My Arrogant Young Lady

"..." At this moment, Zhang Xuan's expression changed.

"I like you!" My heart pounded with even more nervousness, and I couldn't help but confess. I was so afraid, increasingly afraid that someone else would take her away. Tang Wendi had already made his move, and I had to win her over before he did.

“Dad…” Zhang Xuan’s face turned even more grim as she looked at me.

Hearing her words, I realized something was wrong. Her gaze was off; she wasn't looking at me, but rather at something behind me…

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Unspeakable

After much difficulty, I finally made up my mind and spoke the words that had been hidden in my heart. At that moment, I suddenly felt my face turn pale and my body go cold. I could feel someone behind me, and cold sweat gradually began to trickle down my forehead.

Zhang Xuan looked even more embarrassed as she saw me. She glared at me fiercely, then put on a docile expression and looked behind me, saying, "Dad, you're back."

"Well, how's everything at home these days?" A serious voice came from behind.

"It's great, I've missed you." Zhang Xuan said sweetly.

"Really? I missed you too." Then, someone gently patted my shoulder.

His slap almost made me fall. I was already in pain from Tang Wendi's blow, and now my legs felt weak. My face turned even paler, and I said with a very embarrassed expression, "Uncle..."

"Come on, let's go upstairs." My uncle smiled at me, as if he hadn't heard our conversation.

As I walked upstairs with my uncle, my heart was pounding. I thought to myself, he must have heard me, but he was just pretending not to. Luckily, it was my uncle who heard me; he didn't say anything, saving me some face. If my aunt had heard me, she would have definitely scolded me to death.

Then I glanced at Zhang Xuan again, and an indescribable feeling welled up inside me.

The three of them walked into the house together, and I saw my aunt's harsh gaze. She just gave me a disdainful look, then coldly looked at my uncle and said, "What, so you finally decided to come back?"

"I've been busy at work and haven't been home these past few days," the uncle said.

"Heh, I thought you were dead," Auntie sneered.

Seeing his aunt's harsh tone, his uncle also seemed annoyed. However, being an honest man, he didn't want to argue with her and remained silent. He glanced at the kitchen and asked his aunt, "Have you cooked yet?"

"I didn't do it, I'm not in the mood," my aunt said.

"Heh, I'm out there working myself to the bone to earn money every day, and all you do is stay home and spend money on beauty treatments. I finally come back once in a while, and you don't even cook a meal?" The uncle took a deep breath and finally couldn't hold back his anger.

"Isn't it not time yet? What are you yelling at me for? Look at the time! It's not even four o'clock yet. What kind of food are you eating so early? Are you starving?" Auntie shouted.

"What if Wang Xi gets hungry?" the uncle asked loudly.

“What does it matter to me if he’s hungry? Do I have to serve him every day?” My aunt didn’t spoil him at all.

Seeing my uncle and aunt arguing more and more fiercely, the noise in the house grew louder and louder. Zhang Xuan couldn't bear it anymore and quietly tried to mediate. Meanwhile, I resented my aunt; seeing how badly she treated me, I even wanted my uncle to divorce her. Anyway, my uncle was the breadwinner, and my aunt contributed nothing to the family. If they divorced, I'd be better off.

I feel that if I use a little trick and act pitiful in front of my uncle, he might get angry and fight with my aunt, or even get a divorce.

But looking at Zhang Xuan, I sighed inwardly. I thought to myself that I was just a passerby in this family, not their real family. Although my aunt wasn't good to me, she had worked very hard all these years taking care of me and cooking for me. And she knew I was sick, so she never made me do any heavy work. She just had a sharp tongue and was very pragmatic; let her say what she wanted. I shouldn't ruin this family.

"Uncle, Zhang Xuan and I ate out for lunch. Don't be angry, I'm not hungry at all." After thinking for a moment, I whispered to my uncle.

"Damn it, what's the use of having a wife like you?" My uncle ignored me and angrily said to my aunt.

"Haha, what's wrong? You're starting to dislike me now? If you think I'm not good enough, go find someone else, go find a female college student. Anyway, you're rich now, if you don't like me, just find someone else," Auntie said loudly.

My uncle and aunt have argued like this countless times, and my aunt always says this when she gets angry. But my uncle has never changed his mind; he still loves my aunt very much.

Afraid they would argue again, I quickly covered my uncle's mouth. My uncle truly loves me and never scolds me no matter what I do. With my hand covering his mouth, he couldn't argue anymore, so he reluctantly removed my hand and said, "Fine, let's go out to eat. I thought today was Dumpling Festival, and I wanted to come home and have some fun, but I didn't expect to make me angry as soon as I got back. If it weren't for Zhang Xuan and Wang Xi, I really wouldn't want to come back to this house."

