Chapter 27: A Coincidental Misunderstanding

Tan Qingwu sat in the driver's seat in front, seeing the little movements between Yang Tianxing and Hu Jiahao clearly; he couldn't help but find it amusing.

Yang Jianguo was such an honest man, yet the son he raised was so mischievous.

Tan Qingwu came from a background in criminal investigation, so he subconsciously observed every move of the people around him; the states of the few young people in the car were all different.

Shao Ziyang was likely sitting in the passenger seat, so he was the most well-behaved and respectful.

Although Hu Jiahao was sitting in the last row, he never forgot to curry favor with his daughter for a moment.

As for his daughter, she would sometimes play on her phone and sometimes chat with Hu Jiahao about things at school; on the surface, nothing could be seen, but her knees were always pointed in Yang Tianxing's direction—this micro-movement reflected some subconscious thoughts in her heart.

Yang Tianxing was likely the least restrained; he tilted his seat back to lie down, bought a newspaper at a gas station, and spent the whole trip either reading the news or sleeping, occasionally asking about gossip in the police force with great interest, only participating in a few sentences of Hu Jiahao and Tan Zhizhi's conversation now and then.

"This brat, he actually thinks Little Zhizhi is childish!" Tan Qingwu captured this information from Yang Tianxing's subtle actions.

Topics about school easily involved the Student Union, because after military training was the peak period for Student Union recruitment; Hu Jiahao said with self-importance: "Before the break, I just passed the interview for the Publicity Department; I'll have the second round when I get back to school, it shouldn't be a big problem."

Shao Ziyang looked envious: "That's great; I also went for an interview at the Organization Department but got cut, I couldn't even make it to the second round."

"You guys actually both went to the Student Union; I haven't even decided if I want to join."

Tan Zhizhi was a bit troubled; she was currently facing attention from classmates, seniors, and even boys outside the school—if she joined the Student Union, she could imagine being surrounded by various confessions all day long.

"Little Yang, what about you?"

Tan Zhizhi saw Yang Tianxing reading the newspaper leisurely and took the initiative to ask.

"I'm just a Deputy Minister of the External Liaison Department right now."

Yang Tianxing didn't even take his eyes off the newspaper as he answered casually.

"Pfft."

Hearing this, Hu Jiahao immediately made an exaggerated spitting motion and then mocked: "Yang Tianxing, your tail is wagging in the sky just because you became a class monitor; you're talking complete nonsense. If you're a deputy minister, I'll eat all the excrement in every toilet in Jinzhou."

Tan Zhizhi and Shao Ziyang didn't believe it either—how could there be a freshman deputy minister? However, Tan Qingwu glanced through the rearview mirror and noticed that Yang Tianxing's body movements were very small when he spoke, not looking like he was lying, so he asked: "Is it rare for a freshman to be a deputy minister?"

"Basically impossible, Uncle Tan."

Hu Jiahao said loudly: "Who would let a freshman be a deputy minister? The seniority and ability aren't enough. Yang Tianxing, don't you agree?"

"I don't really want to talk to someone who wants to eat and drink for free."

Yang Tianxing was too lazy to explain; he put down the newspaper, leaned his head back, and started snoring after a while.

"Tch." Hu Jiahao curled his lips in disdain.

Tan Qingwu had an idea in his mind: basically impossible meant there was still a slight possibility.

……………

It took about four hours from Chang'an to Jinzhou, but just as they were about to arrive home, Tan Qingwu suddenly received a call. After hanging up, he said: "There's a temporary task at the bureau; I'll drop you off at the intersection ahead."

"I still have a lot of luggage."

Tan Zhizhi pointed at the trunk; she had five or six boxes when she registered, and two or three when she came back—she really didn't know where girls found so many things to pack.

"It's okay, Uncle Tan, I can help Zhizhi move it."

Hu Jiahao hurriedly raised his hand to say.

"I can help too."

Shao Ziyang felt that since he had taken someone else's ride, he definitely couldn't stand by and watch.

Only Yang Tianxing pretended not to hear; anyway, he had made up his mind not to be free labor.

"Then let Yang Tianxing help me move it."

As it happened, Tan Zhizhi wouldn't let Yang Tianxing have his way, pointing at him like she was selecting a general.

