Chapter 34 Anticipation "Yu Tang, do you really want to kiss me that badly?" The man's expression was wicked...
The following evening, on a park bench, several stray cats nuzzled affectionately against Liang Jiaqi's trouser legs. He squatted down, skillfully unpacked a can of cat food, and said in a voice so soft it was as if he were talking to himself, "My mother used to feed them like this too. She said every life deserves to be treated gently."
Yu Tang was about to suggest that he go home for the weekend when she saw a bitter smile appear on his lips: "It's a pity I'll never see her again. She left when I was five years old."
"Are you... alright?" Yu Tang wasn't good at comforting people.
Liang Jiaqi suddenly gave her an apologetic smile, "Isn't it too heavy to talk about these kinds of topics?"
Yu Tang understood perfectly. She also missed her brother very much sometimes. "Actually, I can understand how you feel. My brother is sick and hospitalized. He is still in a coma. The doctor said that his chances of waking up are slim. I miss him a lot many times too."
Upon hearing that Yu Tang had a brother, Liang Jiaqi was taken aback, but quickly recovered, "Is your brother's illness very serious?"
When Yu Yanting was mentioned, Yu Tang's mood darkened: "It was a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. The doctor said that if I had taken my medication on time that night, the onset of the disease should not have been so sudden."
As dusk deepened, Liang Jiaqi suddenly asked, "Are you going to see your brother later?"
Yu Tang nodded: "Yes, I go to see it every day."
"Then wait for me a moment." About ten minutes later, Liang Jiaqi came over carrying a bouquet of lilies.
“There’s not much I can do, and it’s probably not convenient for an outsider like me to visit. So please bring me a bouquet of flowers. I hope your brother recovers soon.” Liang Jiaqi handed her the bouquet gently.
She was tactful, polite, and thoughtful. Yu Tang couldn't think of a reason to refuse. She accepted the flowers and said, "Thank you. I will pass on your blessings to my brother."
Liang Jiaqi looked at Yu Tang's profile: "So you wanted to apply for medical school in college because of your brother?"
"Yes, I want to do as much as I can to help my brother." Yu Tang gently stroked the lilies in her arms, the petals brushing against her fingertips. She also looked at Liang Jiaqi, "What about you? What do you want to do in the future?"
“Me?” Liang Jiaqi looked up at the sky, his eyes suddenly becoming firm, “I’ll be a policeman, to protect the weak and punish evil!”
The streetlights suddenly came on, illuminating the light in Liang Jiaqi's eyes. Yu Tang unconsciously looked at him for a moment: "You definitely will." Her voice was soft but firm, "You'll be a very good policeman."
Liang Jiaqi smiled, a gentle curve forming at the corners of his eyes: "I hope I can live up to your expectations."
The night wind swirled up fallen leaves, and the fragrance of lilies lingered between the two. Ah Jin stood in the shadows, watching their shadows lengthen under the streetlights.
Behind the bench was a small flower bed. A coin was reflecting light under the lamp, catching Yu Tang's eye. Yu Tang turned to look at it.
Liang Jiaqi also looked over. The coin had been lying there for who knows how long, and it was covered with a layer of cobwebs.
"I don't know who lost it by accident."
Yu Tang looked at the spider silk under the stone and said, "Maybe this is the spider's lodging fee."
"She's quite cute." Liang Jiaqi's gaze unconsciously fell on Yu Tang's fair profile.
"Spiders?" Yu Tang was still quite afraid of animals with many legs or no legs, but there were indeed people who kept them as pets, and she guessed that Liang Jiaqi liked these animals.
Liang Jiaqi was not far from her, but not close either; he was just close enough to smell the faint fragrance emanating from Yu Tang.
He denied it softly: "No."
"Hmm?" Yu Tang didn't take his words to heart, only feeling that Liang Jiaqi's words were nonsensical.
Liang Jiaqi and Yu Tang sat on the same chair, and the distance between them had started to shrink. They used to sit at opposite ends of the chair, but now there was only enough room for a cat to jump up and beg for a cat treat.
