Tang Micheng had just reached the door when he locked eyes with a stranger.
A boy, about his own age.
Unlike his 'robust' build.
Dressed in eccentric clothes, slender and feeble, his face was pale and pretty like a young girl's.
This pretty boy was the type Tang Micheng detested the most.
Brother?
What's with this little cub? Why is she calling someone else brother??
Weren't her two blood brothers and four cousins enough for her?
Where did she pick up this Wild Brother??
Seemingly aware of his gaze, Rong Qing, who was about to leave, looked up and met his eyes with a slight, gentle smile, "Jinjin, see you."
-
Little Milk Jin, who received a hefty donation, was humming an off-tune melody as she slipped off her shoes and started to dash into the house.
Only to be stopped by the scowling Tang Micheng.
"Tang Jin!"
Little Milk Jin tilted her little head, adorably puzzled, "What's up?"
"Who was that just now? Did you go out with a stranger?"
"That was Jinjin's big client; he knows Grandpa too. Grandpa agreed to it, so he's not a stranger," Little Bun said in her sweet, milky voice.
And she didn't forget to mutter to herself quietly on the side.
"How can a golden patron who gives Two Million at a time be a stranger? Not like certain disobedient ones, huh!"
Tang Micheng followed behind Tang Jin, still frowning.
"Do you know there are many child kidnappers these days? You're so cute; what if someone snatched you away?"
Little Milk Jin paused, tilting her little head and peering at Tang Micheng with her big, sparkling, cat-like eyes.
"What, what? I'm just stating facts; I didn't say I think you're cute, okay?"
Tang Micheng felt uncomfortable under her gaze and coughed lightly.
Little Bun chuckled and grabbed his hand, "Brother, the washstand is too high, Jinjin can't reach it, carry me."
Tang Micheng's rebellious heart softened at the pull.
"You even know to come back and wash up before going to bed..."
"I want warm water! Brother, drink more sweet milk today so you can sleep earlier. Don't be afraid; Jinjin is super reliable, able to solve any problem! Also, I like hearing the facts!"
"Who's scared?! Just be quiet and shut up!"
***
Meanwhile.
The middle-aged man had returned to the duplex he'd bought with his savings over the years.
"Damn unlucky, to run into someone from the Sanqing Taoist Temple so far from Mount Sanqing. I thought it was a good moneymaking opportunity, but it seems I should never have considered this deal in the first place."
The black night was extremely quiet.
The middle-aged man wasn't the least bit afraid of revenge.
Those little things, even if they could foresee anything, couldn't resort to supernatural means to get the police to catch him. As for those ghosts and monsters.
He had been doing this for twenty years and had yet to see the so-called retribution.
The ghosts and monsters were probably too scared of him to even think of retribution, right?
He sat on the sofa, turned on the TV, and grabbed a can of beer, taking a couple of swigs — completely oblivious to the figure standing in the pitch-dark kitchen, quietly watching his back through the sliding glass door.
In the surrounding darkness, more and more figures began to appear.
```
They reached out to touch and found no barrier, all splitting into smiles at the corners of their lips.
The phone rang, the middle-aged man glanced at the caller ID, frowned, and hung up decisively, choosing to send a text message instead.
'Though the arrow has been shot and cannot be recalled, you've now offended someone powerful, and I can't look after you anymore. Go find someone else for help.'
But after sending the message, the other party kept calling him incessantly.
He finally answered, "Didn't I tell you to find someone else..."
Rustling noises came from the other end of the phone, "Zzzz zzzz zzzz—found you."
The lights in the small building went out in an instant.
Before he could stand up, something gripped his arm and leg forcefully, without any restraint, causing him to cry out in pain immediately.
In his panic, he looked up to meet pairs and pairs of empty, eerily smiling eyes.
People are rendered speechless by extreme shock, and for a moment, all was silent around him.
Eerie voices followed one after another—
"It hurts so much, it hurts so much..."
"It's so sad. Want to try it too?"
"Aaaaah!!!"
***
The next day, a police statement didn't attract much attention.
#A man fell from a building at midnight, all his bones broken and twisted. Homicide has been ruled out. Upon investigation, the man was involved in multiple accidents. Details are still under further inquiry.#
-
When Tang Jin rubbed his eyes and came downstairs, he heard the noise in the living room.
A tall and slightly pale figure leaned against the doorway.
Hearing the sound, the teenager looked up.
Seventeen or eighteen years old, with short black hair, his face handsome despite a thin nose suggesting brevity of fortune and heavy brows over the eyes indicating troubles and susceptibility to deceit.
As Tang Jin sized him up, the other's expression remained unchanged, and when he looked inside the house, his emotions softened slightly.
"Grandpa, Mom, little sister has woken up."
Tang Jin blinked his sleepy cat-like eyes, feeling that the tone was unfriendly.
Oh, it seems like another brother who won't obey without a fuss.
-
Tang Jin sat next to the old man, with Tang Micheng sitting on the little couch, irritation plain on his face, clearly impatient.
Next to him sat a somewhat plump lady, constantly checking the wounds on Tang Micheng's body and murmuring her discontent.
Only after listening to Grandpa's introduction did Tang Jin realize that this was Wei Meng, Tang Micheng's birth mother, and beside Wei Yihan, the teenager sitting with her was Tang Micheng's older brother and her cousin, Tang Yan.
Little Milk Jin yawned softly, leaning against Grandpa, her large cat-like eyes staring blankly at the clock across the room.
When the hands pointed to ten, she was supposed to go to the hospital to see Dad.
So Little Milk Jin watched the clock with increasing sleepiness, almost dozing off, when she was jarred awake by a sharp exclamation, "How can someone just fall and get hurt like this for no reason?"
"They say he fell off a skateboard and rolled over twice before ending up like this. Aren't you annoyed yet?" Tang Micheng finally couldn't restrain himself and broke free, having already explained several times before Tang Jin arrived.
"Tang Micheng."
Tang Yan frowned slightly and looked over, disapproving.
"Tch."
Little Fatty was in his rebellious phase and didn't seem to get along with his own brother.
"And another thing, did you two break the birthday gift Hanhan gave to Grandpa? I even heard you claim that the item caused the accident with you and your Grandpa. How could you be taught to tell such blatant lies to shirk responsibility?"
Wei Meng's words sounded heated, and then she looked at Tang Jin again, who was half closing his eyes, about to doze off, deliberately raising her voice.
"And you, Jinjin, even though Auntie is meeting you for the first time, a five-year-old should know right from wrong. You can't be naughty and act up. Here's what, let's not take sides, Dad. Let Tang Jin apologize properly to Hanhan for what happened, and let's put this matter behind us."
```