Yang Tianxing had no choice—the other person's father was still in the car. He thought to himself that if he had known, he would have come back yesterday; it was all that damn Shao Ziyang's fault for insisting on saving those hundred-plus yuan in bus fare.

It was just past four in the afternoon, and the weather in Jinzhou was quite comfortable at this time.

Early autumn had taken away much of the summer heat, leaving behind freshness and comfort; the sunlight was warm and tranquil. There were a few old men in thin shirts playing Chinese chess by the roadside, bicycles passed by slowly, occasionally stirring up a few fluttering leaves.

Tan Zhizhi walked in front, looking pretty; her high ponytail swayed with the breeze, and her nearly 1.7-meter tall figure was slender and exquisite.

Yang Tianxing was secretly admiring her when he didn't expect Tan Zhizhi to suddenly turn around while walking, her beautiful, flower-like oval face facing Yang Tianxing directly.

"What?"

Yang Tianxing was startled.

"Why didn't you want to help me move my luggage just now? You definitely would have been the first to rush up before."

There was some unhappiness in Tan Zhizhi's long, charming eyes.

Yang Tianxing thought it was no big deal—whoever moved it was the same—but when he spoke, it turned into: "I originally wanted to be the first to say it, but Shao Ziyang and Hu Jiahao beat me to it."

"Really?"

Tan Zhizhi asked suspiciously.

"Of course, absolutely true; I was embarrassed to compete with them."

Yang Tianxing pretended to be sincere as he spoke.

Tan Zhizhi knitted her thin willow eyebrows and earnestly taught Yang Tianxing what he should do next time.

Yang Tianxing just wanted to finish dropping off Tan Zhizhi and go home to lie down, so he agreed to whatever Tan Zhizhi said.

Tan Zhizhi nodded in satisfaction when she saw Yang Tianxing's attitude; she pointed at the small stand selling candied hawthorns by the road, blinking her eyes at Yang Tianxing.

Yang Tianxing didn't want to go and found a random excuse: "I don't have any change on me."

But this excuse didn't send Tan Zhizhi away; she took a one-yuan coin out of her pocket and handed it to Yang Tianxing: "I have some here, go buy it."

Yang Tianxing widened his eyes, thinking, are women's brains wired in triangles? They don't walk the straight path but prefer to take a detour; if she had money, couldn't she just go buy it herself?

However, in order to go home and lie down sooner, Yang Tianxing still did as he was told. After getting the candied hawthorns, Tan Zhizhi's mood finally improved for real. After squinting her long, charming eyes and eating a hawthorn coated in syrup, her lips were stained shiny.

"Do you want to eat one?" Tan Zhizhi asked.

"I don't eat them."

Yang Tianxing shook his head; he didn't have much interest in sweets, but the more Yang Tianxing refused, the more Tan Zhizhi insisted on making Yang Tianxing eat one.

"Fine, fine, fine, I'll eat it, alright?"

Yang Tianxing sighed helplessly and swore silently in his heart: "If I ever walk home with Tan Zhizhi again, I'm a dog!"

Tan Zhizhi held the candied hawthorn up to Yang Tianxing's mouth; Yang Tianxing opened his mouth reluctantly, but suddenly he froze, for the old man Yang Jianjun and a group of people were walking toward them from the opposite direction.

Yang Jianjun was also surprised; he had not expected to run into his own son here, and even less expected that a girl would be feeding him a candied hawthorn.

However, neither father nor son took the initiative to greet the other, and they simply froze the scene in their hearts.

After Yang Tianxing sent Tan Zhizhi home, he declined her mother's invitation to eat together and returned to his own home.

Gao Meilan had also just finished work not long ago; while complaining that Yang Tianxing didn't know how to notify them in advance, she took the pork ribs out of the refrigerator to thaw, and even Yang Jianjun was implicated after he came home from work.

"Yang Jianjun, your son has great abilities now; he doesn't even know how to call ahead when coming home for the holidays. When he secretly brings home a daughter-in-law for you one day, let's see if you're surprised!"

The speaker had no such intention, but the listener took it to heart; as Gao Meilan chattered on incessantly, Yang Jianjun and Yang Tianxing exchanged a glance.

The moment their eyes met, this pair of bored father and son turned their heads away at the same time.