Ch. 481..490
Chapter 481: 481 You’re Really Amazing
“Oh.” Tan Rons tone was very cold. “What does your name have to do with me?”
The smile on Tao Yue’s face froze. She didn’t expect Tan Ron to say that.
Before the competition, she had been observing Tan Ron. After knowing that Tan Ron always got first place in the selection, she felt that there was something strange about it. In the past two days, she had spent a lot of money to get someone to check Tan Ron’s academic performance. Although she couldn’t check Tan Ron’s results overseas, Tan Yue still knew about how bad Tan Ron’s results were when she returned to the country.
When did Tan Ron’s results improve? It was when she returned to the Tao family. The principal of their lousy school must have leaked the questions to Tan Ron in order to please the Tao family.
During the competition earlier, although the boy in Tan Ron’s group didn’t speak much, the girl in their group was very good and kept answering questions. That girl was the one who must have gained them all the points. “I’m Tao Yue. Don’t you know me?” Tao Yue smiled at them.
Tan Ron chuckled. “That’s strange. Are you the president of the country? Do I have to know you?”
Li Li covered her mouth and snickered when she heard Tan Ron’s words. Tao Yue must have recognized Xiao Ron’s identity and came here to show off. However, Tan Ron wasn’t someone to be trifled with. It wasn’t certain who would be the one to show off.
Tao Yue couldn’t hold back her smile. She had never seen anyone who kept embarrassing her. After all, the people she had been in contact with since she was young were all flattering her.
A tall boy who came with Tao Yue heard Tan Ron’s words and said angrily, “Why are you talking to Tao Yue like that? Tao Yue is the eldest daughter of the Tao family. She’s the number one socialite in the Capital. If others want to talk to her, they may even have to queue up.”
Tan Ron looked at the boy and laughed. “Well, ask Tao Yue herself then. Is she the eldest daughter of the Tao family?”
Tao Yue’s face instantly darkened, and her smile disappeared. “Gao Ming, don’t say anymore.”
Gao Ming saw that the person he had a crush on had turned sad. He immediately said to Tan Ron, “You’ve offended the eldest daughter of the Tao family. You’ll be in trouble in the future.”
Li Li couldn’t take it anymore. She was afraid that she would expose Tan Rou if she heard the boy say ‘Miss Tao’ again.
“Student, if you’re stupid, you should study more. If your horizons aren’t broad, you should see more of the world. Don’t always follow Miss Tao Yue around like a lost puppy. Otherwise, you won’t know what’s going on outside.”
“What happened?” Lu Qing’s match location was quite far away from them. After the match, he chatted with his teammates for a while before rushing over to meet up with them.
There was another boy who came with him. He was also Tao Yue’s schoolmate.
“Gao Ming, Tao Yue, what a coincidence!” Deng Yao greeted them with a smile.
In the end, the two of them gave Deng Yao a sour look, as if Deng Yao owed them five million yuan.
Deng Yao silently put down his waving hand and asked curiously, “What’s wrong with you guys? Could it be that the both of you didn’t perform well just now? 1 don’t think so. Your points are higher than ours.”
Tao Yue glanced at Tan Rou and said sarcastically, “How are our points high? Tan Rou had the highest score here, so her results were the best.”
Deng Yao also paid attention to Tan Rou before the competition because his teacher had mentioned to them that Tan Ron’s results in the preliminaries were excellent. This was why he had also paid attention to Tan Ron’s team during the competition. They were indeed very powerful and ranked first in the team competition.
“You’re really amazing!” Deng Yao praised her sincerely. “I used to think that Tao Yue’s results were already impressive enough. I didn’t expect your physics results to be even better.”
Gao Ming said to Deng Yao unhappily, “Deng Yao, you don’t have to step on one person and just support the other. Tao Yue is just younger than her. When she reaches the third year of high school, she will definitely be better than Tan Rou.”
During the competition, in order to distinguish the school and grade, every contestant received a tag from the organizers. The tag on Tao Yue’s chest said that she was a sophomore.
“What happened?” Lu Qing asked Tan Rou.
Tan Rou said, “Nothing much. Let’s go eat.”
Deng Yao had a good impression of his new friend. Besides, he was from the Capital and wanted to be the host. “Come on! I’ll treat all of you to a good meal..”
Chapter 482: 482 Same Trash
“No need.” Tan Ron rejected Deng Yao. “We still have a match in the afternoon. It’s not suitable for us to eat out. Besides, the quality of the food outside may not be guaranteed. It might affect the match in the afternoon.”
Deng Yao thought about it for a moment. It was indeed reasonable. The place he was taking them to eat was too far away. It would take a lot of time to go back and forth. In this way, they would not have time to rest.
“Then let’s eat in the cafeteria then.” Deng Yao said awkwardly, “But the food in the canteen was arranged by the organizer. I don’t think it’ll be that great.”
“If it weren’t for your junior Tao Yue, we would have already finished our meal and come back to rest.”
Deng Yao did not understand what she meant. “Huh?”
“Li Li, stop talking. Hurry up and eat,” Lu Qing said.
Li Li was also hungry. She didn’t want to be entangled with them anymore, so she pulled Tan Ron’s arm. “Rourou, let’s go eat. The number one socialite from the Capital doesn’t need to eat, but small figures like us do.”
