"Chu Ling, we're home. This is your mom and dad's house, and also the place you'll be living from now on."
"We've already arranged a room for you! You can stay there for now, and if there's any furniture missing, tell Dad and I'll immediately have people send it over."
"......."
The rear car door opened, and under the guidance of Tang Guo'an and his wife, Chu Ling got out of the car.
Standing in front of the luxurious villa, she looked up at the towering building, and a vague sense of inferiority surged in her heart; her every movement instinctively became timid and cautious.
She only felt like a little country bumpkin from the sticks, completely out of place with this villa, and couldn't help lowering her head as her steps grew heavy.
However, just as Chu Ling was feeling unbearably inferior…
Sensing something was wrong, Xu Shuyun walked to her side, gently took her hand, her eyes full of love and encouragement.
"Chu Ling, this is your home."
At the side, Tang Guo'an spoke softly, his tone full of warmth and firmness.
The couple did not look down on Chu Ling because of her timidity; instead, they felt even more heartache for this daughter they had lost and found again.
If it hadn't been for their negligence back then, how would their biological daughter have fallen to such a state?!
Chu Ling raised her head and saw the determination and love in Tang Guo'an and his wife's eyes, and a wave of warmth rose in her heart.
She understood that no matter what her background was, she was the precious daughter in her parents' hearts.
Blood ties were something that could not be severed no matter what.....
This home was her true destination!!!
Inhale~~~~
Chu Ling took a deep breath; the inferiority in her eyes gradually faded as she bravely lifted her head and straightened her back, ready to welcome her brand-new life.
She knew the road ahead was still very long.
But she firmly believed that as long as she had love in her heart, courage, and her parents and family.....
She would definitely be able to find her own place in this new home and live out her own worth…
.......
"Don't worry, little sister. When that Chu Ling comes later, if she dares to rely on being the biological one and bully you, I'll definitely stand up for you and teach her a good lesson."
"Big brother, don't be like that. She's your biological sister after all! Please don't hurt Sister Chu Ling because of me. I just want a harmonious family; it's okay even if I suffer a little grievance...."
"Tang Rou, stop trying to persuade me, my mind is made up!!!"
"......."
Inside the villa, after learning that Chu Ling was about to return, Tang Chuan and his sister were sitting in the living room waiting.
Among them, Tang Chuan patted his chest over and over, guaranteeing he would absolutely not let his sister be bullied.
Tang Rou, on the other hand, sat to the side, looking nervous as she tried to dissuade him, hoping Tang Chuan wouldn't get into conflict with his biological sister because of her.
After all, she could endure a little grievance!???
Just as the two of them were waving their hands and feet around, putting on a hard-working display of deep sibling affection......
Click!
The front door was suddenly pushed open; Tang Guo'an and his wife entered first, and closely following behind them... was Chu Ling, looking nervous and glancing around.
Hmph, so she's here?!
Very good, let me take a good look....
Just what despicable means did this "good little sister" use to make our parents so biased?!!
Tang Chuan abruptly stood up, frowned, and stared straight at Chu Ling, who was following behind his parents.
In the next second, the sight before his eyes made him freeze on the spot....
At the thick main entrance, a thin, frail silhouette slowly appeared in his field of vision....
The girl's face was as pale as an ancient book that had never seen sunlight.
Her dry, yellow hair was loosely scattered over her shoulders, a few brittle strands gently fluttering as she walked.
Her eyes were deeply sunken and full of exhaustion, as if carrying burdens that did not belong to someone her age.
Her body was as thin as a malnourished sapling, as though a single gust of wind could blow her over.
On her thin arms and legs, there was almost no trace of flesh to be seen, only an outline of skin wrapped around bone.
Her clothes hung loosely off her body, rising and falling softly with her faint breathing, as if telling the ups and downs and hardships of her life.....
Uh... this?!
She looks... just a teeny bit pitiful...
Seeing his biological sister's miserable state for the first time, Tang Chuan's lips moved, but in the end, he couldn't say a single word.
He had originally wanted to give Chu Ling a show of force and establish status in the family on behalf of Tang Rou.
