Chapter 17: Heart-to-Heart Talk

"Not right?" However, Huo Yutong was clearly prepared, "I heard Teacher Wang Yan say you got angry because I was insulted, so you attacked him, right?"

Hmm.

The excuse of tripping was easily exposed by a casual remark, and Tang Wulin instantly felt embarrassed.

Huo Yutong couldn't help but laugh.

"Why are you making that face? You should be proud."

She only learned the full story after Wang Yan approached her at noon.

Today she specially asked Tang Ya to help prepare thirty fish for her, just to express her gratitude to Tang Wulin.

From childhood, she has always been the one being bullied.

Besides her mother, no one would help her; Tang Wulin was the first peer to reach out to her when she was isolated and helpless.

So although she didn't show it on the surface, she is actually very happy now.

She rested her chin on her hands and asked:

"I heard the teacher say you approached him because you felt I cared about him, and you want to know why I care about him, right?"

Tang Wulin nodded.

"Alright, let me tell you my story."

Huo Yutong gazed at the sky full of stars, her eyes wistful, sinking into memory.

"My real name isn't actually Huo Yutong; I was born with the surname Dai, and I am the biological daughter of the White Tiger Duke."

As she spoke, Tang Wulin gradually came to understand Huo Yutong's past.

The image of a girl born in the duke's mansion, oppressed and bullied by the duchess, whose only support—her mother—was beaten and bedridden, eventually forced to flee alone to seek revenge, gradually appeared before his eyes.

And as the story ended, that girl's figure overlapped with the petite girl before him.

After the story finished, Tang Wulin fell into silence.

He grew up in a happy family; although their circumstances weren't affluent, and he had recently learned of his parents' disappearance, his childhood was largely happy.

However, Huo Yutong is different; according to her description, her life has been steeped in darkness until recently, when she finally found a glimmer of light.

He can hardly imagine what such a life is like, but fortunately he can sense the emotions conveyed in her words.

When she spoke of her mother, her words were full of tenderness; when she mentioned the servants who bullied them, her tone was icy; when she spoke of the duchess and Dai Huabin, the darkness she revealed seemed ready to devour someone...

After listening, Tang Wulin finally understood why Huo Yutong grits her teeth whenever she mentions a scumbag.

It's not because she was hurt by a scumbag, but because she is the scumbag's daughter.

Perhaps upon seeing a scumbag, she recalls her own father, a scumbag who didn't even know he had a ten-year-old daughter.

After a long silence, Tang Wulin asked:

"So what do you plan to do from now on?"

Huo Yutong answered without hesitation: "I will completely exterminate the White Tiger Duke's lineage, erasing them from this continent."

"But your current strength isn't enough; you can't accomplish this."

Tang Wulin's tone was very sorrowful.

He said this not only because Huo Yutong's talent is poor,

but also because he is a person from ten thousand years in the future and knows the course of events.

Even though he is only nine, he knows that besides the Sun Moon Federation, the Star Net Empire also survived, and the emperor who ascended the throne is a descendant of the White Tiger Duke.

Seeing Huo Yutong's demeanor, she doesn't seem like someone who would give up revenge, so the only conclusion is that she has succumbed to reality and her revenge has failed. "Do it even if you can't." Huo Yutong said firmly: "Even if I die, as long as I can take a bite of flesh from the duke's mansion, I will be content."

Avenging the duke's mansion is a vow she made at her mother's grave; regardless of success or failure, as long as she lives she will never abandon it.

The ferocity in Huo Yutong's words made Tang Wulin fall silent again.

Since they met, his impression of Huo Yutong has always been that of a gentle, hardworking sister who constantly thinks of others; he never imagined she would speak in such a tone.

Upon reflection, they basically know nothing about each other; they know very little about one another.

In this situation, she actually wishes to share her past with him; this trust is extremely precious.

At the very least, she should be allowed to know the final outcome.

Thinking this through, Tang Wulin made up his mind and said: "Huo Yutong sister, what I'm about to say may sound unreal, but please believe me—I speak absolutely no lies."

Then he told Huo Yutong about his own past.

Since Huo Yutong has shared her affairs with him, he ought to reciprocate.

Actually, the priority of keeping his past secret is far lower than hers.

Even if Huo Yutong were to reveal his matters, it would likely be dismissed as nonsense; but if he were to reveal hers, she might be assassinated by the duke's mansion within days.

After all, few would believe Tang Wulin arrived via spacetime turbulence from ten thousand years hence, but if relevant parties investigated, they could confirm Huo Yutong's words are true.

This time, after hearing the story, Huo Yutong fell into a daze.

It's not that she doesn't want to believe Tang Wulin; it's that his content is too fantastical.

Time travel, even a jump of ten thousand years, plus the matter of the Golden Dragon King's seal—she feels as if she's listening to a novel.

If someone else said this to her, she would think they were joking and brush it off.

But seeing Tang Wulin's earnest expression, she knows he speaks without a single false word.

This child is not the type to spout nonsense at such a time.

After struggling to digest Tang Wulin's words, Huo Yutong took a deep breath and said: "Wulin, you must absolutely not repeat what you just said to anyone else; of course, I won't either."

The content Tang Wulin spoke was truly weighty; if she weren't representing more than just herself, she would even want to tell him about Tianmeng.

Fortunately, only she knows this, at most plus a silkworm; as long as she stays silent, no one will know.

"Understood, I will also keep Huo Yutong sister's matters confidential."

Tang Wulin nodded seriously.

"Don't call me Sis Yutong anymore; I'm only two years older than you, that's all." Huo Yutong gave a bitter smile and lightly shook her head. "From now on, we are companions who keep each other's secrets; just call me Yutong."

Okay, Yutong.

Under the brilliant starry river, Tang Wulin felt that the distance between him and Huo Yutong had grown a little closer.

Topic aside, Miss Huo's current favorability toward each appearing character: Dai Huabin: -95 (extreme dislike, not -100 only because there is an even more disliked duchess above).

Zhou Sichen: 5 (quite an interesting classmate, Tang Wulin's good friend).

Xiao Xiao: 15 (just met a few days ago, almost no communication as roommates); Wang Yan: 20 (a warm-hearted teacher).

Bei Bei, Tang Ya: 50 (benefactors who gave her a new home, known only a short time); Tang Wulin: 75 (his personality matches extremely well with Miss Huo, he helped her beat Dai Huabin, and he's the only one who knows her past). The generally low favorability is because they haven't known each other long—at most less than ten days—and the passing grade is 0, not 60, so as long as the favorability is positive, it means a good impression.

By the way, after checking the original work, I found that Tang Wulin's emotional growth is the closest to that of a normal person among the protagonists of the first three installments.

Tang San, as a transmigrator, basically has no emotional growth; Lao Huo in the early stages was completely clueless, and later his emotional shift was too abrupt (brother turning into girlfriend in an instant). Only Tang Wulin, from a pure-hearted little virgin to a master of love, has a detailed development process (at nine, seeing a senior sister made his face flush; when teased by Mu Xi, he couldn't even retort; later, facing girls' affection, he handles it effortlessly). (End of chapter)