After Rebirth, I Discovered the Whole World Wants to Harm Me [GL] - Chapter 3

If Tang Xiaozhang hadn’t stepped out to take a phone call, there’s no telling how much longer Tang Xiaoran’s awkwardness would have lasted.

Only she and Xiao Shixin remained at the table. Soft, warm light fell from above, casting a gentle glow over the woman opposite her, yet it did nothing to soften the cold, sharp intensity of her features.

She was undeniably exquisite—fair-skinned and beautiful—yet the lines around her eyes, the set of her lips, and the curve of her jaw seemed to freeze the very air around her, lowering the temperature of the skin bathed in that golden light.

Tang Xiaoran stole a glance at her before looking back down at the menu, reaching a silent conclusion: The face is a mirror of the soul; she looks cold because her heart is made of ice.

The news of the acquisition she had seen in her past life was like a thorn embedded in her heart. Every time she saw Xiao Shixin, it pricked her again.

Xiao Shixin naturally felt Tang Xiaoran’s coldness—even a subtle hostility. Her hand paused while flipping through the menu, the page happening to rest on “Char Siu Rice Noodle Rolls.”

After a moment, she looked expressionlessly at the order sheet on the table, picked up a pencil, and made a sharp checkmark next to the dish.

The food at this restaurant was excellent, and business was always brisk; it was a small, high-end private eatery. Due to the price point, the clientele was refined and the atmosphere quiet. Even so, during peak hours, one needed to book three days in advance.

Aside from the private rooms, the dining area was spacious. Each table was separated by semi-transparent decorative screens, providing excellent privacy.

It was precisely because of this intimate atmosphere that Tang Xiaoran found being alone with Xiao Shixin so agonizing. After flipping through the menu three times from start to finish, she still hadn’t decided what to eat.

Just as she reached for the pencil to mark her favorite rice noodle rolls, a sudden burst of rhythmic, sonorous music rang out—

It was the melody familiar to every person in the country: the intro to the CCTV Evening News.

She wore a look of disbelief and turned toward the sound. Who on earth would play the News Broadcast on speaker in a place like this?

At the neighboring table sat a young man who had come out with his father to discuss business. For professional reasons, he was checking current affairs, but his headphones had malfunctioned, failing to register even after being plugged in.

After a few seconds of fumbling, he finally hit the volume key to mute it.

During those few seconds, as Tang Xiaoran turned to look at the booth next door, her hand reached for the order sheet.

The only pencil was still in Xiao Shixin’s hand. Noticing Xiaoran’s movement, she intended to pass it over.

The girl, who hadn’t turned her head back yet, naturally didn’t see this. Her hand reached out and landed directly on the back of Xiao Shixin’s hand.

Instead of cold, rough paper, she felt slightly warm skin.

Tang Xiaoran jumped, wanting to pull back as if she’d been electrocuted—

But she felt as if she were being pulled by a mysterious gravitational force, instantly falling into a strange world.

It was a vast office decorated in the most minimalist black and white. Even a green plant by the desk grew in a perfectly orderly fashion, as if afraid to release too much vitality lest it overstep its bounds.

Two people were in the room, one standing and one sitting. The one sitting was Xiao Shixin.

Tang Xiaoran stood in the corner, looking dazed. One second I was eating dinner, and the next I’ve traveled into Xiao Shixin’s office?

Stranger still, the entire world was grey and hazy, and the two women didn’t seem to notice her sudden appearance.

The woman in the office chair possessed a cold, rigid aura that merged perfectly with the decor. Her presence was far more intimidating than it had been at dinner, as if she had suppressed all human emotion to become a perfectly functioning precision machine.

Her gaze fell coldly on the secretary before her. Her voice carried an unquestionable authority: “I want to see an acquisition plan for Gaosheng in the shortest time possible.”

The woman standing before the desk, dressed in professional attire, habitually bowed her head in agreement but pushed up her glasses with a troubled expression. “But, President Xiao, when Gaosheng’s stock crashed earlier, some of our people made contact. Gaosheng… seems to be planning to declare bankruptcy directly.”

In other words, they didn’t intend to sell to anyone.

Xiao Shixin watched her calmly. Only when the secretary was almost unable to withstand the pressure did she speak at a measured pace: “I want to see the plan by 5:00 PM. Don’t worry about the price for now. Also, call a board meeting for 7:00 AM tomorrow to discuss the acquisition. Notify them.”

Knowing the decision was final, the secretary nodded again. Seeing Xiao Shixin’s heavy gaze fixed on the news, she suppressed her confusion and walked out.

