Chapter 33 What a coincidence! He had to let Yu Tang know that besides him, there was no one else in this world...
Yu Tang's smartwatch suddenly lit up, and when she saw the caller ID, Yu Chaoxian, she quickly took off her watch to answer the call.
"Yu Tang, what's the point of crying?" Yu Chaoxian was too lazy to even talk to her. Her eyes and nose were red in the video. What was there to cry about?
A day and a night had passed. Yu Tang hadn't wanted to cry, but upon hearing Yu Chaoxian's familiar, lazy voice, the grievances she had suppressed suddenly surged up. Looking at Yu Chaoxian's sharp features on the screen, she suddenly longed for a family member like Mo Fei's parents to be by her side.
Her voice choked with emotion as she spoke: "How many more days until you come back?"
Yu Chaoxian originally wanted to teach her a lesson and tell her to mind her own business in the future. Was it really worth rushing over for an outsider? But the first thing she did was cry and ask him when he would come back.
Is she feeling wronged, or is she missing him?
"Soon, we'll be in Virginia soon. Once we've dealt with things here, it'll be quick." Yu Chaoxian changed his tone from the reprimand he was about to say.
“Then I want to see my brother…” Yu Tang’s voice choked with emotion.
He interrupted coldly, "If I hear you cry again, don't go."
Yu Tang pursed her lips to stop her tears.
Yu Chaoxian coaxed, "After you finish watching, go home and wait for me obediently. Don't wander around, understand?"
"Okay, I've got it."
Almost a minute passed, and Yu Tang still hadn't heard anything from the other end. She assumed that Yu Chao had forgotten to hang up and had unilaterally ended the call.
Yu Tang immediately looked at Chen Diao, "Brother Chen Diao, Yu Chaoxian said he would take me to the hospital to see my brother."
Chen Diao hissed, "Grandma, don't call me brother!" The boss would want to kill him if he knew!
Yu Tang calls him brother, and the eldest brother calls her aunt. The generations are all messed up!
With Yu Yanting out of office, Yu Chaoxian is now in charge of the entire Yu family, and there's no dispute about that.
The problem lies in the generational hierarchy.
Yu Tang… ironically, the youngest member of the Yu family is also the most senior. From now on, when the Yu family holds ancestral worship ceremonies and banquets, no one will dare to eat first if Yu Tang doesn't start eating. Besides, even the eldest son has to call her aunt, let alone the younger brothers.
At the same time, just as Yu Chaoxian was about to speak in the car, his phone rang with a busy signal indicating the call had ended. "Fine, very well," he thought, "you dawdle when answering the phone, but hang up faster than anyone else."
Mickey wondered why the air conditioning in the car wasn't that cold, so he was getting goosebumps all over.
Chen Diao took Yu Tang to the hospital, then went to buy mango sticky rice and some other food. The eldest brother said these were all Yu Tang's favorite foods.
After returning from the hospital, Yu Tang sent several more messages to Mo Fei. Mo Fei was probably asleep, and she only replied the next day, telling her not to worry and expressing her gratitude to her and Chen Diao.
However, because of this incident, Mo Fei took leave from school and did not go to school, and the two girls have been expelled from school.
Yu Tang has been feeling rather lonely these past few days. Without Mo Fei, she's even lost the motivation to go home after school. She has an elective medical class tonight, so she didn't leave early and chose to stay and listen to the lecture.
I thought the teacher would talk about high blood pressure, cerebral hemorrhage, or even the care of comatose patients, but the teacher first showed a video of a gunfight before introducing the topic, "What to do if you encounter a wounded person who has been shot."
In fact, elective courses don't have many students to begin with, so teachers can only attract students by showing movie clips.
Sure enough, everyone came to class just to watch the movie; it was better than the boring evening self-study sessions.
Gunshot wound...
Yu Tang recalled the scene of Yu Chaoxian holding her and dodging bullets.
"...Elevate the injured limb, control the bleeding, and apply firm pressure directly to the wound with clean gauze, clothing, or your palm. Also, be careful to keep the injured person stable, and cover them with a blanket or clothing to prevent hypothermia. Do not remove the bullet or any foreign objects from the wound, as this will cause further bleeding..."
Yu Tang began to listen attentively in class and take notes.
