Chapter 58: Rising Winds and Scudding Clouds

"Mom, I advise you to stay calm."

"So many classmates are here, can you please save me some face?"

"Old Yang, hurry and stop your wife."

……………

Gao Meilan had originally been looking forward to a long-overdue embrace, or at the very least a few words of concern, but she never expected that this little bastard would start by urging her to go home.

Empress Dowager Gao was no pushover either; without a second word, she prepared to let Yang Tianxing have a taste of "loving discipline."

As for Yang Tianxing's dog-like temper, as far as the current situation goes, the only person who can keep him in check without any compromise is Gao Meilan.

Hu Jiahao stood up and pretended to mediate, but he was actually preparing to quietly block Yang Tianxing's escape route; he found it exceptionally satisfying to see Yang Tianxing make a fool of himself.

In the end, it was Tan Zhizhi's words that did the trick.

"Aunt Gao, what little Yang meant was to ask if you've bought your tickets yet. If you haven't, there's no rush; you can stay in Chang'an for a few more days."

Tan Zhizhi looked at Yang Tianxing: "Right?"

Yang Tianxing cast a grateful look at Tan Zhizhi and nodded hurriedly: "That's exactly what I meant. You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll go get the food."

Gao Meilan then let out a cold snort: "I'll give our pretty little Zhi a face today; this beating is just being put on my tab."

By the time Yang Tianxing returned with the food, Gao Meilan was already chatting harmoniously with several of the classmates.

Gao Meilan wasn't very familiar with their parents, except for Tan Zhizhi's and Shao Ziyang's, but she had met the others before, and since everyone was from Jinzhou, they used the Jinzhou dialect while communicating.

In a university campus where Mandarin was the norm, it had a unique sense of warmth.

Gao Meilan acted as the matriarch at this moment, one moment worrying about Fu Liwen's cough and telling her to go to the hospital, the next reminding Shao Ziyang to call home more often, and even praising Tan Zhizhi for being beautiful and considerate.

After eating, the group decided to go see the startup base Yang Tianxing had at the school.

However, no one noticed that in an inconspicuous corner of the cafeteria, Liu Jiaoyue was sitting there.

This was a chance encounter, and Liu Jiaoyue certainly wouldn't go up to say hello right now.

Only in this place where no one disturbed her and no one noticed her did Liu Jiaoyue dare to look up at Yang Tianxing and his family and friends; her peach-blossom eyes were pure and serene, quiet as a bottomless lake.

Seeing that Yang Tianxing was about to be beaten, she frowned with some worry, but after the dispute was resolved, she smiled quietly to herself.

It was just that Liu Jiaoyue found it a bit strange: why was the style of the down jacket worn by the beautiful girl in the crowd, who was being surrounded like a princess, the same as her own?

But she was too simple-minded, so when she couldn't figure it out, she stopped thinking about it.

……………

In Room 101 of Teaching Building Z, the Yang Jianjun couple finally saw Yang Tianxing's startup base; Yang Tianxing explained that the mobile phone was provided by the company, and the two empty rooms were provided by the school as support.

Hu Jiahao didn't think much of it, and Shao Ziyang, aside from envying the phone, didn't take it to heart either.

There were too many empty rooms in the university; naturally, they didn't know that for Yang Tianxing to secure 101 and 102, it hadn't just required maneuvering and coordination, but also a certain amount of luck and opportunity.

Yang Jianjun and Gao Meilan naturally understood the situation; only when they learned that these two empty rooms belonged to Yang Tianxing for the year did they realize their son had really made something of himself.

"Little Yang, this pothos plant is so beautiful."

Tan Zhizhi had heard Yang Tianxing talk about these things, so her attention was focused elsewhere, and she accidentally spotted the pothos by the window.

"Right? I think it's quite pretty too."

Yang Tianxing replied steadily.

"Did a girl give it to you?"

Tan Zhizhi looked up, her long, charming eyes brimming like water.

Yang Tianxing waved his hand calmly and asked righteously: "How could it have been given by the girl from just now? Do you think her temperament is like someone who could grow a pothos?"

Deng Yidi's temperament leaned towards being alluring and charming; she indeed didn't seem like a girl who could settle down to tend to plants, and Tan Zhizhi felt slightly relieved.

