Chapter 46. Tan Yi opened his eyes and suddenly...
Tan Yi opened his eyes and sat up abruptly in bed. His movement was so fast that it pulled on the nerves at the back of his head, causing a splitting headache.
It's 3 PM now.
Fang Xuan stood before me, her expression blurred. She said, "You missed the meeting. Dai Zhe is covering for you. He asked me to come and check on you."
Tan Yi didn't say anything. He threw off the covers, slipped on his slippers, got out of bed, and headed to the bathroom.
The voice behind him said quietly, "You seem to be a little sick, Tan Yi."
——
Every day after September, the temperature dropped, the vibrant colors of autumn faded from the town, and the weather became increasingly crisp and cold. Li Li put on a hat and gloves early on.
Li Zhoudu came once in early October and stayed for a few days.
During those days, Li Li was quite nervous. She didn't know if Li Zhizi would reveal that Tan Su had come that day, but Li Zhoudu hadn't asked about it yet, so it must be safe.
Otherwise, given his aversion to the Tan family, he would definitely have been furious.
Comparatively speaking, Tan Su visited more frequently, averaging once a month. The round trip involved more than forty hours of flying, which was quite a luxury for his busy schedule.
Perhaps because she was in a foreign country and had no familiar faces around her, Li Li did not resist his presence as usual.
When the two eat and chat together, hold hands and take walks, and occasionally kiss, they can feel like a couple.
On Halloween, Li Li made plans with her classmates and invited Li Zhizi to go to a nearby city. She brought a prop axe, drew freckles on her face, and dressed up as Pearl in a red dress. It was Li Zhizi's first time participating in such an event, and she was very interested in playing the role of a vampire bride.
They had an unexpectedly great time. They made funny faces and took pictures on the street, and then a group of them went to a bar to drink.
Back at the hotel, Li Li posted the photos online and then fell asleep, still tipsy.
She was awakened in the middle of the night by a buzzing sound next to her pillow. She picked up her phone, squinted at it, and saw an unfamiliar number.
A very long number, with the area code 852 at the beginning.
From Hong Kong.
This location was too sensitive for her. Li Li stared blankly for about five seconds until the other end hung up.
In mid-November, Tan Su visited her for the third time.
The new apartment he rented through an agent wasn't far from the school, and Li Li even helped him find the way; it took about seven or eight minutes to walk there. Pushing open the door, he found the apartment spotless, with several potted plants—whether belonging to the previous tenant or the landlord—still inside.
He placed his suitcase at his feet, took off his coat, and began packing.
Suddenly, Li Li, who was watering the flowers by the window, asked, "Is Tan Yi married?"
Tan Su calmly hung up his coat and turned around: "Who told you that?"
Li Li was a little distracted. She said, "Oh, I overheard it by accident."
Tan Su did not answer directly; he only said, "Do you have the answer you're looking for in your heart?"
Li Li turned to stare at him, and Tan Su said, word by word, "I will only tell you, no."
It's not the answer you're thinking of.
He saw the mood darken in Li Li's eyes.
Tan Su seemed oblivious to her sudden dejection, reaching out to pull Li Li closer, making her stand between his legs, and pressing her soft hand against his face.
He kissed Li Li's palm, his dark eyes fixed on her.
Since taking advantage of her vulnerability worked on her, he might as well be even more despicable. He said, "What if I told you that I spent my birthday on a flight yesterday?"
"Would you consider staying today?"
Li Li called home and lied to Li Zhizi, saying that she was too busy with finals and had to work all night, so she didn't need to wait for her.
As she spoke, Tan Su pulled her onto his lap, his chin resting on her slender shoulder, his fingers slipping inside her sweater to touch her favorite spots.
Fine, tender skin with a soft, full texture.
She takes such good care of herself.
Li Li hung up the phone, looked up at Tan Su, and slowly raised her arm, letting him help her take off her sweater.
She has always been a very generous girl, and she wasn't shy about it at all. She even said sourly, "You got off easy this time."
Tan Su smiled happily.
Perhaps it was the age gap that Li Li kept emphasizing, but every time Tan Su was intimate with her, he felt like he was bullying a child.
But being with her felt so comfortable; every new exploration and attempt yielded incredibly positive feedback.
It felt like soaking in a bucket of slightly warm water when you were freezing. It was so comfortable it gave me goosebumps.
Add to that a couple of thumps from her when she couldn't take the jostling, and well, I'd gladly accept it.
In his happiest moment, he bit Li Li's ear and pressed her for an answer: "Little kitten."
"Whose little kitten are you now, hmm?"
Li Li bit her lip, vowing never, ever to answer him.
Afterwards, Li Li felt that she had been tricked. When Tan Su went to take a shower, she checked his ID and found that his birth date was yesterday, so he hadn't lied.
Scorpios in mid-November, no wonder they're so cunning and difficult to deal with, she thought.
When Tan Su came out of the shower, he saw her pulling the blanket over her chest, her back mostly bare, rummaging through her bag.
He leaned down and wrapped his arms around Li Li's waist from behind, asking her, "What are you looking at?"
Li Li found him clingy and shoved him backward, saying, "Ugh, you're so dirty."
Ignoring her affectation, Tan Su pulled a small box from the bottom of his bag and handed it to her.
Tan Su said, "Do you like the gift I gave you?"
Li Li took the box and said, "Huh? Why are you giving me a gift for your birthday?"