The teacher then talked about "cardiac injections," which Yu Tang didn't quite understand, so she raised her hand to ask the teacher.
Seeing that a student had taken the initiative to ask a question, the teacher was pleased and immediately explained to her carefully: "Cardiac injection is an emergency medical procedure that directly injects drugs into the ventricle. Taking an adult as an example, the needle is inserted vertically from the 4th or 5th intercostal space on the left side, 1-2 cm from the left edge of the sternum. After seeing blood return, it is confirmed that the drug has entered the ventricular cavity, and then the drug is quickly injected."
Yu Tang seemed to understand, but not much. The teacher said gently, "This is too difficult for you to understand right now. Just treat it as an interest to learn about it. If you choose to study medicine in college, you will be able to learn more professional knowledge."
These terms were indeed too unfamiliar and complicated for her.
After the elective course ended, Yu Tang walked out of the school gate in a sullen mood. Chen Diao hadn't been with her these past few days; it seemed he had some business to attend to at the company. Instead, a boy who looked to be about her age was with her.
Chen Diao said his name was A-Jin. Chen Diao originally wanted Ivan to come along, but Chen Diao remembered his boss's instructions that in addition to being good at fighting, he also needed to be meticulous, so Chen Diao chose A-Jin.
A-Jin nodded silently to her, following half a step behind her like a quiet shadow. Yu Tang smiled at him and offered him the milk tea she had bought at the school gate. A-Jin accepted it without hesitation, but didn't drink it.
The road from the school to the hospital wasn't far, so Yu Tang didn't take a car. She stopped in front of her usual flower shop and picked up the carnations she had ordered.
Flowers are just flowers; they don't have any magical power to heal people. It's just that people have imposed some beautiful wishes on flowers.
Even so, Yu Tang hoped that receiving the carnations would help her brother recover quickly.
Turning the last street corner, the gray-white building of the hospital came into view. Yu Tang unconsciously hugged the bouquet tighter; the fragrance of carnations mixed with the smell of disinfectant wafted in the early summer breeze.
It was on this day that Yu Tang met Liang Jiaqi.
On her way to the hospital, Yu Tang found a white stray cat that had been hit by a car on the street. The cat's hind legs were covered in blood, and its nose was torn and bleeding. The bloody wound on its face was probably from being scratched by another cat; white-furred cats are often ostracized.
Yu Tang, holding the cat, quickly asked A Jin to drive her to the vet.
The veterinarian examined the white cat and performed a leg suture surgery.
Yu Tang waited anxiously. A Jin was beside her, silent as air, showing no reaction to the cat whose body was half covered in blood.
A bell rang on the door, and a tall, slender boy with short, flaxen hair pushed it open and entered. He wore a light blue shirt, a white short-sleeved shirt, and gold-rimmed glasses. He was handsome and energetic, looking even more like the male lead in the campus idol dramas she watched than Yu Chaoxian.
Yu Chaoxian's eyes were terrifying, unlike the male lead; he looked more like a sinister villain in a drama. Every time she glanced at him, he would notice. Even in the rearview mirror, he could sharply capture her gaze. Therefore, Yu Tang preferred him when he was asleep to when he was awake.
The boy was holding a small yellow dog in his arms and asked the veterinarian anxiously, "Its leg suddenly became lame. It was fine just a few days ago."
Another nurse rushed over to check, first having the young man fill out a pet information form. The nurse looked at the young man and confirmed the information: "Mr. Liang Jiaqi, when did you notice that its leg was lame?"
Liang Jiaqi thought for a moment and said, "I found it this afternoon when I went to the park to feed it. It's a stray dog in the park. I often feed it. It was fine before, but today its leg became like this."
The nurse gave the dog a thorough examination and finally told the anxiously waiting Liang Jiaqi, "Mr. Liang, we have examined the dog, and it is healthy and there is no problem."
"Then why does it always lift one leg and hop around?" Liang Jiaqi asked, puzzled.
Even Yu Tang looked over curiously, and the nurses passing by also looked over, except for A Jin, whose gaze was fixed on Yu Tang.
Just then, the doorbell rang again. An auntie with a cast on her leg and using crutches came to buy pet medicine. Because of the crutches, she walked with a limp. At that moment, the "lame dog" in Liang Jiaqi's arms stood up and also hopped along with her, limping...
