Chapter 17. Tan Su opened his palm...
Tan Su opened his palm, but the phone didn't fall.
He raised his eyelids and saw Li Li squinting slightly, thoughtfully sizing him up.
She's such a naive girl; her every little thought is written all over her face.
"Is there anything else?" he asked.
"I'd like to order something to eat." Li Li sat down opposite Tan Su and ordered a dish of stewed bird's nest with red dates.
While sipping her dessert, she secretly glanced at Tan Su, thinking about what Tan Yi had said earlier that day.
She wondered, did Tan Su really like her?
Is this really possible?
Why don't I feel anything at all?
Li Li had initially been somewhat compliant and obedient to Tan Su, but having offended him severely earlier that day for Tan Yi's sake, she was no longer afraid to cause trouble.
He asked directly, "Does Grandpa know that you're monitoring Tan Yi?"
The restaurant's overhead lighting illuminated Tan Su's cold face as he said impatiently, "Miss Li, you're being far too concerned with other people's family matters."
Seeing his dismissive and aloof attitude, Li Li felt a sense of relief despite her initial displeasure.
How could Tan Su possibly like me with that weird attitude?
The old man was getting on in years and hadn't made a move, no wonder Tan Yi was suspicious.
She wondered what would happen if Tan Su dared to have any dirty thoughts about her...
Li Li's gaze slowly drifted downwards, and she weighed the heavy spoon in her hand as if it were a sharp knife.
Then let Li Zhoudu do it!
As if sensing her gaze, Tan Su asked sharply, "What are you looking at?"
"Look at your long legs." She gave a sweet, fake smile.
Tan Su: ...
——
After taking a shower in the evening, Li Li got into bed and called Li Zhoudu as promised. She watched a Hong Kong drama on TV and answered his questions perfunctorily with "uh-huh" and "yeah".
It wasn't until Li Zhoudu said, "I'm going to Hong Kong in a couple of days and I'll come back with you. You and Tan Su should behave yourselves behind my back."
Startled, Li Li sat up in bed and asked reluctantly, "What are you doing here?"
"To meet someone," Li Zhoudu thought, realizing this was still trouble she had gotten herself into.
This time, Li Zhoudu met with Qiao Zhijie, who had invited him last time.
Although he only intended to use Qiao's name to get on Tan Yi's ship, the Qiao family had close ties with the Hong Kong Customs Service, and Li Zhoudu found it inconvenient to refuse outright after hearing Qiao's plan, which was tantamount to testing the limits of the law.
But the second-generation rich kid clearly misunderstood, repeatedly saying that he hadn't been treated well last time and begging Li Zhoudu to grace him with his presence.
He was worried that Li Li might be letting loose in Hong Kong, so he decided to go there himself.
Li Li hung up the phone and lay on the bed, feeling utterly hopeless. She knew she wouldn't be able to find time to see Tan Yi for the next couple of days.
It's an exception that Tan Su was able to cover for her this time; if he dares to go again, he'll definitely be reported.
She thought enviously, "Li Zhoudu's life is so awesome."
Li Junchuan was his parents' only son, and he was in the prime of his life, bearing the weight of their burdens.
Tan Su was busy every day, yet Li Zhoudu still had time to meddle with her.
Li Li secretly considered the feasibility of introducing Li Zhoudu to Fang Xuan. If her best friend was willing to be her sister-in-law, then she would let her be her sister-in-law.
As long as I am free.
Freedom is a very important thing!
...
Tan Su did not attend every speech in the following days of the biotechnology forum.
His schedule is packed, meeting with this company and that leader from morning till night. He only makes time to listen to topics that interest him.
He even took a few hours to visit an art exhibition on traditional Chinese painting, located three blocks away.
Li Li graduated with a degree in art and design, a field that emphasizes design and creativity, and didn't have much knowledge of traditional Chinese painting. However, for her, visiting an exhibition was definitely more interesting than listening to a dry lecture.
She was determined to show off her skills and demonstrate her professionalism and artistic appreciation to Tan Su, so that he wouldn't underestimate her.
As a result, Tan Su had absolutely no desire to appreciate it.
He went straight into the reception area, asked the staff for a visitor's manual, and after a brief inquiry, he was about to sign the form.
Li Li thought to herself that he really had no respect for art. He didn't even look at the painting carefully before wanting to buy it. It was like a cow chewing a peony!
Despite his impeccably dressed and spotless appearance, he reeks of money.
She craned her neck to watch Tan Su sign his name with a pen, and suddenly blurted out, "My paintings have also been auctioned, and they sold for 100,000."
He also added his company name, "US Dollars," out of vanity.
Tan Su was too lazy to pay attention to her petty competitive nature as an artist and didn't respond to her.
The staff member wearing white gloves, however, provided plenty of emotional support, asking very enthusiastically, "Was your masterpiece auctioned in Hong Kong? Which auction house sold it at?"
Li Li spoke candidly about how her painting was photographed at a charity gala dinner, with the theme of raising funds for research on rare childhood diseases.
The other party immediately flattered her for her kindness, but stopped short of getting to the point where Tan Su held the bank card between his two fingers.
He ended their in-depth discussion about art with a cold, hard cash gesture: "Swipe the card."
Li Li was very angry; she felt that Tan Su was scheming and mercenary.
On the way to the venue, she wore sunglasses and had a sour expression while flipping through the brochure she had just taken from the exhibition. She received a call from President Ming while sitting in the passenger seat.
The incident a few days ago, in which he publicly snubbed Tan Yi, had thoroughly offended Li Li, but President Ming was still completely unaware of it.
Li Li replied dismissively on the phone, "President Tan doesn't have time. Yes, his schedule in Hong Kong is packed. He can't meet with you."
After exchanging only a few words, she said, "Bye, Mr. Ming."
