Font Size:
Youpin Residential Complex.
Tang Susu gently pushed the door open.
Laughter and cheerful voices drifted from the living room where a TV show played, creating a warm, harmonious atmosphere.
A middle-aged couple sat on the sofa, and beside them was a girl about Tang Susu’s age. She sat quietly, looking obedient and well-mannered.
The man was Tang Susu’s biological father. The woman was her stepmother. And the girl? She was the stepmother’s daughter from a previous marriage.
Tang Susu slowly walked over and stood in front of the man. In a soft voice, she said,
“Dad, I need a little money. My classmate—”
Before she could finish, he cut her off abruptly.
He stood up from the sofa and immediately began scolding her.
“You come home just to ask for money? What do you even need money for all the time? Do you have any idea how hard I work to earn it?”
His sudden outburst startled her.
She knew the original Tang Susu didn’t have a good relationship with her family, but she hadn’t expected the father to be this short-tempered.
Tang Susu’s biological mother had died early, and her father had quickly remarried his divorced first love. That was when Tang Susu had fallen out with her family.
She rarely spoke to them—only ever reaching out to ask for money. But still, she hadn’t expected her father to be this cold toward her.
“Ah Hong, why are you yelling at her like that? Susu is still just a child. It’s rare for her to come home this early—you’ll scare her,” the woman in home clothes said gently, standing up and holding the man back.
Hearing that Tang Susu had come home earlier than usual only made the man angrier.
“A child? She’s out all the time, fooling around and never coming home. Is that how a child should act?” he snapped.
The woman continued to calm him.
“Alright, Ah Hong, there’s no need to get so worked up. At least hear her out first.”
“Don’t speak for her! What could she possibly say? Isn’t it just about money again?” the man shouted, pointing a finger at Tang Susu. “Other than asking for money, does she even see me as her father?”
“Maybe she needs it for something important. Maybe her living expenses aren’t enough,” the woman said, patting his back gently.
That only made him angrier.
“Important? What could she possibly need money for? I already give her 5,000 yuan every month—isn’t that enough? What average student gets that kind of allowance? I bet she’s just wasting it!”
Tang Susu stood silently while he continued to scold her, pointing at her face the whole time.
Now she finally understood why the original Tang Susu had such a strained relationship with this family.
Losing her mother during adolescence, then being forced to accept a stepmother and a new “sister,” with a father who didn’t care about her at all… it would be a miracle if she hadn’t gone off track.
Clearly, there was no chance of getting money from him today.
But He Zhimou was still in the hospital waiting for her—she had to figure something out.
Without another word, she turned and headed upstairs.
“Tang Susu, stop right there! That’s how you talk to your father? I say a few words and you’re already impatient?” her father bellowed.
She turned back and said calmly,
“What else am I supposed to do—just stand there and let you yell at me?”
His face stiffened.
“I’m scolding you because you don’t behave. If you behaved, would I need to yell? Do I ever yell at An’an?” he said, gesturing toward the obedient stepdaughter sitting quietly on the sofa.
Zhou An’an, as if on cue, remained silent and well-behaved.
Tang Susu tilted her head and gave a small smile.
“Misbehave? What exactly did I do wrong? I went to a classmate’s birthday party on the weekend, stayed out for a bit, and suddenly I’m a delinquent? I asked for money, and before I even explained why, you started yelling. So tell me—am I the one being disrespectful, or are you just a terrible parent?”
His face darkened.
“Haven’t you done enough ridiculous things already? If you’d behave a little better, I wouldn’t have to scold you!”
Tang Susu didn’t bother listening anymore. She turned and went upstairs.
In her bedroom.
She looked up at the ornate princess-style wardrobe, pulled over a chair, took off her shoes, and climbed up to reach the top compartment.
There, she found a small safe.
Her fingers instinctively entered the password: 0608.
This was the dowry Tang Susu’s mother had left for her before she passed away.
Tang Susu’s slender, fair fingers opened the safe.
Inside were gold bracelets, gold necklaces, other jewelry, a bank card, and a handwritten letter from her mother written just before she died.
She lowered her head and carefully examined each item.
Every single thing radiated her mother’s love.
And even the original Tang Susu, no matter how spoiled or reckless she had been, had never once touched this dowry.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally took the bank card.
She raised it in one hand like a solemn vow.
“I’ll return the card tonight. I’m only taking 20,000 for an emergency. I promise to pay it back within two months—and I’ll never touch this money again.”
She carefully put the card in her bag, then returned the safe to its original place.
Just as she picked up her bag, her phone buzzed.
She pulled it out and looked at the screen.
A notification appeared—her father had just transferred 5,000 yuan to her.
She was stunned for a second, then slid the screen to confirm.
It was true. Her father had actually sent the money.
Blood may be cold, but it’s still blood. He cursed her out, but in the end, he still gave the money.
With the 5,000 from her father and the 20,000 from the dowry—plus student insurance—it should be enough to cover He Zhimou’s treatment.
She slung the bag over her shoulder and went downstairs.
As she passed through the living room, someone called out to her.
“What, can’t stay home for even a little while? Off again?” Tang Honghou stood up, still looking irritated.
“Yes, yes. It’s almost dark out. Why don’t you eat at home tonight? The four of us haven’t had dinner together in a while. What’s more important than family?” Stepmother Zhou Wei stood up and gently tried to persuade her.
Thinking of the 5,000 yuan transfer, Tang Susu’s tone softened.
She looked up and smiled slightly.
“No, a classmate’s still waiting for me. I’ll eat at home tomorrow night.”
“You’re never home. What exactly are you up to every day?” Tang Honghou seemed like he wanted to yell again, but his daughter’s voice was soft and calm—not like her usual combative self.
She actually seemed… sweet.
He didn’t want to argue anymore, so he waved her off.
“Go, then. Go.”
“Okay.” Tang Susu nodded and was about to leave when—
“Wait,” her father said.
She stopped and turned.
“Yes?”
“A girl should look like a girl. You’re always painting your face like a ghost. Look how clean you look today—much better,” he said.
“Alright,” Tang Susu replied, then walked out the door.
Tang Honghou watched his daughter’s back and sighed.
“She’s grown up a little, finally knows how to talk without arguing.”
But the expressions on both the stepmother’s and stepdaughter’s faces changed slightly.