Chapter 75, the final chapter: the engagement between the Tan and Li families...

Rumors of the engagement between the Tan and Li families began to circulate at the end of the year, and local financial news outlets enthusiastically analyzed the powerful alliance between the two companies, even referring to the merger and acquisition at the beginning of the year as a deep and foreshadowed entanglement of interests.

Tan Su's face frequently appeared in the news, while Li Li remained the free spirit who could wear a baseball cap, stroll around, and happily eat.

This year was different from previous years because, after discussing it with her family, she decided to accompany Tan Su to G City on the eve of the Lunar New Year to visit Tan Huiming.

Before leaving, she nervously knocked on the study door with the signed agreement in hand.

Li Zhoudu looked up from inside the door and watched her walk in. She carefully placed the two agreements on the desk and pushed them towards him to look at.

This was something Li Li had promised: one was a prenuptial agreement signed by both her and Tan Su, and the other was a commitment letter to voluntarily relinquish her management rights over Wan Jing.

Over the years, Li Zhoudu has been like a father and brother to her, and his importance in her life is unparalleled by anyone else.

Li Li always longed for his blessing and approval of this relationship.

Her big eyes watched intently as Li Zhoudu read the documents, noticing his subtle expressions. He read slowly, scrutinizing each clause as if reviewing a contract, and left the prenuptial agreement in the drawer after finishing it.

Another commitment letter was torn in half and thrown into the trash can.

His eyes returned to the computer screen, and he said very succinctly, "Don't make decisions for your child. If he's willing to take over Wanjing in the future, he can help me out."

Li Li's eyes welled up with tears, and her nose stung. She leaned closer to Li Zhoudu, bent down like a dependent child, and hugged his neck tightly.

His hand lingered on Li Li's hair for a long time.

"Be happy every day, little kitten."

——

When rumors of their marriage were rampant in the city, some friends and classmates who were unaware of the details came to congratulate Tan Yi on the conclusion of their long-term relationship.

Tan Yi didn't reply to any of them, or rather, he simply didn't know how to explain himself.

The specially made cups and dishes in the sterilizer, and the towels in the bathroom, have all been returned to the ship that is always docked in the harbor.

He was drunk late at night, sitting on the bed stroking the cork in the light, as if he were carrying a secret he couldn't reveal.

Li Li's private honesty highlights the irreparable foolishness of her past.

Her kindness was a knife that cut into my heart.

She doesn't avoid the topic; we can chat and eat together. But she truly no longer loves you, which is why she can be so open about it.

In his confusion, he couldn't understand how he had become someone she could no longer see in the light of day.

Tan Yi completed the acquisition of TICC before the end of the year, achieving Tan Su's expected goal. Tan Congxu cashed out a large sum of cash and withdrew from the management team, while Dai Zhe stayed and became Tan Yi's man again.

A few days ago, the two were drinking, and Dai Zhe mentioned Fang Xuan's recent situation. He guessed that she wasn't very happy with her current job, but he didn't listen carefully.

Seeing that Tan Yi was in a bad mood, Dai Zhe reluctantly asked, "Fang Xuan is still in the public relations industry. Should we rehire her?"

Before he could finish speaking, Tan Yi curled up his legs, changed his posture, took a sip of wine, and refused, saying, "I've already helped her twice. There's no third time."

He had no feelings or responsibility for Fang Xuan; the previous two times he had already shown great kindness.

That was the end of it.

Dai Zhe fell silent.

——

On the day Li Li and Tan Su set off, S City had just experienced a cold wave. She was so cold on the way to the airport that she was frozen solid. Tan Su held her in his arms to shield her from the wind, and when they sat in the VIP lounge, she secretly put her calves on his hands to warm them up.

After getting off the plane, she suddenly came to life, beaming as she boasted to Tan Su, "I told you I was dressed perfectly, not too much, not too little! Didn't I?"

She forced Tan Su to admit that he had made the correct decision.

The car drove towards the destination where the journey had been abandoned halfway back then. Li Li was still quite embarrassed to meet Tan Huiming this time.

After all, others may not know about her past with Tan Yi, but how could Tan Huiming not know?

But Tan Su said it didn't matter, his grandfather had known about their affair for a long time.

Li Li's skin thickened as she followed Tan Su out of the car, curiously looking around at the mountain villa for retirement. He then led her inside, holding her hand tightly.

Tan Huiming sat in his wheelchair waiting for them to come in. Li Li released Tan Su and stepped forward, politely greeting him, "Grandpa Tan."

After so many years, Tan Huiming looked at those eyes that were as clear and bright as ever and praised them with satisfaction: "Very good, all very good."

The atmosphere at the dinner was quite relaxed, and the conversation mostly revolved around the Li family's recent situation. They asked about Grandma's health and when her parents would be able to return to China so that the two sides could formally meet.

About half an hour after the meal, Tan Huiming was wheeled into his room by a nurse.

Tan Su stroked Li Li's hair and explained to her that Grandpa was very happy today, but he was having trouble keeping up with his energy levels.

That evening, Tan Su worked overtime next door for a while before going into the bathroom to take a shower. Li Li, wearing a nightgown, was lying on the bed playing on her phone.

She then saw the series of screams "Ahhhhhhh" that You Chang had sent on WeChat during the day.

Li Liguang felt his eyes were being strained just reading the words, so he sent a question mark: ?

The other end replied instantly with a list of company directors: [Is this you? Is it really you?]

Li Li thought You Chang knew all along, but it turned out she hadn't paid any attention to the changes at the top and was only now realizing it.