Tan Rou gave Li Ji a thumbs up in her heart. This girl’s chain of thoughts have gotten better recently. Her ability to be sarcastic had also improved as well.
They had been talking for too long, and there were not many seats left in the cafeteria. If they wanted to sit down and eat, they had to squeeze together.
Tan Rou and the other two walked quickly and found a seat that was empty. Tao Yue walked slowly, and the other two boys had to wait for her. So, after the meal, there were only a few seats left next to Tan Rou.
When Deng Yao saw Tan Rou and the others, he was very happy. “Let’s squeeze together. There’s no more seats left anyways.”
Tan Rou and Li Li moved to the right, leaving an empty seat for one person. Although they didn’t want to sit with Tao Yue, this was the cafeteria, so everyone could sit as they pleased.
Li Li was a talkative person and Deng Yao was one as well. The two of them chatted non-stop, and in a short while, they had thoroughly exposed each other.
But they knew what they could say and what they couldn’t.
Tan Rou also wanted to hear about her opponent’s situation, so she let Li Li speak. Once Li Li said something that she couldn’t say, she would remind her.
“That’s why our Rourou always gets first place in every exam, and she gets full marks in comprehensive science. Other than a little bit of marks for Chinese and English essays, she doesn’t get any marks deducted for other subjects.” Li Li said proudly.
Deng Yao said again, “You’re really amazing! Although I came to participate in this competition today, I’m partial to my subjects. My English and Chinese are not very good, and I often fail in them.”
Li Li continued, “My grades weren’t good in the past either but ever since I became Xiao Ron’s deskmate, my grades have skyrocketed. Now, 1 even rank in the top 3 of the grade.”
Deng Yao caught the main point. “You’re deskmates? Are you in the same class?”
Li Li then quickly introduced them, “Yes, the three of us are in the same class. She introduced Tan Rou and Lu Qing. These two are the first and second in our class, and also the first and second in our school.”
“Is your class one of the best? Deng Yao was very surprised.
“All three of you are from the same class?”
Before Li Li could say anything, Gao Ming, who was beside Deng Yao, could not help but say, “It means that the students in their city are all trash. Otherwise, why would there be three of them in their school at once?”
“You three seem to be from the same school, right?” Tan Rou asked.
The atmosphere then turned quiet. Deng Yao opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what to say to ease the awkward atmosphere. Lu Qing glanced at Tan Rou and continued eating. Li Li was stunned and wondered why this boy sitting with them had to pull a trigger himself.
Tao Yue sat next to Li Li, facing Gao Ming. She wanted to stop Gao Ming when he said that.
Gao Ming realized that he had said the wrong thing, but he did not want to admit that he was trash, so he said loudly, “Our school is the best school in the entire Capital. Every student in the school is very outstanding. It’s not something that the school in your small place can compare to.”
Li Li muttered softly, “They say that they’re the best school in the capital and have the best students. Aren’t their scores still lower than ours in the team competition? It doesn’t matter which school you’re from. It is the student’s grades that matter.”
Tan Rou put down her chopsticks and asked Li Li, “Li Li, I’m full. Do you still want to eat?”
Li Li finished the drumstick in two bites. “I’m done.”
Lu Qing also packed up the plates and said, “Let’s go..”
Chapter 483: 483 Sisters
There was a two-and-a-half-hour break at noon. They could make some adjustments and face the afternoon exam in their best condition.
Lu Qing felt that the atmosphere between Tan Rou and Tao Yue was not right. Moreover, Tao Yue often glanced to the right when she was eating. Although she was in the middle, it still could not stop Tao Yue from looking at Tan Rou. “Do you know that girl just now?” Lu Qing asked.
“Yes.” Tan Rou nodded. “That’s my second uncle’s daughter. Before I came back, she was the eldest daughter of the Tao family.”
“Oh, then you two are sisters.” Lu Qing said, “But I feel that the way she looks at you is a little strange.””
“We are not sisters. I don’t have sisters either, only brothers.” Tan Rou sneered. “She was originally the eldest daughter of the Tao family and the number one socialite in the capital. Now that I’ve returned to the Tao family, she can only be second. Besides, she’s not my second uncle’s biological daughter. She was adopted by my second uncle and second aunt.”
“I see.” Lu Qing understood. He reminded Tan Rou, “Tao Yue isn’t simple. You have to be careful of her in the future.”
Tan Rou was also aware of this. In her previous life, although she did not interact with Tao Yue, Tan Jing did. When Tan Jing came back from meeting Tao Yue, she was not in good spirits for a few days. She did not say anything when asked what happened. Tan Rou had guessed that it was that rich lady Tao Yue who had embarrassed Tan Jing. She had even wanted to avenge Tan Jing in the future. Now that she thought about it, she was really stupid.
“Got it. Thank you for your reminder.” Tan Rou smiled and said, “Let’s go to the rest area to rest. We still have a match in the afternoon. If we don’t rest well now, it will affect our performance in the afternoon.”
The three of them went to the rest area. There were already many people there. However, they were not resting. Instead, they took the time to read the questions.
Li Li saw so many people doing the questions and remembered that she had spent a long time eating. She couldn’t help but feel guilty. “Rourou, I’m a little nervous. I feel like we wasted too much time eating just now.”
Tan Rou was amused by her words. “If you choose not to have lunch, you might not even have the chance to go on stage in the afternoon. You might just faint in the resting area.”
