Chapter 23 Li Li's birthday banquet was held on one of the two sides...
Li Li's birthday banquet was held in a two-story banquet hall with high ceilings on both sides. The venue was specially designed in orange to match the invitations, and marigolds were in full bloom everywhere.
The paper cup in Li Li's hand faintly rippled with the dark brown liquid inside. She held a straw in her mouth, leaning on the chest-high escalator, and quietly looked down at the reception of guests.
Li Zhoudu looked up and saw her, then gestured for her to come down and help. Li Li made a face.
Someone behind me asked, "We can drink this now?"
She turned around and saw Tan Su coming up the stairs step by step.
"It's herbal tea—" She was the birthday girl today, but she didn't mince words with her boss. She dragged out the words and shook the paper cup, as if she thought he didn't understand.
Tan Su chuckled: "Alright. Happy birthday."
Li Li generously stretched out her palm and asked, "Where's my gift?"
Wenxi gently slapped her hand away from behind and said to Li Li in a mock lecturing tone, "How could you, little kitten, ask Brother Tan Su for things?"
She then invited Tan Su to sit down, saying, "Grandma has been saying she's been waiting for you for a long time."
Tan Su did not have much contact with the Li family in the past. When Li Pusheng was still alive, he had a few casual meals with his grandfather at the Li family.
Having not seen him for many years, Wang Minjun couldn't help but sigh with emotion, saying with concern that he looked thinner and much more composed.
Then I asked him, "How is your grandfather now? Since Pu Sheng passed away, I've rarely heard from him."
Tan Su said, "It's alright. Grandpa had surgery, and the doctor has been telling him to rest."
“We should have gone to see him, but we haven’t had the chance,” Wang Minjun sighed, and asked in detail, “Which hospital did he have the surgery at? How is his recovery?”
“My grandfather was not from this city; he had a cardiologist from North Rhine-Westphalia perform the procedure in Hong Kong.”
Li Li almost applauded her grandmother enthusiastically. Old ginger is spicier than ginger; the information she obtained in just a few words was far better than what she had wasted a year following Tan Su around.
She chimed in, "My grandmother can't go to another city, so I can visit Grandpa Tan on her behalf. It's the same thing."
Looking at her ingratiating smile, Tan Su nodded in agreement, "I will definitely convey the family's message. When Grandpa is available, I will invite Miss Li to visit."
Li Li really disliked his evasive and manipulative manner, and planned to ask a few more questions while her grandmother was around.
At this moment, Li Junchuan led Xie Zongfang upstairs and greeted him: "Tan Su, Zongfang is here too, let's sit together for a while."
Tan Su politely got up and said goodbye to his grandmother.
Li Li didn't stay idle either; she was led downstairs by Wen Xi.
Tan Su sat at a table on the second floor, looking down at the scene below. Li Li was celebrating her birthday today, wearing a light yellow short skirt, with short hair and exposed straight shoulders, looking delicate and youthful.
She's loved this short haircut ever since she got it cut once. It's so clean and refreshing, and most importantly, blow-drying it is no longer as troublesome as before.
With Wen Xi by her side greeting the guests and Li Zhoudu backing her up, those frivolous people couldn't get close to her at all.
She's such a pampered little girl, it must be tough on everyone.
With a smile on her face, Li Li followed Wen Xi's hand and sweetly called out "Uncle" and "Auntie." Finally, Fang Xuan arrived late, and Li Li hurriedly made an excuse to entertain her classmates and immediately fled.
Fang Xuan brought her a vintage, niche handbag, which Li Li happily accepted.
The two hadn't seen each other for several days. She pulled Fang Xuan to sit down and quietly asked, "How's it going with that young male star? Are you dating?"
Fang Xuan was quite nonchalant: "It's not really a discussion. We each get what we need. Sometimes when he has an event and needs to borrow a watch or accessories to make it more impressive, he gets them from me."
“I have card games and dinner parties here, where I need to please rich women and get them to spend money. He can also join in.”
Li Li's expression immediately became indescribable. She felt that this emotional pattern was somewhat distorted: "What kind of strange symbiotic relationship is this?"
Fang Xuan asked her, "Have you seen the Tokyo Girl's Guidebook?"
She said that the young, attractive men at coffee shops always end up with the richer woman. Since it's going to end sooner or later, why not take advantage of the situation and make a fortune instead of becoming a bitter, resentful woman later?
Li Li raised her hand in admiration and said, "Your mindset is truly amazing. You deserve to be rich."
Fang Xuan nodded demurely: "Thank you for your kind words, birthday celebrant."
Fang Xuan now has a completely business-minded mind; she sees everyone in the banquet hall as a potential customer who could generate a lot of money.
She looked around eagerly, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she pointed to half a face peeking out from the side of the building upstairs and asked, "Who's that handsome guy?"
Li Li looked in the direction she was pointing, then quickly pulled her hand back down in fright: "Don't point, don't point. That's Tan Yi's older brother."
Fang Xuan had already heard of this man whom Li Li had scolded a hundred times: "Oh—that's him?"
“They really don’t look alike,” she said frankly.
Tan Yi is lively and cheerful, while Tan Su is sharp and serious.
She commented on Tan Su: "This suit is quite ascetic, and if you add glasses, he'll have the look of a financial elite playboy."
