Chapter 97: The Lifestyle Scoundrel

When I opened my eyes the next day, it was already 11 o'clock. Yang Jianjun and Gao Meilan were both out, and the living room was empty and very quiet.

Yang Tianxing held a glimmer of hope and went to check the kitchen. Whoa, the pot was cleaner than a face; my old lady really is as decisive as ever.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Tan Zhizhi: I'll go bring you that bracelet.

Tan Zhizhi replied quickly: Sure, but since you're coming over after 11, just stay for lunch. My dad is here too.

Yang Tianxing thought to himself, sending a message at this hour obviously means I'm going over to mooch a meal; no need to specifically point it out.

The two houses weren't far apart, just a 20-minute walk. Yang Tianxing didn't bring any gifts; as classmates, it wasn't necessary for a casual visit.

With the Spring Festival approaching, the streets were full of festive cheer. Stalls selling Spring Festival couplets, "Fu" characters, and firecrackers were squeezed along both sides of the road. Cars crawled slowly through the crowds, and the occasional honk immediately drew protests from the people around.

Jinzhou is so small that some of the older folks carrying groceries could even recognize the drivers, muttering about going to their homes to complain, leaving the drivers with no choice but to sheepishly admit defeat.

The sunlight was typical of winter—it couldn't drive away the cold, but it felt pleasant on the skin. Yang Tianxing walked along with a smile; these rich, everyday moments had a certain charm.

Tan Zhizhi's home was in one of the best residential complexes in Jinzhou, facing a park and an artificial lake, with a supermarket and a kindergarten inside the complex.

After he rang the doorbell, Tan Qingwu walked over to open it: "Tianxing is here."

Yang Tianxing gave a "hehe" laugh: "Uncle Tan, Aunt Ye, Happy New Year."

Ye Yulan also nodded: "Tianxing hasn't been to the house in a long time. We were just having dinner with your parents a while ago."

Having spent a long time in government offices, combined with her affluent family background, Ye Yulan had developed a cold, detached temperament over the years. Even when she was being polite, she projected a sense of distance.

This feeling often appeared in female cadres; to put it plainly, she wasn't very down-to-earth. Perhaps the only people who made her feel grounded were her closest kin, like Little Zhizhi.

Yang Tianxing searched the doorway for a long time but couldn't find any slippers. Tan Zhizhi said with a smile from the living room: "The slippers are being used by guests. Why are you being so fussy, Yang Tianxing? The wooden floor isn't hard on your feet."

Little Zhizhi's floor was waxed, a walnut-colored wood that looked clean and transparent. Yang Tianxing thought about it and realized she was right; at least he wasn't wearing socks with holes today.

Yang Tianxing walked into the living room with a "thump, thump, thump." Tan Zhizhi was looking at him with a beaming smile. The air conditioning was on in the living room, so she had taken off her down jacket, wearing only a tight white cashmere sweater underneath.

The cashmere sweater was of high quality, clinging affectionately to her body and outlining Little Zhizhi's tall, charming figure. Her jet-black hair was tied into a spirited ponytail, and her exquisite, oval-shaped face was alluring and pretty, with dimples on both sides that seemed capable of intoxicating anyone.

There was also a middle-aged couple in the living room whom Yang Tianxing hadn't met, but he nodded politely nonetheless.

Ye Yulan introduced them from the side: "Yang Jianjun's son. His mother and I are good friends."

"Oh, so it's Old Yang's kid. I was wondering why he looked so familiar," the middle-aged man said with a smile.

Yang Tianxing thought to himself that Old Yang hadn't reached a very high rank, but he certainly had a wide circle of acquaintances.

The middle-aged couple had a boy with them, probably around middle-school age, sporting a buzz cut. He didn't even bother to call out "Hello, Brother," just hunched over the coffee table working on his winter break homework.

Tan Zhizhi was guiding the buzz-cut boy from the side, sitting on the wooden floor with her slender calves curled up, her toes wrapped in black thickened stockings, looking small and delicate.

Yang Tianxing sat cross-legged next to them. Tan Zhizhi kicked him: "Go pour your own water. No one here is going to wait on you."

Ye Yulan only saw Yang Tianxing as a junior, and the middle-aged couple felt the same, so no one thought anything of it, except for Tan Qingwu, who knew a bit of the truth.

Old Tan paid attention for a moment and immediately noticed that Yang Tianxing and Tan Zhizhi's down jackets were identical in style. Combined with his daughter's overly familiar attitude, he sighed slightly in his heart.

Yang Tianxing felt bored after listening for a while and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV, but the buzz-cut boy was very dissatisfied: "Turning on the TV will disturb my studying."

"Yo, this little brat is quite the actor. Looks like you haven't seen your brother's methods yet, have you?"

Yang Tianxing thought of Xie Silu, the little chubby girl from Chang'an, who had once hugged a box of study materials and cried while saying "thank you, brother."

So, he nudged Tan Zhizhi beside him: "It's too noisy here. Take this little brother to the study to do his homework; that way, he'll be more efficient."