"Then get out!" Auntie shouted.

"Damn it, fine, get out!" My uncle still had a temper; he cursed and left with me and Zhang Xuan.

My uncle is truly a good man. He bought a nice car for his family and let my aunt drive it. And even though he's a big boss, he only takes taxis when he goes out, or sometimes rides in the company's small truck.

He took Zhang Xuan and me to a big restaurant, and my uncle asked for the menu so that Zhang Xuan and I could order. Then his face turned red, and he looked a little angry.

"Make some dumplings for your mom too, she loves celery filling. I'll take them back to her after dinner, I won't be going home," the uncle said.

"Okay." Zhang Xuan nodded gently and ordered several plates of dumplings and a few side dishes.

Gradually, the three of us ran out of things to say and exchanged glances. I remembered that my uncle had overheard me confessing my feelings to Zhang Xuan, and my face flushed red again.

Thankfully, the dumplings at this restaurant came out quickly. The three of us didn't say anything, we just kept our heads down and quietly ate our dumplings.

I had hotpot for lunch, so I wasn't feeling very hungry for dinner since it was so early. I noticed Zhang Xuan was the same; she glanced at me furtively, looking quite embarrassed.

My phone rang; someone had sent me a message. My mood had just started to improve, but seeing the message immediately soured it.

"You little brat, are you trying to play tricks on me? Just you wait until Monday, when your big brother will have some fun with you."

It was an unfamiliar number, but I knew who it was just by the tone of voice. Annoyed by the message, I thought for a moment and then turned off my phone.

"Wang Xi, has no one been bullying you at school lately?" my uncle suddenly asked me.

Hearing my uncle's words, I was taken aback. Thinking about Tang Wendi, who had just hit me, I wondered if I should tell my uncle. But then I thought better of it. Tang Wendi was a notorious thug outside of school; he had many henchmen, and even Young Master Bao was afraid of him. My uncle, on the other hand, was a respectable businessman. Even if I told him, it wouldn't do any good. He wouldn't help me get revenge; at most, he'd just talk to Brother Wendi. Not only would it not solve the problem, it would only make Tang Wendi even angrier.

Tang Wendi is quite the actor; he acts like a perfect gentleman in front of Zhang Xuan. If I ruin his image, he might resort to despicable means to deal with Zhang Xuan.

Being threatened is a very unpleasant experience.

“Nobody’s here, Uncle. Things have been fine lately, and Xuanxuan has been very kind to me,” I said.

"Okay, that's good. If anyone bullies you, I'll go to your school to find them," the uncle said.

Hearing my uncle's words, I felt helpless. I thought to myself, my uncle probably thought it was someone from school; he'd be shocked if he knew I'd offended someone outside of school. That Tang Wendi is too scary; I'd better not put my uncle in a difficult position.

The meal was finished quickly; Zhang Xuan and I didn't eat much. My uncle, however, seemed very hungry, as if he hadn't eaten lunch. He then asked the waiter to pack up the rest so Zhang Xuan could take it back to my aunt. Seeing that my uncle really wasn't going home, and I didn't know how many days it would be before I saw him again, I immediately asked him, "Uncle, when are my parents coming to pick me up?"

"Why are you suddenly asking this? Aren't you doing well staying at our house?" my uncle asked me.

"I miss my parents." Thinking about the humiliation I suffered, my nose felt a little sore.

Seeing that I looked upset, my uncle felt a little sorry for me. Then he smiled, patted my head and said, "Don't worry, your parents will never abandon you. They love you, and I believe they will come to pick you up."

"Then, when are they coming to pick me up?" I asked again.

“This…” My uncle frowned after hearing what I said.

“Uncle, you don’t have to tell me when they’re coming to pick me up. But can you tell me who my parents are?” I asked.

"Wang Xi, who said anything to you?!" The uncle's eyes suddenly became wary, and he looked extremely serious.

I was startled by my uncle's expression; I never expected him to look like that. Then he frowned, thought for a moment, and lied, saying, "Someone said something to me, and a lot of things..."

"Who is he? What does he look like?!" My uncle's expression changed drastically, and he immediately grabbed my arm tightly.

"Uncle..." I was surprised, and I felt a sharp pain in my arm from his grip.

"Tell me quickly, what does that person look like? Where is he? When did you see him?!" my uncle asked me loudly, ignoring the surprised looks from the other customers in the restaurant.

"He, he..." Looking at my uncle's nervous expression, I was at a loss for words.

"Dad, Wang Xi is lying to you. We've been together the whole time, and nobody's been looking for him!" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but chime in, having witnessed the whole thing.

