Chapter 174
Chapter 174: When You’re Beaten, You Must Resist—Brothers and Sisters Protecting Each Other
Cheng Xiao Ting answered at once, “I’ll take Dad for a night run and probe the mountains while we’re at it. Huang Da Zhuang will come with us.”
Huang Da Zhuang sounded eager. “Sure, sure! I’ve awakened abilities but haven’t really used them. Perfect timing.”
Yan Yu said, “I’ve restarted intel search coverage.”
Zhang Ting Zhou said, “I’ve started checking all projects and construction records tied to the White Wolf Clan settlement.”
“Stay in contact,” Jiang Tea Tea said. “Be careful.”
“Shared channel,” Sui Xuan Chu reminded. “Be careful.”
Cheng Lin Yue and the others chimed in too, one after another. “Be careful.”
Cheng Xiao Ting and Huang Da Zhuang left. They knocked on Cheng Mian and Mo Jing Chun’s door and explained that they needed a night run.
Cheng Mian didn’t ask why. He called Lang Yin Feng, exchanged a few words, confirmed they could run anywhere in the mountains, then changed clothes. The three of them shifted into beast form and ran out into the night.
Lang Yin Feng and Lang Luo Feng stood by the massive floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor, watching their silhouettes disappear into the forest.
“Cheng Mian and Mo Jing Chun really spoil Cheng Xiao Ting,” Lang Yin Feng sneered. “He’s already an adult, and they still let him drag them out for a late-night run.”
“That’s not strange,” Lang Luo Feng replied lightly. “A single birth gets spoiled. If they had five in one litter, or three, they wouldn’t pamper like this.”
“You’re right,” Lang Yin Feng said. “Children can’t be pampered. Pamper them too much and they grow weak and useless.”
He sounded pleased with himself. “Look at our children. Each one outstanding, each one obedient and filial. Big or small, none of them ever do childish things like making me accompany them on a night run.”
Lang Luo Feng gazed at him with adoration. “Their obedience is because you taught them well. It’s just… we misjudged Tea Tea.”
“No.” Lang Yin Feng’s reply was sharp. “We didn’t misjudge her. When she was born and tested, there was no possibility she’d awaken abilities.”
“We lost her. The Jiang family took her, and she suffered for three years. Only when she was mentally and psychologically starving and desperate did she awaken.”
“That proves that if we hadn’t lost her, if we’d raised her well, she wouldn’t have awakened. She would’ve been useless.”
“We didn’t make a wrong move.” His eyes gleamed coldly. “Now all we have to do is bring her back. A small cost becomes a huge return. That’s the best deal, the highest return.”
Lang Luo Feng slipped into his arms and looked up at him. “Including Tea Tea, we have seventeen children. Should we have three more and make it twenty?”
Lang Yin Feng pulled her close. “When Jiang Tea Tea fully comes back, we’ll have them.”
Then his expression shifted. “Right. In a few days, we’ll hold a banquet here. Invite more people. Introduce Jiang Tea Tea properly.”
Lang Luo Feng understood immediately. “All right. I’ll arrange it.”
As Jiang Tea Tea listened to their calculations, her bargain siblings arrived.
Except Lang Xin Rui and Lang Xin Ping, they came one after another, each wearing a smile and presenting a gift.
Gifts ranged from handmade crafts that cost nothing, to a bracelet worth a few hundred star credits, to earrings worth tens of thousands, to mid-grade mechas worth hundreds of thousands, ground cars, flyers… everything.
Jiang Tea Tea accepted them all. Whoever gave her a smile, she returned one.
Old One—Lang Xin Yi—came last. His gift was the most expensive: a gemstone necklace worth over a million, beautifully cut.
He didn’t present it in a box. He held it in his hand and offered it to her directly.
Jiang Tea Tea took it and glanced at it once. Compared to the gemstones in Chong Ming’s Old Loach room, it looked cheap—small, dull, pale, plain white.
Lang Xin Yi saw her toss it into her storage button, and his expression tightened. “Tea Tea… you don’t like the necklace I gave you?”
His voice was gentle, but something bleak flickered deep in his eyes.
Jiang Tea Tea returned a faint smile. “I like it. But I want something even better—brighter. If I just call out once, countless people will bring necklaces to me and let me choose.”
Lang Xin Yi’s heart jolted. He stared at her, stunned.
Jiang Tea Tea shut the door and said calmly, “There are no cameras in this room. No listening devices.”
Lang Xin Yi’s pupils shrank. “You—”
She cut in smoothly, not giving him room to speak. “I’m a first-year student at the Capital Planet Royal Military Academy—Mecha Department, Reconnaissance Department, Command Department, Combat Department, Healing Department… seven departments in total.”
“I’ve studied more than what your files show. After half a year of training, I arrived somewhere unfamiliar. Checking for cameras and bugs is reflex.”
Lang Xin Yi’s fingers trembled. The words burst out of him. “Tea Tea, leave. Leave now. Get out of here. Never come back. Never acknowledge Mom and Dad. Go—take your classmate and go!”
Jiang Tea Tea shook her head with a small smile. “I’m not leaving.”
Lang Xin Yi’s voice cracked with urgency. “We haven’t lived together. I’m more than twenty years older than you. But please believe me—I won’t hurt you. Leave.”
“Go back to Capital Planet. Study. Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming values you. Make achievements for him to see. Stand high and become the master of your own fate.”
