Give Me Another Smile - Chapter 155: Moving Out
“The other party’s computer doesn’t have any traces of data export, so it is likely that all the data they’ve recorded has never been moved out of the computer’s hard drive. I’ll look for all the data received from the camera and delete it,” Gong Jun said while rapidly typing away at the keyboard.
“Found it.”
After a moment, Gong Jun pulled out a USB drive from his pocket and plugged it into the laptop. Then, after making a copy of the relevant data, he deleted everything on the other party’s computer.
Handing the USB drive to Tang Zhengyang, Gong Jun said, “Here, all the data linked to the camera is in this drive.”
“I traced the other party’s IP address to America. It looks like Wu Na is dealing with a foreigner,” Gong Jun added. “That Wu Na really is something. First, she tries to extort Shuyang. Now, she’s stalking others on another person’s behalf. I’ll have to conduct a thorough investigation on her.”
Tang Zhengyang responded with a perfunctory nod. So long as Gong Jun didn’t cause too big of a commotion, he didn’t really care what the other party did. More importantly, he needed to move his daughter out of her university’s dormitory. There was no way he would let her continue staying with a known stalker.
“Brother Tang, this is Shuyang’s and my transfer application. Thank you for your help,” Gong Jun said as he took out two forms and handed them to Tang Zhengyang. He had initially visited Tang Zhengyang with the goal of handing in these transfer applications, but what should have been a brief visit turned out much longer than he anticipated.
“I should be the one thanking you for helping me uncover all of this,” Tang Zhengyang said as he patted Gong Jun on the shoulders.
“No problem.” Gong Jun smiled brightly, his expression a stark contrast to when he arrived.
After seeing Gong Jun off, Tang Zhengyang handed the USB drive to Yin Zhao-an. He naturally wouldn’t dare to inspect the drive himself. After all, that was his daughter they were talking about.
“Uncle Tang, I want to move into a house outside the university with Tang-Tang,” Yin Zhao-an suggested after accepting the USB drive. “Tang-Tang has never been good at socializing. It’s unsafe for her to continue staying at the school dormitory.”
Tang Zhengyang similarly felt that it was unsafe for Tang Yu to continue staying at the dormitory. But then, he thought of something and asked, “Are you planning to attend the same university as Little Yu?”
“Mhm.” Yin Zhao-an nodded.
“Mm, I guess that’s something we can consider. I’ll feel more at ease with you two living together,” Tang Zhengyang said.
At this point, Tang Zhengyang no longer held any resentment toward Yin Zhao-an. After thinking about it, nobody was more suited to be Tang Yu’s partner than Yin Zhao-an.
“I’ll go now. I’ll let you know once I find a suitable house near the university.”
“Okay.” Tang Zhengyang got up to see Yin Zhao-an off. “Be careful on your way back.”
“I will. Thank you, Uncle Tang.”
…
Tang Yu remained ignorant of the incident involving her, and she continued attending classes as usual. And when she didn’t have classes to attend, she would look for Hu Siyue for voice acting rehearsal. Tang Yu had always been good at voice acting, and whenever they rehearsed, Hu Siyue would always exclaim that she had found a gem.
When the preview for the radio drama “Dreamy Night” was announced, it caused a huge wave of discussion. The majority of people discussed why the dubbing club had chosen a CV that no one had ever heard of to play the lead role. Some book fans even expressed their resistance, afraid that this newcomer would ruin their beloved character Ye Rumeng.
Tang Yu didn’t pay much attention to these comments. She simply created a Weibo account at Hu Siyue’s behest and used it to repost the drama announcement made by the dubbing club’s official account.
Fortunately, on the day the radio drama went live, objections toward Tang Yu voicing Ye Rumeng quickly changed.
Comments such as “How is this a newcomer’s performance?!” and “Even with a director’s guidance, how can she get into the role so quickly?!” started to appear in rapid succession shortly after Tang Yu started her performance.
By the end of the performance, Tang Yu’s Weibo account saw a rapid increase in follower count. Many people also commented under her repost, saying things such as “I officially declare myself an OG fan!” and “Is Lord Yu-An really not a pro disguising as a newcomer?”