In an instant, everyone seemed to understand that the puppy was imitating human walking.
Liang Jiaqi suddenly realized that the park security guard had burned his leg a few days ago and was walking with a limp.
This dog is very mischievous; it's limping as if it's imitating a human's walk.
Liang Jiaqi punched the dog on the head and apologized to the aunt with the cane.
Even from a distance, Yu Tang could feel the awkwardness.
Liang Jiaqi scratched his head. To ease the tension where everyone's attention was focused on him, he looked at the cat undergoing suture surgery and struck up a conversation with Yu Tang, who was standing to the side, changing the subject: "Is it alright? Its leg looks pretty badly injured."
Seeing that he meant no harm, Yu Tang politely replied, "The doctor said that after stitching and resting for a while, I can recover to the same state as before."
Just then, the vet who had finished operating on the white cat came over and suggested that Yu Tang let the cat stay at the shop for easier observation. Yu Tang didn't know how to keep pets, so keeping it at the vet was the most suitable option; she could release it back into the wild once it had recovered.
So Yu Tang quickly agreed: "Okay, I'll come see it again tomorrow."
Ah-Jin paid the bill from behind, blocking Liang Jiaqi's path as he continued to follow.
Since rescuing a cat and leaving it at the pet hospital, Yu Tang has gained another layer of concern. In addition to caring about her brother and Mo Fei, she now has a white cat to worry about every day.
Recently, she rushes to the vet as soon as get out of class is over to check on her cat's recovery.
After school today, a light drizzle fell from the sky. Yu Tang, who had just returned from the hospital, suddenly felt like taking a walk alone. She wasn't so sentimental before, and she used to cause trouble all the time, getting her parents called in by the teachers. Now, even if she caused a huge disturbance at school, the teachers wouldn't be able to call her parents.
Seeing that Yu Tang wasn't getting into the car, A-Jin gave her an umbrella and slowly drove behind her. Yu Tang could see the streaks of headlights on the road and knew that A-Jin was right next to her.
Yu Tang never imagined she would have any connection with Liang Jiaqi, but fate arranged for them to meet.
The rain in early summer is not as gentle as the rain in spring. The rain showers come suddenly and fall on the umbrella with a pattering sound, like a handful of glass beads being scattered. They come in bursts and then scatter, hitting the waterlogged ground and creating round circles.
The rain curtain slanted in the wind, and Yu Tang, under the umbrella, felt that the whole world had become blurred by the rain. The distant night view and the dark streets merged into one line, and the nearby sounds and lights became unreal. The colorful world became like a black and white movie that had lost focus.
Fortunately, summer rain has a unique characteristic: it comes suddenly and stops just as quickly.
Yu Tang folded her umbrella, shook off the raindrops, and prepared to go to the pet store across the street to check on the white cat's recovery.
Because of the heavy rain earlier, there are not many people on the road yet. Apart from the quiet streetlights, only the 24-hour convenience store sign is flashing, its hazy glow under the water carrying the restlessness unique to summer.
With a crisp "ding-a-ling," the bar door was pushed open by a waiter, and a tall, slender figure brushed past Yu Tang.
The boy, who had just hung up the phone, leaned against a tree, clearly very drunk. His steps were unsteady, and his upper body was slowly leaning forward toward the road.
A car sped by, splashing water. Yu Tang reacted quickly, hooking the man's collar with the handle of her umbrella and pulling him backward.
Rain and encounters are both sudden.
Yu Tang pulled the person over and discovered that the boy was actually Liang Jiaqi, whom she had seen at the pet hospital that day.
What a coincidence.
Thanks to Yu Tang, Liang Jiaqi leaned back, preventing him from falling headfirst into the oncoming car.
Liang Jiaqi sobered up considerably in an instant, and the "thank you" that came out of his mouth was spoken with a distinct Hong Kong accent. Yu Tang's heart stirred slightly, and her years in Hong Kong before the age of seven suddenly came to mind. Those years living in Hong Kong, with her mother and brother by her side, were the happiest time of her childhood, so she felt a deep sense of familiarity with everything in Hong Kong.
"Are you from Hong Kong too?" she instinctively replied in Hong Kong dialect.
