Chapter 16 The spring sunshine was just right, the weather was...
The spring sunshine was just right, the weather was neither too hot nor too cold, and the windows facing the back garden had been opened early for ventilation, filling the house with the moist and fresh scent of green plants.
The sun was making people feel a little lazy. Tan Su was holding a remote meeting in his study, dressed in comfortable pajamas, when suddenly there was a series of knocks on the door, "bang bang," "bang bang."
He frowned, wondering who in the family would be so unruly.
I called out into the microphone to wait a moment, turned off the computer's mute button, and went to open the door. What I saw was Li Li standing there, looking very straight.
She stated her purpose directly: "Brother Tan Su, I want to attend the International Biotechnology Forum."
Tan Su reached out and closed the door: "Go find Xie Zongfang to make arrangements."
“He won’t do it,” Li Li said smoothly as she forcefully handed her phone through the crack in the door. “My brother doesn’t agree, so you’ll have to talk to him in person.”
Tan Su: "..."
Two weeks later, Li Li accompanied Tan Su on a plane to Hong Kong as she had wished.
These past few days, unable to withstand her relentless pestering, Li Zhoudu finally relented and returned the documents.
She was also afraid that Li Zhoudu would change his mind, so she stayed at home every day, behaving obediently and not daring to do anything she was told to do.
Once on the plane, she finally felt relieved, wrapped herself in a blanket, put on an eye mask, and fell fast asleep.
Because she wasn't high enough in the company, she had to pay for her own upgrade tickets, and she sat next to Tan Su at check-in.
Tan Su was still looking at the conference materials when he boarded the plane. He glanced back and saw Li Li next to him, unconscious against the window, her mouth slightly open, like a goldfish blowing bubbles in a fish tank.
The organizers picked them up from the airport and took them to the hotel. After freshening up, there was a pre-event dinner for important guests.
Li Li was dressed casually, wearing an off-the-shoulder top that revealed her collarbone, paired with a tulip skirt that fell above her knees.
If Li Zhoudu had seen it, he would most likely have mocked her for dressing like a fan with both ends open. But Tan Su was better in this respect; he only glanced at her and did not comment on her penchant for dressing like a lady.
In this situation, Chen Yaxian consciously avoided the situation, leaving Li Li to be socialized with by Tan Su.
Li Li really wanted to eat something, but Tan Su kept chatting with different people, so she could only put on a smile and pretend that she was listening attentively.
When she got off the plane, she sent a message to Tan Yi saying that she had landed.
However, Tan Yi did not reply.
Tan Su stood with the chairman of the organizing committee. He noticed that Li Li was absent-minded and seemed lost in thought while others were talking, so he raised his hand and lightly tapped her forehead in front of everyone.
Li Li snapped out of her daze in surprise, and somewhat awkwardly met the deep blue eyes of the white chairman, which held a hint of mockery.
The other person asked, "Was my topic too boring?"
Li Li quickly shook her head and said, "I'm looking... it seems like they've all taken the mango cheese tarts over there."
The chairman laughed and said, "Tan, you should have this young lady get something to eat."
Tan Su nodded to Li Li before she turned and left.
But Li Li didn't go to eat. Instead, she took her phone and went into the bathroom to see if Tan Yi had replied.
Looking at the empty chat history, she wondered if the network was bad, and still wouldn't give up, she called Tan Yi, but the call didn't go through.
Li Li lingered in the washroom for more than ten minutes before finally emerging, listlessly returning to Tan Su's side.
He had one hand in his trouser pocket and was chatting with yet another stranger at the dinner table. When he saw Li Li slowly approaching, Tan Su took his hand out and handed her a plate of mango tarts.
Li Li looked up at him under the dazzling lights of the banquet hall.
The plate remained untouched for a long time. Tan Su lowered his eyes and asked, "This is the last piece. Don't you want it?"
The presentation of these banquet dishes far outweighed their taste. Li Li bit into the mango tart and felt as if she had tasted sugar; it was probably made to taste like a white person's.
She didn't eat more than a few bites before throwing the rest aside.
After returning to her room from the dinner, Li Li changed into comfortable shoes and planned to go directly to Tan Yi's apartment on Gan De Road.
She closed the door and bumped into Chen Ya, who was in the hallway with a waiter delivering food.
Chen Ya glanced at Li Li's outfit as she prepared to leave and asked calmly, "Where are you going?"
