Zhang Meiyu handed Tang Yan a bottle of mineral water.
"Yours."
Tang Ye could only offer a helpless wry smile. "You really favor the girls over the guys."
"I owe Xiao Min so much. What's wrong with me being extra good to her now?"
"Nothing's wrong. I'm leaving."
Tang Ye solicitously offered juice to Tang Xiao Min.
"Xiao Min, here, drink some juice."
Tang Xiao Min took it expressionlessly and took a sip. Tang Ye silently opened a bottle of mineral water for himself.
These details were all recorded by the cameras in the car.
The first stop of this reality show, "Burn, Brother," was at a resort hotel.
The show's content was simple: the production team would arrange tasks, and several sibling teams would compete against each other, with rewards and punishments decided at the end to create dramatic effect.
When Tang Xiao Min's group arrived at the resort hotel, they were the last to come.
Inside the small villa, several young men and women were already waiting.
Lu Zelei stepped forward to greet them proactively. "Miss Tang, we meet again. This is my sister, Lu Sisi."
Lu Sisi, a well-behaved girl with shoulder-length short hair, shyly greeted Tang Xiao Min, "Hello, Miss Tang."
Tang Xiao Min disliked Lu Zelei's overt flattery. Did he not know that by doing this, he would only draw hatred towards Tang Xiao Min?
"Mm, hello," Tang Xiao Min replied, saying no more.
The production team required everyone to bring their luggage into the villa's living room, then draw lots to divide the rooms.
Tang Ye went to carry the luggage alone, working without complaint. Tang Xiao Min, however, sat in the corner of the living room, enjoying the air conditioning.
"Aren't you going to help your brother carry the luggage?" A sweet, charming voice chimed in.
The speaker was Zhang Guo'er, who was participating in the show with her brother, Zhang Haoxuan.
Speaking of which, they were juniors from Zhang Meiyu's maternal family, making them distant relatives of Tang Xiao Min.
However, Zhang Meiyu did not indulge her greedy relatives from her maiden family and had refused their various unreasonable requests.
As a result, the Zhang family held a grudge against Zhang Meiyu.
Tang Xiao Min acted as if she hadn't heard them, ignoring them completely.
Thinking it would end there, Zhang Guo'er, after being ignored, began to mutter incessantly.
"You were abandoned by the Tang family when you were young and grew up in the slums. Why are you putting on airs like a young lady of a wealthy family?"
"Guo'er, we are relatives. How can you speak nonsense like that? We're filming now, so watch your words," Zhang Haoxuan reprimanded.
"Xiao Min, we are all relatives. Guo'er doesn't understand. Don't take it to heart."
Tang Xiao Min sneered inwardly. Since when did being relatives become a justification for attacking others?
For the reality show, the production staff's advice to her was to be her true self, eager for more conflict.
With the cameras rolling, Tang Xiao Min stopped pretending.
She stood up and said coldly to Zhang Guo'er, "If you have the guts, say that again."
The atmosphere in the villa's living room grew tense with Tang Xiao Min's seriousness.
Zhang Haoxuan, with a dark expression, tried to placate her. "Xiao Min, Guo'er speaks carelessly. Don't bother with her."
Zhang Haoxuan had heard early on that Tang Xiao Min had a fiery temper. Although he also disliked Tang Xiao Min, he had to establish his persona as a sensible brother in front of the cameras.
"Guo'er, quickly apologize to Xiao Min."
Zhang Guo'er was also stubborn. Not only did she refuse to apologize, but she became even more animated.
"I said you were abandoned by the Tang family when you were young and grew up in the slums. You don't have the fortune of a young lady, so don't put on the pretense of one to disgust people. Is there anything wrong with what I said?"
As everyone knew, Tang Xiao Min was only brought back to the Tang family later. Zhang Guo'er's statement was not wrong.
Tang Xiao Min walked slowly towards Zhang Guo'er with a half-smile.
"It seems you really enjoy rubbing salt in other people's wounds."
Zhang Guo'er gave Tang Xiao Min a dismissive glare.
"Who doesn't know that you were abandoned by the Tang family? Are people not allowed to talk about it?"
"Slap!"
Tang Xiao Min slapped Zhang Guo'er across the face. "Does it hurt?"
"Guo'er!"
Zhang Haoxuan rushed to Zhang Guo'er's side, looking at her with concern. "Guo'er, how are you?"
Zhang Guo'er immediately burst into tears and complained tearfully.
"Brother, Tang Xiao Min hit me. It hurts so much! Hurry up and teach her a lesson for me!"
At this moment, a distinct red handprint had already appeared on Zhang Guo'er's face.
All the staff and participants on the scene looked at them with grave expressions.
Zhang Haoxuan glared at Tang Xiao Min and said sternly, "Guo'er spoke out of turn, but you shouldn't have hit her like that."
Tang Xiao Min retorted with a cold laugh, "She could say whatever she wanted to me, so why can't I hit her?"
"She said something unpleasant, and she was wrong, but by hitting her, your behavior is more egregious than just speaking. Please apologize to my sister."
They say the one who provokes first is to blame, but Zhang Haoxuan clearly forgot this.
"She was in the wrong first. Why should I apologize to her? Because she has a big face?"
Tang Xiao Min's unyielding and defiant demeanor put Zhang Haoxuan in a difficult position.
Zhang Guo'er, crying, instigated Zhang Haoxuan.
"Brother, your sister is being bullied. You have to stand up for me, boo hoo..."
With the situation escalating like this, the staff members could only watch, with no one coming forward to mediate.
Zhang Haoxuan was in a dilemma, with no choice but to press on, especially since the other party was just a twenty-year-old girl.
"Tang Xiao Min, I'll give you one more chance. If you still refuse to apologize to my sister, then don't blame me."
Just then, Tang Ye entered, pushing several suitcases.
After catching his breath, he noticed the unusual atmosphere and stepped forward to inquire.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Tang Ye arrive, Zhang Haoxuan seemed to have found a savior.
"Tang Ye, we are relatives after all. Tang Xiao Min slapped Guo'er over a minor verbal dispute. She must apologize for this!"
Tang Ye did indeed see the handprint on Zhang Guo'er's face. This was something Tang Xiao Min was capable of.
However, he was more curious as to why Zhang Guo'er had been hit.
"What did your sister do?"
Zhang Guo'er said tearfully, "You went to get the luggage alone. I saw that she wasn't helping you, so I said a few words, and then she hit me."
She downplayed the incident, absolving herself of blame.
Anyone with sense wouldn't believe that the situation was that simple.
"Zhang Guo'er said Tang Xiao Min was abandoned by the Tang family, and then she was hit," Lu Zelei stated.
Zhang Haoxuan continued to argue his case.
"Guo'er did say that, but Tang Xiao Min couldn't just hit her over it. I don't care. Today, Tang Xiao Min must apologize to my sister, or I'm leaving the show!"
Zhang Haoxuan was actually using his withdrawal from the show as a threat.
Tang Xiao Min's abandonment by the Tang family was something she had finally overcome, and now Zhang Guo'er brought it up, and she was hit, and she was expected to apologize.
In front of so many cameras, if Tang Ye didn't take a stand, he would be ruined.
Tang Ye said coldly, "Apologize? No. A beating, however, is possible."