And, in the car behind, Ah Jin's gaze fell between the two of them.
At 7:30 p.m., after feeding the last stray cat, Yu Tang picked up Baihe and said goodbye.
Liang Jiaqi suddenly called out to her, "Wait a minute—"
Yu Tang turned around in confusion, only to see the boy deftly take off his shirt jacket and walk a few steps towards her. He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly reached out and tied the jacket around her waist, his movements so quick it was as if he was afraid she would refuse. The fabric rustled softly against her school uniform skirt.
His fingers remained at a distance the entire time, never touching her.
“Your car is on the other side,” he said, taking a half step back, his cheeks flushed under the streetlights. “There are a lot of people taking walks around here, so it’s better to cordon it off.”
A sudden, sharp pain in her lower abdomen made Yu Tang realize what was happening. She looked down at the knotted sleeve at her waist; her period was a few days late, and she hadn't been prepared at all. Her cheeks burned, and she whispered her thanks, "...Thank you."
Ah Jin was completely clueless. He glanced at the bloodstains on Yu Tang's skirt and immediately tensed up, thinking she was injured. He quickly came over and said, "Are you going to the hospital? I'll tell Brother Tiao."
But Ah Jin was puzzled. He had been watching her the whole time, and Yu Tang had no chance to get hurt, so why was she bleeding?
Liang Jiaqi handed Yu Tang the hot milk and sanitary products he had just bought from the convenience store. Hearing A Jin's words, he casually asked, "Is Tiao Ge the brother you were talking about?"
Before Yu Tang could answer, A Jin glanced warily at Liang Jiaqi and stood between the two like a wolfhound: "What's it to you?"
Yu Tang wished she could disappear on the spot. Holding the hot milk in her hand, she said to the silly A Jin with embarrassment, "Don't tell Chen Diao about this. Just drive the car closer!"
After Ah Jin turned to get into the car, Yu Tang turned to Liang Jiaqi. The streetlights softened his silhouette, and she said to Liang Jiaqi, "Thank you for buying the hot milk. I'll return the clothes to you."
Yu Tang had just taken half a step when a warm, sticky sensation suddenly surged in her lower abdomen, spreading down her inner thighs. She froze on the spot, her cheeks burning—this was arguably the most humiliating moment of her life.
"You... turn around!" Her voice trembled, her fingers gripping the hem of Liang Jiaqi's coat tightly. She shouldn't have worn a skirt today!
“I won’t look,” Liang Jiaqi reassured her, not wanting to embarrass her. “I’ll carry you to the car. It’s nothing, just a normal physiological phenomenon.”
A gentle voice sounded in her ear, at a very polite distance, so that Yu Tang didn't feel uncomfortable, only a slight tingling and itching at the tip of her ear.
"It's really okay." He said softly as he walked, his warm breath brushing against the top of her head. "Aren't we friends? Shouldn't friends help each other? Besides, it was because of me that I took up your time. Otherwise, none of this would have happened."
Before she could respond, she was suddenly suspended in mid-air. Liang Jiaqi's arms, through her clothes, steadily supported her knees and back, his breathing controlled at just the right distance. Yu Tang could smell the faint scent of laundry detergent on his school uniform, mixed with the fresh fragrance of grass and trees in the park, which was surprisingly reassuring.
Yu Tang was somewhat surprised; Liang Jiaqi's physique seemed stronger than he appeared.
The moment he picked her up, Liang Jiaqi's pupils dilated slightly. He hadn't expected the girl to be so light, so fragrant and soft in his arms. He placed her in the car, gentlemanly focusing his gaze only on Yu Tang's shoulders and above, "Let's warm your stomach with some hot milk first."
"Okay, thank you." Yu Tang's blush hadn't faded.
Liang Jiaqi gazed at her tenderly. "No need to thank me. Get some rest tonight. Goodnight."
Behind him, Ah Jin looked solemn. Just as he didn't understand the red bloodstains on Yu Tang's dress, he also didn't understand what the blush on Yu Tang's cheeks when she looked at Liang Jiaqi meant.