…
Outside of her voice acting career, Tang Yu started to notice Wu Na’s behavior becoming stranger and stranger over time. Sometimes, when she was in front of the mirror, she would notice through the mirror’s reflection Wu Na staring at her with a pair of lifeless eyes. During classes, she would also occasionally feel someone’s gaze on her.
Tang Yu was greatly frightened by this situation. But just when she was trying to come up with a solution to this problem, the counselor suddenly summoned her to discuss her becoming a non-resident student…
…
As soon as the National College Entrance Examination concluded, Yin Zhao-an marched into the student dormitory with a group of people and directed these people to move Tang Yu’s belongings out of the building. Then, she brought Tang Yu to the small apartment she had rented near the university.
Tang Yu was still in a daze when she stood in the apartment Yin Zhao-an rented. This was the house she had spent six years living in during her previous life. It was a place filled with her youthful infatuation and passion. She never thought she would find herself back here in this life.
“Be careful with those items. Just leave them in the corner. Yes, yes, yes, over there,” Yin Zhao-an said to the movers while fanning herself with a folding fan. She behaved like an old man enjoying the shade under a tree.
After the moving company’s staff completed their tasks, Yin Zhao-an gave each of them a bottle of chilled green tea and politely thanked them for their hard work before watching them leave.
When Yin Zhao-an saw Tang Yu still standing in place with a stunned look, she thought her beloved Tang-Tang was dissatisfied with the apartment. Sheepishly rubbing her nose, Yin Zhao-an said, “Um, the air conditioning hasn’t been installed yet, but I’ve already contacted the electronics store. They’ll deliver the fridge and air conditioners sometime later. Actually, this house isn’t as bad as it looks. It’s close to the university, and the rent is reasonable. And while it might seem small, it has two bedrooms, one living room, and an independent bathroom.”
“It’s okay. I like it,” Tang Yu said as she beamed a smile at Yin Zhao-an. Then, when she started to walk around the house, her eyes grew a little misted as she saw the familiar layout. Aside from some missing furniture and alliances, the house was just as she remembered.
In her past life, Tang Yu was the one responsible for finding this house. Yin Zhao-an had stated she disliked living in a dormitory, hence Tang Yu had gone out of her way to find this place. But what did Yin Zhao-an say at the time?
—”Why is this place so cramped?”
—”I can’t believe it. There’s no air conditioning here? I’m going to die of heat here!”
Even though both people looked exactly the same, their personalities were completely different. Tang Yu felt that she must have reincarnated into a different universe and met a different Yin Zhao-an. This must be why the Yin Zhao-an before her was so gentle and considerate.
By now, Tang Yu had already let go of her worries completely. The Yin Zhao-an of her present life had a completely different personality than the Yin Zhao-an of her past life. In that case, she wouldn’t have to worry about what might happen in the future. The present Yin Zhao-an loved her, and she wouldn’t abandon her simply because of a computer game.
While sweating bullets in the warm living room, Yin Zhao-an suddenly had the air in her lungs pushed out as someone crashed into her chest. Then, a confused look appeared on her face as she looked down at the person who had suddenly embraced her.
“Tang-Tang, I’m covered in sweat,” Yin Zhao-an said as she gently pushed Tang Yu’s shoulders. However, as she was doing so, Tang Yu looked up at her with her large and watery eyes. Then, as if possessed, she lowered her head and kissed Tang Yu.
In response, Tang Yu closed her eyes and enjoyed the gentle movements on her lips. At the same time, she could feel the hands on her shoulders gradually moving up and cupping her face. But just when she thought their kiss was about to escalate, the warmth on her lips disappeared, and she felt a gentle peck on her right cheek.
Tang Yu opened her eyes in confusion. Then, she felt a cooling breeze hitting her face.
“It’s too hot in here. I worry you might get heatstroke if we continue any further,” Yin Zhao-an said, smiling as she fanned Tang Yu with the folding fan.
