Chapter 601: A Burden
Chapter 601: A Burden
When An Ran and Zhao Ru both glanced behind them, the gossipy women turned their heads as well—only to see Tang Siluo standing by the ice wall. Their faces grew increasingly awkward.
“Oh no, I just remembered—I left white fungus soup simmering on the stove. An Ran, Zhao Ru, let’s talk later, alright? Later!” One woman, quick-witted in her panic, made an excuse and hurried off.
The others immediately followed.
“Wait, wait, I’ll come too! I want a taste of your soup.”
“It’s been ages since I’ve had white fungus soup. Let me join for a little beauty treatment!”
And just like that, the gossipy group scattered, leaving only An Ran, standing in the courtyard with an indifferent expression as she looked at Tang Siluo.
Zhao Ru gave a cold snort, turned her head, and scooped up Doll who was crawling on the ice, distracting herself by playing with the child.
“Zhao Ru…” Tang Siluo approached, deliberately ignoring An Ran. Her fragile face carried a flicker of emotion as she looked at Zhao Ru. “Thank you… for still speaking up for me.”
What she was grateful for was Zhao Ru clarifying that she hadn’t truly meant it when she publicly accused An Ran and Yun Tao of an affair—that she had simply spoken without thinking.
“Don’t thank me. I only said that because their gossiping mouths could damage An Ran’s reputation.” Zhao Ru’s eyes brimmed with disdain for Tang Siluo. She turned away and refused to engage further.
The truth was, she still couldn’t let go of what had happened to her grandaunt. Maybe it wasn’t entirely Tang Siluo’s fault—it was Zhang Boxun himself who had been infatuated enough to risk everything to save her—but Zhao Ru simply could not forgive her.
And that wasn’t the only reason. The biggest one was that Tang Siluo’s whole existence screamed “burden.”
She was a strength-type ability user, yet she was constantly dragging everyone down—and worst of all, she wasn’t even self-aware about it.
Take Xu Li’er, for instance: annoying, yes, but at least her antics didn’t hold the group back. Tang Siluo, on the other hand, had been dealt a winning hand in life and still managed to turn herself into dead weight.
Not only did she weigh herself down, she dragged others down too.
Zhao Ru’s grandaunt, Axe, even her own father Tang Jianjun and the soldiers he left behind—all of them paid the price.
Back then, Tang Jianjun had wanted Tang Siluo to lead the soldiers, and An Ran to manage Fatty’s group of so-called burdens, so that the two sides would be interdependent: the burdens relying on military protection, the soldiers relying on the burdens’ supplies.
And yet, Tang Siluo had thrown all of that into chaos. She ran off with Lei Jiang without thinking. And Lei Jiang—where had he taken those soldiers? Gone. Every single one. Tang Siluo herself had fallen this low as well.
And the worst part was—she hadn’t even done it on purpose!
To Zhao Ru, Tang Siluo was poisonous. Best to avoid her altogether, lest she drag everyone else to their doom.
“Zhao Ru, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have spoken recklessly.” Tang Siluo began to cry, her fragile face completely devoid of its former radiance.
She was sincerely admitting her mistake—sincerely apologizing for having once smeared An Ran and Yun Tao with careless gossip.
“Ha!” Zhao Ru let out a mocking laugh, holding Doll in her arms. “You’re apologizing to me? You’re saying sorry to me for running your mouth?”
Standing at Zhao Ru’s side, An Ran suddenly chuckled as well. Her laugh dripped with irony. Then, as though it had nothing to do with her, she lowered her head, scraped her ice skates across the frozen ground, and turned away, ready to continue skating.