Li Li was angry and said, “We blame Tao Yue for stopping us. If it wasn’t because she didn’t let us go, we would have finished our meal and came back quickly.”
“We have already finished reading the questions and we’ve studied the methods to solve them.” Tan Rou encouraged Li Li. “Li Li, you have to believe that you can get good results. Plus, didn’t you perform very well this morning?”
Li Li was still a little nervous. “I was able to answer the questions because you were by my side in the morning. If our seats were far apart in the afternoon, I would be very nervous.”
Tan Rou handed the ballpoint pen that she usually used to record things to Li Li. “This pen is for you. You won’t be nervous with it.”
This ballpoint pen seemed to have magic. Li Li was filled with confidence when she held onto it.
“I’ll definitely get good results this afternoon!” Li Li held the ballpoint pen up and encouraged herself.
“Don’t worry, the individual questions in the afternoon definitely wouldn’t be harder than the ones that we’ve answered this morning.” Tan Rou comforted Li Li again. “Based on your standard, you will definitely achieve a satisfactory result.”
Tao Yue and the others were following behind Tan Rou and the other two. Hearing Tan Ron’s words, Tao Yue found it funny. Did she really think that they were just playing around? This was a national physics competition. How could the questions be simple? Only a fool like Tan Rou, who didn’t know anything, wouldn’t be nervous.
“Tan Rou is really calm.” Deng Yao also heard Tan Ron’s words. He said, “One of the reasons for participating in the competition is to see your ability. The other is to see your mentality. Tan Rou is such a capable young lady with such a strong mentality. I reckon she will get good results.”
Tao Yue was about to die from anger. What kind of magic did Tan Rou have? Not only did her grandparents like her, but even Deng Yao, who had barely spoken to her, was full of praise for Tan Rou.
“Humph!” Tao Yue’s loyal supporter, Gao Ming, snorted coldly. “WithTao Yue around, Tan Rou can only be second.”
Tao Yue was very happy when she heard that, but she still pretended to compete modestly. “I may not get first. There are other people who are better..”
Chapter 484: 484 The Whole Family Came For Her
Gao Ming really liked Tao Yue. Not only was she beautiful, but her grades were excellent too. Even as the eldest daughter of the Tao family, she was very humble.
“Let’s go over and rest for a while.” Tao Yue’s eyes were fixed on Tan Rou. “Otherwise, I’ll be sleepy in the afternoon.””
They sat behind Tan Rou while she rested. Tao Yue kept staring at the back of her head, wishing that she could see through it.
Without Tan Rou, Tao Yue could continue being the eldest daughter of the Tao family. It didn’t matter even if she was an adopted daughter. After all, she was the only daughter of the Tao family. But now that Tan Rou was going to return, she would have nothing left. Moreover, her uncle’s family had said that they would come back in the next two days. If her uncle came back, would there still be anything left for her father?
The two-and-a-half-hour break time passed quickly. All the students had to go through the final individual competition. This time, the individual competition was all done online. The scores would not be revealed immediately. They would only be able to check the results a few days later.
All the students could only leave after the competition. Tan Rou couldn’t leave even after she finished writing. Perhaps she had drunk too much water after lunch and wanted to go to the bathroom, so she ran to the bathroom as soon as the competition ended and sent a message to Li Li and the others to wait for her.
Li Li and the others were waiting for Tan Rou at the entrance. There were quite a lot of people at the entrance, so they stood a little higher to prevent Tan Rou from seeing them.
“Eh? That man looks a little familiar.” Li Li narrowed her eyes and looked at the man who was holding onto a red banner. “Why does he look like Rourou’s brother?”
Lu Qing said lightly, “Do you think the person beside you looks like Tan Ron’s second brother?”
When he said that, Li Li really felt that the other one looked like Tao Zheng.
“Is there a possibility that they are Tan Ron’s big brother and second brother?” Lu Qing had recognized them long ago.
“Brother Tao, Brother Tao!” Li Li waved at them.
Tao Zhi was the first to see Li Li. He dragged his brother over, but he didn’t see Tan Rou. “Why are you guys the only ones here?”
“Xiao Rou went to the toilet. We’ll wait for her here.”
“Big Cousin.” Tao Yue had seen Tao Zhi before, so when Li Li called Tao Zhi, she came over.
The Tao brothers didn’t get a sister, but a cousin.
Tao Zhi greeted her, “It’s Yue Yue, long time no see.”
Tao Yue saw the banners on their bodies and felt that they were really embarrassing the Tao family. They even dared to take out such cheap things. They were indeed a poor family.
“Yue Yue, did you see our Xiao Rou?” Tao Zhi asked.
“Eh? Big Cousin, you’re here too?” Tao Yue said deliberately. “Didn’t First Uncle say that Tan Rou’s results were not good? Why would she participate in the physics competition?”
Li Li jumped down from the steps and said angrily, “You’re an interesting person. We were still together during lunch. Why are you pretending not to know each other now?”
Tao Yue had forgotten that Li Li and Lu Qing were here. She smiled awkwardly. “It’s true that she’s my cousin but I have never met her. This was my first time as well.”
“But if you don’t know Xiao Rou, why did you take the initiative to greet us? And Rourou just told me that you’re her sister. She didn’t want to affect your performance in the competition, so she didn’t dare to acknowledge you. Xiao Rou looks so much like Big Brother Tao. How is it that you recognize Big Brother Tao but not Xiao Rou?” Li Li was simply babbling nonsense just to make Tao Rue feel embarrassed.