Fang Xuan mimicked a scene from a TV drama, lightly tapping her cigarette butt in the air: "Ashely, is last week's form finished? Send it to me before noon today."
Li Li laughed and pushed her away, saying, "Get lost!"
They sat together for a while, then Wenxi called Li Li away. She was the main character today and was supposed to give a speech on stage.
Soon the banquet hall quieted down, and Li Li walked gracefully onto the stage to thank all her relatives and friends for attending.
Fang Xuan secretly filmed a video for Tan Yi from below the stage, as requested.
She provided the voiceover, saying, "Look at your little princess."
Tan Yi was slipping on his slippers to go downstairs to pick up his takeout. As he got on the elevator, he couldn't help but smile as he watched the video. In his eyes, kittens were adorable no matter what.
He swiped the screenshot with one hand, preparing to post it on his WeChat Moments later.
Suddenly his gaze froze; he seemed to see someone unexpected in the image.
He asked Fang Xuan for confirmation: [Pull the camera up to the second floor and take a picture for me.]
Fang Xuan quickly replied: This?
The spotlight shone on the stage, and in the dim light, he clearly identified Tan Su in a second.
He was a distinguished guest of the Li family, sitting on the second floor, nodding slightly, looking down at Li Li cutting the cake below.
Was he smiling? Tan Yi suddenly wondered.
How did he see her from that position?
The meal lasted very late, but the party lingered. Li Li, seeing that it was already past ten o'clock, couldn't contain herself any longer and ran to the fire escape next to the banquet hall to secretly call Tan Yi.
The phone rang twice before being answered. Li Li excitedly told him, "My grandma asked about it today!"
Tan Yi interrupted Li Li directly, "My older brother attended your birthday party today, right?"
His tone was clearly unpleasant, and the surroundings were very quiet, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.
Li Li paused, then asked cautiously, "Are you unhappy, Tan Yi?"
There was a long pause on the other end of the phone before someone said, "No. Cat, how could I not be happy on your birthday?"
How could he be happy?
They spent their birthdays together from childhood to adulthood. They were childhood sweethearts and never imagined that they would actually be separated.
Just like when Tan Yi was first sent to Hong Kong by Tan Huiming, he naively thought that he was only being temporarily sidelined and would come back sooner or later.
But as year after year passed, Tan Huiming's marginalization and decline became irreversible as he retreated from the world.
In situations like this, there's no longer a place for me.
Even though they had been together for seven years.
He had been the kitten's boyfriend for seven years, but he was drifting further and further away from her. Everything seemed to confirm that he no longer deserved his position.
Li Li felt empty inside, like a plastic bag floating in a strong wind, never touching the ground. She explained softly, but her words were amplified in the quiet stairwell: "Tan Su came over today at my brother's invitation, Tan Yi. I've been working under him for a year, and my family has been saying they want to thank him in person."
"Didn't I tell you last time," Tan Yi said, suppressing his anger, "that I told you to go home as soon as possible and not get involved in this?"
"But today I..."
"Did I tell you that Tan Su had ulterior motives towards you and that you should stay away from him? Did I?!"
The other end of the phone fell completely silent after he got angry.
Tan Yi felt as if a whole piece of bitter melon was stuck in his throat, so bitter it was unbearable, and he couldn't swallow it down.
After his father fell from power, it became difficult to maintain those friendships and ties with his former classmates.
Later, everyone he met in Hong Kong either needed his help or he needed something in return. It was like a food chain where big fish eat little fish; he fawned over those in power and despised those in power.
He realized that deep within himself, he was becoming increasingly irritable and agitated within this network of relationships, like a strange soul struggling to break free of the earth.
He had been trying his best to hide his feelings from the kitten, but now those unspeakable jealousy, pain, and greed suddenly broke down and were revealed to Li Li, revealing only the tip of the iceberg.
He was afraid of scaring her.
Tan Yi's Adam's apple bobbed, and he lowered his voice to avoid the question, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm a little... You should get some rest, Cat."
"Happy birthday."
——
The call was disconnected, and Li Li sat sadly on the stairs, her hand holding the phone hanging limply.
She thought it wasn't Tan Yi's fault; he had been too preoccupied with his thoughts over the years and had suffered repeated setbacks. Anyone would feel sad in such a situation.
Especially now that Uncle Tan has come out, it's not good for him either.
She tried to comfort herself.
I'll just sit here for a while.
It will be ready in an hour.
She'll call and explain once Tan Yi calms down.
The corridor door was pulled open from behind, and Li Zhoudu said coldly, "Get up."
She turned around and saw Li Zhoudu's face, stubbornly refusing to move.
He sauntered over to Li Li, looked down at her dejected and listless appearance, and scoffed, "Is that all you've got, Li Li?"
"They usually argue with me fiercely, but they're happy to see strangers giving them the cold shoulder on their birthdays."
Li Li retorted, "Tan Yi isn't..."
"What is he not?" Li Zhoudu pressed his index finger against her forehead, angrily saying, "Your whole family is smart, how did you end up being such a fool?"
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Author's note: I'll still write it according to my own ideas. Just read it as a story about a beloved character.
I want all the kittens anyway [hugs]
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