Chapter 61 Li Li had considered the possibility of Tan Yi…
Li Li had considered the possibility of Tan Yilai trying to win her back. Even for a long time after the breakup, her subconscious mind remained stuck in the idea that they had never broken up.
She overcame the difficult withdrawal symptoms and moved on from the pain of being betrayed by her first love.
At the very least, he shouldn't be using such nonchalant language to bypass what has happened and reaffirm his sovereignty over the relationship.
Li Li found it utterly ridiculous: "You betrayed me, you shouldn't have said that, Tan Yi."
Tan Yi asked, "Do you remember what you said to me in K Province?"
You said the two most important words in a relationship are loyalty, and I have never betrayed you.
Li Li braced her hands against the wall, listening intently to the voice on the phone: "I refuse to apologize because I have never betrayed you. I have been loyal to you from beginning to end, so I don't want to solidify this accusation in your mind."
"Give me a chance to explain, cat."
Li Li listened to his confident words, unmoved, only devastated.
"Why now?" she asked.
“From the night that happened, for the past two years, every single minute and every second, you have refused to give me an explanation. Why have you changed your mind today?”
Li Li said, "It's not even because it's my birthday today. It's because you have confidence in winning against Phillips, and you feel like you're back at the poker table, no longer afraid of Tan Su."
"Did you already have something more important to do, so you're trying to win me back now?"
Tan Yi's heart felt like it was being scraped clean, bloody foam. He could barely breathe and said in a hoarse voice, "I always wanted to do better so that I could be worthy of you."
"I don't want this kind of love."
She burst into tears without realizing it: "But Tan Yi, I don't want this kind of love!"
She collapsed to her knees, and Li Zhoudu snatched the phone from her hand.
The call was abruptly ended. Tan Yi sat on the sofa and covered his eyes.
A celebratory banquet without a title was being held in the banquet hall outside the door. The hall was bustling with people, and Tan Congxu was riding high, already considering Huisheng as his own.
Fang Xuan pushed open the door. Looking at the lonely, forlorn figure in the darkness, she spoke after a long silence, "Today is her birthday, isn't it?"
"Get out." Tan Yi said in a hoarse voice.
“You know she can’t turn back,” Fang Xuan said. “She and Tan Su have been inseparable for a long time.”
Tan Yi kicked over the coffee table in front of him, his eyes bloodshot, like a raging lion: "I'll tell you! Get! Out! of! Your! House!"
——
Li Zhoudu said, "This is the second time."
The second time, Tan Yi ruined Li Li's birthday, even though she herself wasn't exactly happy that day.
"I'm going to touch up my makeup."
With red eyes, Li Li pulled away from Li Zhoudu's support and walked through the corridor, lifting her long, gauze-like skirt with one hand.
Her head was held high, her strapless dress revealing a large expanse of smooth shoulders, and the pearl necklace on her slender neck was a birthday gift from Wenxi.
She is the protagonist of today's banquet, Li Fujing's daughter. She has her own role and tasks, including acting cheerful and happy.
Li Li was acutely aware of this.
——
Tan Su's birthday wishes came a day later than others.
Li Li entered the suite filled with roses. He had just come from a meeting, rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, lit the candles on the cake one by one with a lighter, and looked at Li Li standing at the door, saying, "Come and make a wish."
She walked over and simply bent down to blow it out.
"Unhappy?" Tan Su turned on the lights in the room and pulled Li Li into his arms.
As the city lights began to twinkle outside, Li Li nestled in his arms, her face pressed against his chest, watching their intertwined shadows reflected in the glass.
Youth and maturity.
Lively and serious.
The denim skirt clung to the suit pants.
They weren't actually that compatible.
At least from an outsider's perspective, it would have been more appropriate for Tan Su to have a dignified and elegant woman by his side who could be of assistance to his career and with whom he could share more common interests.
Li Li is more suited to a free-spirited, outgoing boy who has nothing but her in his heart and eyes.
Tan Su said, "If you don't want to make a wish, then have a bite of cake."
He loosened his grip, picked up the knife, chose the most suitable angle, and began to cut precisely.
Li Li looked at his hand and asked, "Will you win, Tan Su?"
Do you still have a chance to turn things around?
"Do you want me to win?" Tan Su asked her without turning around.
Li Li couldn't say for sure, but if Tan Su's opponent were Ming Baiquan, she would definitely say without hesitation: I hope you win.
But the other party was Tan Yi.
He occupied Li Li's birthday wishes every year from age 18 to 23; she wished him health, success, and that everything she wished for would come true.
In her mind, Tan Su had been a despicable and evil demon king for so many years.
This is Li Li's habitual way of thinking.
Li Li couldn't answer the question, and she lowered her eyes: "I don't know."
Tan Su put down the knife, turned around, leaned against the kitchen counter and looked at this ungrateful little cat, and said frankly, "I thought you would support me."
Li Li pursed her lips: "Huisheng is the territory you've been fighting over. Who wins or loses doesn't matter to me whether it's justice or evil. I don't take sides."
