Su Li spun the keychain in her fingers with a blank expression. Unaffected by Tian Xiaomeng’s pitiful look, she sighed softly and said word by word, "Then show me your determination." After saying that, Su Li lifted her leg and walked toward the door, not giving the other party any time to react. "What?" Tian Xiaomeng stood there dumbfounded, the tear stains at the corners of her eyes not yet dry. She truly didn’t understand the meaning behind Su Li’s words just now. When she looked up again, her boyfriend’s silhouette was already nowhere to be seen. Tian Xiaomeng, not knowing what to do, hurriedly ran a few steps. When she passed the window, she happened to see Su Li’s car driving away downstairs, leaving behind a trail of smoke. For a moment, her heart was a mix of emotions, feeling as if everything was truly out of control. Before she could think any further, her phone, which had only been calm for a while, rang again with a call from Zhang Lan. Tian Xiaomeng, thinking of Su Li’s meaningful gaze before he left, didn’t want to answer the call. But years of instinct carved into her bones made her body act before her mind, and she subconsciously pressed the answer button. It was still the same old spiel. Having heard it for so many years, Tian Xiaomeng had become numb to it. She could recite verbatim what her mother would say. It always came down to appreciating what she had; without the Xu Family, they wouldn’t have the comfortable life they enjoyed now. To understand how hard it was for her to be a stepmother; if she hadn’t been careful to ingratiate herself with the Xu Family all these years, they would have long stopped tolerating a woman who was divorced and came with a child. Moreover, she had been married into the family for so long without adding a son or daughter to the Xu Family, making Zhang Lan feel very insecure. Subsequently, Zhang Lan complained again, grumbling that Tian Xiaomeng was not considerate and always causing her trouble. "I have already spoken good words on your behalf. Xueqing and the old lady are no longer mad at you, so you should hurry home." "A good girl shouldn’t always be running outside. Don’t let your stepfather find out, he will be angry." Tian Xiaomeng started off keeping her mouth shut, holding the phone in silence, until she finally mustered up the courage to softly say: "I don’t want to go back to the Xu Family anymore, I’m an adult now...." As soon as she started, Zhang Lan on the other end began wailing, calling out to the heavens: "Are you trying to kill me?" "How do you want your stepfather and the old lady to look at me?" "I don’t care, you’re coming back right now, or else..." Zhang Lan’s tone turned fierce, her voice rising again: "Or else I’ll die, I mean it." Tian Xiaomeng’s newly steeled heart was immediately on the verge of collapse. She didn’t dare to gamble, just like Zhang Lan understood her, she also knew her mother very well. She could really do something physically harmful just as she said to threaten her. She might not really want to die, just to scare her. But she just didn’t dare to take that chance. Tian Xiaomeng broke down in tears. Zhang Lan had already hung up the phone and immediately sent a video over. She was holding a small knife to her wrist, staring intently at her daughter in the video, coldly asking, "Are you pushing me to commit suicide?" Tian Xiaomeng couldn’t stand it anymore, crying aloud: "Mom, don’t do this, I’ll come back right away." At the entrance of the community, Tian Xiaomeng thought Su Li had already left, but he was actually not far away. Tian Xiaomeng, leaving in a hurry in a fluster, didn’t notice a black Benz parked behind the flower bed at the corner. Su Li sat on the hood of the car, with a lollipop in her mouth. She watched without blinking as Tian Xiaomeng’s figure completely disappeared from sight before jumping off the front of the car. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝙣𝙚𝙩 This silly girl, she really is hopeless. Alright, the opportunity was only there once, she didn’t catch it, so he can’t be blamed for being heartless. After all, one’s destiny is in one’s own hands, it’s a matter of willingness on both sides. She decided not to get involved in that drama. She still wants to focus on being an excellent boss. Zhang Lan, having hung up the phone line, switched from her previous appearance of misery to one of triumph. She was quite proud of the influence she had over her daughter. Xu Xueqing came in holding a bowl of cubilose porridge, smiling warmly: "Auntie, I asked the kitchen to make you a bowl of cubilose porridge, enjoy it while it’s hot." "Don’t blame grandma for her harsh words. Old people are like big kids, we as the younger ones should just go along with it." "When Xiao Meng comes back, I’ll teach her to be sweeter with her words; the old lady loves a sweet-talking granddaughter." What Xu Xueqing said sounded fine at first, but there was something odd about it. After all, Zhang Lan was her father’s wife, a senior to her, but.... Zhang Lan didn’t notice at all, feeling deeply moved and pleased by the stepdaughter’s closeness. She gratefully accepted the cubilose porridge and drank it joyfully, saying while eating, "Xueqing, you’re so considerate. Xiao Meng is just so stubborn. If she were more like you, how much worry I’d be spared." Xu Xueqing smiled faintly, the smile not reaching her eyes. She lowered her eyelashes and said quietly: "I’ll persuade grandma well, so she doesn’t complain to Dad anymore. Grandma loves me the most." Zhang Lan was extremely grateful, sincerely thanking: "Thank you, Xueqing." Her husband was quite the filial son who even thought the old lady’s every word was a blessing. The only rebellious thing he ever did was insisting on marrying her against the old lady’s wishes. Because of this, he always felt he owed the old lady something. If the old lady, who didn’t like her and her daughter, complained to her husband, he would definitely be furious. Zhang Lan didn’t want anything to affect the marital relations. "Sigh, why can’t Xiao Meng be as sensible and considerate as Xueqing?" Zhang Lan couldn’t help but sigh. When moved by Xu Xueqing’s occasional friendliness, she forgot that her own daughter had done such thoughtful things many times, yet she never seemed to feel this moved. After throwing aside matters of the Xu family, she turned into a workaholic and completely forgot she even had a girlfriend. Employees of the Su Group were tormented to death by their overly dedicated and loving CEO. However, the results were delightful. The Su Group’s annual report was exceptionally splendid and outstanding. The shareholders couldn’t contain their delight, walking with a spring in their step. After the work was temporarily concluded, only then did Su Li vaguely remember there was something she had forgotten. Thinking back and forth, she couldn’t figure out what it was and decided to stop thinking about it. That was not important anyway. But the trouble she categorized as unimportant sought her out. "President, someone named Tan Yunguang has been calling your private line every day requesting to meet you." Su Li: "I don’t know him, handle it as you see fit." The name sounded somewhat familiar, yet the original owner’s memory didn’t hold a strong impression. This indicated that the person had very little connection with her, so no need to pay attention.