007 Returning Home

How did she pull through all these years? She should let everyone be a judge of it. Was it because she was unfilial and hence unworthy of being loved? Or did they not treat her as a human being from the get go.

She did not want to waste anymore time arguing with her as for why she had dropped out of school. In that moment, Chen Yi was like a crazy cow protecting her calf.

Tan Rou sighed, "I shouldn't have come today. Fortunately, I dodged a bullet. Otherwise, who knows if I can leave the Tan family alive or not."

After her plea, she pretended to leave in a desolate manner.

Once Tan Rou left, what she just said was naturally on everyone's minds. That's right, they had always heard that the Tan family had an adopted daughter, but they had only seen her a few times in the past two years. If they really loved her, how could they bear to let her study aboard for such a long time and not see her? How would they not even know the reason why their child had dropped out of school?

The crowd felt that their decision to attend the ball was a right one. The behind the scenes in the Tan family was too interesting to pass up on.

Little did they know that hidden away in a corner, a man in a wheelchair grinned with an air of mischief on his face and gestured for his assistant to push him away. 

Walking out of the Tan family's door, Tan Rou took a deep breath and let out a smile of relief.

Looking up, she saw that the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Even the slight breeze which caressed her ears was particularly soothing.

The Tan family was indeed a treacherous place. She always had no choice but to guard against the trap set up by the mother and daughter duo the second she arrives.

Now that she had finally left, she truly felt the joy of being reborn. How wonderful. This world was supposed to be beautiful but she always failed to appreciate it.

Tan Rou was not far from the door and quietly enjoyed a rare moment of peace. She gradually relaxed from her earlier state of fighting wits and courage. A faint smile unconsciously hung on her lips.

Unlike the previous sneer on her face, this smile was finally fitting for her age but at the same time, it also had an aura that was somewhat different from that of an average person.

On the other side, Zhuang Liu, who was pushed out on his wheelchair, was mesmerized by this scene. "It's been a long time... since I have seen her smile like this. She's beautiful."

Zhuang Liu motioned for his assistant to stop moving forward. At that moment, all he wanted was for her to keep smiling and stay happy. He smiled contentedly as well. It was enough as long as she could be happy. He can take care of everything else.

Tan Rou composed herself and left. It was time for her to go home.

Zhuang Liu looked at Tan Rou's back and although he felt a little reluctant to let her go, he knew that it was not the right time yet.

He turned his head to the side and instructed his assistant, "Spread the news. Just say that the Zhuang family's Third Young Master's old illness is acting up again and he doesn't have long to live."

The assistant was so scared as he rushed to make a call. "Third Young Master, wait a moment. I'll contact the doctor right away!"

Zhuang Liu stopped him helplessly. "I'm fine, I just want you to spread the news."

The assistant said, "But this kind of news does not reflect well on the Zhuang family..."

Zhuang Liu managed a slight grin. In the past, because she was the daughter of the Tan family, he had spent a lot of effort fixing an arranged marriage with the Tan family.

Now that she is no longer in the Tan family, she naturally does not need to keep to this arranged marriage.

The assistant was still worried. "Third Young Master, there are too many families, like the Tan family, that will take advantage of the situation. If they hear of this news and take the opportunity to stir up trouble, what should we do?"

Zhuang Liu nodded. "Just do as you are told. I am purposely baiting them to stir up trouble. As the saying goes 'When the water is clear, there will be no fish'. On the surface, it looks calm but in reality, it is full of schemes. Let them stir up this wave and the more muddled the water is, the easier it will be to expose the problem."

The assistant nodded silently.

On the other side, Tan Rou finally returned to her biological family.

This was a somewhat remote and dilapidated small house, where the few members of the Tao family had always lived. Although it was dilapidated, it was very warm and cozy under the diligent care of Mother Tao.

As soon as she entered, Tan Rou saw Mother Tao busily preparing dinner.

Mother Tao's age was about the same as Chen Yi's. Although she did not have branded goods all over her body like Chen Yi, she still gave off a faint elegant aura. 

Even though she was only wearing normal clothes that were obviously aged, in Tan Rou's eyes, Mother Tao was 10,000 times more beautiful than Chen Yi. She was so loving, and it was the feeling of motherly love that Tan Rou yearned for the most.

"Mom." Tan Rou used the title subconsciously and it was much sooner than she had imagined. 

Mother Tao was still holding the freshly washed vegetables in her hand. She was stunned when she heard the voice and didn't know what to do.

After a long while, she finally reacted and excitedly replied, "Hey! Rou Rou, did you just call out for me?"

Tan Rou looked at her mother who was so uneasy just because she called her mom. She was filled with guilt thinking about how deep she must have hurt her in the past.