Chapter Eighteen: The Bitter Relatives!
“Ah—don’t get me wrong! I mean, could I borrow that suit in your backpack for a bit?” The young man stared at her scattered bag on the ground, then pointed to his nose reddened from the cold. “I rushed out without a coat. Who would’ve thought it’d be this cold? Achoo! Achoo!”
“…Here.”
If only he’d said so earlier—she nearly smeared her milk tea all over him.
“Thank you! Thank you!”
The young man wrapped the jacket tightly around himself but still shivered uncontrollably. “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Tan Xiao, the spirit binder responsible for this area! Judging by your uniform, you must be from the nearby Third Middle School, right? I’ll return the jacket when I pass by your school another day!”
“Uh… no need to bother. Consider it a gift!” Better not meet again.
“That won’t do. I’m a Party member—I can’t take a single stitch that belongs to the people!” Tan Xiao tapped the Party emblem inside his jacket.
So this spirit binder is part of the system?
Tang Wange tugged at the corner of her mouth.
“Master Tan, what do you intend to do with that Ling Fish?”
“She’s reached the end of her lifespan. Within three days, she’ll be reduced to ashes inside the Spirit Binding Tower.”
“Is death the only path?”
Tang Wange felt the Ling Fish’s nature wasn’t malevolent; it had never harmed anyone. But its obsession was too deep, leading to such a tragic fate—that was truly sorrowful.
“Don’t forget, the Ling Fish just tried to eat you. Ashes are already the best outcome for her.”
Tan Xiao had never before met someone capable of pitying a ghost or demon!
Though reluctant, rules were rules; business must be handled properly…
“Little girl, forget everything that just happened and go on living your life as you should.” Tan Xiao extended a finger and touched the space between Tang Wange’s brows. “As for your damaged backpack, I will compensate you.”
Tang Wange wanted to ask more but found herself speechless, feeling a faint warmth at her brow.
Blinking, the bustling crowd around her blurred in dizzying waves; a few seconds felt like a lifetime.
When the dizziness subsided, she looked down to see her torn backpack at her feet.
“This is…”
“Heavens! How did my backpack end up like this? Ah! My exercise book! My homework’s all shredded! Zhao He? Was this you? Zhao He…”
Her mind felt like mush. Just as she was about to call Zhao He out for an explanation, a shadow suddenly fell over her.
She froze, then looked up to meet a face she couldn’t have recognized more clearly.
“Xie Junjun?”
---
Tang Wange’s aunt’s family had two children: her cousin Xie An and her cousin Xie Junjun.
“It really is you, cousin Wange!”
Xie Junjun wore the Sixth Middle School uniform, accompanied by several close friends.
“My friends and I were out singing, and right away I saw you standing there with a scruffy man dressed oddly. I didn’t dare believe it at first, but when I got closer just now, it was really you, cousin Wange!”
“What scruffy man?”
Tang Wange was utterly confused.
“Cousin, don’t play dumb! We all saw it—you know, that man touched your forehead and even put money into your backpack!”
Xie Junjun said this as she pulled three hundred-yuan bills from a compartment in Tang Wange’s backpack.
What? Where did that money come from?
“Cousin, I never thought that after moving out from my family’s place, you’d turn bad? If you need money, just ask my parents—they’ve raised you all these years and wouldn’t bear to see you fall so low. Or better yet, find an honest way to work part-time! How could you stoop to such shameful, shady dealings?”
Xie Junjun’s tone dripped with sarcasm as she raised her hand and slapped the three hundred yuan onto Tang Wange’s face.
Her deliberately loud voice drew the attention of passersby, who began pointing and whispering.
“Xie Junjun, I don’t understand what you’re talking about!” Tang Wange’s face flushed red at the sudden insult and accusation. “I’ve never done anything like you say! And your Xie family has never given me even a penny!”
“Cousin, you’re truly ungrateful!” Xie Junjun sneered.
Her classmates glared at Tang Wange with disdain.
“Ungrateful? What is your Xie family then? Vampires?”
Years of pent-up grievance and fury surged through Tang Wange’s heart all at once.
“My parents died, and where did all the compensation money go? Who, under the pretense of raising me, sold the only house my parents left me? At twelve, I was forced to wash dishes and work part-time, giving half my earnings to your Xie family! I thought that’s how I’d earn a bit of love from my aunt and uncle—it was my own fault for being naive!”
“But now I’ve moved out and cut ties with you, yet you still bully and slander me in public!” Tang Wange’s eyes reddened as she spoke clearly, silencing the crowd. “If you refuse to keep any respect or space for me, then I won’t care about appearances anymore! We’ll settle everything soon, and you’ll return everything that belongs to me!”
“Smack!”
A sharp, crisp slap landed on Tang Wange’s cheek.
“What a shameful family to raise such an ungrateful brat!”
The burning pain stunned Tang Wange. When she saw the one who slapped her was her uncle, she staggered back a few steps—only to fall unexpectedly into a familiar embrace.
---
“Zhao He…”
“Stand firm.”
His two soft words whispered by her ear, then he lifted his long leg and fiercely kicked behind Tang Wange.
She tumbled headfirst into his arms, nose catching the faint scent of soap pods from his shirt.
“Ouch! What a curse… that hurts! Who’s this kid?”
Her uncle’s pitiful wail mixed with the gasps and surprised murmurs of the crowd.
Xie Junjun, still shaken, hurried forward to support her father. “Dad! Are you okay? I’m calling the police now to have them arrested!”
Calling the police?
Tang Wange swiftly turned her head.
Zhao He had no ID card; if he got caught as an undocumented person, it would be trouble.
With that thought, she didn’t hesitate. She bent down, grabbed the scattered three hundred yuan, took Zhao He’s arm, and ran.
“Little brat! If you’ve got guts, don’t run! Ouch, that really hurts…”
“Tang Wange!!”
Their angry shouts trailed behind her.
Tang Wange and Zhao He ran through the crowded streets until they reached the sparsely populated riverside bridge, where she finally let go.
Leaning against the railing, she panted heavily but couldn’t stop smiling.
As she smiled, tears reluctantly slipped down…
A cool, gentle finger wiped away a tear. She turned her head to see the handsome man standing there in a thin shirt and trousers despite the biting cold.
“Zhao He, you shouldn’t be so good to me.”
Tang Wange’s lips trembled, tears stinging her reddened cheeks painfully. “If one day you suddenly disappear like my parents did, what will I do then, Zhao He…”
“Live well.”
Zhao He lifted his hand, brushing the stray hair from her forehead. “No matter what happens, you must stay strong and brave.”