Li Li did not answer.
Chen Ya gently advised, "You should eat something and get some rest as soon as possible, since you need to get up at 6 a.m. tomorrow."
The forum's opening ceremony was held early the next morning. Tan Su sat in the first row, with Li Li sitting beside him.
After the chairman of the Science and Technology Association officially unveiled the plaque, academicians from the School of Biology gave speeches on stage, with the topic being how AI can be applied to drug development from research paradigms to final clinical trials.
Midway through the speech, Mr. Ming quietly bent down and went to the front row to shake hands with Tan Su. He asked him to do him the honor of having a casual meal together afterward.
Tan Su did not agree, only saying that he needed to check his secretary's schedule.
He did receive numerous invitations from companies, including many larger and more industrialized ones than FrieslandCampina, so Tan Su was not sure if he could find the time.
Despite being rejected, Mr. Ming remained very respectful to the young man, repeatedly saying, "Then I'll wait for your schedule, even if it's just for afternoon tea."
"If it's convenient for you, then please..." He looked at Li Li, "Miss Li, please pass on this message to me. That will be fine."
Tan Su joked, "President Ming has quite a lot of influence. Miss Li is usually someone that no one can order around."
Mr. Ming nodded and said, "Yes, yes. Ms. Li also worked very hard when we were stationed there."
Li Li was preoccupied with Tan Yi, so she just nodded slightly in agreement with a hint of annoyance. Seeing that she was distracted, President Ming went back to the back row.
Her head tilted unconsciously to follow his, and she suddenly saw Tan Yi wearing a suit, sitting a few rows behind.
It turned out that he had also brought an invitation.
Tan Yi looked at Li Li, smiled at her, and then put his finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture.
Li Li immediately perked up, straightened her back, and joined the crowd in applauding the speaker on stage.
Tan Su followed her gaze, glanced back briefly, and then subtly looked away.
The first speech ended at 11:30 a.m., and many people rushed forward and surrounded Tan Su.
Li Li squeezed through the crowd and saw Tan Yi over other people's shoulders. He was getting up to talk to President Ming.
She noticed that President Ming seemed to be in a difficult position.
Given the choice between a leading revenue-generating group in City S and a newly established company in Hong Kong by a business layman with no real business knowledge, what would he choose?
Mr. Ming was already very uneasy after being put on hold for several months, and he knew even more that he could not afford to offend Tan Su at this time. After hesitating for a moment, he still politely declined, saying, "It's not appropriate, Mr. Dai."
Li Li watched as President Ming, like a fly drawn to filth, abandoned Tan Yi and headed towards the crowd, leaving Tan Yi all alone in the same spot.
She suddenly felt nauseous and vomited.
She hated the sycophants and contemptuous people around her.
Tan Su was just a rich second-generation who had successfully inherited the family business. He was only a few years older than Tan Yi. What was so great about him?
Tan Su also witnessed this scene. His expression remained calm, but he could read subtle hatred and hostility in Li Li's eyes beside him.
Ultimately, it was the organizers who intervened and cleared a path for Tan Su to exit.
Tan Yizao has disappeared.
He left Li Li a message on WeChat saying "[I'm waiting for you]", and then disappeared without a trace.
Tan Yi did not appear in the meeting hall in the afternoon.
It wasn't until the afternoon's schedule ended, and Tan Su was invited to a restaurant for lunch, that Li Li noticed him sitting on the railing not far away when she got to his car.
Tan Yi loosened his tie, unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt, and let the wind blow through his slightly long hair, making him look like a disheveled model in a magazine.
Tan Yi turned his head and saw her, jumped down from the railing, and opened his coat to Li Li with a smile.
This scene is reminiscent of many years ago when they were still studying at Sipo. Tan Yi would always wait for her outside the classroom on the nights she had tutoring or participated in activities.
Li Li often suffers from cold hands and feet due to blood deficiency. Tan Yi, relying on his youth and good health, would always generously open his coat so that she could put her cold hands inside to warm them.
Li Li's eyes welled up with tears, and she took a step in that direction, but Tan Su quickly grabbed her wrist.
He said, "What are you going to do?"
Li Li said, "Today is over, Brother Tan Su."
Tan Su's expression was serious: "I'm asking what you're going to do?"
"I have something personal to attend to."
Tan Su warned her, "I promised Li Zhoudu that I wouldn't let you see people you shouldn't see. Li Li, don't make me break my promise."
