The Abandoned Daughter's Second Chance

Chapter 370: Chapter 325: Wu Xiaorui

At the Wu Mansion, Tang Yaxuan didn’t dare to go against Wu Meiting and her sister, and she certainly didn’t dare to talk back to Wu Xiaorui. Years ago, when Wu Xiaorui had gone to live with Wu Xiaowen, she had briefly worked as Tang Yaxuan’s nanny. Even back then, she was a handful—sharp-tongued, cunning, and resourceful. The young Tang Yaxuan hadn’t been afraid of her, though; she had even ratted her out, leading Wu Xiaowen to deal with her. But things were different now. First, Tang Yaxuan was a "fake phoenix" and had lost her confidence. Second, she was still a child who had to rely on Wu Xiaowen and the Wu Family, so she absolutely couldn’t afford to offend Wu Xiaorui again. Third, the Wu Xiaorui of today was a world away from the girl she used to be. She was not only caustic and vicious, but her fighting spirit was also not to be underestimated. Tang Yaxuan could not afford to provoke her.

So, she could only adopt a humble and submissive attitude, allowing Wu Xiaorui to walk all over her.

Deep down, Wu Xiaowen felt she owed Wu Xiaorui an apology. If Wu Xiaorui were willing to cooperate, she could have received much more "compensation" from Wu Xiaowen to atone for the sin of casting her little sister away all those years ago. If Tang Yaxuan were to confront Wu Xiaorui head-on, it would undoubtedly displease Wu Xiaowen. Only by letting Wu Xiaorui bully and order her around—by showing Wu Xiaowen that she, the daughter, was atoning for her mother’s sins—could she win more of Wu Xiaowen’s pity and affection.

Tang Yaxuan picked up a broom and began sweeping up the sunflower seed shells, fruit peels, candy wrappers, soda bottles, wine bottles, and empty cans from the floor. She wasn’t even halfway done when two loud bangs—BANG! BANG!—made her jump, nearly causing her to drop the broom, cover her ears, and scream. Looking up, she saw that Wu Xiaorui had changed into a pair of work pants and was wearing thick-soled rubber shoes. She was standing at Wu Xiaowen’s door, lifting her leg and kicking it hard, over and over.

Tang Yaxuan’s mouth fell open. Then, her eyes darted back and forth before she wisely crouched down and hid behind the sofa.

Wu Xiaowen opened the door, and the two sisters immediately started arguing.

"Wu Xiaorui, have you lost your mind?"

"Who’s lost their mind? Wu Xiaowen, you tell me who’s lost their mind!"

"If you haven’t lost your mind, then why are you kicking my door? Just look at yourself! What have you become? Hanging out with these shady friends, throwing this kind of disgraceful, low-class party... you’re like a bunch of sewer rats! A young lady, yelling and kicking doors at the drop of a hat. You’re so crude and aggressive, it’s unbelievable! Don’t forget you’re a daughter of the Wu Family. If Mom and Dad saw you like this, you’d really make them proud!"

"How am I the one with no shame? How?! Wu Xiaowen, you have the nerve to say that to me? Why don’t you take a look at yourself? You’re the shameless bitch!"

Wu Xiaorui pointed at Wu Xiaowen and cursed loudly, "What gives you the right to say my friends are a mess, that they’re shady? What’s it to you if we’re low-class? It’s none of your damn business! Wu Xiaowen, you think you’re so elegant? So superior, like some kind of expert? You want to test me? I’ll go to the stairwell right now and shout a few times, get everyone in this building out here. Then I’ll air out all your dirty little secrets for everyone to hear! Let’s see who’s really shady, who’s really more like a sewer rat!"

As she spoke, Wu Xiaorui actually started walking toward the front door. Wu Xiaowen couldn’t let her open it and forcefully pulled her back. "Wu Xiaorui, can you just give it a rest? It’s the middle of the night! You may not want to sleep, but other people need to rest!"

