Chapter 122: Can I Call You Little Yang Too?

"What do you plan to do now?"

Zhao Qingxun looked at the backs of the two girls: "Since they've already met, there must be a decision made, right?"

Yang Tianxing didn't say a word; he pulled out a cigarette and pressed the lighter with a "click, click" sound.

"You can't smoke in here."

Zhao Qingxun tapped the table in dissatisfaction.

Yang Tianxing ignored her and took two puffs comfortably: "If it weren't for you, you damn bitch, deliberately blocking them, they wouldn't have ended up meeting like this. What's wrong with me smoking a cigarette?"

"Are you cursing me?"

Zhao Qingxun said blankly.

"What else?"

Yang Tianxing said dismissively: "After the quarantine is lifted, I'm not helping you pick up packages anymore. Let's see what you can do about it."

Zhao Qingxun still hadn't processed it: "I've grown up this big, and no one has ever cursed me like that."

"You'll get used to it after being cursed at. I f*** your..."

Yang Tianxing stopped halfway through his sentence; it turned out Zhao Qingxun had opened a drawer and taken out a crossbow.

"I practiced this when I was studying in America."

Zhao Qingxun said slowly.

Yang Tianxing walked to the window and threw away the remaining half of the cigarette butt: "Smoking is harmful to health; I don't usually advocate for smoking either."

Only then did Zhao Qingxun put the crossbow away: "This isn't my fault either. Even if they entered the factory, they would have met. I can only say it was destined for you to suffer this tribulation."

Yang Tianxing understood the fact Zhao Qingxun stated, but he didn't want to respond.

He took out his phone and wanted to call Tan Zhizhi several times, but he didn't know how to start. His palm rubbed the phone screen unconsciously over and over, and in the end, he decided to send a text message.

Yang Tianxing: Are you asleep?

Tan Zhizhi: Just finished eating with Mom, Dad, Uncle Yang, and Aunt Gao. They are also very tired and will sleep soon.

Yang Tianxing: Where are you now?

Tan Zhizhi: In a hotel.

Yang Tianxing: Are you free? I want to talk to you.

Tan Zhizhi: Let's sleep first. Whatever it is, we'll talk when you get out. Don't let our parents worry about us.

Little Zhizhi didn't say she wouldn't talk; she delayed the date of the talk until after Yang Tianxing got out.

At this moment, Yang Tianxing suddenly felt that Tan Zhizhi was more sensible than she was in high school.

"Because of me?"

Yang Tianxing thought silently; a girl becoming sensible might be because of life, or it might be because of a man.

Checking the time, it was 9:30 PM, and Yang Tianxing called Liu Jiaoyue's dormitory again.

He Yulin answered the phone: "She's in the shower."

"Oh."

Yang Tianxing nodded: "Then I'll call back in a while."

"Wait."

He Yulin stopped him on the phone: "Who was that pretty girl tonight?"

Yang Tianxing was very impatient: "None of your business."

He Yulin wasn't even angry, and said calmly: "There are many people in the dormitory, so I won't say it publicly to give you some face, but I want to say that no matter how silly or naive she is, she can sense a little bit. You better find a way to solve it."

Yang Tianxing was silent for a long while: "Thank you for the reminder, and sorry for just now."

"Also, don't call again tonight. Let her rest," He Yulin said.

After hanging up the phone, a girl in the same dormitory of Public Management Class 2 asked: "Who was that? Judging by the tone, it sounds like a boyfriend?"

He Yulin gave a cold laugh: "I'd have to be blind to find such a scumbag!"

…………

That night, Yang Tianxing drank coffee in Zhao Qingxun's office.

Zhao Qingxun was very smart; she didn't mention a word about her own family background and tried every way to inquire about the situation of Liu Jiaoyue and Tan Zhizhi.

Yang Tianxing happened to have the desire to chat, so he picked some less interesting things to talk about.

Zhao Qingxun listened with satisfaction and also with emotion: "So it's better to be single, no need to meet a man like you who seems to have true feelings but is actually a total scumbag."

"Love is very interesting; you just don't understand."

Yang Tianxing took a sip of coffee; he didn't dare to smoke now, really afraid that Zhao Qingxun would shoot him dead with a crossbow.

"Interesting men are still too few; they are not as attractive to me as work."

Zhao Qingxun waved the document in her hand: "I like commanding others."

"A life without love is the most pathetic. There are actually interesting men; there's one in my dormitory, a local from Chang'an."

Yang Tianxing said seriously: "I'll introduce him to you when I have time."

"Okay."

Zhao Qingxun said with a smile; she felt that Yang Tianxing was quite interesting, just interestingly scummy.

The next morning, the doctor came on time to check their body temperatures and left with peace of mind after finding they hadn't risen.

Liu Jiaoyue was finally able to enter the factory, and she and Tan Zhizhi waited on both sides of the administration building with a tacit understanding.

During the day, people continued to come; if it was someone like Hu Jiahao, they would go to Tan Zhizhi's side, and if it was a college classmate, they would go to Liu Jiaoyue's side.

Gao Meilan ran back and forth between the two sides. Yang Jianjun couldn't stand it and pulled her aside: "What are you doing?"

"I'm going out to eat with Little Zhizhi in a while, and now I'm preparing to buy food for Little Liu," Gao Meilan said.

Yang Jianjun patted his own head: "Are you crazy? Why are you still bothering to take care of Little Liu's side? Do you want to try to handle both sides too?"

"I don't understand what you mean by trying to have it both ways."

Gao Meilan feigned ignorance and said, "In any case, they are all my son's classmates; I can't just let them go hungry."