Liang Jiaqi's eyes lit up: "What a coincidence! I am Liang Jiaqi." He extended his hand, his smile clean and warm.
Yu Tang smiled faintly, her fingertips tightening slightly on the umbrella handle without grasping the hand, and simply said the name: "Yu Tang".
Liang Jiaqi then realized he had offended her and withdrew his hand.
"I'm sorry, I drank too much with my classmates." Liang Jiaqi awkwardly withdrew his hands, his ears turning red.
When Liang Jiaqi mentioned that he was at Taicheng University, Yu Tang's eyes suddenly lit up. She was surprised that Liang Jiaqi's grades were so excellent. This was one of the top universities in Taicheng. As a result, her gaze towards Liang Jiaqi changed and she became more appreciative.
Liang Jiaqi planned to chat with Yu Tangdu for a while, but before he could take a step over, A Jin arrived first.
Ah Jin's voice was calm but firm: "Miss Yu, it's time to go home."
Yu Tang glanced at her watch; it was indeed the curfew Yu Chao had set for her. Liang Jiaqi noticed that A Jin was always by Yu Tang's side, recognizing him as her bodyguard.
The drizzle started again. Yu Tang left her umbrella with Liang Jiaqi and turned to walk towards the Bentley.
A-Jin opened the car door for her, and shadows fell over her thin shoulders.
Liang Jiaqi gripped the still-warm umbrella handle, watching the black sedan drive away through the puddles. Through the rear window, Yu Tang's profile flashed by in the rain.
The raindrops tapped softly on the umbrella, and he suddenly remembered that he hadn't asked for their contact information yet.
Yu Chaoxian received a phone call from Chen Diao when he landed in the Americas.
“Boss, I’ve checked Liang Jiaqi’s information. He traveled around doing business with his parents when he was young, and stayed in Hong Kong for a while. He’s currently studying at university in Taicheng. There’s nothing unusual about his information. However, the name Liang Jiaqi… I just saw it when I was organizing the personnel list of Li Xiang’s company. Li Xiang’s godson is named Liang Jiaqi, and he’s also in Hong Kong. After Li Xiang died, this Liang Jiaqi also disappeared.” Chen Diao reported to Yu Chaoxian as usual.
"Godson?" Yu Chaoxian sneered. "When a person dies, all sorts of trash come out."
Chen Diao thought for a moment and then added, "Perhaps it's not fake. Miss Yu recognized that he speaks Hong Kong dialect. Does the boss find that suspicious? Should we take him out?"
This high school student at home is so easy to fool; I thought he'd met a friend from my hometown. No wonder I haven't texted him much these past few days—he's been out with someone. It doesn't matter, as long as Yu Tang isn't blind, she won't give that pretty boy a second glance.
Yu Chaoxian sneered. This man had gone to great lengths to get close to Yu Tang, taking a long and roundabout route. "No rush, wait a bit longer. Keep an eye on Yu Tang and don't make any moves yet."
Logically speaking, if Liang Jiaqi wanted to avenge Li Xiang, he could have directly taken action against Yu Tang, but he remained inactive, which only proves that Liang Jiaqi wanted more than just that.
Now that he has time, he can spend some time with her. Besides, he needs to let Yu Tang know that, apart from him, no man who gets close to her is any good.
Before hanging up the phone, Chen Diao remembered something: "By the way, boss, Guan Zhongpeng has been wanting to visit Uncle Yu for a long time, and he has begged me to do it several times."
Yu Chaoxian still admired Guan Zhongpeng, which is why he spared his life. Guan Zhongpeng was stubbornly loyal, but his loyalty was to Yu Yanting. After all, Guan Zhongpeng had risked his life for the Yu family for half his life, and Yu Chaoxian wasn't entirely without sentimentality.
He thought for a moment and said, "Avoid Yu Tang, and you can arrange the rest yourself."
When Yu Tang got home, she called Mo Fei. Hearing her friend's voice, she regained her usual energy, and her anxiety eased slightly. Mo Fei told her that the junior student named Han Chu had come to her house to apologize and even insisted on arranging bodyguards to protect her. "That's ridiculous," Yu Tang said. "Actually, it's not his fault. He didn't know anything about it. It was the girl who found the love letter he secretly wrote. That's how she found out Han Chu liked me. Now he's come here to apologize, and I don't know how to deal with it."
