Dahai City, the Tang Residence.
A fleet of black MPVs came to a halt. Tang Shouye, whose round belly made him look like the God of Wealth, was the first to slide open the door and hop out of the vehicle.
Tang Yuyao followed close behind, intending to trail her fourth brother, but he stopped her.
"Little Sister, hold on a second. Let me go in and check the situation first," Tang Shouye said.
Tang Yuyao frowned. "The situation?"
Tang Shouye nodded. "Yeah, I'll go give Dad a 'vaccination' first—you know, prep him. That way, if he's being stubborn and starts nagging you, your Fourth Brother will definitely stand by your side and back you up!"
Tang Shouye patted his chest, shamelessly boasting.
He said it, but he didn't tell the whole story. In a sense, Tang Shouye actually could speak up for Tang Yuyao, primarily because Tang Shouye wasn't exactly considered a "model citizen" in the Tang family either.
In Old Master Tang's eyes, there wasn't only one correct path in life that had to be followed rigidly. He believed in openness and free development. As someone who had lived through that specific era and weathered great storms, his thinking was remarkably progressive and clear.
Because of this, his children were allowed to choose their own paths based on their interests and will. When the time was right, he would intervene and give them a "slight" push to help them go further.
As for whether it was "one" push or "a billion" pushes, only Old Master Tang knew for sure. At least... on the surface, it was just a nudge. As for the rest, well, that was likely the work of his old friends...
This circle wasn't large; it was filled with familiar faces and old acquaintances. Yet, the circle wasn't small either, offering many paths for development.
The first few children were obedient, but things started to get weird when it came to Tang Shouye. He wouldn't choose a single one of the standard paths!
Politics was too troublesome, full of twists and turns. It wasn't that he lacked the brains for it, but rather that he didn't want to expend the mental energy. He couldn't handle the physical hardship of the military, either. But the most important point was... Tang Shouye loved money.
He had loved it since he was a child, perhaps yearning for it after seeing how well the other children in their circle ate and dressed.
The Tang family was powerful, but their lifestyle wasn't exactly wealthy. It was sufficient, but merely sufficient.
Due to Old Master Tang's character, it was destined that they couldn't accept "sponsorship" from subordinates. He walked the straight and narrow, refusing to take even a needle or thread that wasn't his. If it was his, he took it; if not, he disdained to touch it.
The first three brothers lived their lives this way and saw no issue with their father's philosophy. But Tang Shouye was different.
He couldn't understand. It would only take a nod of the head for their family to have endless money and massive houses. Why refuse?
This was where Tang Shouye first diverged from his family. Subsequently, Tang Shouye did many "rebellious" things, such as "false advertising" by using his family's name to do business, leveraging their influence like a tiger skin to get green lights all the way...
Of course, this was just Old Master Tang's description of his "unfilial son." To others, Tang Shouye started from scratch and, over decades, built hundreds of billions in assets, propping up the massive Tang family to new heights once again.
The money was clean, earned by the Tang family, not "gifts" from subordinates. In Tang Shouye's view, this aligned with the Old Master's philosophy of "walking straight and acting upright." He didn't expect his reward to be a "severe beating"...
"Bah! Black-hearted money! Capitalist! Don't think I won't shoot you just because you're my son! Back in the day, people like you..."
Yes... those were Old Master Tang's exact words. He believed Tang Shouye's money was "black-hearted." In reality, it wasn't. At least in Dahai City, Tang Shouye's employees were among the best-treated.
But even so, he was still labeled a "capitalist" by Old Master Tang. There was no helping it... the mindset of that generation was too pure.
Tang Shouye naturally refused to accept that his hard work was being slandered. He started to argue, then got hung up and beaten. He refused to yield!
Hung up and beaten... Refused to yield!
Hung up and beaten... Refused to yield... Hung up and beaten... Yielded? No, wait, he fainted... Still refused to yield!
The fourth brother, who had been "timid and fearful" since childhood, was surprisingly tough this time. Several leather belts were broken on him, but he simply wouldn't give in... Even now, Old Master Tang and his fourth son hadn't reached a conclusion on this matter.
But... reality doesn't lie. The saying "when a man achieves the Dao, his poultry and dogs ascend to heaven" applies everywhere. It didn't matter if the older brothers inherited the Old Master's will and disliked money; their wives and the nieces and nephews couldn't help it.
You can dislike money, but you can't avoid using it. Birth, housing, food, clothing—everything costs money. Even if they didn't want luxuries, the education of the nieces and nephews cost money, right? They couldn't be outdone by their peers, right? Giving a little extra money was reasonable, right?
In the end, everyone in the huge Tang family, except for Old Master Tang, was "infiltrated."