In fact, it wasn't just Gao Meilan who was busy; some other people were busy too.

Hu Jiahao saw Deng Yidi across the way, and his heart was so moved he almost wanted to cry: "Originally, I didn't even want to come see Yang Tianxing, but we are classmates after all. I never expected to run into Xiao Yi here; truly, good people get good rewards."

Hu Jiahao took advantage of the moment when Xiao Zhiliao was surrounded by people and trotted over to greet her: "Xiao Yi!"

Deng Yidi was holding Liu Jiaoyue's wrist, gently comforting her.

This bewitching, trashy woman was fake and eccentric toward everyone else, but she was very sincere only toward Liu Jiaoyue.

Deng Yidi saw it was a boy she didn't recognize, and he had even gotten her name wrong; she shook her head and said, "You've mistaken me for someone else."

"I'm Xiao Hu; how could I mistake you for someone else after chatting for so long?"

Hu Jiahao said sadly, "I don't know what kind of misunderstanding there is between us. Now the phone won't go through and you don't reply to texts. I hope you can give me a chance to explain."

Deng Yidi frowned: "I encountered this kind of pick-up method back in middle school. Everyone has been in a bad mood lately, so for the sake of you being Yang Tianxing's high school classmate, I won't hold it against you. Get lost, quickly."

Hu Jiahao felt that Deng Yidi didn't seem to be joking, and he went back feeling depressed.

The first day of quarantine passed just like that. In the evening, Zhao Qingxun asked with a smile, "How does it feel to have two women waiting for you?"

Yang Tianxing sighed: "A complete mess."

The second day followed a similar process.

On the third day, the doctor announced some good news: the suspected case from Hong Kong did not have symptoms of respiratory disease, and Yang Tianxing and Zhao Qingxun's temperatures were also normal; they could be released from quarantine after one more night.

Yang Jianjun found a place to eat nearby, preparing for Yang Tianxing to toast a few drinks to the people who came to help tomorrow.

"Congratulations, you can get out tomorrow."

Zhao Qingxun raised her coffee cup and clinked it against Yang Tianxing's.

Yang Tianxing sighed: "I actually don't want to go out."

Zhao Qingxun took a sip of coffee with a smile, white coffee foam sticking to her lips, and she wiped it off casually with the back of her hand.

Zhao Qingxun knew what Yang Tianxing meant; this quarantine administration building had instead become his protective umbrella. Once he went out, those problems that had been temporarily delayed would be placed right before his eyes.

"I wish you a smooth resolution."

Zhao Qingxun said sincerely.

"Verbal wishes are useless. We've been through life and death together, after all; how about investing in some of my business in the future?"

"Heh, young trashy man, see if you can even keep your body intact tomorrow first."

…………

Early the next morning, the early spring sunlight spilled through the window onto the floor, like a layer of shattered gold. Yang Tianxing knew that what he had to face was finally coming.

The doctor took Yang Tianxing's temperature as usual and said with some surprise, "Your temperature is normal, but your heartbeat is very fast."

Yang Tianxing smiled and said nothing.

After taking his temperature, there was still a series of procedures to handle. By around 10 o'clock, Yang Tianxing was finally cleared of the suspicion of infection.

He took a deep breath and was about to step out the main door when Zhao Qingxun said from behind, "Good luck, trashy man."

Yang Tianxing didn't look back and walked out of the administration building with a steady, rhythmic stride. Before he could even stand firm, he suddenly heard a burst of applause.

Government officials from Chang'an District, leaders from the Finance Institute, leaders from the education department, classmates, friends, and even his closest family were all there; they offered warm applause together.

"What the hell, what is this?! I'm not a national hero; there's no need for such high-level treatment, right?"

Before Yang Tianxing could figure it out, he saw Tan Zhizhi suddenly throw herself into his arms.

"Xiao Yang..."

This action seemed very intimate, but in reality, not many people cared, because more people came over to hug Yang Tianxing: Old Yang, Mother, Shao Ziyang...

Yang Tianxing hugged everyone, then glanced at a certain spot.

Liu Jiaoyue was gone.

She really hadn't lied; the moment Yang Tianxing came out, she had quietly left on her own.

"You should go back and see her first."

Tan Zhizhi looked up and said, her eyes swollen like peaches.

"I..."

Yang Tianxing felt it wasn't appropriate to leave at this moment.

"Go on, we'll wait for you at the hotel. I'll just say you went back to change clothes."

Tan Zhizhi held Yang Tianxing's hand and led him to the factory gate: "Go quickly and come back quickly, we'll wait for you."

Ye Yulan was quite puzzled: "Why did you push Yang Tianxing away?"

"He's going back to change clothes."

Tears streamed down Tan Zhizhi's eyes.

"Oh my, he's already out, why are you still crying?"

Ye Yulan pulled her daughter into her arms, feeling heartbroken.

"I don't know why either."

Tan Zhizhi rested her head on Ye Yulan's shoulder: "Mom, my heart feels so uncomfortable."

Yang Tianxing returned to the school's entrepreneurship base, and Liu Jiaoyue was indeed here, lying on the table, her body heaving with silent sobs.

Actually, she also really wanted to hug Yang Tianxing.

The sound of footsteps startled Liu Jiaoyue; she didn't expect Yang Tianxing to have actually returned. Wasn't he supposed to go to the hotel to celebrate?

"I'm sorry."

Yang Tianxing wanted to say a lot, but in the end, it all converged into these three words.

Liu Jiaoyue shook her head, letting the crystal-clear teardrops roll down her cheeks and drip onto her old school uniform, instantly turning into round watermarks.

"I, can I also call you Little Yang from now on?"