After Rebirth, I Discovered the Whole World Wants to Harm Me [GL] - Chapter 2

The air itself seemed to fall into a dead silence.

Even Tang’s father, who had just walked in with his old friend and his daughter, froze in place upon hearing those words.

Sensing the nearly stagnant atmosphere, Tang Xiaoran belatedly turned her head—only to lock eyes with Xiao Shixin’s expressionless face nearby.

It was as if she hadn’t heard a single word.

“Ho, I haven’t seen you for a few days, Xiaoran, but this ambition of yours truly makes me look at you in a new light.” An energetic middle-aged man walking beside Tang’s father praised her with a smile, hands tucked behind his back. Thanks to his long-standing “friendship boat” with her father being very sturdy, it wasn’t about to capsize over a single sentence from Tang Xiaoran.

“Hello, Uncle Xiao. Hello, Sister Xin.” Tang Xiaoyu rubbed the tip of his nose with the back of his hand. He glanced at his “idiot” sister and greeted the guests with forced politeness, desperate to change the subject for her.

Tang Xiaozhang also greeted Uncle Xiao and gave Xiao Shixin a nod.

When it was Tang Xiaoran’s turn, she honestly didn’t know if it was better to wake up from this dream or stay in it. Ultimately, relying on her skin being three inches thick, she squeezed out a stiff smile and pretended she hadn’t said anything, simply repeating Tang Xiaoyu’s greeting.

Before her father led the guests to the study, she received a “death stare.”

I’ll deal with you later. That was how she translated that look.

Perhaps because it concerned internal company business, Tang Xiaozhang gave her head a somewhat stiff, comforting pat. Ignoring the small patch of “unknown liquid” on his suit lapel, he turned and followed the group upstairs.

Tang Xiaoyu watched his brother’s receding back, the brightness in his eyes dimming instantly—until he saw Tang Xiaoran following them like a little tail.

Tang Xiaoyu: “…???” Wait! What does this have to do with you?

On the second floor, besides the study, there was a small tea room used for receiving guests and discussing business. Tang’s father led the two guests into the tea room, while Tang Xiaozhang continued a bit further down the hall to fetch documents from the study.

As Xiao Shixin entered the tea room, she happened to glance back and saw Tang Xiaoran trailing behind her brother.

As she withdrew her gaze, a thought flashed through her mind: If I remember correctly, the relationship between Xiaoran and her big brother isn’t that great.

Tang Xiaozhang didn’t realize someone was following him until he entered the study. Turning around and seeing her, he paused in surprise. “What’s wrong?”

In truth, Tang Xiaoran didn’t know why she had the urge to follow him. It was just a subconscious need to be near her brother, as if staying close to him could keep those nightmare-like disasters at bay.

Strands of black curly hair fell over her shoulders, slightly messy from her nap. Beneath her bangs, a pair of deep brown eyes showed a hint of helplessness, and she was unconsciously wringing her fingers.

Suddenly faced with her brother’s question, she blinked several times, unsure how to respond. She scrambled to throw a random question back at him: “Uh, are we planning to do business with the Xiao family soon?”

Tang Xiaozhang was quite surprised. He hadn’t expected her to suddenly care about the family business. After a moment of thought, he nodded. “A partnership project. They’re planning to develop a new series this year and want to outsource the production to us.”

As he spoke, he walked toward the desk, pulled a folder from a stack of documents, and handed it to Tang Xiaoran.

Seeing her take the file with a dazed expression, he paused and added: “Xiaoyu told Dad a couple of days ago that he wanted to be in charge of this order. Did you come up to get the documents for him?”

She shook her head, flipped through the file, and handed it back. “He didn’t mention this to me. Better let him come get it himself.”

Seeing her standing there in silence, seemingly unwilling to leave, Tang Xiaozhang had the sudden illusion that she was clinging to him.

It felt like they had instantly reverted to the time when she and Tang Xiaoyu were very small. Back then, the two little toddlers would cling to him, crying “Brother, Brother,” following him wherever he went.

Shaking off the thought, Tang Xiaozhang took off his jacket and placed it on a chair. He picked up another document and headed for the door. Seeing the slight, lonely figure in the room, he couldn’t help but ask:

“I need to take these documents over now. Did… something happen?”

Tang Xiaoran hesitated, not knowing whether to shake or nod her head. Finally, she lowered her eyes and replied, “No.”

No, I just want to follow you.

Tang Xiaozhang frowned again, but since his father was waiting, he had to head to the tea room.

Left alone, Tang Xiaoran pinched her thigh so hard she silently winced in the study.

…This really isn’t a dream? I’ve really come back to life?

When she returned downstairs, before she even touched the sofa, Tang Xiaoyu’s question hit her: “What were you doing following Tang Xiaozhang up there?”

The girl snatched some of his potato chips and stuffed them into her mouth. She tilted her head to look at him, the slight flush at the corners of her eyes making her look particularly beautiful. After swallowing, she replied simply: “Nothing, just went up to take a look.”

Tang Xiaoyu let out a mocking scoff. Thinking of something, he also grabbed a handful of chips and spoke around a mouthful: “You’d better stay away from him.”

Uncle Zhao, watching the siblings from a distance, silently retreated toward the small garden.

However, before he could take more than a few steps, he heard Tang Xiaoran’s clear voice: “No.”

