Days had turned to weeks. Tang Zhelan wasn't expecting that she would stay here in Lijiang longer than she expected. Initially, she was planning to stay for at least a week here, then go to Shanghai to meet some acquaintances that could help her stay afloat within the business community.

  Word about the massive change in Tang Enterprise reached her ears, and it wasn't surprising that her cousin, Tang Moyu was able to pluck out the corrupt members of the board inside the company so easily and held them responsible for their sins by filing several charges and lawsuits against them.

  Tang Zhelan had been on the edge, waiting for her turn to receive a subpoena to explain herself, but that never came. Whether Tang Moyu wasn't done yet and just preparing for a massive blow towards her later, Tang Zhelan wasn't sure.

  Waiting for Tang Moyu's next move certainly made her nervous. The last time they met, Tang Moyu made sure to remind her that she wasn't a person they could trifle with, not after what the Tang family did to her years ago.

  As for her parents, she heard that they were still trying to contest their rights over the Tang Enterprise by going against Tang Moyu with Zhang Wuying and the Han family's assistance, something Tang Zhelan thought was an idiotic move from them.

  They might be older than the empress, but Tang Zhelan knew better that Tang Moyu was more ruthless than her. It wouldn't be easy for anyone to subdue the empress. Tang Moyu might not go full force on her revenge but knowing her personality, Tang Zhelan was certain that the empress wouldn't sit idly and watch them scheme against her.

  "Miss Tang, do you know, the inn is fully booked now." Zhao Jing grinned next to her while Tang Zhelan was reviewing the accounts of the inn for the past five years.

  So many things have changed and happened since she came here to Lijian. The Cloud Mist Inn owned by the Zhao family had greatly improved ever since she started helping them by managing it.

  From being a VIP guest, she was now a manager of a small inn, albeit she was doing it for free. Tang Zhelan didn't have the heart to ask them to pay her, since allowing her to stay and live here was enough compensation for her.

  "Hmm, then that's good. You can focus more on your studies then," she hummed in response. What's important right now was to fix the parts of the inn that needed restoration even before it went out of hand.

  Zhao Jing pouted in return. "But I still want to help you and Uncle Feng around."

  She'd been happy and excited following Tang Zhelan around, watching the woman converse fluently and entertaining their guests while her uncle made sure that the rooms were ready before their arrival.

  Tang Zhelan had been a great help to their inn, Zhao Jing thought. If only she could stay with them forever and ever. But her uncle told her that Miss Tang would eventually need to leave when the right time came.

  Would it be too much if Miss Tang considered marrying her Uncle Feng, so she could be her aunt? She really liked Miss Tang to stay with them. Was there no other way to convince her to stay?

  "You can still help, Zhao Jing, but it would make me and your uncle happy if you finish your homework first and not worry about the inn. If this continues, we might be able to hire some people to help us in the future."

  "Okay! I'll listen to you, Miss Tang." The girl was easily placated by Tang Zhelan, something she found unusual. Tang Zhelan never liked being surrounded by children anyway although she had a soft spot for them. She disliked how loud and troublesome they could be.

  "Just be good and study well. You don't need to be the best in your class," she reminded the girl. "Enjoy your time being young and make friends. Let a.d.u.l.ts deal with the problems."

  Looking at Zhao Jing, she couldn't help but compare this child to her past self when she was nothing but a young child. Her parents might be able to provide her a roof over her head, clothes that she needed and fed her while growing up, but they were both emotionally detached to her.

  Perhaps, that was one of the reasons why she sought after Tang Moyu when she realized that they were the same at home. The only difference between them was that the young empress had Li Meili by her side to accompany her, while she had no one to rely on.

  Tang Zhelan only wanted to live happily and comfortably, but a.d.u.l.ts around her thought otherwise. They constantly compared her to Tang Moyu, looked down on her as they compared their achievements over time and had the audacity to push her to work hard not for herself but for them.

  Her frustrations on her family only led to the intense hatred she felt for Tang Moyu. If only Tang Moyu wasn't there, she wouldn't be forced to do something she didn't like.

  Why was she even born as a Tang daughter? It would have been better if she was born a commoner with decent, loving parents.

  Tang Moyu was naturally gifted when it came to numbers? Then she would need to double her effort to catch up! The empress had taken arts and music lessons? So did she! Everything Tang Moyu had, her parents made sure should have it too, regardless if she wanted it or not.

  She couldn't understand at first why Tang Moyu was subjecting herself to such pressure, until one day she realized that the empress only wanted to win her parents' recognition and acknowledgement through her hard work.

  Tang Zhelan didn't want to admit it, but her cousin was an admirable person. She couldn't understand why her parents were ignoring her, considering how exceptional Tang Moyu was compared to their peers.

  "Miss Tang, are you still planning to leave? Can't you just stay here with us, please?" Zhao Jing's questions caught her off guard, but it wasn't something Tang Zhelan could easily decide on.