Tao Zhi also asked, “Didn’t your father ask for a picture of Tan Rou?”
Tao Yue had already seen it and recognized Tan Rou, but now she had to insist that she didn’t know Tan Rou. Otherwise, her good image would be ruined.
“It didn’t come to me since I have heard that she has been doing great academically.”
“Xiao Rou’s grades are much better than yours.” Tao Zheng had never seen Tao Yue before, so he didn’t have to be nice to her. “She always got the first place in the school, and she got full marks in all the Physics qualifiers. Did you get full marks?”
Tao Yue didn’t have a perfect score. Her best was only 98.
“I…” Tao Yue stammered, not knowing how to answer.
“Why are you all gathered here?” Mrs. Tao came over with a celebratory flag in her hand. “Where’s Rourou?”
Tao Yue was jealous when she saw her auntie coming.. Tan Rou’s whole family was here for the competition!
Chapter 485: 485 Daughter and Foster Daughter
“Hello, Auntie. Xiao Rou went to the toilet.” Li Li said.
Mrs. Tao was very happy when she saw Li Li. “Li Li, why don’t you stay in the Capital for a few more days. I’ll take you out to walk around once I’m free?”
Li Li really wanted to stay in the Capital to play, but she still had to go back to class. She couldn’t delay her studies for entertainment purposes. Tan Ron’s grades were good, so she wasn’t afraid of taking a leave to delay her studies, but she couldn’t do it.
“Auntie, I’d better go back to class first. I’ll come back if I have the chance in the future.” Li Li said.
Mrs. Tao didn’t insist. “Alright, then you can come over for the New Year this year or next summer vacation. I’ll bring you to the Capital to enjoy yourself.” Li Li smiled sweetly. “Thankyou, Auntie!”
Tao Yue was very jealous. She was the daughter of the Tao family. Why didn’t her aunt say that she wanted to take her out to play? Moreover, her aunt has never been this friendly to her!
“Hello, Auntie!” Tao Yue greeted her mother.
Only then did Mrs. Tao see Tao Yue. “Oh, Yue Yue. You’ve grown so big!” Og my, I’m really sorry. I was busy looking for your cousin and didn’t see you here.”
Tao Yue pursed her lips and smiled. “It’s alright.”
“Who is that person talking to Ms. Tao? Why haven’t I seen him in the capital before?” Most of the students and parents present were from the wealthy family in the Capital. They all knew Tao Yue, but they might not know Mrs. Tao.
“Didn’t you hear Miss Tao calling them Auntie, Big Brother, and Second Brother? It must be the wife and child of the current head of the Tao family.”
“I heard that Tao Yue is not the eldest daughter of the Tao family. The real eldest daughter of the Tao family is the daughter of the first branch.”
“Is it called something Rou? Didn’t that madam and the two young masters shout just now?”
There were also people who knew more inside information and took this opportunity to say it.
“Haven’t you heard? Not only was Tao Yue not the eldest daughter of the Tao family, she isn’t even the daughter of the Tao family. She was the child adopted by the second branch of the Tao family. They had always wanted a daughter, but she couldn’t have another child due to her health. So, she brought a girl back from the orphanage. That girl was Tao Yue.”
“Is this true?!”
“Of course it’s true! I have a classmate’s cousin who used to work for the Tao family. She personally heard the old master of the Tao family mention this. He even said that he wanted to bring the real eldest daughter of the Tao family back as soon as possible.”
“If I wasTao Yue, I would have dug a hole and hid in it. She has been walking around all her life, thinking that she’s the eldest daughter of the Tao family but in the end, not only was she not the eldest daughter, she isn’t even related to the Tao family by blood! Oooo… This is getting interesting.”
Tao Yue was so angry that she wanted to curse at them. She had tried her best to keep the news that she was not the daughter of the Tao family a secret. Why did the news still spread?
“Mom? Big Brother?” Tan Rou came out of the toilet and saw the red banner in the crowd. Then, she saw her mother and her brothers. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Didn’t I tell you not to wear this banner anymore?” It’s embarrassing.”
Mrs. Tao didn’t feel embarrassed at all. Since she had said that she would do this, she had to stick to it. Moreover, she was carrying the flag to support her daughter. What was there to be embarrassed about?
“Xiao Rou, I promised you that I would do it. In the future, when you take the college entrance examination, I will also cheer for you.” Mother Tao was like a childish child. However, this childishness reflected her love for her daughter. In the eyes of parents, children would always be children.
Tan Rou smiled and didn’t stop them.
“Is that the eldest daughter of the Tao family? She’s gorgeous!”
“I think she’s ten times prettier than Tao Yue. The people of the Tao family are really good-looking. Thinking about it, it seems that Tao Yue isn’t that good-looking.”
Tao Yue wasn’t bad looking, but she wasn’t as good-looking as the Tao family.
“Ms. Tao looks so much like her brother. Tao Yue even knew her name but why was it that she pretended not to know her own cousin?”
“I think she said she didn’t recognize Ms Tan on purpose. After all, that’s the real eldest daughter of the Tao family, and Tao Yue is just an adopted daughter.”