A-Jin would report everything about Yu Tang to Chen Diao in great detail. Chen Diao vaguely sensed a hint of girlish shyness in Yu Tang's smile.
That smile doesn't look right.
The tender thoughts of a young girl are just beginning to sprout.
Chen Diao pondered. Although Yu Tang was still young, she was already exceptionally beautiful, the most eye-catching among all the female students. It was hard to guarantee that the boss wouldn't fall for her. Besides, Yu Tang's background... In short, rather than Yu Tang being with the boss, it would be better to let Yu Tang be with someone else as soon as possible.
He silently kept these things to himself and didn't tell Yu Chaoxian. It's perfectly normal for a young girl to want to fall in love.
However, Chen Diao still needed to investigate Liang Jiaqi's background. Even if he wanted to be the boss's uncle, his family background had to be clean.
Yes, Chen Diao felt that his idea was correct.
When Yu Tang got home, she was carrying a bag from the convenience store. She casually tossed it onto the table, and a bag of ginger brown sugar spilled out.
Hot milk, brown sugar tea.
Unexpectedly, Liang Jiaqi was quite thoughtful. Yu Tang picked up the fallen brown sugar tea, her fair fingers rubbing the packaging bag, as if Liang Jiaqi's warm body temperature still lingered on her body.
Yu Tang still opened the package and made a cup.
Brown sugar ginger tea is warming; one sip and you feel all warm inside.
On the hospital bed, Yu Yanting's gray hair was scattered on the snow-white pillow, and the breathing mask fogged up with his weak breathing, as if he had just fallen into a long sleep. Yu Tang put lilies into a vase, sprinkled some water on the stems and leaves, trying to make the bouquet wither as slowly as possible.
A gentle breeze rustled the lilies, and Yu Tang smiled faintly as she lightly touched a leaf with her fingertips.
Besides Mofei, it seems she has a second friend.
After returning home from the hospital, Yu Tang took a shower and then sat down at her desk to do her homework, while the lights of thousands of homes outside lit up one by one.
The attending physician said that the chances of Yu Yanting waking up were extremely slim, and Yu Tang's expression darkened further upon thinking of this.
Yu Tang slammed the workbook shut, pulled out another set of test papers, and focused all her attention on the questions, as if she wanted to stuff all her unfulfilled expectations, fears, and longings into these densely packed formulas.
After finishing two more test papers, Yu Tang's little phone watch lit up. At this hour, the only person who would send her a message was probably Yu Chaoxian.
Upon clicking, it turned out not to be Yu Chaoxian.
Liang Jiaqi's message quietly appeared on the watch face: [Are you asleep?]
The sending time was half an hour ago. Yu Tang frowned. The signal on this watch had been consistently poor lately; not only were messages delayed, but even phone calls were intermittent.
Yu Tang was definitely not asleep. Even for her, with the college entrance exam approaching, she needed to make the most of her time to study: 【Not yet, I'm reviewing. Is there something you need?】
The chat window immediately displayed "typing," and Liang Jiaqi replied as quickly as if he were standing right next to the phone: "[I'd like to treat you to cake. Is now a good time?]"
Attached was a photo of a cake with a picture of a cat and a dog on it.
Yu Tang's gaze unconsciously drifted to the sofa, where Liang Jiaqi's light blue shirt was still neatly folded.
Yu Tang was hesitating when she told Mo Fei about it. To her surprise, Mo Fei excitedly told her on the phone, "That Liang Jiaqi definitely wants to pursue you! Are you going to fall in love, Tangtang!"
Love? Yu Tang's cheeks began to flush slightly again.
It was just past eight o'clock, not too late, but it was already past the curfew that Yu Chaoxian had set for her.
But if five- or six-year-old children can play in the park until after nine o'clock before going home, then she, a high school student, should go home later than a child.
Never mind, she's determined to go out anyway.
At least give his clothes back.
A-Jin saw that Yu-Tang had changed her clothes and was about to go out.
When she reached the door, Yu Tang tidied her hair in front of the mirror again. She met A Jin's gaze in the mirror and gave him a faint smile.
