Chapter 284: Chapter 285: Taking Action
As soon as "Uncle" answered, Tang Tang's voice on the other end sounded somewhat mournful. "Are you free right now?"
Yang Chen hesitated for a moment. "Yes, I am. What's wrong?"
"I'm at the commercial street near the intersection of Central Ring Road Three. Could you come pick me up?" Tang Tang requested.
Yang Chen couldn't help but chuckle. "What mischief are you up to now? Running away from home again?"
"I didn't mean to, Uncle. I'm so cold and I don't have any money. Please come save me," Tang Tang pleaded.
"You really need to learn your lesson about running away from home, and why do you keep forgetting to bring money? And why are you calling me?" Yang Chen said, feeling exasperated.
Tang Tang pouted. "I just wanted to see you. Is that not okay?"
"Why don't you find Yuan Ye? Isn't he good to you?" Yang Chen sighed, realizing he had misjudged Tang Tang's maturity.
"Why mention him? I just like hanging out with you, Uncle. Let Yuan Ye play by himself!" Tang Tang retorted.
"Fine, you're just clinging to me," Yang Chen sighed in resignation. He got up, got into his car, and drove quickly to the location Tang Tang mentioned.
In the vibrant and colorful night of the commercial street, bustling with lights and people, Yang Chen spotted Tang Tang eagerly waving at him from a chilly chair.
Despite wearing a down jacket and even a hat, sitting outside for a long time in below-zero temperatures was undoubtedly cold for a girl.
Seeing Tang Tang's rosy nose, Yang Chen couldn't help but reach out and touch her forehead lightly. "You really have a knack for running away from home. Didn't I warn you last time to be content and not always find faults?"
Tang Tang pouted. "Uncle, spare me the lecture. I haven't even had lunch. My front is stuck to my back right now. Take me to eat first."
Yang Chen felt a pang of frustration. "I think I'm more like your dad than your uncle."
"Hehe, that works too, as long as there's food," Tang Tang giggled, sticking out her tongue.
Yang Chen couldn't help but shake his head at this quirky girl. After glancing around, he led Tang Tang into the nearest Northeastern dumpling restaurant. On such a cold night, hot dumplings were indeed a good choice.
When the steaming hot dumplings arrived at the table, Tang Tang didn't mind the heat and started gobbling them down eagerly.
Yang Chen frowned. "Aren't you afraid of burning yourself?"
Tang Tang mumbled as she chewed, "Dumplings taste best when they're piping hot, and I'm starving."
Yang Chen decided not to disturb the girl who had been hungry for most of the day. He waited patiently until Tang Tang had finished devouring a large bowl of dumplings and let out a satisfied burp before asking, "So, what's the reason for running away from home this time?"
Tang Tang blinked, a hint of resentment on her face. "Uncle, you don't know. These past few days, my dad, for some reason, keeps meeting up with my mom and accusing her of seeing other men. He said some hurtful things, and my mom got really angry and fought with him. Now both of them are in a bad mood."
Yang Chen knew Tang Tang's father was Fang Zhongping, but he didn't realize Fang Zhongping had that side to him. He wondered what kind of man Tang Tang's mother had found to make Fang Zhongping behave so irrationally.
"How does that concern you running away from home?" Yang Chen inquired.
Yang Chen frowned, sighed, and pointed to the stars above, saying, "Girl, do you know what I think about every time I look at the stars?"
"What?" "I think of only one word, 'miracle'," Yang Chen said. "The universe is so vast, with so many stars, yet among this vastness, we humans happen to grow on this planet called 'Earth'. Each of us is as insignificant as dust in the universe. But it's these specks of dust that manage to encounter each other, become couples, parent and child, teacher and student, friends—every relationship between people is a miraculous kind of fate.
Your mom gave birth to you, and you became her daughter. This cannot be changed or replicated. Think about it, how small the probability is, yet it happened. Isn't that a miracle? When you feel uneasy inside, put it against the backdrop of the entire universe. Can anything compare? Isn't the relationship between you and your mom precious? Try to see yourself as smaller, look at the stars in the sky. Do you still think your behavior is immature?"
Tangtang fell silent for a while, her face showing a hint of shame. "I know I was wrong. Uncle, could you please take me home..."
Yang Chen reached out and gently patted the girl's head. "Alright, let's get up then. Your mom is probably worried sick looking for you."
"Okay."
Just as the two were about to stand up from their seats and leave the park, a slightly anxious figure appeared on the path ahead.
It was a slender figure, a woman with long hair slightly curled, wearing a brown cotton coat and sheepskin high boots, fashionable and with a well-proportioned figure. As she approached, Yang Chen's eyes caught sight of her delicate and charming oval face—it was Tang Wan, whom he had seen at the party just a couple of days ago!
Tang Wan's face was filled with anxiety. When she unexpectedly saw Yang Chen, she froze for a moment in surprise. As her gaze swept over, she noticed Tangtang, who was leaning affectionately against Yang Chen, still wearing his coat.
Tangtang, seeing Tang Wan suddenly appear, hesitated for a moment, then softly and timidly called out, "Mom, why are you here?"
Yang Chen abruptly turned his head, wondering if he had misheard. But then he heard Tang Wan's sharp and angry exclamation!
"How dare you two be together?!" Tang Wan, upon seeing Tangtang with Yang Chen, wearing his coat, immediately thought of Yang Chen's flirtatious nature. The maternal instinct to protect and the alertness soared to its peak upon realizing Yang Chen might have something with her own daughter.
It seems this man deliberately approached her and tried something with her daughter behind her back?! Tangtang found it unbelievable and asked in confusion, "Mom, do you know him?"
Before Yang Chen could say anything, Tang Wan interrogated again, "Why are you wearing his clothes?! How could you, you girl, run away from home and then casually lean on a man like this?! Do you want to infuriate your mom?!"
Tangtang was momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond.
Yang Chen knew Tang Wan misunderstood their relationship. "Tang Wan, it's not what you think."
"What is it then?! Yang Chen, my daughter is just in her senior year of high school, and you dare do something like this?! How could you! You've disappointed me."
Emotions flaring, Tang Wan's eyes blazed with anger. She marched forward, grabbed Tangtang's arm fiercely, and Yang Chen's coat fell to the ground.
"Let's go! Come home with me right now! I'll ground you for three months!"
Ignoring Tangtang's cries and explanations, Tang Wan, consumed with anger and sorrow like a volcanic eruption, immediately led Tangtang out of the park.
Yang Chen stood rooted to the spot for a long time. Finally, he picked up his clothes from the ground, sighed heavily, feeling today was incredibly unlucky. He hadn't expected Tangtang's mother to be Tang Wan—no wonder he had encountered her in Li Jingjing's office before, and Tangtang happened to be Li Jingjing's student. It also made sense why Tang Wan had described her daughter in a way that resembled Tangtang so much.
Yang Chen chuckled bitterly. This misunderstanding was a big one to swallow. No matter how dignified and composed he usually was, Tang Wan had transformed into a fiercely protective mother—it was like she was a different person.
As they say, besides men and women, there is a third category of people in this world—mothers.
However, Yang Chen didn't intend to call and explain himself. Tang Wan was surely too angry now. When she calmed down, she would naturally discern the truth from falsehood.
Strolling alone outside held no interest for him anymore. Yang Chen put on his coat, briskly walked back to where he had parked his car. Tomorrow was Monday, and it was best to go home and get some sleep.