The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind—The Wife's Revenge Fierce Attack

The next day, dawn.

At the Tang residence.

The first rays of sunlight streamed in from outside. Tang Yuyao was still tirelessly engaged in an online argument, heavy dark circles under her eyes and a peculiar look of excitement on her face.

The two of them had been going back and forth for an entire night, and she had finally gained the upper hand. Now she was in the smug stage.

"Go on, why aren’t you talking now, you little brat? The truth is the truth—what’s real can’t be faked, and of course, what’s fake can’t be real. Is it even yours to claim?"

Tang Yuyao’s face was full of arrogance as she kept up a relentless psychological assault on Xia Tongxin on the other end of the phone.

Their chat history had hit 99+ messages, all records of their argument. After sending over a dozen more messages with no rebuttal from Xia Tongxin, Tang Yuyao realized she had finally won.

Satisfied, she put down her phone, ready to get some sleep before dawn broke.

No sooner had she lain down than the sound of a rooster crowing came from outside... Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!

Tang Yuyao: "???"

She bolted upright, her heavily shadowed eyes filled with shock and confusion. She froze for two seconds. "How is it already light out?"

She grabbed her phone and checked—it was around six or seven in the morning. She had work today, didn’t she? There went any chance of sleep!

"Forget it, I’m not going. I’m sleeping in."

In less than a second, Tang Yuyao made the call between work and sleep, decisively choosing the latter. Work? Screw work—lying low was the best option.

She closed her eyes like a victorious female general, pulled the blanket over her head, found a comfortable position, and drifted off.

Soon enough...

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Sweetie, open up—it’s me, your mom." Tang’s Mother’s whispery voice came from outside the door.

Tang Yuyao: "???"

Groaning in pain, she dragged herself out of bed with her dark circles to open the door for her mom. Click.

"Mom, why are you up so early today? Aren’t you usually still sleeping at this hour?" Tang Yuyao could barely keep her eyes open. Tang’s Mother, seemingly ignoring her, craned her neck to peer intently into the room, as if looking for something.

"Mom, what are you looking at?" Tang Yuyao asked, puzzled.

"Oh, nothing, don’t mind me—I’m just taking a casual look..." Tang’s Mother said as she kept tiptoeing to peer inside, practically wanting to scan the floor with her eyes.

Tang Yuyao: "..."

"Mom, are you sure this counts as 'just taking a casual look'?"

Tang’s Mother coughed awkwardly. Seeing how direct her daughter was and that there was no one else around, she decided to just come out with it.

"Sweetie, how did last night go?" Tang’s Mother whispered conspiratorially.

"How did it go? How what go?" Tang Yuyao looked utterly confused. She had spent the whole night gaming and arguing online. She had just been about to fall asleep when her mom showed up—what could have possibly "gone"?

Tang’s Mother noticed the heavy dark circles under her eldest daughter’s eyes and got even more excited.

"Sweetie, what did you two talk about last night?"

Tang Yuyao’s mind flashed back to the scenes of her earlier argument with Xia Tongxin and some unimportant keywords—stuff like watermelons, soccer balls, bowling balls...

That kind of thing.

Tang Yuyao: "..."

"Ahem, don’t worry about that. I need to sleep now." Tang Yuyao put on a serious face, which actually fooled Tang’s Mother for a moment. She nodded and was about to step out.

"Wait a minute, sweetie—don’t you have work today?"

Tang Yuyao’s face stiffened. Dammit, she’d been busted!

A few minutes later, Tang Yuyao stumbled out of her room with her dark circles. Creak—as she pushed open the door, the door to the room next door, where Ye Cheng and the little boy stayed, also opened.

Both of them stretched simultaneously, their bones cracking. "Ah, what a great day—another beautiful morning!"

Ye Cheng was bursting with energy. In stark contrast was Tang Yuyao, who had just stepped out of her room next door—limp and lifeless, looking like she could collapse at any moment.

So, while she had spent the whole night arguing, those two had gotten a full night’s sleep?

"Little Aunt, your dark circles are really bad." The little boy poked his head out from the room, blinked, his tiny bean-like eyes full of blunt honesty.

Tang Yuyao: "..."

"You little brat, what do you know? This is called smoky eye makeup. You don’t know a thing!" Tang Yuyao insisted stubbornly.

The little boy muttered to himself, not daring to call her out on it. If he did, she’d lose it and start bullying him, a kindergartner—completely dishonorable.

"No fair fighting."

"Xiao Cheng, Xiaobao, come eat—Grandma has heated up the food." Not far away, Tang’s Mother came over with a bowl, beaming.

The little boy muttered in confusion, "Grandma, why are you up so early today, too?"

Tang’s Mother’s face stiffened. "Xiaobao, what are you talking about? Grandma’s always up early, isn’t she? Come eat quickly—I’ll take you to school later."

The little boy: "..."

Something felt really off today—distinctly twelve kinds of wrong. Not just his little aunt, but even his grandma, who was "chronically ill" and needed plenty of rest to recover, was up this early.

This was the first time in years.

Tough luck. As soon as he turned around, Tang’s Mother let out a few yawns in a row. She was really tired.