A-Jin couldn't ask too many questions, but he sent the information about Yu-Tang going out to Chen-Diao and then drove Yu-Tang to the park.
As night deepened, Yu Chaoxian's plane landed, and Chen Diao drove to pick him up, with Mickey in the passenger seat.
The man in the back seat glanced at the time; it was already 9:30 p.m., a time when his high school student should be washing up and getting ready for bed.
As usual, Chen Diao first reported on the situation of Li Xiang's company. "I have dismissed all of Li Xiang's former subordinates. I don't feel at ease using people who are not my own. He also has a batch of goods that have been detained by customs at the dock. I guess it was because the customs officials did not satisfy their appetite and held the goods back. I have checked and found that they are sniper rifles and submachine guns, as well as a lot of 5.56 and 9mm bullets. There is a lot of them. We can sell them to criminal groups and private armed forces."
Chen Diao was busy with these things a while ago, using his connections with Apaiwang to get the guns from the container.
Yu Chaoxian had no objection to the arrangements for Chen Diao's handling of the matter, saying, "Leave those submachine guns and bullets to Mozhou."
The criminal gangs in Mexico are different from ordinary criminal organizations; even the Mexico government has to be subservient to them. Because Mexico is deeply mired in the shadows of drugs and violence, and high-ranking government officials collude with these gangs, Mexico has become a haven for smugglers, earning it the nickname "golden smuggling route."
Therefore, Yu Chaoxian still had to give the criminal gangs in Mozhou some face, since there were too many business opportunities to be made in Mozhou.
Yu Chaoxian glanced at Chen Diao in the rearview mirror and said, "The business in Mozhou is still being conducted in Phoenix City, Sangna. You will personally lead the team there."
Phoenix is Mexico's "gun market," where 70 percent of gun deals are made.
Chen Diao nodded: "Okay."
Yu Chaoxian leaned back in the back seat, calculated the time, and continued to make arrangements: "Kirar State will have a batch of grenade orders soon. Since he wants armored vehicles, he will also need more grenades. Mickey will be in charge of Kirar State's orders from now on."
Mickey went to Kiraly with Yu Chaoxian. Taylor was also quite familiar with Mickey, so he felt at ease making the deal.
“Yes,” Mickey replied.
Yu Chaoxian closed his eyes to rest, idly twirling his phone in his hand: "What time did she go to sleep?"
Who is she? It wasn't explicitly stated, but Chen Diao and Mickey both knew they were asking about Yu Tang.
Upon hearing Yu Tang's name, Chen Diao slammed on the brakes, nearly running a red light.
"I'm sorry, boss." When Chen Diao received the message from A Jin and Yu Tang about their date, Yu Chaoxian was still on the plane. Moreover, Yu Chaoxian changed his flight at the last minute, arriving an hour earlier than scheduled. Yu Tang was still on a date with someone... How was he supposed to tell his boss that Yu Tang wasn't home?
“Boss, Liang Jiaqi suddenly asked Miss Yu out last night. I thought he must be up to something, so I sent people to follow him and find out what he was up to. But it turned out they were just eating cake. Now it seems that Liang Jiaqi is just pursuing Miss Yu. Does he want to become the boss’s uncle?” Chen Diao said the sentence haltingly, and even Mickey next to him broke out in a cold sweat by the end.
Mickey wanted to ask Chen Diao, "Listen to what you're saying! A date? The boss told you to catch fish, not to let Yu Tang be fished away!" Mickey was puzzled. How could Chen Diao, such a smart person, be so confused about the boss and Yu Tang's relationship?
A suffocating silence filled the carriage. In the rearview mirror, Yu Chaoxian slowly opened his eyes: "Where is she?"
The park was quiet at night, with streetlights casting dappled shadows on the stone path. Occasionally, there were joggers and couples strolling along the trails.
Yu Tang saw Liang Jiaqi from afar. He was standing by the bench, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, with neat short hair, his hands in his pockets, as if he was on the phone. When he saw Yu Tang coming, he immediately hung up and went over.
