According to Tang Zhengyang, he planned to hire a nanny to take care of Yu Wanrou at home. After all, her body was still weak after giving birth, and she needed a good postpartum recovery to avoid future health problems.
As for Tang Yu, she obediently followed Wang Zhen home.
Wang Zhen was rarely at home due to her busy work schedule at the hospital. Now that she had some time off, she took the opportunity to take the two children to the market to shop for some ingredients.
"Little Yu, you've been working hard preparing for your exams, so Auntie will buy you a black chicken to make soup with," Wang Zhen said when they arrived at the market. Then, she made several rounds around the market before finding a plump, nutritious silkie. She had the vendor slaughter it and bag it for her before she continued to shop for more ingredients.
Yin Zhao-an was someone who'd usually only visit supermarkets, so she found the market environment suffocating. She found the smell especially intolerable.
Yet, they were still only in the live poultry area right now. The smell would only get worse once they entered the seafood area.
Sure enough, as soon as they stepped into the seafood section, Yin Zhao-an nearly puked from the strong fishy smell that hit her in the face. Quickly, she bent down and leaned on Tang Yu's shoulders, sniffing the faint scent of her beloved's hair to ease herself.
Tang Yu glanced at Yin Zhao-an and smiled. Then, in a voice only the two of them could hear, she said, "I'll suspect that you're pregnant with my child if you act like this."
Yin Zhao-an's face stiffened for a moment. Then, she grinned and said, "Yeah, I'm carrying your child, so you have to take responsibility."
Tang Yu didn't think she would get countered like this, so her delighted smile quickly faded. Then, she snorted lightly and stopped paying attention to Yin Zhao-an.
In the short time the two girls were chatting, Wang Zhen had already bought a grass carp and stopped at a small stall to buy some clams.
Although Yin Zhao-an could tolerate the strange smell, she still wrinkled her nose and looked unhappy, "Why did we come to this place? The smell is terrible."
Wang Zhen turned her head and gave her daughter a disdainful look, but she didn't bother to explain and continued picking out ingredients for dinner.
"Because the goods here are fresher than those in the supermarket," Tang Yu patiently explained. "Most ingredients, such as meat, in the supermarket have been refrigerated for a long time, so they are no longer fresh. If you want to eat fresh food, you have to get the ingredients from a market."
Yin Zhao-an couldn't understand this complicated thought process. Although she didn't say it aloud, she still inwardly preferred shopping at a supermarket.
After all, the supermarket was much cleaner.
Of course, if Yin Zhao-an were to work at a supermarket, even if it was only for a short while, she would quickly change her mind.
…
When they got home, Wang Zhen called Yin Changcheng, who was still working, to inform him that she would be cooking dinner tonight. Despite the gentle tone Wang Zhen used, Yin Zhao-an could hear the sinister threat in her mother's voice.
The family sat around the mahogany table served with steaming black chicken soup, clams that burst open when fried, steamed delicious cinnamon fish, and several cold dishes decorated like flowers.
Yin Changcheng looked weary, and even Tang Yu, who didn't know him well, could tell that something was bothering him.
Wang Zhen also noticed her father's condition. After scooping him a bowl of hot soup, she asked with concern, "Is there a problem with the business?"
Yin Changcheng took the bowl and rubbed his aching forehead. Then, he said, "We were planning to expand into the technology industry and had prepared to collaborate with a tech company. But then a new company popped up and signed a contract with them ahead of us. Now our plans have to change, and we'll have to redo the strategy."
The dinner table fell into an eerie silence.
Yin Zhao-an was the first to break the awkward atmosphere. "Let's eat and not talk about business. That company is probably targeting us. We'll investigate their details another day."
Yin Changcheng also thought the same. This matter was too coincidental, almost like a deliberate attack. He couldn't ignore it.
After dinner, Tang Yu volunteered to help Wang Zhen in the kitchen. They discussed how to make the steamed cinnamon fish while wiping the clean dishes with a dry cloth. She loved the dish for its tender meat and flavorful sauce.
Meanwhile, Yin Zhao-an quietly went upstairs and busied herself in the room, only turning on a bedside lamp.
By the time Tang Yu went upstairs, Yin Zhao-an was comfortably sitting by the bed, engrossed in a book.
Tang Yu didn't disturb her. She took her own pajamas from the wardrobe and went into the bathroom. Before long, the sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom.
Yin Zhao-an immediately put down her book, got out of bed, and ran to the door to lock both locks. She then closed the glass door to the balcony and secured it carefully.
After finishing all this, she returned to the bed with peace of mind, quietly waiting for her prey to arrive.
Tang Yu quickly finished her shower and came out wearing a set of buttoned-up pajamas. Her fair little face was now slightly red from the hot water, and there were unintentional red marks on her neck, indicating her skin's sensitivity.
It had been a long time since Yin Zhao-an had last made a move, and Tang Yu wasn't accustomed to wearing underwear to sleep, so she didn't see a need to wear any underwear under her pajamas this time.
However, Tang Yu made a severe mistake. She thought Yin Zhao-an had turned into an obedient dog who would do anything she said, but she didn't expect that Yin Zhao-an was actually a lurking gray wolf instead.
