Gifts?
They had never even considered buying Tang Shiba any gifts.
After all, she had bullied Tang Xueqing on the show and made such a fool of herself.
Even if they bought her gifts, would she have the nerve to accept them?
Tang Xiao had bought some, but Tang Xueqing had taken them and unwrapped every last one.
Everyone fell silent.
They had come home to back Tang Xueqing up and keep Tang Shiba from bullying her at home.
But after what had just happened, they realized they were the ones who needed someone to back them up.
She could destroy them without lifting a finger.
Tang Shiba had done nothing, yet they had ended up beating one another.
Was this karma for not buying her gifts?
Seeing their silence, Tang Dad suddenly slammed his palm on the table, his expression dark. "Don't tell me you didn't buy any. I'm pretty sure I reminded you before you came home."
Tang Xueqing jumped. This was the first time she had ever seen her father lose his temper.
Earlier, she had been smug that her brothers had bought gifts only for her, planning to show them off once Tang Shiba woke up.
Now, however, she could hardly bring them out.
What would her parents think of her if she did?
Should she say her brothers loved only her and had given her all the gifts?
Wouldn't her parents be disappointed in her if she said that?
Tang Mom looked at Tang Xueqing.
All she had to do was step forward, put in a good word for the three sons, and bring out the gifts to share. Then the matter would be over.
Yet she did nothing.
Was this really the little sister her three sons doted on?
She truly was an ungrateful wretch, no matter how much love they gave her.
Tang Xiao spoke up. "Dad, I bought some. Xueqing has them."
Tang Xueqing froze, staring at her second brother in disbelief.
"Second Brother, didn't you give those to me?"
Tang Xiao looked away. "One of them was for Tang Shiba. I didn't get a chance to tell you."
Impossible!
How could Second Brother possibly have bought her a gift?
Tang Xueqing lowered her head in disappointment. Even then, she said nothing about bringing out the gifts.
Tang Mom took the initiative. "Xueqing, I saw you unwrap so many gifts earlier. They must have gotten mixed up, right? Go get them and share them with your older sister."
Why should I?
Tang Xueqing's face turned pale. "Mom, those were gifts my brothers gave me," she said quietly.
"How could they all be for you? Shiba is their biological sister. However unfamiliar they may be with her, blood is still thicker than water. Be sensible. You couldn't use all those gifts anyway."
The three brothers had mixed feelings. If they spoke up for her, they would seem heartless toward their biological sister. If they didn't, seeing Tang Xueqing in such a difficult position hurt them too.
After all, ever since learning that their biological sister might no longer be alive, they had given all their love to Tang Xueqing.
After so many years, it had become a habit.
Tang Shiba snorted inwardly.
[Getting her to cough up those gifts would be harder than killing her. If she won't give them up, fine. As if I care about their gifts.]
She broke the heavy silence. "I've never given her a gift either. Since she wants them so badly, consider them my gifts to her."
Her gaze swept over her three brothers, and she saw them suddenly stiffen.
She fell silent. Did these three brothers loathe her so much that they couldn't even stand her looking at them?
Then she turned to Tang Mom. "Mom, I'm hungry. I want to eat."
Tang Mom sighed. "Never mind. After lunch, I'll take you shopping. Just the two of us."
Those words were meant for Tang Xueqing, making it clear that no one else was to follow.
Tang Xueqing kept her head lowered, her expression strained as her nails dug into her palms.
Tang Shiba!
Who wants your oh-so-generous charity?
Tang Xueqing stood up, her voice thick with tears. "Mom, Dad, I'm not feeling well. I'll go upstairs first."
"Go ahead."
After Tang Xueqing left, the eldest brother stood up, only for Tang Mom to stop him.
"Where are you going?"
"Mom, Xueqing isn't feeling well. I'm going to check on her."
"Check on what? What could possibly happen to her in such a short time?"
[Tsk, tsk. So worried about her, huh? Eldest Brother really does love Tang Xueqing.]
"Shut up!" Tang Xuan suddenly shouted, startling everyone.
Realizing he had lost control, he quickly apologized. "Sorry, Mom. I wasn't yelling at you. I just..."
Tang Mom's expression darkened. "Sit down. You've only just met your biological sister, and this is how you behave?"
Tang Xuan felt helpless. "Mom, Xueqing looked really pale. You know her health isn't good."
"She received so many gifts. What could possibly be wrong with her? She looked overjoyed to me."
"Mom, how can you say that?" Tang Xuan was shocked. Hadn't his mother always doted on Xueqing the most?
The second and third brothers also felt that their mother's attitude toward Tang Xueqing had grown much colder.
Was it because of Tang Shiba?
Her arrival seemed to have shattered the harmony in this family.
[See? It clearly wasn't my fault, but they'll blame me again and think Tang Xueqing only suffered because I came home.]
[But who is their biological sister?]
[Since I came back, they haven't called me their sister even once. Fine, but they've been giving me dirty looks too. Oh, honestly. Tsk, tsk, tsk.]
[At least I called them my brothers. If I had any feelings for them, I'd probably be hurt and disappointed.]
[Too bad. If they don't see me as their sister, I don't see them as my brothers either. There's something wrong with their heads. They need treatment!]
Hearing that left the whole family feeling awful.
The three brothers also reflected on themselves. Had they gone too far?
Tang Shiba stood up and pulled Tang Mom to her feet with a smile.
"Mom, I want hot pot. Let's go eat, then go shopping afterward."
Tang Mom's heart ached so much she wanted to cry, and she nodded.
The two left under the conflicted gazes of the four men.
Tang Dad looked at them coldly.
"You'd better not disappoint Shiba too much, or you'll have plenty to cry about later."
Then he looked at Tang Xuan and warned him, "You're the eldest brother. You should set an example, not give people grounds to criticize you. If you can't do that, I'll consider putting your second brother in charge of the parent company."
Tang Xuan clenched his fists and lowered his head. "Understood, Dad."
Tang Dad turned to his other two sons. "And you two. If you dare bully Shiba at home, your mother and I will send Tang Xueqing away. The Tang Family has raised her for eighteen years. We've more than fulfilled our duty to her."
Both hurriedly nodded, afraid of being scolded.
Looking at his three sons, Tang Dad felt helpless.
They were all so accomplished. Why were they blind when it came to Tang Xueqing?
No wonder his biological daughter had once called them blind parents in her thoughts.
Now she had three blind brothers too.
Tang Dad went to his study. Tang Xuan still wanted to check on Tang Xueqing, afraid something might happen to her.
Tang Xiao gave Tang Lin a look, and Tang Lin understood immediately.
He draped an arm around his eldest brother's shoulders and smiled. "Eldest Brother, I know you're still upset about the ancient coin. Don't worry. I'll go get it back for you tomorrow."
"Let's go check on Xueqing. It wouldn't be good if she really was sick."
Although they doted on Tang Xueqing, they only looked after her as a little sister.
Unlike their eldest brother, they had no other feelings for her.
Now that they knew how their eldest brother felt, they had to limit the chances for those two to be alone together.
If anything really happened, their parents would be furious.
Besides, if word got out, the Tang Family would probably become a laughingstock.
In truth, they were overthinking it.
Although Tang Xuan liked Tang Xueqing, he knew where to draw the line.
Besides, the love letter wasn't signed. Even if he sent it, she wouldn't know who had written it.
The eldest brother simply couldn't bear to throw it away.
After all, it was the first love letter he had ever written, and it would be his last. Couldn't he keep it to read himself?
Unfortunately, Tang Mom had already torn it to shreds, so thoroughly that it couldn't even be pieced back together.
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