Chapter 25: A Southern City with Overly Saturated Humidity...
In the humid southern city, moisture condenses into fog outside the glass windows of high-rise buildings late at night, casting blurred shadows inside the rooms.
Tan Su leaned back in the dark sofa, his head tilted back, and answered the microphone with that energetic voice: "Really?"
Li Li asked uncertainly, "Is it okay?"
Tan Su chuckled and said, "Of course it's okay if the process isn't finished. I didn't even have to give out the severance gift I prepared today, so this saves me the trouble."
Li Li found his unusually amiable demeanor unusual, so she flatteringly asked, "Was it me who chose the painting?"
Tan Su said, "You'll find out later."
He hung up the phone, a smile fading from his face, tossed his phone onto the bed, and got up to go to the bathroom.
——
The next day, Li Li packed her things, planning to secretly go to Hong Kong to see Tan Yi and Su Mi, but then she received a last-minute message from Chen Ya saying that Tan Su said since she wasn't going to resign, she should come and cover for her.
Chen Ya is going back to S City ahead of schedule.
Li Li was forced into this role, temporarily serving as Tan Su's secretary for two days. She became his running errands, serving him tea and water, printing documents, ordering food and wine, and delivering laundry – a truly tedious and utterly unproductive job.
Why was she rejected for such a low-level position? She was very indignant.
No, the important thing now is!
What kind of paid leave is this? Pshaw!
Li Li had two meals with Tan Su and soon learned that he had used his personal connections to connect Huisheng with a state-owned sponsoring institution and arrange a tripartite meeting.
On Monday morning of the following week, Li Li sat next to Tan Su in the conference room, pretending to be serious by scribbling on scraps of paper with a pen.
As a result, when the clock on the wall struck 10 o'clock, Mr. Ming from Huisheng still hadn't shown up.
At 10:15, Tan Su finally received a phone call.
Mr. Ming said on the other end of the line, sounding unsure of himself, that the compensation amount stipulated in the current listing performance-based agreement with you is far higher than the normal level, and the company's finance department needs to reassess the risks.
Tan Su asked, "Are you sure you want to talk about this now? Even if you're going to betray us at the last minute, you need to be realistic about your own abilities. If you miss this opportunity, will you be able to make a good impression later?"
The other end was playing music on speakerphone, and he heard Tan Congxu's laughter through the receiver: "Don't try to scare Lao Ming, Tan Su."
"When Yanqi went public and expanded, I was the one who personally guided them through the process, without being modest. Who knows the whole process better than me?"
He subtly implied that Tan Su was merely a latecomer who reaped the benefits, adding, "Now that we're cooperating with President Ming, we're all family anyway, so what difference does it make who does the business?"
Tan Su's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, and he said, "Then I wish you a resounding victory, Uncle."
This last-minute failure to meet the deadline undoubtedly humiliated Tan Su, but he remained unmoved by the cold, hard expression on his face. He stood up, shook hands with the leaders of the sponsoring institution, apologized, and said he would cooperate again next time.
Li Li thought to herself sullenly, "Back then, I was criticized by Tan Su because Tan Yi didn't like President Ming. What's happening now?"
They treated people like dogs back then, but when the other party seized the opportunity, they bit back.
However, in person, she certainly couldn't show too much schadenfreude about her leader's failure.
The celebratory banquet they had booked for the evening was cancelled, so the two of them had dinner at a quiet bar in the nearby business district.
The owner behind the bar was playing soothing blues music in a sophisticated manner. Tan Su didn't order anything; he sat under the overhead light at the bar, swirling the light-colored ice wine in his full glass of ice.
Li Li ordered a snack, rested her chin on her hand on the table, and played with a dice cup she had borrowed from another booth, comparing the dice with her own.
If the chicken is bigger than last time, I'll have a bite of fried chicken; if it's smaller than last time, I'll have a French fry.
She played around like that for a while, then secretly glanced at Tan Su, who was drinking alone.
Considering his usual arrogance and haughtiness, he must be quite upset to be humiliated by such a nobody.
She sat up straight and comforted him, saying, "You said it yourself, businessmen are profit-driven. Mr. Ming is the kind of person who only cares about money and not people. Isn't it better to realize something's wrong sooner rather than later?"
Tan Su raised his eyes, tilted his head, and asked her, "Do you know who his next partner is?"
Li Li rolled her eyes: "Are you crazy? I haven't spoken to him in so long. He did something so shameful that he doesn't even dare to see you, so why would he tell me this?"
Tan Su took a sip of wine and raised an eyebrow noncommittally.
Li Li tried to comfort him, saying, "My grandfather said that a person's character is revealed in their behavior towards those who are down on their luck. You'll be upset again if I mention Tan Yi, but I saw things much more clearly than you did that time."
Tan Su said, "You've done a very good job in this regard."
"Of course!" Li Li said proudly. "My family has very strict discipline. When I was little, my grandfather would scold me if I talked back to the nanny."
"Is Li Pusheng willing to reprimand you?" Tan Su asked casually.
Li Li immediately perked up and said, "It hurts, but I still have to discipline you. Just like when I was ten years old..."
She started bragging, giving examples time and again to demonstrate how kind and approachable she had been raised to be. Tan Su listened patiently for half an hour, and finally couldn't help but finish his drink in one gulp, raising his hand to say, "Check, please."
They walked out of the bar, but the car they had called hadn't arrived yet.
