Chapter 111: Tang Wei Teaches Her Daughter

Watching Zi Xuan open the door and leave, Tang Wei muttered to herself, “You five little rascals, you’d better pull through! Don’t let Zi Xuan find me out!” She then lightly tapped herself with an invisibility charm—something she had just learned. She’d overheard Zi Xuan use it last time and, out of curiosity, had picked up the trick, though she wasn’t sure if it really worked.

To be safe, Tang Wei circulated her spiritual energy throughout her body before gently opening the door. She followed Zi Xuan stealthily from a distance, winding left and right. Soon, she saw Zi Xuan stop at the entrance of a quiet courtyard behind the Xuanyuan family’s residence. After briefly looking around and making sure no one was watching, he opened the door and walked straight in.

Tang Wei waited silently for a moment to ensure Zi Xuan wasn’t playing any tricks, then followed him inside. Outside the main room of the courtyard, she could indeed hear Yaya’s voice. Curiosity gnawed at her—what were these father and daughter hiding from her? She tiptoed over to the window, intending to listen before proceeding further.

As soon as Zi Xuan entered, Yaya ran up to him affectionately, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Dad, you really are my real dad! Thanks for keeping this from Mom. Otherwise, if Mom found me, she’d probably skin me alive first thing,” she teased. Tang Wei clenched her teeth in frustration outside but held her tongue, wanting to hear more before making a move. Angrily, she thought, “That brat, he’s your real father, so does that make me your stepmother? Just you wait—I’ll settle the score with you later.”

Zi Xuan spoke again, “Yaya, your mom is really upset this time. Don’t you think you went a bit too far?”

“Oh, it’s fine! As long as it’s something I did, Mom won’t be mad this time! With Dad around, I’m not afraid!” Yaya said with a sweet smile, her face soft and innocent enough to melt anyone’s heart. Suddenly, her brow furrowed as she looked up with a small face and asked, “Dad, you’re not going to let Mom punish me, are you?”

Yaya’s expression made Zi Xuan feel a pang of guilt, but with no leverage over Tang Wei, he could only awkwardly scratch the back of his head and stammer, “Well, um, Yaya, your mom is really mad this time. She wants to put you under house arrest for a whole year. If I plead for you again, she might punish me too.” Zi Xuan sighed helplessly and glanced at Zhang San standing nearby, quickly adding, “By the way, Zhang San can’t escape responsibility this time either. He’ll be held accountable for not supervising properly.”

“Dad, you’re so weak! You’re a man, yet you can’t handle a little girl. People will laugh at you if they find out!” Yaya scoffed when she heard Zi Xuan couldn’t help her deal with Tang Wei, rolling her eyes in disdain. Zhang San said nothing, standing silently behind them with a blank expression, observing everything with perfect servant-like composure.

“Yaya, that’s not right. You made the mistake this time and can’t just shirk responsibility. We have to be reasonable. Why don’t you go apologize to your mom first? Maybe it’ll go easier for you,” Zi Xuan said, clearly out of options.

Tang Wei was always someone who responded better to softness than to force. If Yaya sincerely acknowledged her mistake and explained the situation clearly, she might not be so harsh. But Yaya was genuinely afraid of her mother’s anger and preferred to hide rather than face the storm, missing the best chance to make amends.

“What use is apologizing? Mom will just spank me first thing!” Yaya said, clearly knowing Tang Wei well. No matter what, a whipping was inevitable.

“That’s better than being under house arrest for a whole year! Think about it: a year without going out, no KFC, no shopping, no games—just stuck at home. Won’t you go stir crazy?” Zi Xuan tried to tempt her with the things she cared about most.

Yaya bit her finger, frowning deeply as she pondered. Suddenly, her eyes darted around as a mischievous idea struck her. She gleefully exclaimed, “Oh, how silly of me! Why come running to you, Dad, for help? If I just go home, Grandma’s there—Mom won’t be able to do anything to me!” With that, she hurriedly grabbed her bag off the table and called to Zhang San, “Old man, let’s go quickly!” She opened the door but froze on the spot.

“What? Now you think of going to find your grandmother? Too late!” Tang Wei blocked the doorway, hands on her hips, her smile full of triumph.

Yaya froze, then angrily pointed at Zi Xuan. “Stinky Dad, you betrayed me! You even led Mom here. Why didn’t you plead for me? You two are in cahoots, conspiring to put me under house arrest!” Her eyes brimmed with tears as she accused Zi Xuan of betrayal.

Zi Xuan whimpered softly, “Sweetheart, I didn’t betray you! Your mom must have followed me secretly.”

