Give Me Another Smile

Tang Yu was briefly stunned. Then, she silently walked up to Yin Zhao-an's side, placed Yin Zhao-an's arm over her shoulders, took over Yin Zhao-an's crutches, and asked, "Is this fine?"

Upon seeing that her plan had succeeded, Yin Zhao-an smiled brilliantly, and her eyes reddened slightly. Then, she leaned her body against Tang Yu and rested her head on Tang Yu's shoulder before saying, "Yes."

As Tang Yu was focused on supporting Yin Zhao-an and ensuring that Yin Zhao-an did not fall, she did not notice Yin Zhao-an's strange expression.

Because of Yin Zhao-an's desires, the journey to the courtyard, which should have normally taken only a couple of minutes, ended up taking nearly twenty minutes instead. After setting Yin Zhao-an down on a bench, Tang Yu sighed in relief. Then, when she looked at the sky and saw that it was somewhat cloudy, she said, "I'll go get a blanket for you from upstairs."

After saying so, Tang Yu placed the crutches next to the bench and ran back upstairs. As soon as she turned around, though, her face reddened a little, the lingering fragrance and warmth on her shoulder gently tugging at her heartstrings.

…

When Tang Yu returned to the courtyard with the blanket, she couldn't help but helplessly sigh when she saw the person on the bench fast asleep. After all, falling asleep outdoors in this cold weather would easily result in a cold.

However, Tang Yu did not try to wake Yin Zhao-an. Instead, she gently covered Yin Zhao-an from shoulders to feet with the thick and large blanket.

While Tang Yu was tucking the blanket under Yin Zhao-an's thighs, she suddenly felt a soft and warm touch on her cheek. The physical contact lasted only for a brief moment. When Tang Yu looked up, she was met with a bright pair of eyes that reflected her appearance.

Smiling, Tang Yu asked, "What are you doing?"

"Returning the favor," Yin Zhao-an responded.

Tang Yu grinned a little at the answer. Then, she sat next to Yin Zhao-an and enjoyed the warm autumn sun together.

"I want to get well quickly," Yin Zhao-an said while leaning back against the bench, her eyes observing the people coming and going from the hospital's entrance. "That way, I can take care of you myself." That way, I won't have to get others to help and let someone else occupy the place next to you.

Tang Yu was a little taken aback. She didn't understand why Yin Zhao-an would become enlightened all of a sudden today. However, she dared not rejoice too early, lest she rejoiced in vain.

"Okay," Tang Yu responded. "But you're going to be my junior once you return to school."

"If that's the case, you're going to have to take care of me, Senior Sister," Yin Zhao-an said, grinning.

"That's right." Tang Yu chuckled and smiled.

Yin Zhao-an fell into a trance for a moment. She found that her Tang-Tang was gradually changing. Her Tang-Tang had become more talkative and fond of laughing. But what could be the cause of these changes…

"Tang-Tang."

"Hm?" Tang Yu turned to look at Yin Zhao-an.

"You look pretty when you smile," Yin Zhao-an stated. When her Tang-Tang smiled, her shallow dimples and small canines would show, and her eyes would look like they held a galaxy of stars.

Tang Yu's expression softened when she heard Yin Zhao-an's comment. Then, she looked in front and blankly stared into space.

She used to love to smile…

…

After the two sat silently for some time, Tang Yu felt a weight falling on her shoulder. When she turned to look at her shoulder, she found Yin Zhao-an resting on it with her eyes closed, the girl's shallow breaths rhythmically hitting her shoulder.

"Tired?" Tang Yu softly asked as she gently pushed Yin Zhao-an on the shoulder. "Let's head back to your ward first. You'll catch a cold if you sleep here."

Yin Zhao-an opened her eyes, revealing a blank look. After uttering a soft response, she wrapped her hands around Tang Yu's neck and coquettishly rubbed her head against Tang Yu's head.

Tang Yu's heart nearly melted at the action. Gently patting Yin Zhao-an's back, Tang Yu said, "I'll help you back."

"Mhm…"

…

Near the end of the year, Yin Zhao-an was discharged from the hospital. However, she had yet to make a full recovery. Her broken ribs had yet to heal fully, so she couldn't do strenuous exercises. Her left leg was also incapable of exerting much strength yet.

Before Yin Zhao-an was discharged from the hospital, Wang Zhen wiped her body with diluted alcohol as a form of disinfection. When Yin Zhao-an looked at herself in the mirror and saw her bangs close to reaching her eyes, a beautiful and cat-like smile formed on her face.

...

The mother and daughter left the hospital in a black sedan. While Yin Zhao-an watched the passing scenery outside the window, a frown gradually formed on her face.

Why hadn't she seen any of these sceneries before? Could it be that earth-shaking changes had occurred outside when she was hospitalized?

The more Yin Zhao-an watched, the more flustered she grew. Eventually, she leaned forward and asked her mother, "Mom, did you take the wrong way?"

Wang Zhen glanced at her daughter through the rearview mirror when she heard the girl's question. Then, realization dawned on her as she quickly explained, "I forgot to tell you, but we moved out of the military compound some time ago. Your father bought a house downtown, so we're heading there now."

"Downtown? Isn't that far away from Chong High?" Yin Zhao-an asked worriedly. Wouldn't that make it troublesome for her Tang-Tang to visit her? Would Tang-Tang even want to visit her in that case?

"It's a bit far, but it doesn't really matter since you'll live on campus once you return to school. When you want to come home, there's a rather convenient bus line that goes from your school straight to our home," Wang Zhen nonchalantly said, unaware of her daughter's real concern. "Also, I need to return to work at the hospital while your father is busy with his company, so we hired a nanny at home to take care of you."

When Yin Zhao-an heard her mother's words, she subconsciously tightened her grip over her somewhat damaged phone, the rising temperature of her sweaty palms causing the screen to fog up.