"What? You're lying to me?" My uncle looked at me in surprise.

"Yes, I was lying to you. I miss my parents, please tell me where they are!?" Zhang Xuan saw through my lie, so I stopped trying to fool my uncle. Suddenly, I felt like crying because I really missed my parents.

"I can't say," my uncle said, frowning as he looked at me.

"That same phrase again! If you know, you know; if you don't, you don't. What do you mean by 'can't say'? Are you playing me? Tell me, why can't I say?" I couldn't help but yell, my eyes already blurry.

"Because..." My uncle looked very troubled after hearing my words. He seemed to be thinking about something, trying hard to organize his thoughts.

But at that moment, his gaze suddenly changed. And my gaze suddenly changed too.

Because I heard that voice again, ha...

Chapter Thirty: Passerby

I only caught a glimpse of my uncle's terrified eyes before I couldn't help but turn around. But behind me were only many ordinary diners; I didn't see any unusual faces.

The sound was the same as last time—a girl's laughter. The laughter was clear and pleasant, like the ringing of silver bells. But it seemed to carry a hint of sarcasm, as if a girl were scoffing disdainfully. She appeared to be beautiful, a young woman in her prime, but there wasn't a single other customer like her around.

And I'm quite certain that this time it wasn't my imagination. Because my uncle also heard that sound.

"Who, who is it?!" His face turned pale instantly, and the uncle suddenly roared. His roar was so loud that it startled the waiters and diners in the restaurant.

Silence fell; no one in the restaurant responded to her uncle. Zhang Xuan's pretty face was also pale. She awkwardly tugged at her uncle's sleeve and said, "Dad, what's wrong? Dad, what's wrong?"

"They've come! They've come!" The uncle's eyes were bloodshot, and he appeared extremely agitated.

"Who came looking for me?" I looked at my uncle in surprise, my heart churning like the sea.

"Yes..." Before he could say anything, his uncle's voice stopped abruptly.

"Who is it?!" I asked anxiously, feeling increasingly uneasy.

"Xi'er, hurry home with Zhang Xuan, right now! Stay home for the next two days and don't go anywhere. Also, if any strangers approach you these next two days, don't talk to them. I'll find someone to protect you, and I promise they won't harm you!" The uncle's face was as white as paper.

"Uncle, what exactly happened?" I asked.

Ignoring me, my uncle grabbed my arm and started walking outside. He seemed very nervous, his large hand gripping me tightly like an iron clamp. Then he hailed a taxi and immediately pushed Zhang Xuan and me into the car. After thinking for a moment, he tossed his wallet to me and said, "This is your taxi fare."

My uncle's wallet was bulging; there must have been at least ten thousand yuan inside. Seeing him frantically throw his wallet at me gave me an even stranger feeling.

Before I could say anything more, our taxi had already left. Only my uncle remained standing there, looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

"Wang Xi, did your parents offend someone?" Sitting in the car with me, Zhang Xuan's pretty face turned pale.

"I don't know..." Hearing Zhang Xuan's words, I became so nervous that my hands were sweating.

"Could it be that what my mom said is true?" Zhang Xuan muttered to herself after thinking for a moment.

"What did your mother say?" I asked.

"She, she said your dad..." Zhang Xuan was about to say something when she suddenly fell silent.

"What did she say about my dad?" I asked anxiously.

"Never mind, it's probably not true. It's just my mom's guess," Zhang Xuan said, shaking her head.

"What did you say?! Zhang Xuan, if you don't tell me today, I'll kill you!?" I felt like I was going crazy, and I roared at Zhang Xuan.

“My mom said your dad used to be an official, but he embezzled and ran away. Your parents both went abroad, and they'll never come back…” Zhang Xuan’s pretty face turned even paler with fright, and she looked at me with great fear. Then, Zhang Xuan rolled her eyes at me again, and angrily yelled, “What do you mean? Why are you yelling at me? You want to kill me? Come on…!”

"I'm sorry." Realizing I had lost my composure, I quickly apologized to Zhang Xuan.

Then, I sat in the taxi and quietly began to think. Piecing together the clues I had recently gathered, I quietly pondered my own background.

First, my parents sent me to Zhang Xuan's house to be raised, and they haven't come looking for me all these years; they must be facing some difficulties. Second, my family might really be quite extraordinary. I heard that my mother gave Zhang Xuan's family a large sum of money when I was young, and they used it to buy a house and a car. My uncle even used the remaining money to start a business. And to do all that with that money, it must have been a considerable sum. My aunt said it was all my mother's savings. But even if my mother were an ordinary person, she was only in her early twenties when she sent me to Zhang Xuan's house. How could a woman in her early twenties save so much money?