When Tang Xiaodai reached home, she couldn't move anymore because of exhaustion. She directly dived into bed and dialed her father's phone number.
"Hello." A voice of a man in his early thirties could be heard.
"Dad! Where are you now?" The softness in her voice was evident.
"I'm on my way. I'll arrive there within five minutes." Even from his gentle tone, one could estimate that he was smiling.
"Dad, before you come upstairs to my bedroom, could you grab a cup of warm milk for me from the kitchen? I had too much ice today. Now my stomach literally feels like a fridge." The kid wheedled her father lovingly.
"Okay. Seems like you had a lot of fun today. You sound so tired."
She excitedly responded, "Yeah, that was fun. I got two new friends as well. I will tell you everything later."
When her father got to the Tang's mansion, he saw a familiar girl lurking around in front of the house. Her expression was vividly tense and nervous, like a soldier preparing to enter a fierce battle. She just stood still without ringing the bell. He walked up to her and greeted, "Bai Hualing?"
Hualing didn't notice the man who was approaching her and jolted in fright. She quickly maintained her composure and bowed to him respectfully, "Mr.Li"
She had met him in the countryside when she volunteered to be a teacher at a new school. He was a benefactor who donated to the hapless kids. So she was respectful towards him.
"I thought you won't be back here until next month." Since she volunteered to work for a month, it's normal that he would think that way.
"Yes. I applied for sick leave as something urgent came up."
"What are you doing here?" He shifted his gaze from her to the entrance.
She sheepishly said, "Ah, I have an appointment with Chairman Tang. I am about to enter."
He noticed there was a box she was lifting with both of her hands, "Give me the box. I will carry it for you."
"Thank you, Mr.Li. But it's alright. It's not heavy."
"Please let me." He snatched the box from her and proceeded to go inside the house. Although he meant well and was smiling when he spoke to her, he had an air of authority around him that rendered the other person obey him no matter what.
When Tang Renshu saw Jianyu and Hualing coming together and his grandson even carried a box for her, he recalled something. A while ago, Quan informed him that Hualing would come by. He reminded him not to be so harsh on her.
Tang Renshu disliked the fact that Bai Hualing had all three of his grandsons wrapped around her finger.
When Jianyu saw Tang Renshu coming out, he made a subtle nod to him in courtesy. Then, he turned around and strode towards the kitchen to get what his daughter demanded.
In the living room, the first thing Hualing did was not sit on the couch, but she handed out the box to Tang Renshu. "These are the gifts Tang Weimin compensated me for my loss. I can't accept them."
She took a deep breath before continuing, "I refuse your proposal, Chairman Tang. I won't marry Tang Weimin and I won't stop being a teacher." Previously Grandpa put her on the test and that was to leave her current job before marrying his grandson.
"I understand your suspicion towards me. I have no background and you might think I am trying to climb the ladder by sleeping with my friend's fiance on purpose." She made sure her tone was not offensive.
She gulped and clenched her fists tightly to collect the strength to negotiate with him. "And...I demand you to compromise this matter only between us. You can insult me as you like but please don't drag my friend into the case. She has nothing to do with it. I admit that on the previous day, she came here for me. I don't know what you told her that day but I know that she was obviously gloomy afterward."
"If you have no idea what I told her, let me apprise you of it. I suggested that she stays away from you in case you will get a bad influence on her." His voice was intimidating.
"Chairman Tang, you are belittling her. She is quick-witted and good at reading people. She is more capable than what most people think." She spoke her mind.
'Except for the fact that Xiulan is "a little bit" dramatic.' Bai Hualing swallowed the last words.
Tang Renshu's expression had remained unperturbed since the discussion commenced, unconvinced.
Bai Hualing groped a bottle from her bag and showed it to Grandpa Tang, "This morning she gave me this as a gift. If I don't accept it, she will feel sad. So in return, I got ice cream for her. It may not make sense to you, but it is a small gesture of endearment for us. My belief is that one's benevolence doesn't depend on the amount of money you spent on it."
Although Tang Quan settled the payment for the ice cream in the end, she really intended to treat her to it, to begin with.
Tang Renshu silently watched the girl who was blabbering nonstop and at the end, he opened his mouth, "If I obstruct your job as a teacher, what are you gonna do?"
"I will write books or scripts." Bai Hualing didn't even blink an eye and answered back. She had always enjoyed writing things.
"What if I thwart it again?" Tang Renshu spoke with a stern face.
Bai Hualing muttered softly, "I am going to do all the things I can until you stop hindering me from having my way."
Tang Renshu was in deep contemplation for a while before he let out, "Alright! I will halt forcing you to marry my grandson. And I won't make you get fired, but I won't admit guilt or apologize to you even if you were wrongly accused because I am protecting those who I hold dear to my heart from any harm. I don't regret it."
Bai Hualing stopped breathing and focused on his words with her widened eyes. Although he had finished talking his part, she kept on gazing at him as if she couldn't believe the issue was settled just like that.
Tang Renshu sized her up the whole time she was conveying her outlook. He recalled what Xiulan told him. Hualing spoke in a poised manner and she was quite calm and eloquent. He assured her, "Stop staring at me. Are we cool now?"
Hualing delightfully replied, "Yes. Yes. Thank you so much, Chairman Tang." She couldn't stop bending and straightening her back, again and again, to bow to him in gratitude.
Tang Renshu observed her actions in an insurmountable sorrow. Just because of the irresponsible parents, the child suffered. Living as an independent orphan might have already been so hard for her and yet if her testimony was true, she was attacked and forcefully dragged into the mess without her willingness. Well, the world was indeed unfair.
Jianyu unintentionally overheard the conversation from the beginning to the end while waiting to get a cup of warm milk. Her words made him curl his lips up meaningfully and an interesting idea came across his mind.