Give Me Another Smile

Upon seeing that she was safe, Tang Yu let go of the breath she had been holding and sincerely said to Yin Zhao-an, "Thank you."

Yin Zhao-an shook her head. Then, her lips suddenly curled up as she leaned forward a little, meeting Tang Yu at eye level as she asked, "You…were waiting for me, right?"

Tang Yu: "..."

Tang Yu admitted that it did look like she was waiting for someone. However, she swore to God that really wasn't her intention.

"Okay, okay, it's time to go home! Summer vacation is finally here!" Yin Zhao-an interrupted Tang Yu to avoid an awkward situation. Then, she wrapped an arm around Tang Yu's shoulders and walked downstairs.

While walking, Yin Zhao-an noticed the angle of her arm was a little lower than she remembered. When she realized the cause, she grinned at Tang Yu and asked, "Tang-Tang, have you not grown any taller these past few—"

Before Yin Zhao-an could finish speaking, she felt a sudden kick to her shin. The strike caused her to crouch down and howl in pain.

Meanwhile, Tang Yu ignored Yin Zhao-an's suffering and walked away in a huff, her mind screaming, Do you think I want to stay this short?! Also, aren't you the abnormal one here?! How did you get so tall?! If you grow any taller, be careful that you can't find a boyfriend!

Speaking of boyfriends, Tang Yu suddenly realized that it had been quite some time since Zhao Yu had last appeared before Yin Zhao-an, and she couldn't help but wonder what the boy had been up to recently.

Yin Zhao-an quickly caught up to Tang Yu with her long legs. Then, she once again began to put on her shameless coquettish act, saying, "Tang-Tang, Tang-Tang, I was wrong. I promise I won't bring it up again.

"Tang-Tang is the tallest. Tang-Tang will definitely grow taller and become taller than me!"

"No, thank you. I still want to find a boyfriend. It'll be hard to do so if I'm that tall," Tang Yu interjected. But as soon as she said so, she saw Yin Zhao-an's face stiffening, and she couldn't help but panic. Even so, she forced herself to look calm on the surface and looked away from Yin Zhao-an.

Meanwhile, Yin Zhao-an took a deep breath to get rid of the empty and aching feeling in her heart. However, those feelings persistently lingered, and following them was...a sense of loss.

Indeed. Her Tang-Tang was going to find a boyfriend eventually. Then, her Tang-Tang was going to get married and have children…

Yin Zhao-an slapped herself on her head to interrupt her line of thought. These were matters that would only happen in the distant future, so what point was there in thinking about them now? And even if her Tang-Tang eventually got herself a boyfriend, she could simply inspect the other party and disqualify him if she found him unworthy of her Tang-Tang.

But…

…

After returning home, Yin Zhao-an pulled over her mother, who was about to leave home for her night shift at the hospital, and asked, "Mom, do you think I'm tall?"

Wang Zhen was initially surprised by her daughter's unexpected question. Then, looking as if she had just swallowed a fly, she gestured to the difference in height between them and emotionlessly said, "You're asking me this question while looking down at me? Shoo, shoo, shoo! Don't think I don't dare to beat you! Your exams are already over, so I won't cater to you anymore!"

After saying so, Wang Zhen glared at her daughter before grabbing her leather bag and opening the front door.

"T-Then… Will I still be able to get a boyfriend?" Yin Zha-an asked in a fluster.

Wang Zhen paused when she heard this question. Then, she looked her daughter up and down before jokingly saying, "With your height? Forget getting a boyfriend. You'll be better off finding a girlfriend."

Wang Zhen had naturally meant for her casual remark to be nothing more than a joke. Unfortunately, in the mind of her daughter with negative EQ, her casual remark had turned into a "friendly suggestion."

If Wang Zhen knew who would become her daughter's future partner, she would definitely get the urge to return to the past and strangle herself.

"G-Girlfriend?" Yin Zhao-an muttered, her heart growing flustered when she said this word. However, when she thought to ask her mother for more details, she found that the woman had long since left.

…

There was no homework during summer vacation, so Yin Zhao-an no longer had to do workbook exercises and mock papers all day and night. This also meant she could sleep in. Unfortunately, after making it a habit to exercise early in the morning for several years, her body would automatically wake up once dawn arrived.

As usual, Yin Zhao-an sparred with her father in the courtyard. Recently, she found that she was having an easier time seeing through her father's moves and countering them. She could even push him to the point where he was out of breath. Though, she didn't know whether that was because she had improved or her father had regressed.

While watching her father sitting on a chair and wiping his sweat with a towel, Yin Zhao-an noticed a few strands of gray hair on her father's temples, the discovery letting her feel the passage of time.

"An-An, it's the holidays, so why aren't you getting more sleep?" Yin Changcheng asked after catching his breath.

Placing a leg on a nearby railing to stretch her muscles, Yin Zhao-an said, "I'm used to it. I can't sleep in even if I want to."

Yin Changcheng nodded approvingly. Then, he ruefully said, "It was the same for me when I initially got discharged. I would wake up in the middle of the night every day, only to realize that I was no longer in the army after seeing everything at home. Now that the company is growing, I have a lot more things to do, and I'm also beginning to slack on my exercises. I can't even keep up with youngsters like you now."

"No way." Chuckling, Yin Zhao-an said, "You're still young, Dad. How can brats like me compare to you?"

"You and that sweet mouth of yours!"

After stretching her back and shaking her limbs to loosen her muscles, Yin Zhao-an asked, "I'm going for a run? You joining?"

Waving his hand, Yin Changcheng revealed a bitter smile and said, "I'll pass. I'm too tired."

"Okay."

...

Even under normal circumstances, there wouldn't be many people out doing morning exercises in the military compound. Now that it was summer vacation, the number of people in the military compound had decreased significantly, many people choosing to go out for travel during this long vacation. As a result, Yin Zhao-an didn't see a single soul throughout her jog around the compound.

Amidst her jog, Yin Zhao-an suddenly switched her jogging route. Then, having thought of something, her mood inexplicably brightened.