Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The courtyard gate, a thick metal slab crafted by Tang Teng himself from steel bars, rang out loudly when struck.

Zhongqiu paused her meal, her ears flattening into "airplane ears" as she crouched low, eyes fixed warily on the door.

Seeing this, Tang Man set down her chopsticks and rose from her chair. "You all keep eating; I'll get the door."

"Zhongqiu, you keep eating too!" As Tang Man passed, she ruffled the cat's fluffy head. Zhongqiu rubbed against her hand before lowering her head to resume eating.

Outside the courtyard, a black Bentley was parked. A middle-aged man in a black suit, accompanied by two children around ten years old and a young woman in a red dress, stood at the entrance.

The four appeared to be a family. They seemed untouched by the apocalypse's hardships; their clothes and accessories were immaculate, and they even wore perfume. Tang Man's gaze flickered to the man's gold watch and diamond cufflinks, leading her to surmise they had been wealthy or influential before the world ended.

"What do you want?" Tang Man asked coolly, wondering if they sought to hire bodyguards or rent a place.

The middle-aged man scanned her up and down with obvious disdain, frowned, and spoke contemptuously, "Where is Wang Shuhua? I'm looking for Wang Shuhua."

"Wrong house. No one by that name here." Without waiting for a response, Tang Man slammed the gate shut with a *bang* and returned to her meal.

"Who was it?" Sheng Yao asked curiously.

"Wrong address. Let's keep eating; ignore them!"

The four brushed off the minor interruption and continued their meal.

After lunch, the courtyard gate was hammered on again. Sheng Yao, having just finished washing dishes, peeked out from the kitchen. Drying his hands on his pants, he called to Tang Man and his mother, who were making pickled cucumbers, "You two keep at it; I'll check it out."

The two in the kitchen waited a long time, but Sheng Yao didn't return. Instead, they faintly heard raised voices.

Tang Man frowned, suspecting Sheng Yao might be in trouble. She set down the cucumber she was holding and washed her hands.

"Auntie, I'll go see."

Sheng Yao's mother, also worried, nodded anxiously, her eyes filled with concern. "Go on, I've got this here."

Sheng Yao stood in the courtyard, his usually smiling "peach-blossom eyes" now bloodshot, glaring intensely at the group before him.

It was the same family of four Tang Man had seen earlier. The middle-aged man's face was contorted in anger, while the young woman clung to him, her expression one of profound grievance. The two children clutched the adults' clothes, hiding behind them, peeking out with wide, curious eyes to observe the scene.

Tang Man frowned. Did Sheng Yao know these people?

After a moment's thought, she stepped in front of Sheng Yao, shielding him protectively.

"What do you want?" Tang Man's voice was icy.

"I'm talking to my son. It's not for a little girl like you to butt in. Move aside." The middle-aged man had no patience for the young woman who had made him circle the neighborhood fruitlessly earlier.

"Xiao Yao, I know you don't like me, but Xixi and Xiaokai are your siblings. After all, blood is thicker than water! With so many man-eating monsters outside, you can't just leave them to sleep on the streets!" The woman in his arms suddenly spoke, her voice soft and gentle.

"The world has changed so much, and your father is the only one in our family who has awakened a superpower. We'll all have to rely on him from now on. Even if it's just for your mother's sake, don't be so stubborn! Just let us come in and stay..."

The woman's words reeked of insincerity, and Tang Man wrinkled her nose in distaste. However, her brief speech gave Tang Man a rough understanding of their relationship. Only then did she realize the middle-aged man had been asking for Sheng Yao's mother, Wang Shuhua.

She felt a pang of hesitation. This seemed like a family matter; was it right for her to interfere?

Just as Tang Man debated whether to step back and let Sheng Yao resolve his family conflict, Sheng Yao stepped out from behind her. "My mom only ever had one son. Don't try to claim kinship. So what if you have a superpower? Even our cat has powers. Sheng Zhang, judging by your outfit, I doubt you've killed many zombies. Your combat ability probably isn't even as good as my cat's. And you think you can protect others? You'd probably piss your pants from fear at the sight of a zombie..."

Sheng Yao's tone was laced with faint mockery, instantly igniting the middle-aged man's fury. "Sheng Yao, I am your father!"

Realizing his outburst, he took several deep breaths to calm his voice. "I can't reason with you. Go get your mother. I'll talk to her!"

"My mother has nothing to say to scum like you. Take your mistress and get lost before you dirty our ground, or I'll unleash the cat and her fire powers on you!" Sheng Yao said, directly reaching out to push him.

Zhongqiu: ? ? ?

Are you being polite?

The group immediately began shoving. Tang Man had initially intended to stay out of their family affairs, but seeing Sheng Yao outnumbered and the four of them seemingly intent on forcing their way into the house, she intervened to help Sheng Yao.

Morning glory vines directly coiled around the four people, tossed them out, and then slammed the courtyard gate shut.

