Chapter 126 Coma
In the study at night, under the dim yellow candlelight, Tao Tao was at her desk calculating the daily income and occasionally turning the abacus.
She didn't find the calculations difficult when she only had one store, but now that she has four stores, plus the commission she gets from sharing customers with Zeng Rong, it's all a bit of a hassle.
Thinking of Zeng Rong, he remembered that he had come to the shop during the day to find her, wanting to join as a franchisee in exchange for more customers.
It means that he doesn't need his signboard anymore, and they can use her shop's signboard instead. After all, her signboard is already in use, and whenever people need to hold a funeral, whether for a person or a pet, they will think of Tao's shop.
Half an hour later, painful screams came from inside the room.
The girl frantically ran her hands through her hair, burying her face in the table and making painful noises.
She was really getting dizzy from all these ledgers. She was just not cut out for math, and she shouldn't have tried to save money by not hiring an accountant. It was all her fault!
"I feel like dying... Help!"
She lay helplessly on the cold table, her eyes lifeless, worn down by the sheer number of numbers.
Just as she was giving up on herself, there was a knock on the door. She immediately sat up abruptly, straightened her hair and clothes.
Who is it?
Her expression held an expectation that even she herself was unaware of.
"It's me, Miss Tao."
That soft, gentle voice—isn't that Ding Yunxiang? Why is she here again? She was saying she was sick during the day.
Tao Tao frowned in confusion, a hint of disappointment creeping into her heart that she herself didn't even realize.
She took a deep breath, rested her chin on one hand, and toyed with a pen in the other, drawing out the last syllable of her sentence with utter boredom: "Is there something you need...?"
The door was pushed open the next second, and Ding Yunxiang walked in gracefully, carrying something in her hands.
She pinched her brow helplessly, then looked up at her: "Next time, you can't come in without my permission, not just you, but everyone."
Ding Yunxiang, who had walked up to her, froze on the spot. A hint of embarrassment and awkwardness appeared on her face. She bit her lower lip and her eyes reddened.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I was too offensive. I just thought you might be hungry since you're still working so late, so I made some late-night snacks and brought them to you."
Upon hearing this, Tao Tao looked at the red date porridge in her hand, paused for a moment, and didn't know what to say.
She never expected that a rich young lady like herself would be willing to cook, although she knew it was definitely to please her.
Ding Yunxiang was probably afraid that she would be kicked out. A woman with no survival skills would indeed be worried about her situation.
Tao Tao's voice softened considerably: "Put it down, I'll eat in a bit. Don't worry, as long as you don't mention what happened last night again, I'll still let you stay."
“Actually, if you have the capital, you can definitely do business. If you are worried that your lowly status will affect you, you can choose to entrust someone else to do it.”
Ding Yunxiang looked up at her and said softly, "Then, can I entrust this to you? I really can't find anyone else."
"You're entrusting me with this?!"
A hint of surprise appeared on her face.
Ding Yunxiang nodded in agreement.
"Uh, let's talk about this later. I'm a bit busy right now. Why don't you go back first?"
Despite Tao Tao's words, she still didn't leave, her gaze fixed on the red date porridge on the table. Her face was filled with worry and grievance.
"Don't you like the red date porridge I made? But, but this is the best I can do, and look, my hand is injured."
Ding Yunxiang choked back tears as she stretched out her hand in front of her. Her fair hand was scalded red and blistered, looking rather shocking.
"So tragic..."
She stood up and looked ahead, frowning helplessly, before eating half a bowl of the warm red date porridge.
It's warm and soft, with a sweet and refreshing taste and no strange flavor.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "This first attempt is even better than mine? No wonder she's a young lady from an official family, proficient in all the arts."
"Look, I've already eaten. I'll bring you the medicine later. You can go back now."
Ding Yunxiang finally nodded in agreement. As she was leaving, she glanced at the half-bowl of red date porridge on the table, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally.
She walked out but didn't leave. Instead, she waited quietly at the corner. Her face, hidden in the shadows, was expressionless, yet it had a sinister, venomous quality about it.
Fifteen minutes later.
She stepped back to the study door and knocked, calling out, "Miss Tao... Miss Tao..."
After calling several times, there was really no response.
Ding Yunxiang gently curled her lips, pushed open the door and entered. She stood in the middle, her gaze falling on Tao Tao, who was lying unconscious on the table.
She turned and closed the door, then slowly approached, asking as she walked, "Tao Tao, are you alright? Do you need me to call Xi Xin over to help you...?"
The girl slumped over the table remained completely silent, seemingly having passed out.
She took out a dagger hidden in her sleeve and approached step by step, looking nervous and uneasy, her palms sweating with fear.
“I’m sorry, Tao Tao. I really didn’t mean to do this, but I had no choice. If I don’t fight for the Ding family and for my father’s exoneration, then I will be a lowly person for the rest of my life, a lowly slave for the rest of my life.”
“I can’t be that kind of person. I was born a noble lady who was pampered by everyone. I can’t become a lowly person. This is not the path for me.”
"You, Tao Tao, were born into a merchant family, which is inherently a lowly person. Moreover, you are engaged in that kind of business, which is even more disgraceful. So you can't blame me; blame your own fate."
She said these words simply to ease her fear, so that everything she was doing now would be worthwhile in the future.
There is no doubt about this. As long as she kills Tao Tao, transforms into her appearance, and gains the help of the Cai family, she will still be that noble young lady.
Thinking this, a ruthless glint flashed across Ding Yunxiang's face, her eyes gleaming with a fierce light. She raised her hand and suddenly stabbed down towards her neck.
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew the window open with a loud bang, which was particularly clear in the silent room. In the blink of an eye, the candlelight flickered and swayed, casting a dark shadow on the wall.
Who is it…?
Before she could finish speaking, the dark shadow flapped its wings, its curved, sharp beak pecking at her slender, fragile neck, its sharp claws gripping her thin shoulders tightly.
Her pupils constricted, her face filled with terror. Before she could feel the pain, a bloody hole opened up in the middle of her neck, and blood flowed out freely, soon staining her clothes.
With a thud, he fell to the ground, his eyes wide open in death, his face still bearing the expression of terror.
Someone slowly pushed open the door from outside and walked in as if taking a leisurely stroll.
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