Night soon arrived.
A servant from the Jin family brought over dinner. Su Ding fed the two children, bathed them, and it was time for them to sleep.
A Da and A Xiao slept in the adjacent room, also to avoid any impropriety.
If anything were to happen, Su Ding only needed to call out, and they would come.
As night deepened and all was quiet, everyone in the room had fallen asleep.
However, a dark shadow quietly climbed onto the balcony.
He did not enter the bedroom but, from the gap in the curtains between the balcony and the bedroom window, took out a bamboo tube and blew a faint fragrance inside.
Then, he opened the sack in his hand and took out a colorful, hissing viper.
Under the moonlight, the poisonous snake was as thick as an infant's arm. Poison sacs bulged on its body, and its forked tongue flicked continuously as it swayed its head, observing its surroundings.
This was a venomous snake unique to the south. A single bite, if not treated promptly, would cause the wound to rapidly rot until the toxins infiltrated the heart, leading to death.
The dark figure quickly flipped down from the balcony and fled, his movements exceptionally fluid and natural.
The venomous snake left on the balcony soon caught the unique scent emanating from the bedroom. It seemed to grow excited, and with a ripple of its body, it slithered inside.
At that moment, on the bed in the bedroom, lay Su Ding, Xiao Xi, and Tang Tang.
Su Ding slept soundly. Xiao Xi, holding her arm, had a flushed face as she slept. Tang Tang, resting her head on Xiao Xi's back, suddenly opened her eyes!
Those eyes no longer held the innocence of the day but were filled with cold alertness.
This was her other personality emerging.
It only appeared at night and did so suddenly. In the dark rooms of the Tang family, she would maintain this state and think about many things.
Ever since she met Xiao Xi, even when her dual personality awakened, she would continue to sleep while holding him.
But now, she keenly sensed something was wrong!
It seemed... there was a strange sound?
Tang Tang held her breath, straining her ears to listen to every sound in the bedroom.
Besides the breathing of Aunt Su Ding and Xiao Xi as they slept, there was a hissing sound near the corner of the bed, a sound that made one's scalp tingle.
She picked up Xiao Xi's phone, turned on the screen, and moved it towards the corner of the bed.
The faint light illuminated the scene, and Tang Tang's expression changed. She stared fixedly at the colorful venomous snake and quietly slipped off the bed.
At the same time, she already knew who had placed it there.
While such colorful venomous snakes were common, ones with bulging poison sacs all over their bodies were not. This was a species found on the Tang family's mountain and was rarely encountered elsewhere.
The sunny side of the mountain backing the Jin family's residence had at most small snakes, never this kind.
It must have been done by her wicked older sister, Tang Yiyi!
Soon, the venomous snake seemed to notice Tang Tang as well. Its bean-sized green eyes cast a cold glare in her direction.
Yet, Tang Tang's immature face displayed a composure that belied her age.
The moment the venomous snake lunged at her, she precisely dodged its gaping maw and reached out to grip it by its vulnerable spot, the seven-inch mark.
The venomous snake tried to resist by whipping its tail, and its venomous fangs attempted to bite her tender arm.
Tang Tang’s lips curled into a mocking smile. With one hand firmly gripping its vulnerable spot, she swiftly used her other hand to tie a knot around its tail.
Immediately, she grabbed Xiao Xi's jacket from the clothes rack, wrapped the snake in it, and tied it securely.
Without hesitation, Tang Tang quickly headed for the balcony and jumped down. Landing steadily on the ground, she hurried towards the Jin family residence.
Almost everyone was asleep at night.
When she successfully reached the balcony of Tang Yiyi's room, she directly pulled aside the curtains and threw the venomous snake inside.
"Suffer the consequences!"
Tang Tang narrowed her eyes, looking at Tang Yiyi, who slept on the bed with her face covered in bandages, and thought coldly.
Although she was sisters with Tang Yiyi, the Tang family had only given her pain and beatings, simply because she was an inconspicuous illegitimate child.
Aunt Su Ding and Xiao Xi were the ones she wanted to protect in this life!
After Tang Tang left, she draped Xiao Xi's jacket over herself and returned to their bedroom in the side courtyard.
The jacket carried Xiao Xi's scent, and her tightly wound heart eased slightly. She was a few years older than Xiao Xi, and coupled with her bitter past experiences, her psychological age far surpassed that of children her age.
Xiao Xi was the best, truly the best person to her in this world, which was why she had decided to follow him.
Just like…
Uncle Jin Ye and Aunt Su Ding.
A hint of longing appeared on Tang Tang's face, but it vanished instantly. She quietly climbed onto the balcony, took off her clothes, and lay down on the bed.
Jin Xiao Xi, who had been sleeping with his arm around Su Ding, suddenly felt a coolness on his back.
He squinted his eyes and instinctively reached his hand towards Tang Tang, softly murmuring, "Tang Tang, why are you so cold?"
Tang Tang remained silent, closing her eyes and pretending to be asleep.
However, her cool body felt out of place compared to Su Ding and Xiao Xi snuggled in the warm bedding.
Suddenly, Jin Xiao Xi turned over, whimpered a couple of times, and hugged her body. He nuzzled his warm, tender face against hers and mumbled drowsily:
"Tang Tang, I won't be cold if I hold you…"
A honey-sweet warmth spread through Tang Tang's heart. If only she could remain awake like this forever and be with Xiao Xi.
Unfortunately, during the day, she understood nothing.