Looking at Tan Su's cold, even disgusted, demeanor, Li Li knew she absolutely could not go with him.
Tan Yi must be extremely upset, having been in such a difficult situation today.
If there's only one person in the whole world who can't abandon him right now, it's himself.
People came and went around them, and all they could hear were unfamiliar accents from other places. Tan Su was very tall and had a scary expression, but Li Li was not afraid of him.
She was brave and fearless, unafraid of anyone.
“You can bully people so arrogantly today simply because Tan Yi’s background is not as good as yours,” she struggled, slowly freeing herself from Tan Su’s grasp, “but even you are nothing to me.”
She took two steps back: "Goodbye, Brother Tan Su."
Li Li turned around and ran resolutely towards her lover in the twilight sun, as determined and resolute as ever.
Tan Su stood there for a few seconds, then said to Chen Ya, "Get in the car."
————
For a long time, Li Li did not notice that Tan Yi was different from herself.
Because her parents were away from home for a long time, Li Li thought it was normal that she had never met Tan Yi's mother.
One Chinese New Year, Li Fujing and his wife were on a business trip in West Africa and couldn't come back. In Lagos, Nigeria, they recorded a video for their youngest daughter to wish her a happy new year and to grow up well.
Li Li was overjoyed and pulled Tan Yi to look at the photos with her. She asked, "Didn't your mother send you any pictures?"
Tan Yi felt envious, but he honestly said, "I don't know."
He was raised by Tan Congxu alone from a young age and did not know who his mother was.
Tan Yi secretly guessed that she might have already passed away, which was why Tan Congxu never mentioned it.
Later, Li Li overheard the aunties who worked for the Tan family using the term "illegitimate child" to describe Tan Yi in private.
She didn't quite understand what the word meant at first.
Until one day, Wenxi complained to a friend on the phone that a senior executive in the company had a mistress and had an illegitimate child. The wife had made a scene in front of Li Junchuan, demanding that he fire the scumbag, and it was making a mess of things at the company.
She was engrossed in conversation and didn't avoid the kitten drawing with crayons beside her.
Li Li could detect contempt and disdain in her tone.
She gradually came to understand that, nominally speaking, Tan Yi was not Tan Huiming's grandson.
Tan Huiming's first wife came from a powerful family, and Tan Congxu was his illegitimate son with his mistress.
Although she was called a mistress, she was not actually favored. However, she gave birth to a son, and the mother and son lived in a house, receiving a fairly comfortable living allowance, no different from caged pet cats and dogs.
However, Tan Congxu knew from a very young age that the father who could not be called his father was a well-known entrepreneur in S City who frequently appeared on television news.
This realization broadened his horizons and increased his ambition, but Tan Huiming never truly acknowledged his identity.
As a son, he did not receive Tan Huiming's attention, nor was he arranged a marriage that he imagined was a good match for him.
He was unwilling to follow his mother's arrangement to marry a girl from an ordinary family and live an ordinary life, even though he was nearly thirty years old at the time and never talked about marriage.
Tan Yi was the product of Tan Congxu's one-night stand.
He could have given up the child, but after hesitating for a long time, he ultimately chose to keep it.
His blood brother, Tan Hewen, was already married and had children. If he didn't add any more bargaining chips, he would be completely forgotten by Tan Huiming.
He longed for the blood ties across generations to awaken the familial affection in Tan Huiming, and fortunately, after many years, the opportunity finally came.
Tan Yi was taken to the Tan family mansion because of Li Li's favor, and he, as an illegitimate son who was not worthy of being in the public eye, was compensated by the old man and offered a high-level position.
Those were Tan Congxu's most glorious ten years.
With his elder brother gone, Tan Su was still young, and Tan Huiming was growing old, so he began to delegate authority.
He is indeed quite talented, leading the company step by step to greater heights and greater success.
Li Li actually had a very good impression of Tan Congxu back then.
This uncle wore gold-rimmed glasses and had a gentle and refined demeanor. He was usually very authoritative towards his subordinates, but he was very caring towards the kitten.
He would take Li Li and Tan Yi to the amusement park and stay in the big castle for the whole weekend just because of a casual coquettish remark from Li Li; he would also rent out a whole fairy tale stage play at the theater just to celebrate her birthday.
Her first luxury item was a mini mallow purple bag that Tan Congxu bought for her. When he gave it to her, he said it was one of a kind in the world and belonged only to her.
