Chapter 188: The Most Difficult to Endure
Yang Chen's words stirred Tang Tang's mind like a sudden shock, leaving her momentarily stunned.
The two remained silent in the cramped room for a while, neither speaking until Yang Chen closed his laptop, and Tang Tang snapped back to reality.
"So, do you want to go home?" Yang Chen asked with a smile.
Tang Tang pouted. "No."
"Haven't figured it out yet?" Yang Chen scratched his head, feeling frustrated. "Although it's true that everyone has their own hardships, and you have your abundance, these are largely unrelated matters. But I feel like, considering your situation, if you just lower your position a bit and broaden your perspective, it's just a trivial matter. Why bother not going home, wandering outside, knowing there are dangers?"
Tang Tang looked straight at Yang Chen, her eyes sparkling. "Uncle, I'm starting to like you more and more. I really want to know why you went to such a place. I want to know what you did in the past. My goodness, Uncle, don't you know that men with stories have a huge appeal to women?"
"Don't change the subject. Besides, at your age, can you even be considered a woman? Just because of your running away from home today, it's enough to show that you're still a child, far from reaching the maturity of an adult. Listen to me, let me take you back home," Yang Chen advised.
Tang Tang pursed her lips, saying softly, "Uncle, I really want to continue listening to you scold me."
"What?"
"I like listening to you scold me. It makes me feel like I have a dad," Tang Tang's eyes gleamed with a hint of longing. "I don't mean my biological dad. I mean someone who can be with me, talk to me, play with me, and educate me like a dad."
Yang Chen blushed. How did it escalate from uncle to dad?!
"Well," Tang Tang looked at Yang Chen with a smile, "if my sister finds a man like you to be my dad, I can accept it. But unfortunately, Uncle, you look too ordinary. Although I know you're extraordinary, for a strong woman like my sister, if she really finds a man, he must be one of those so-called successful people. Hmph, if she does, it'll just be a guy who runs around outside all day, boring."
Yang Chen rubbed Tang Tang's head. "Stop imagining. Your mom is looking for a man, not you. As long as he has a good character, that's enough. Why bother with so much? If I had a daughter like you, I'd have a headache long ago."
Tang Tang, unhappy with Yang Chen constantly touching her head, wrinkled her little nose. "Uncle, although I admit I'm not mature enough, you can't treat me like a child. Touching my head won't make me grow taller!"
"Okay, then you should go home," Yang Chen said.
Tang Tang grumbled for a while, then took out her small phone and dialed a number.
Soon, the call was answered, and a woman's voice came through, sounding a bit urgent.
"Hello! Tang Tang! You naughty child! Where did you go?! Why did you skip school again?!"
Tang Tang held the phone away for a moment before bringing it back and said, "Sis, I'm sorry. Can you send someone to pick me up?"
"You know you're wrong?! You know you're wrong and still ran away?! Do you know how dangerous it is?!"
"Beautiful sister, are you going to let me come back or not?" Tang Tang sighed.
"Poor child, how many times have I told you! Call mom! Call mom! Where are you?"
"In the north of the commercial street downtown, just wait on the side of the street."
"I'll send the driver over immediately. Don't move, don't wander around!"
"Got it, sis, why are you becoming more talkative? Isn't it too early for menopause?"
"Call mom! Call mom!"
Before the woman could finish, Tang Tang hung up the phone, sighing deeply.
Yang Chen roughly heard the conversation between this lively mother and daughter duo and couldn't help but laugh. "Your mom is really impatient."
"Not really, she's only occasionally impatient with me. She's quite dignified in front of outsiders. It gives me goosebumps just watching her," Tang Tang said with a smirk.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Yang Chen took Tang Tang out of the internet cafe and escorted her to the north side of the street to wait for a car.
Tang Tang suddenly remembered something and asked, "Uncle, Yuan Ye's birthday is on the 9th next month. Will you go then?"
Yang Chen was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "How did you know he invited me?"
"He wouldn't hide anything from me," Tang Tang said proudly, as if wagging her little tail. "We'll meet again then. I'm looking forward to it."
"What's there to look forward to? It's not like meeting the president."
"The president doesn't look forward to it, but you're interesting, Uncle."
Yang Chen was helpless. Was this girl flattering or mocking him?
Before long, a silver-gray Cadillac sent by Tang Tang's mother arrived. Two bodyguards in the car looked at Yang Chen vigilantly before opening the door for Tang Tang.
As Tang Tang got into the car, her face darkened slightly. After closing the door, she rolled down the window and suddenly asked Yang Chen, "Uncle, when will I be considered a mature person?"
Yang Chen thought this girl was about to bid farewell. He was taken aback by her question. Leaving and still teasing him—wasn't he a philosopher or a thinker? After thinking for a moment, he said, "When one day you feel that there are fewer things around you worth complaining about, or almost nothing worth complaining about, then you are not far from maturity."
Tang Tang blinked, nodded slightly, and waved to Yang Chen. "Goodbye, Uncle!"
Watching the car merge into the endless flow of traffic, Yang Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing at the time, it was only a little past three in the afternoon, and he didn't intend to go back to the office. At such a lonely time, Yang Chen thought about Rose, whom he hadn't visited for a while, feeling guilty. She was always silently watching him from behind, a woman without desires or ambitions.
Fortunately, the commercial street wasn't far from the bar street. Yang Chen didn't take a taxi but walked for about twenty minutes to get to the Rose Bar.
Everything in the bar was as usual, with only a few scattered customers. However, the person behind the bar was no longer Xiao Zhao but Chen Rong.
Chen Rong had cut her hair short, looking neat and beautiful. Under Rose's influence during this period, she had gradually become more confident and fashionable. Her clear eyes remained the same, but Yang Chen could see the determination hidden within her.
Seeing Yang Chen enter, Chen Rong's face lit up with joy, sweetly calling out, "Brother Yang."
Yang Chen hadn't seen Chen Rong and her brother Chen Bo for a while, so he asked, "Rong Rong, how's your brother doing lately?"
"He's doing fine. He's now a columnist for a magazine. I see him happier than when he used to work," Chen Rong said happily.
Yang Chen was somewhat surprised, but it made sense. Chen Bo was also a talented student from Peking University; perhaps that was the career he pursued.
Seeing that Chen Rong was no longer as timid as when she first arrived at Zhonghai, but had become a key figure in the bar, Yang Chen jokingly asked, "It seems like you've kicked Xiao Zhao off the stage, you're doing pretty well."
Chen Rong blushed. "No, Brother Xiao Zhao was assigned to manage a larger area. Now the entire western district is under Sister Rose's control, and manpower is tight, so I took over."
Chen Rong blushed. "No, Brother Xiao Zhao was assigned to manage a larger area. Now the entire western district is under Sister Rose's control, and manpower is tight, so I took over."
"Everything, can be gotten used to, right?" Yang Chen hinted, referring, of course, to more than just straightforward bar business.
Chen Rong hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Actually, after seeing more, it's really not that bad."
Yang Chen could tell that Chen Rong genuinely meant it, so he didn't inquire further, giving the young girl an encouraging look before heading towards the corridor leading to Rose's bedroom.
As he stepped into the familiar and spacious bedroom, Yang Chen saw a scene he had never seen before.