Yu Tang held her watch as Mo Fei rambled on about what had happened. It turned out that the blonde girl was taking her anger out on Mo Fei because she hadn't been able to win Han Chu's heart, and Han Chu had a crush on Mo Fei.
I heard Mo Fei keep mentioning Han Chu's name.
Yu Tang recalled a saying: if you frequently mention someone's name, it's either because you like them or you dislike them.
Many high school students are in relationships. Although the dean of students emphasizes the prohibition of early relationships every day during morning assemblies, how can they stop the hormones of adolescence from running rampant? There are notes secretly passed under the cover of textbooks, bottled water deliberately handed out after PE class, and "chance encounters" intentionally created on the way home from school.
Speaking of chance encounters...
Mo Fei was still talking on the phone, but Yu Tang's thoughts had already drifted away. She looked at the rain outside the window and seemed to see Liang Jiaqi standing under the street lamp in a simple white T-shirt, his face gentle and cheerful... As soon as this thought popped into her head, she was startled and quickly shook her head to shake off these messy thoughts.
On a weekend afternoon, sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains onto the bedroom carpet. Mo Fei sat cross-legged beside her; the two had just finished watching the finale of their TV drama—the screen was frozen on the scene of the male and female leads embracing, with cherry blossoms falling in the background. The scene was frozen on the male and female leads embracing.
Mo Fei rested her chin on her hand, her eyes sparkling, and said dreamily, "A first love should definitely be warm and sunny, clean and handsome, preferably smart, and even more perfect if he's gentle too!"
Mo Fei's idealized love is something Yu Tang also yearns for, just like the kind depicted in idol dramas.
Yu Tang nodded in agreement, then turned to see the white-eyed shark plush toy on her bedside table.
Yu Tang, what's with staring at me like that? Don't you want your eyes anymore?
For some inexplicable reason, Yu Tang's mind was reminded of someone raising an eyebrow and threatening her, as if they wanted to devour her alive! Not gentle at all. She quickly shook her head, banishing Yu Chaoxian's image.
Speaking of gentle sunshine... For some reason, Yu Tang thought of that boy named Liang Jiaqi again.
Since that rainy night encounter, Yu Tang has been running into Liang Jiaqi at the pet hospital more and more often. The boy always wears a clean, light blue shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his well-defined forearms. He'll be at the other end of the corridor, holding a can of cat food, and giving her a bright smile: "What a coincidence?"
Yu Tang nodded slightly, a smile unconsciously playing on her lips, and accepted the photo of the stray cat the other person handed her. A-Jin stood three steps away, unaware of any danger; the distance between Yu Tang and Liang Jiaqi was also within a safe range. If Liang Jiaqi were to cross the line, he would step in front of Yu Tang.
But if Yu Tang went first, he would just silently follow to ensure her safety. Even so, A Jin had an inexplicable strange feeling, always feeling that such a distance and barrier was not safe.
A safe distance can be measured, and a warning line can be drawn. Ah Jin could stop Liang Jiaqi from suddenly approaching, but she couldn't stop the glimmer of light in Yu Tang's eyes when she looked at him. Just like now, when her fingertips briefly touched Liang Jiaqi's as she took the photo, and the blush that rose behind her ear.
The body can be confined, but the heart is free; no one can imprison it. Even a boss more powerful than Brother Diao cannot confine the human heart.
Liang Jiaqi is very kind-hearted; this time, she brought a newborn orange kitten to the hospital.
Liang Jiaqi looked worried and said to the doctor, "This kitten seems uncomfortable. It keeps meowing. It fell into the water before, and I don't know if that's why it's meowing."
Yu Tang looked at the little orange cat, which was not even half the size of the white cat she had picked up. It was skin and bones, and it was heartbreaking to see.
After the examination, the doctor frowned, and Liang Jiaqi also frowned. Looking at the doctor's expression, Yu Tang thought that the kitten's condition must be very bad.
The doctor adjusted his glasses and suddenly asked, "Who is often with it?"
Liang Jiaqi looked a little bewildered: "I... of all the kittens in that litter, it was the one that kept meowing, so I took it home to take care of it." He scratched the kitten's chin, "But the more I fed it, the more it meowed."
