When Yin Zhao-an saw Tang Yu, a woman holding a glass of rum coincidentally walked toward her. Then, the woman tried to drape her seemingly weak and boneless arms over her, but before the woman could touch her, a third party pulled the woman away by force.
The woman's eyes, which were exquisitely decorated with makeup, widened. Then, she turned to look at the person who had pulled her away from her target in displeasure. When she saw the other party's appearance, she sneered and said, "Oh? Do your parents know you skipped school to come to a nightclub, little girl?"
The little girl in question was wearing a school uniform, so she was clearly still a student. Although it was currently the middle of the day, and the nightclub operated mainly as a bar during these hours, it still wasn't a place where students should be visiting, especially not during school hours.
Tang Yu didn't say anything in response. Instead, the corners of her mouth curled up disdainfully as she turned around, grabbed a certain someone by the collar, and kissed this person on the lips.
A collective gasp came from all around Tang Yu and Yin Zhao-an. At the same time, Li Beiyu's eyes brightened when she saw Tang Yu suddenly taking an aggressive stance, her mind shouting: "Well done!"
When their lips separated, Tang Yu bit Yin Zhao-an's lower lip hard, only stopping when a sweet and bloody taste appeared in her mouth.
Wen Tao had already turned around and silently repeated to himself, "never judge a book by its cover."
The woman didn't expect such a development, and her gaze lingered on Yin Zhao-an, reluctant to let go of the prey she had set her sights on. However, when Tang Yu stepped between her and Yin Zhao-an, the woman ultimately withdrew her gaze and walked away angrily in high heels.
Yin Zhao-an blinked blankly as she looked at Tang Yu. Just now, her Tang-Tang was…jealous, right?
…
Even after leaving the bar, Tang Yu remained silent. Yin Zhao-an followed her like a guilty puppy, lacking the courage to say anything.
When they were approaching the school gate, Tang Yu turned around and looked at Yin Zhao-an intently. Seeing this, Yin Zhao-an reflexively stood still, waiting for the scolding.
"Why did you skip class?" Tang Yu asked.
"Huh? I…" On their way back to school, Yin Zhao-an had already mentally prepared herself to be asked questions such as, "Why did you come to a place like this?" or "Why did you lie to me?" However, never did she expect Tang Yu to ask such a question, so she was momentarily at a loss for words.
Tang Yu took a step forward, her clear eyes reflecting Yin Zhao-an's face as she said, "Never do this again." After a slight pause, she added, "I'll get jealous if you get too close to other girls."
As if a bomb had gone off within her, Yin Zhao-an felt her heart shaking when she heard these two plain sentences. She hesitantly lifted her hands to try to hug Tang Yu. However, she ultimately shrunk back out of guilt and simply nodded, apologizing, "I'm sorry. There won't be a next time."
"Mhm." Tang Yu lightly responded. Then, she snuggled into Yin Zhao-an's arms and rubbed her head against the other party's shoulder like a spoiled kitten. "I like you very much, so you don't have to be worried or scared."
Yin Zhao-an's eyes instantly became moist, and her lips parted multiple times as she attempted to say something. Eventually, though, she simply placed a hand on Tang Yu's head, rubbing the other party's soft hair as she hoarsely responded, "Mhm."
…
Tang Yu decided to return home for the upcoming weekend. Upon arriving back home, she found herself reuniting with her "long-lost" mother.
Although it had been several months since Tang Yu last saw her mother, the latter still had the same quiet and elegant appearance. Even as she busied herself in the kitchen, she looked as graceful as a Western court lady.
"Little Yu, I've found a steady translation job. I'll be helping a local publishing firm translate manuscripts. I'll have more time to spend with you at home in the future," Yu Wanrou said as she handed a bowl of carrot soup to Tang Yu.
The unexpected news stunned Tang Yu, and she couldn't help but ask, "Is it because of me?"
Yu Wanrou was aware of what Tang Yu was referring to, but that wasn't actually why she chose to settle down. So, she shook her head and explained, "I've been doing freelance translation for a while now, and I sometimes can't help but miss home. So, I felt that it was time to find a stable job and settle down."
"That's great." Tang Yu felt slightly relieved, knowing she hadn't become a burden to her mother.
Yu Wanrou's return didn't impact Tang Yu's life much. The only thing that changed was that Tang Yu started to return home more frequently, even if she had to travel quite some distance.
…
After that minor incident, Yin Zhao-an no longer acted recklessly, and neither did she doubt Tang Yu's feelings anymore. In addition, the two of them would often visit the school's self-study rooms to study together.
The self-study rooms were located on the library's second floor, and the library was a place that emphasized quietness. So, it was very unlikely anyone would come to disturb them here.
At noon, the sunlight shone through the window and illuminated the black font on Tang Yu's and Yin Zhao-an's books. The two of them sat opposite each other, writing and drawing in their respective books without saying a word.
At one point, Yin Zhao-an got up to go to the restroom. When she returned, she saw Tang Yu had already fallen asleep on the table.
When Yin Zhao-an was pondering whether she should wake Tang Yu up, she saw a green sticky note placed in her notebook.
——Sleepy. Taking a nap. Wake me up in twenty minutes.
A hint of tenderness appeared in Yin Zhao-an's eyes as she tucked the sticky note into her thick notebook and looked out the window.
Outside the window was a tree over a decade old, its green branches swaying in the wind.
The sunlight was a bit dazzling, so Yin Zhao-an picked up a stack of documents from the table and held it up against the window, shading Tang Yu's face from the sun.
Along with the disappearance of the glaring sunlight, Tang Yu's slightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and her eyelashes trembled lightly. Yin Zhao-an smiled at this sight before lowering her head to resume her studies.
When Tang Yu woke up, the first sight she saw after opening her eyes was a girl in a sky blue uniform holding up a small stack of papers to block the sun's rays that were coming through the window. The girl in uniform had her hair tucked behind her ears, and a few soft strands covered her forehead. The girl had her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and she was using the pen in her bony hand to write down some notes in her notebook.
Tang Yu propped up her face with one hand, her eyes were filled with physiological tears due to fatigue. At first glance, she looked teary-eyed, as if she had just cried.