Tan You: "Why should I care what happens to him? He never once showed any consideration for me, so why should I consider anything for him?"

Zhang Fen: "But it’s not like anything actually happened to you, right?"

"The only reason nothing happened is because I was vigilant enough, not because Li Wanjun had a crisis of conscience. These days, cutting off someone’s livelihood is like murdering their parents," Tan You said nonchalantly. "Since we already have such a deep-seated grudge between us, of course I won’t go easy on him."

"At least I do things out in the open, unlike you, who only knows how to hide in the shadows."

"Look, even now, you refuse to say a word about what you’ve done, while I’ve never denied my own actions. Based on that alone, we’re not even in the same league."

Li Wanjun finally spoke. "What is it you really want?"

"It’s simple," Tan You said, snapping her fingers. "I want you to never set foot in the Tang family’s home again. I can’t stop you from contacting your aunt if you want, but from this day forward, the Tang family no longer has relatives like the Li family."

"In the future, whether your Li family gets rich or falls into ruin, it will have absolutely nothing to do with us."

Li Lanzhen clutched her chest. "Tang Li, are you doing this to force me to become estranged from your grandpa and grandma?"

"I can’t bear the weight of such a serious accusation," Tan You said, raising a hand. "I’m talking about the Tang family. You can’t think of yourself as a Li when you’re scheming for benefits, and then think of yourself as a Tang when it’s time to take responsibility."

"I don’t care how close you want to be with your maiden family; those are your biological parents, not mine. I have my own proper grandparents, and it’s not my place to show filial piety to the Li family."

"Isn’t their precious grandson sitting right there?"

Li Chaohua’s face darkened. "So you’re not going to do anything about your cousin’s situation?"

"Of course I won’t," Tan You said with a smile. "Do I look that kindhearted to you? Li Wanjun had malicious intentions first, and I retaliated second. Let’s just call it even between us. Of course, if you people don’t know what’s good for you, I don’t mind getting a little rougher."

Seeing Li Wanjun’s unconvinced expression, Tan You smiled slowly. "I may not be an entertainment industry celebrity, but I do work behind the scenes. If I were to post what you did recently online, do you think you’d still be able to show your faces in public?"

"I know a few marketing accounts and public accounts, big and small."

"The internet really is a wonderful thing."

Li Wanjun’s expression changed completely. He stared at Tan You for a long time before lowering his head in submission. "It was a moment of folly on my part. Cousin, I know I was wrong..."

"I can’t accept your apology," Tan You said with a light laugh. "I told you, from now on, we’re strangers. It would be best if we pretended not to know each other if we ever meet again."

She then looked at Li Lanzhen. "Does what I’m saying make you feel sorry for your nephew? I’ll say it again: if you really feel that bad for him, then go back with him. I’ll send you your 2,000 a month for living expenses, not a penny less."

Li Lanzhen immediately shook her head. "I’m not going back. I’m not going back with him."

’She’d have to be a fool to go back to being their maid. At least life is easier with her daughter.’

"Then you’d better recognize your place," Tan You’s voice grew a few shades colder. "You’re completely dependent on me now. You obey the one whose bowl you’re eating from. I shouldn’t have to teach you that, right?"

"I give you food, clothing, and shelter, not so you can betray me for outsiders. I don’t care if your loyalty lies elsewhere, but if you dare scheme to take my things and give them to your maiden family as favors, I won’t be so reasonable next time."

"This is just a small punishment to teach you a big lesson. If you still can’t tell right from wrong, I won’t come after you—I’ll go after them specifically. We’ll just see if Li Wanjun can handle it then. Go on, you’re all welcome to try me."

Li Lanzhen was frozen in place by Tan You’s words. She never expected her own daughter to be so merciless, and for a moment, she was dumbstruck, looking rather pitiful.

Tan You felt no pity for her at all. The woman was completely brainwashed; wasting another word on her was pointless.

"Grandpa, Grandma, let’s go. Grandpa, you said last night you were going to make me squirrel-shaped mandarin fish." Tan You’s expression changed in a flash. When she faced the two Tang elders, she put on a smiling face and looked especially gentle.

Grandpa Tang came to his senses. "Oh, your grandma went out early this morning to buy groceries. She’s especially good at picking out vegetables..."

Watching Tan You and the two Tang elders leave the private room, Li Lanzhen seemed to jolt awake from a dream and rushed after them. As for the members of the Li family left behind, how could Li Lanzhen possibly spare them a thought right now?

It was true she was obsessed with helping her brother, but she also understood that Tang Li was her lifeline for the rest of her life. If Tang Li completely abandoned her, what kind of good life could Li Lanzhen possibly have in the future?

’Rely on her nephew?’ The thought didn’t even cross her mind at that moment.

"No, seriously, my sister-in-law just left like that?" Once Li Lanzhen had gone so decisively, Zhang Fen came to her senses and started cursing. "She just abandoned us here?"

Grandpa Li sighed. "If she didn’t leave, was she supposed to actually come home with us?"

Grandma Li was the first to object. "That’s not acceptable. She’s a daughter who married out. Even if her son-in-law is long gone, how could she come back home?"

Zhang Fen felt a bit more at ease. Thinking of what Tan You had just said, she muttered, "That damn girl is getting more and more unpleasant. She walks around all day with a sourpuss face. I’ve hated her ever since she was a child."

"Haven’t we been embarrassed enough?" Li Chaohua snapped. "Wanjun, were you really fired?"

"Yeah," Li Wanjun mumbled, his head hanging low. "I bet everyone in the industry knows by now. Do you think I’ll ever be able to find another job here?"

"If you really can’t find one, let’s just go home," Grandma Li said, starting to wipe her tears. "If you stay here, who knows what she’ll do next. And she even has bodyguards now. She’s made it big and looks down on us poor relatives..."

"That’s enough, let’s just go," Grandpa Li said, his head aching. "Let’s go. Wanjun, you were too careless... And that letter of forgiveness, there’s no way we’re getting it now... Your aunt really is useless, can’t even handle a simple thing like this..."

The Li family left, grumbling and cursing. A long time later, the door to the adjacent private room was pushed open.

"That Director Tang is really something." Shang Dui took a sip of tea, looking exceptionally relaxed. Where was the exhaustion from burning the midnight oil last night?

The man across from him also took a sip of tea. "It’s good that she’s formidable. No one will dare to bully her that way. Are you... close with this Director Tang?"

"We’ve only met once, how could we be close?" Shang Dui said with a laugh. "But she’s truly vigilant, a classic career woman through and through. I just didn’t expect to run into her here. It’s a small world."

"If I had been like her back then and disregarded family ties, I wouldn’t have suffered so much." The man took another sip of tea, his mood dampening as he thought of the past.

"It hasn’t been easy for her either," Shang Dui said, clearly aware of his friend’s inner turmoil. "I’ve looked into Tang Li, and her life hasn’t been a walk in the park. After all, she has a mother who’s obsessed with her own brother. I heard she was raised by her paternal grandparents since she was little..."

"Her biological father died young and her own mother is unreliable, so of course she had to learn to stand on her own two feet."