After the Breakup, the Crazy Movie Queen Clings to Me Every Day (GL) - Chapter 31.1

Tan You’s eyelashes, as delicate as butterfly wings, fluttered gently in the clear morning light, trembling slightly.

********

She held the tips of Lan Jingli’s fingers, feeling as if she were cradling a fragile butterfly in her palm, a creature that could be crushed with the slightest pressure.

“You’re ill and not thinking clearly right now, but it’s not that simple.”

“You…”

The woman’s palm burned with a feverish heat. Lan Jingli moved her fingertips, about to pull her hand away, but Tan You withdrew first.

A gentle, composed smile graced the woman’s usually cold face, yet the feverish flush lingered, spreading from her cheeks down her neck; a vivid, unsettling contrast.

Her demeanor was so calm and detached, as if nothing had happened between them, as if the insurmountable chasm between them didn’t exist.

It was as if she were still Lan Jingli’s “good older sister.”

“Li Li, rest well and get better. I’ll come visit you later.”

She turned gracefully, offering polite, distant smiles to Wen Fei and the others.

“Thank you all for taking such good care of Li Li while I’ve been busy. Once she’s recovered, I’ll definitely treat you all to a meal. Please do me the honor of joining us then.”

With that, the woman paid no attention to the reactions of those present. She answered a work call, apologized, and slowly left the hospital room.

In the corridor, Aunt Wan stood respectfully by the window in her professional attire. When she saw Tan You still holding the six rose apples, her brow twitched, and she stepped forward with concern.

“She didn’t accept the rose apples? Are you two still at odds?”

Aunt Wan remembered Tan You’s resolute stance that day: I won’t look back, and you shouldn’t regret it either.

But now, this situation seemed so strange.

While she hoped Tan You and Lan Jingli would reconcile, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she might be aiding a tyrant. Yet after years of serving Tan You, she knew her actions always had a reason, even if those reasons weren’t always… logical.

Ever since Tan You returned to the Tan Family, she had been stubbornly willful, a trait she had indulged for over two decades, baffling even the old foxes of the Tan Family.

********

As her personal attendant, what could she possibly do? Even caring for Tan You’s illness was a rare occurrence.

What a headache.

The woman glanced at the rose apple, her gaze shifting uncertainly. “Li Li just needs time to understand. Eventually, she’ll come around.”

Those others were merely fleeting distractions. Who could ever compare to the bond between her and Lan Jingli?

Last time, she hadn’t been strong enough to protect herself, let alone intervene in Lan Jingli’s actions.

But things were different now. She was confident she could control everything.

Aunt Wan met Tan You’s determined gaze and sighed inwardly. Beneath her mistress’s usually composed demeanor lay a stubbornness bordering on irrationality, hardened by past disappointments.

“I ran into Miss Wei Xueyin earlier. She seems to be waiting for you. Would you like to see her?”

“How long until our engagement?”

“Several months yet, but the media and everyone else are already well aware of it.” Aunt Wan smoothed the wrinkles from Tan You’s sleeves, her mind racing. How did her clothes get so rumpled? They were perfectly neat before we went to the hospital.

********

The air hung heavy with damp mist, its chill clinging to Tan You’s skin. The hospital’s quiet paths lay temporarily deserted. Tan You tilted her head back, gazing into the distance. “It’s not grand enough yet,” she murmured. “Make it grander. Only then will they understand my resolve.”

“Understood. Should I arrange for Miss Wei Xueyin to have dinner with you? That way the media will have an opportunity to capture photos.”

Tan You nodded, but instead of getting into the car immediately, she chose to stroll through the hospital garden for a few moments in the early morning light.

“Make the arrangements and inform Xueyin.”

“And,” Aunt Wan paused beneath a maple tree, “in two days it will be the anniversary of your mother’s death. Should we prepare the arrangements as we have in previous years?”

“No. Make it more lavish. If she were still alive, it would have been her fiftieth birthday. We should celebrate it properly.” Tan You’s expression remained serene as she gave the instructions in a soft voice, betraying no hint of inner turmoil.

Aunt Wan followed a step behind, a light coat draped over her arm. She noted Tan You’s instructions but couldn’t resist asking, “Will you still visit her grave alone, as always? Without telling anyone?”

“Yes, I’ll go alone. She wouldn’t want others intruding. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have abandoned me and vanished without a trace.”

