After I Gave Up/Let Things Slide, I Became Famous Across The Entire Internet - Chapter 15

The Tang family’s residence.

Tang Wenjing knelt on the sofa, clutching Tang Mingcheng’s arm and whining, “Daddy, Daddy, when my sister comes back, you must give her a good talking to. Something so big happened, and I just wanted to comfort her a bit, but she actually blocked me outright.”

Tang Mingcheng asked, “Blocked what?”

Yu Huimei, sitting nearby, chimed in, “It means she deleted you as a friend on WeChat or blocked your mobile number, so you can’t reach her no matter how many times you call. It’s no big deal if she blocks us, but I hope she didn’t block her own father.”

Tang Mingcheng’s expression immediately sank. He pulled out his phone and searched for a long time, only to realize he hadn’t called his eldest daughter in ages. Moreover, the last time they met, Tang Shuxia insisted on becoming an actress, and he’d been so angry he said some harsh things. He finally found Tang Shuxia’s number. He called, but the first attempt went unanswered, the second was also unanswered, and the third and fourth attempts were the same.

Tang Wenjing and Yu Huimei both stared at him, making Tang Mingcheng feel his face burn. “She’s probably busy, didn’t hear it.”

Tang Wenjing said, “Daddy is right. It’s good that sister isn’t looking at her phone. After all, the things people are saying about her online are vulgar and nasty. They’re calling her a slut, a mistress, and saying she intervened in someone else’s marriage.”

Tang Mingcheng frowned. “What!”

As Tang Shuxia stepped through the Tang family’s door, a sense of impending storm washed over her. The middle-aged man sitting in the main seat looked stern and cold, radiating a low pressure, as if suppressing his anger. To his left and right sat a young woman and a middle-aged woman. In the original owner’s memory, these two were her stepmother and stepsister. Sitting together, they certainly looked like a family.

No wonder the original owner grew to hate coming home.

The stepmother, Yu Huimei, had a kind face. As soon as she saw Tang Shuxia, she stood up with a smile to greet her. “Shuxia, we finally waited for you to come back. Come sit down and eat. The food is already cold, I’ll ask Sister Chen to reheat it.”

Tang Wenjing complained in a saccharine voice, “Sister, you were so slow. We waited for you for two hours.”

Tang Mingcheng slammed the teacup in front of him onto the floor with a crash. “Eat what? She has the audacity to do such a disgraceful thing and still have the face to eat.”

Tang Shuxia glanced at Tang Wenjing, who flinched at the noise, and Yu Huimei, whose smile was turning awkward. She walked to the end of the table with a smile and pulled out a chair. “Oh, what disgraceful thing did I do? Tell me about it. I’m quite free right now.”

Tang Mingcheng’s expression grew even darker as he thought of the rumors he had just read. Tang Wenjing immediately took his arm and swung it. “Daddy, I’m hungry.”

Yu Huimei quickly went to the kitchen. “Sister Chen.”

Tang Shuxia, however, remained smiling. “You called me forty times and even resorted to threatening text messages to get me back. Was it just to smash a teacup for me to see?”

Tang Mingcheng choked, nearly sputtering with rage, a breath caught painfully in his chest.

Tang Shuxia casually swept her hand across the table, and the surrounding plates scattered like jade beads, clattering as they hit the floor and shattered into a mess.

Everyone present was startled.

Especially Tang Mingcheng. He stared at Tang Shuxia, who still had a smile on her lips after doing all that, in shock. He clutched his chest after a long while. “You’re rebelling!”

Tang Shuxia glanced indifferently at the trembling Tang Wenjing. “Anyone can smash a cup. Since all the food is gone, we don’t have to eat. Now, can we sit down and properly discuss the so-called disgraceful thing you just mentioned? Tell me, I happen to be bored.”

Tang Wenjing slumped back into her seat, completely stunned. She looked incredulously at the defiant woman before her. Her dear sister had always been a quiet person. Whenever her father got angry, she would leave in disappointment ten times out of ten without arguing. That look of defeat was always quite pleasing to watch.

But now…

She was completely different.

Tang Wenjing cautiously observed Tang Mingcheng’s face.

Tang Mingcheng was genuinely furious and found it hard to speak. He gritted his teeth. “You, a grown woman, ran off to interfere in someone else’s marital affairs. Don’t you have any sense of propriety? My Tang family still needs face. From today on, don’t go to that so-called entertainment company. Stop with all that nonsense and come straight home. I, Tang Mingcheng, can still afford to support you.”

Tang Shuxia’s smile widened. “As the person in charge of the Tang family, you choose to believe snippets of information from someone without bothering to investigate the full story. To put it unpleasantly, you are truly unfit to be a good father.”

Tang Mingcheng nearly had a heart attack from anger. “Your wings have grown hard! You actually dare to turn around and lecture me! I, I”

While speaking, Tang Mingcheng leaned on the table and walked up to Tang Shuxia, raising his hand to slap her.

Tang Shuxia easily blocked it, grabbing his wrist tightly. With her other hand, she quickly opened her phone, found the latest trending topic, and shoved the screen in his face. “Tang Mingcheng, open your eyes and see clearly.” After that, she turned her head and smiled at Tang Wenjing. “Make sure you aren’t misled by certain people. The disgrace you speak of? Watching the three of you put on this show is the truly embarrassing spectacle.”