"Hmph! Scared I’ll expose you, are you? Abandoning your own daughter, seducing a married man, getting kicked out by the Tang family! Wu Xiaowen, you’ve done all these shameful, filthy things, and there’s proof for all of it! How can you still put on that high-and-mighty act and lecture people? I really have to hand it to you!"

"I’ll teach you to talk nonsense!" Wu Xiaowen raised her hand to slap Wu Xiaorui across the face. Of course, Wu Xiaorui wasn’t just going to stand there and take it. She dodged to the side and shoved Wu Xiaowen back, making her stumble.

Wu Xiaowen staggered into a table and yelled furiously, "Wu Xiaorui, get out! Go back to the old mansion tomorrow! You’re not allowed to live in my house!"

"Why should I get out? You’re the one who should get out! You swore up and down that this house was my ’compensation.’ This is *my* home! It’s generous enough that I haven’t charged you and your daughter rent, and you still dare to give me attitude, curse my friends, and make me lose all face in front of them... No! I have to go out and shout a few times, proclaim all your rotten deeds to the world!"

"You dare! I’ll tell Mom and Dad! They won’t let you get away with this... Wu Xiaorui, stop right there!"

The two sisters grappled behind the door, pushing and grabbing at each other. In the end, Wu Xiaorui overpowered Wu Xiaowen, pinning her face down on a table. Wu Xiaowen was unable to move. She took a few ragged breaths before her voice came out weak. "Wu Xiaorui... what... what do you want?"

"It’s what do *you* want? You’re living in my house, and you’re still this arrogant? Are you going to be this rude again? Are you going to curse my guests and humiliate me again?"

"...Let me go! Wu Xiaorui, I’m not done with you!"

"Hmph! Who’s not done with whom? Wu Xiaowen, you’ll never be able to repay what you owe me in this lifetime!"

"Let go! I can’t breathe!"

"Then die, for all I care!"

"Agh..." Wu Xiaowen began to groan.

"Tonight, you ruined our party, cursed my friends, and made me lose face. My friends were so pissed off they didn’t even say goodbye when they left! So tell me, how are you going to make it up to us? We can skip the kowtowing and apologizing. Just give me five hundred yuan. I’ll find a place tomorrow and treat them to a meal. Then we’ll call it even. Are you going to give it to me or not?"

"...In your dreams!" It wasn’t that Wu Xiaowen couldn’t part with the money. She had always been proud and would never submit to blackmail.

"Fine. Then stay like this. I can hold on until you pass out. Then I’ll go out and shout a few things in the stairwell. After that, tomorrow, I’ll have time to write up some flyers and pass them around. It’s not like I have anything better to do on a Sunday. The factory doesn’t need me for overtime, so I’m just bored and idle!"

"Wu Xiaorui, how did you sink to this level? What kind of family are we from? You’re a well-bred young lady, you’ve seen the world. You weren’t like this before..."

"Heh! That’s right. I wasn’t as elegant and beautiful as you, but at least I was pure and innocent, delicate and pretty, right? I was Mom and Dad’s precious treasure, the apple of their eye. They wanted to protect me, so they entrusted me to you, hoping I’d be safe and sound under your care. I just made one youthful, ignorant mistake. You could have hit me, you could have cursed me, at worst you could have just sent me back to Mom and Dad. But you didn’t. While your brother-in-law was away, you threw me into a poor, remote mountain village. You even told the village secretary: ’She’s made a huge mistake. Keep a close eye on her and don’t let her run away. Keep her in the village for at least five years!’ By doing that, weren’t you just setting me up for them to torture me to death? Wu Xiaowen, you have no idea what I went through! I can’t guess why you abandoned the Tang family’s daughter, but we’re sisters, and we think alike, you know? I gave birth to three children, and I never want to see them again in this lifetime! So tell me, what class do I have left? Do I still deserve to be called a well-bred young lady? This is all thanks to you, Wu Xiaowen! I hate you! I hate you, I hate you! I wish I could kill you!"

"COUGH, COUGH... GACK! Let... let go!" Wu Xiaowen’s voice grew even weaker.

"Tell me! Are you giving me the money or not?"

"...I don’t have it now... I’ll get it tomorrow morning..."