“After all this time, you still haven’t let go? Back then, you got so deeply immersed in filming that movie about your mother that you had to…”

“That’s all in the past. I’ve recovered a lot since then, thanks to therapy,” Tan You interrupted Aunt Wan’s rambling and got straight into the car.

Once they were inside, Aunt Wan noticed Tan You was about to work. Knowing her preference for quiet and privacy, she thoughtfully raised the partition.

The luxury car’s engine was whisper-quiet, and its airtight seals were exceptional. Within moments, Tan You felt almost completely isolated in a tranquil space.

Normally, she could quickly focus on her work without distractions. But lately, that hadn’t been working.

Perhaps it was the rose apple’s rose-like fragrance that was affecting her, conjuring up the image of that bouquet of crimson roses before her eyes.

She didn’t believe Wen Fei or anyone else could cause any real trouble. But the feeling of someone coveting what was hers was deeply unsettling.

Or rather, it was the first time she’d ever felt this terrible.

Still, much of what she possessed had been obtained through ruthless competition, relentless pursuit, and unscrupulous tactics. She was accustomed to this feeling.

It was nothing serious just a child’s impulsive runaway.

Lure her back, snatch her back, bring her back. That was all.

********

After an hour and a half, Aunt Wan lowered the partition and reported calmly, “Miss Tan, the old mansion called again. They want you to come back for dinner.”

Tan You closed her laptop, her posture impeccable and her expression indifferent. “What are they up to now?”

“They’ll likely try to persuade you to call off your engagement with Wei Xueyin. They’ve also invited Miss Lin from the Lin Family, hoping to set you up with her.”

Though the Wei Family’s status and influence couldn’t match the Lin Family’s, they were still prominent figures. Aunt Wan doubted the old guard at the Tan Family could accomplish anything.

Yet they remained restless, determined to meddle and control Tan You, utterly delusional in their ambitions.

“Resurfacing old schemes—that’s all they know,” Tan You remarked.

“Then should we decline the dinner? Your schedule is already packed, leaving you barely any rest. Even dinner with Miss Xueyin takes up three hours.” And she still needed to find time to meet with Lan Jingli.

Aunt Wan didn’t voice the last part, daring only to add it silently in her mind.

Tan You seemed weary and disinterested. “In that case, call Xueyin and ask her to come back to the old mansion with me for two hours.”

“That’s one way to do it. We won’t need to take her out for dinner tonight.”

“Good. Excellent.”

“Then Miss Xueyin will go as your fiancée?”

“Of course,” Tan You said, adjusting her cufflinks and flipping through the quarterly business reports. “And make sure the Tan family treats her with utmost respect.”

“Yes, I’ll inform them immediately.”

In the hospital room, Wei Yixi and the others silently accompanied Lan Jingli as she checked out after Tan You left. Their expressions were heavy, as if weighed down by dark clouds, making it hard to breathe freely.

Only when they stepped out of the hospital into the sunlight did they exhale deeply, thawing from the icy tension that had gripped them.

They didn’t know what Tan You had said to Lan Jingli, but they felt the woman standing in the dim morning light, devoid of any human warmth, like a bewitching spirit—captivating yet utterly inhuman.

“Holy cow, Chairman Tan nearly scared me to death! Her presence is overwhelming,” Wei Yixi gulped down a bottle of mineral water. “I need hot coffee, or I won’t survive this.”

Lan Jingli, wearing a mask, felt a bitter amusement as her bangs fell across her eyes.

No wonder everyone in business and politics praised Tan You’s cunning and ruthlessness. How many people could remain completely composed while flirting with their former “pet” right in front of their fiancée?

Perhaps Tan You had always seen her as cheap, easily manipulated—the kind of woman who would accept unspoken rules, use her looks to get ahead, and trade her body for advancement.

Lan Jingli thought she could have accepted a relationship that ended due to circumstances. But what was this? Did Tan You think she was so easily controlled, just someone to enjoy before getting married?

No wonder Tan You hadn’t bothered to tell her about the engagement. In her eyes, Lan Jingli didn’t deserve to know.

Throughout history, mistresses and pets had never been informed of their master’s marriage plans.

Thinking this way, Wei Xueyin seemed even more pathetic. No matter how painful or difficult things became, Lan Jingli would fight her way out. Wei Xueyin, on the other hand, was nothing more than a higher-class pet.

