"You don't understand at all. She pushed me from the seventeenth floor, she wanted to kill me!" Tang Yan screamed in despair.
"Why are you all taking her side? Clearly, she's the villain!"
Why did they side with Tang Xiaomin?
For one thing, the Tang family owed her too much, a life.
On the other hand, they couldn't beat her, they couldn't afford to offend her.
If going along with her meant a peaceful life, then why not go along with her?
"You, apologize to her properly, and return what you stole from her. I've said all I can, you're on your own."
Tang Ye hung up the phone.
At this moment, Tang Yan was both distraught and hopeless.
However, his nightmare had not yet ended.
A few days later, after he was transferred to a regular ward, the procuratorate arrived.
"Tang Yan, you are suspected of theft. Please cooperate with our investigation."
Tang Yan wanted to deny it, to struggle a bit more.
But when he saw Tang Xiaomin behind the prosecutor, he couldn't utter a single word of protest.
Under Tang Xiaomin's supervision, Tang Yan confessed.
"I did steal her computer. I admit it."
After giving his statement for about fifteen minutes, as Tang Yan was still receiving medical treatment, no forced measures were taken against him.
After the prosecutor left, Tang Xiaomin looked at Tang Yan with a half-smile.
"How does it feel to be on the verge of death? Not pleasant, is it?"
That feeling, Tang Yan never wanted to experience again.
As he fell from the sky, he felt his heart leap out of his chest. The certainty that he would splatter into a bloody mess was more terrifying than death itself.
"Is this your revenge? To let me experience the process of dying without actually killing me? You calculated that I would land in the swimming pool, didn't you?"
Whether it was true or not, it was meaningless to discuss now.
Tang Xiaomin hadn't come to talk about those things with Tang Yan.
"I'm here to give you some bad news. You've been fired by General Manager Pan for theft. Soon, the whole world will know that you, a genius designer, are a thief. Your name will be forever nailed to the pillar of shame."
"The good news is that your fame has spread even further, albeit a notorious one this time."
Tang Yan, in his rage, threw the pillow in his hands, followed by the tissues on the nightstand.
"Tang Xiaomin, you're making my life worse than death!"
"You have everything, why are you still so cruel?"
"Why won't you let me go?"
"Why!"
Watching Tang Yan's frenzied state, Tang Xiaomin felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
"Rage all you want, you can't change anything anyway."
Tang Yan glared at Tang Xiaomin with hatred.
"You demon! You are a demon!"
Tang Xiaomin smiled, she didn't deny it.
As she left the hospital, the sun was shining brightly outside.
A new year, and everything would be different.
After resolving the matters with Meihuan, Pan Jie personally escorted Tang Xiaomin to the airport.
Pan Jie hugged Tang Xiaomin warmly, her clear green eyes filled with deep reluctance.
"Remember to call me when you get there, don't forget me, okay?"
Tang Xiaomin felt breathless as Pan Jie held her.
She gently pushed Pan Jie away.
"Don't worry, I'll call you."
"And you must remember to miss me."
Tang Xiaomin had had friends before; Lin Keke was also quite clingy, but someone like Pan Jie was truly overwhelming for Tang Xiaomin.
Perhaps it was because Pan Jie was a foreigner with a more passionate and unrestrained personality, so Tang Xiaomin didn't think too much of it.
"Okay, okay, I'll definitely miss you."
Suddenly, Pan Jie kissed Tang Xiaomin on the cheek with a loud "smooch."
"Goodbye, I'll definitely visit you when I have time."
Zhong Li, standing nearby, was stunned. His mission was to protect Tang Xiaomin's safety, and at the same time prevent men from getting close to her.
But now, the other party was a woman, and she had kissed her. This...
Although he had never been in a relationship, he felt something was strange.
After boarding the business class of the plane, Zhong Li bravely voiced his opinion.
"Miss Tang, I think that Pan Jie is very strange. She... she seems to like you."
Upon hearing this, Tang Xiaomin looked at Zhong Li strangely.
"What are you rambling about? She's a woman, and I'm a woman."
"Miss Tang, feelings can transcend gender."
Tang Xiaomin's brows furrowed even deeper.
She thought, for someone who had never been in a relationship, Zhong Li actually knew quite a lot.
She had only met Pan Jie a few times; it shouldn't be like this.
"Don't overthink it. Foreigners are just more expressive, it's normal."
Zhong Li nodded and stopped talking.
Some things are clearer to an outsider than to those involved.
In any case, they were returning to Modu, and they would have no further interactions.
An hour later, at Modu Airport.
As soon as Tang Xiaomin emerged, she walked straight into a big embrace.
Even then, Yan Jue felt it wasn't enough.
Then, they kissed publicly, oblivious to the passersby, as if no one else was there.
After the kiss, Tang Xiaomin felt her legs go weak.
She complained, "Be mindful of the occasion. There are elders and children around, it's not a good impression."
Yan Jue didn't care at all.
"I only see you. I don't pay attention to anyone else."
He was full of sweet talk, spouting it effortlessly.
But for some reason, Tang Xiaomin liked him this way. She thought, perhaps she was a bit psychologically twisted, as others had said.
"Alright, alright, let's go home."
Back at Zhang Meiyu's villa, a lavish feast had been prepared.
Unexpectedly, Tang Yu was also there, likely there to freeload food and drinks from Zhang Meiyu.
Zhang Meiyu served Tang Xiaomin a bowl of soup, saying, "Tang Yu knew you were coming back today. He went to the slaughterhouse before dawn to buy pig's trotters, spent hours plucking the hairs, and then watched the pot for hours while it simmered. Taste it."
Tang Xiaomin looked straight at Tang Yu, finding it hard to believe he would take the trouble to do such things, especially after she had stabbed him before.
Looking at the soup in the bowl, Tang Xiaomin smelled it first. The aroma was familiar, it was indeed pig's trotter soup.
However, she hesitated to eat it.
Zhang Meiyu said, "Why aren't you drinking it? Drink it while it's hot, it's been simmering for a long time."
Tang Yu knew Tang Xiaomin's concerns. He picked up the bowl and took a sip himself.
"Don't worry, it's not poisoned. If there was poison, it would kill me first."
Tang Yu's words brought their unspoken conflict to the surface, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
Zhang Meiyu forced a smile and tried to smooth things over.
"The past is in the past. There are still many days ahead. We should look forward and live our future well, not wasting our time. Xiaomin, don't you agree?"