Seeing the family living better and better, Old Master Tang became increasingly silent. Perhaps... he was too old-fashioned?
At some point, Old Master Tang stopped hanging up and beating his fourth son. He would just mutter to himself every time... "Black-hearted capitalist."
With Tang Shouye's "rebellion" as a precedent, Tang Yuyao's subsequent rebellion was acceptable... well, at least she wasn't another capitalist.
In Old Master Tang's view, there were only two "bad eggs" in the family: Tang Shouye and Tang Yuyao.
In a sense, the two were on the same front, so Tang Shouye naturally looked out for his little sister.
"Brother, when did you get so tough?" Tang Yuyao blinked, looking at him with newfound respect.
Tang Shouye: "..."
"Little Sister, watch your words. Fourth Brother has always been tough. But you were small then... oh wait, you weren't even born yet. You don't know about Fourth Brother's heroic feats back in the day."
Tang Shouye began to "reminisce" about his past achievements.
Tang Yuyao raised an eyebrow. "What heroic feats? You mean being hung up and beaten by the old man until he broke a few belts?"
Tang Shouye: "..."
Tang Shouye's face stiffened. He looked at his little sister in disbelief, as if asking: Why do you know this so clearly?
"But Fourth Brother, your skin really is thick. Oh, no, I mean you really are tough. No wonder you're chubby." Tang Yuyao nodded while looking at Tang Shouye's belly.
Tang Shouye: "..."
The siblings bantered for a while. Tang Shouye, having had his embarrassing past exposed, couldn't continue bragging. His face burning with shame, he had no choice but to make a quick exit.
"Ahem, let's not dwell on past glories. I'm not the man I used to be. I won't get strung up and beaten anymore!" Tang Shouye declared with a confident look.
Tang Yuyao looked slightly surprised. "You actually dare to fight back against the old man now?"
"No, what I mean is that the rope can't hold my weight anymore, and the roof beams wouldn't survive the strain!" Tang Shouye patted his belly with a look of pure pride.
Tang Yuyao was speechless.
Her fourth brother's brain seemed just like that certain brat's—not exactly functioning normally...
"Alright, Little Sis, just wait here for my good news. I'm heading in. Keep an eye out for my text later."
"Oh, okay. Go ahead."
Tang Shouye waved to Tang Yuyao and headed into the grand mansion.
After Tang Shouye had been gone for a while, Tang Yuyao replayed the events in her mind and suddenly realized something didn't seem quite right.
Hadn't she just been arrested? She hadn't even made a phone call yet, so how did her brother show up so quickly? It didn't make sense; the timeline didn't add up... unless someone had called home to tip them off in advance.
"Impossible. Honestly, I'm just scaring myself all day long..." Tang Yuyao chuckled. She had been on her own out there for so many years without any real friends. Who would possibly be looking out for her?
Unless it was a ghost.
Somewhere far away, Lin Baizhi's resentment levels were rising: +1, +1, +1...
Tang Yuyao stopped dwelling on it; she would just ask her fourth brother later. She took out her phone to check her messages...
Hmm, how should she put it? Someone had indeed messaged her, but it wasn't the person she was hoping for. Feeling a bit depressed, Tang Yuyao turned off her screen and sat in the car, sulking.
Thud!
Tang Yuyao stomped her foot down hard, her silver high-heeled sandal making a crisp sound against the floor of the car.
"What is this? You really aren't worried about me at all, are you?!" Tang Yuyao's chest heaved as she clenched her fists and unleashed a frantic barrage of punches on the back of the seat. "Ora ora ora!"
Meanwhile.
The Tang Family Mansion.
"Mom, I handled it! Little Sis is right outside, but I need you to play along!" Tang Shouye's excited voice echoed through the room.
"Shouye, you're the capable one. Unlike that old fossil. Sooner or later, I'm going to kick him to the curb and find myself a handsome little old man!" An elderly woman, whose tone sounded inexplicably similar to Tang Yuyao's, gave a light snort filled with disdain.
Tang Shouye was speechless.
"Uh... well, Mom, wouldn't it be better if we said things like that behind Dad's back?" Tang Shouye wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as he glanced at his father standing nearby.
Hmm... that's right. Old Master Tang was present as well. However, his complexion wasn't looking too great right now. It was quite red—it was hard to tell if he was blushing or overheating from rage.
Tang's Mother snorted coldly. "If he wasn't here, I wouldn't even bother saying it. Hmph, he's just a stubborn, smelly old rock. Come here, Shouye, tell Mom how I need to cooperate. By the way, did your sister bring a boyfriend back this time?"
Tang Shouye: "..."
Old Master Tang: "..."
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