However, when he saw with his own eyes how weak the person before him was.....
The discontent that had been in his heart instantly disappeared without a trace, and even a faint compassion rose up.
Compared to her slightly beautified appearance in the video, the offline version of Chu Ling gave a more direct, visible sense of fragility, like an oil lamp whose life flame was about to burn out.
Plus, that face which somewhat resembled his own.....
The instinctual pull of blood ties made Tang Chuan truly realize that the girl before him was indeed his own flesh-and-blood younger sister.
........
"If it weren't for that conspiracy eighteen years ago....."
"The one who grew up with me and became my precious little sister would have been her, right?!"
"So skinny? How could she be so skinny? Just like a little bean sprout; that vicious couple must never have fed her, huh?!"
"I thought Brother Lin's speech in the video was just laying it on thick and playing the pity card. Now it seems like things are probably even worse than I imagined…"
"......."
Recalling how Chu Ling had personally recounted her tragic life from childhood until now.
A trace of pity flashed through Tang Chuan's eyes, and the words he'd originally wanted to use to pick a fight completely refused to come out....
Especially when he secretly glanced at Tang Rou at his side—radiant, well-dressed, elegant and demure.....
~~( ﹁ ﹁ ) ~~~
The contrast was stark, the difference obvious.
Just from her temperament and appearance alone, you could tell she was a proper young lady from a wealthy family, while his real biological little sister....
According to how life should have gone, the current living situation of these two sisters should have been completely reversed, right?!
Thinking of it like that, it seemed that Little Sister Tang Rou wasn't all that wronged and pitiful after all.
The biological sister before him was the one who truly should resent the unfairness of fate....
At the side, seeming to have noticed the change in Tang Chuan's attitude, Tang Rou's expression did not change, but a trace of coldness flashed in her eyes.
Hmph!
Sure enough, men are all beasts who love the new and hate the old....
A second ago, he was still speaking sweetly with fake affection, shouting about getting justice for her.
The very next second, he had a new favorite and forgot the old one, completely forgetting what he'd said, forgetting the enormous grievance she'd suffered.....
.......
"Ling'er, this is your third brother, and your... younger sister, Tang Rou."
As soon as she entered, Xu Shuyun couldn't wait to introduce them to one another.
When she mentioned Tang Rou, her tone showed a slight hesitation; in the end, still worried that Chu Ling would overthink it, she didn't reveal Tang Rou's "hidden" identity.
But what she didn't know was.....
From the very first moment she saw Tang Rou, Chu Ling had already faintly guessed it in her heart.
The other girl's looks had inherited a bit of the features of those two demons, making Chu Ling instinctively feel uncomfortable, as if remembering those dark years without sun.
Especially when she saw Tang Rou's present bright and glamorous appearance, her whole body radiating the elegant aura of a socialite; it made Chu Ling feel inferior and, subconsciously, angry.
Why?!
Why did she have to take Tang Rou's place and suffer the cruel torment of those vicious parents....
While Tang Rou could take her place and enjoy a peaceful, happy life in the Tang family???
Don't forget, everything the other girl possessed had originally belonged to her.....
As an ordinary person with normal emotions, Chu Ling felt extremely unbalanced and furious inside.
But reason kept warning her that the one at fault wasn't Tang Rou, but her vicious parents.
Back then, Tang Rou had just been an innocent baby; besides accepting her fate, what else could she have done?!
The ones she should hate were Chu Xiong and his wife, not their daughter... Tang Rou.
Moreover, Tang Rou had lived with her parents day and night for eighteen years.
Even if you raised a dog, by now it would have become an inseparable part of the family, let alone that Tang Rou was a human being?!
Since she was the newcomer, the best thing Chu Ling could do was keep her head down and behave, and absolutely avoid clashing with Tang Rou.....
Thinking of this, no matter how unwilling she felt inside, Chu Ling still had to pretend not to care, forcing out a smile to greet Tang Chuan and his sister.
"Brother Tang Chuan, Sister Tang Rou, hello! I... I'm called Chu Ling."