Li Li was only ten years old at the time. Her family felt it was inappropriate to give her such expensive things at such a young age, as she would inevitably bump into things, scribble on them, and ruin them.
But Tan Congxu just laughed. He ruffled Li Li's hair and said, "Girls should use good things so they won't be easily fooled by rascals when they grow up. Right?"
He was a better father to Li Li than to Tan Yi.
Or perhaps, from the very beginning, he longed to have a daughter who would be loved and pampered like this.
In the tenth year, Tan Congxu was appointed to an important position as the financial director of Yanqi, becoming the second-in-command of the group under Tan Huiming.
In the eleventh year, Tan Su, who was still a senior in college, joined the company as the technology director.
One holds real power, the other a nominal position; it's self-evident which is more important.
To gain favor with his nephew, he deliberately sabotaged Tan Su in private, instigating the deputy director of the science and technology department to undermine his position and suppress the department's budget and all reimbursement matters.
Tan Congxu founded Moshi, claiming he would pilot a program to incorporate all employees of the Ministry of Science and Technology into the newly established company, ostensibly to reduce labor costs and arbitration risks.
When gods fight, mortals suffer. Ordinary employees in the Ministry of Science and Technology complained bitterly, became alienated from Tan Su, and refused to cooperate with his work.
These are all petty tricks, not very sophisticated, and without any real evidence; they're just meant to annoy people.
Tan Susheng endured it all, but never mentioned it to his grandfather.
At that time, Tan Congxu was very pleased with himself, thinking that he had suppressed Tan Su, who had just entered the Yanqi, and also suppressed those ambitious people who wanted to change their allegiance and find another way out.
He didn't realize that his opponent was secretly aiming for his throat, intending to kill him instantly.
Six months later, Yanqi initiated the company's annual shareholders' meeting.
Lu Dai, the quiet head of the finance department, took the lead in reporting and exposing Tan Congxu's crimes, including inflating profits by 100 million yuan through related-party transactions five years ago, colluding with external auditors to commit fraud, and using various pretexts to actually bribe clients.
The entire meeting was quiet, yet an invisible tension was palpable.
The shareholders held their breath, watching Tan Huiming's illegitimate son and his own grandson confront each other and fight each other at the meeting, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
Tan Huiming did not utter a word at the meeting.
News about Tan Congxu was also released at the same time as the meeting, eliminating any possibility of trying to handle or resolve the matter internally.
After the meeting, Tan Congxu was taken away by the police for investigation, and Yanqi's stock price suffered a huge blow, hitting the daily limit down for several consecutive days.
In the study, Tan Hui appeared visibly aged and somber as he asked the young man before him, who was actually still quite young, "Was it worth it?"
Tan Su sat in his chair: "Everyone will soon realize that losing a CFO will not have any substantial impact on Yan Qi. A tough decision is necessary."
Tan Huiming said, "Why didn't you come to me before you found out all this?"
Tan Su calmly replied, "I'm afraid you won't be able to do it."
He was raised from childhood to be the family heir, perfectly inheriting Tan Huiming's deep scheming and Tan Hewen's ruthless methods from his early years.
Tan Congxu may have made things difficult for him, but he didn't intend to bring him down. However, for Tan Su, he was simply taking back what rightfully belonged to him.
He had endured this for many years, for he could not tolerate another person snoring beside his bed.
Therefore, his goal from the very beginning was to completely sweep Tan Congxu out of Yanqi and reconstruct the order, and Tan Huiming was completely unaware of all this.
Tan Huiming concluded indifferently, "Actually, I should say that you did a very good job."
The person most affected by this incident, besides Tan Congxu who was detained for investigation, was Tan Yi.
He tried to plead with Tan Huiming on several occasions, but was turned away by his secretary each time.
Li Li also went to plead with Li Junchuan at home, but who outsiders could interfere in the affairs of the Tan family?
Li Li received a phone call at home. Her aunt said that Tan Yi had a persistent high fever and asked her to come over and check on him.
When she saw Tan Yi, he was lying in bed, fast asleep, having taken fever-reducing medication, with his eyes tightly closed.
The pampered young lady, who had never lifted a finger, imitated her aunt by wringing out a damp cloth and placing it on Tan Yi's forehead, then moistening his lips with a cotton swab.
