Chapter 3 Going Home
This attitude further enraged the person in front of her.
"Old Xu, look at her attitude! What kind of attitude is this?!" Infuriated, Sun Yulan exclaimed.
Xu Anguo took a deep breath, seemingly suppressing his anger: "Alright, alright, stop talking so much. Give me Wanwan's bracelet and I won't hold this against you. Yulan, take Tang Yao to buy some jewelry when you have time. Don't let people think our Xu Family's own daughter is so petty."
Although Sun Yulan was displeased, she still had to nod.
A trace of resentment flashed in Xu Wan's eyes. What she wanted was not so simple.
Seeing that the two were about to decide what to do next, Tang Yao quickly interrupted, "Wait. If I don't say something, you'll heavily pin this crime on me."
Tang Yao chuckled lightly, "Even the police need evidence to arrest someone. What makes you think I stole it?"
The three people except Xu Wan were all stunned.
"Who else can it be but you?" Xu Haocheng snapped back to reality.
"Really? Did you see me steal it? Or did you install surveillance cameras in my room? I didn't know that convicting someone is based on personal preference."
"Forget it, Haocheng, I'll apologize to Elder Brother Yuxuan about the bracelet. Don't make things difficult for Yao Yao anymore." Xu Wan tugged at Xu Haocheng's sleeve.
"No, you can drop it, but I can't. This is a society governed by law. If you think I stole something, call the police. Conversely, if you deliberately slander me, I can sue you for defamation." Tang Yao straightened up. A faint smile was on her face, but her eyes were devoid of emotion. Xu Haocheng subconsciously glanced at Xu Wan beside him, but Xu Wan lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.
"Since you've all come looking for me, I have something I'd like to show you," Tang Yao said, pulling out her phone and tapping the screen a few times.
Xu Wan panicked for a moment,but remembering that Tang Yao had just arrived at the house, she calmed down.
Tang Yao turned the phone screen towards the four members of the Xu Family.
"I feel very unsafe in unfamiliar places," Tang Yao smiled at them, "so I recorded this on my phone. You don't mind, do you?"
Xu Anguo's expression was unpleasant, but he didn't say anything, simply focusing his gaze on the phone screen.
Even in the darkness, the image was remarkably clear, making one wonder if it was truly recorded by a phone.
The camera was pointed at the doorway to Tang Yao's bedroom. A moment later, the bedroom door opened silently.
A figure appeared in the frame.
Xu Wan's face tense, her fists clenching silently.
A figure silently entered, placed something in Tang Yao's dressing table, and then turned to leave.
As she left, her face was captured by the camera.
Tang Yao recognized this person; she was a maid hired by the villa. When she first arrived, this person was sweeping the yard and when she saw Tang Yao, there was a hint of disdain in her eyes.
Soon, the maid was brought over.
It was a young girl. Her face pale with fright at the scene before her.
The video was clearly displayed before her; she couldn't deny it.
When Xu Anguo mentioned calling the police, she fearfully looked at Xu Wan: "Eldest Miss..."
Xu Wan was startled and took a step back: "What do you want me to do? You did something wrong, so you should be punished."
"Eldest Miss, it's all because you told me to..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xu Wan rushed forward and pushed the girl to the ground, sternly saying, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
From an angle where no one could see, Xu Wan's eyes carried a warning and her lips parted slightly, silently uttering two words: Younger Sister.
With a startle, the maid lowered her head, hiding her resentment and anger, and didn't say another word.
A short while later, the police arrived and took the maid away.
With red eyes, Xu Wan walked up to Tang Yao and tried to take her hand, but Tang Yao avoided her.
"Yao Yao, I'm sorry, it was all a misunderstanding."
A flimsy apology seemed to erase everything.
"Oh, really? I don't accept this apology." Tang Yao sneered. "You cry a few times and the whole family comes to blame me. Then you cry a few more times to pull yourself out clean. I must say, quite the tactic."
"I don't understand what I did to you that makes you go to such lengths to deal with me.”
Xu Wan's eyes reddened even more, shaking her head repeatedly: "It's not like that, Yao Yao, it's all a misunderstanding."
"Do you have to be so aggressive? Can't we talk things out?" Sun Yulan grasped the hand of Xu Wan, whose eyes were reddening again.
Tang Yao laughed. Her smile was utterly mocking: "Yes, you're all one family. You're truly renowned for your double standards."
"Tang Yao!" Xu Anguo had completely lost his patience with his own biological daughter who had repeatedly contradicted him. Before he could say anything, Tang Yao stopped him, saying, "Alright, that's enough. Since this family doesn't welcome me, I'll leave. Wouldn't it be better if your family stayed together? Having me around makes you uncomfortable, and it makes me uncomfortable too."