She said these things without hiding them from others. Tan Su, who was resting with his eyes closed in the back row, opened his eyes and asked, "Who told you to say that?"
"I'm just guessing," Li Li said listlessly. "He keeps asking me to be his mouthpiece, do I owe him something? If you were really planning to invest, would you even need me?"
Tan Su said noncommittally, "You've been in N City for four or five months. I thought you had some feelings for Huisheng."
“Nonsense—” Li Li said with utter contempt. “Why should I have any feelings for them? They’re opportunistic, ungrateful, and blinded by greed.”
"What do businessmen do if they don't pursue profit?" Tan Su knew perfectly well who she was indignant about, and sneered, "With your broad vision, you should advise Li Junchuan to do charity."
Li Li slammed the manual shut and retorted, "How do you know my family didn't do it?"
"My grandfather did far, far, far, far more charity work than you have!"
Tan Su interrupted her, finding her talking very noisy, and asked, "Including your $100,000 painting, right?"
Li Li was furious. She turned her head and said, "So what if it is? Didn't I help others with real money?!"
Tan Su nodded. "Okay, I know you spent money on your college application essay. Is there anything else?"
Li Li crumpled the paper in her hand tightly. She thought that if she had a cake on hand right now, she would definitely slap it hard in Tan Su's face.
It definitely will!
Upon landing in Hong Kong, Li Zhoudu went to meet Qiao Zhijie.
Contrary to his expectations of a chaotic scene, when he arrived at the restaurant, he was greeted by a woman with short hair, androgynous attire, who appeared very free and easy.
She shook hands with Li Zhoudu and introduced herself as Qiao Kaiqing, Qiao Zhijie's older sister.
Qiao Kaiqing is a strong-willed and opinionated person. Upon hearing of Li Zhoudu's visit, she forcefully cleared away those inappropriate entertainment items beforehand.
Originally, Li Zhoudu was Qiao Zhijie's guest, but with Qiao Kaiqing in front of him, even though Qiao Zhijie is usually talkative, he was overshadowed by his sister and couldn't say a word.
Li Zhoudu thought, no wonder he came from such a good family, yet he was determined to take a crooked path.
There are deeper underlying reasons for the unusual paths each person takes.
Qiao Kaiqing was in legitimate business with her father, so she naturally got along better with Li Zhoudu. The two chatted happily and drank quite a bit of wine.
After the dinner, Qiao Zhijie drove him to the hotel. After parking the car, she attentively helped him take his luggage out of the trunk.
Looking up again, he saw a rather pretty short-haired girl come out of the revolving door in the lobby. She stood in front of Li Zhoudu, and he reached out and touched her hair.
Qiao Zhijie was unwilling to accept this outcome and wanted to go to the room to have a detailed talk with Li Zhoudu, but the other party smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Thank you for the hospitality."
She then took the suitcase from his hand.
After registering together at the front desk, they entered the elevator. The gleaming walls of the elevator reflected their figures, with Li Li standing arrogantly to one side with her arms crossed.
"You've come here to fool around, haven't you?"
She smelled the alcohol on Li Zhoudu and felt a bit disgusted by his association with those playboys who looked weak and unsteady on their feet: "What kind of scumbags are they?"
Li Zhoudu chuckled, saying meaningfully, "Oh, so you can tell they're all junk?"
Li Li didn't understand what he meant. The elevator stopped on the fifth floor and opened. Tan Su had just finished exercising, taken a shower, and was going back to his room to rest.
He looked up and saw the brother and sister inside. He entered the elevator, pressed the button for the 21st floor, nodded to Li Zhoudu, and asked, "Here to visit Hong Kong?"
“It’s a personal matter,” Li Zhoudu said. “Thank you for taking care of my kitten these past few days.”
"Of course," Tan Su said.
Li Zhoudu had a fairly good impression of Tan Su during this period; at least, he had taken care of all the matters concerning Li Li that he had asked him to handle.
He then said, "Would you do me the honor of having lunch together tomorrow at noon?"
Tan Su agreed.
The next morning, Li Li asked Tan Su for leave. Just then, Li Zhoudu arrived, so she simply asked him to swipe his card and carry her bag.
She went shopping and changed her entire outfit, bought gifts for her elders, got Fang Xuan a bag that was currently in high demand secondhand, and even considered buying something for Li Zhizi's upcoming birthday.
Just as she was about to leave, she noticed Li Zhoudu's cool gaze, so Li Li quickly went back to the counter to get a watch for Li Zhoudu.
Although it was still his card that was swiped.
Li Li had arranged to have French food with Tan Su at noon, but she didn't really like it. The good dishes weren't filling, and the bad dishes... were really not good.
She was a picky eater, and when Li Zhoudu saw her fiddling with her knife and fork on the plate without putting anything in her mouth, he called the waiter to order more food.
Tan Su, watching from the side, said, "You've put a lot of effort into treating Li Li."
Li Zhoudu said dismissively, "After all, she's the only younger sister in the family."
Tan Su smiled and said, "Actually, Li Li has performed very well most of the time. She was away on a business trip for four months without any problems. Your family doesn't need to be so worried and watch her so closely."
Li Zhoudu raised an eyebrow: "Perhaps, if President Tan had a simple-minded younger sister, he would be better able to understand the good intentions of an older brother. But..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
However, Tan Su only had one younger brother who was always thinking about how to cause trouble and turn his life around.
Li Li had already shed a handful of tears, thinking that Tan Su was absolutely right!
However, she clearly sensed that the atmosphere at the table was inexplicably strange. Her big eyes swept between the two of them, and she immediately decided to pretend not to hear.
She shoveled two mouthfuls of the leafy greens she didn't like into her mouth, then asked innocently, "Why aren't you eating?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Sprinkling flowers]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
