Give Me Another Smile

Not long after Tang Yu returned home with her suitcase, she heard the telephone in the living room ringing. Hurriedly, she set aside her suitcase and ran over to answer the phone. Then, as soon as she did so, a soft and apologetic voice came through the receiver:

"Little Yu, Mommy is still abroad right now, and I don't think I can make it back by the end of the year. I also don't know when your father can come home, so pay more attention to your safety during this period. If you are afraid to be alone, you can stay at your Uncle Yin's home. I'll transfer some money into your card afterward."

When Tang Yu listened to her mother's advice on the phone, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Even so, she still obediently complied. At worst, she would have to spend the New Year alone.

After hanging up the phone, Tang Yu brought her suitcase upstairs. The suitcase held mostly clothes, so it wasn't particularly heavy.

Once Tang Yu set aside her belongings, she went to the kitchen fridge to check what was inside. Unfortunately, the refrigerator was empty and devoid of edible ingredients.

I should buy something from the supermarket, Tang Yu thought as she closed the fridge door. Then, she went to grab her wallet from her bedroom and left the house.

Shortly after Tang Yu left, the living room telephone started ringing again. However, as Tang Yu had already walked some distance from her house, she didn't manage to hear it.

...

It was currently the winter holidays. The supermarket no longer broadcast advertisements ceaselessly, opting to broadcast pleasant music in between advertisements instead, the change in rhythm giving the establishment a hint of liveliness.

The area selling discounted products was the most crowded in the supermarket. By the time Tang Yu managed to push her shopping cart through the area, the cart was already filled with plenty of instant foods, such as sugar-free oatmeal, a loaf of milk bread, instant vermicelli, etc. Now, she needed to head to the fresh produce area to buy some vegetables. That was where she would need to put her years of experience handling food ingredients to use.

By the time Tang Yu was done filling her shopping cart, half an hour had already passed. When she went to pay at the cashier, the young lady behind the cashier worked through her purchases with stiff and nervous movements. Seeing that a thin layer of sweat had even formed on the young lady's forehead, Tang Yu guessed that the other party must be a student working part-time during the winter holidays.

Seeing the young cashier frantically searching for the barcode on a bag of vegetables, Tang Yu couldn't help but stretch out her hand to spread out the sticker that had been accidentally folded into a thin sheet. Then, when she saw the young cashier giving her a grateful look, she said, "Don't panic. Take it easy."

After paying, Tang Yu walked out of the supermarket with a big bag of groceries. There was air conditioning and lots of people in the supermarket, so the temperature in the supermarket was a lot warmer than the chilly weather outside. Because of this, Tang Yu couldn't help but shudder when she stepped out of the establishment.

Silently, Tang Yu tightened her collar and pushed it close to her neck to prevent the cold wind from entering. Then, she made her way to the nearby bus stop.

Fortunately, Tang Yu didn't have to wait long before she saw a bus traveling on her desired route arrive.

There were still vacant seats on the bus. Tang Yu didn't wish to sit with a stranger, so she went to the back of the bus and sat there alone. Then, she opened the window next to her slightly, letting some of the cold wind enter through the small gap.

...

Carrying the big bag of groceries made Tang Yu's hands sore. When she finally arrived outside her house, she noticed a black car parked near the gate. She was briefly puzzled, and her vigilance prevented her from opening the gate immediately. Instead, she stopped to look at the car.

Perhaps the car's owner finally noticed her as the driver's door opened, and a young man in a formal suit stepped out of the car and walked toward her with a smile.

"Hello, are you Tang Yu?"

Tang Yu reflexively took a few steps back and looked around, her mind quickly formulating an escape route.

When the man saw her panic, he took out a business card from his pocket and explained with a smile, "Don't be afraid. I am the personal driver of the Lasting Safety Group's chairman."

I don't know any company chairman, Tang Yu inwardly retorted while rolling her eyes at the young man. Resolutely, she turned around and tried to run away, but the young man stopped her before she could do so and said:

"The chairman's name is Yin Changcheng. He is the one who asked me to come and pick you up."

Uncle Yin? Tang Yu blinked her eyes.

At this time, Yin Changcheng's slightly low voice came through the phone in the young man's hand, saying, "Your aunt asked you to come and keep An-An company. Your mother has also agreed. I was the one who sent Little Zhang to pick you up. I tried to call you before, but nobody was home to answer the phone."

"Okay, Uncle Yin. I'll pack my things and head over," Tang Yu said to the phone. Then, once she heard the call getting disconnected, she looked to the young man referred to as "Little Zhang" and said, "I'll go and pack while you wait here."

"I'll help you carry the bag," Little Zhang said as he offered to help with the grocery bag in Tang Yu's hands.

However, Tang Yu swiftly stepped away and coldly said, "Thank you, but that won't be necessary."

Little Zhang awkwardly froze. He never expected a little girl to be so wary of him, and he couldn't help but start to reflect and wonder if his behavior had offended Tang Yu in any way.

...

After entering the house, Tang Yu placed the instant foods she bought into the fridge while leaving the fruits and vegetables in the bag. Then, she went upstairs to pick up her suitcase. While she was at it, she wrote her whereabouts on a post-it note and pasted it on the refrigerator door.

With this, her father wouldn't have to worry if he returned and failed to see her at home.

Once Tang Yu was done taking care of her affairs at home, she walked out of the house with her suitcase and the bag of fresh produce.

Little Zhang had already opened the trunk. When he saw Tang Yu placing the suitcase into the trunk with ease, he couldn't help but admire her a little. He had previously worked as a private driver for several different families, and never had he seen a girl like Tang Yu. The daughters of the families he used to work for were usually delicate flowers who could hardly do anything by themselves. Tang Yu, on the other hand, not only knew how to be wary of her surroundings, but she was also self-sufficient. Seeing how she had bought so many ingredients, she probably knew how to cook for herself.

Moreover, the daughters of those wealthy families weren't the only girls lacking the ability to care for themselves. Even his working girlfriend didn't know how to care for herself. The only thing his girlfriend knew how to cook was instant noodles. She could probably eat instant noodles for an entire month if he didn't return home.