Give Me Another Smile

Chapter 46: Accepting Underlings?

TL Notes:

Made a change to Chapter 45:

Boss -> Big Brother

It had been quite some time since Yin Zhao-an last accepted others as her underlings. The last time she did so was when the military compound was still filled with children. However, as the years passed, more families started moving out of the military compound, and Yin Zhao-an also stopped being as childish as she used to be. No longer would she say, "Be my underling if I beat you in a fight" to every person she met.

Now, the only people Yin Zhao-an still maintained close contact with were Tang Yu and Zhao Yu. As for everyone else, they would only greet each other when they met on occasion.

So, Yin Zhao-an couldn't help but be put into a dilemma on whether she should accept new underlings.

"An-An"

"Oh! Coming!" When Yin Zhao-an heard Tang Yu calling her name so worriedly, her heart instantly melted, and she immediately cast her concerns to the back of her mind as she jogged back to Tang Yu's side.

Meanwhile, the delinquents awkwardly looked at each other. The leader of the delinquents felt especially awkward. Even so, his desire to make Yin Zhao-an his "Big Brother" did not change.

Indeed, the delinquent leader was under the misconception that Yin Zhao-an was a boy.

If the delinquent leader knew that the "Big Brother" who had just 1v4-ed his group was a girl, his pride would probably be shattered.

Yin Zhao-an wore a fawning smile on her face as she returned to Tang Yu's side.

Meanwhile, Tang Yu breathed a sigh of relief when she scanned Yin Zhao-an's body and found no injuries. Honestly, she still felt lingering fear when she thought back to the situation just now. Although she couldn't see the fight directly, the sounds she heard allowed her to discern that Yin Zhao-an did not hold back in the slightest.

Apart from worrying that Yin Zhao-an might get injured, Tang Yu was even more concerned that Yin Zhao-an might accidentally go too far and cripple or, worse yet, kill the delinquents.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Tang Yu asked, just in case.

Yin Zhao-an shook her head, her lips curling upward even more. Although her faint smiles would give her an unapproachable vibe, she looked like a cat when she brightly smiled.

"That's good to hear," Tang Yu said, breathing another sigh of relief. Then, after looking around, she said, "Let's hurry home."

However, Yin Zhao-an did not seem to get Tang Yu's point as she walked at a leisurely pace. She completely ignored Tang Yu's desire to return home as quickly as possible.

Tang Yu gnashed her teeth when she saw Yin Zhao-an's behavior. After taking a deep breath, she pulled Yin Zhao-an's hand and started running across the late-night streets.

Tang Yu dared not drop her guard after the previous incident. After all, what if the delinquents from before called for reinforcements?!

Yin Zhao-an secretly smiled when her plan succeeded. Of course, although she pretended to reluctantly let Tang Yu pull her along, she made sure to keep up with Tang Yu's pace to avoid exhausting her Tang-Tang.

When the two girls arrived at the Tang family's home, Yu Wanrou was just about to lock the front door and leave the house, the woman's face full of worry. Then, the moment Yu Wanrou saw Tang Yu, her eyes instantly teared up as she ran over to embrace her daughter. "You scared Mommy to death I thought I thought you had"

Although Tang Yu didn't know why her mother was so emotionally excited, she still reciprocated her mother's embrace as she said, "I'm fine. I met a few delinquents, but An-An scared them away."

Yin Zhao-an proudly lifted her head when she heard her name being mentioned. Without the slightest hint of humility, she said, "Don't worry, Auntie. Nothing will happen to Tang-Tang with me around. I will always protect her." After saying so, Yin Zhao-an even winked at Tang Yu.

Yu Wanrou gradually put her emotions under control. Then, with teary eyes, she unlocked the front door and said, "Come on in first."

When Yin Zhao-an failed to meet Tang Yu at the school gate, she stopped by Tang Yu's house to inform Yu Wanrou about Tang Yu's potentially late return.

At the time, Yin Zhao-an didn't think that Tang Yu would have yet to return home even after the sky had gone dark. So, when she received Yu Wanrou's anxious call, she promptly suggested Yu Wanrou wait at home while she dashed out of her house to look for Tang Yu.

Yu Wanrou also worried that Tang Yu might come home while she was out of the house. So, when she heard Yin Zhao-an's suggestion, she chose to remain at home despite her worries.

However, the longer Yu Wanrou waited at home, the more anxious she became. She still remembered the words her husband's captain had told her several years ago. When she thought of the possibility that the escaped outlaw might have come back to take revenge, she hurriedly got ready to leave the house to search for her daughter. Fortunately, the heavens did not play a trick on her, and her child had safely returned to her side.

Afterward, Yu Wanrou made a pot of hot tea for the two children to warm up. She then profusely expressed her gratitude to Yin Zhao-an.

"If you weren't around, An-An, I have no idea what would have happened to Little Yu. I really cannot thank you enough for what you've done today."

Yin Zhao-an was on cloud nine after having received numerous words of compliment and gratitude from Yu Wanrou and Tang Yu's concern. Even the smile on her face started to look a little silly.

Meanwhile, after hesitating for a moment, Yu Wanrou looked at Yin Zhao-an and said, "An-An, Auntie would like to make an unreasonable request of you."

Upon hearing Yu Wanrou suddenly speaking in such a formal manner, Yin Zhao-an promptly got serious and said, "You can be straightforward with me, Auntie. You don't have to be polite around me."

Hearing Yin Zhao-an's words, Yu Wanrou looked to her silent daughter and said, "I wish to have Little Yu follow you."

Tang Yu's head snapped up when she heard her mother's words, a look of confusion on her face.

Meanwhile, Yin Zhao-an also had trouble fully comprehending Yu Wanrou's meaning of "follow you."

Realizing the vagueness of her request, Yu Wanrou reorganized her words and said, "Little Yu is too introverted and easily subjected to bullying. If you don't find her cumbersome, can I ask you to keep a closer eye on her, An-An? For example, waiting for her after school."