"The only reason they’d dare to hatch a scheme like that is for the house in her name. It’s worth eight million on the market. That might not be much to the rich, but for ordinary people like us, we might not earn that much in a lifetime."

The man from the business group was being realistic. Greed is a powerful motivator, and with a clueless biological mother in the picture, it was no wonder Tang Li’s maternal grandparents’ family was tempted to scheme. After all, anything is possible if you try, right?

Tan You had no idea that her entire confrontation with the Li family had been overheard by the people in the adjacent private room. Right now, she was on her way home with Old Tang and his wife, Li Lanzhen, Huang Yue, and Li Sen.

Li Lanzhen now knew that Li Sen was a bodyguard Tan You had hired for the old couple, and the thought made her seethe with hatred. ’How little must they trust me? To actually hire a bodyguard to keep at home?’

The worst part was that the old couple didn’t say a word, clearly treating her like an outsider. When she thought about her nephew, and then about all this, Li Lanzhen grew even more resentful.

But what truly devastated her came later. During the meal, Tan You had spoken up. "I’ve already found an apartment for you. I’ll take you there after we eat. From now on, I’ll take care of the rent, utilities, and everything else. You don’t need to worry about a thing."

This hit Li Lanzhen like a bolt from the blue. "Wait, are you really kicking me out?"

Tan You was indeed teaching her a lesson. "This is a Tang family house. You’ve always considered yourself one of the Li family, so it’s not appropriate for you to live here anymore. You’re just moving to a different place, that’s all."

The moment Tan You’s expression darkened, Li Lanzhen didn’t dare say another word. She asked uneasily, "Then... then how long do I have to live there?"

Tan You replied, "For a few years, to start. Later on, if you’re not comfortable there, I’ll send you to a nursing home."

"I’m not going to a nursing home," Li Lanzhen immediately refused. "Those places are awful."

Tan You’s chopsticks paused mid-air. "Then you’d better behave and stop causing trouble for me."

"Since you’re relying on me to get by, don’t make any more trouble. Of course, I don’t mind if you do, but we’ll see if Li Wanjun and Li Chaohua can handle the consequences."

Seeing Tan You use a mix of threats and warnings to handle Li Lanzhen, Old Tang and his wife couldn’t have been happier. As her parents-in-law, they could only offer verbal rebukes; there was little else they could do.

But Tang Li could. She was Li Lanzhen’s daughter. If she could keep Li Lanzhen in check, it would undoubtedly save the old couple a world of worry.

No matter how unwilling she was, Li Lanzhen had to move out that afternoon. As she watched her belongings disappear from the house, a sense of panic washed over her. "Can I never come back to live here again?"

Tan You said, "You have your own place to live, so why would you need to come back here? Isn’t it more comfortable and liberating to live alone?"

After successfully dropping Li Lanzhen off at the rental apartment, Tan You returned to find a locksmith changing the locks. She nodded. "Grandpa and Grandma, you’re so efficient."

The old woman was a little worried. "Not letting your mother live here... won’t that reflect poorly on you?"

"There’s nothing bad about it," Tan You said calmly. "Think how much freer she’ll be living alone. She’ll get used to it over time."

The old woman sighed. "If your mother had just cared for you a little more in the past, if she hadn’t been so biased, the two of you wouldn’t have ended up like this."

Tan You was unconcerned. "Let’s not talk about the past. I have a two-week break. Why don’t we go on a trip? We shouldn’t let the Li family ruin our good mood."

The old man was the first to agree. "Great idea! Going out with our granddaughter will be a good way to broaden our horizons."

The criminal gang had been brought to justice, the Li family situation was more or less settled, and Li Sen and Huang Yue’s work was officially over. After the two of them left, Tan You found the combat training gym that Li Sen had recommended.

Tan You was a complete and utter beginner. Although she had learned hunting from Uncle Liu in her life as Ji Li, she had never had any real hands-on combat experience. She was, without a doubt, a total novice.

For the first week, Tan You came home every day dragging her feet in exhaustion.

It broke the old woman’s heart to see her like this. She handed Tan You a glass of honey water. "Why don’t we just stop the training? You can just hire a bodyguard later."

"That’s a terrible idea," the old man frowned. "It’s good for her to learn more skills. It might be tough now, but she’ll be able to protect herself later."

"I was just saying. It’s just so grueling," the old woman sighed. "You’re almost thirty. Your body is pretty much set. Learning at this age must be more painful than it is for others, right?"

Tan You caught her breath. "Yeah, but I can handle it."

She was actually someone who was very afraid of pain, but Tan You understood a simple truth: nothing in this world is gained without hardship. Besides, whatever skills she mastered would be hers forever, and she truly couldn’t bear to give up now.

Of course, the martial arts training had its benefits. For one, Tan You felt her body becoming more toned, and her every movement grew sharper and more efficient. These were subtle changes, however, that others wouldn’t notice right away.

Tan You found it very relaxing to be around the old Tang couple, and of course, she never once let her cover slip. After all, they didn’t spend that much time together; most of her days were spent at the combat training gym.

Now that she had laid the foundation, the rest was up to her own diligent practice. It was also time for Tan You to return to the battlefield of the corporate world. As she walked into the company that morning, Tan You seemed to have a new spring in her step.

She was in an excellent mood. The ratings for her most recently completed project were still climbing, and the reviews were outstanding. It was easy to imagine that once all the profits were tallied, her bonus would be substantial.

But the situation before her now left Tan You a little surprised...

"Shares?" Tan You asked, puzzled, as she looked at the contract Chairman Wang had pushed in front of her.

Chairman Wang cleared his throat. "AHEM. I knew I couldn’t hide the real reason from you. You’re too talented, and the company wants to tie you down for good. You have to give something to get something, after all. With company shares, you’ll be even more motivated in your work."

And, of course, even more dedicated.

Tan You clearly heard Chairman Wang’s subtext, and she wasn’t about to acknowledge it.

"I have always been completely dedicated to my work."

"Yes, yes, I know you’re dedicated. The shareholders were in unanimous agreement. We’re all looking forward to Director Tang achieving even greater success after becoming a shareholder." ’How did Director Tang get so hard to fool?’ Chairman Wang thought to himself. ’She was already sharp before, but now she’s even more astute.’

If they dared to offer, Tan You dared to accept. Just like that, with a few quick strokes of the pen, she signed the agreement. Of course, her position remained unchanged—she was still the Creative Director. The only difference was that her authority had expanded, meaning the planning department was now her domain to rule.

As for the company’s overall management, Tan You had no intention of getting involved. They were doing a fine job anyway, so why should she stick her nose in it?

The news that Tan You had received company shares quickly spread throughout the entire company. Now that the company had paid such a high price to keep Director Tang, and when everyone thought about the projects she had personally led, people’s minds began to race.

Artists, after all, live and die by the quality of their projects. Everyone knew this better than anyone. Although Director Tang was mainly focused on variety shows for now, what if she changed her mind one day?