Give Me Another Smile

Guo Yifan hurriedly grabbed Wu Na's phone and handed it to the other party, afraid that even a moment's delay might result in the call ending before it even started.

A pale and thin hand stretched out from behind the curtain to take the phone. Then, the ringing stopped, and a muted conversation began.

Guo Yifan didn't wish to eavesdrop, so she returned to her seat and put on her earphones.

However, after the room fell silent for a few minutes, Wu Na's angry shouting suddenly sounded in the room: "Wu Changjian! Even if I die, I'll drag you down to hell with me! Just wait, you rotten bastard!"

"Wang Feifei was so frightened by this sudden turn of events that she started biting her fingernails and stared blankly at the bed next to hers.

Tang Yu, who was in the middle of jotting down notes, also trembled and left a scribble on her beige notebook, ruining the perfect page.

Subsequently, Tang Yu, Wang Feifei, and Guo Yifan exchanged a silent look before simultaneously taking out their meal cards and vacating the room.

It was already autumn, and the evening breeze was a bit chilly. The trio shuddered as soon as they stepped out of the dormitory. Though, whether they shuddered because of the cold or out of fear was unknown.

"How did Wu Na become so scary? At this rate, I think I might start following you to the library," Wang Feifei complained as she held onto Guo Yifan's arm.

In reality, the three of them weren't so close that they could talk about anything with each other. Though, they did not interfere with each other in their respective fields, and they got along quite harmoniously as roommates. As for Wu Na, she was always running about off campus, and it was normal for her to stay out all night. So, the three of them knew very little about her, and they did not have deep feelings for her. After having to repeatedly deal with Wu Na's mess, even Guo Yifan started to feel annoyed.

"Should I reserve a seat for you next time, then?" Guo Yifan asked.

Wang Feifei was naturally only joking and didn't have any desire to stay cooped up in the library. So, she awkwardly smiled and shook her head, saying, "On second thought, never mind. I'm not suited for the library's atmosphere, so I'll leave that seat for someone who needs it.'

After saying so, Wang Feifei turned to Tang Yu and continued, "By the way, did you join our school's dubbing club, Tang Yu?"

Tang Yu didn't know why Wang Feifei was suddenly asking this, but she nodded and said, "Yes, I joined the dubbing club a few days ago."

Hearing this, Wang Feifei's eyes lit up as if she had just seen her idol. "Oh my god! I heard that the club has already produced several radio dramas, and they are also quite famous online! If you join it, won't you become famous as well?"

Tang Yu smiled but did not make any comments.

As for Guo Yifan, she nudged Wang Feifei on the forehead and commented, "All of us will be more or less working as hosts in the future, so can't you have some self-respect?"

In response, Wang Feifei hummed and retracted her hands. Then, she switched to holding Tang Yu's arm and proudly claimed, "I don't care. I have no self-respect. I just want to cling to a successful person!"

"How am I even successful?" Tang Yu said, shaking her head and smiling helplessly.

Like so, the trio chatted and joked with each other as they made their way to the cafeteria. However, unbeknownst to them, a certain someone back in their dormitory parted her bed's curtains and coldly stared at the bed across from her, a hint of mockery flashing in her lifeless eyes.

…

Zhao Yu ended up enrolling in his university two months late. Fortunately, he had excellent self-learning capabilities, and he was studying his favorite computer science, so he quickly caught up with his class's progress and passed his semester exam without any problems.

Tang Yu also conquered her semester exam handily and went home for the semester break.

Surprisingly, it was Tang Zhengyang who came to pick Tang Yu up. He arrived wearing a green military jacket and high-top military boots, and he leaned comfortably against an off-road vehicle as he waited for Tang Yu.

Tang Zhengyang was tall, nearly 1.9 meters in height. He also trained his body all year round, so he had a muscular and symmetrical frame that made him look like a model. If one wasn't aware of his profession and age, one might really mistake him for a model.

Many male and female students turned to look at Tang Zhengyang as they passed by, admiring this man who was full of masculinity.

Several girls even took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him, their eyes sparkling and their cheeks blushing to a point where it became apparent even through their makeup.

Tang Yu didn't bring much with her. Her suitcase wasn't even full, so she easily carried it down the stairs and found herself witnessing girls her age trying to flirt with her father.

Tang Yu wore a faux smile as she walked up to her father with her suitcase.

The surrounding girls initially thought the "main wife" had arrived when they saw Tang Yu. However, just as they were about to direct their envy toward her, they were dumbfounded by the following words that came out of Tang Yu's mouth:

"Dad, where's Mom?"

Tang Zhengyang was a dense person, so he had no idea how much offensive power her daughter's words carried. In his usual tone, he responded, "Your mother needs to take care of your younger brother, so it's inconvenient for her to travel. Have you taken everything you need?"

"Mhm." Tang Yu tried to keep herself from smiling as she handed her suitcase to her father. She dared not look at the warped faces of the surrounding girls for fear of bursting into laughter.

Meanwhile, the surrounding girls promptly fled when they saw Tang Zhengyang going to drop off Tang Yu's suitcase in the trunk. They had initially assumed Tang Zhengyang to be someone their age. Never did they think he would have a daughter who was as old as they were.

