With that, he strode forward, grabbing Shi Nian’s wrist and walked to the roadside to hail a cab.
A taxi slid over, and he opened the door for Shi Nian, protectively shielding her head. Shi Nian got in, reached out to close the door, and then bid farewell: "Thank you, Mr. Tang. Goodbye."
Tang Yanqing chuckled lightly, and before she finished speaking, he ducked and slipped into the back seat as well, then closed the door with a bang and sat upright with a slightly arrogant posture.
Shi Nian laughed helplessly, "Mr. Tang, what are you doing?"
Tang Yanqing only looked at the driver in the mirror: "Deep Valley Sanatorium, please."
Shi Nian was taken aback again, her eyes quietly slid over the rearview mirror, then she asked in a low voice: "Mr. Tang, what are you planning to do?"
"I’m going with you," he said matter-of-factly, tilting his head to look at her, his dark pupils glistening faintly with light, particularly captivating in the clear blue morning light.
Shi Nian inexplicably felt tense and quietly clenched her fists: "Mr. Tang, don’t joke around. I didn’t invite you."
"I don’t need your invitation," he smiled broadly, his neat teeth shining like a string of pearls: "I’m the kind of person who likes to come uninvited."
Shi Nian really felt like going crazy, so she couldn’t help but complain in a low voice: "Coming uninvited—like a night owl entering the house?" Get full chapters from n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net
"Oh, entering the house indeed," he grinned cheekily again.
Shi Nian, frustrated but helpless, could only turn her head away and look out the car window on her side. Her fist placed on her knee clenched tighter and tighter.
The roadside trees slipped past her view, one row after another, like memories replaying frame by frame.
It’s been four years since she came to M Country. She previously volunteered in the community and Chinese groups for two years before joining Deep Throat, and she had never introduced her mother to her colleagues. Just like before, she would bring good friends home, introduce them to her mom, and proudly let them taste her mom’s cooking, happily hearing them say, "Your mom’s pastries are so delicious."
Dad and Mom were always her pride; she never imagined that one day, Mom would become .
It’s not that she was afraid of friends knowing her mom’s true condition; she was afraid that strangers might upset Mom. Mom was especially afraid of strangers and would often scream after encountering them. She understood that this was a sign of Mom’s insecurity, and it was her own failure for not providing enough security for Mom.
Or perhaps the security Mom wanted always came from Dad, from Dad in his police uniform. When Dad left, Mom’s world collapsed too.
"Hey..." his voice came over.
Shi Nian quickly sniffed and turned to look at him.
He was right in front of her, his dark pupils serene and focused: "Rest assured, I will definitely not scare Auntie." He intentionally gave a big smile in front of her: "Don’t forget, I’m a behavior analyst, I know what kind of body language calms people down. So, don’t worry, okay?"
Shi Nian could only sniff and nod.
He then gently patted the back of her hand: "And maybe I can help. By observing Auntie, seeing what kind of body movements trigger intense reactions, and then providing feedback to the doctors, it might aid in Auntie’s recovery treatment."
"Really?" Anything that could help with Mom’s treatment, Shi Nian wanted to try.
He tilted his head and smiled brightly: "So, welcome me to come, okay?"
When they arrived at Deep Valley, it was just breakfast time.
Mrs. Liu saw Shi Nian coming and quickly let Shi Nian accompany Xu Xinzhen while she went to get the meal.
In fact, as soon as they entered the room, Shi Nian really wanted to temporarily prevent Tang Yanqing from coming in, fearing that Mom would be frightened if a stranger suddenly appeared.
But Tang Yanqing simply followed her in and walked right up to Xu Xinzhen without any reservation, greeting: "Hello Auntie, my name is Tang, full name Yanqing."
Xu Xinzhen stared at Tang Yanqing’s face, slightly hesitant: "Are you... Nian Nian’s middle school classmate? Oh, I remember, you were the boy who always pursued our Nian Nian, waiting for her downstairs at school and wanting to escort her home, weren’t you?"
Shi Nian’s ears buzzed, and she quickly went forward to hold Xu Xinzhen’s hand: "Ah... Mom, no, that’s not it."
He raised an eyebrow and looked at her.
Shi Nian turned her head to glare at him and made a funny face.
Presumably, he wouldn’t argue with her in front of her mom.
But unexpectedly, he bowed solemnly: "Auntie, you guessed right, it’s me!"
Shi Nian took several deep breaths to hold back from kicking him out on the spot.
Didn’t he say he came to help with Mom’s treatment? Yet here he was, talking nonsense so eloquently!