Morning glories and trumpet vines had been her most frequently used weapons in her past life. After finding morning glories in the ecological park a few days ago, she had abandoned the pothos without a second thought.

Sheng Yao stared at the silver gate, his lips pressed tight, his jaw clenched. His dark eyes held pain and surging hatred.

Tang Man had wanted to ask something, but seeing him like this, she ultimately remained silent, merely patting his shoulder comfortingly. "Let's go back inside!"

Upon entering the living room, they saw Sheng Yao's mother standing blankly behind the front door.

"Auntie? Auntie?" Tang Man waved a hand in front of her face, tentatively calling her name.

Sheng Yao's mother snapped out of her daze. "I—I was worried about you, so I came out to check..."

She looked around, her hands nervously grasping at the air, seemingly unsure where to put them. "I—I still have things to do in the kitchen; I'll go busy myself there first..."

With that, she turned and stumbled towards the kitchen, tripping over a table corner along the way and nearly falling.

Tang Man frowned at her retreating figure. Given her demeanor, was she still pining for that man? Tang Man had chosen to live with Sheng Yao and his mother precisely because their household was simple. If Sheng Yao's mother truly intended to let those troublesome people move in, Tang Man would have to consider taking Xiao Teng and moving out.

In this life, she only wanted to live a simple life with Xiao Teng and had no interest in getting involved in such messy, bothersome affairs.

However, seeing the current state of the two, she felt it wasn't appropriate to ask more questions. Tang Man stood there for a moment before heading to the basement to find Tang Teng.

Tang Teng was in the garage, researching how to cover the villa's floor with a layer of metal protection.

"Xiao Teng, how much do you know about Sheng Yao's father?" Tang Man asked directly.

Tang Teng put down the metal piece he was holding and shook his head. "Fourth Brother rarely mentions his dad. Every time he does, he gets upset, so we never asked much... I only know that Fourth Brother has a very good relationship with Teacher Wang. Fourth Brother is usually fearless, messing around with cats and dogs, but Teacher Wang can control him with just one word..."

Tang Teng's words made Tang Man frown even deeper. If Sheng Yao truly listened to Sheng Yao's mother as much as Tang Teng said, then if Sheng Yao's mother let those people move in, Sheng Yao would certainly not object...

"Xiao Teng, stop messing with these metals for now. Go back and take a nap!" Tang Man crouched down and collected the scattered crystal cores around Tang Teng.

"But what about the underground shield you mentioned a few days ago, Sis..."

"We'll talk about it later!"

Tang Teng instantly fell silent. He understood very well what his sister's actions implied.

For two years in university, he and Sheng Yao had a very good relationship. Although their family backgrounds were vastly different, they got along well, and Fourth Brother had helped him a lot with his part-time jobs.

He knew his sister had helped Sheng Yao and his mother after the apocalypse because of him. Without his sister, the best outcome for them would probably be like the ordinary people in the safe zone, struggling to find their next meal...

Now, something had happened, and his sister wanted to abandon them. He didn't know what kind of life they would have if they separated...

They were good friends, and they had gotten along quite well these past few days. He still wanted to help them.

With that in mind, Tang Teng decided to ask Sheng Yao first to find out exactly what had happened.

In the afternoon, everyone was still busy in the villa, but the atmosphere was completely different from the morning. Sheng Yao, who usually talked the most, kept his head down and worked silently, while Sheng Yao's mother also remained silent. Tang Teng tried to lighten the mood, but even Zhongqiu didn't give him a glance.

————

Sheng Zhang drove his Bentley around the neighborhood again and again, unable to find a suitable place to stay. Finally, he parked not far from Sheng Yao's villa.

Based on the situation at noon, Sheng Zhang guessed there was at least one superpower user and two superpower animals in the villa—he was no match for them.

He didn't dare to rashly knock on the door now and could only think of a clever way to get in. He couldn't rely on that rebellious son, so he had to target Shuhua instead. Shuhua had always been soft-hearted and surely wouldn't let him sleep on the streets.

"Daddy, I'm sleepy. I want to take a nap," his youngest daughter, Sheng Qian, tugged at his sleeve and whined, her big, round eyes fixed on him unblinkingly.

Looking at his beautiful and adorable daughter, Sheng Zhang's heart melted instantly, filled with paternal love. "Daddy will adjust the seat for you so my precious Qianqian can have a nice nap."

Sheng Zhang reclined the seat for his daughter, covered her with a small blanket, and gently patted her to sleep.

"Daddy, the car is so boring. I want to get out and play," Sheng Kai grumbled once his sister fell asleep, finding the quiet car dull without a playmate.

"What's all that noise? Close your eyes and take a nap like Qianqian!" Sheng Zhang scolded in a hushed tone.

"No! I want to go out and play! Let me out, let me out, let me out—" The brat threw a tantrum without reason, wailing loudly.