There were also boys waiting nearby. Soon a girl walked by, and the boy excitedly took her hand and started walking.
Yu Tang slowly approached Liang Jiaqi's side. "Have you been waiting long?" There was a small light on the chair Liang Jiaqi was sitting on, the light coming from the candles on the cake.
“Waiting for you is never too long,” Liang Jiaqi said with surprise in his eyes as he walked toward Yu Tang. “Actually, today is my birthday, but I don’t want to spend it alone. I hesitated for a long time but still wanted to ask you out.”
Yu Tang only had his clothes in her hand, and felt a little embarrassed: "Happy birthday, but... I didn't prepare a gift. How about I treat you to dinner?"
Liang Jiaqi noticed the shopping bag of clothes in her hand: "Did you buy a new one and give it back to me?"
"Mm." Yu Tang nodded shyly. After all, she was too embarrassed to return the clothes even after washing them, so she asked her Filipino maid to help her buy a new one.
To her surprise, Liang Jiaqi asked, "Did you buy it yourself?"
Yu Tang was speechless for a moment, but still answered honestly: "I asked the housekeeper at home to help me buy it. I don't have time during class, so I asked her to buy it according to your clothing size."
Liang Jiaqi took the shopping bag, gently stroking the exquisite packaging with his fingertips. He could tell that Yu Tang came from a wealthy family, and refusing would seem tactless, so he accepted it without hesitation, treasuring the sentiment behind it even more.
"This is the first time a girl has given me clothes," he said, a gentle smile curving his eyes. "Thank you, I really like them." He paused, his voice softening slightly, "Then, can I call you Tangtang from now on?"
“Sure.” Yu Tang nodded nonchalantly and sat down on the bench.
The sweet aroma of the cake filled the air between them, and she accidentally got a smear of cream on the corner of her mouth.
Liang Jiaqi's hand paused in mid-air. The streetlight cast his shadow onto Yu Tang. In the five seconds of silence, Yu Tang could hear her own heart pounding, yet inexplicably, she didn't flinch.
Five full seconds, enough time for Yu Tang to push his hand away, but Yu Tang didn't.
Liang Jiaqi's warm fingertips brushed against the corner of her mouth; the roughness of his fingers caused a slight itch on her chin. The touch was familiar; it seemed the men beside her didn't have particularly smooth fingers.
The same applies to Yu Chaoxian.
Liang Jiaqi's movements were just gentler.
Yu Tang didn't mind Liang Jiaqi's touch. Instead, she thought of Mo Fei's "first love" and her heart gradually warmed up. It seemed that when she was with Liang Jiaqi, she rarely thought of the sadness her brother's illness brought her.
Not far away, A-Jin remained as quiet as air, fiddling with her phone as if sending a message.
Suddenly, an old man's cry for help rang out in the darkness: "Robbery—!" A masked robber, clutching a woman's handbag, ran wildly, brandishing a black gun. Passersby scattered, but Liang Jiaqi went against the flow, his figure leaping and bounding among the sycamore trees before closing in on the robber.
Ah Jin stepped forward to protect Yu Tang, ignoring the chase; his mission was to protect Yu Tang's safety. The others were not Yu Tang.
Yu Tang exclaimed to Liang Jiaqi, "Be careful, he has a gun."
The moment the assailant turned and pulled the trigger, Liang Jiaqi leaped into the air. The two rolled seven or eight meters across the lawn. As the assailant raised the dark muzzle of his gun again, Liang Jiaqi's elbow came crashing down with force.
"Bang!" The bullet grazed Liang Jiaqi's hair and shot into the night sky, filling the air with the smell of gunpowder.
Taking advantage of the thief's preoccupation with defense and inability to retaliate, Liang Jiaqi swiftly flipped over the assailant's body, pinned his spine with his knee, twisted his wrist behind his back, and forced the pistol out of the assailant's hand, which Liang Jiaqi then kicked away into the distance.
After Liang Jiaqi subdued the assailant, he said to Yu Tang, "Tangtang, please call the police."
Yu Tang hurriedly nodded, "Okay."
