Tang Micheng had just reached the door when he locked eyes with a stranger.
The boy appeared to be about his age.
Unlike his "robust" appearance.
He wore an eccentric outfit, was slender and frail, his face pale and pretty as a young girl.
This pretty boy was exactly the type Tang Micheng despised the most.
Brother?
What's with this little cub?
What relationship do they have, casually calling someone brother??
Aren't the two blood brothers and four cousins at home enough for her?
Where did she meet this wild brother??
Seemingly sensing his gaze, Rong Qing, who was about to leave, raised his eyes, and with a faint, gentle smile met his gaze, "Jinjin, see you later."
-
Little Milk Jin, who had collected a generous donation, hummed an off-tune song, took off her shoes, and was about to run into the house.
But was stopped by a scowling Tang Micheng.
"Tang Jin!"
Little Milk Jin tilted her little head, cutely confused, "What is it?"
"Who was that just now? Did you go out with a stranger?"
"That was Jinjin's big client, Grandpa also knows him, Grandpa agreed, so he's not a stranger," Little Bun said in a babyish voice.
She didn't forget to mumble softly on the side.
"How could a client who gives Two Million at once be a stranger, unlike some disobedient ones, hmph!"
Tang Micheng still followed Tang Jin, frowning.
"Do you know there are a lot of child kidnappings nowadays? You're so cute, what if someone took you away?"
Little Milk Jin paused, tilted her little head, her big cat eyes shiny, looking at Tang Micheng's face.
"What, what? I'm just stating the facts, I didn't say I think you're cute, ha."
Tang Micheng, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, coughed lightly.
Little Bun giggled and grabbed his hand, "Brother, the washstand is too high, Jinjin can't reach it, brother hold me."
Tang Micheng's rebellious heart softened.
"You still know to come back to wash up and sleep..."
"Jinjin wants warm water! Brother, drink more sweet milk today, you can sleep early, don't be afraid, Jinjin is very reliable, solving all the problems! Also, I like hearing the facts!"
"Who is scared?! Just be quiet and shut up!"
***
Meanwhile.
The middle-aged man had returned to the duplex he bought with his savings over the years.
"Damn it, so unlucky. Being so far from Mount Sanqing, we still run into someone from Sanqing Taoist Temple, thought it was a good chance to make money, seems I shouldn't have considered this deal at the time."
The night was pitch black and very quiet.
The middle-aged man was not at all afraid of retaliation.
Those little tricks, even if they could figure something out, couldn't involve those mysterious things and get the police to nab him, as for those ghosts and monsters.
He had been doing it for twenty years and had never seen the so-called retribution.
Those ghosts and monsters were more likely scared of him than planning to retaliate.
He sat on the sofa, turned on the TV, grabbed a beer can and took two gulps—completely unaware that in the pitch-dark kitchen, a figure stood behind the glass sliding door, silently staring at his back.
In the surrounding darkness, more and more figures emerged.
They reached out to touch, but they didn't find any barrier, all of them started to smile with cracked lips.
The phone rang, the middle-aged man glanced at the caller ID, frowned, and decisively hung up, then texted the caller.
"Although an arrow does not turn back once it's shot, you've now offended someone powerful, and I can't manage you anymore, find someone else."
But after this message was sent, the caller kept calling him relentlessly.
He finally answered, "Didn't I tell you to find someone else..."
From the other end of the phone, a rustling noise transmitted: "Swoosh swoosh swoosh—I've found you."
The lights in the small building instantly went out.
Before he could stand up, something forcefully grabbed his arms and legs without restraining its strength, causing him pain instantly.
He panicked and looked up only to meet a pair of hollow eyes, smiling eerily.
In moments of extreme shock, one can't speak, and suddenly, everything around was eerily silent.
A ghostly voice followed, one sentence after another—
"It hurts so much, it hurts so much..."
"I'm so distressed, why don't you... try it too?"
"Ahhhh!!!"
***
The next day, a police report did not attract much attention.
#A man fell from an upper floor in the middle of the night, his skeleton fractured and twisted, homicide ruled out, currently under investigation for involvement in multiple accidents.#
-
When Tang Jin rubbed his eyes and came downstairs, he heard the noise of the living room.
A slender figure, somewhat pale, leaned against the doorway.
Hearing the noise, the young man looked up.
Seventeen or eighteen years old, with short black hair, though handsome, his thin nose and low eyebrows suggested a troubled and easily deceived nature.
As Tang Jin sized him up, the other's complexion didn't change but eased a bit when he looked inside.
"Grandpa, mom, sister woke up."
Tang Jin blinked his sleepy cat eyes, feeling the tone was ominous.
Oh, looks like another brother who won't listen obediently.
-
Tang Jin sat next to his grandfather, with Tang Micheng sitting on a small sofa looking visibly irritable.
Beside him sat a somewhat chubby noble lady, repeatedly inspecting the wounds on Tang Micheng's body, muttering her dissatisfaction.
After his grandfather's introduction, Tang Jin realized that she was Tang Micheng's real mother, Wei Meng, and the youth sitting next to Wei Yihan was Tang Micheng's real brother and his cousin, Tang Yan.
Little Milk Jin let out a soft yawn, leaning against his grandfather, the large cat pupils staring blankly at the clock across.
Once the hand reached ten, he had to go to the hospital to see his father.
So, Little Milk Jin stared at the clock, growing more and more sleepy, almost in a semi-dream state, before being wakened by a sharp outcry, "How can someone simply fall like that and end up so injured?"
"They said he fell off a skateboard and rolled twice before ending up like this, aren't you annoyed?" Tang Micheng finally couldn't hold back, having repeated himself several times before Tang Jin arrived.
"Tang Micheng."
Tang Yan lightly frowned, disapprovingly looking over.
"Tch."
Little Fatty was exactly in his rebellious phase, seemingly not getting along with his own brother.
"Also, did you two kids break the gift Hanhan gave to grandpa for his birthday? I even heard you blamed the accident on this object, causing it and grandpa to get hurt. How could you say such irresponsible things?"
Wei Meng's words carried a suppressed anger, then she glanced at Tang Jin, who was half-closing his eyes, sleepy again, and deliberately raised her voice.
"And you, Jinjin, although it's my first time meeting you, a five-year-old child should know right from wrong, shouldn't be naughty and act like a little brat. How about this, Dad, let's not be biased, let Tang Jin and Hanhan properly apologize and admit their mistake, and let's just let this matter pass."