Chapter 35. Before the New Year, every household was busy...
Before the New Year, when every household was busy, the Li family received an uninvited guest.
Su Cong, who had fallen in love with Li Li at first sight in the restaurant, couldn't find an opportunity to get close to her, so he kept pestering his mother to come and visit him at home every day.
Su's mother sensed that Wenxi was not enthusiastic about the matter and did not want to lower her status, so she told her to wait until the New Year to meet her so that there would be a proper title.
But Su Cong couldn't wait.
He wondered how he could stand out among so many visitors during the New Year, like leeks being harvested in one crop after another. He was swayed by a few of his cronies, and in a moment of impulsiveness, he brought a mountain of gifts.
It was a weekday, and only the lady of the house was home. Wenxi received him.
Everyone in the family knows that Xiao Mao is a simple-minded person, and she's not interested in other boys right now.
But Wenxi, out of respect for her elder status, couldn't very well just kick the impetuous boy out. She winked at her aunt and said, "Look, is Xiao Mao upstairs? Did he go out to play with friends?"
The auntie, understanding perfectly, went upstairs just then. At that moment, the door opened, and Li Li happened to be coming downstairs in her slippers to eat fruit.
Su Cong immediately stood up.
Li Li walked closer, picked up a cream-filled strawberry, and, not recognizing the person, glanced at them and casually greeted them, saying, "Hello."
Su Cong replied to her eagerly, "Hello."
Li Li asked curiously, "Why aren't you sitting down?"
He then sat down properly.
Li Li started eating strawberries with a fork again. She looked down and played with her phone. The puppy darted in from outside, lay down at her feet, and rolled over onto its back.
Su Cong's gaze swept intently between Wen Xi and Li Li. Wen Xi was mortified. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, cleared her throat, and introduced, "This is Su Cong. Your Uncle Wen Cheng's son."
"This is Li Li."
Li Li said, "Oh."
The other person suddenly asked very proactively, "Is your name Little Cat? It's a very cute nickname."
Because of Tan Su, she is now extremely allergic to strangers calling her "little cat." Li Li looked up at Su Cong's overly intense gaze and sensed something was wrong.
Only then did he notice Wenxi's speechless expression behind him.
She pursed her lips, put down her fork, said a few perfunctory words to Su Cong, and then said to Wen Xi, "I'm going upstairs first."
Li Li understood the difficulties faced by elders; she was just feeling very wronged.
She couldn't understand why her family would allow such a person to meet her.
Tan Yi's situation has not improved. Is he destined to be forced into marriage with someone he doesn't like in the end?
She sat curled up on a bench in the yard, imagining herself as miserable and wretched.
When Li Zhoudu got home from get off work and learned about this, he was speechless. He found Li Li in the backyard and saw that she was pretending to be Lin Daiyu again.
He said, both amused and annoyed, "Don't you know what kind of person my mother is? How could she possibly play matchmaker for you?"
Li Li certainly didn't blame her aunt. She spoke her mind: "I'm just afraid that one day..."
"What do you mean by 'someday'? If you don't like it, who can force you?" Li Zhoudu retorted.
"Then what I like is..."
Before she could finish speaking, Li Zhoudu knew what kind of nonsense she was going to spout and said directly, "Don't even think about it. No way."
Li Li glared at him with resentment: "You're just prejudiced against people. You have to find fault with everything, no matter how good it is."
"Alright," Li Zhoudu didn't want to talk about this topic. He said, "I'm the one who's in danger, so what are you afraid of?"
——
In the last week before the Spring Festival, Frasers' board of directors held a formal meeting in City S.
The first item on the agenda announced by the secretary at the meeting was: to remove Ming Baiquan from office and have Gu Weihua take over his position and lead Huisheng.
This was Tan Su's first condition for being willing to take over the shares from Tan Congxu at the original price.
He not only snatched this soon-to-be-listed star company back from his uncle, but also used Tan Congxu's influence to clear obstacles for him.
This obstacle was naturally Ming Baiquan, who was determined to cling to his position as the CEO of a soon-to-be-listed company.
As the chairman, he was unexpectedly informed of the decision during the meeting. Enraged, he slammed his fist on the table and roared, "What does Gu Weihua, a bookworm, know about business operations? She has no experience in corporate management whatsoever. Why should she be the chairman?"
Aside from Tan Su, who was there to listen in, the others sitting at the table had already reached a consensus with Tan Huiming in private. They watched coldly as President Ming jumped around like a clown.
Seeing that the others remained unmoved, Ming Baiquan launched a vicious attack on Gu Weihua, who was sitting opposite him: "When you were pursuing your master's and doctoral degrees, wasn't it me who started working first to support your studies? When the company was established, you kept saying that I deserved half the credit, and you voluntarily authorized a 30-year lease during the divorce. Why do you say that doesn't count?"
"You're unwanted, Gu Weihua! You're clinging to me! Clinging to Huisheng! You're jealous of me! You can't stand seeing me doing better and better! You vicious woman, you've hooked up with your filthy lover and turned around to betray me! You won't get away with this!"
Tan Su, who was being bombarded with curses, raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this.
When a husband and wife reach this point, they are worse off than enemies.
Gu Weihua sat there, silently enduring the insults uttered by the man who had shared his bed for decades.
