Chapter 106: Slapping Oneself

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Startled and delighted to suddenly see the little witch Xu Xin at my home, I asked her, "You! What are you doing here?"

Xu Xin dashed over like a gust of wind, grinning mischievously. "Brother Tang Qian, just now Sister Tang Ying bullied me. You have to stand up for me!"

My sister Tang Ying, sitting on the sofa, snapped irritably, "Nonsense! I was kindly showing her our family photo album, and he dared to snatch my diary to read! Brother, you must uphold justice and fairness!"

Xu Xin flashed a sly smile, grabbed my hand, and whispered, "Brother Tang Qian! Come here, I’m going to tell you a big secret!"

Tang Ying immediately flew into a rage and charged at the little witch, shouting, "How dare you? I'll make you pay!" Xu Xin laughed heartily, released my hand, and darted into my sister’s room. Tang Ying stubbornly gave chase, and soon shouts of surprise and peals of laughter echoed from inside...

I watched the two beautiful girls causing such a ruckus with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. This little witch had actually cast her spell in my home. And in such a short time, she and my sister had become as close as sisters themselves?

Just then, my mother came out smiling and said to me, "Xiao Qian is back? This girl really has a good heart. She said she wanted to thank us for taking her in last time and came specially to visit today. Look, she even bought a lot of things! Such a big spender—tell her to take it back later!"

I glanced at the several gift boxes arranged neatly on the coffee table. They looked quite expensive. I could only shake my head in exasperation and amusement, thinking, this little imp was already trying to curry favor with her future in-laws. I really had to hand it to her!

I called out, "Xu Xin, come out here!"

Hearing my voice, the little witch hurried out with her hair tousled and asked cheerfully, "Brother Tang Qian, what’s up?" I pointed to the gifts and asked, "What’s going on with all this?"

Xu Xin answered, "These are gifts I bought for Dad and Mom Tang. What’s wrong with that?"

Just then, my sister appeared, smiling, "Little Xin even bought me an MP3 player. I love it so much!"

I frowned and said, "An MP3 player is enough to make you look like this? Why accept gifts from others out of the blue? Return it at once!"

Tang Ying turned her face away, "No! You never buy me anything. Now someone’s giving me one, why shouldn’t I keep it?"

I knew our family wasn’t well-off. An MP3 player cost over a thousand yuan, and I was reluctant to buy one for her. She had been begging me for one for a long time but I never agreed. Now that someone offered to give it to her, of course she was thrilled. No wonder she got so friendly with the little witch so fast, and why she was reluctant to return the gift.

I said earnestly, "If you really like it, I’ll buy you one next time. But don’t forget what Mom and Dad taught us: we must not accept gifts that aren’t ours. Be sensible and give it back."

Xu Xin tugged at my hand anxiously, "Brother Tang Qian, what are you doing? I gave it to Sister Tang Ying, not you. Why do you care? I didn’t give it to you. Can’t I give gifts to your family? If you act like this, I’ll be angry!"

I turned away and said, "How much did you spend on these? You’re so young—why waste so much money? Don’t you know how hard your parents work for it? We don’t want these gifts. Take them back yourself!"

Seeing me so unyielding, Xu Xin pouted and threw herself into my mother’s arms, crying, "Mother Tang, look, your son is bullying me. I gave these gifts with all my heart, but he treats it like nonsense!"

I was dumbfounded. This little demon was even pouting to my mother, truly acting like a daughter-in-law. My mother’s face softened with concern as she hugged Xu Xin, "Don’t cry, dear. My son has a fierce look; don’t take it to heart. But he’s right—we haven’t done much for you, so we can’t accept such big gifts. Your parents work hard too. You should take them back."

Xu Xin grew anxious and said, "Mother Tang, actually, I bought these for Brother Tang Qian. I know he’s stingy and doesn’t think about honoring his parents, so I bought some nourishing gifts for them and an MP3 for Sister Tang Ying. But all the money actually came from Brother Tang Qian himself, not a penny from me!"

"What?" The three of us stared at Xu Xin in disbelief. A sinister premonition settled over me.

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Sure enough, Xu Xin shamelessly confessed, "Well… I actually owe Brother Tang Qian some money. I came today to repay him. But I felt a bit embarrassed to come empty-handed, so I took the liberty of buying these gifts with his money—one thousand eight hundred yuan exactly. Brother Tang Qian, so you don’t owe me anymore! Plus, I helped you honor your parents and care for your sister. Isn’t that great? You don’t have to thank me!"

I collapsed to the ground in despair and shouted inwardly, "God! My eighteen hundred yuan… gone!"

Tang Ying both laughed and looked puzzled as she helped me up. "Brother, why are you overreacting? Is what Xu Xin said true?"

I gritted my teeth and stood up. I saw the little witch nestled in my mother’s arms, shyly smiling at me. For a moment, I felt the urge to drag her over and give her a hundred spankings—no, a thousand!

My mother looked at me curiously. "Xiao Qian, does she really owe you money?"

I took a deep breath, then another, forcing down my anger. "Yes. Since that’s the case, we’ll accept the gifts. Xu Xin, it’s getting late. Your sister called to urge you. I’ll take you home."

Clever as ever, Xu Xin caught my intent from my eyes and smiled. "Your sister called? Well then, you can take me home."

She turned to my mother, saying, "Mother Tang, look, I just came and I’m leaving so soon. I really like being with you all. I think you and Dad Tang are so kind, and Sister Tang Ying is so cute—I don’t want to leave!"

My mother hugged her reluctantly. "I like you too! Come visit anytime you’re free." My sister joined in, hugging her, "Little Xin, I like you too. You must come again!"

