Give Me Another Smile

Zhao Yu ran away as soon as he passed the item in his hand to Yin Zhao-an, leaving Yin Zhao-an standing in the wind feeling bewildered.

Tang Yu walked over to Yin Zhao-an when she saw the latter was now by herself. However, as she got close, she saw Yin Zhao-an hurriedly stuffing whatever she received from Zhao Yu into her schoolbag before turning to smile at her awkwardly.

"It's been some time since that rascal has left the province. I never knew he had returned already, haha. Honestly, that Zhao Yu…" Yin Zhao-an said as she placed an arm around Tang Yu's shoulders, unskillfully trying to change the subject.

Tang Yu looked up at the person who had placed an arm around her. The other party was very good-looking. She had thin lips, charming eyes, and long eyelashes. She also had a bright personality. Simply put, she was the type of girl many people would like…

Tang Yu saw it. It was a pink envelope.

Alas, what will come, has come.

Tang Yu used to regard Yin Zhao-an as her entire world, so she tried to stop others from getting into Yin Zhao-an's life during her previous life. Now, though, she wouldn't do that anymore. She shouldn't be so selfish. Or, more specifically…she wanted to be a little more selfish and thoroughly withdraw herself from Yin Zhao-an's life.

Even though it was a warm embrace, Tang Yu felt her entire body growing cold, the chill penetrating all the way into her bones.

Tang Yu quickened her footsteps and broke out of Yin Zhao-an's embrace, her long, slender eyelashes kept low to hide the complicated emotions in her eyes. The door that always had a gap in it had started to close, little by little.

Yin Zhao-an felt a little frustrated when she saw the abrupt change in Tang yu's behavior. Recalling the love letter in her schoolbag only served to frustrate her even more. In only a matter of minutes, her good mood was suddenly not so good anymore.

…

At night, after coming out of the shower, Yin Zhao-an sat in front of her desk as she dried her hair with a towel. A pink envelope was sitting on the desk, the envelope yet to be opened. The pink envelope was wrinkled quite badly, a result of her haphazardly stuffing it into her schoolbag this morning. Sitting under her desk lamp, the envelope was quite a pitiful sight...

When Yin Zhao-an finished drying her shoulder-length hair, she frowned and wondered for a moment if she should go and get a haircut. However, that was a problem for the future. Now…

Yin Zhao-an crudely opened the pink envelope, causing a wrinkled piece of scented paper to fall out.

The letter was written on ivory white lined paper. The handwriting on the paper was neat and precise, looking more like it was written by a delicate girl rather than a rowdy boy.

There were no strange forms of address in the letter. Instead, the letter's author politely asked, "Please allow me to call you An-An."

Yin Zhao-an raised an eyebrow when she saw this request, her face not showing any significant reactions. After all, almost everyone close to her called her "An-An." For example, her parents, her Tang-Tang, some elders, and so on. Of course, it was a different story for her underlings. Her underlings preferred to call her "Big Bro" or "Brother Zhao." It sounded like she was the head of a group of gangsters.

However, when Yin Zhao-an reached the end of the letter, her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and a blush formed on her face.

"Although you usually act boorish, I can feel the tenderness inside you. I wish to take care of you. Can you give me a chance?"

Yin Zhao-an faked a few coughs to hide her embarrassment. Even though she was the only one in the room, the blush on her face refused to disappear.

This kid really knows his way with words. As expected of someone from a family of high achievers.

Yin Zhao-an hesitated for a long while as she held the letter in her hands. Eventually, though, she chose to put it into the small drawer in the lower-right corner of her desk.

I'll keep it in consideration of the effort you've put in, Yin Zhao-an thought to herself.

…

The cicadas were no longer chirping outside the window, and only the clattering of leaves could be heard. This was a sign that the end of the year was nearing.

Tang Yu tossed and turned in her bed, unable to fall asleep. Eventually, she opened her eyes and stared at the night light above her bed, dimly illuminating a small part of the room.

Tang Yu was at a loss.

Her only wish in this life was for her parents to be safe and sound. In that case, once she dealt with the turning point two years later, where should she go?

At the very least, she couldn't stay in this city anymore. This city was full of her memories; sweet, bitter, and sour. Once she left, none of them would continue to exist.

Maybe falling in love with someone else would give her a new beginning?

Tang Yu snorted. Then, she lifted her hand out of helplessness, the soft touch of her age constantly reminding her of her current age.

What is a child thinking about all this nonsense?

After mentally berating herself, Tang Yu wrapped herself in the quilt even more tightly before closing her eyes.

…

Tang Yu crawled out of her bed before the sky got bright, the late autumn's chill assaulting her skin and causing her to shiver. Hurriedly, she dug through her cupboard, pulled out a gray windbreaker, and draped it over her body.

Tang Zhengyang resumed going on missions again shortly after he recovered, his every departure giving Tang Yu a wave of anxiety. Even Yu Wanrou had resumed going on business trips. Whenever they left, though, the husband and wife would emphasize to each other the need to pay attention to safety. Of course, they also did the same for Tang Yu.

Today, Tang Yu was all by herself in the big house. After washing up, she checked every corner of the house as usual. This was a habit she developed a long time ago, the gas tank in the kitchen and the electronics in the house being her main priorities. She would carefully check and turn off everything that should be off. She had to ensure nothing went wrong.

By the time Tang Yu was done with her inspection, half an hour had passed by already. After locking the front door to the house, she walked out of the courtyard with some change in her pocket.

Tang Yu got up extra early today. Aside from a few morning walkers, she hardly saw any pedestrians on the road.

However, shortly after leaving home, Tang Yu saw two figures—one tall and one short—jogging in her direction, the sight of these two figures causing her heart to thud. Immediately, she dodged to the side of the road and hid behind a small car.