Tang Mingcheng: “…”

#Counting the artists harmed by Mu Yingying over the years.

[The other exposed artists are too pitiful. Mu Yingying has really been playing the victim all these years. But I was genuinely involved in Tang Shuxia’s case. One sentence: Tang Shuxia, I’m sorry. I apologize for calling you a mistress. I was blind, I was an idiot, and my face is still stinging from the slaps. Anyway, I’m sorry.]

[I said it too, and I apologize as well.]

[Kowtow.jpg. Please accept my apology, Miss Tang. I will be a rational fan from now on. No, scratch that, a rational person. I will be cautious about believing gossip.]

[Tang Shuxia is truly miserable. She was hospitalized after being assaulted, and she still hasn’t received a public apology from Mu Yingying.]

[An evil spirit in the world.]

The more Tang Mingcheng read, the deeper his frown became. “You were hospitalized?”

Tang Shuxia smiled faintly. “It seems the whole world knows my status, but you, as a father, are the last to know.”

Those words were nothing short of sarcasm, like two loud slaps across Tang Mingcheng’s face. He opened and closed his mouth several times, finally sighing. “Alright, since you are unwell, stay home for a couple of days. I’ll have the housekeeper clean your room. Xu Heng has also returned from his business trip recently. It’s time for you two to meet.”

If this were in the past, the original owner would have been overjoyed. All she ever wanted in this life was Tang Mingcheng’s attention, but sadly, she never got it before she died.

All Tang Shuxia could do was ensure no more dirty water was thrown onto this body. When she heard the name Xu Heng, her mind paused. No matter how hard she searched the original owner’s memory, she couldn’t find any information about this person. “???”

Yu Huimei walked over at the opportune moment. “Alright, alright, there’s no such thing as lasting resentment between a father and daughter. I’ve had Sister Chen make some congee. It’s just too bad that Shuxia can only have congee when she comes home.”

Tang Wenjing breathed a sigh of relief, pouting as she looked aggrievedly at Yu Huimei. “Mom.”

Tang Shuxia quietly looked at the woman before her. Yu Huimei was very well-preserved. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her and Tang Wenjing sisters when they were together. However, she had seen many women like this in the past. Their tactics, whether above board or not, didn’t matter. They could bring it on.

She lowered her head and sent a text message to Xie Jinzhi.

When Xie Jinzhi received the text message, she slapped her forehead. “No way, Tang Mingcheng? Isn’t that the chairman of Tang Technology?”

Tang Mingcheng, Tang Shuxia.

Oh boy. She vaguely knew that Tang Mingcheng’s wife’s surname was Yu.

But her Shuxia called the Sheng family’s Old Madam ‘Grandmother’ (maternal grandmother)?

Ah, this.

Xie Jinzhi immediately conjured up a 100,000 word novel about a wealthy family in her mind. She seemed to have stumbled upon an incredible secret.

The only sound at the Tang family dinner table was the clinking of tableware. After Tang Shuxia’s outburst, though the mess on the floor had been cleaned, the Tang family members were all silent. Tang Wenjing was still spooked. She secretly looked at the person sitting at the far end. In the past, Tang Shuxia liked to sit near them but always had the lowest presence. Now, however, she sat in the spot farthest away from them, yet no one dared to ignore her presence, including Tang Wenjing herself.

Tang Wenjing was very resentful.

Why?

Tang Wenjing pouted. “Daddy, you’re too good to my sister. You found her such a suitable marriage. I bet sister is thrilled.”

Tang Shuxia’s hand holding the congee spoon paused slightly. “What marriage?”

Tang Mingcheng announced directly, “I have arranged an engagement for you.”

Tang Shuxia wondered if she had misheard. “You said you arranged an engagement for me?”

Tang Mingcheng didn’t catch the unusual tone in Tang Shuxia’s voice. “The Xu family has a prominent background. Xu Heng is a high achiever from Oxford. He’s currently running his own company. He’s young and promising, and I highly regard his potential. I think you two are similar in age and should have many common interests. I’ve already set up a time for you to meet him tomorrow.”

The chopsticks in Tang Shuxia’s hand bent into an arc.

Tang Wenjing gasped. She looked at the chopsticks in her own hand, pressed hard, and they remained perfectly straight.

Tang Mingcheng slapped his chopsticks heavily on the table. “What is this attitude?”

Tang Shuxia stood up and tossed her chopsticks away. “The attitude you see. If you value his potential so much, please marry him yourself.”

Are you kidding her? She had lived this long, and no one had ever dared to interfere with her marriage.

Did this old man have a death wish?

Tang Mingcheng roared, “Tang Shuxia, don’t you want the coming-of-age gift your mother left for you?”

Tang Shuxia’s steps paused slightly.

Tang Mingcheng continued, “If you still want it, go meet the person tomorrow.”

Tang Shuxia: “…”

There was indeed such a thing in her memory. The original owner’s mother had left a generous dowry, and the agreement was that Tang Shuxia could inherit it on her wedding day. The money in Tang Shuxia’s bank account was all accumulated from corporate dividends since childhood. She quickly calculated that it was a sum of money that would allow her to live comfortably without having to work for the rest of her life.