The living room was empty when Tang Yu stepped into the house. Holding her breath, she walked upstairs with careful steps, lifting each foot carefully. If someone who didn't know any better saw her behavior, they would think she was a burglar.
Yu Wanrou's bedroom door was slightly ajar, and soft humming could be heard from inside.
Tang Yu knocked on the door twice before entering.
Yu Wanrou was gently rocking a cradle when Tang Yu entered, the little baby in the cradle fast asleep. When Yu Wanrou saw her daughter entering the room, she carefully picked up the baby boy from the cradle, set him into the crib, and covered him with a blanket before gesturing for Tang Yu to go outside with her to talk.
"Welcome back, Little Yu. Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?" Yu Wanrou asked as soon as they arrived downstairs. She also started to ponder what she could make with the ingredients available in the kitchen.
"I'm not particularly hungry," Tang Yu said as she followed behind her mother. "Is it okay for my little brother to be upstairs by himself?"
"What could possibly go wrong? He won't fall down," Yu Wanrou casually answered. Then, realizing how irresponsible she sounded, she quickly added, "No, what I mean to say is that he won't wake up for a while, so there's no need to worry."
Hearing her mother's words, Tang Yu suddenly understood where the old saying "one pregnancy, three years of foolishness" came from.
Yu Wanrou's body had become slightly plump after giving birth, her face constantly tinged with a faint blush. During this period, she always wore the same outfit: thick coral velvet pajamas and a thick down jacket. She had also casually tied her hair to the back, giving her a particularly casual look.
"I'll go make something in the kitchen. It's about time for dinner, anyway," Yu Wanrou said.
"I'll help," Tang Yu said while rolling up her sleeves.
When Tang Zhengyang stepped into the house, he could hear mother and daughter working busily and chatting happily in the kitchen.
Honestly, Tang Zhengyang still had difficulty accepting the fact that Tang Yu and Yin Zhao-an were dating. But since his wife had approved of the two girls' relationship, what could he possibly do?
In the end, no matter how frustrated he was about the matter, he could only keep his frustrations to himself.
Meanwhile, Tang Yu was helping her mother cut the potatoes into thin shreds of equal length and width. When plated, they looked very pleasant and appealing to the eyes.
When Yu Wanrou saw her daughter's work, she said out of delight, "You cut them so nicely. An-An's look more like sticks than shreds."
As soon as Yu Wanrou finished speaking, both mother and daughter felt a sudden jolt in their hearts, and the kitchen instantly fell into an awkward silence.
Yu Wanrou propped her face up with her hand, feeling a little regretful for ruining the pleasant atmosphere.
"Mom… I…"
"Stop!" Yu Wanrou waved her hand and interrupted. "We'll save this talk for after dinner. For now, let's just focus on making the food."
Tang Yu's words got stuck in her throat, and her face turned a little red. In the end, she gave up on continuing the conversation and resumed cutting the vegetables and arranging them on plates.
…
Tang Zhengyang sat cross-legged on a sofa in the living room, feeling a little annoyed by the idol drama that was playing on the TV. The female lead in the drama was crying and refusing to break up, while the male lead simply removed the ring off her ring finger and threw it from the top of the building into the snowy ground below.
"Tsk, tsk."
"Tsk, tsk."
Two voices sounded simultaneously. Startled, Tang Zhengyang turned around to find Tang Yu also watching the drama.
Tang Yu didn't expect such a coincidence, and she awkwardly rubbed her nose as she sat on one of the single-seat sofas in the living room.
Father and daughter quietly watched the idol drama. Following the previous scene, the female lead could be seen crying while searching for her ring in the snowy ground, her mouth repeatedly muttering, "This is the symbol of our love. How can you just throw it away?"
Seeing this scene, Tang Zhengyang couldn't help but sigh and comment, "This person's love is too pathetic."
After saying so, Tang Zhengyang didn't forget to warn Tang Yu, "If you ever meet a man like this, don't foolishly rush forward. If he doesn't love you, so be it. There will still be other people in the world who will love you."
Tang Yu felt even more guilty upon hearing this. In her past life, she had indeed foolishly rushed forward without thinking…
Several minutes later, Tang Zhengyang suddenly remembered something as he coldly said, "Oh, I forgot. You don't like men."
Tang Yu: "..."
…
At the dinner table, Tang Zhengyang still couldn't get over his anger and frustrations and decided to bring up Yin Zhao-an's matter again. However, Yu Wanrou was not having any of it, her gentle expression instantly changed as she coldly smacked her chopsticks onto the table and said, "Then, you should find another person who will risk their life for Little Yu!"
Upon hearing Yu Wanrou's words, Tang Yu and Tang Zhengyang promptly remembered the kidnapping incident three years ago. Even though Yin Zhao-an could have simply called for help and done nothing else like a normal girl, she chose to risk her life to save Tang Yu, becoming the most injured person out of everyone involved in that incident.
Not to mention, apart from that kidnapping incident, Yin Zhao-an had stayed by Tang Yu's side all these years. She had even been the one to pick Tang Yu up after the college entrance examination.
When Tang Zhengyang thought of these things, he stopped speaking and quietly ate his food.
Drip—
A hot tear dropped into Tang Yu's bowl. Following it, a stream of tears overflowed from Tang Yu's eyes and ran down her face.
Tang Yu lowered her head, not daring to look up to expose her miserable, crying face.
A tissue was handed to her without a word.
Tang Yu took the tissue and covered her eyes with it. However, she was no longer in the mood to finish her meal, so she got up from her seat and quickly returned to her room.
"This…" Tang Zhengyang was confused by this situation, and he thought to go and check up on his daughter. However, Yu Wanrou kicked him under the table before he could do so and said:
"Stop poking your nose into the affairs of children and quickly finish your dinner. Also, do the dishes once you're done."