Tang Yu pouted, not knowing if she was annoyed or disappointed, and murmured, “Oh.” Then, she crouched down and started inspecting the boxes piled up in the house.
“Are my belongings in all of these boxes? But I don’t recall bringing so many things to the dormitory,” Tang Yu said as she poked at one of the boxes.
“I brought some stuff over as well. Don’t worry about unpacking for now. We’ll do it once the air conditioners arrive,” Yin Zhao-an said as she pulled Tang Yu up. Then, while dragging Tang Yu to the bathroom, she continued, “Let’s wash up first and take care of dinner outside.”
While blankly watching Yin Zhao-an adjust the bathtub’s water temperature, Tang Yu asked, “What do you want to eat?”
“Anything is fine,” Yin Zhao-an said while testing the water temperature with her hand. “Are you in the mood for steak?”
“Let’s go to a seafood buffet. They’ll have ice cream there,” Tang Yu said, having a strong desire for something cold. After all, she was melting in this hot weather.
After adjusting the water temperature, Yin Zhao-an stood up and said, “Sure, we can go to a seafood buffet, but you have to eat some bread to line your stomach first. Don’t forget that you don’t have a strong stomach.”
“I know.” Tang Yu smiled.
“You wash up first; I’ll go dig out your clothes. But don’t stay in the tub for too long, or you might get dizzy later,” Yin Zhao-an said before stepping out of the bathroom.
Tang Yu obediently took off her clothes and sat in the bathtub. The water was neither too cold nor too hot. At the very least, she wouldn’t have to worry about becoming a boiled lobster.
…
While Tang Yu was soaking in the bathtub, Yin Zhao-an was leaning against a wall outside the bathroom, a hand placed over her racing heart as she recalled Tang Yu’s previous appearance. Just now, because Tang Yu’s white chiffon shirt was soaked with sweat, the thin fabric revealed her milky white skin and the black lacy bra she wore…
Dammit, I can’t continue thinking about it!
Holding her slightly feverish nose, Yin Zhao-an hurriedly searched through the boxes in the living room for Tang Yu’s clothes. Even if they were going to enjoy a bathroom play, they should save it for when the house had air conditioning. Otherwise, her beloved Tang-Tang would definitely get heatstroke if they went all the way in this hot weather.
Yin Zhao-an ended up picking a floral dress for Tang Yu and delivered it into the bathroom along with a set of underwear. When she stepped into the bathroom, though, she promptly turned her gaze toward the ceiling.
Unlike Yin Zhao-an, Tang Yu remained relatively calm. She leisurely lay in the bathtub, revealing only her head as she watched Yin Zhao-an act like a gentleman.
When Tang Yu saw Yin Zhao-an fleeing out of the bathroom after leaving behind a set of clothes, she couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Then, she nonchalantly lifted the bubbles floating on the water, the faint fragrance of lavender diffusing in the bathroom.
…
When Tang Yu stepped out of the bathroom, her hair was a little wet. But in this hot weather, it would dry naturally in no time.
There was half a loaf of sliced bread on the table. Yin Zhao-an had dug it out of one of the moving boxes, and she instructed Tang Yu to eat some before she disappeared into the bathroom with a change of clothes.
Tang Yu took a seat at the dining table, but she stood back up soon after. The chair still carried the heat they absorbed when they were moved here under the scorching sun, so Tang Yu felt like she was being cooked just by sitting on the chair.
After deliberating for a moment, Tang Yu grabbed the bread and Yin Zhao-an’s folding fan and stepped into the corridor outside the apartment. There was a breeze blowing in the corridor, so Tang Yu leaned against a windowsill in the corridor as she ate her bread.
It was late in the afternoon now, so more and more people in the community were leaving their houses. Tang Yu spotted many middle-aged women wearing light clothes walking about, swinging their arms back and forth. She also spotted old men wearing sleeveless shirts leisurely wandering about while shaking their paper fans and greeting the friends they came across.
Amidst her observation, Tang Yu suddenly heard a sound coming from behind her. Alertly turning around, she saw a cat with long fur leisurely licking its paw and the cat’s owner coming up the stairs, looking slightly out of breath.