The boy almost thought he was hallucinating, stunned by the forceful rejection. It took a few seconds for him to react, a look of betrayal washing over his face. Just as he was about to speak, the tea room door opened. Xiao Shixin and Tang Xiaozhang walked out one after the other. He had no choice but to swallow his words along with the chips.

Both CEOs were the type to keep their emotions hidden, but at this moment, their faces held a touch of stiffness as they walked downstairs.

As Tang Xiaozhang approached the door, he belatedly said to Uncle Zhao by the balcony: “Uncle Zhao, no need to prepare dinner for me.”

Uncle Zhao acknowledged this, but Tang Xiaoran wasn’t ready to quit her “Big Brother dependency” just yet. Hearing this, she instinctively chimed in: “Where are you going? I want to go too!”

Xiao Shixin gave her a faint look. Tang Xiaozhang gave her one too.

Then, after looking at each other, they unexpectedly said in unison: “Okay.”

…Is something wrong with this scene?

Tang Xiaoyu watched the interaction between Tang Xiaozhang and Xiao Shixin, then looked back at his sister. He felt something was off. By the time Tang Xiaoran ran upstairs to change and came back down, he had been racking his brain trying to remember their expressions. Suddenly, remembering a casual comment their father had made earlier, his eyes widened.

He reached out to grab the girl as she ran past him like a gust of wind. Under her confused gaze, he said in an incredulous tone:

“It looks like they’re going on a blind date?!”

Huh? What?

Tang Xiaoran felt a boom go off in her head.

If her brother and Xiao Shixin actually got together, how was she supposed to carry out her revenge plan?!

She firmly patted Tang Xiaoyu’s shoulder and said seriously: “In that case, I definitely have to go!”

To sabotage it!

Tang Xiaoyu had intended to hold her back, but a thought flashed through his mind like lightning, causing him to immediately withdraw his hand.

If this pair doesn’t work out, wouldn’t that suit my interests perfectly?

Tang Xiaoran was now entirely focused on how to break up the “happy couple.” Countless scripts flashed through her mind, and she completely missed her brother’s expression. She threw on her shoes and dashed out.

However…

Her “talents” were completely wasted in the car. Since neither of the other two had any intention of talking, the silence in the air was enough to suffocate ten Tang Xiaorans.

Tang Xiaoran swallowed hard. She looked at her brother in the driver’s seat, then peeked at Xiao Shixin through the rearview mirror as she looked down at her phone in the back. She silently deleted the drama she had planned in her head.

It wasn’t until the car stopped at SUNRISE restaurant that the three of them got out in silence.

Once seated, and taking advantage of the moment Xiao Shixin went to wash her hands, Tang Xiaoran—having held her breath for too long—rushed to ask: “Brother, are you two really on a date?”

Tang Xiaozhang’s expression became complicated for a moment. He neither admitted nor denied it. After organizing his thoughts, he replied: “…Father and Uncle Xiao wanted us to have a meal together.”

Tang Xiaoran looked at the menu and thought this was the most “pure” dinner she had ever seen. But no—even if there was a one-in-a-billion chance for this blind date, she had to nip it in the bud. Puffing out her cheeks, she looked at her brother with burning intensity:

“Brother, I don’t think you can be with Xiao Shixin.”

The black-haired man had a few strands of hair falling over his forehead, though most was swept back to reveal a clean brow. His handsome features and strong aura were prominent. Hearing her words, he looked down at her and responded slowly: “…Mm.”

Tang Xiaoran wasn’t satisfied. She decided to convince him with logic: “After all, we’re going to make the Xiao family go bankrupt in the future!”

Tang Xiaozhang’s hand reaching for his teacup paused. He thought it was a good thing he hadn’t taken a sip yet. With a touch of helplessness in his eyes, he tapped the table and asked softly: “Do you know what the market value of the Xiao Group would be if it went public?”

Tang Xiaoran lowered her head to sip her tea, glancing at him sideways as she whispered back: “Can’t we afford it?”

Tang Xiaozhang cleared his throat and said frankly: “Ten Gaosheng Groups couldn’t afford it.”

The girl’s eyes widened in shock. After a long moment, she nodded decisively. “Then you definitely can’t marry in, Brother. They’re total bullies.”

Tang Xiaozhang: “…?” Wait, we’re already using the word ‘marry in’?

From behind them, Xiao Shixin—who had just returned to her seat—couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle.

Tang Xiaozhang was helpless. To prevent his sister from saying anything else about bankruptcy in front of the actual CEO of the Xiao Group, he decided to lay his cards on the table.

“I’m sorry, saying this might disappoint Uncle Xiao—but I am gay.” He looked steadily at Xiao Shixin and made a solemn coming-out statement.

Xiao Shixin’s features were somewhat sharp, and her aura was particularly cold when she was expressionless. In a way, she and Tang Xiaozhang were the same type: both possessed a high-ranking, naturally authoritative presence.

Hearing his words, she calmly picked up her teacup. She looked at the siblings across from her, and facing such a revelation from her “date,” she didn’t even bat an eyelid:

“What a coincidence. So am I.”

Tang Xiaoran’s expression shifted from the confusion of hearing her brother come out to total stupefaction.

If she were a reporter right now, she might be rubbing her hands in excitement at witnessing the mutual coming-out of two of S-City’s biggest corporate giants—she probably would have had tomorrow’s headline ready!

But she wasn’t!

She sat dazed for a long while, looking at her cold-faced brother and then at the ice-cold beauty opposite them. Finally, she uttered the most appropriate line for a third party involved in a blind date:

“…Am—Am I interrupting?”