…
Tang Yu had her phone charging in her bedroom. When she returned to the room, she found that Yin Zhao-an had called her several times and sent her over a dozen voice messages on WeChat.
Seeing this, Tang Yu decided to give Yin Zhao-an a call. When the call connected, Yin Zhao-an sounded very anxious as she asked:
"Tang-Tang, why haven't you answered your phone for so long? Did Auntie and Uncle make things difficult for you? If they did, don't try to argue with them. Don't get hurt, do you hear me?"
The tears that had barely stopped began to well up again. In a choked voice, Tang Yu said, "Why do you keep thinking only about me? Have you ever thought about yourself?"
"Why are you crying?! Did Uncle hit you?! Dammit! I'm coming over from school right now. Wait for me!"
"No, don't…" Don't be impulsive.
Tang Yu stared blankly at her phone, her head starting to ache at seeing how quickly Yin Zhao-an had hung up.
Tang Yu tried to call back, but Yin Zhao-an never answered, possibly because she had put her phone on mute.
"What should I do…" Tang Yu anxiously got up from the bed and wiped her tears with her arm. Then, she grabbed her cotton jacket and walked out.
Yu Wanrou was just about to knock on Tang Yu's door when she saw her daughter running out of the room and speeding downstairs, going who knows where. She had wanted to talk to Tang Yu about Yin Zhao-an's matter, but seeing her daughter in such a hurry, she decided to leave it for another day.
…
Unlike the rush hour during the day, there was no traffic jam on the road in the evening. So, the journey from Chong High only took half an hour by car.
After paying the taxi driver, Yin Zhao-an thought of running for Tang Yu's home, but she quickly remembered that she was no longer a resident here and couldn't come and go as she pleased.
"An-An!"
Yin Zhao-an saw a figure quickly closing in on her. Then, once within arms' reach, this figure lunged at her.
Tang Yu had run all the way here from her home, so her breathing had become ragged, and she tried her best to calm down in Yin Zhao-an's embrace.
There was air conditioning in the taxi, so Yin Zhao-an's body was still very warm. Tang Yu, on the other hand, was enveloped in coldness, and it was unknown how long she had been standing in the cold night.
"Why did you come outside?" Yin Zhao-an asked as she stroked Tang Yu's long hair, her heart aching when she saw that Tang Yu was freezing from top to bottom.
"I was afraid they wouldn't let you in, so I came out to meet you," Tang Yu said as she put her hands into the pockets of Yin Zhao-an's down jacket, absorbing her lover's body warmth.
Meanwhile, Yin Zhao-an felt a little relieved when she failed to find any bruises on Tang Yu's face. But regret quickly filled her as she said, "I should have told you that we had an exam at school today. I kept my phone off in the dormitory the whole day, and I only remembered I had it off when I went back just now. I'm sorry."
In response, Tang Yu shook her head to indicate that she didn't mind. Then, while holding hands and walking into the military compound with Yin Zhao-an, she said, "Nothing happened to me. Next time, let me finish what I have to say before hanging up. What would you have done if I didn't come out to meet you?"
Yin Zhao-an had already calmed down after seeing Tang Yu unhurt. However, she couldn't be blamed for her rash actions, as Zhao Yu's experience had more or less traumatized her. She truly didn't dare to bet on the chance that Tang Yu wouldn't encounter a similar experience as Zhao Yu.
"If you hadn't come to meet me, I would have called my dad over to bring me in," Yin Zhao-an said as she wrapped an arm around Tang Yu's shoulders, using her body to shield Tang Yu from the cold wind.
When they got closer and closer to the house, Tang Yu suddenly stopped walking and anxiously tugged on the edge of Yin Zhao-an's clothes. Then, she said, "I… I'm still a little anxious."
Yin Zhao-an initially thought Tang Yu was scared of something when she saw her suddenly stopping. She didn't think her lover would be feeling anxious.
After dotingly pecking Tang Yu on the lips, Yin Zhao-an said, "Don't worry. I've already informed Auntie beforehand. Auntie has a good impression of me, so she shouldn't give us too much trouble. When we go in, just hide behind me."
"No." Shaking her head, Tang Yu said, "I won't hide. We will face it together. Whether it is a scolding or a beating, I won't let you bear it alone."
After saying so, Tang Yu took a deep breath before stating, "Let's go!" Then, she strode toward her house with her legs still trembling under her jacket.
Yin Zhao-an watched Tang Yu's back, her eyes filled with infinite tenderness. After letting out a soft chuckle, she quickly caught up with Tang Yu and held her chilly hand, transmitting her warmth from her body to Tang Yu.
Yu Wanrou watched the entire interaction between the two girls from her room's balcony, her eyebrows lifting slightly as she considered what kind of act she should put on in front of the two children later on.
Tang Zhengyang was the one to open the door for Tang Yu and Yin Zhao-an. He had already guessed what was going on when he saw Tang Yu rushing out of the house without even changing out of her house slippers, but when he saw her coming back with Yin Zhao-an, he still couldn't help but put on an ugly expression.
"Uncle Tang," Yin Zhao-an greeted Tang Zhengyang with a polite smile.
Tang Zhengyang very much wanted to coldly snort and turn away like the malicious mothers-in-law depicted in TV dramas, but he couldn't. So, he squeezed out a friendly smile and said, "An-An, you're here. Come on in. It's windy outside."
While saying so, Tang Zhengyang unintentionally glanced at the two girls' intertwined hands, the corners of his mouth twitching a little. Then, he silently turned around and nestled back on the sofa to watch a melodramatic TV show.