Tan Zhizhi nodded, thinking it made sense: "Are you going to study in the study?"

The buzz-cut boy immediately became obedient: "No need, thank you, sister. I've finished my tasks for this morning."

Yang Tianxing scoffed, thinking to himself, "A little punk like you dares to fight with me?" He then switched to the sports channel and started watching the NBA.

The buzz-cut boy followed along, watching with great interest and occasionally explaining professional terms to Tan Zhizhi.

Just then, the kitchen door opened, and someone brought a plate of food to the table. Yang Tianxing asked: "Who is that?"

"Grandma. You've met her before, but her hearing isn't very good now," Tan Zhizhi said, pointing to her ears.

"Then I should go say hello."

Yang Tianxing got up and walked toward the kitchen: "Grandma, Happy New Year."

Tan Grandma hadn't seen Yang Tianxing for a few years. Hearing his voice, she turned around and looked closely: "Is that Jianjun's kid? Are you still working at the same place? Why didn't you bring your wife?"

"That's my dad. I'm his son."

Yang Tianxing explained: "I'm still a single dog; I don't have a wife."

Tan Grandma looked behind Yang Tianxing: "You brought a dog too? Where is it?"

Yang Tianxing sighed helplessly: "Grandma, I'm hungry. When are we eating?"

As Yang Tianxing was speaking, a crisp laugh came from behind him. Tan Zhizhi had come into the kitchen at some point.

Yang Tianxing pointed at Tan Zhizhi and joked: "Grandma, my future wife is right here."

Tan Zhizhi raised her snow-white fist and held it up as a warning.

Tan Zhizhi actually heard him this time. She looked Yang Tianxing over carefully and said seriously: "You won't do. You're not handsome enough. You still need to work harder."

……………

During lunch, Yang Tianxing and Tan Zhizhi sat together. Somehow the conversation drifted to facial features, and the middle-aged couple began to praise Tan Zhizhi's appearance.

"Little Zhizhi has grown up to be prettier than the celebrities."

"The key is that her grades are good too. Brother-in-law, your family has produced a pearl who is both talented and beautiful."

"There must be a lot of people chasing Little Zhizhi at university, right?"

Ye Yulan was very satisfied with her daughter and said proudly: "Our girl said it herself: she doesn't plan on dating in university. After graduation, we'll see which boy is lucky enough to date her."

Tan Qingwu kept his head down and ate without saying a word.

Yang Tianxing ate his ribs with an indifferent expression, thinking to himself that the phrase "doesn't want to date in university" depends on who it's about. If I wanted to make it official, Tan Zhizhi could have a boyfriend the very next second.

Thinking this, he gently stepped on Tan Zhizhi's foot.

Tan Zhizhi thought Yang Tianxing was teasing her, so she stepped back on Yang Tianxing's foot.

Little did she know, Yang Tianxing wasn't satisfied; he actually lifted his foot, traced it along Tan Zhizhi's ankle, and began to rub it back and forth against her calf.

"Clang."

Tan Zhizhi was a young maiden, how could she endure this? Her hand trembled, and her chopsticks dropped onto the table.

"What's wrong?"

Ye Yulan asked.

Everyone at the table looked at Tan Zhizhi, and she gently set down her bowl: "I'm full."

Then Tan Zhizhi walked silently toward the bedroom.

Yang Tianxing thought, "Oh no," Little Zhizhi was not Deng Yidi, he couldn't play like this; he hurriedly finished his meal in two bites and followed her to the bedroom.

"What's wrong with you? It was just a joke."

Yang Tianxing watched as Little Zhizhi lay on the table, heaving, as if she were crying.

"Who wants to joke with you like that!"

Tan Zhizhi raised her head, her face covered in tear tracks.

Yang Tianxing felt a bit apologetic, took out a bracelet, and helped her put it on: "Take this as an apology."

In the living room, Ye Yulan was uneasy: "Little Zhizhi, are you alright?"

She wanted to go in and check, but was stopped by Tan Qingwu: "Tianxing has already gone over, don't go and add to the chaos."

Ye Yulan was stunned for a moment, thinking to herself, I am her mother, how am I adding to the chaos?

However, because there were guests, Ye Yulan didn't say anything and sat back down.

Hearing Ye Yulan's voice, Tan Zhizhi wiped away her tears and said in a normal tone: "I'm fine, you all go ahead and eat."

Yang Tianxing also hurriedly urged: "A man and a woman alone in a room isn't very good, let's go out quickly."

Looking at Yang Tianxing, who was now pretending to be upright, Tan Zhizhi's temper flared: "Then let me bite you."

Yang Tianxing was afraid of pain, so he said: "It's winter now, I'm wearing so many clothes, can I owe it to you until summer to pay it back?"

Tan Zhizhi was being petulant and didn't intend to go out without taking a bite.

Yang Tianxing had no choice, so he simply stuck out his tongue: "This is the softest place, go ahead and bite."

"Blehh~"

Seeing Yang Tianxing's expression, Tan Zhizhi finally couldn't help but break into a smile through her tears.

"Scoundrel!"