I… I was speechless. After living with them for over twenty years, I’d never been so warmly welcomed by a girl I’d only met twice.

The little witch said her goodbyes one by one, then turned with a triumphant look. "Brother Tang Qian, let’s go." I opened the door and let her out first. She waved and descended the stairs. I quickly shut the door and hurried after her.

Xu Xin seemed to sense I was about to lose my temper, laughing as she hurried downstairs. I followed swiftly and caught up with her at the corner between the first and second floors. I grabbed her arm fiercely. "You little witch! You spent eighteen hundred yuan just to play the good Samaritan? Do you even know how much I make a month?"

Before I could hit her, she suddenly turned and threw herself into my arms, whispering, "Brother Tang Qian, I’m sorry. You wouldn’t accept the gifts, so I had no choice but to say that. Actually, those three boxes of iron-bark dendrobium cost over three thousand yuan. I was afraid you’d be shocked if I told you the truth."

"Three thousand? Are you crazy? Why buy such expensive things? Take them back!" I said.

Xu Xin wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned closer, her breath fragrant as she whispered, "You’re so silly. I’m yours completely. Why bother worrying about returning the gifts to me? After all, those things and I—aren’t we both ultimately yours?"

Hearing that, all my anger vanished, but her closeness pressed me back against the wall. I said, "But you shouldn’t just spend money like that. Doesn’t it pain you?"

Xu Xin grinned, "That’s your pain, not mine. Since everything I have is yours, spending my money is just spending yours. Fine, I was wrong. I won’t do it again. But since I’m a first offender, you have to… kiss me as punishment!"

I was speechless and reached out to push her away. In my flustered state, one hand brushed aside her clasped hands, and the other—unluckily—pushed against her small chest.

Her eyes instantly changed. Her cheeks blazed scarlet, and her eyes shimmered with moisture. She softly murmured, "You… meanie."

I immediately realized my mistake, recoiled my hands, and stammered, "S–sorry! I didn’t mean to!"

Xu Xin rolled her eyes at me, then, with no barrier left, pressed her lips to mine. I felt a thunderous shock in my head; my whole body went numb, unable to move an inch.

She closed her eyes and kissed me lightly on the lips, obviously not knowing much about kissing. After a few pecks, she blushed and buried her face in my chin, whispering, "Brother Tang Qian, I’m going back to my hometown tomorrow. Remember to come see me!"

Gradually, my limbs regained feeling. I smiled bitterly and stroked her long hair. This was, after all, only the second time I’d kissed this little girl. My heart was filled with both guilt and sweetness.

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I knew deep down I liked this mischievous little witch, but I was scared. Could it be I had some abnormal feelings, a pedophilic attraction? Impossible! I liked her older sister, the young woman in my arms!

During the few days spent with Xu Xin, most of the time I hated her with a passion, wishing to get rid of her as soon as possible. When did I start liking her so much?

My mind was in chaos, unable to think clearly. My hands unconsciously held her tighter...

Suddenly, heavy footsteps came up the stairs. Xu Xin and I snapped apart just as Mrs. Wang from the fifth floor arrived. She gave us a suspicious look but didn’t greet me and went straight upstairs.

Startled back to reality, I broke out in a cold sweat, cursing myself inwardly. "Tang Qian, you’re such a scoundrel! She’s just a minor girl, and look at what disgusting things you’ve done!"

Feeling ashamed and angry, I raised my hand and slapped myself fiercely across the face. The sharp “smack” echoed on the stairway. The sting made my right cheek swell hotly.

Xu Xin gasped in shock, grabbed my hand, and asked, "What… what are you doing?" She gently stroked my cheek, looking both hurt and puzzled.

Too ashamed to explain, I roughly pushed her hand away. "I… will take you home now." Grabbing her wrist, I strode down the stairs.

The little witch stumbled along behind me. "Brother Tang Qian, what’s wrong? Did I make you angry? Tell me."

I could only say, "It’s none of your business! Let’s go!"

Outside the complex, I hailed a taxi and told the driver to go to Caiyu Mountain. The driver quoted a steep fare of two hundred yuan. Distracted, I didn’t bargain and nodded. Xu Xin glared at him, "Two hundred yuan? Are you robbing us? Just turn on the meter and charge what you should!"

The driver grumbled but switched on the meter and drove off. Seeing my gloomy mood and not knowing what had happened, Xu Xin anxiously held my hand and looked at me worriedly.

As we sped along, I thought hard. I couldn’t be so confused anymore. I carried so many emotional debts now; it was time to clear them out. Luckily Xu Xin would return to her hometown in T City tomorrow. I needed to use this time to reflect and banish those strange, dirty thoughts. I had to find a proper path for my heart and stop causing trouble for anyone.

Xu Shu was right—it was all caused by me stirring things up! I finally understood why those women tangled with me so persistently: it was because I was careless and invited it on myself!

The car sped quickly, and soon we arrived at Yupan Mountain. We got out at the grand iron gate. The driver seemed excited. "This… this is the villa of the famous star Xu Shu. You two are…?"

I took out money to pay the fare without saying a word and stood by the gate. Shortly the gate opened automatically. Xu Xin and I entered. After walking about a hundred meters, a small car came to pick us up. I asked the driver, "Has Xu Shu returned?"

The driver replied bluntly, "I don’t know."

Xu Xin asked curiously, "Did my sister go out? Where did she go?"

Before I could answer, my phone rang—it was Xu Shu calling. I pressed the button and just said, "Hello?" when suddenly a series of beeps sounded. The screen went dark, and the phone shut off automatically due to no battery.