If Tao Yue could hit them right now, she would definitely tear the mouths of those people who were gossiping so that they could no longer speak. So what if she wasn’t their biological daughter? So what if she was adopted. She was the eldest daughter of the Tao family. This would not change. In any case, everyone in the Capital only recognized her as the eldest daughter of the Tao family..
Chapter 486: 486 Jealous Heart
“Auntie, are you here to pick me and my cousin up?” Tao Yue asked shamelessly.
“We’re here to pick Xiao Rou up. Your mom’s car is behind us. There’s a traffic on the road. You’ll have to wait for a while.”
“Why don’t 1 call Mom and tell her not to come? I’ll go back with you.” Tao Yue continued.
Mrs Tao still refused. “I’m sorry, Yue Yue. We’re not driving a commercial car today, so it can only fit five people. The four of us plus the driver make five people.”
“But…” Tao Yue still wanted to fight for it.
However, Tao Zhi said, “If you can’t wait for Second Aunt’s car, just take a taxi back. We can’t bring you because we’re going to the old mansion today. It’s the first time Xiao Rou and Xiao Zheng have returned. They’re going to worship their ancestors and meet them for the first time.”
No one lived in the Tao family’s old mansion now. Only the Tao family’s ancestral shrine was there. During the holidays, the Tao family would go there to offer incense, but Tao Yue had never been there. She had asked to go many times, but Grandpa Tao refused. Grandpa Tao’s reason was that she would wait until she was an adult before going.
What they said about going when she was an adult was just an excuse. She was not the biological daughter of the Tao family, so she did not have the right to enter the ancestral shrine.
“Auntie, 1 haven’t been to the ancestral shrine either. Why don’t you bring me there today as well?” Tao Yue wanted to take this opportunity to take a look. She had long heard that the ancestral shrine of the Tao family had a family heirloom. She wanted to see it.
“That won’t do. We’re also following the old master’s arrangements. If you want to go, you can ask the old master.” Mrs. Tao rejected her request.
“Alright then. It’s the first time that my cousin has returned home. She should go and pay her respects to the ancestors of our Tao family. You should quickly bring her home. I’ll wait here for my mother.” Tao Yue said sensibly.
“Yue Yue is still as obedient and sensible as she was when she was young.” Mrs. Tao rubbed Tao Yue’s hair. “We’ll be leaving first. You should go back early too.”
As soon as Mrs. Tao took her hand away, Tao Yue stepped back slightly. A hint of disgust flashed across her face, but it disappeared in an instant.
Tao Yue’s face turned ugly after the car drove away. She didn’t want to be sensible or cute. She hated Tan Rou to death. If it wasn’t for Tan Rou, she might have been the one who went to the ancestral shrine to pay her respects.
“Tao Yue, are you feeling alright?” Gao Ming took off his coat. “You don’t look too good. Are you feeling cold?”
Tao Yue did feel cold when she said that. The clothes she wore today were not warm enough. It was fine indoors, but it was very cold outside.
“No need. I’m not cold.” There was no way Tao Yue would wear Gao Ming’s clothes. There were so many pairs of eyes watching. Once she wore Gao Ming’s clothes, they would make it to the headlines for some insensible gossip.
Gao Ming’s heart ached for Tao Yue. It was such a cold day, and she had been blown by the cold wind for so long. What if she got sick? It was all Tan Ron’s fault. Why couldn’t they make room for Tao Yue? Moreover, were they in such a hurry to go to the ancestral shrine? Couldn’t they wait for a while and let Tao Yue sit in the car?
“Stop looking. You won’t be able to enter even if you keep looking. 1 heard that the ancestral shrine of such a big family is not open to ordinary people. Even their own children might not be able to enter, let alone an adopted daughter. Don’t you think so, school hunk Lu?”
It was rare for Lu Qing to mock others. “That’s true. Although our family’s financial strength is not as good as the Tao family’s, our family’s requirements for entering the ancestral shrine are very strict. If it’s not a biological child of the family, they will never be allowed inside. However, those who have made great contributions to our Lu family can also enter the Lu family ancestral temple to worship. In the future, we can also place a memorial tablet there for them.”
“If it’s someone who likes to lie and is very pretentious, can they enter?” Li Li asked.
Lu Qing shook his head and said, “If we allow liars into the shrine, then the ancestors will blame us.””
“Have you guys said enough?” Tao Yue’s face was cold. “You’re really from a small place. You don’t have any manners at all.”
“Well, looks like someone got their pants on fire.”
Lu Qing nodded. “It isn’t anyone of us.”
Tao Yue was so angry that she walked away and went to the roadside to wait for her mother.
Deng Yao smiled at the two of them. “i’ll treat you to a meal when you come back to the Capital in the future.”
The two of them had a good impression of Deng Yao. “Alright! Let’s meet again next time..”
Chapter 487: 487 Do You Like Cousin?
After waiting for more than ten minutes, Tao Yue finally got her mother’s car. Aunt Tao looked at her daughter apologetically. “Yue Yue, I’m sorry I’m late.” Tao Yue smiled. “It’s okay, Mom. I didn’t wait long. Let’s go back quickly!”
Aunt Tao said, “Yueyue, do you know Li Li and Lu Qing? A young man and lady who were both students who had come to participate in the competition. Just now, your auntie told me that it’s not easy to get a taxi here, so she asked me to give them a ride.”