A few hours later, Tan Yi woke up and saw Li Li, who was so exhausted that she was sleeping by the bedside.
Almost as soon as she moved, Li Li woke up groggily.
He looked at the red marks on the kitten's face, and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.
That day, he told Li Li a secret he had kept for a long time.
"I actually knew who my mother was a long time ago."
Tan Yi's eyes reddened: "She was my nanny when I was a child."
“She was kicked out when my father decided to send me back to the Tan family.”
On the day Tan Yi was taken to the Tan family because of the little kitten sister's favor, Tan Congxu gave him a Gundam.
The gift captured his attention and filled him with immense joy.
As a result, Tan Yi didn't have the chance to properly say goodbye to his mother, who had been by his side as a maid since he was a child.
He said, "Nobody knows where she is now."
Tan Yi had been living in fear and anxiety these past few days, like a wounded fledgling that had lost all its shelter. He said to Li Li, "Little kitten, I have no father or mother anymore. It's all my fault."
If he hadn't been chosen by Tan Huiming, perhaps he would still be living with his parents.
But if we calculate it this way, isn't this also a consequence of Li Li's actions?
Those seemingly unrelated stories about fate that elders often joked about, those seemingly carefree and innocent childhood friendships, actually conceal the suffering of Yu Yantan and his mother being forced to separate.
And now, Tan Yi is about to lose his father.
Tan Huiming still wanted to maintain a facade of peace and openly sever ties with Tan Congxu in order to preserve Tan Yi's marriage.
However, Li Li empathized with Tan Yi's pain and shed tears along with him.
The little kitten whispered bravely to the boy who had grown up with her, "Don't be afraid, I will help you, Tan Yi."
She was determined to force Tan Huiming to protect Tan Congxu.
After Tan Congxu's downfall, Yan Qi was mired in internal turmoil and chaos for a long period of time.
Executives who were too closely tied to Tan Congxu jumped ship to protect themselves; Lü Dai was parachuted in as CFO, but lacked the qualifications and was constantly harassed by Tan Congxu's former subordinates.
Previous contracts had to be reviewed again, and suppliers and customers who had previously cooperated well took advantage of the chaos to undermine each other and demand higher prices.
Tan Su was so busy every day that he could only sleep for three hours, forcing himself to maintain high-speed operation like a machine.
Until that day, he worked at the company all night and went home to catch up on sleep.
I took a sip of the water that was on the coffee table before going upstairs.
Tan Su was always a light sleeper, so the servants in the house were very careful, but that day he was awakened by a rustling noise.
Tan Su opened his eyes slightly, his eyeballs moving slowly as he looked at the ceiling. He felt dizzy and dazed, as if he were in a dream.
He saw a face in his dream.
This was the first time he had really looked at the girl's face.
Although almost every time I returned home, I would see her making a ruckus in the garden, living room, or dining room, or drawing random pictures on her sketch paper.
But this was the first time Tan Su had seen her up close and carefully.
Her skin was so fine that you could hardly see any pores. Her lips were a pale pink like cherry blossom petals. She had long, drooping eyelashes and a sweet fragrance about her, like milk with honey.
Everyone calls her Little Kitten.
She really is like a kitten, strangely cute. Tan Su thought.
The frail and delicate girl lowered her eyes and trembled as she unbuttoned her clothes, revealing the edge of her white strapless top. The thin fabric gathered her soft and tender skin into a rounded shape.
Tan Su's Adam's apple bobbed.
But Li Li didn't realize that he had woken up. She was too panicked and scared to look at Tan Su's face.
After finally unbuttoning all her clothes, Li Li let out a deep breath, took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and knelt on either side of Tan Su's waist with her legs spread apart like chopsticks.
She froze for a few seconds, not noticing Tan Su's hand slowly rising behind his back.
Then Li Li subconsciously glanced at the wardrobe.
She had no idea what was going to happen next; her heart was pounding wildly in her chest. Li Li comforted herself, thinking that everything would be alright.
Tan Yi is right there; she'll be fine.
Li Li was incredibly audacious.
But everyone loves her, and because everyone loves her, this little trick will definitely be forgiven.
She thought that with just a few things, a few staged photos, she could get leverage over Tan Su and use that to negotiate with Tan Huiming.
Tan Su turned his head following her gaze and saw that the wardrobe was slightly ajar, and on the floor beneath it were a pair of boys' shoes.