Wen Fei, her expression unchanging, said calmly, “It’s not that bad. Chairman Tan is more intimidating when she’s silent, but she hasn’t done anything truly outrageous. Why are you so afraid? She’s not going to eat you.”

“Have you guys seen that ghost-themed movie Tan You starred in, ‘Love Between Worlds’?” Wei Yixi waved her hand dismissively, signaling that Wen Fei was too robotic to understand.

Chen Jiayang, wearing a small tank top with gold sequins pasted over her navel, sucked on a strawberry-lemon lollipop as she recalled the film. “You mean the one where she played both the beautiful ghost and the sect’s holy maiden? Don’t let Chairman Tan’s cold, rigid, and serious demeanor fool you—she pulled off both the pure, ethereal holy maiden and the seductive, otherworldly ghost flawlessly. When my classmates and I saw it in theaters, we were obsessed for a whole week afterward…”

“Stop rambling about irrelevant stuff. I’ve never seen you so obsessed with her before,” Wei Yixi said, her tone exasperated. “What I mean is, don’t you think she has that vibe of a seductive ghost? It’s hard to describe—she just doesn’t seem quite human.”

“A little, but a lot of people love it. They say Tan You pioneered the ‘ghostly beauty’ genre,” Chen Jiayang shrugged, glancing pointedly at Lan Jingli. “Some people just fall headfirst into it, you know?”

“Ghostly beauty?” Wei Yixi shuddered. “Yeah, she does have that eerie, otherworldly vibe.”

Having reached a consensus, the two turned to Lan Jingli in unison, demanding:

“Spill the beans! What’s going on between you two now?”

Even Wei Yixi, who knew the most about the situation, was confused. It looked like they’d just had a minor spat, and Tan You had even come looking for her personally.

“Jingli, could it be she’s finally realized she made a mistake and wants you back?” Wei Yixi asked, her eyes filled with concern. “Like a prodigal daughter returning home? Don’t let her sweet-talk you again. You can’t just soften up and fall for her tricks.”

Lan Jingli let out a cold, mirthless laugh, as if she’d heard a joke.

Others might not understand, but she knew exactly how Tan You saw her: as superfluous, vulgar, and boring as a second pack of instant noodles.

This kind of “junk food” was craved when unavailable, but once obtained, it sparked intense disgust and revulsion.

Besides, the news of Tan You and Wei Xueyin’s engagement was plastered everywhere. What was she in comparison?

A clown.

Soon, Tan You would walk down the aisle with Wei Xueyin, wearing the wedding dress she had designed. Forced by Tan You’s position as her boss, she might even have to attend the ceremony and offer her congratulations.

It’s nothing. Really, it’s nothing. When she had played Honor of Kings with Tan You before, she had even taught her how to use Yao’s shield, how to scout bushes, and how to control vision.

Tan You could use those skills when playing games with her new wife.

In that sense, this lowly creature had actually enriched the CEO’s life experiences.

Ha, my life hasn’t been a waste after all.

“A prodigal daughter returning?” Wen Fei scoffed, her brow furrowed. “Xi Xi, you’re too naive. Someone like Chairman Tan, who lacks nothing, would never truly humble herself. At most, she’s just indulging a passing whim. Don’t believe me? Look at the latest news reports. In just the few hours we’ve been checking out of the hospital, the situation has completely shifted.”

“What is it?” Wei Yixi opened her phone and saw the breaking news alert.

Tan Family Heir Discreetly Returns to Ancestral Home with Fiancée, Bride-to-Be Blushing as Wedding Nears

The accompanying photo showed Wei Xueyin stepping out of the car first, then turning back to take Tan You’s hand. Across the screen, Wei Xueyin’s gaze met the viewer’s, her eyes like mist, conveying a profound and unsettling depth.

Both women were dressed entirely in black, a striking match.

After reading the news, Wei Yixi couldn’t help but steal a glance at Lan Jingli. Finding her expression hidden behind a mask, she nudged her with her elbow.

“Holding up okay?”

Lan Jingli’s gaze was empty and calm.

“It’s nothing. I’ve been mentally prepared for this.”

The outcome had already been decided. Witnessing the process now meant nothing.

Her heart, like cold ashes, couldn’t be ignited by any flame, no matter how fierce.