You Chang indeed lacked sensitivity to these matters. It was Shi Han who mysteriously gossiped, "Guess whose family the Li family that married Tan Jie in the news is?"

Li Li said, "[It's me.]"

[You've really taken on the role of the boss's wife, huh!]

You Chang had always known that Li Li came from a good family and that Tan Su was very tolerant of her, but she never imagined that she came from such a prestigious family and that she and Tan Su would actually end up together.

Li Li disliked the term "boss lady," as it made her seem like she was dependent on Tan Su.

She replied nonsensically: "[Actually, Tan Su is our family's son-in-law who married into the family.]"

You Chang was somewhat stunned by her. Given the sheer amount of information she had gathered during the day, she was now even taking her boasting seriously: [Really?]

Li Li casually replied, "Of course."

In fact, at the beginning of the year, Yan Qi experienced a life-or-death crisis, and Tan Su, in order to save the family from collapse, offered himself to me for free, willingly becoming the Li family's son-in-law.

Of course, your CEO Tan is a very proud person, so don't tell anyone secretly.

You Chang sent a meme of someone shut up and giving an OK sign.

Li Li chatted with great enjoyment, imagining herself as the queen who had already brought little Tan Su under her control.

It wasn't until Tan Su came out of the bathroom and saw her holding her phone and chuckling that he casually asked, "What good stuff are you looking at?"

Li Li immediately turned off her phone, trying to avoid showing it to him.

Seeing her guilty look, Tan Su deliberately reached out to snatch it.

Li Li panicked, throwing her phone away while trying to kick Tan Su further away.

Tan Su's hand deftly grasped that slender ankle, the tender and smooth skin with a subtle touch. He held it with such affection that he lifted it up, pressed it against his chest, and then pulled it to his lips.

Tan Su turned his head slightly to look at her, kissing her while playfully grinding his teeth against the small bone on her head.

Li Li felt a chill run down her spine, and deliberately asked with a stern face, "Are you a dog?"

Tan Su remained silent.

She looked into Tan Su's deep, dangerous eyes, watching him slowly and deliberately kiss her skin, as if savoring a delicacy, until finally biting the tender flesh of her thigh.

She felt the warm, moist embrace, her face flushed, and said, "Tan Su, you're like a monster."

"What kind of monster?" he asked.

"I don't know... Oh, the kind of nightmare that drains people's life force."

"Oh, is that me?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Ugh, you're so shameless." Li Li pulled the pillow over her face.

A gentle murmur filled her ears, and the overwhelming joy in her brain lifted her to the clouds. Her legs trembled with a slight soreness. Li Li thought Tan Su was such a competitive person, always striving for an A in everything, which was really annoying!

While enjoying the pleasure of being served, she muttered curses under her breath about Tan Su's indecent behavior until the pillow in front of her was suddenly moved away, and she hadn't even reacted yet.

Tan Su stared blankly at Li Li, who looked completely dazed.

He couldn't help but laugh, cupped her face in his hands, pressed his nose against Li Li's nose, and pushed himself inside her.

When Li Li woke up the next day, she was in an uproar. Her body was covered in marks left by Tan Su, and she was too ashamed to be seen by anyone!

She pressed powder against the marks on her legs, shoulders, and neck, and angrily thought that if someone found out, she would kill Tan Su.

Tan Su came up from downstairs, leaned against the door watching her apply powder as if it were free, and jokingly said, "The guests have all arrived."

"Whose fault is it!" she angrily threw the powder puff at Tan Su.

The Tan family is not large, but there are still some relatives from the side branches. They were all invited by Tan Huiming to meet him as guests, which can be considered an early New Year's Eve reunion.

Only Tan Yi, Tan Su did not call out, so he pretended not to know and did not come.

As soon as Li Li went downstairs, she was surrounded by several children who called her aunt.

Yes, Tan Su is the uncle, so she will be considered the aunt from now on.

Sigh, it's all Tan Su's fault for forcibly adding a seniority to her.

The gifts for the children were prepared in advance. Li Li distributed candy and New Year's red envelopes to each of them, and the children scattered instantly.

Meanwhile, Tan Su was chatting and drinking tea with his guests. When he saw that Li Li had some free time, he invited her to sit down.

In such situations, Li Li would automatically switch to the meeting's usual mute mode, leaning against Tan Su while actually ignoring everything he said.

With a candy in her mouth, she let her mind wander, wondering what would have happened if Tan Su had brought her here back then?

Can she persuade Tan Huiming?

Will he step in to help Tan Yi?

Will Tan Yi be able to return home safely?

Does that mean they won't break up?

Li Li slowly chewed the candy, feeling that the hypothetical situation was quite complicated.

She and Tan Yi were both too young, and under such adversity, their lives were long, and they might drift apart at any point.

At least now, they have all achieved their initial wishes, so there is nothing to regret.

Thinking of this, she raised her eyes and looked at Tan Su, who was completely unexpected.

He was wearing a comfortable T-shirt, leaning on Li Li's waist, chatting casually with relatives and friends. He had such ease and fluency with anyone and any topic.

At that moment, Tan Su saw the face tilted up in his arms and, without hesitation, lowered his head and kissed her lips.

"Bored?" he asked.

"No." She played with Tan Su's fingers, thinking to herself, "You're quite handsome."

—End of text—

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Author's Note: [shy] I'm a little late.

There will be more side stories later, I'll write them when I think of them, so I won't be updating daily anymore.