After Rebirth, I Discovered the Whole World Wants to Harm Me [GL] - Chapter 24

From the moment she lay down last night, Tang Xiaoran’s entire brain had been occupied by the word “confession,” leaving no room for anything else.

She tossed and turned in bed, thinking of ways to make her confession unique and leave a deep impression on Xiao Shixin. Half an hour later, she accidentally kicked her blanket onto the floor. As she bent over to retrieve it, she reluctantly used her “boiled-for-thirty-minutes” brain to admit a fact:

No matter how brilliant she tried to be, she couldn’t say “I like you” in a way that blossomed into flowers.

She lay back down, covered herself up, and glanced at her phone. Seeing the time, she finally settled down. Eyes closed, sleep. Otherwise, she’d have to throw herself in the trash before seeing Xiao Shixin with a sleep-deprived face the next day.

The Next Day, 5:30 PM.

Tang Xiaoran appeared at the first-floor lobby of Xiao Group headquarters right on time, even cheerfully greeting the receptionist.

“Hello, do you have an appointment?” The receptionist was a fresh face. Seeing Tang Xiaoran dressed so exquisitely, she guessed she was here to see a VIP. She maintained a standard smile and asked politely in a soft voice.

Tang Xiaoran stared at her with interest for a long while, feeling an unprecedented urge to chat with a stranger. She asked with a grin, “You’re new, aren’t you?”

This sentence was so familiar—so familiar that the girl felt a crisis of being fired. She quickly ran through the list of Xiao Group leaders and their families in her head, even trying to recall financial news articles to identify this person. Half a minute later, she realized in despair… she really didn’t know her.

Heaven knows the psychological pressure she felt during that half-minute, to the point where her next question carried a trace of panic: “Yes. May I ask who you are looking for?”

“Oh, I’m looking for your President Xiao,” Tang Xiaoran replied straightforwardly.

The receptionist breathed a sigh of relief and reached for the internal phone. “One moment, I’ll help you—”

“Eh, no need.” Tang Xiaoran waved her off, stopping her. “Look, if you call, it has to be transferred, and then you have to wait for approval to let me in. It’s so much trouble. Let’s keep it simple.” Tang Xiaoran’s eyes curved like crescent moons; it was clear her mood was excellent.

Simple? The receptionist stared at her blankly.

Then came the next line: “I won’t go up. Just ask your President Xiao to come down.”

What?

The receptionist looked at her, blinked, then looked at the phone. In her mind, she was already playing the scene of her standing in front of HR waiting for her final paycheck.

At that moment, Tang Xiaoran couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

Nearby, a calm voice rang out: “Xiaoran.”

Tang Xiaoran didn’t have time to put away her laughter. Seeing the person, she smiled even wider, her voice bubbling with mirth. “Sister Xin!”

She couldn’t wait and took a couple of extra steps forward. Her eyes were sparkling at Xiao Shixin, as if she had secretly tucked a few stars inside them.

As they walked out together, Tang Xiaoran glanced back at the still-bewildered receptionist. She suppressed a light cough and praised, “Sister Xin, the girl at your front desk is quite fun.”

…Fun? Xiao Shixin looked back in confusion but saw nothing. Turning back to see the constant smile on Tang Xiaoran’s face and her high spirits, Xiao Shixin felt her own mood lift as well, though she didn’t know why.

After a thought, she sent a message to the HR manager: “Add a 15% bonus to the receptionist’s pay this month.”

“Sister Xin, I did a good deed yesterday.” As they walked toward the underground parking lot, Tang Xiaoran finally turned serious, setting the stage for the gift she was about to give.

Xiao Shixin saw her looking up with bright eyes. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if the girl was asking for praise and hesitated. But Tang Xiaoran didn’t notice the hesitation. Like a magic trick, she produced a square, deep blue box and held it out, her face still blooming like a flower.

“This is the reward for the good deed. Is it okay if I give it to you?”

Xiao Shixin’s eyelid twitched when she saw the brand logo on the box. When she opened it and saw the shimmering women’s watch inside, she began to think expressionlessly.

Seeing the anticipation and nervousness on Tang Xiaoran’s face, she suppressed her thoughts but eventually asked the question:

“Did you help a billionaire cross the street, or did you help a billionaire’s mother?”

…Who knew President Xiao’s sense of humor was so sudden.

Tang Xiaoran was speechless for three seconds before struggling to explain: “My ‘good deed’ was more along the lines of chivalry—acting for the people and eliminating a pest.”

Xiao Shixin looked at her calmly.

Tang Xiaoran slowly puffed out her cheeks, looking like she’d perform a variety show of grievances if the gift wasn’t accepted. However, President Xiao didn’t compromise at all.