He was suddenly shocked and enraged. He flipped Li Li off him and went straight to the wardrobe, pulling out Tan Yi from inside.
Tan Yi's pupils contracted. What happened in that instant was like a slow-motion scene in a movie: how Tan Su opened the wardrobe, how he dragged him out, opened the door, and kicked him in the stomach.
The seventeen-year-old boy was powerless to resist the overwhelming force; he felt as if he had been blown away by a clump of straw.
Then, with a loud "bang!", it landed heavily on the corridor floor.
His camera rolled to the ground with him, but Tan Yi, clutching his throbbing abdomen, was unable to speak.
Li Li was terrified. She even forgot to cry and rushed over to see him, her clothes disheveled. But Tan Su grabbed her wrist and began to drag her out of the corridor.
She was still wearing a shabby tube top and was being dragged by Tan Su. Li Li turned around and looked at Tan Yi, who was lying on the ground with a pale face. She frantically pounded on him, pinched and twisted Tan Su's arms, and kicked his legs.
"What right do you have to hit me?! Let go of me!"
"Let me go, you bastard!"
Her desperate screams brought the aunt downstairs, and Tan Su shoved her into her arms, his face as dark as the eve of a storm: "Send her back to the Li family!"
With large tears streaming down her face, Li Li said to Tan Su, "I will never forgive you!"
She kept saying, "I will never forgive you!"
She hated him so much back then, it was almost to the bone, etched into her very soul.
In the end, Li Li was sent back to the Li family in disheveled clothes, wearing Aunt Tan's clothes and crying. Fortunately, only Li Zhoudu and Wen Xi were at home at the time.
Li Zhoudu believed that Li Li had been bullied by Tan Yi, and he was so enraged that he almost went to the Tan family to kill someone.
Wenxi pushed him out of the room and carefully checked the kitten herself. She was relieved to find that the kitten was alright.
Then ask what happened.
Li Li didn't say anything.
Wrapped in a blanket, she refused to utter a single word.
She just cried and begged Wenxi not to tell anyone.
At that time, Li Pusheng's physical examination results were abnormal, and he was placed in the hospital. The tumor slides were sent for biopsy, and his family could no longer cause any trouble that would disturb his peace.
Wenxi thought that whatever happened in the Tan family would not look good on a little girl's face.
As long as Li Li is alright, nothing else matters.
She discussed it with Li Zhoudu and decided to keep it a secret from everyone, including Li Li's parents.
However, Tan Su did not choose to hide it. He called for an ambulance and transferred Tan to the hospital, and then told his grandfather everything that had happened.
Tan Huiming's plan to sacrifice Tan Congxu to save Tan Yi's marriage was completely shattered.
Tan Su now had leverage to destroy the marriage at any time, just as he had destroyed Tan Yi's father. He couldn't possibly have any mercy for them.
Not long after, Tan Huiming took the initiative to visit the hospital. He told Li Pusheng, who was in the hospital bed, that Tan Yi was not talented, immature and impulsive, and not a good match for Xiao Mao'er.
The previous incident was just a joke between the two families, so let's just let it go.
Li Pusheng only knew that there had been huge changes in his company recently, and that Tan Congxu would most likely be held criminally liable. With such a father, Tan Yi was indeed no longer suitable to be Li's son-in-law.
Li Pusheng agreed.
The elders kept their conversation polite and to the point. Later, Li Li was sent to Singapore by her family, and Tan Yi was sent to Hong Kong. They never saw Tan Huiming again after that.
The boy took a large sum of money to Hong Kong. The once arrogant and domineering young master of the Tan family is now chasing after small companies and vulgar, greasy second-generation rich kids that he used to look down on, trying to curry favor with them.
After repeatedly hitting walls, he finally realized that what was truly valuable was not the excessive wealth he possessed, but the surname "Tan" in S City, and the love and protection he received from Tan Huiming.
He had been hanging out with Li Li for too long and mistakenly believed that he, like her, had the power to do anything without fear of causing trouble.
But in reality, he was just a grandson whom Tan Huiming was preparing to have marry into the family, almost like a son-in-law.
Ultimately, his own grandfather destroyed his value.
Years later, Li Li secretly infiltrated Yanqi through Moshi, cut his hair, and forced Tan Su to accept him. It's obvious who he was after.
At the end of lunch that day, Lü Dai said, "The young lady from the Li family is quite loyal. Tan Yi is still so devoted to her. He's young, but in this respect, he's luckier than you."
yes.