In fact, Tan Rou had mentioned them, and Tao Zhi had asked Mother Tao to send a message to Aunt Tao instead. He was more familiar with the Capital and knew that there were often traffic jams in this area. Taxis rarely passed through this area, so he had asked Second Aunt Tao to take Tan Ron’s two classmates with him.
Tao Yue glanced at Li Li and Lu Qing, who were standing by the roadside in the distance. She was delighted to see that their faces were red from the cold. “Mom, I’ve never heard of these two people. Let’s go quickly. It’s quite cold here.”
Aunt Tao felt that she had to do what she had promised others, so she said, “Yue Yue, go into the car and warm yourself up first. Mom will go and look around again.”
Tao Yue held Second Aunt Tao’s arm and said coquettishly, “Mom, let’s go back quickly. There are so many people here. How long will it take you to find them? Plus, they might have already taken a taxi and left. 1 just saw a man and a woman leave in a taxi. It might be them.”
“Is that so?” Second Aunt Tao was a little hesitant. “But your aunt just sent me a message saying that they are still waiting for the bus.”
“Then the two of you left when you arrived. Their car had just left when you arrived and parked here.” Tao Yue said.
“I’ll go take a look first. If we can’t find it, then we’ll leave.”
“I’ll look for it with Mom.” Tao Yue pointed at Li Li and the others. “Mom, go to the left. I’ll go to the right.”
“You’re such a kind girl.” Aunt Tao said gratefully. She was so happy that she had brought this child back from the orphanage. Otherwise, she would not have such an obedient daughter.
The mother and daughter split up to look for the person. It was impossible for Aunt Tao to find the person because the person was on the side that Tao Yue was searching around.
“You guys can wait here for the bus!” Tao Yue walked past Li Li and the others. “It’s very difficult to get a taxi in this area.”
Li Li made a face at her. “What does it have to do with you? You pretentious villain.”
“Hmph! Just wait here until you turn into popsicles.”
Aunt Tao couldn’t find them, and Tao Yue also said she couldn’t find them either. So, they had to go home first.
“Yue Yue, have you met your cousin? Isn’t she beautiful?” Aunt Tao asked Tao Yue with a smile after they got into the car.
Tao Yue had to say that she had met her this time. Otherwise, she would definitely be exposed after a few exchanges. “I met my eldest cousin. She looks very similar to my eldest cousin. She’s very good-looking.”
Tan Yue was so disgusted by her own words that she wanted to vomit.
“So, do you like your cousin?” Aunt Tao asked again. Tan Rou was going to return to the Tao family in the future. She was worried that her daughter wouldn’t like her. It would not be good if there was a conflict between the sisters.
“Of course I do!”
Although Tao Yue said that, she felt like she had just eaten a handful of flies. She was so disgusted that she felt nauseous. Liking Tan Rou? Then she might as well die!
“It’s good that you like her.” Aunt Tao heaved a sigh of relief. “In the future, when your eldest cousin comes back to live with the Tao family, you have to get along with her. There aren’t many daughters in the Tao family now, so the two of you will definitely be the most doted on. Don’t take offense if some of them aren’t being indifferent, alright. There isn’t a huge difference between the both of you.”
There wasn’t a huge difference, alright? Tan Rou could go to the ancestral shrine as soon as she came back, but Tao Yue had been in the Tao family for more than ten years. She didn’t even have the chance to go near the ancestral shrine. This was unfair.
Seeing that Tao Yue didn’t speak, Aunt Tao took her hand and said gently, “Yue Yue, do you think that your cousin came back to snatch your position?”
Tao Yue said, “I don’t think so. I’m not the biological daughter of the Tao family. She is. Now that she’s back, i should be congratulating her. Besides, even if she comes back, I’m sure that i am still your favorite.”
“My good daughter.” Aunt Tao patted Tao Yue’s hand. “Your cousin suffered a lot outside. Now that she’s back, it’s normal for Grandpa and Grandma to favor her. It won’t be like this in the future..”
Chapter 488: 488 Wrong Intelligence
Tao Yue had heard about Tan Rou’s suffering. It was said that she swapped with another child when she was born and lived in someone else’s house for seventeen years. She even went abroad before returning to China at the age of fifteen. It seemed that she had been forced to leave because she had caused trouble overseas, but Tao Yue couldn’t find out what she had done wrong.
“Mom, what kind of suffering did she suffer in the past?” Tao Yue leaned on Aunt Tao’s shoulder. “And didn’t Grandpa and Grandma say that my cousin’s grades weren’t good? Why was she participating in the physics competition? And I heard that she’s the top student in the school.”
Aunt Tao didn’t know much about Tan Rou’s grades. When the two elders of the Tao family mentioned Tan Rou, they did say that she had been raised badly. Her grades were bad, and her temper was bad. However, when she asked Mr. Tao today, he said that Tan Rou’s grades were excellent and that she was an outstanding child.
“Maybe Grandpa and Grandma heard wrongly because they are older. Your uncle said that your oldest cousin’s grades are excellent. She basically scored full marks in every subject.”
“Really?” Tao Yue asked again.
Aunt Tao felt that her daughter’s words were strange today. Why did she keep questioning her?
“Yue Yue, don’t you believe what Mom said?” Aunt Tao’s expression changed. “It’s a good thing that your cousin’s grades are good. Why do you keep asking about it? Don’t you believe that her grades are good?”
“Of course I’m happy that she’s doing well academically.” Tao Yue smiled. I just want to get to know her better so that I can get along with her when she comes back.”