After watching the show unfold, Tan Congxu smiled with satisfaction and said, "Alright, President Ming. Your shares are still there. If the company makes money in the future, you won't be shortchanged."
"You!" He opened his mouth to curse Tan Congxu for being treacherous, cunning, and shameless, but met the other's eyes.
Tan Congxu raised his chin, his cold eyes carrying a warning: "Don't make things so ugly, President Ming. Once this is resolved, let's all have a good New Year."
Ming Baiquan knew how shady Tan Congxu's methods could be. He swallowed his profanities and finally slumped into a chair.
He finally accepted his dead end.
Gu Weihua is a PhD in biomedicine. Two years ago, due to her father's critical condition, she had no desire to continue the relationship and quietly divorced Ming Baiquan.
Before Tan Su forced her to come out of retirement to deal with her ex-husband, she had never thought about actually taking over a listed company.
At the celebration banquet, she raised her glass to Tan Su with a wry smile: "I've been away from the workforce for over two years, and I still have children and elderly parents at home. Things have come to this point, and I don't know what to do next."
Tan Su said, "Once you become chairman, you can reassign or reassign personnel. If you're in a hurry, I can send someone to help you transition."
His tall figure was reflected in the glass at night. Tan Su's face had a cold and stern profile, as if he was born with the calm and composure to handle everything. He was indeed a very reliable partner.
Gu Weihua asked him, "President Tan, you're almost thirty. Haven't you thought about your personal life?"
Tan Su only said, "There is one that suits my taste."
Gu Weihua waited for his follow-up, but he remained silent.
"And then?" she said.
“She doesn’t like me very much,” Tan Su said. “It’s troublesome to find a reason to meet her.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Weihua chuckled and said jokingly, "President Tan is such a handsome man, yet so passive in matters of the heart? With such excellent qualities, who wouldn't like you and would instead avoid you like the plague?"
Tan Su did not answer. At this moment, Gu Weihua saw the reflection of the person in the mirror, turned around and greeted him: "President Cong Xu".
Tan Congxu nodded to her. Gu Weihua could tell that the uncle and nephew had something to talk about, so she made an excuse to leave first.
Tan Congxu took a key out of his suit pocket, held it out in his palm, and let Tan Su take it.
“What is this?” he asked.
Tan Congxu smiled and said, "It's my villa, and I'm looking for a buyer. Tan Su, when are you free to go? I can make arrangements."
——
Tan Su had no interest in Tan Congxu's house, but judging from his expression, he sensed that there was some deeper meaning behind it.
He drove into an unfamiliar community for the first time. The villas were spaced hundreds of meters apart, and the houses in front of him were hidden in the shade of trees, showing no particular features.
He didn't feel any aversion or disgust towards the place; his emotions were just neutral.
The living room lights were on. He pushed open the door, stepped inside, and saw Li Li, who had fallen asleep while waiting at the table.
She had received a call from the agent earlier, saying that a client was interested in booking a room and asking if she was available to meet the buyer and discuss the transaction.
Li Li was bored at home, so she readily agreed.
She waited in the house for an hour or two, but no one came, so she got sleepy.
Li Li was sleeping very well, her face resting on her arm, revealing the soft, white skin of the back of her neck.
Since she stopped working, her clothing style has become more casual and everyday, with bright colors and soft fabrics, giving her a taste of what she once called an artist.
With great interest, Tan Su lifted the wide sleeve of the table and examined the artist's wrist under the light. The slender fingers, with pink nail beds painted with clear nail polish, were very cute, like the tips of a cat's paws.
Even when she's being aggressive, she's still cuter than most people.
Tan Su glanced around the four corners of the room, then casually put down his sleeve and returned it to the table.
Li Li was jolted awake by the movement, and when she saw Tan Su in front of her, she thought it was a dream.
She paused for a few seconds, then instinctively asked, "What are you doing here?"
She quickly realized, "You're the one who wants to buy a house? Where's the real estate agent? Didn't she come with you?"
Tan Su roughly guessed the background of this conversation.
He didn't expose Tan Congxu's trick, but simply played along, saying, "This was originally one of the Tan family's businesses, so it's perfectly reasonable for me to take it over."
What does "reasonable and justifiable" mean?
Li Li found his logic utterly despicable and laughable.
This place is where she and Tan Yi grew up together, a place that holds the beautiful memories of their youth. Tan Su's attempt to take advantage of her made her feel disgusted and offended.
Li Li scolded Tan Su, saying, "Do you really enjoy stealing other people's things?"
He thought about it for a moment and surprisingly did not deny it.
Li Li became agitated and said, "I won't sell to you, get out!"
Tan Su saw through her bluster: "This isn't your house, so what you say doesn't count."
"Get out of here!" Li Li grabbed a cushion from the sofa and threw it at him, but Tan Su grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.
He glanced down at Li Li's neck and chest, which were flushed and heaving with anger, and said, "The more you don't want me to buy, the more interested I will be."
Li Li truly hated him: "Tan Su, why are you always so annoying, like a ghost that won't leave me alone?"
Tan Su smiled and said, "If you paint a picture for me, I'll think about buying the house again."
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Author's note: [Sprinkling flowers] Sorry, it's really, really late today.
Leave a comment for this chapter and I'll give out red envelopes! [hugs]
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