Once the music and conversations inside were gone, the doorway became noticeably quiet.
Tan Su stood there, his eyes slightly narrowed as he rested, while Li Li secretly glanced at him from the side.
She thought with some frustration that she had shown too many of her strengths tonight, and it would be bad if Tan Su felt disappointed, empty, and lonely, and that led to a misunderstanding.
She kept Tan Yi's words in mind, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Tan Su, you."
She said, "You absolutely mustn't like me."
She didn't call him "brother," nor did she show any embarrassment; she simply said it fluently, confidently, and naturally.
Tan Su opened his eyes and saw the kitten frowning, staring intently at him, as if facing some troublesome situation that it had to deal with.
She was trying to figure out what Tan Su would say in response.
What nonsense are you spouting?
Why would you think that?
Are you sick?
Tan Su opened his mouth, and after a long pause, slowly uttered, "Why?"
Li Li's mind went blank for a moment, then she opened her mouth slightly, her expression as if she had seen a ghost.
Tan Su, seemingly tipsy, looked down at her face and asked again, "Why can't I like you?"
He calmly thought that if he followed other people's instructions and appeared even more blinded by lust, would it have a better effect?
If I actually do that, how will the other party respond?
His mind raced, and he didn't expect Li Li to suddenly raise her hand and forcefully push him down the steps.
——
On Li Li's birthday, Li Zhizi was not invited to attend.
As compensation, Wenxi invited her to her home when the brand delivered the new autumn/winter collection.
When Li Zhoudu returned home, he saw Wen Xi kneeling down to help Li Zhizi button up her coat, with two luxury store salespeople standing guard beside her.
Li Zhoudu looked at the clothes filling the room and reached out to rummage through them.
Wenxi told him not to move around, that the man was on the other side, and asked him to go over and try on a few shirts.
Li Zhoudu, losing interest, asked, "Where's the kitten?"
"I'm not up yet," Wenxi said. "This business trip was exhausting, and I slept until late morning when I got back."
Li Zhoudu glanced at the bags spread across the table, picked up a white and gold tweed bag, smiled, and asked the sales associate, "Why didn't you bring any pink ones?"
Li Li was obsessed with Barbie pink in her youth, and later spent many years trying to destroy evidence of her body, which gave Li Zhoudu a lot of laughs.
Wenxi rolled her eyes at him: "You just want to tease the kitten. She'll think it's ugly and won't like it, then she'll want to sell it."
“She’s got this problem that’s going to get out of control,” Li Zhoudu said, hooking his finger on his bag strap. “I’ll go up and check on her.”
It was broad daylight outside, but the curtains in Li Li's bedroom were tightly drawn, blocking out all light. She was sleeping in a disheveled state under the covers.
Li Zhoudu threw her handbag onto the bed, the rattling sound of the chain startling her so much that she instantly sat up in bed.
What are you doing?!
Li Zhoudu showed no remorse for disturbing others' sleep. He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway: "Lunch is ready, aren't you getting up?"
Li Li washed her face and brushed her teeth, too lazy to comb her hair, and followed Li Zhoudu downstairs in her disheveled state.
The salesperson thought Li Zhizi was Wenxi's daughter and kept praising her for her fair skin, good temperament, and resemblance to Wenxi.
Wenxi smiled without saying anything, and then asked her, "Gardenia is so pretty, don't you have a boyfriend at school?"
Li Zhizi blushed slightly and said no, she hadn't met anyone particularly suitable.
Wenxi teased, "At your age, you should be saying 'I like you,' not 'Is it appropriate'? That sounds so old-fashioned."
Li Zhizi's face grew even redder.
Turning her head, Li Zhoudu had already taken clothes from the rack and was trying them on for Li Li one by one. The clothes were very nice, and her face was pretty too, but paired with her messy, unkempt hair, it was a disaster.
The salesperson was standing nearby, seemingly wanting to offer some advice but too embarrassed to speak.
Li Li was a little unhappy. She specifically said, "My hair wasn't dirty. I just washed it but didn't blow-dry it before going to sleep."
"You still have a point?" Li Zhoudu said to her, "Be careful you don't wake up with facial paralysis."
Even after saying that, he still glanced at the salesperson, and rather reluctantly tossed the clothes aside. He then said to the kitten, "Go upstairs and change your clothes. I'll take you shopping."
Wenxi then looked up and asked, "What about all these things in the room? Didn't the kitten take a liking to any of them?"
Li Zhoudu answered for her, "Yes, she doesn't want any of them. Except for the bag upstairs, she doesn't want anything else."
The brother and sister went out the door. Li Li faced the open car window and felt the wind blowing through her. She had looked listless ever since she returned from G City.
Li Zhoudu was driving when he glanced at the back of her round head: "Are you still angry about those people?"
“No,” Li Li said listlessly.
Why is that?
She found it difficult to speak and didn't want to answer.
"I'll call home and ask my mom to return everything." Li Zhoudu picked up his phone.
Li Li turned around anxiously and snatched his phone away: "That's not what it is!"
"What is that? Tell me honestly." Li Zhoudu said with a stern face, as if to say, "Let's see what kind of trouble you can cause."
Li Li stared at Li Zhoudu's face for a long time before finally saying honestly with a crestfallen expression, "I think I did something wrong in G City."
"Um?"
She asked awkwardly and cautiously, "If our family were to sue Yan Qi, could we win?"
-----------------------
Author's note: [Sprinkling flowers] The update is out!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
