Seeing everyone scratching their heads, Tan You suddenly raised an eyebrow slightly. "Stir-fried pig tongue with pig ear?"

Xu Liang snapped his fingers. "How are you so smart?"

Shen Yu thought for a few seconds before it clicked. "Oh, so that’s what it is. Then what’s ’Guan Gong Fights Qin Qiong’?"

"The red-faced Guan Gong..." Xu Liang sang out in a theatrical tone, and Uncle Shen immediately understood.

"Stir-fried tomato and egg?"

"Exactly!" Xu Liang laughed heartily. "There are so many dish names like this. All I can say is, there are a lot of creative people out there."

Everyone sat around the stove, watching the Spring Festival Gala and murmuring to each other from time to time. It had been a long time since they had experienced such a warm atmosphere. Looking around at the Shen family, a trace of nostalgia flashed in Xu Liang’s eyes.

Back when his parents were still alive, his family used to be this close and affectionate too. But now... sigh...

Tan You couldn’t help but sigh as well, thinking of her own situation.

Xu Liang looked at her, confused. "Why are you sighing on such a happy day? Your family is all around you."

Tan You smiled. "I was thinking about something else, something career-related. It just popped into my head."

Tan You was unwilling to open up to others. She would digest the pain from her original family on her own, and she didn’t want to tell anyone about it. Otherwise, it would just make her seem pitiful.

Xu Liang didn’t think much of it. "Alright, then. By the way, I noticed you seemed a little down before dinner. What’s wrong? Did something happen?"

Tan You wasn’t surprised that Xu Liang had noticed. "What else could it be but something Wen Zhe stirred up? His girlfriend tried to slander me, claiming I came between her and Wen Zhe. She wrote this long, sob-story post, but luckily I managed to stop it."

Aunt Shen’s brows shot up in anger. "That’s nonsense! As if someone like our Ali could ever be matched with a guy like Wen Zhe!"

Uncle Shen was also angry. "How can she just make things up out of thin air like that?"

Shen Yu said, "Don’t tell me she’s trying to frame my sister to get famous, using her as a stepping stone to climb up?"

Xu Liang said, "Maybe, but that’s a dirty move. Even if your sister is completely innocent, once you get splashed with that kind of mud, people will still bring it up from time to time even after you’ve washed it off."

Tan You shrugged. "Exactly. That’s why something like this should never have happened in the first place. I have no connection to her, and Wen Zhe is her ex-boyfriend. He should be the one to solve this."

Aunt Shen said, "I used to think that Wen Zhe kid was decent, but looking at him now, he’s just awful. It’s a good thing our Ali has nothing to do with him. Anyone who ends up with a person like that will never be happy."

Shen Yu praised extravagantly, "Anyone who ends up with my sister would be happy."

Tan You let out a laugh. "A guy like him is suited for someone just like him. But can a player accept a queen player?"

Xu Liang laughed. "That’d probably be tough. A lot of people don’t necessarily want to be with their own kind. Take players, for example. No matter how wild they are themselves, they always want to end up with someone pure and innocent."

"A classic double standard, nothing more."

Tan You said, "Exactly. People who don’t hold themselves to the same moral standards they hold others to are hardly good partners. They aren’t even suitable as friends."

"Our Ali sees this very clearly," Uncle Shen said approvingly. "One should be strict with oneself but not too demanding of others. I agree with that point."

Tan You poked at a small sweet potato. "Let’s not talk about him anymore. I reckon he won’t have the nerve to come see me again. His ex-girlfriend nearly caused a huge scandal for me. If Wen Zhe has any conscience or integrity, he shouldn’t bother me again."

Xu Liang said, "That’s not a given. What if he’s finally realized his true feelings this time?"

"Then he’d better not tell me. I’d find it ridiculous." Tan You peeled two peanuts for her grandmother. "I admit it feels good to be liked, but it also depends on what kind of person they are."

"And someone like him is obviously someone I can’t accept. If we hadn’t been classmates, I wouldn’t even let him in the door."

Xu Liang asked curiously, "Even if he turns over a new leaf from now on?"

"Of course," Tan You said, her expression blank. "I’ve said it before: I like people who respect themselves and have self-control. People who understand themselves clearly. Feelings might just be a temporary hormonal rush. After those hormones fade, things will inevitably become placid."

"I don’t like a partner who’s all about romance and sweet talk all the time. It’s more important that he understands the meaning of responsibility and duty. Maybe that sounds cold, but I believe it’s the most crucial foundation for a stable, long-term relationship." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Aunt Shen added, "That’s what it means to build a life together. But if you didn’t like them, you wouldn’t have chosen to get married in the first place. It’s like you young people say: the first few years might be wonderful and intimate, but the longer it goes on, everyone has their own responsibilities to bear."

Tan You smiled. The latter half of what she just said was entirely her own opinion. In Tan You’s eyes, responsibility was more important than emotion. As for Ji Li, she truly had a love-addled brain.

’In fact, any rational person, upon discovering their crush was a player, should have cut their losses immediately. Not continued to quietly stay by his side, just for the sake of a slim chance.’

’Even if a guy like Wen Zhe was served up to her on a silver platter, Tan You wouldn’t want him.’

"Ali, you’re too calm. I’m starting to wonder if there’s anything in this world that can make you emotional," Xu Liang said, shaking his head. "I’ve known you for half a year now, and it seems like you’re this composed every single moment."

"You weren’t angry at all when your grandparents, uncle, and aunt came looking for you. You weren’t angry when the village was arguing and backstabbing over the tea payment. I’m just curious, is there anything in this world that can make you angry?"

"Yes, of course there is," Tan You replied without hesitation. "If someone stood in front of me right now and said things like, ’You don’t need to work anymore, I’ll support you from now on. Just stay at home and relax,’ I would get furious."

"Or if he said something like, ’If you get angry, I’ll console you,’ I would find that offensive too."

Xu Liang mulled that over. "I can understand the first part, but I don’t get the second. Let’s say, hypothetically, you have a boyfriend in the future. Can you guarantee you two will never have a conflict?"

"When one person gets angry, the other can just back down."

"That’s for normal people." In reality, she wouldn’t even consider dating, but Tan You didn’t say that out loud. "He could just reason with me. I’m pretty level-headed."

"I am an independent individual with a clear understanding of the world. I can manage my own emotions. I don’t need someone else to back down or concede just to satisfy me emotionally."

"If my partner were to say he’d ’console’ me, I would feel like he was belittling me, not putting me on an equal footing with him. Because in my view, I’m not inferior to him in any way, so a word like ’console’ implies that I’m weak."

"And I have been driven my entire life. I will not bow my head to anyone."