Just like that, the two-brother duo turned into a three-person sibling group. Tang Xiao was the eldest, Ah Yin was the second-eldest sister, and Tang Hao was the third brother.
Originally, Ah Yin should have been the third sister, but she was unwilling. She said she only regarded Tang Hao as a younger brother, and thus this ranking came to be (so should Tang San in the future be called Tang the Second?).
During the journey, Tang Xiao felt as though he were soaking in a honey jar. Ah Yin was gentle, considerate, and empathetic. She excelled in the kitchen and the parlor, and she cooked a mean meal, taking very good comfort of him.
Tang Hao, however, felt utterly aggrieved. From the very first glance at Ah Yin, he had fallen in love with her. Yet no matter how he confessed or curried favor, Ah Yin's eyes held only Tang Xiao.
The three of them went to eat together. Ah Yin prepared a table full of dishes for Tang Xiao, and even affectionately picked up her chopsticks to place food piece by piece into Tang Xiao's bowl.
Out of an elder sister-in-law's (as Ah Yin considered herself) care for a younger brother, Ah Yin specially made one extra dish for Tang Hao, and this dish was So Many Fish.
Eating the So Many Fish made by Ah Yin and watching his older brother enjoy the scene of being fed by Ah Yin bite after bite, Tang Hao felt as if his heart were being torn apart by knives.
He felt some regret: why, when they first met, did he have to unleash Divine Slaughter's Domain, losing his control and leaving such a wretched impression on Ah Yin?
If back then he could have also gently helped Ah Yin up at the very moment she fell, then the person sitting in that spot beside his older brother right now would be him.
As the three of them traveled, they arrived in Mari City.
Ah Yin saw a noodle restaurant, pointed at it, and said to Tang Xiao, "Brother Xiao, I've been to this noodle restaurant before. It's so delicious. Should we go try it out?"
Tang Xiao said, "Alright, let's go in and try it then. I trust your taste, Ah Yin."
Thus, Ah Yin linked arms with Tang Xiao and entered the noodle restaurant. Right behind the two of them, Tang Hao followed like a puppy.
After entering the noodle restaurant, the three of them ordered a large pile of food.
Watching the lovey-dovey scene between Ah Yin and Tang Xiao, Tang Hao's heart ached even more. He turned his sorrow and anger into appetite, shoveling things into his stomach in large mouthfuls. As he ate, Tang Hao suddenly let out a burp.
Ah Yin frowned and complained, "Younger Brother Hao, can't you be a bit more refined when you eat?"
Tang Hao clutched his head with an expression of awkwardness and ingratiation as he said, "I'm sorry... I won't do it next time."
On the other side, Tang Xiao was eating in big mouthfuls, and in the end even picked up the noodle soup and drank it down. Finished, Tang Xiao let out a massive burp.
Seeing this scene, Tang Hao immediately felt that the chance to strike at his love rival had arrived. He pointed and rebuked with a stern expression, "Brother Xiao, can't you be a bit more refined when you eat?"
Tang Xiao also said with an awkward expression, "Sorry, I won't do it next time."
"It's fine. Only when a man eats like this can it be called bold and unconstrained."
Ah— Tang Hao felt as though he were shattering apart.
That evening, the two brothers slept at an inn, while Ah Yin stayed alone in her own room.
Tang Xiao pondered for a long time before saying to Tang Hao, "I've decided. Tomorrow, I'm going to confess to Ah Yin."
Hearing these words, Tang Hao's fragile heart shattered all over the floor in an instant. Although in the three-person dynamic Ah Yin leaned more and more toward Tang Xiao, as long as the two had not yet confirmed their relationship, Tang Hao believed he still had a chance. However, once a relationship was established, wouldn't he...
"But, Brother, I also like Ah Yin," Tang Hao said with a painful expression.
"Younger Brother Hao, how can matters of the heart be forced? Liking someone is liking them, and not liking them is not liking them. I can tell that Ah Yin doesn't like you; your love is destined to have no result," Tang Xiao said.
Tang Hao felt he could still struggle a bit: "Brother, how can we know it's destined to have no result without trying?"
"Alright, then tomorrow we will both confess to Ah Yin. No matter who Ah Yin ultimately decides to follow, it will be her own decision. The one who loses will voluntarily back out and no longer pester her. How about that?" Tang Xiao proposed.
"Alright."
"Then it's settled," Tang Xiao said.
That night, Tang Xiao slept soundly, while Tang Hao tossed and turned in bed. He suffered from insomnia.
From the very first moment he saw Ah Yin, Tang Hao felt that there was no more breathtakingly beautiful woman in the world. He was deeply infatuated with her—her scent, her clothes, everything about her.
Tang Hao swore that he would only love Ah Yin alone for the rest of his life, and would marry no one else.
However, his brother's existence was like an insurmountable chasm lying between the two of them.
Through the time they had spent together, Tang Hao felt that the distance between himself and Ah Yin was growing further and further. Her eyes held only his brother, leaving not an inch of leeway for himself.
Although tomorrow the two of them would confess to Ah Yin together, and there was still a possibility that he might be accepted by her, that was merely self-deception.
Tang Hao was not stupid; he could guess tomorrow's outcome. Ah Yin would accept Tang Xiao's confession, and in the end, it would amount to nothing more than making him give up all hope.
Yet he was unwilling to resign himself to this. He was unwilling to let his Ah Yin marry another man—even if that man was his brother.
What should I do if Ah Yin agrees to my brother's confession?
The more Tang Hao thought about it, the more agonizing his heart became. Amidst pain and torment, he gradually drifted off to sleep.
Late at night, absolute silence reigned.
Huo Yuhao's Divine Sense silently appeared inside the inn where the three were resting. He hovered mid-air, gazing down at the two deeply sleeping brothers, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward.
In the original timeline, the person Ah Yin would fall in love with was the mighty and domineering Tang Hao, rather than the reserved, introverted, and gentle Tang Xiao. Making Ah Yin fall in love with Tang Xiao instead was his, Huo Yuhao's, masterpiece. Yet he, Huo Yuhao, was no matchmaker pulling red lines for people to let lovers finally tie the knot; he could not pull off something like accommodating Tang Xiao just to exact revenge on Tang San's family, because—he was a fox, and a fox has to divvy up the pie.
"Alright, our assistant director's script has already entered the next act. Let's invite the protagonist of the next act to make an entrance."
A ball of light condensed in the palm of Huo Yuhao's hand. This ball of light drifted toward Tang Hao, and the moment it touched Tang Hao's brain, it melted right in.
Watching the sleeping Tang Hao, Huo Yuhao let out a cold laugh.
Love triangles were endlessly emerging in the Douluo World, often ending with two people tying the knot and one person eating So Many Fish. The person left with the fish would mostly step aside voluntarily like a gentleman, holding onto an unrequited love and growing old in solitude.
Tang Xiao was like this, and Flender was too. Facing a similar plight, what choice would Tang Hao make?
And if this love were entwined with endless, beginningless benefits, Tang Hao, how would you choose—to fight, or to yield? I am quite looking forward to it.
Anyway, as your Tang family's revenge for toying with my entire life in the previous lifetime, let it begin with you at this very moment.
After finishing all this, Huo Yuhao's Divine Sense faded away into the darkness.
Before you continue