Chu Ling's voice was very timid and full of insecurity, as if she were worried that aside from her parents, none of the other siblings at home would accept her.
"Mm, hello. My name is Tang Chuan; I'm your third brother."
"Right now, Big Brother and Second Sister aren't at home; when they return from their business trips, we'll introduce you one by one."
"Just focus on resting and recovering at home from now on! We'll put together the best possible medical team for you! Your illness will definitely be cured very soon!"
"......."
Looking at his little sister, who didn't dare meet his eyes and seemed shy of strangers, Tang Chuan's gaze was complicated as he spoke slowly.
"Thank you, Third Brother."
A smile finally appeared on Chu Ling's face; she lowered her head slightly and thanked him sincerely.
Because she realized that her third brother didn't seem all that hard to get along with—in fact, he seemed to care for her quite a bit.
This allowed Chu Ling to relax a little inside and feel some small expectation for the beautiful life ahead. (?ω?)
"(⊙o⊙) Uh... ahem, you're welcome..."
Seeing that his biological sister was thanking him so seriously just because of one sentence from him, Tang Chuan scratched his head and felt a bit embarrassed.
Especially when he thought of how, not long ago, he'd been all fired up, planning to give her a rough welcome....
Tang Chuan couldn't help feeling guilty.
This time it was his turn to look sheepish and not dare meet Chu Ling's gaze.....
Standing next to him, Tang Rou's breathing grew slightly rapid; her lowered eyes were filled with jealousy.
The scene unfolding before her was unbearably harsh to look at.
Previously, the love of her parents and third brother had belonged solely to her.....
Now a stranger had appeared to compete for it—that was something she absolutely could not tolerate!!!!!
As for Tang Guo'an and his wife, standing not far away, they were watching this touching reunion between their biological son and daughter with gratification.
They had originally worried that their daughter, who had only just come home, might not get along with the others in the family; now it seemed they had been worrying too much.....
"All right! Chu Ling has been traveling and is tired; let her get some rest first."
"Son, what about the room you prepared in advance? Take Chu Ling over and let her settle in first!"
"........"
Smiling, Tang Guo'an spoke as he looked at his frail daughter, his face full of heartache.
"Chu Ling, are you hungry right now? If you want to eat anything, just tell Dad and I'll have the butler arrange it right away."
"You haven't really eaten your fill all these years, have you? Sigh, that vicious couple really ought to die!!!"
"You were still just a child, how could they have the heart to do such beastly things to you?!"
"Swapping the babies back then is one thing, but at least they should have treated you better! We even gratefully left a bank card with a sizable amount of money with the Chu family at the time....."
"But they... Hmph! Those shameless beasts—aren't they afraid of going to hell after they die? Or that the children they raise will be born without an anus?"
"......."
Tang Guo'an's face flushed red as he scolded, getting angrier and angrier, clearly truly furious.
He completely failed to notice that when he mentioned how vicious and deserving of death Chu Xiong and his wife were and how they would surely get their retribution....
Tang Rou, standing beside him, turned pale with a "swish," biting her rosy lips as tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
"Old Tang!(⊙x⊙;) What sort of foul language are you spouting in front of the kids?"
It wasn't until Xu Shuyun glared hard at her husband that Tang Guo'an belatedly realized his slip of the tongue.
He turned his head and, seeing his daughter on the verge of tears, his heart ached, and he hurried forward to comfort her:
"Tang Rou, I'm sorry. Dad didn't mean it like that; you will always be Dad's good daughter."
(?"? ?)?"(???︿???).
Seeing his precious sister upset, Tang Chuan quickly came over to her as well, speaking gently.
"Sis, don't be sad!"
"We all know this has nothing to do with you, we won't hate you because of it. You're still our beloved family."
"......."
Even Xu Shuyun, who had been holding on to her biological daughter's arm a moment before, unconsciously let go at this moment and came to Tang Rou's side with a gentle smile of comfort.
"Don't worry, Tang Rou. Your parents know what's right; we know you're not the one at fault."
"No matter what, both you and Chu Ling are both Dad and Mom's and your brothers' precious girls! We'll always be your family."
"......"