As she spoke, Tang Yao had already slung her small backpack over her shoulder.
"Our Xu Family isn't a place you can come and go as you please. Think it over. Once you step out this door today, you might not be able to come back," Xu Anguo replied with a cold laugh, thinking Tang Yao was saying this on purpose.
"Okay, Mr. Xu, you don't need to see me off. Goodbye," Tang Yao smiled in response to Xu Anguo's anger.
"Let her go! What does she think this place is!"
Xu Anguo's angry roar came from behind.
"Old Xu, leave her be. It won't be long before she's begging us to let her come back," Sun Yulan glanced at Tang Yao's retreating figure, ignoring the slight discomfort in her heart.
Xu Haocheng's eyes held a complex expression, while Xu Wan's hands trembled with excitement. She hadn't expected things to unfold as she'd predicted.
"Dad, don't be angry," Xu Wan said obediently, walking over and gently patting Xu Anguo's back.
Xu Anguo felt slightly comforted. At least this daughter of his could still bring him benefits. Whether she was his biological daughter or not and whether she had anything to do with what had just happened was no longer important.
"Come on, Haocheng, let's get Dad a glass of water. Now Dad only has us by his side. You must be good and not make them mad."
Sun Yulan and Xu Anguo went upstairs, while Xu Wan held Xu Haocheng's hand.
For the first time, Xu Haocheng avoided her touch: "Elder Sister, what that maid...what she said, is it true?"
"Haocheng, you doubt me? She stole my bracelet, of course she'd try to frame me." Xu Wan's voice was sharp. Then, seemingly realizing she was too agitated, she calmed down and said to Xu Haocheng, "Haocheng, you're still young, you don't understand the wickedness of people. Don't you know how Elder Sister normally treats you? Okay, think about it yourself. I'll go get Dad a glass of water."
Xu Haocheng stood there. For the first time, he seriously looked at this elder sister he usually liked. She walked briskly towards the kitchen. Her swaying ponytail indicating her good mood.
Tang Yao left, and she was so happy?
Tang Yao was unaware of what happened after she left. Currently, she was being respectfully escorted out of the jewelry store by the manager and had already become a young heiress with an eight-figure net worth.
"If you have jewelry or gold of this quality again, please consider us first."
Tang Yao nodded, then took her leave. After leaving the jewelry store, Tang Yao walked along the street, feeling calm and at ease.
Her memories of this city were actually quite hazy; after all, she hadn't spent much time there in her previous life.
Now she finally had a chance to relax and explore properly.
The tall buildings, the hurried pedestrians and vehicles—it was different from the small town where her parents lived.
After having lunch at the mall, Tang Yao took a car to the airport. She had bought her ticket directly on her phone and arrived just in time.
Two hours later, after her flight to her destination, Tang Yao would have to transfer to a bus.
The small bus wasn't crowded. Because they were nearing their destination, everyone chatted animatedly.
An auntie across the aisle from Tang Yao was very friendly, handing out the snacks she had brought.
"Little girl, going to Wanhua Town to play? There's nothing to see right now. You have to wait another month or so, until the weather warms up and the flowers bloom. That'll be truly beautiful! Lots of tourists will come to our town then."
Tang Yao smiled. "No, Auntie, I'm going home."
The word "home" warmed Tang Yao's heart.
Having wandered through so many small worlds, only here did she feel a sense of belonging.
The scenery outside the window rushed past, gradually outlining the scenes from Tang Yao's memories.
Half an hour later, the vehicle finally arrived at its stop.
The familiar streets around her gradually brought back her memories.
The guesthouse her parents left behind was on the edge of town, a large estate with a large, now-empty garden in front and a patch of open land in the back. A small gate in the wall led to a bamboo grove. Those dense bamboo leaves peeked over the wall, adding a splash of color to the gray wall.
On either side were three-story guesthouses, while directly opposite the main entrance was the two-story house where her family of three had once lived.
According to this world's timeline, she had only been gone for a day or two. Before leaving, she was full of hope, even giving away the flowers and vegetables from her garden and the poultry she raised to her neighbors. Her adoptive parents had passed away many years ago and she deeply longed for the love of family.
Unexpectedly, reality dealt her a heavy blow.
"Yao Yao?" a questioning voice sounded from behind.
Tang Yao turned around and greeted the person with a smile, "Aunt Li."
Aunt Li was the owner of the small shop opposite Tang Yao's guesthouse. She and her husband had run the shop since she married into the family twenty years ago until her husband passed away a few years ago.
She had practically watched Tang Yao grow up and after her adoptive parents' death, she had taken good care of Tang Yao.
"Didn't you go to your biological parents' house? You're back after only two days. Are they not treating you good?" Aunt Li asked, frowning.