This was the first time she had asked him out, and although she had to bring her adoptive parents along, Yan Jue was still looking forward to it.
"Alright, it's a deal."
Yan Jue went on a business trip, and Tang Xiaomin personally went to the airport to see him off.
Zhong Li volunteered, "Mr. Yan, I'll go with you."
But he was reprimanded by Yan Jue, "Have you forgotten whose bodyguard you are?"
Zhong Li dared not speak.
Yan Jue finally hugged Tang Xiaomin, and then, reluctantly boarded the plane.
Tang Xiaomin returned to school and earnestly prepared for her exams.
When school was over, she encountered Zhang Meiyu at the school gate.
She already had white hair and looked very haggard.
Since the resort incident, she hadn't spoken a word to Zhang Meiyu.
In a coffee shop, Tang Xiaomin ordered two cups of coffee.
Zhang Meiyu remained silent, and Tang Xiaomin couldn't stand it anymore.
"Say what you want to say," she said.
Zhang Meiyu took a sip of coffee and slowly opened her mouth.
"Are you satisfied with your current life?"
Her current life?
Li Xue was dead, Tang Yiyi was dead, and the Tang family had collapsed. None of them were living well.
She had achieved most of her initial goals.
"It's alright, I guess."
This was Tang Xiaomin's honest feeling.
"Every wrong has its source, and every debt has its owner. It was I and Tang Zhongcheng who wronged you. Xiaomin, I beg you, spare Tang Yu. I don't want to be an elder who buries a younger generation."
As a mother, watching her child leave is an extremely painful experience.
"Whatever grievances you have, take them out on me. If I die, and Tang Yu lives, consider it me begging you, Xiaomin."
As Zhang Meiyu spoke, she began to cry sadly.
Pity the hearts of parents everywhere.
But Zhang Meiyu seemed to have oversimplified everything.
Tang Xiaomin could kill, but she couldn't save.
Life is only once, an unbreakable law.
Even she herself was no longer human.
Tang Xiaomin was unable to fulfill Zhang Meiyu's request of exchanging one life for another.
This was a cruel reality.
"Xiaomin, mother begs you, I beg you."
Zhang Meiyu, agitated, was about to kneel down to Tang Xiaomin.
Tang Xiaomin was not the Jade Emperor, nor was she interested in anyone's knees.
Tang Xiaomin quickly grabbed Zhang Meiyu's arm.
She was about to tell her that she couldn't do it.
But seeing the tears on Zhang Meiyu's face, she couldn't bring herself to tell her the cruel truth.
"Don't do this. Let's go to the hospital to see him first."
Zhong Li drove, and Tang Xiaomin and Zhang Meiyu went to the hospital together.
Tang Xiaomin noticed that Zhang Meiyu's attire was too simple.
In the past, whether at home or out, she always dressed herself up elegantly.
Tang Xiaomin couldn't help but ask, "I remember you have many beautiful clothes, why don't you dress yourself up properly?"
Zhang Meiyu sighed.
"Tang Yu's daily medical expenses are a huge sum. To save him, we spent all our family's savings. My jewelry, designer bags, and clothes that could be sold have all been sold."
"Later, Tang Yan sold the villa, and only then did we have the money to extend Tang Yu's life."
"But even so, Tang Yu still hasn't woken up."
To save Tang Yu's life, the Tang family emptied their coffers.
Tang Xiaomin asked again, "Where are you living now?"
"Tang Yu hasn't woken up, and we don't dare to spend money recklessly. We're renting for now."
It was a sad story.
They knew Tang Xiaomin had money, but none of them dared to ask her for money or borrow from her.
Perhaps they had realized that she would never give them money.
Having witnessed her ruthlessness, they had gained some self-awareness.
Passing by a designer clothing store, Tang Xiaomin asked Zhong Li to stop.
Zhang Meiyu frowned and looked at Tang Xiaomin.
"What's wrong? Are you having second thoughts?"
Tang Xiaomin shook her head.
"I suddenly want to go shopping. Let's go after we finish browsing."
Zhang Meiyu didn't dare to say anything more and walked into the store with Tang Xiaomin.
Coincidentally, the store manager knew Zhang Meiyu.
"Mrs. Tang, it's you! You haven't been here for a long time. We have new arrivals that are especially suitable for you."
She then said to a sales assistant, "Xiao Ying, quickly bring out our showpieces for Mrs. Tang to try on."
The sales assistant named Xiao Ying was quick-witted and brought out two mink coats. They looked very warm, and their style and quality were excellent.
In the past, Zhang Meiyu would buy without batting an eye.
Clothes costing tens or hundreds of thousands, worn at most three times before being discarded.
In her words, with 360 days in a year, wearing a piece of clothing three times meant buying only about a hundred pieces a year, which wasn't a lot.
Now, she had to stretch every penny, and could no longer afford these designer brands.
Zhang Meiyu glanced at the two dresses and shook her head.
"I'm not buying."
"Not buying?" The store manager's tone changed.
The store manager looked Zhang Meiyu up and down. She had heard about the Tang family's downfall.
Upon hearing that she wasn't buying, her expression instantly shifted.
"You should have said so earlier. This clothing is very expensive. Taking it down and putting it back up can damage the garment."
Zhang Meiyu had never been treated like this before, and immediately started arguing with the store manager.
"When you used to fawn over me like a lapdog to get me to buy, you didn't have this attitude. Life is unpredictable; even a dog dares to look down on people."
The store manager immediately put her hands on her hips and started cursing.
"Do you think you're still the rich madam you used to be? You're not anymore. You can't even afford a piece of clothing, so why are you acting so arrogant with me?"
"Let me tell you the truth, I've long been annoyed by you. It's heaven's will that the Tang family went bankrupt. Serves you right."
"Look at you, you've even dirtied our floor. If you're not buying, why don't you get out of here quickly!"
"You..."
Zhang Meiyu was so angry her face turned red, but what could she do?
She was indeed no longer the rich madam she used to be, and she truly couldn't afford it.
She could only storm out angrily.
The store manager, not forgetting, gossiped with the other sales assistants behind her back.
"This Zhang Meiyu used to be so arrogant, she never put me in her eyes and always gave me a hard time. Now she's fallen on hard times."
"You two, go and chase her away from our store. Don't let her stand in front of our store. Bad luck, spit!"
Incited by the store manager, the two sales assistants were about to go out and drive Zhang Meiyu away.
Zhang Meiyu had already left, but they were still being relentless.
Tang Xiaomin saw all of this clearly.
"Pack up those clothes on the top rack for me."
The store manager's face lit up with joy and she quickly called the two sales assistants back.
"Xiao Ying, come back quickly and help this customer pack all the clothes."
Thus, the two sales assistants who had walked to the door were called back.
The store manager, obsequiously, fawned over Tang Xiaomin.
"Guest, would it be convenient to leave a phone number? If our brand has new arrivals, I can notify you immediately."
Tang Xiaomin glanced at the store manager, who judged people by their appearance.
Without a word, she slapped the store manager across the face.
The store manager was stunned.
"This... On what grounds are you hitting me?"