Chapter Four: The Unequal Treaty

Chapter Four: The Unequal Treaty!

Bai Su stood anxiously at the doorway.

Lin Huiyin and Hepburn refused to open the door, and Tang Zhong said he would find a way. Before she could react, he dashed forward and, in a few quick moves, scaled the top of the electronic gate and slipped inside.

Once again, she was taken aback by his agility. This fellow was so nimble—if he ever put those skills to use plucking flowers, filching treasures, or sneaking midnight visits, wouldn’t it be a walk in the park for him?

What Tang Zhong didn’t realize was that his display of prowess had only succeeded in making a woman worry and become even more cautious of him.

As she pondered how best to restrict Tang Zhong’s freedom, a chorus of startled screams erupted from inside the villa—Hepburn and Lin Huiyin’s terrified cries.

Bai Su’s face went pale in an instant, her body trembling with anger.

“That bastard—he’s barely through the door and already can’t wait to get hands-on?” Bai Su fumed. “What’s worse, he’s trying to have it both ways at once!”

Bang—

The electronic door swung open. Hepburn dashed out of the villa and threw herself into Bai Su’s arms, sobbing with grievance.

Bai Su’s heart ached. She hugged Hepburn and soothed her, “There, there, darling. Don’t cry. Was that scoundrel bullying you? What did he do to you? Where’s Huiyin? Didn’t she manage to get out?”

As she spoke, Lin Huiyin also emerged from the villa. Though her beautiful oval face was flushed with anger, she was far calmer than Hepburn.

“Huiyin, are you alright? Did he do anything to you? Where is that bastard?” Bai Su beckoned to Lin Huiyin, signaling her to hide behind her.

“The bastard is right here.” Tang Zhong stood on the steps at the entrance, smiling amiably at the three women in the courtyard, each with her own unique charm.

“Still so arrogant?” Bai Su seethed.

Letting go of Hepburn, she strode toward Tang Zhong. As she neared the steps, she leapt with a sudden burst of energy—a flying kick aimed straight at Tang Zhong’s abdomen.

Whoosh—

The air howled with the force and speed of her attack.

A fleeting look of surprise passed through Tang Zhong’s eyes. He’d only thought this woman was strikingly attractive; he hadn’t expected her to be so skilled as well.

He didn’t dodge. Just as Bai Su’s toes were about to strike his stomach, he pulled his abdomen back, arms darting forward, and with a move as swift as a lion catching a rabbit, he caught her ankle.

Before she could retaliate, his left foot stepped forward, body pressing close, their bodies nearly aligned. His hands moved in a small Tai Chi arc, and her body was slung over his right shoulder.

With a swing, he tossed Bai Su high into the air.

“Ah—!” Bai Su screamed.

Thud—

She landed, stumbling back several steps, but felt little aftershock from the impact.

Once she was steady, Bai Su’s heart finally settled. She stared unblinkingly at Tang Zhong, wondering if she had let a wolf into her house—a demon in disguise.

Hepburn and Lin Huiyin were both stunned by what they’d witnessed, mouths agape in astonishment.

“Tang Xin’s brother… actually knows martial arts?”

“Tang Zhong, what did you do to them?” Bai Su demanded through gritted teeth. She had deliberately dressed so provocatively today to “test” this young man’s intentions. She had been rather satisfied with his “answers,” thinking he was trustworthy—only to find out he was worse than any beast.

Curse him? She couldn’t out-argue him.

Fight him? She couldn’t beat him.

Clearly, the only option left was to be conciliatory and politely send this god of mischief on his way—

“I was helping them catch a mouse,” Tang Zhong replied breezily.

“Catch a mouse?” Bai Su looked at Lin Huiyin in confusion. “If that’s all, why is Hepburn crying?”

“Perhaps she was too moved,” Tang Zhong replied with a smile.

Hepburn lifted her tear-streaked little face, her eyes red from crying. With a quivering voice, she said, “Aunt Bai, the big mouse was terrifying—it nearly scared me to death. It nearly scared me to death.”

…

After hearing the full story, Bai Su didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry. She wanted to laugh because Hepburn, who had insisted on closing the door to catch the mouse, had ended up so frightened by Tang Zhong’s “big mouse” that she was in tears. She was annoyed because Tang Zhong had actually gone and found a mouse to scare them.