"Do you often talk to it?" A smile flashed in the doctor's eyes.
Liang Jiaqi did not deny it: "Yes."
The doctor's hearty laughter immediately filled the examination room: "There's nothing seriously wrong. It just loves to chat, just like its owner. It's a talkative cat."
Now it was Liang Jiaqi's turn to be at a loss. Just then, the little orange cat meowed twice, its tail tip wrapping around Liang Jiaqi's arm, confirming the doctor's diagnosis.
Liang Jiaqi originally thought Yu Tang would laugh at him along with the doctor, but when he turned around, he met a pair of exceptionally serious eyes.
Yu Tang simply looked at him, finding it not funny at all, but rather remarkably understanding. Often, Yu Tang was home alone, and when she felt lonely, she would talk to her dolls. To outsiders, it seemed like she was talking to herself, but it was actually the only place she could confide in.
She told him, "It's okay."
The glass window of the clinic reflected their images. Liang Jiaqi looked at her expectantly, "Can I ask you to hang out sometime? Would that be too much of a bother?"
"No," she answered firmly. She had always wished someone could say that to her with such certainty, that they wouldn't find her annoying, that she could tell her anything, that she could come to them when she was lonely, and that they would always be there for her. Thankfully, she now had Mo Fei, so she understood the weight of loneliness even more and hoped to help others as well.
"But I'll have to wait until after my college entrance exam. I won't have much time to come out before then," she added.
The two naturally exchanged contact information. Liang Jiaqi looked at her Taicheng High School uniform and said, "Are you in high school? You can ask me if you have any questions."
Yu Tang thought to herself that she no longer needed to ask Yu Chaoxian so cautiously, afraid that she might annoy him again. She said happily, "That's great! I am a senior in high school and there are indeed many questions that I don't understand. Thank you in advance."
One person took out their phone, and the other took out their smartwatch.
Yu Tang's pink phone watch was quite rare. Liang Jiaqi asked her, "Is this the latest model of phone watch? Can I borrow it to take a look at you? It's so small and cute."
“Of course.” Yu Tang took off her watch and handed it to him.
"Thank you." Liang Jiaqi didn't look at it for long before quickly returning the watch to Yu Tang.
Liang Jiaqi and Yu Tang were chatting in the guest lounge when Liang Jiaqi casually asked, "Are your parents very strict with you? I saw you had to go home before eight o'clock last time."
Yu Tang couldn't help but picture Yu Chaoxian's face, but Yu Chaoxian was definitely not her parent, and she was too lazy to explain these things to him, so she could only vaguely reply, "He is a bit strict."
Liang Jiaqi seemed disappointed: "As expected, I was hoping to invite you out for dinner tonight, but it seems it's not convenient."
When A-Jin heard that they were going out for dinner that evening, his gaze immediately swept over. Yu Tang understood that A-Jin was thinking about her safety and didn't want to cause A-Jin any trouble, so she refused: "It's not possible right now, maybe it'll be okay during the summer vacation."
"Alright then, where do you live? I'll take you there." Liang Jiaqi was very enthusiastic.
Yu Tang smiled and pointed at A Jin, "He took me home."
Liang Jiaqi teased, "He's your bodyguard? What kind of family does he come from that has a private bodyguard? Come to think of it, your 'Yu' wouldn't happen to be the 'Yu' of the richest man in the Eastern Hemisphere, would it!"
He then laughed heartily.
As soon as he finished speaking, he met Ah Jin's wary gaze, a cold stare fixed on him.
Liang Jiaqi sensed the unfriendly gaze, and his laughter stopped abruptly: "Sorry, didn't I ask something I shouldn't have?"
"No." Yu Tang didn't think much of it, assuming Liang Jiaqi's words were unintentional and naturally didn't take them to heart, but she didn't say anything more. However, Yu Tang suddenly felt that A Jin had a bit of Yu Chaoxian's vibe, especially the way he looked at people just now, which was sharp and oppressive.
Liang Jiaqi changed the subject at the right moment: "How about we go to the park together to feed the stray cats tomorrow?"
We'll be passing through the park on the way to the hospital, so let's take a walk there. Yu Tang thought for a moment, then nodded gently in agreement.
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