Chapter 31 A short meeting during the day to finalize next month's itinerary...
The short meeting to finalize next month's schedule ended during the day, and when Miao Zhi got up, Tan Su kept her behind.
The schedule in his hand was completely altered; it was a special version he would later use to appease Li Li.
Tan Su glanced at it briefly and ticked it off the itinerary for his trip abroad the following week.
Miao Zhi asked, "Should I inform Miss Li that she's going on a business trip?"
“No,” Tan Su knew her lazy nature all along, “She’ll find an excuse not to go on a normal business trip. You don’t need to say anything. Just wait for her to come and ask for it willingly.”
As expected, Li Li obtained Tan Su's schedule and immediately sensed something unusual about it.
Singapore is indeed a health and wellness paradise. Could it be that he finally couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to go see Tan Huiming?
She imagined it all, then excitedly went to the company system to ask for leave, only to have her application automatically rejected because she didn't have enough annual leave days.
Tan Su was in his office with a meeting in progress, his phone buzzing beside him.
Li Li: [Tan Su, HR said I've used up all my vacation days, and they won't let me take any more non-sick leave this year.]
[Tan Su.]
[Tan Su, Tan Su.]
She made a lot of noise on WeChat without saying a word, and Tan Su just let her be.
A few minutes later, the phone's vibration finally slowed down, and he picked it up to check. The latest message was from Li Li, who was self-promoting: "[You're going to Singapore? No one in the entire company knows it better than me.]"
Tan Su called back and listened to her boasting and acting all high and mighty on the other end. She made it sound like if he didn't bring her along, his trip would be a complete waste of time and he wouldn't accomplish anything.
Tan Su asked, "Once we're out there, you must obey my orders. Will you listen to me?"
Li Li immediately expressed his loyalty: "I will definitely follow your lead!"
After a six-hour flight, Li Li landed and slept soundly on the plane.
She got into the chauffeured car and sat down next to Tan Su like a local guide, introducing him to all the surrounding area as if she knew it by heart.
Because Ling Wei's ancestors were from Singapore, Li Li had come here with her parents when she was very young.
Ling Jiashang had a mother-in-law living locally. When Li Li first came to study abroad, her family was worried and asked her to come and take care of her.
Li Li said that the mother-in-law had a very strong personality and was difficult to get along with. She couldn't get along with her son and daughter-in-law, so she lived alone in the HDB flat and rented out two rooms to supplement her daily expenses.
She's the kind of eccentric landlord who'd be featured online. She sets a 10 PM curfew, charges extra for air conditioning, and encourages water conservation by requiring tenants to save their laundry before using the washing machine once a week.
The first time Ling Wei invited Li Li to her apartment, I almost fainted when I saw her walking around in slippers.
Li Li mimicked the other person's tone of voice, acting out a dramatic scene with exaggerated gestures: "How can you be so sloppy, young lady? How many bacteria did you bring in with your shoes?"
"Why is the air conditioning still on in the study room when you go out to read? If you keep wasting air like this, I'll talk to your mother."
"And where did that hair get on your clothes? Do you know it's illegal to keep cats anywhere in Singapore? If you secretly bring those things home, I'll report you."
Tan Su propped his head up with his left hand, watching her quirky performance. He smiled and asked, as if coaxing a child, "And then?"
“Then she always complained that I couldn’t take care of myself and wanted me to do chores,” Li Li said with a frustrated expression. “I didn’t like being managed by her, so I hired another housekeeper.”
As expected, this is how taking care of the little princess turned out. Tan Su asked, "Do you want to go see her while you're at it?"
Li Li was determined to see this through to the end, and she wouldn't give Tan Su a chance to vent his anger alone. She firmly said, "Wherever you go, I'll go."
Dream on if you want to get rid of her!
——
The expert's English speech on the stage of the lecture hall was a string of incomprehensible professional terms, which made Li Li feel as if she had been transported back to her college days. At first, she tried to keep up, but then her eyelids became heavy, and she unconsciously leaned on Tan Su's shoulder next to her.
Li Li was awakened by applause around her, not knowing how long she had slept. She groggily raised her head and saw that the lights around her were on and the back row was slowly leaving.
Tan Su glanced at her and asked, "Did you sleep well?"
Li Li mumbled something like, "It's alright."
Her gaze fell on Tan Su's suit, and she rubbed her face to check if her makeup had smudged, thinking that she mustn't have smudged any powder on him.
Singapore has a tropical climate, with the rainy season starting in November and lasting until March or April of the following year.
As expected, it was raining outside again, and Tan Su was stopped by the leaders of the Science and Technology Promotion Association.
Feeling bored, Li Li hid in the porch outside. Her figure was visible through the windowpane. She was wearing a light brown shawl, a floral print dress that revealed her calves, and was holding an umbrella, lost in thought like a girl in an oil painting.
The lush greenery that stretched out across the ground dampened the hem of her skirt, but she was completely unaware.
After finishing his conversation with the other party, Tan Su took his leave, went outside, took the umbrella from Li Li, and held it above her head.
