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.

Tang Tang huffed. "Of course, it concerns me. I live with my mom. When she's in a bad mood, it's like she doesn't want to see me either. I just made a little joke with her, saying I'm like my dad, always talking nonsense and causing trouble."

Yang Chen frowned. "Can't you be patient when your mom is upset?"

"I did try, but I can't always be patient!" Tang Tang said indignantly.

"So you ran away from home because of that?" Yang Chen chuckled.

"Yeah, I don't want to see my mom or my dad. They always bully me. Only Uncle is nice to me," Tang Tang said, her eyes becoming slightly moist, her pitiful look tugging at Yang Chen's heart.

Yang Chen didn't know how to comfort her. After settling the bill, he took Tang Tang for a walk around the street. When they reached a small park at the end of the commercial street, Tang Tang suddenly stopped and said, "Uncle, can we go in and sit for a while?"

"Are you tired?" Yang Chen asked.

"No, I just want to sit here for a while," Tang Tang replied.

It was already past eight in the evening, still early to go home. Yang Chen agreed and found a wooden bench in the park to sit on, following the lead of this disheartened girl.

Tangtang leaned closer to Yang Chen, as it was already winter and the night was quite cold. Yang Chen, seeing her pitiful look, felt sympathetic and took off his coat, intending to put it on Tangtang.

Tangtang immediately refused, saying, "Uncle, you'll catch a cold like this."

"I won't catch a cold," Yang Chen replied truthfully.

"Why wouldn't you catch a cold?" Tangtang didn't believe him and pushed the coat back to Yang Chen, saying with a smile, "Uncle, just let me lean on you. It won't be so cold when there's someone to sit with."

After a moment of thought, Yang Chen opened the coat and draped half over himself while letting Tangtang have the other half. He allowed Tangtang to lean against his shoulder for the night.

Tangtang felt quite content, leaning against Yang Chen's shoulder and yawning.

Yang Chen sighed and said with a wry smile, "Girl, don't fall asleep. You'll really catch a cold if you do."

"I won't sleep. I'm watching the stars," Tangtang pouted.

Yang Chen looked up and saw that the sky tonight was relatively clear. Though the stars were not abundant, they scattered sparsely across the sky. In the city, such a sight was rare.

"In such a romantic moment, it's a waste to be with an old man like me," Yang Chen joked.

Tangtang wrinkled her nose, "That's not true. Uncle, you're quite charming."

Yang Chen chuckled softly but didn't respond.

"Uncle, I used to come to this park for walks with my mom all the time. Back then, she wasn't as busy as she is now. It's been a long time since I walked here with her," Tangtang said softly.

Yang Chen glanced at the girl silently and understood why she suddenly wanted to sit here.

"How long do you plan to stay here? It's about time I take you back," Yang Chen said.

"No, Uncle, can I sleep at your place tonight? I don't want to go back. I get upset when I see my mom," Tangtang pleaded.

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.