Give Me Another Smile

The manager had to deal with a table of unruly customers last night, so she was kept busy all the way until early morning before finally getting to sleep. However, shortly after falling asleep, she was rudely awakened by banging sounds from the door.

"Who is it?!" The manager scratched her messy hair and opened the door in a bad mood. However, when she saw who it was at the door, she had no choice but to suck up her frustration.

…

Li Beiyu kept replaying the surveillance footage of last night, but no matter how many times she replayed it, she couldn't see anyone entering or leaving the room she was assaulted in.

Feeling aggrieved and frustrated, Li Beiyu started to shed tears as she muttered to herself in a low voice, "Impossible… How can someone disappear into thin air... Impossible..."

The manager didn't know why Li Beiyu was so chaotic this morning. Even though she already explained multiple times that nobody lived in that room, Li Beiyu still refused to believe her.

"Second Young Miss, I'll tell you the truth, but try not to be too frightened," the manager said. Although she still didn't believe that anyone other than Li Beiyu had entered that room, she still needed to come up with an explanation. So, she decided to share a rumor surrounding that particular room.

Li Beiyu turned around slowly, tears in her eyes as she looked at the manager helplessly.

"That room…is haunted."

…

The manager led Li Beiyu to the room Li Beiyu had stayed in last night, took out a marked key, and opened the door.

Upon seeing the scene inside, Li Beiyu immediately took two steps back in shock, the fear in her heart instantly overwhelming her anger.

The neat and tidy bedroom she had slept in last night had transformed into a storage room!

…

The sound of birds chirping filled the military courtyard in the morning, and accompanying it was the sound of children merrymaking.

After having a good night's rest, Yin Zhao-an stretched lazily and groggily. Then, she reached out to the side, only to find nothing there.

Immediately, she sat up from the bed. Her hair had become tousled from the night's sleep, but she didn't mind. Quickly, she got out of bed and went straight to the bathroom to freshen up.

When Yin Zhao-an arrived downstairs, Tang Yu had already finished preparing their breakfast congee and was reaching behind to take off her apron. When she saw Yin Zhao-an coming down, she smiled faintly and said, "Morning."

"Morning."

Yin Zhao-an had hoped to show Tang Yu her best during her stay here, but...

Scratching her head, Yin Zhao-an pulled out a chair and sat at the dining table. Two bowls of red bean and pearl barley congee were already served on the table, wisps of delicate white steam rising from the white porcelain bowls.

Tang Yu came out of the kitchen after washing her hands, grabbed a tissue from the table to wipe off the residual water on her hands, and calmly sat down at the table.

"My father will be back tomorrow," Tang Yu said as she scooped a spoonful of congee. Then, she blew on it lightly before putting it in her mouth.

Yin Zhao-an vaguely understood the point Tang Yu was trying to convey. Basically, they should keep their intimacy in check while Uncle Tang was home, even if they weren't particularly intimate normally.

"Then, I'll get up earlier tomorrow and try to leave a good impression on your father," Yin Zhao-an said as she sat upright, her eyes sparkling with delight and overflowing with joy.

Yin Zhao-an's gesture inexplicably moved Tang Yu. Lowering her head, Tang Yu took a sip of the sweet congee to cover up the smile she failed to suppress, the warm congee warming her whole body as it flowed down her gullet and into her stomach.

After breakfast, Yin Zhao-an rushed to wash the dishes and urged Tang Yu to rest in the living room. It was to show her gratitude for Tang Yu preparing breakfast for her.

Seeing as the weather outside was nice today, Yin Zhao-an suggested going out for a walk. Now that her family had moved to the city center, she walk around the military courtyard as often. It was also inconvenient for her to visit this place since the distance from her house to the military courtyard was much greater than to Chong High. So, she wanted to cherish every opportunity she had to walk around her childhood home. Not to mention, it also allowed her to create more memorable memories with Tang Yu.

Tang Yu wore a sporty sun-protective shirt and—at Yin Zhao-an behest—a white baseball cap that pressed her hair down neatly against the back of her head. Yin Zhao-an, on the other hand, put on a black duckbill cap after casually tying it up.

The military courtyard came with a rather well-equipped park. Near the park's edge was a large sand dune that, over time, had mixed with the soil, becoming both sandy and earthy. Ultimately, it became recognized by children as a secret base, even though it was not secret at all. None of the adults stopped the children from playing at the dune, either, as it wasn't a hazardous place and was basically right next to the park.

At this time, children could be seen all over the park. The younger children were playing with small shovels and toy cars and digging sand pits, the older children were playing either hide-and-seek or hopscotch, and the girls with demure personalities were jumping rope together.

As for the mischievous children, they had occupied the dune, scrambling to climb to the top as if vying for a fortress. Some were pushed down by the stronger children, rolling in sand and soil, but none fussed about it. Instead, they quickly got up, patted the sand and soil off their butts, and resumed climbing up the dune with cheerful smiles.

Tang Yu narrowed her eyes as she looked at the boy standing at the top, the boy's head held high and chest puffed out. For a moment, it felt as if she was looking at Yin Zhao-an when the latter was a child.

"Hey, isn't that my territory?" When Yin Zhao-an saw the boy at the top, she couldn't help but break into a laugh. Then, she rolled up her sleeves and ran over.

The boy had never seen such a big and tall adult trying to compete with him for his territory. He was so frightened by Yin Zhao-an that he subconsciously shouted a line from a cartoon, "Shield!"

Yin Zhao-an's height of nearly 1.8 meters granted her an imposing presence. It also allowed her to reach the top of the sand dune in only a few steps.

It was unclear whether the dune was unable to bear her weight or she slipped, but Yin Zhao-an ended up stumbling on the sand and falling on her back, her black work pants becoming covered in sand and soil.

Children were easily emboldened, so when they saw Yin Zhao-an embarrassing herself, they laughed mercilessly at her.

Yin Zhao-an normally wouldn't mind making a fool of herself, but with Tang Yu watching behind her, she couldn't help but get the urge to dig a hole to hide in right now.