Chapter 23: The Contrast is Too Great (Please Vote and Favorite)

Who wouldn't say that siblings are ideally suited to be adversaries?

Tang Chuxia crawled out through a dog hole and immediately pinched Second Brother Tang's arm, "Second Brother, when you get married, I'll make sure to prepare a dog hole for when I make trouble at your wedding chamber!"

Second Brother Tang: ...

There's really no need for such mutual harm.

It's better for siblings to be united and loving.

Tang Jianguo cleared his throat, "All right, enough talk, there's a situation!"

Luckily he spoke up in time, otherwise, a major sibling showdown would have been inevitable.

The three siblings saw a compound enclosed by earthen walls in their view and couldn't help but show a solemn expression.

To think there is such a place in South City, what does that imply?

There must definitely be a situation.

What they hadn't expected was that after drawing closer, many muffled sounds came from inside.

Tang Jianguo, not daring to let Tang Chuxia take the risk, asked Tang Jianjun to watch over her while he climbed over the wall into the yard to investigate the situation.

"Second Brother, do you know what this place is?" asked Tang Chuxia, who was bored and peering over the mud wall.

Second Brother Tang shook his head, "I don't know, though I can make some guesses!"

This wasn't just him bluffing. After all, he had been into mischief since childhood—where in Quan City hadn't he been?

He had heard about some secret places.

"Let's hear it!"

How could Tang Wanqiu, having been in the city for only a short time, know this place?

Without someone guiding her, it definitely wouldn't have been possible.

"It's probably a gambling den!"

Tang Jianjun sneered coldly, "No matter how difficult times are, such places just can't be wiped out."

Tang Chuxia appeared puzzled, "Here? What for? Isn't South City impoverished?"

Even from her experiences in her previous life, having seen the real conditions around the world, she was baffled by the existence of gambling dens in what seemed like a slum.

Tang Jianjun, clutching a dry tree branch in his palm, said, "Do you really not understand? Must you be rich to gamble?"

Tang Chuxia realized it then.

A casino built in a slum-like area wasn't aimed at money but certainly for other reasons.

Such a mixed and turbulent environment was a breeding ground for darkness.

While they talked, Tang Jianguo also entered the interior. Initially, he saw nothing unusual until someone came out to urinate; he followed them back inside and found that the dilapidated courtyard enclosed by earthen walls concealed an underground haven.

Entering it, the place was filled with smoky haze, and the hanging lanterns shone light intense enough for Tang Jianguo to see clearly what was underground.

In the center was a few gambling tables, indeed people were betting on sizes; whereas in a corner, there was a heated brick bed with several people lying on it, puffing out smoke, and opposite was a corridor with tightly packed rooms on each side.

The sounds coming from behind the curtain doors were indeed unbearable, full of all kinds of heckling laughter.

Among these people, Tang Wanqiu was nowhere to be seen.

Tang Jianguo had a troubling premonition. Pretending to be one of the clients, he kept his head down and tried his best to act ordinary as he looked around.

At last, he saw Tang Wanqiu's figure behind a screen.

Compared to her obedience in the Tang Family, Tang Wanqiu at this time seemed like a different person, having removed her scarf and expertly shaking the dice on the table. A cigarette dangled from her lips, the smoke shrouding her face and making it hard to see clearly.

"I say, Eldest Miss Tang, why would you come here today?"

The man sitting opposite Tang Wanqiu teased her in a gruff voice.

"Why? Are only you allowed to come here, and I can't come to relax?"

She shook the dice in her hand and said contemptuously, "Acting in the Tang Family every day makes me feel sick!"

Tang Jianguo looked at Tang Wanqiu, who was beyond his expectations, with mixed feelings.

"That idiot Tang Chuxia suddenly got a brain, and Hu Mingcheng didn't dare to actually take me away! Annoying!"

She slammed the dice on the table, then asked the man opposite, "What if I directly take action?"

The man across from her laughed with a "heh," "Would you really? I heard your biological parents are quite capable and are coming back!"

Tang Wanqiu did not answer him but leaned over and slapped the man's face, leaving a handprint on his cheek.

"Shut up, things have been tense lately. Be careful, I am here to warn you. Don't come looking for me recently—today I saw you peeking in the alleys!"

The man covered his face and mumbled some curses but did not hit back, only angrily shouting, "Little witch, you'd better not fall into my hands in the future!"

Tang Wanqiu grabbed the man's hand and snuffed out her cigarette on his palm before standing and leaving.

Tang Jianguo had moved out of the way the moment Tang Wanqiu stood up. The scene didn't cause much disturbance, thankfully because of the people's low alertness here; otherwise, his appearance—a living person—would certainly have been noticed.

This was not reasonable.

Tang Jianguo went outside and called Tang Jianjun and Tang Chuxia to leave.

Only after confirming their safety did Tang Jianguo recount what he had seen to his siblings.

After listening, Tang Chuxia smiled cynically, "I said Tang Wanqiu couldn't be that stupid—you see; it was all an act!"

In the original storyline, Tang Wanqiu lived a very good life by stepping on her sister's misfortune, not to mention being able to win over the Tang Family, and even Hu Mingcheng's pampering, as well as her success in her career.

This wasn't just luck but capability.

However, after Tang Chuxia had crossed over, both the original host's memory and what she saw these past few days made Tang Wanqiu appear not smart, which was very unreasonable.

Fuming, Tang Jianjun said, "What on earth has she been through all these years? Why would our grandparents indulge her in learning bad habits?"

Tang Jianguo frowned, "It shouldn't be our grandparents' fault!"

The Tang Wanqiu he saw was definitely not passively corrupted by others; she had a plan in the Tang Family, suddenly recalling the sudden death of their grandparents.

Before their grandparents' death, they had sent a telegram to Father Tang, urging him to come back quickly because there was urgent news.

However, the news never came through; what followed was the news of their grandparents' death, then the funeral, and bringing Tang Wanqiu back.

"Is there a possibility that this Tang Wanqiu is not the real Tang Wanqiu?"

Tang Chuxia proposed a bizarre question, and Tang Jianguo stared at her intensely, even Tang Jianjun was shocked.

"Of course, it's just a hypothesis!"

Tang Chuxia said somewhat awkwardly, thinking her guess a bit far-fetched, as Tang Jianjun sighed in relief, "If Tang Wanqiu were switched, that would be truly horrifying!"

"No matter what her intentions, what we need to figure out now is why she would want my younger sister not to marry Hu Mingcheng and how going to the countryside benefits her?"

Tang Jianguo rubbed his chin, contemplating.

Suddenly remembering a fragment of the original host's memory, Tang Chuxia clapped her hands excitedly and dragged her two brothers toward their home.