But after thinking about it, she suddenly felt something was wrong; she had clearly asked if this pothos was given by a girl, not whether it was given by *that* girl from just now.

At this moment, the administrator of Building Z walked over and asked if they needed any tables or chairs; with this interruption, Tan Zhizhi didn't pursue the matter further.

Yang Tianxing took Hu Jiahao and Shao Ziyang to move the items; these tables and chairs were, of course, not brand new, and all had some traces of wear and tear on them.

But Yang Tianxing had a way; he would just buy some tablecloths to cover them up later.

One reason was to save costs; Yang Tianxing only had a budget of 4,000 yuan right now, so he definitely had to spend it sparingly.

The second was that Building Z 101 and 102 were not only a startup base but also a communication center, and with the parking lot right next door, the foot traffic was already high, so overly luxurious decorations wouldn't be appropriate; having a few tables to sit, chat, and work at was enough.

The arrangements made by Sun Nan, the Deputy Secretary of the Youth League Committee, were very effective; the administrator meant that there were plenty of tables and chairs, and Yang Tianxing didn't stand on ceremony. Additionally, seeing some waist-high potted plants downstairs that were being replaced, he asked: "These are growing so lush and leafy, why are they being replaced just like that?"

The administrator took out a cigarette and prepared to light it: "It's the college leadership's decision; the 50th-anniversary celebration is coming up, so everything has to be replaced with new ones."

Yang Tianxing nodded; these kinds of celebrations were indeed all about going through the motions earnestly and walking through the formalities steadily. He took out his own social cigarettes.

Yang Tianxing usually carried two packs of cigarettes: one was the Yuxi he smoked regularly, and the other was the Hard Zhonghua used for socializing.

"Here, have one of mine."

Yang Tianxing offered.

The administrator saw Yang Tianxing pull out the Zhonghua and knew it was a good cigarette, so he waited for him to hand one over.

However, after Yang Tianxing tore open the package, he put one in his own mouth and then shoved the rest, cigarettes and box included, to the administrator.

"Hey, hey, hey."

The administrator was still a bit embarrassed.

Yang Tianxing helped the administrator light his cigarette and then said: "Can I move these potted plants away? Of course, I won't take them back home, I'll just put them inside 101 and 102."

The administrator hesitated, but after looking at the Zhonghua in his pocket, he thought for a moment and said: "If it weren't for the student cadre from the Youth League Committee, I really wouldn't have agreed to this. Don't tell anyone else about this."

"Of course, thank you, Uncle."

Yang Tianxing wasn't actually any student cadre from the Youth League Committee, but the administrator figured that anyone who had been personally greeted by the Deputy Secretary of the Youth League Committee, Sun Nan, must certainly be a student cadre from the Youth League Committee.

"Actually, mixing into the Youth League Committee to get a status seems pretty good, huh."

Yang Tianxing suddenly had this thought, but the Youth League Committee was considered the superior department to the Student Union; entering the Student Union only required the approval of a department head, but the Youth League Committee interview required approval from a teacher.

The administrator had quite a few tools here; Yang Tianxing borrowed a small cart, picked out some good-looking potted plants, and transported them directly into 101 and 102 to set them up.

Not only that, Yang Tianxing felt some of the rockery stones were also quite good, so he simply moved them onto the cart as well.

Hu Jiahao was displeased: "Did you trick us into coming over to do manual labor for you?"

"You've seen the quality of the girls at our school yourself."

Yang Tianxing turned around and patted Hu Jiahao on the shoulder: "If you help me move these things, I can help introduce another girlfriend to your 'lovesick roommate'."

"Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Hu Jiahao shook off Yang Tianxing with disdain, then walked over to another stone: "This one is of excellent quality, I'll move it back."

Rooms 101 and 102 were originally empty, but once the tables, chairs, and potted plants were put inside, they immediately felt lived-in.

Especially with those rockery stones arranged on the bluestone slabs outside, paired with the existing small flower garden, it actually created the feeling of a park.

Gao Meilan was a bit dazed: "Didn't you say you were moving tables? How did you end up bringing back so many things?"

Old Yang smoked his cigarette leisurely; his son's devil-may-care personality, along with a coordination ability that surpassed his age, was gradually helping him thrive in the small society of the university.