Transmigrated as the Villain Boss's Precious Darling-Chapter 34: Severe Malnutrition
"With bloodshot eyes, Adrian Hawthorne gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tight as veins bulged on his forehead. Tears of blood streamed from the corners of his eyes. No one dared to look directly at the teenage boy."
’You only cry tears of blood when you’re heartbroken to the extreme. It just shows how deeply traumatized Adrian Hawthorne was. It’s really no surprise he ended up with a mental illness.’
The book also said that not long after, the three young zealots who had bullied Old Master Tate all met with misfortune, one after another. One fell into the water and drowned, another was mauled beyond recognition by a rabid dog, and the last one was frightened into a state of insanity. She spent her days claiming someone was trying to harm her and stripping her clothes in public, and was eventually married off to an old bachelor.
Tang Xiaonan also remembered that the three young zealots were classmates of Howard Thorne. One was from Millstone Peak, while the other two were from the neighboring village. They were on pretty good terms with Howard Thorne. They had come looking for him that day to hang out, and when they heard there was a "capitalist roader" in the village, the three decided to stir up trouble.
Howard Thorne didn’t participate, but he didn’t try to stop them either. Given Adrian Hawthorne’s vengeful nature—seeking retribution for the smallest slight—the fact that he spared Howard Thorne showed that he hadn’t yet grown completely cold toward the Thorne family.
Tang Xiaonan made a mental note. ’I have to stop this from happening.’
’The Thorne family has to steer clear of all these terrible events. Besides, I don’t want Adrian Hawthorne to have a mental breakdown this time. This future tycoon is actually quite pitiful. The relatives he relied on for survival met with disaster one after another. Even an adult couldn’t withstand such blows, let alone a boy who was still just a teenager.’
"What are you doing here?" Adrian Hawthorne asked with a scowl.
He had work to do and no time to play with this chubby girl.
"Mr. Hawthorne, are you planting sweet potatoes? You should plant the orange kind! Those are the yummy ones. The white ones are dry and don’t taste very good..."
Tang Xiaonan was just making small talk, chattering away like a little sparrow. Old Master Tate smiled faintly, his impression of her improving considerably. ’Now *this* is what a cute little girl should be like!’
"What I plant is none of your business."
Adrian Hawthorne was growing impatient. ’Sweet potatoes are planted in the second half of the year. Right now, we’re planting potatoes. This chubby girl is dumb as a rock.’
"We’re planting potatoes," Old Master Tate explained with a smile.
Tang Xiaonan blinked, blushing slightly. She really couldn’t tell the planting seasons for sweet potatoes and potatoes apart. Having grown up in the city, she couldn’t even tell the difference between chives and garlic sprouts.
"Grandpa Tate, here."
Tang Xiaonan opened her snack bag and took out a greasy sheet of newspaper. Phoebe Huxley had wrapped fried rice cake slices and sweet potato crisps in the paper before putting them in the bag. Tang Xiaonan handed the whole bundle, newspaper and all, to Old Master Tate.
’The old master is so thin. He’s severely malnourished. He needs some proper nourishment.’
’Besides, if I gave this directly to Adrian Hawthorne, he would definitely refuse it. This is what you call an indirect approach.’
The distinctive aroma of fried food filled the air, wafting into the noses of Adrian Hawthorne and Old Master Tate and making their stomachs rumble. For bellies that had gone hungry for so long, a single meal with meat wasn’t nearly enough to provide relief. The body has an instinctive reaction to the smell of food.
Old Master Tate swallowed hard, forcing himself to resist. ’I can’t possibly eat a child’s snacks.’
"You eat it yourself, little one. I’m not hungry."
Adrian Hawthorne, however, stared intently at Tang Xiaonan’s hand, his eyes fixed like a wolf’s. Tang Xiaonan grew flustered, thinking she had angered this future big shot and that he was going to settle old scores with her. She timidly hid behind Old Master Tate.
"Kenneth."
Old Master Tate called out, telling him to rein in his emotions and not scare the little girl.
Adrian Hawthorne darted forward, appearing before Tang Xiaonan in a flash. She was so frightened she hugged her head, and the newspaper bundle, snacks and all, fell to the ground.