“Hmph!” Yaya turned her back on him in a huff.

“Weiwei! Can you help explain to Yaya?” Zi Xuan looked at Tang Wei with hopeful eyes.

Tang Wei rolled her eyes vehemently and retorted, “I haven’t settled accounts with you yet! You’re getting bolder by the day, lying to me like this!”

Zi Xuan shrugged and stepped aside, thinking, “Forget it. I can’t mess with my daughter or my wife. Maybe I’ll just hide. Being the sandwich in the middle is so uncomfortable. Maybe I should just stand here like a statue and offend no one.” But such an easy escape rarely exists—whether you can hide depends on if others let you.

Hearing Tang Wei’s harsh words, Yaya realized her mistake in blaming Zi Xuan. In desperation, she tried to recruit him as an ally, “Dad, I’m sorry! I was wrong to blame you. It really wasn’t my fault. Please plead for me! Don’t let me be under house arrest!”

Zi Xuan’s heart melted at her soft words. At this moment, he would have plucked the moon from the sky for her. He summoned courage to look at Tang Wei and was about to speak, but caught her amused, expectant gaze. Knowing speaking out would only bring trouble, he reluctantly swallowed his words. Scratching his head, he glanced between Yaya and Tang Wei several times, both women staring at him with wide eyes—how could he possibly choose?

The outcome was obvious. Tang Wei beamed triumphantly, nearly bouncing with joy. Yaya hung her head in disappointment, resigned to face her punishment.

“Since it’s not your fault, I won’t punish you for now. But you must tell me everything carefully, and I’ll decide what’s right or wrong.” Tang Wei rarely showed fairness like this, pulling up a stool to sit and prepare for a proper talk. Meanwhile, Zi Xuan and Zhang San stood silently off to the side like statues.

Given the chance to explain, Yaya eagerly recounted the events of that day in detail.

It turned out that Yaya had heard of a famous French pastry shop in City B and had Zhang San take her there. Shortly after sitting down, a chubby boy approached from the side, arrogantly speaking as if he were the shop’s young owner. Normally, Yaya didn’t care about his arrogance as long as he didn’t bother her, but just then, three siblings entered. Judging by their clothes, they didn’t seem wealthy, and Yaya wondered how they could afford such a place. The chubby boy promptly lost his temper.

He called over the manager, complaining that such “trash collectors” shouldn’t be allowed in a high-end shop. The manager, unwilling to offend his young boss, came out to ask them to leave. But the older sister of the three siblings had pride: “We have money to pay. Why should you kick us out?” she insisted, refusing to leave.

Now the chubby boy was furious, hurling insults so vile that even Yaya couldn’t stand it. She wanted to teach him a small lesson. Seizing a moment when he went to the restroom, she set fire to the tablecloth beside him. Unexpectedly, the flames spread to the curtains by the window, frightening the chubby boy into a panicked retreat.

Usually, the Xuanyuan family could easily handle such disturbances, and it wouldn’t have reached Tang Wei’s ears. But this pastry shop belonged to a powerful military figure who had opened it especially to please his young grandson. The military had always claimed to possess the world’s most advanced weapons and looked down on cultivators like them, even threatening to reduce the Xuanyuan and Ouyang families to rubble with a single missile. Only national suppression had prevented open conflict. Now, they were seizing this chance to lash out fiercely.

After hearing the story, Tang Wei took Yaya’s hand and asked gently, “Little one, do you think you acted out of a sense of justice, stepping in to help?”

Seeing her mother’s mild tone, Yaya calmly replied, “That chubby boy was too much. I just wanted to scare him a little.”

Tang Wei continued earnestly, “Did you think about what would happen if the fire really spread? What if others couldn’t escape in time and were burned alive? They’d be innocent victims. In that case, helping someone would end up harming others. Do you understand?”

Yaya tilted her head thoughtfully, then said softly, “I didn’t think about that at the time.”

“That’s why you must think carefully before acting. Some things can’t be solved by impulse alone. Even after living over thirty years, I still don’t understand everything. We all need to learn, think, observe, and listen more. Don’t you think I’m right?”

“Mom, I know I was wrong. Please don’t put me under house arrest, okay?” Yaya pondered deeply before admitting her mistake, though she still dreaded the punishment.

Tang Wei smiled warmly, stroking her hair. “Little one, if you truly think you were wrong, you shouldn’t bargain with me. You should accept the punishment willingly.” Believing her gentle approach was working, Tang Wei pressed on to completely break Yaya’s resistance.

“But being locked up for a year will really drive me crazy,” Yaya pouted, complaining.

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