“Alright. No fight, no friendship. Let’s call it even,” Bai Su said. By now, everyone was seated in the villa’s living room. “From now on, the three of you are partners in battle. You must get along. Come, let me make introductions.”

She pointed at Tang Zhong. “This is Tang Xin’s brother, Tang Zhong, soon to be a student at South University. You two love Tang Xin so much, I’m sure you won’t make things difficult for her brother, right? Now that Tang Xin is sick, if she finds out you’re bullying her brother, imagine how sad she’d be.”

Pointing at the bob-haired little girl nestled in her arms, she said to Tang Zhong, “This is Hepburn. We all call her Benben. She’s only seventeen, still not an adult—Tang Xin used to take care of her. Now, I’m entrusting her to you.”

“I don’t need him to take care of me.” Hepburn glared fiercely at Tang Zhong, her eyes filling with tears again. “He’s a bad, bad man.”

“Benben,” Bai Su coaxed, “Tang Zhong didn’t do anything wrong just now. You two shut the door to catch a mouse, and Tang Zhong simply came in to help—right?”

To further her plan, she didn’t hesitate to speak up for Tang Zhong, even against her better judgment.

“But—but he shouldn’t have scared me and Huiyin with a mouse. Doesn’t he know girls are afraid of mice?”

“But he didn’t know you were afraid of mice beforehand,” Bai Su reasoned.

“It’s still his fault.” Seeing Bai Su side with Tang Zhong, Hepburn protested, “Huiyin, say something! Isn’t he awful?”

“He’s awful,” Lin Huiyin replied coolly. After a moment to collect herself, she had calmed down considerably.

Hepburn broke into a triumphant smile. “See, even Huiyin says he’s awful.”

“Well then.” Bai Su offered Tang Zhong a wry smile. “So it’s Tang Zhong’s fault. I’ll apologize on his behalf. But this was a misunderstanding on both sides. Let’s put it behind us. From today, until Tang Xin returns, Tang Zhong is a member of Butterfly Group—I hope there won’t be a repeat of today’s events.”

“Tang Zhong doesn’t have a place to stay in Mingzhu, so he’ll be living here for now. I hope you two girls won’t leave either. Living together will help you get to know each other better, and the more you understand one another, the less conflict there’ll be—on and off stage, you’ll work in perfect harmony.”

She turned to Lin Huiyin. “Huiyin, do you agree?”

She knew Lin Huiyin rarely spoke, and when she did, her words were few and measured. But Hepburn respected her deeply—if she agreed, Hepburn would not object.

Lin Huiyin furrowed her brows, thought for a long while, then finally nodded. “Alright.”

“What?” Hepburn exclaimed. “Huiyin, how can you agree? How can he move in?”

“Benben, Huiyin has agreed. Do you have any objections?” Bai Su looked at Hepburn indulgently, smiling. Though the girl was a little muddle-headed and nonsensical, she was very lovable. On a personal note, Bai Su was especially fond of the youngest and most innocent member of the Butterfly Group.

“Hmph.” Hepburn snorted, which was as good as consent.

“Well, then—”

“Wait,” Tang Zhong interrupted Bai Su’s conclusion, “Aren’t you going to ask if I have any objections?”

…

All three mouths formed an “O”; three pairs of eyes were wide with disbelief.

“This guy… is a bit too self-important, isn’t he?”

Tang Zhong ignored their dumbfounded stares, though he couldn’t help thinking their gaping mouths were quite alluring.

“You can let me stay, but I have a few conditions I need you all to follow,” Tang Zhong declared. “First, I don’t like being disturbed when I sleep. From midnight to six a.m., unless it’s urgent, I don’t want anyone knocking on my door, and I especially don’t want to hear noise or laughter outside.”

“Second, I get up at six every morning to exercise in the yard. I hope you don’t object. If you do, you can cover your ears or wear headphones—”

“Third, I like spicy food. Please make sure there’s plenty of chili in every meal. Of course, if we each handle our own food, that’s even better—”

“Fourth, as you can see, I’m very good-looking. Please don’t stare at me for no reason. It makes me uncomfortable. And don’t get any funny ideas—I’m not interested in children.”

“Fifth—”

There was no fifth, because Lin Huiyin and Hepburn had already pounced, battering Tang Zhong’s head with sofa cushions.

Even Bai Su, feeling that Tang Zhong truly was infuriating, took the opportunity to sneak in a couple of kicks while he was distracted.