in to meet everyone first. You don't mind, do you?"

Li Zhoudu suddenly looked up and stared intently at him. No one in the room responded. Tan Su gave him a look, and Chen Ya hurriedly went to open the door.

Li Li was picked up from the airport by Miao Zhi. She was still dressed as a student and stood at the door looking bewildered before being led inside by Chen Ya.

The seat next to Tan Su had long been vacated, reserved for her.

Li Li avoided Li Zhoudu's gaze, slowly sat down, and was led by the hand by Tan Su under the table.

With a smile, he announced to everyone, "This is the independent director I recommended, Ms. Li Li."

That night, in Tan Su's room, she bit her lip and said with difficulty, "Tan Su, I can't stand by your side. No matter what, I won't do anything to my brother."

Tan Su, both amused and exasperated, said, "What are you thinking?"

He nuzzled Li Li's nose affectionately, inhaling her faint fragrance: "I'm going to transfer some shares to you, not a small amount, at least five percent. Once you accept them, the Li family will have absolute control over Yanqi. If you're unhappy in the future, you can join forces with Li Zhoudu to kick me out at any time."

Li Li wondered if he had really gone mad. She asked, "Why do you want me to kick you out?!"

“Didn’t you understand, Li Li?” Tan Su said, enunciating each word clearly, “From now on, you’re in charge of everything. You’ve accepted the transfer, and I will never betray you.”

Tan Su had always known about Li Li's inner conflict; the trauma left by Tan Yi was still imprinted in her heart, making her unable to trust, entrust, or make promises.

This shows his sincerity and determination towards her.

Li Li remained silent for a long time.

She suddenly wiped her reddened eyes, turned her head away so Tan Su wouldn't see, and said stiffly, "And then what? Wouldn't that be even worse for you?"

“No,” Tan Su explained, “These are enough for me to recommend you at the shareholders’ meeting for an independent director position. It’s very simple; just come to Yanqi and raise your hand whenever needed each year.”

Li Li asked, puzzled, "Didn't you want to recommend Tan Yi?"

“He only handles company operations and management. As a director, you have the right to elect senior executives and decide who will take charge of the company in the future. Are you going to hand over the opportunity to decide your fate to someone else, Li Li?”

Li Li admitted that she was attracted to him, but she also thought the chances of it being true were too slim. The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became, saying, "But they won't choose me! Who would be crazy enough to choose me?"

Tan Su raised his hand and patted her back: "You are a daughter of the Li family, aren't you very brave?"

"Of course I'm brave!" she said, forcing herself to stay calm.

Tan Su's voice came from his chest, saying, "That's enough, you trust me."

...

Li Li had attended serious meetings with Yan Qi before, but she usually spent her time drawing and slacking off. This was the first time she had become the focus of attention in this meeting room.

She seemed flustered and nervous. A young girl, inexperienced in the ways of the world and not yet a graduate student, was hastily pushed to the forefront by Tan Su.

When the host announced her name, Tan Su raised her hand in the air. The elderly people around her exchanged bewildered glances. Compared to the experienced candidates prepared by Li Zhoudu, she seemed like a joke.

Li Zhoudu watched as Li Li's face slowly turned red, but she forced herself to support her back, nervously gripping Tan Su's other hand under the table, and looked at the unfamiliar faces in the conference room.

With profit as the primary concern, who would listen to her? A long silence fell over the meeting room, a silent protest against Tan Su's stubbornness.

Li Li's confidence began to waver. At this moment, she truly hated Tan Su for making her come back from so far away and lose face.

What kind of crazy idea is this?! Ugh! Ughhhhh!

Li Zhoudu remained silent, watching Li Li from across the room, thinking:

When did she get back?

How long have you been preparing for today?

How long have they been plotting with Tan Su?

But as he watched Li Li, his gaze slowly shifted from feigned composure to panicked helplessness, his cheeks flushed, and his large eyes seemed to be on the verge of tears.

Li Zhoudu closed his eyes and raised his hand.

The shareholding ratio directly exceeded 50%.

Everything has settled down.

As the meeting ended and the doors opened, Li Li belatedly released her grip on Tan Su's hand and happily ran towards Li Zhoudu, who was standing next to the elevator.

She also wanted to hitch a ride with her brother to go home and see her grandmother.

Li Li was extremely excited. She hopped and skipped along with Li Zhoudu's arm, saying, "I was so nervous! Brother, I thought you wouldn't choose me!"

How could Li Zhoudu not choose her?

How could he let Li Li fall into such an awkward and isolated situation for the sake of a trivial agreement?

The car drove past the riverbank; the meeting ended early, and there was still plenty of time.

Li Li suddenly had a craving for yogurt, so she asked Li Zhoudu to stop for a moment.

She ran off the bus, bought a yogurt for a dozen yuan at a small shop, and ran back to Li Zhoudu's side ingratiatingly, raising her arm high to feed him the first sip.

Li Zhoudu looked into her bright eyes and whispered, "Li Li."

"Hmm." Li Li was startled by his calling her name and quickly lowered her hand, not daring to be presumptuous.

She was prepared to be scolded and reprimanded, and obediently lowered her head in front of Li Zhoudu.

He remained silent for a long time, and Li Li couldn't help but steal a glance at him, then honestly apologized, saying, "I secretly took leave to come back, I'm sorry."

Then she muttered softly, "Brother, at least I'm more trustworthy than outsiders, right? If you vote for me today, I'll vote for you in the future too."

But that's not what Li Zhoudu wanted to say.

"Li Li".

His Adam's apple bobbed: "Tan Su's tactic of retreating to advance was brilliant. But I have good enough conditions, good enough that you won't be bound by or moved by external things like shares and money."

"Love has more than one form that you see in your eyes, and Tan Su will not be the only choice in your life."

"..."

“Me too,” he said quietly, looking at the girl in front of him whose short hair was ruffled by the river wind. His heart was in turmoil, and the words he had suppressed for many years were still hard to say.

Sometimes I feel resentful. Why is she so naive? Why doesn't she think more? And why can't she see through other people's intentions just by looking at them?

At that moment, Li Li buried her face in his chest and said in a triumphant tone, "I know!"

She was still clutching the yogurt cup in her hand, and hugged Li Zhoudu tightly around the waist, swaying back and forth as she coaxed him, "Even if I suffer a great loss or stumble outside, are you really willing to abandon me?"

“Just like today,” she said, her face upturned, radiant with sunshine, “you will always be there for me whenever I need you. Even after I get married and have children, you will always take care of me, Li Zhoudu!”

"You're not only the best, the very best, the absolute best brother in the world, but you'll also be the best, the very best, the absolute best uncle in the world~"

The buildings on the opposite bank of the river stood side by side, and around 5 p.m., they lit up with dazzling, colorful lights.

But the light in Li Zhoudu's eyes went out.

The fleeting warmth pressed against his body was short-lived, and a chill ran through his chest.

A dead end.

However, that is the case.

-----------------------

Author's Note: [Crying uncontrollably]

You can follow me on Weibo: Eat Radishes in Summer

Later I might talk about some side stories and update plans for "what if" scenarios.