Until she carefully closed the office door, Xiao Shixin’s attention remained on the television.

It was the local news. The host, with a standard expression and tone, was reporting on the Gaosheng Group: the accidental car crash of the current CEO, Tang Xiaozhang, followed by Tang Zhihua—Tang Xiaoran’s father—being rushed to the hospital with a sudden brain hemorrhage. Gaosheng’s stock was in a freefall.

Tang Xiaoran had somehow moved beside the TV. She turned to look at the woman sitting behind the desk, her eyes filled with deep sorrow. She whispered: “Why did you buy Gaosheng? What exactly… do you have to do with my family’s tragedies?”

But the woman couldn’t see her. She simply reached out, turned off the news, and picked up her phone to dial a number.

Tang Xiaoran felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if she had suddenly returned to her powerless state as a ghost after death: unable to do anything, forced to watch every tragedy unfold.

Her eyes were wide, and due to her suppressed emotions, her whites were bloodshot. Stepping toward Xiao Shixin, she leaned over the desk, as if trying with all her might to peer into the depths of this woman’s soul.

The call connected, and the voice on the other end temporarily diverted her attention:

“President Xiao?”

It was her uncle, Tang Zhicheng. She had heard that when Gaosheng was in total chaos, her uncle had stepped up to maintain things for a few days.

A flash of coldness appeared in Xiao Shixin’s eyes, seemingly dropping the already low room temperature by several more degrees.

“Uncle Cheng, know when to stop. Uncle Hua might still wake up.”

The hate and anger in Tang Xiaoran’s eyes, upon hearing those words, felt like ice on a winter lake meeting a warm breeze; a crack immediately appeared in the surface.

What does that mean?

“What are you saying, Little President Xiao? I also hope my brother wakes up safe and sound. Isn’t it just that the company is in a crisis? I’m not like you elites; I don’t have experience running a company.” The voice over the speaker held a hint of a smile. There was no sense of “crisis” in his tone; instead, he sounded quite composed and smug.

Xiao Shixin ignored his words. She kept her eyes half-lidded, looking at her phone screen with an unreadable expression. She continued calmly: “In that case, the Xiao Group will send someone over tomorrow to discuss the acquisition plan. I hope Uncle Cheng will be… merciful.”

“Oh, my, Little Xiao, isn’t that a bit dishonorable? It’s better if outsiders stay out of our Tang family’s business.” The man on the other end laughed before uttering the second half of the sentence with deep meaning.

Tang Xiaoran felt like she was suddenly in the middle of a corporate war drama. Like a complete “silly, white, and sweet” naive girl, she couldn’t quite grasp the hidden meanings in this battle of words.

As if to clear her confusion, her uncle’s next sentence came through:

“Little Xiao, don’t blame your Uncle Cheng for not warning you. With your current net worth, don’t do something so thankless—no one in the Tang family will appreciate your kindness.”

Xiao Shixin remained silent for two seconds. After a moment, she opened her lips to say something—

Tang Xiaoran wanted to keep listening, but at that exact moment, the mysterious attraction reappeared, grabbing her hand and throwing her out of that world.

In a whirlwind of dizziness, she found herself back in the warm restaurant. Her brain’s reflex arc finally completed its command, making her pull her hand back abruptly.

The strange news intro had long since vanished, and Xiao Shixin was holding the pencil out to her, seemingly having missed her “avoiding-it-like-the-plague” reaction.

Tang Xiaoran, suddenly feeling the hallucinatory whims the world had placed upon her, looked at the person in front of her. For a moment, she couldn’t distinguish between illusion and reality. Her mind spun several times before she finally processed it.

But her first thought was: What was Xiao Shixin about to say just now?

Recalling the images she saw when she touched the woman’s hand, instinct drove her to…

Grab the hand President Xiao was using to offer the pencil.

She held on firmly, gripping it tight.

The skin on the palm was smooth as jade.

Warmth traveled to her brain, but no further images appeared.

It was at this moment that Tang Xiaozhang finally finished his call and walked around the corner. The sight that met his eyes was his younger sister staring intensely at Xiao Shixin, still gripping the other woman’s hand without letting go.

Big Brother Tang: “…???” What did I miss??

The Author has something to say:

Little Theater:

Xiao Shixin: “One second you’re all thorns toward me, the next you’re coming up to take advantage of me. What prompted this change?”

Tang Xiaoran: “…It was the News Broadcast!”

News Broadcast: “I’m not taking the blame for this.”