Getting up this early today was a real struggle for her. She hadn’t been up this early in years. All to leave a good impression on Ye Cheng—a real one-off.

Oh, and by the way, when she used to send her chubby son to school, she’d never gotten up this early, either. That was always left to Tang Shouye, because Tang’s Mother could never drag herself out of bed...

The three of them followed Tang’s Mother into the living room for breakfast. Old Master Tang and Tang Shouye were already sitting at the table, eating steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and porridge. Both father and son had sleepy, puzzled looks.

Neither had expected to be up this early, and with a hot meal ready at that—when was the last time that had happened? Had the sun risen from the west today?

"What are you two staring at? Not eating?" Tang’s Mother shot them a glare. Old Master Tang and Tang Shouye hurriedly bowed their heads, gnawing on their buns and slurping their porridge. They couldn’t stare anymore or they’d get scolded.

"Come, Xiao Cheng, sit over here. The space is a bit tight, so make do. Xiaobao, come sit with Grandma."

Tang’s Mother arranged everything cleverly, making sure Ye Cheng ended up sitting next to Tang Yuyao—a sly old lady.

After breakfast, Tang Shouye, Ye Cheng, and the other two left the Tang residence.

"Take your time walking, and watch the road..." Tang’s Mother waved from the doorway. She watched the four leave, then finally lowered her hand and yawned.

"I’m going to sleep now. Don’t forget to wash the dishes, and don’t call me..."

As soon as Ye Cheng left, Tang's Mother immediately changed her expression. Without turning back, she walked into the house and slammed the door shut with a bang, then went back to sleep.

Old Master Tang: "..."

He knew it would be like this. Sigh... Old Master Tang stood outside for a while by himself, then silently went to wash the dishes. After that, he started his usual exercise routine, just like any other day, though today he added one extra detail—studying the chessboard.

He still hadn't figured out yesterday's incomplete game, so he continued today. Another fulfilling day.

...

At the academy, in the villa.

The Head Maid opened her eyes, somewhat tired. She vaguely thought she heard the sound of her young lady crying?

It was the kind of pitiful, sniffling cry. A giant question mark appeared over the Head Maid's head as she got up and tentatively called out to a small lump on the bedside.

"Young lady?"

"Boo hoo hoo..."

The Head Maid: "..."

The Head Maid's drowsiness instantly vanished. She quickly got up to comfort her young lady. Xia Tongxin's eyes were swollen red from crying, both puffy and sore. She hadn't been able to argue with Tang Yuyao because her phone had died.

On top of that, what Tang Yuyao had said was just too hurtful. All Xia Tongxin could do was shed tears. Once she started crying, she just couldn't stop, sniffling pitifully as tears fell.

"Xiaxia, she's so mean... boo hoo hoo... she said I'm small, but I'm not small at all... boo hoo hoo... it's so unfair, I want it too... boo hoo hoo..."

The Head Maid: "..."

A dozen or so minutes later, the room quieted down. The Head Maid had calmed Xia Tongxin down, and the latter fell into a deep sleep in the room.

The Head Maid got up to make breakfast, along with a special recipe for Xia Tongxin that was supposed to help her go from "small" to "big."

Gurgle, gurgle.

A simmering sound came from the kitchen. The Head Maid checked the time, took off her apron, hung it aside, and gave the other maids in the house instructions for what to do next before heading out.

"If I'm not back within half an hour, turn off the heat. The young lady probably won't wake up before I return, but if she does, call me..."

After giving her orders, the Head Maid walked out of the villa.

She hopped on her electric scooter and headed out of the academy grounds. There were still some key ingredients she needed to pick up and buy—like papaya, fresh papaya.

Though she had no idea if this stuff actually worked, that's what people online said, so why not give it a try?

Given her young lady's current situation, it was a shot in the dark, but it had to work. This had practically become an obsession for Xia Tongxin, so failure wasn't an option.

The Head Maid took off on her electric scooter and quickly left the academy. She went to the largest nearby market to buy the ingredients. By the time she got back, about twenty minutes had passed.

Perfect timing.

"Eh?"

The Head Maid stopped her electric scooter at the academy gate, staring at the Tang family's private car parked there.

"Xiao Cheng, we'll drop you off here. Are you coming to eat at home today?" Tang Shouye asked from the passenger seat.

"I'll see. Probably," Ye Cheng replied casually.

One detail: only one person got out of the car. Tang Yuyao was stuck in the back seat, barely able to keep her eyes open, and she'd used her little brother's belly as a pillow to sleep on.

Little brother: "..."

Thanks for nothing.

"Alright, call ahead if you're coming, and I'll send someone to pick you up."

Tang Shouye chatted a bit more with Ye Cheng before the car drove off. After waiting a moment and seeing the car disappear, the Head Maid was about to go up and greet Ye Cheng.

Suddenly!

A shadow shot out from a nearby bush, moving at an alarming speed. In the blink of an eye, it had already darted out carrying a sack.

It landed a solid hit on Ye Cheng with a club. He shut his eyes, kicked his legs, and collapsed into a floored expression. He went down straight as a board, completely knocked out. The attacker stuffed him into the sack, tied it to the back of a motorcycle, and sped off into the distance!

Head Maid: "???"