Aunt Tao didn’t say anything else. “Yue Yue, you are always the best daughter in my eyes.”
Tao Yue was furious. Why were they all siding with Tan Rou? Even her mother was speaking up for Tan Rou. Was it because she was the biological daughter of the Tao family?
Her mother would always say that biological daughters and adopted daughters were the same. In the end, once her biological daughter came back, all the good things went back to her. As an adopted daughter, she had nothing left.
Tan Rou’s grades were always very poor no matter how Tao Yue checked. However, Tan Rou’s grades started to improve as soon as she returned to the Tao family. It was impossible for a person to suddenly become very smart. Even if she became smart, she would not have made such great progress.
There were only two kinds of possibilities. One, Tao Yue’s intelligence was wrong. Tan Rou has always been very smart, but her good results were covered up by someone but Tao Yue’s men couldn’t find out about it. Another possibility was that Tan Rou’s grades were indeed bad in the past, but she was pretending. When she returned to the Tao family, she would stop pretending.
No matter what the situation was, Tao Yue was a little scared.
The first possibility was that with Tan Rou’s current strength, she definitely couldn’t hide her results. The only possibility was that someone powerful was covering for her.
The second scenario was even more terrifying. Tan Rou had concealed her strength. Could it be that Tao Rou knew that she was brought home by the wrong family?
In fact, it was neither. Tan Rou had been reborn. The Tan Rou whose brain was damaged and was played by others was no longer around. Now, it was Tan Rou who had come back for revenge.
The car carrying Tan Rou slowly drove into a sparsely populated area. If her mother hadn’t brought Tan Rou over, Tan Rou would have really thought that she had been kidnapped and sent to a remote forest.
“It seems very remote here.” Tan Rou looked out of the car window. The dense pine trees blocked the sky, making the entire area very dark.
“This mountain belongs to our family. We don’t usually live here, so it’s a little deserted.”
Tan Rou saw a very old stone house in the distant forest. “How old is this house?”
“Over a hundred years. Our family made a fortune early on. After we had money, we bought this mountain and built this house.”
“A long time ago, our ancestors also lived here. Later, they felt that it was inconvenient to live here, so they moved to the city. For now, only the ancestral shrine is left and we would come here to pray every year.”
When Tan Rou arrived, her grandfather and father were already waiting for her. Other than the two of them, there were only a few bodyguards in black. Tan Rou thought there would be a lot of people, but she didn’t expect it to be just a few of them..
Chapter 489: 489 Strange Stone
Are these the only people here to worship the ancestors? Tan Ron had thought that her uncles and aunties would come as well. She didn’t expect that it would only be her family and the adults. Tao Qi, that little fellow, didn’t come either.
When Grandpa Tao saw Tan Rou, he smiled and said, “Welcome home, Rourou!””
“Grandpa, I’m back.” Tan Rou smiled and stepped forward respectfully.
Grandpa Tao said, “Come in and meet your ancestors.”
“Am I going in alone?” Tan Rou asked curiously.
Grandpa Tao didn’t answer directly. Instead, he said, “Let’s burn some incense first. We’ll talk about the rest later.”
Tan Rou had nothing to be afraid of. She believed that her grandfather would not harm her.
Grandpa Tao brought Tan Rou and the others into the old residence. The scent of sandalwood lingered in the air, as if they were in a temple. This place was very quiet and very suitable for cultivation. Moreover, the environment outside was very elegant. It was a good place to live in seclusion.
Tan Rou took the three incense sticks from her grandfather and bowed to the rows of memorial tablets in front of her. After paying her respects, she inserted the incense into the incense burner.
At this time, Grandpa Tao said to Tan Rou, “Come along with me.”
Tan Rou followed him to a dusty door. This door seemed to have not been opened for many years because there was a lot of dust on the door and in the gap. She felt that with the Tao family’s financial strength, they would never make such a low-level mistake. The only explanation was that there was something precious hidden here.
“Dad, are we really going to let Rourou in?” Mr. Tao asked worriedly.
Grandpa Tao sighed and said, “This thing has been in our Tao family for so many years. It has never been of much use. Moreover, there are too few girls in our Tao family. Now, we have to seize this opportunity.”
“What is it?” Tan Rou asked.
Grandpa Tao said, “You’ll know when you go in and take a look.”
Father Tao said, “Xiao Rou, go in and take a look. You might find something new.”
Tan Rou didn’t ask what was inside anymore. She opened the door and went in. The door was very old, just like the mechanism door in the ancient tomb. If Grandpa Tao hadn’t told her where the mechanism was, she might not have been able to find it.
The door slowly opened. It was about five to six square meters. There was no light in the room, but there was a stone half the height of a person in the middle. The stone was emitting a dark light, like a luminous stone.
At first, Tan Rou thought it was a piece of jade, but when she got closer, she realized that it was just a glowing white stone. Moreover, this stone seemed to have magic power that kept attracting her to it.
Grandpa Tao said before closing the door, “Put your hand on it.”
Tan Rou hesitated for a moment, but she still put her hand on it, but she couldn’t take it off.
Suddenly, a series of memories entered Tan Rou’s mind. They were not memories of this life, but things that Tan Rou had experienced but did not know about in her previous life.
