After Rebirth, I Discovered the Whole World Wants to Harm Me [GL] - Chapter 12

Why was she so good to her?

Xiao Shixin quietly lowered her gaze to meet hers in silence. However, before she could voice an answer, she saw the restless youngster before her suddenly break into a wide, radiant smile.

She even let out a soft laugh, her voice carrying a smugness she couldn’t hide. It was as if she had discovered a one-of-a-kind treasure.

The alcohol had flushed her cheeks a peachy pink. The living room lights fell upon her upturned face, leaking through the gaps of her long, straight lashes and into her eyes, making her deep brown pupils sparkle and her smile even more brilliant.

“You don’t have to say it… I already know.” Tang Xiaoran suddenly raised both hands and hooked them around Xiao Shixin’s neck, her fingers interlacing behind the woman’s nape, pulling her slightly closer.

They were so close that their features were almost a blur, and it felt as though their breathing and the scent of wine were beginning to entwine.

Xiao Shixin had to press one hand against the sofa beside Tang Xiaoran to steady herself.

Hearing Tang Xiaoran’s self-assured answer, her gaze naturally fell on the girl’s chin, and she casually prompted: “Oh?”

So this little ingrate actually knows I’m good to her?

Xiao Shixin lifted her eyelids slightly, letting the girl see the clear emotion in her eyes, adopting a posture of being all ears.

Even if her brain was a temporary captive of the alcohol, it didn’t stop Tang Xiaoran from hearing the teasing and disbelief in the other’s voice. She let out a light huff, and thinking of something, she squinted and began to laugh again.

Simultaneously, she gave a sudden tug, trying to pull the woman down onto her.

Had Xiao Shixin not been prepared, this little brat surely would have made her return the dinner she had just eaten. Pressing down on the sofa with a bit of force to counteract the pull, Xiao Shixin maintained her original distance—not a centimeter closer.

Seeing that she couldn’t budge her, Tang Xiaoran puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. She had to exert her own effort to lean in closer, intentionally lowering her voice near Xiao Shixin’s ear, acting as if she were sharing an top-secret piece of information.

Her warm breath and soft, waxy voice slid into Xiao Shixin’s ear:

“Shh~ Sister Xin, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone about the fact that you came out to me and Big Brother.”

Hearing this, Xiao Shixin froze for a moment.

It took her three seconds to remember when the “coming out” conversation Tang Xiaoran mentioned had taken place. Recalling that incredibly awkward blind date with her friend, Xiao Shixin fell into a long silence.

Tang Xiaozhang’s coming out was real; hers had merely been a joke to make the situation less awkward. Since she didn’t care about the issue—not having anyone she liked—her sexual orientation wasn’t important.

However, hearing the youngster’s guarantee now, she felt something was off. Connecting it to Tang Xiaoran’s smug smile just now, President Xiao felt, for the first time in her life, that her EQ might actually be a bit too high.

Xiao Shixin’s other hand, which was hanging at her side, couldn’t help but reach up to flick Tang Xiaoran’s forehead. She asked with a voice full of complex emotions:

“Then… should I thank you in advance?”

Tang Xiaoran waved her hand cheerfully, replying while completely trashed, “No problem, no problem!”

She had no idea that she had just earned a new label in Xiao Shixin’s heart: Little Narcissist.

Xiao Shixin sighed and pulled the girl’s hands away, deciding it was better to go make her some sobering tea. She thought the girl was mischievous enough when sober, but she truly couldn’t handle the drunk version—there was no telling what world-shaking things might come out of that mouth next.

Night arrived quietly, and the city lights outside began to twinkle. The glass windows blocked out the noise of the world while perfectly presenting the bustling, neon-lit landscape.

Tang Xiaoran sat on the sofa, staring blankly out the window. Thinking of something, a look of loneliness entered her eyes, and she even forgot to breathe.

It wasn’t until her phone—hidden somewhere—began singing a familiar melody that she snapped back to her senses. She took a few deep breaths, nearly choking on her own saliva. She had no urge to find the phone, simply letting the music repeat over and over in the room.

Finally, it was Xiao Shixin who handed the incessantly noisy device to her.

She peeked reluctantly at the name jumping on the screen: Uncle Zhao.

Answering the call, she listened to the kind voice on the other end for a long while before replying, “…No need to save any. I’ve already had dinner.”

After a pause, she added: “Don’t save any for the next few days. I… I won’t be coming back at night. I’m staying with Sister Xin. If Dad or Big Brother don’t believe me, you can call her and ask.”

She intentionally avoided mentioning the only person left out, but the loneliness in her eyes made it look as though she was the one who had been left behind.

In the kitchen, finding that her stock of red and green beans was depleted, Xiao Shixin gave up on the tea and switched to brewing a pot of fruit tea instead.

Fragrant pear slices mixed with tart mandarin segments and sweet apple chunks; the aroma wafted out of the transparent pot with the steam. Xiao Shixin smelled the fruit fragrance and, hearing Tang Xiaoran’s words, thought calmly:

It seems this matter is quite significant.

What kind of event could make the fearless Tang Xiaoran feel so helpless that she would decide to hide out at her house?

Lifting the transparent lid and setting it aside, Xiao Shixin’s pale hand pinched a bag of rock sugar, slowly pulling it open. The gap grew wider. She tilted the bag, and with two clinks, two square little lumps of sugar fell into the pot.

As the sweet and tart fruit tea flowed over her tongue, Tang Xiaoran’s dizzy head finally felt saved. Holding the warm cup, she finally felt a bit of embarrassment for her impulsive decision. She didn’t dare meet Xiao Shixin’s eyes, only staring down at the tea in her cup.

After a long while, she squeezed out some words:

“Sister Xin… uh, it’s like… can I stay here with you—”

Before she could finish, her phone rang again.

Tang Xiaoran glanced at it and, seeing it was Tang Xiaoyu, heartlessly chose to hang up. However, the person on the other end seemed to know her mood; he persisted with dogged determination, leading Tang Xiaoran to lose her patience and block him.

With her sentence unfinished, she cleared her throat and decided to state her request quickly this time.

“I mean, can I stay here with you—”

The phone rang again.

This time, it was Xiao Shixin’s phone.

Tang Xiaoran stared expressionlessly as Xiao Shixin pulled out her phone. However, President Xiao was entirely unfazed by the gaze. Seeing the number on the screen, she raised an eyebrow, swiped to answer, and put it on speaker:

“Sister Xin, I’m really sorry to bother you, but I need to find my sister. Is she with you?”

The boy’s voice was full of irrepressible anxiety; it sounded like something had truly happened. Consequently, the impatience in Tang Xiaoran’s eyes faded, and she shifted her gaze awkwardly to the phone in Xiao Shixin’s hand.

“Go ahead,” Xiao Shixin replied calmly.

The person on the other end paused, likely guessing she had used speakerphone, but the situation was urgent—he couldn’t care about anything else:

“Tang Xiaoran, I know you’ve turned against me and don’t want to see me, but I’m telling you one thing now—”

“I didn’t intend to hand those materials over. But just now, when I went to Dad’s study to look for company documents, I saw an identical set of materials on his desk.”

He finished the long explanation at lightning speed, took a quick breath, and threw out the final sentence:

“There are three hours left until Big Brother gets home from work. Whether you come back or not is up to you.”

Tang Xiaoran: “!!!”

She bolted upright from the sofa!