If she wanted to go, Mom and Dad couldn’t stop her—didn’t dare. They wouldn’t touch her.
But if she stayed, changed her surname to Lang, and became trapped in this home, then Mom and Dad could manipulate her.
This home was a fire pit. A pit fed by the blood and flesh of their siblings. He couldn’t escape it. He didn’t want her stepping into it.
Jiang Tea Tea didn’t sense malice from him—only panic, fear, and a desperate sincerity. “I know you won’t hurt me. I also know what kind of life you all live here.”
Lang Xin Yi stared at her, shocked. “You…”
She didn’t let him cling to the shock. Her voice stayed even—matter-of-fact, almost cold. “When you were little, you were hit for disobedience. Hit for bad grades. Hit for low ability rank. Hit for failing to lead your brothers and sisters.”
“Locked up and beaten. Beaten in front of everyone. Made to have your brothers and sisters hit you. Made to hit yourself—”
Lang Xin Yi’s voice shook violently. His eyes reddened as he cut her off. “How do you know?”
Jiang Tea Tea’s lips curved. “Don’t ask me how. I only want to ask you one thing.”
She looked him in the eye. “Do you want to change?”
Lang Xin Yi froze. “Change?”
“Yes.” Jiang Tea Tea nodded once. “Change. Change everything about your life. Leave the White Wolf Clan. Take your children and your mate and leave.”
“Or divorce your mate and go find the one you’ve loved for years—the one who’s been waiting so long their hair has turned white.”
“Tea Tea—” Lang Xin Yi tried to speak, but she didn’t let him.
“I’ll be frank,” Jiang Tea Tea said. “Mom and Dad are suspected of serious crimes. Officially, the evidence still isn’t complete—so they can’t be arrested and sentenced yet.”
“I’m here to find their evidence. Once the evidence is secured, they’ll either be exiled or executed.”
Lang Xin Yi’s face went pale. “Why would you tell me this? Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Mom and Dad?”
Jiang Tea Tea smiled, calm and certain. “Your slap marks still haven’t faded. You were hit again today, weren’t you?”
Lang Xin Yi raised a hand to cover his face on reflex, then slowly lowered it. His voice was rough. “You’re stronger than I expected. Tougher.”
Jiang Tea Tea’s eyes curved slightly. “Thank you. You’re the eldest child—the eldest son. You know more than anyone in this house.”
“I’ll give you three days to consider.” Her tone hardened. “Change your life… or tell Mom and Dad that I’m here to take them down.”
Lang Xin Yi stared at her for a long time.
He said nothing.
Trembling, he turned, opened the door, and left.
In her earpiece, the other seven couldn’t keep quiet.
“Sister Tea—nice. You locked in a helper fast.”
“Sister Tea, do you think he’s reliable?”
“What if he sells us out?”
“And he’s close to Old Two. What if he tells her, and she tells their parents? Then we’re done.”
Jiang Tea Tea’s answer was steady, unshaken. “He won’t.”
“He’ll be our most effective helper. We just have to wait.”
They stopped pressing.
Jiang Tea Tea opened the window and sat cross-legged on the bed. She began meditating and cultivating, drawing in the beneficial nutrients in the air.
Time passed. Her lightbrain received several messages, but it was on silent. She didn’t notice.
Far away on Capital Planet, Chong Ming worked overtime in the Military Department. He checked his lightbrain again and again, waiting for her reply.
She wasn’t in the Imperial Palace. Sui Xuan Chu wasn’t either. Past midnight, Chong Ming slept in the bedroom attached to his office.
Only at 3:30 a.m. did her reply arrive: “Went to bed early last night. Just saw your messages. The cub is well-behaved and didn’t cause trouble. My mental state is great. Appetite normal.”
The moment Chong Ming finished reading, sleepiness vanished. He got up, washed, and returned to his office. Lights on. Work resumed.
Meanwhile, Cheng Xiao Ting and Huang Da Zhuang had run with Dad through the forest, covering more than two hundred kilometers.
About eighty kilometers in a straight line from the White Wolf Clan settlement, they caught a strange scent and spotted a manmade flyer landing pad.
The area was fenced with high-voltage electrified netting. They couldn’t find a chance to enter, so they observed from a distance, then returned and reported.
Jiang Tea Tea had originally planned to investigate that night. Then she reminded herself—rush it and you burn the stew. Better to wait.
At three in the morning, she woke, saw Chong Ming’s message, and replied. Not long after, someone knocked on her door.
She opened it and found Lang Xin Yi and Lang Xin Wei at the threshold. Both wore the same casual clothes as last night.
She wasn’t surprised. She opened the door wider and let them in, then tapped the invisibility mic in her ear to connect the shared channel to the other seven.
Lang Xin Yi and Lang Xin Wei sat stiffly on the sofa, posture tight.
Jiang Tea Tea reached into her storage button and produced two bottles of overnight tea brewed from old leaves from her true body. She handed one to each. “Drink some water.”
They took it and drank.
It was refreshing. Clearing. They could feel the restlessness of their abilities settling.
They looked down at the liquid—tinged green, tinged yellow—and drank again. This wasn’t ordinary water. It was rich with plant-type psychic force soothing.
After they finished, they looked at Jiang Tea Tea, drew a deep breath, and asked in low, strained voices, “If we give you Mom and Dad’s crime records, crime locations, the ledgers of dirty money, and the list of people involved… can you ensure our brothers and sisters aren’t implicated—and that we’re not charged?”