Witnessed by a lawyer and tens of millions of viewers in the livestream, Ji Rongsheng and his wife were forced to sign a filial support agreement with the old Ji couple. The terms of the agreement were simple: if the old Ji couple fell ill or passed away in the future, their second son, Ji Rongsheng, would bear the sole responsibility.

Additionally, Ji Rongsheng would provide the old couple with 2,000 yuan a month for living expenses, two new sets of clothes each season, and a physical check-up every six months, among other things. Some viewers even offered suggestions online on how to guarantee the quality of life for the old Ji couple in their later years.

Of course, if Ji Rongsheng were to unfortunately pass away before the old Ji couple, the support obligation would then fall to Ji Peng, and only after him to the granddaughter, Ji Li. After all, the death benefit payout for Ji Rongchang and his wife had effectively been pocketed by Ji Rongsheng and his wife.

Ji Li also received a copy of the agreement. She flicked the document and casually set it aside. "Now that this business is concluded, I won’t keep you any longer."

Granny Ji looked at the Ji Li before her, wanting to say something but not knowing how to begin.

Tan You said with a beaming smile, "Fifth Uncle, could you help me find a car to take them to the station? Our home is simple and can’t accommodate so many people, so we’ll have to ask you to leave early."

Old Man Ji stared at Tan You. "So you’ve made up your mind never to come back? That’s your home too, after all."

"That’s not my home," Tan You said with a small smile. "It’s your home. It’s Ji Rongsheng’s home. But it’s not mine. Even when my dad was alive, it wasn’t my home."

"You can see for yourself now. My uncle and aunt are wonderful, and all my relatives and neighbors on my mother’s side are wonderful. I’m living a very good life here."

"Suit yourself. You’re all grown up now, with your wings all hardened," Old Man Ji snorted. "You’ll know home is best once you’ve suffered some losses out in the world."

"How ridiculous," Tan You laughed. "The biggest loss I’ve ever suffered in my life was at your hands. So don’t you dare tell me that ’suffering a loss is a blessing.’ Nobody would want that kind of blessing."

His words thrown back in his face by Tan You, Old Man Ji was fuming. But he wasn’t completely clueless; he could see that this granddaughter, who had been so cruelly treated by the family, felt not a single shred of affection for them.

Since that was the case, he wouldn’t argue with Ji Li any further here. Back then, his second son had schemed so ruthlessly for the compensation money of his eldest son and his wife; now, he would have to bear the corresponding consequences.

As he watched the Ji family disappear from view, Shen Yu looked at the viewer count in the livestream, which still showed no signs of dropping, and couldn’t help but sigh.

He shuffled over to Tan You’s side and stammered, "Sis, you scared me when you smashed that cup just now. I’ve never seen you get that angry. You’re pretty terrifying when you’re mad."

Tan You’s smile seemed a little more genuine this time. "I was definitely angry. Granny Ji can fight with Ji Rongsheng all she wants, but she shouldn’t have brought my dad into it. Anyone in this world might have the right to judge my father, but the Ji family does not."

"They spent their whole lives sucking him dry like leeches. And now, even after he’s gone, they still want to use his name to make their case. That’s something I will not tolerate."

Shen Yu smacked his lips. "Some people are saying you shouldn’t be so heartless to your Ji grandparents. Seems like quite a few people agree with them."

Tan You poured herself a cup of tea. "If you try to please everyone in this world, you’ll only end up working yourself to death. What right do those people on their moral high horses have to criticize me?"

"Did they lose their parents at a young age like I did, only to be kicked out of their home?"

"Did they have to work part-time jobs all year round, with no place to call home?"

"If they haven’t experienced the hardships I’ve been through, what right do they have to point their fingers at me?"

Tan You took a sip of tea. "I’m just the kind of person who can’t tolerate a single grain of sand in her eye. If someone is good to me, I’ll repay them a hundredfold. But if someone is bad to me, I will never look back, no matter how much they might regret it."

"The law protects interests, not emotions. The law doesn’t dictate how familial affection should be shown. I won’t shirk the responsibilities that are legally mine, but that’s as far as it goes."

Shen Yu asked cautiously, "Sis, aren’t you afraid of losing followers for saying that?"

Tan You smiled. "Life isn’t easy. I spent the first twenty-two years of my life treading on eggshells. For the rest of it, I just want to live freely. If someone makes me unhappy, I’ll make them unhappy right back."

"As for my fans, I believe we share the same core values. We don’t guilt-trip others, casually telling them to forgive with a flap of the lips. Do I really need to teach them the principle, ’Don’t advise others to be benevolent if you haven’t experienced their suffering’?"

As soon as Tan You finished speaking, the livestream chat exploded with cheers. Moral high-grounding still exists, of course, but it isn’t as rampant as it was a few years ago. Perhaps it’s because people now have a better understanding of what it really means to guilt-trip someone.

Shen Yu thought for a moment. "If I had gone through what you have, sis, I don’t know if I could have turned out as amazing as you."

His mom rapped him on the head. "Are you trying to jinx your father and me?"

Shen Yu clutched his head. "No, no! I was just speaking hypothetically, just a hypothetical..."

Tan You said, "I never used to understand the saying ’a good bamboo shoot can grow from a bad stalk,’ but now I get it completely. Being born into a family like that, Ji Rongchang was destined to be bullied to death."

"He was as diligent and hardworking as an old ox. What a shame."

"My mom, too. What a shame."

Tan You sighed, then looked at the flood of comments scrolling by. "’I’m a poor little thing?’ Well, I suppose I was pitiful before, but not anymore."

"I’m only going to do better and better from now on. Alright, that’s all for today’s stream. I’ve already gone way over my scheduled time."

"Goodbye, everyone! The stream will be on and off for a while, and our village’s tea factory will grow with all you lovelies as witnesses..."

After a few more simple words, Tan You ended the livestream. Only then did everyone in the small courtyard finally relax.

Uncle Shen said, "Ali has really grown up. You hold your own completely when facing the Ji family now."

Tan You replied, "They just bully the weak and fear the strong. The moment you act tough, they don’t dare to be so arrogant."

Shen Yu was displeased. "Well, I still get angry just seeing them. You think they’ll be famous after this livestream?"

Xu Liang fiddled with his phone. "They were already famous before the stream, people just couldn’t necessarily put a face to the name. But now, they’ll only be even more famous."

"Serves them right. I hope they all end up destitute," his mom spat, then suddenly seemed to think of something. "Say, if things go badly for them, you don’t think they’ll come back looking for you, do you?"

"People like that are just like slugs. Disgusting to look at, and yet there’s not much you can do about them."

Tan You said, "We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I’m guessing the internet is going to be buzzing for a while."

Just as Tan You had predicted, for the next week or so, whenever she opened any short-video platform, she would inevitably come across videos related to the Ji family.