The police responded quickly, and the sound of police sirens filled the park. The thief was arrested, and the bag was returned to the old lady.
"Thank you so much, children!" The old woman held their hands tightly, her voice trembling.
Yu Tang quickly shook her head: "He helped you the whole time, I didn't do anything."
The old man smiled, his wrinkles spreading across his face. He looked the two of them up and down, and then, holding their hands, he praised them, "It's rare to see such a kind-hearted young couple like you these days! The young lady has excellent taste; this young man is both upright and reliable."
Liang Jiaqi suddenly turned his head, his gaze fixed intently on Yu Tang. Under the streetlights, the girl's porcelain-white skin instantly flushed crimson.
He smiled and said to the old lady, "Grandma, she's not my girlfriend yet, but I'll try my best."
"Don't talk nonsense." Yu Tang's heart was pounding and her cheeks were burning. She didn't understand what this fluttering feeling was, and just silently pulled her and Liang Jiaqi's hands away from the old lady's.
The park gradually quieted down again, and Liang Jiaqi and Yu Tang returned to the place where they had eaten cake.
However, the atmosphere was noticeably more romantic than before eating the cake, a romance that Yu Tang couldn't quite grasp. Liang Jiaqi moved closer to Yu Tang and caught a whiff of her faint, pleasant fragrance.
Ah Jin glanced at the time. Chen Diao's instructions to him were to take Yu Tang home at 10 o'clock, and there were still 15 minutes left.
Yu Tang noticed Liang Jiaqi's abrasions on the arm out of the corner of her eye. "Wait a moment, I'll go to the car to get the first-aid kit."
Liang Jiaqi glanced at his arm; it wasn't a serious wound, but he didn't stop it.
Yu Tang quickly retrieved a first-aid kit from the car and carefully applied iodine solution with a cotton swab. Liang Jiaqi lowered his head slightly and could see her slightly trembling eyelashes. The faint fragrance emanating from the girl, mixed with the smell of medicine, wafted over, making him unconsciously slow his breathing.
After disinfecting, a band-aid was applied, the movements were gentle and careful.
This was the first time in Liang Jiaqi's life that he had been so close to a girl.
"Tangtang," he said, his voice gentler than the night breeze, "you are so kind."
The cotton swab paused on the wound. Yu Tang's ears burned, and she almost misplaced the band-aid. "It's just a band-aid, what's wrong with that?"
Come to think of it, the first time she ever treated someone's wound was with Yu Chaoxian. Yu Chaoxian then questioned her, asking if she ever spoke the truth, saying she wasn't gentle at all, let alone praising her. But Yu Chaoxian was injured while saving her, so she couldn't be so heartless. Yu Chaoxian quickly flashed through her mind.
Liang Jiaqi suddenly gently grasped her wrist: "I mean it, you're a very kind and good girl." The warmth of his palm seeped through her skin, pulling Yu Tang's wandering thoughts back.
The night breeze swept through the space between the two, carrying the lingering sweet scent of cake.
In early summer, the leaves of the sycamore trees are not yet at their darkest green; the tender green leaves exude the youthful, restless energy unique to summer.
As Liang Jiaqi drew closer and the distance between them gradually closed, Yu Tang felt somewhat bewildered. She had only a vague understanding of relationships, yearning for them yet feeling unfamiliar with them; this sudden action left her completely unaware of what Liang Jiaqi was trying to do.
As Liang Jiaqi gazed at Yu Tang, he slowly closed his eyes and leaned closer to the girl's smooth forehead...
Yu Tang stared wide-eyed as Liang Jiaqi approached. His clean-cut features, sunny good looks, gentle and refined demeanor, and slight resemblance to her older brother—perhaps this was why she hadn't initially rejected him.
If this is my first love...
Gentle, clean, and sunny—perhaps that's something to look forward to?
A gentle evening breeze rustled the green leaves of the sycamore trees, while the sycamore leaves, still green, fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
"Yu Tang, do you really want to kiss me that badly?"
A man's sinister yet familiar voice came from behind, and Yu Tang's half-closed eyes opened almost instantly.
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