“This time, isn’t it them declaring war on me?” Tan Su spread his palms. “You’ve seen the actual situation, which proves that it wasn’t just me lying and slandering Tan Congxu. I can tell you what I will face after losing Huisheng.”
“Ming Baiquan will dilute my shares in Huisheng, strip me of my say, and even cooperate with Tan Congxu to short my own company, causing my huge investment to suffer losses.”
"Then Tan Congxu's informant in Yan Qi will step forward and criticize my failed investment."
That pack of bloodthirsty hyenas will gang up on me, wanting nothing more than to devour my flesh and drink my blood, using a hundred kinds of smear tactics to strip me of my control over Yanqi through the board of directors.
“You didn’t even give me a promise to run away together. So after we fail, I might end up sleeping on the streets. Is that what you want to see me like that?” he asked jokingly.
"I didn't!" Li Li retorted in astonishment, "I didn't!"
Tan Su's smile faded: "Then I'll ask you one more time, do you want me to win?"
He looked at Li Li's pale face and wondered how this girl could be so naive.
But Li Li was genuinely frightened by his assumption, and she said, "I... I hope you win, Tan Su."
"But I really, really don't want Tan Yi to..."
Tan Su stepped forward, put his arm around her waist, and without hesitation leaned down to kiss Li Li's lips.
He lifted her to sit on the kitchen counter, his hands roaming under her denim skirt, his long, slender legs reaching her waist. He kissed her passionately in the ear and whispered, "Actually, this cake isn't just to celebrate your birthday."
"It's also to celebrate for me, to wish me that my wish has come true."
Li Li didn't understand. Tan Su had no power to fight back against Huisheng, so where did the phrase "got his wish fulfilled" come from?
Tan Su pressed his forehead against hers and suddenly laughed: "Do you know what TICC's shareholding announcement yesterday meant?"
"According to stock market rules, if a company holds more than 5% of the shares, it will be required to disclose its ownership and will be prohibited from selling the shares for six months. However, Tan Congxu is still buying up shares at high prices to ensure the success of Huisheng's board election."
"That means all their money will be locked up at Frasers and unable to move."
Li Li realized something and instinctively tried to pull back, but Tan Su held her tightly.
"Tan Congxu was always so arrogant. He could only see himself digging pits for others and feeling smug, but he couldn't see that the road he was on had already led to his death."
Tan Su said with delight, "What is Huisheng? What is Gu Weihua? Once we've drained their cash flow, it'll be my turn to shine."
He asked Li Li, "Guess how much TICC I bought? Guess how many of TICC's investors are my people? And guess, can Tan Congxu still squeeze money out of those banks and institutions he's been flirting with?"
Li Li's expression changed drastically: "You are here."
"They dared to raid my base with such a shallow foundation, but they couldn't even stay in their own stronghold. Isn't that ridiculous?"
Tan Su seemed to be telling a joke: "Fortunately, I really do have enough money."
"So, those two meetings with Yan Qi were intentional on your part. Even your illness was part of it."
At that moment, Li Li suddenly realized: "You don't want to continue financing Huisheng at all. You're just putting on a show to make them think that you've lost power on the board and are forced to act, so they can confidently continue buying Huisheng's shares above the disclosure threshold."
“You’re very clever, Li Li. If I don’t create the illusion that Huisheng is in high demand, how can they possibly bluff their way in without suspicion?”
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," Tan Su said, "a very interesting natural law."
Li Li felt a chill run through her body; this was the first time she had directly confronted such a deep and treacherous scheme in Tan Su's plan.
"So, I won't lose, little kitten."
He arrogantly said, "Grandpa thinks I'm greedy, and I really am. Yanqi is mine, Huisheng is mine, you are mine, and TICC will all be mine."
Tan Su expressed himself through repeated kisses: "Are you happy? You know my backup plan, are you happy for me? How about I give you all of this as a betrothal gift?"
"Will your family be satisfied with me? Hmm?"
Li Li felt that the person in front of her was too unfamiliar and scary. She didn't want to get entangled with Tan Su, so she tried to push him away.
However, Tan Su was too strong. While holding down the struggling Li Li, he used one hand to stick a candle into the cake and then lit it with a lighter.
"If you don't want to make a wish, then I will."
Tan Su said, "I expect to win the TICC next year."
He was referring to a prediction, not a hope.
This is his declaration.
After saying this, Tan Su took her fingers and kissed them by the candlelight: "And you are my witness."
“Tan Su!” Li Li was speechless.
Tan Su said, "It's alright, I understand you're worried about them. You can tell Tan Yi in a bit. But what's done is done, and it's too late to go back now."
“Tan Congxu’s wife is a very intelligent person,” he laughed. “I believe that with just one email, she will be able to see the situation clearly and will not continue to do useless work with this second-marriage couple.”
Tan Su seemed to have a complete grasp of the situation, including Tan Congxu's wife, and he seemed to have no miscalculations.
"The only potential problem," he asked Li Li, "is who else can serve as Tan Congxu's backup?"
Li Li thought of the report from an unknown source, and her face turned extremely pale.
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Author's note: [Thumbs up] Chapters 59 and 60 have been significantly revised.
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