The Bowl of Seven Emotions

“She went to meet Lin Jintang, all by herself?” Shi Chengxuan dumped the files in his hands to the side and looked up at him.

Secretary Wu was shocked by his boss’s gaze. Why did the color of his face look bad… And his tone was as if his wife had an affair…

No, he must've heard wrongly.

Secretary Wu looked down. “Yes, both of them met in a small noodle restaurant and spoke for around half an hour. Afterwards, Lin Jintang went back to his family home.”

“Okay. You can leave this matter here. You may leave.”

“Yes.” Exiting the CEO’s office, Secretary Wu stood outside the door in a daze.

Recalling a few days ago when he had booked a restaurant and rose on behalf of his boss, and also the business trip that Manager Xiao had revealed, the more Secretary Wu thought about these, the more he felt that something wasn’t right.

Tang Susu had said that she wasn’t going to the hospital and she indeed hadn’t applied for a leave of absence, until five days later, when Mi Zheng sent her a text to tell her that Old Mrs. Tang had finally woken up, had she taken a half day leave to make a trip to the hospital.

Of course, it wasn’t to visit the patient, but rather to fulfill her deal with Lin Jintang.

The deal this time wasn’t difficult. In fact, she didn’t need to do much extra, as she had all the necessary materials. The Filthy Aura that was almost forming a human shape was her best tool, after all.

As expected, the moment she stepped into the hospital ward, all her relatives crowded around and scolded her. Her cousins watched the show unfold and her uncles and aunties lectured her… Oh, and also her stepmother was trying her hardest to find an excuse for her.

Thank goodness Tang Qiming wasn’t around, otherwise she might have been beaten up at this point.

Tang Susu remained silent and completely still. After the group of people who’d been lecturing her noticed her indifference, they also lost their interest in scolding her, and cast her aside to continue their own chit-chats.

Old Mr. Tang was also around. However, he didn’t seem to be in a good mood. When Tang Susu entered, he had only lifted his eyes to take a look, without any reaction. No one knew whether he was happy or angry.

After sitting in the room for around ten minutes, there was a vibration from her big bag. Tang Susu got up from her seat and headed out of the ward.

Outside the hospital building, she found an empty bench and sat down. She put the pocket-shaped tote bag on her lap, as Gou Dan crawled out of it and revealed the shape of the stone bowl.

The stone bowl still looked tattered, but there was an extra layer of thick black mist exuding a fishy smell in the bowl. It was the Filthy Aura on Mrs. Tang's body. In front of the stone bowl, this Filthy Aura didn’t put up the slightest resistance.

“I’m leaving this to you now.”

“Rest assured. Since both of them are around, we just need to inject these Filthy Aura into their bodies. I guarantee that they will always be with that Old Madam from the Lin family together day and night.”

Tang Susu naturally had confidence in Gou Dan’s methods. It came back soon after being released. The black mist initially in the bowl left a shallow layer that was then absorbed by the bowl.

“Done. Shall we go back? The scent here isn’t good.”

As a bowl spirit, it was able to see more than what Tang Susu could. This hospital was filled with an uneasy dark red aura.

It couldn’t tell what it was for now, but it was certain that there were dangerous things lurking around. And since its owner was still weak, it would be best to not get too close to those things.

Too bad there was no lifespan for it. If it could get some lifespan, it could become stronger instead of being so passive.

As Gou Dan thought, it shook its tails with unease.

Tang Susu had no intention of staying at the hospital any longer. She took her bag and left, not even bothering to let those in the ward know.

She had been doing the same thing many times and had always been ignored. If she was lucky, maybe someone in a good mood might respond. But most of the time, she was answered with silence.

When she was younger, she had once resisted, but had been slapped by her mother and scolded for her lack of manners. Recalling this past really made her feel ridiculous.

Sitting on the bus, she checked the time. It was only three o’clock. Since she had nothing to do at home, she took Gou Dan to look for delicacies in the city, tasting them one by one. At five o’clock, when the both of them finally couldn’t eat anymore, she took a taxi to go home.

Just when she got into the taxi, her phone rang.

Tang Qiming’s name was blinking on her phone screen. She picked up the call. “Dad, what’s the matter?”

“Where are you?”

“On the road.”

“Come to the hospital immediately. Everyone’s at the hospital except you. Do you still have manners!” Tang Qiming’s tone was unfriendly.

“I was there in the afternoon. I don’t have time now.”

“Tang Susu, I’m repeating myself. Come to the hospital immediately. You better not make me angry.” Tang Qiming was furious over her rejection.

“So what if you're angry? Will you chase me out of the Tang house? Or announce cutting ties with me? I actually look forward to it.” Tang Susu smirked, without even concealing her disdain.

“Are you saying that you intend to give up your rights to inherit the Tang family’s business?” Tang Qiming’s tone became calm.

"You said that as long as I am obedient, but we all know that the Tang family never planned to give me half a cent from the beginning to the end. So why do you expect me to be obedient?"

"Tang Susu, do you think that I can't do anything to you now? You think that with Shi Chengxuan supporting you, you can already raise your voice at your father?"

Shi Chengxuan? What did her inheritance have to do with him?

The corners of Tang Susu's eyes twitched. She couldn’t comprehend what Tang Qiming was thinking for a minute. Perhaps, in his eyes, the greatest achievement of a woman was to rely on a powerful man.

But she did not deny, instead saying, “Yes, with him around, what can you do to me?”

"You think that without the Tang family supporting you, you can marry into the Shi family? Quit dreaming!"

Tang Susu curled her lips up. "But for some people, even if they have the Tang family supporting them, they’ll never be able to marry into the Shi family. Oh, no, it's still possible. Shi Chong isn’t bad and is very suitable for your second daughter."

Listening to Tang Susu's words becoming more outrageous, even the well-cultivated-in-etiquette Tang Qiming was fuming. "I never knew you were so irksome."

“Probably because we’re not close.”

Though they were father and daughter, the number of chances they got to meet was limited. Even if they met, they didn’t really talk much; the unpleasant scolding had always been directed to her.

A father like him… she’d rather not have one at all.

Hearing the beeping sound on the other end of the phone, she snorted softly. After tonight, Tang Qiming would probably not have the time to trouble her anymore.

When she was heading to work the next day, she received a call from Mi Zheng. The young boy’s voice was a little panicked. "Sister, have you heard? There seems to be something wrong with Grandma's head."

“What’s wrong?” She was holding a green ballpoint pen. While spinning the pen, she asked with little interest.

“She said there was a ghost standing next to her.”

“She probably hurt her brain. Did the doctor take a look?”