Look how determined she was as she ran toward Tan Yi.
Li Li got into Tan Yi's car and went back to his apartment with him.
As usual, the two bought fruit and food at the supermarket downstairs. Tan Yi cooked for her, while Li Li played with Su Mi beside her.
After dinner, they played old Hong Kong movies on the projector, snuggled on the sofa and kissed. Su Mi jumped onto the sofa and nestled on Li Li's lap, begging for a pat.
Sumi was bought by Li Li for Tan during his first year in Hong Kong as a companion. She jokingly said at the time, "Seeing the cat is like seeing me. You dare to mess around and see what happens!"
Tan Yi was not in good spirits at the time, but he still mustered his courage and said with a smile, "How dare I?"
The sudden changes in his life left their mark on his mind and body, and he gradually transformed into someone he could never have imagined before.
Those once arrogant pride and self-esteem suddenly become worthless, but often, in a moment of looking in the mirror, they suddenly jump out and frantically criticize him: How did you become such a person?
He had been thinking lately whether he had really become as cunning and treacherous as Li Zhoudu had said, a villain unworthy of being a kitten.
Tan Yi suddenly stopped, his fingers running through Li Li's hair as he stared intently at her face.
Even though I see her online every day, year after year, I still feel a little unfamiliar every time I see her again. This is probably a side effect of a long-distance relationship.
Li Li raised her hand and touched her face: "Is there something on my face?"
Tan Yi joked, "She's beautiful."
Li Li burst into laughter at his words, then remembered the purpose of her trip to Hong Kong and cautiously asked him, "Have you been unhappy about anything lately?"
After asking the question, I felt it was unnecessary. He was met with a cold reception at the event today, so how could he be happy now?
Tan Yi didn't answer that question. Instead, he remained silent for a moment before dropping a bombshell: "Does Tan Su like you?"
The feeling at that moment was no exaggeration. Li Li felt goosebumps rise all over her body, and she subconsciously pulled back to distance herself from Tan Yi: "What's wrong with you!"
“I saw it,” Tan Yi said, holding her shoulder, “He knocked on your head last night and asked the waiter for dessert for you.”
“Even today, his gaze has never left you. He has never done that to anyone else.”
Li Li was already getting angry: "Why are you saying that? I have absolutely no interaction with Tan Su!"
However, Tan Yi has now accepted a certain possibility and has shown extreme aversion and disgust towards the matter.
He said, "It's not your fault, kitty. I didn't say it was your fault."
"If Tan Su really has feelings for you, it's because he shamelessly covets you, and it has nothing to do with you!"
"Of course I believe you, I believe you completely." He held Li Li tightly in his arms, as if he wanted to melt her into his own flesh and blood.
The room was so quiet it was almost suffocating.
In a daze, Li Li heard the automatic water dispenser for millet gurgling water. She couldn't understand why, even though she had done so much, Tan Yi still seemed insecure.
The girl's voice was very soft: "You're the only one in my heart, Tan Yi."
"Didn't you already know about this?"
Didn't you say a long time ago that you knew only the kitten truly liked you?
A phone call broke the chilly silence of the room.
Li Li released Tan Yi's embrace and looked at her vibrating phone. It was an unfamiliar number, registered in City S.
She swiped to answer the call, and Tan Su's calm voice came through.
“Li Zhoudu called me,” he said on the other end. “I told him you went to the restroom. I’ll call him back in twenty minutes.”
Li Li remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"Chen Ya is waiting for you downstairs now."
A few minutes later, Li Li went downstairs alone. The car was parked on the side of the road with its hazard lights on. Chen Ya was leaning against a street lamp, waiting quietly for her.
Tan Su was actually fully aware of everything that had happened to Tan Yi.
Chen Ya opened the car door and invited her to get in.
Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the restaurant.
She followed Chen Ya to the location, but the customer who had arranged to meet Tan Su was gone. He was eating a Western meal alone and making a phone call. Tan Su looked up, saw Li Li, and handed her his phone.
Li Li spoke into the microphone, "Hello?"
Li Zhoudu asked from the other end, "Why did it take so long?"
Li Li looked into Tan Su's eyes and said softly, "I also touched up my makeup."
"Okay, call me again when you get back to your room tonight."
"Okay." Li Li hung up the phone and placed it back in Tan Su's outstretched palm.
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