Tang Yu lifted a corner of the thin blanket and lay down. She didn't have the habit of reading before going to bed, especially not after just finishing high school.
Seeing Tang Yu lying down and looking drowsy, Yin Zhao-an turned off the bedside lamp and got into bed as well.
In her drowsy state, Tang Yu felt a source of warmth behind her, and she subconsciously moved away from it. However, the person behind her persistently closed the distance.
Annoyed that her sleep was getting disturbed, Tang Yu warned in a low voice, "Move to the edge. Don't stick to me; it's too hot."
The person behind her seemed to think for a moment but didn't move. Before Tang Yu could get angry again, she heard Yin Zhao-an asking, "Does being hot prevent you from sleeping?"
Still not realizing she was getting lured into a trap, Tang Yu frowned and said, "What do you think? How am I supposed to sleep if it's this hot?"
"I have a way," the person behind her chuckled deeply. Then, a long and slender hand touched her legs and slowly crept up from the hem of her pajamas. "Exercising can help you sleep better..."
…
The incessant rain that lasted for several days finally stopped, revealing a night sky illuminated by faint moonlight and decorated with a few sparkling stars and slowly drifting clouds.
The moonlight shone through the loosely drawn light-colored curtains and fell on a couple of clothing articles loosely scattered on the ground. Occasionally, one or two soft moans could be heard coming from the room, and even the birds perched on the branches outside couldn't help but hide their heads in their feathers, too embarrassed to look at the beautiful spectacle in the room.
…
Morning.
Yin Zhao-an woke up with a radiant complexion. After washing up, she collected the mess on the ground and went into the bathroom. Then, she put the clothes in the washing machine and soaked the sheets in a basin of water with detergent.
Wang Zhen had already gone to work, and Yin Changcheng naturally didn't stay home either. After having breakfast, they left together.
There was milk oatmeal prepared in the kitchen, the milky fragrance of the oatmeal stimulating Yin Zhao-an's appetite.
…
Roughly ten minutes after a certain someone left the bedroom, Tang Yu finally woke up from a heavy sleep. Her mind was a mess, and it felt as if someone had stirred it into mush.
She tried to sit up from the bed in a daze, but suddenly, a sharp pain hit her, causing her to snap wide awake immediately.
Subsequently, anger filled Tang Yu's usually calm and steady eyes, and she couldn't help but grit her teeth and curse Yin Zhao-an fiercely in her heart. Then…she fell flat on the bed and blankly stared at the ceiling.
A certain cunning wolf had tortured her for the entirety of last night. Now, her legs and waist were sore, and her whole body felt like it was falling apart.
When Tang Yu recalled how she had fallen for Yin Zhao-an's sweet whispers and let Yin Zhao-an take advantage of her infatuation, she got the urge to beat herself up.
It's over… I've lost my innocence now… Tang Yu thought.
Suddenly, a sound came from the door. Tang Yu instinctively covered her unclothed body with the blanket and coldly narrowed her eyes when she saw who it was.
Yin Zhao-an nervously put the oatmeal on the bedside table. Then, she awkwardly rubbed her nose and tentatively asked, "Do you want to get up and eat something?"
Tang Yu glanced at her and spoke in a neither cold nor warm tone, "Oh, so you still want me to get up?"
Remembering how much Tang Yu had cried last night, Yin Zhao-an felt even more guilty, so she quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I was wrong. I promise to listen to you in the future."
Tang Yu snorted coldly. However, she wasn't in the mood for an argument, so she said. "Help me up."
The summoned person hurriedly went forward and helped her sit down.
As she sat up, Tang Yu gasped in pain. The pain was so excruciating that even her fingertips were trembling, and tears had formed in her eyes.
The culprit behind Tang Yu's suffering looked at her with both heartache and guilt. "Does it hurt?"
"What do you think?" Tang Yu didn't want to talk to Yin Zhao-an right now. After the pain eased up, she tried to get out of bed to freshen up. She also didn't refuse when Yin Zhao-an reached out to support her.
…
Standing in front of the mirror, Tang Yu looked at her swollen eyes and felt extremely embarrassed. How could she have let herself be taken advantage of like that? Fortunately, there were no strange marks on her neck.
Hmph, she even knows how to cover up her tracks. What an animal, Tang Yu thought as she narrowed her eyes and looked at Yin Zhao-an through the mirror.
Under Yin Zhao-an's anxious care, Tang Yu finally finished breakfast and collapsed on the bed, her face looking like she had given up hope of living.
"Hey..."
Yin Zhao-an, who was tinkering with her computer, was startled by the faint voice and quickly turned to look.
Tang Yu's eyes were clouded, and her pupils were dilated. She didn't even look at Yin Zhao-an as she spoke calmly, "I want to break up."
"?! Why?" Yin Zhao-an was instantly terrified.
"Unharmonious bedroom activities."
The room fell into a long silence. Tang Yu had already closed her eyes, waiting quietly for Yin Zhao-an's response.
After what seemed like a long time of thinking, Yin Zhao-an finally managed to come up with a response, asking, "Do you want to have a platonic relationship?"