Wearing her classic Mary Jane heels, she walked on the wet asphalt road. After taking two steps, she realized that the hem of her skirt was wet and heavy as she walked, brushing against her calves.
Li Li wasn't sure how wet the area behind her was, so she casually took Tan Su's arm and walked with him, glancing back frequently as she went.
Tan Yi saw this scene from the car, along with Tan Congxu.
Ignoring the burning jealousy of the young men around him, he calmly flipped through the financial magazine resting on his lap, his legs crossed: "Between men and women, without any feelings, things become difficult. You need to come to terms with that."
Tan Congxu's attitude towards others never changed; he only distinguished between those of value and those of worthlessness. Other worldly standards for judging women—chastity, beauty, ability, and talent—were all irrelevant to him.
Tan Yi felt extremely disgusted. He thought of his mother, who had been kicked out of the house by Tan Congxu. He pushed open the door to get out of the car, but Tan Congxu grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back inside.
"Drive," Tan Congxu said to the driver.
His eyes were deep as he warned, "Even if you feel wronged, you should make a big scene and let everyone see your grievances!"
"Don't waste your time here, it's embarrassing."
——
Li Li was pleasantly surprised to receive a call from Tan Yi, who had also come to Singapore.
After having dinner with Tan Su that night, she secretly slipped out and took a taxi to Tan Yi's hotel. As soon as she pushed open the door, she smelled a strong odor of alcohol.
The lights were off in the room. Tan Yi sat calmly on the sofa, while local news was playing on the television.
"How much did you drink? Why didn't you wait for me?"
Li Li turned on the light, took a bottle of water from the refrigerator, and asked as she walked towards him, "What a coincidence, you're back too?"
Tan Yi's tone was flat, revealing no emotion: "Once Huisheng successfully goes public, we will invest in building a factory here."
"You? Why would you invest in Frasers?" Li Li was speechless. "Isn't President Ming a terrible person? He was in Hong Kong at the time..."
"I know."
"But,"
Li Li sat down beside him, but before she could finish speaking, Tan Yi had already lost his temper: "I remember how he treated me! I've never forgotten, you don't need to remind me again."
Li Li was startled by Tan Yi's sudden loss of control. She instinctively pulled away by half a foot and asked, "Tan Yi, what's wrong with you?"
Tan Yi was stung by her physical avoidance. Images flashed through his mind of the umbrella that had tilted naturally in Tan Su's hand during the heavy rain earlier that day, and of Li Li holding his arm.
Tan Yi couldn't suppress the sharpness in his voice. He questioned, "Are you flirting with Tan Su?"
Li Li paused for a moment, unable to believe what she was hearing.
What did you say, Tan Yi?
He stared intently at Li Li, waiting for her explanation.
It turns out that words really can hurt more than knives. Li Li pushed him away and stood up: "Do you know what you're saying? This is the third time! Tan Yi. Haven't you noticed that you're getting more and more outrageous each time?"
The first time was in Hong Kong in the spring. He said, "It's not your fault that Tan Su likes you."
The second time was on her birthday in August. Tan Yi said, "I told you to stay away from Tan Su, why didn't you listen?"
This is the third time. He directly said, "Are you flirting with Tan Su?"
The tone became increasingly resolute, and the accusations and denunciations became increasingly severe.
Li Li's eyes welled up with tears: "Initially, it was I who proposed the 'Advice Contract'. I went in to help you gather information."
“My original intention has not changed to this day. Otherwise, why would I follow Tan Su around the world? Aren’t we working hard for our future?”
“You got angry at me on my birthday last time, and it hasn’t even been three months! Didn’t we talk things out back then? Do we always end up arguing about Tan Su?”
She became increasingly aggrieved as she spoke, her throat tightening and tears welling up in her eyes: "Even if... even if Tan Su really does like me, as you say, so what? Did I reciprocate his feelings?"
Tan Yi gave a cold laugh and said, "Don't you have any?"
The air was still for a few seconds.
Li Li stared wide-eyed, waiting for him to apologize.
No.
Several minutes passed, and nothing happened.
She finally gave up and left without looking back.
The young couple had argued before, but this was the first time they had ever argued to this extent. Li Li got off the elevator and cried as she walked out.
Tan Yi followed her down from another elevator. He saw Li Li's lonely figure and felt a pang of heartache. When he looked up again, he saw a business car waiting outside the hotel lobby.
Tan Su, wearing a trench coat, stood by the car waiting, his gaze fixed on him through the revolving glass door.
Li Li was dizzy from crying. When she got closer, she saw that Tan Su was there. Her old and new grudges surged up, and she raised her handbag and threw it at him: "Are you sick in the head, Tan Su! You were following me! You're a pervert! I'm calling the police to have you arrested."
Tan Su's chin was tapped twice. He impatiently snatched the handbag from her hand and shoved her into the back seat.
He entered the hall and walked towards Tan Yi, looking at his pale and thin younger brother and smelling the alcohol on him.
"Are you bullying a woman?" he said.
“I had a fight with my girlfriend,” Tan Yi said with a forced laugh, “but it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with my older brother.”
Tan Su raised his hand and pressed it on his shoulder, saying lightly, "Is that so?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Finally, an update is out!
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