Tang Zhengyang rarely interacted with younger girls. He didn't understand what was going through their minds, so when he closed the trunk and found that the younger girls, who had tried to strike up a conversation with him, were nowhere to be seen, he subconsciously asked, "Where did those kids disappear to? I thought they had questions to ask me."

Tang Yu chuckled at her father's words. Then, with a hand covering her face, she said, "They had something urgent to do."

Although confused by Tang Yu's reaction, Tang Zhengyang chose not to continue on the topic and simply wrinkled his brows in confusion.

…

While on the highway, Tang Yu, sitting in the passenger seat, asked, "How did you pursue Mom back then, Dad?"

Raising an eyebrow, Tang Zhengyang asked, "What? Did you find someone you like?"

"Who told you that? I'm just asking out of curiosity."

Tang Zhengyang took a moment to look back into the past before answering, "I didn't pursue her. We just got together one day."

Tang Yu scrutinized her father's face but failed to see any signs of joking, his eyes fully focused on the road ahead.

Unsatisfied with her father's answer, Tang Yu continued, "Even if you say that, there must have been a process, right? For example, how did you two meet? How long did it take before you two got together?"

Tang Yu was curious as to how a "hardcore straight man" like her father managed to win the hand of a gentle and beautiful woman like her mother.

"Oh, you mean that?" Tang Zhengyang finally understood what Tang Yu was trying to ask. Then, a grin appeared on his face as he recalled his memories and said, "My team was on a mission to apprehend an arms smuggler at the time. We were at a high-end venue where socialites and high-level people gathered, and there were foreign investors there too."

"And Mom happened to be there as a translator?" Tang Yu asked.

"Yes." Tang Zhengyang turned the steering wheel to navigate a bend before continuing, "The smuggler quickly realized that something was wrong and tried to escape, so we took action. The venue became chaotic, with people screaming and fleeing blindly. Your mother was very calm. She immediately noticed me and ran over to me."

Tang Yu suddenly had the urge to applaud. What was this? This was fate! This was love!

Tang Zhengyang was obviously in a good mood as he continued with a smile, "Do you know what she said to me when she approached me? She said, 'Are you a police officer? Will you protect me? If not, I'll run away.'"

Tang Yu chuckled. She couldn't imagine how her gentle mother could say something so childish.

"So? What did you say?" Tang Yu urged her father to continue.

"I just said, 'I will protect you, but you still have to hide first.' Then, she ran away without looking back."

"And then?" Tang Yu asked, feeling somewhat speechless.

"Later on, I found your mother waiting for me outside the venue. At the time, I was dirty all over, while she was spotless. Even her hair remained smooth…" Tang Zhengyang said. Then, putting on a straight face, he continued, "When she saw me, she came up to me and said, 'I hid, so you can start protecting me now.' Afterward, your mother and I got together."

Clap, clap, clap—

Tang Yu couldn't help but applaud, but not for her father. Instead, she applauded for her mother and her incredible pick-up capability.

At the same time, Tang Yu understood how her father had managed to remain unfazed even when approached by multiple young girls trying to flirt with him. Most likely, it was because he was so much of a hardcore straight man that he wasn't even aware of their intentions!

"By the way." Tang Zhengyang frowned all of a sudden, looking like he had just thought of something unpleasant. "Have you and An-An broken up?"

Tang Yu suddenly choked, and she looked out the window nervously.

However, Tang Zhengyang seemed to have anticipated such a result and simply sighed heavily.

Tang Yu felt as if her heart was seared by a burning hot iron when she heard her father's sigh, but the next words that came out of her father's mouth made her eyes go wide in disbelief.

"An-An revealed everything to your mother."

"W-What?"

Revealing a look of regret, Tang Zhengyang said, "I should have taken leave to stay home if I had known this would happen…"

After a slight pause and another sigh, Tang Zheng Yang continued, "While you were away from home, An-An would come to our house whenever she had time. She would bring toys for your little brother and cook for your mother. By now, Chenchen will smile whenever he sees her. As for your mother, she bonded with An-An over time, and An-An eventually came clean with your mother."

Tang Yu's eyes started to warm up, and she couldn't help but look away and silently curse Yin Zhao-an in her heart. They had promised to face this matter together, yet the fool had taken it all on herself.

"Then…how did you and Mom react?" Tang Yu tried her best to hide her voice from trembling. Her nose had also grown stuffy, and it stimulated her tear ducts to produce more tears."

In response, Tang Zhengyang sighed for a third time before helplessly saying, "What can I do? Your mother already gave her approval, so am I supposed to oppose her?"

Upon hearing these words, Tang Yu turned around in surprise and excitement, her eyes reddened with tears as she asked, "Mommy gave her approval?"

Tang Zhengyang did not give a straight answer. Instead, he kept quiet and returned his focus to the road after responding with a "Go ask your mother yourself."

…

When the car drove into the military courtyard, Tang Yu's heart started to beat faster and faster.

"I'll go park the car. You can go in by yourself," Tang Zhengyang said as he dropped Tang Yu off in front of their house. Then, he stepped on the gas pedal and drove away.

When Tang Yu stood in front of her house, she saw that the courtyard looked mostly the same as how she had left it. Yet, something about it felt different.

After walking up to the front door and taking a few deep breaths, Tang Yu opened the door and stepped into the house as if walking into her own death.