Tang Zhengyang would usually leave early and come home late because of his work. Oftentimes, he couldn't even come home. Hence, it wouldn't be wrong to say he was rarely home throughout the year. Yet, he had deliberately taken time off from work and had been staying home for the past several days.
Though, one could also say that this was an expected response after what he witnessed.
Meanwhile, Yin Zhao-an quickly gave up on putting up a struggle after being put under constant surveillance throughout the past several days, deciding to pack her belongings once more before leaving.
When Yin Zhao-an returned home, Yin Changcheng was leisurely sitting in the living room drinking his Longjing tea. He only glanced at Yin Zhao-an dragging her luggage in before shaking the newspaper in his hand and continuing to read.
Yin Zhao-an hauled his luggage up the stairs, opened the door to her room, pushed the luggage inside, and then slammed the door shut before running downstairs.
Only Yin Changcheng was in the living room right now. After Yin Zhao-an looked around and failed to see her mother's figure, the knot in her throat finally loosened, and she collapsed on the single sofa, relieved. Then, she picked up a blue and white porcelain teacup from the coffee table and poured herself a cup of fragrant tea.
She didn't know how to appreciate tea, but the tea tasted good, so she drank a few sips before pouring herself another cup.
Yin Changcheng looked at his daughter with a complicated expression, unable to hide his disgust as he said, "You ran away without me."
"...." Yin Zhao-an silently put down her teacup and looked at her father seriously for a moment. Then, she slowly said, "Comrade Yin Changcheng, how do you think Leader Wang would react if she learned that you treated our home like a disaster area?"
Yin Changcheng gritted his teeth and grabbed a silk pillow from the sofa, throwing it at his daughter. "How dare you threaten me, you little brat!"
Yin Zhao-an caught the pillow that flew toward her and held it in front of her. Then, the smile on her face gradually faded.
Yin Zhao-an tried to figure out how she should word her thoughts into coherent language, but she couldn't figure out how she could do so, which left her hesitating between speaking and keeping silent. In the end, it was only when Yin Changcheng became irritated by her interruption of his reading that he urged her to speak.
"Um...Comrade Yin Changcheng, before I say what's on my mind, you have to promise that you can't lay a hand on me! Let's make that clear first!"
Yin Zhao-an was still a bit nervous. However, she ultimately made up her mind, choosing to hide in the small hut that was her father before facing the storm that was her mother. Even though this small hut was bound to be uprooted and destroyed by the storm, it was better than facing the brunt of the storm right from the very beginning.
Yin Changcheng impatiently nudged his glasses and muttered a vague "Mhm," looking nonchalant.
"I have someone I like."
"Mhm."
"The other party's a girl."
"Mhm… Mhm?!"
The sudden change in tone conveyed the shock of the person involved perfectly.
After a moment...
Yin Changcheng was so angry that, if he had a beard, he would have probably let out a huff that caused it to rustle. However, while he might not have a beard to huff on, his face did turn red, and his breathing roughened as he gasped for air.
When the old comrade in front of her clutched her wrist, Yin Zhao-an gritted her teeth in pain. Faced with this situation, she really wanted to say, "Didn't we agree not to use violence?"
But she didn't dare to say it out loud. Setting aside whether she dared to fight back, it was already very kind of Comrade Yin Changcheng not to kick her out of the house for this mind-blowing revelation.
"Dad..." Yin Zhao-an cautiously spoke, only to be harshly told by Yin Changcheng, who was still angry:
"Don't call me dad!"
Yin Zhao-an was taken aback for a moment. Then, she hesitantly asked, "Then...mom?"
"You!"
"Hey, hey, hey, don't be angry; I was just joking!" Yin Zhao-an quickly apologized, bowing her head. She even stood up to refill her father's tea cup. At this point, she was just short of giving her father a foot massage.
It took a while for Yin Changcheng to let out all of his anger. Once he was done, he gave Yin Zhao-an a stern look and said in a deep voice full of frustration, "You best not be joking with me here, little girl. Let me tell you, if your mother finds out about this, she'll definitely dissect you on her autopsy table!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Yin Zhao-an quickly agreed with Yin Changcheng, trying to win him over to her side.
"Don't try to please me either. I don't care what you do. My only requirement for you is that you get married in the future. But whether you are going to marry into someone else's house or bring someone back, I won't interfere," Yin Changcheng said. He had been on the battlefield for many years, and he had also been in the business world for a long time, so he could naturally see through his daughter's little tricks.
Meanwhile, Yin Zhao-an was about to burst into tears at her father's words. What kind of godly father was this? How could a father be so understanding?!
Unfortunately, before Yin Zhao-an could start to celebrate, Yin Changcheng quickly hit her with a bucket of cold water, saying, "Don't celebrate just yet. I will pretend I didn't hear anything today, but if your mother finds out in the future, I'll definitely be on her side. You're on your own."
Yin Zhao-an's mouth twitched a few times, and she weakly pressed down on her throbbing forehead. "Dad, I have a question for you. Please answer me honestly."
"What is it?"
"Am I a byproduct of your love with mom?"