"Anyway, it's a celebration, your happiness is more important."
These words were pleasing to the ear. Li Li opened the box, and inside was a bracelet covered in diamonds. She was truly disillusioned with Tan Su's aesthetic sense.
She said, "Tan Su, don't you think the things you gave me are all impractical for everyday wear? There's not a single one that I can actually wear out."
"Then let me see it first." He took out the bracelet and put it on Li Li's slender wrist.
I admired the artist's hand against the light; it was beautiful.
"Are you going back for Christmas?" He played with Li Li's fingers and suggested, "If you're not going back, I'll come and stay for a couple more days."
Li Li hurriedly said, "I'll definitely come back, please don't come looking for me."
——
When Li Li returned to S City this year, she felt that her grandmother seemed to have aged very, very quickly.
Last year, Wang Minjun was a very energetic old lady. But perhaps because her beloved granddaughter was not around and she had taken away Li Zhizi, who she used to talk to and keep her company, her spirits suddenly dropped a lot.
Li Li was extremely upset, but she still tried to cheer her up by saying that she would finish her studies in another year and a half and would come back during the long holidays.
Li Zhoudu watched TV indifferently.
Li Li then jokingly tugged at him, saying, "There hasn't been any happy event in the family for a long time. When my brother gets married and has a new addition to the family, Grandma, you'll be very busy. Don't forget about me then."
After she finished speaking, Li Zhoudu glanced at her indifferently, but didn't respond.
To be honest, Li Zhoudu is about the same age as Tan Su, and after so many years, he still hasn't blossomed. Wenxi never urges him, but she's actually quite anxious about it.
Li Li picked up a strawberry and said generously to Li Zhoudu, "Brother, what kind do you like? Give me a standard so Auntie can find one."
"Li Li." Li Zhoudu tossed aside the remote control and coldly called out her full name.
"If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."
Li Li was embarrassed by his retort, but she couldn't lose her temper in front of her grandmother. Suppressing her anger, she said she was jet-lagged and needed to go upstairs to rest just after nine o'clock.
She was actually quite energetic. She went back to her room, hugged Sumi, and played on her phone on the bed.
There was a knock on the door, and Li Li said, "Come in."
She looked up and saw Li Zhoudu at the door. Her temper flared, and she said in a dismissive tone, "Get out."
Li Zhoudu leaned against the door without moving and asked her, "Are you in a relationship?"
Li Li said calmly, "Oh, did Li Zhizi say something to you again?"
Li Zhoudu called her name again: "Li, Li".
"There are no large expenditures on her credit card, but she suddenly has millions of dollars worth of jewelry on her person. Where did she get them?" Li Zhoudu asked.
Li Li resisted Li Zhoudu's questioning tone, which sounded as if he had something on her.
She thought to herself that she was already so old and studying away from home, yet Li Zhoudu still wanted to ask about everything and control everything. Was his desire to control her too strong?
She said angrily, "I didn't steal or rob, so it's none of your business."
Li Zhoudu suddenly kicked her door hard, startling Sumi in Li Li's arms. Sumi jumped out and scurried under the bed.
He sneered, "Is there something your family is missing? Can't you buy it yourself? You have to take it from a man, is that it?"
"What kind of people are those rich kids abroad? Aren't you afraid of getting diseases?!"
Li Li was also startled by Li Zhoudu's sudden outburst of anger. After she recovered, she retorted angrily, "Li Zhoudu! Try throwing another tantrum and see what happens!"
"Let's not even talk about the fact that I haven't officially started a relationship with anyone. Even if I were, it's not strange for someone my age to be dating, is it? What do I need to explain to you?"
Before she could finish speaking, Li Zhoudu slammed the door shut.
——
Originally, she could only stay for two or three weeks after returning, and she even had a fight with Li Zhoudu, which made Li Li quite frustrated.
She left halfway to meet Tan Su, and since she wasn't in the mood for a deep conversation with him, she asked him to accompany her shopping. When they passed an AP store, she suggested that they buy Li Zhoudu a gift to help them make up.
She walked into the counter, pointed to a few items under the counter, and asked the sales assistant to take them out for comparison.
She said the last time she gave Li Zhoudu a watch was when she was on a business trip to Hong Kong, before they had dinner together.
He had worn it for many years, and it was worn out.
Tan Su clearly still remembered it. He recalled how closely the brother and sister cooperated at the dinner table and said, "Li Zhoudu treated you very well."
“Yes,” Li Li said casually, “He has taken care of me more than my parents have done since I was a child.”
"He has always been very protective of you."
Li Li rolled her eyes, as if to say, "Why are you spouting nonsense?"
She compared several, asked Tan Su for his opinion, and then chose one that was in stock and swiped her card.
Tan Su wanted to pay the bill, but Li Li quickly stopped him, saying, "Please don't. We argued because of the gift you gave us."
"Why were you arguing?" Tan Su asked.
Li Li mumbled, "Because I'm suspected of being kept by a rich second-generation heir, they're probably afraid I'll get a disease."
Tan Su was speechless for a moment. He said, "I've always felt that Li Zhoudu's way of caring for and educating you was a bit..."
Li Li was unhappy and continued listening. She warned Tan Su, "Try talking bad about my brother again!"
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Author's note: I hope I won't get restricted by any rules [laughing and crying emoji]
Update: I felt terrible today, sorry I'm late. I might take the day off tomorrow if I don't feel better (whispering).
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