She had to mutter dejectedly, “It wasn’t my money… if you don’t take it…”

President Xiao continued walking unmoved. Tang Xiaoran followed her all the way to her white Cayenne, pouting pitifully and tugging at her sleeve. “Fine, I won’t give you that. But I have another gift for you.”

Xiao Shixin stopped and looked at her face, waiting silently and seriously for her words. For some reason, Xiao Shixin felt a bit nervous. She felt that by rejecting the watch, the other person would surely produce something even more precious.

She suddenly wanted to go back on her decision—to act as if nothing happened and accept the watch.

“I’m giving myself to you. Do you want me?” As the thought appeared in Xiao Shixin’s mind, Tang Xiaoran’s smiling voice entered her ears.

It made her skip a breath.

Their gazes met—the deep brown, slightly round eyes looking into hers. The surface smile tried to hide the testing nature of the question, but the irrepressible expectation was more brilliant than any of those emotions.

Tang Xiaoran tried to make the sentence sound like a casual joke. But seeing Xiao Shixin’s long silence, she felt her joke might have failed.

For a moment, her heart was in her throat, like a person waiting for judgment before the gates of hell, not knowing what would fall upon her in the next second.

Every person who wants to confess, or is confessing, must have a moment of fear. Even a millisecond of regret. There must be. Because once that step is taken, only two paths remain: the instantaneous joy of gaining the whole world, or the sudden regret and loss of losing everything.

Tang Xiaoran felt a surge of frustration. The romantic scene she had planned, the restaurant she had booked—all ruined by this irrepressible impulse. In the short time Xiao Shixin remained silent, countless thoughts jumped through her mind, but she had no time to analyze them. She bit her lip anxiously, thinking: Quick, say something else. Don’t let her stay quiet like this.

“Xiao—”

“I was kidding!” When Xiao Shixin uttered the first syllable after her long silence, Tang Xiaoran blurted out the interruption.

Once the first sentence was out, the rest was easier. She even put her smile back on, imitating her previous cheerfulness perfectly. Only a forced mirth remained in her deep brown eyes. “I was joking. Did I scare you? Come on, let me take you to eat something good to calm your nerves.”

Sitting in the passenger seat, the girl seemed heartless as she joked, “You don’t want the gift, and you don’t want the person. At least let me treat you to dinner, right?”

Xiao Shixin glanced at her. Tang Xiaoran, seemingly knowing what she was about to say, raised her hands in surrender. “Okay, I’ll stop messing around. But the treat is for real. If you refuse me, I’ll cry.”

Xiao Shixin let out a long, silent breath. She didn’t speak, but she didn’t refuse either. It was a silent agreement.

The meal was plain and quiet.

Throughout the dinner, Xiao Shixin checked her expression, but almost every time she looked over, she met Tang Xiaoran’s gaze, and the youngster would flash a smile at her.

She slowly lowered her eyes to the food, thinking: I’ve made Tang Xiaoran unhappy.

Previously, when she heard Tang Xiaoran was dating Zhou Haoran, although she frowned because of the guy, her final thought was as long as she’s happy. When Tang Xiaoran returned to her life, she was overjoyed, treating this lost treasure with extreme care, wanting to cradle her in her palms.

But now, this person was clinging to her and wouldn’t leave, looking at her expectantly—and she didn’t know what to do.

Just yesterday, she told her mother that things were good as they were. she stood her ground with restraint, weighing her feelings on a scale, ready to take away any excess for fear of scaring the girl away.

Yet, just as she drew a line for herself, the youngster came charging from the starting line right up to her, almost hugging her and saying “I like you.”

The only times Xiao Shixin felt at a loss in her life were because of this same person.

She finished the meal in a daze, feeling out of place. Then she heard the person opposite provide a way out: “Sister Xin, I’ll head home first then.”

Tang Xiaoran sensed her dilemma. Although she wanted to act recklessly like an un-grown child and confess without a second thought, she couldn’t say a word after sensing Xiao Shixin’s mood. She couldn’t even bear to make her feel awkward.

“I’ll drive you,” Xiao Shixin said reflexively.

She was met with Tang Xiaoran’s back and a smiling voice: “No need! Big Brother is eating nearby; I’ll head back with him. Be careful on the road home, Sister Xin~”

The moment she stepped out of the restaurant, the smile on Tang Xiaoran’s face collapsed.

Just then, her phone rang. She answered without looking but didn’t speak.

The familiar male voice on the other end said, “Hello? Tang Xiaoran? Are you coming home for dinner tonight?”

In that instant, her vision blurred. Warm liquid fell from her eyes. In the middle of the crowded mall, she could no longer maintain her pride. She doubled over, her composure completely shattered.

Hearing no response for a long while, Tang Xiaoyu thought the call hadn’t gone through. He pulled the phone away in confusion—it was definitely connected.

Then, an irrepressible sob came from the other end:

“What should I do?”

“I like her so much, Tang Xiaoyu. What am I supposed to do?”