Recently, she had been curious about why her family had such a miserable life despite having such a powerful background. So it was because of her. She trusted the bad guys easily and unknowingly caused many of the Tao family’s secrets to be stolen. In the end, her family died tragically.
When the memories were over, Tan Rou could finally take her hand away. She stood in front of the rock for ten minutes, tears streaming down her face. Her heart throbbed in pain, as if a piece had been dug out.
After she calmed down, she adjusted her expression and tried not to let others see that she had cried. Moreover, when she cried, she was different from others. She would not scream hysterically, but would only cry silently.
After leaving the house, Tan Rou’s expression was calm. After all, she couldn’t easily tell others what she saw in the stone. Although the people in front of her were her family, she was afraid of scaring them, so she didn’t say it now. She would tell them when the time was right.
“Rourou, did you see anything in the stone?” Grandpa Tao asked urgently.
Tan Rou looked at his expression as if he was in a hurry to know something. Moreover, he had just mentioned that there were fewer girls in the Tao family these years. Coupled with the situation she had just seen, she felt that something was wrong.
“No, I didn’t see anything inside.” Tan Rou said calmly.
Grandpa Tao was instantly very disappointed.. “Did you really not see anything?”
Chapter 490: 49 Past and Present Life
“Grandpa, 1 really didn’t see anything in the stone. It’s just an ordinary stone.” Tan Rou said with certainty.
“Is that so?” Grandpa Tao frowned. “Could it be that it’s just a luminous stone that can emit light? Does it really not have any divine power?”
Tan Rou found it funny. Why would someone think that a stone had divine power? However, as soon as this thought appeared in her mind, she threw it away because she was reborn and she had really seen something from the stone. If there was no divine power in the world, what was happening to her? “Grandpa, where did this stone come from?”Tan Rou wanted to know the origin of this stone. Perhaps she would know why she had been reborn if she understood its origin.
“The ancestor of our Tao family bought this from a half-immortal. The half-immortal told the ancestor’s fortune and said that he had a rich and noble life, but if he wanted to be rich and noble, he had to buy this stone.” Grandpa Tao said, “The ancestor didn’t want to buy it, but that half-immortal insisted that he must buy this stone. Otherwise, he would be in trouble. Hence, the ancestor bought this stone.”
Tan Rou felt that the half-immortal was quite powerful. He had the potential to be a salesperson. With just a few words, he tricked people into buying a useless stone.
“The half-immortal said that this stone has a very strong Yin Qi. Only girls can see what’s inside the stone. Moreover, the stone has recognized its owner, so only girls with ancestral bloodlines can see it.” Grandpa Tao continued, “Up until now, only the daughter of the ancestor could see her past life.”
“Has it been a long time since?” Tan Rou asked.
“Yes, it has been more than 19 years.” Grandpa Tao said, “In the past 1 years, there have been too few girls born in the Tao family. Your father has four children and only one daughter. Your second uncle only has one child, your cousin. It’s the same for your third uncle. Your aunt couldn’t see what was inside the stone, and she didn’t give birth to another girl.”
So in the past hundred years, was Tan Rou the only one who had seen her past and present life? No one would believe this, right?”
If she told anyone else about this, there might be researchers who would bring her to do research. After all, no one had ever heard of someone being reborn. Perhaps there was, but they didn’t dare to say it.
“Can’t boys try it?” Tao Zheng asked curiously.
Grandpa Tao shook his head “There would be no reaction if a man puts his hand on it.”
Tao Zheng’s brain seemed to have suddenly been enlightened “But it’s useless even if Rourou and Auntie were to be placed there! Everyone could try to see if that half-immortal was lying to our ancestors.”
Father Tao said, “We have already thought of the imaginable. Your grandfather, your elder brother, and 1 have actually tried it, but the stone did not react. If you don’t believe me, you can try.”
Tao Zheng was very interested. “I’ll give it a try then.”
Grandpa Tao did not object because he was also looking forward to a miracle.
However, a miracle did not happen. The stone did not react even after five five minutes. He pulled his hand back and muttered to himself, “This stone can’t be fake, right?”
When he came out, Grandpa Tao was also looking forward to it. Unfortunately, Tao Zheng disappointed him.
“Let’s go back first. Perhaps in the future, when you have a daughter, this stone will finally have a reaction.” Grandpa Tao still firmly believed that this stone had divine power. After all, the daughter of the ancestor had indeed seen her previous life and this life flash before her eyes.
On the way back, the few of them sat separately. The man sat in one car, the woman sat in another, and the bodyguards sat in two cars, one in front and one behind to protect them.
“Mom, does that stone really have divine power?” Tan Rou quietly asked Tao Mama.
“What divine power?” Mother Tao laughed mockingly. “It was just that the half-immortal had lied to the ancestor of the Tao family. I heard from your grandma that the half-immortal sold the stone to others because he lost the bet. If the stone really had divine power, why would the half-immortal sell it so easily?”
Tan Rou naturally knew that the half-immortal was telling the truth because she had just experienced it, but she couldn’t show it.
“Mom, do people really have past lives?” Tan Rou asked again.
Mother Tao was a firm scientific materialist and didn’t believe in these mysterious things. “Don’t listen to your grandfather’s nonsense. How can people have a past life? Don’t think too much. Just be yourself. Moreover, if someone really knew about his previous life and this life, what would he do if he was a pig in his previous life?”
Tan Rou also smiled. “Alright, I won’t think too much about it..”