Chapter 122: Returning the Ring and Yang Tian’s Ruthless Move

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Reborn: A Life of Fulfilled Dreams — No Pop-Up Ads

Early the next morning, when Yang Tian awoke, he found He Wane still sleeping peacefully in his arms. Several elderly people exercising in the park were all looking at him with amused smiles. Nearly everyone who came to the park knew Yang Tian—the young genius designer who had renovated it.

Yang Tian smiled at them awkwardly. Had it been anyone else, the old people would certainly have looked at him with disdain, but Yang Tian was an exception.

He woke He Wane, since both of them still had classes to attend that day. When she first awoke, He Wane let out a soft, coquettish hum and refused to leave his embrace. But soon, she seemed to realize what she was doing. She hurriedly got up, straightened her clothes, and blushed crimson.

“It’s getting late. I have to go back to school for morning study. Goodbye!”

After a brief pause, He Wane first pretended to cough, then spoke hurriedly in a soft voice. She did not dare look up at Yang Tian, apparently feeling that she had behaved improperly by holding him in her arms while they slept the previous night.

“Mm. I’ll take you,” Yang Tian said with a sincere smile.

“No need. I’ll just take a taxi to school myself. Goodbye!”

He Wane ran off, but suddenly stopped. She turned around and hurried back, took the ring from around her neck, and placed it in Yang Tian’s hand.

“Since I’m not the girl you like, I should return this ring to you. Actually… if… one day, I hope I can take it back again!”

After saying this, He Wane ran away without looking back.

Yang Tian shook his head with a smile. He knew what she had wanted to say. In a girl’s eyes, a ring should be given to the person one loved most. He Wane hoped that one day he would solemnly give the ring to her—in other words, that he would eventually fall in love with her.

Facing the clear morning sky, Yang Tian took a deep breath and stared at the ring in his hand. He did not know whether he should feel happy or troubled. He had thought that giving away the ring would mark the end of his relationship with He Wane, but unexpectedly, it had returned to him in the end.

So was this the end between them—or a new beginning?

When he returned to his lodgings, Huang Juan was anxiously waiting outside the door.

“Xiaotian, where did you go last night? Why didn’t you come back all night?” Huang Juan asked urgently, dressed in a ladylike outfit.

When she saw that Yang Tian had returned safely, her heart finally relaxed. But seeing how tired he looked, she could not help feeling a pang of concern.

“I was at an Internet café, playing games with them. It’s nothing. Heh heh!” Yang Tian laughed cheerfully.

Yet he felt somewhat uncomfortable inside. He did not want to lie to Huang Juan, but he certainly could not tell her that he had spent the night with He Wane. Even if Huang Juan was as understanding as could be, she would probably still feel miserable for quite some time.

“By the way, Uncle Huang and Aunt Jiang came by last night. They said they wanted to treat the two of us to lunch today.”

Huang Juan had already picked up Yang Tian’s schoolbag. The two of them walked toward school together, chatting as they went.

“They want to treat both of us?” Yang Tian frowned. He understood perfectly well. Huang Jian and Jiang Mei were inviting them to dinner because of Huang Jian’s promotion to head of the Design Section at the Construction Bureau.

“Yes. They said they reserved a table at the Golden Coast, and they insisted that I bring you no matter what.” Huang Juan pursed her lips.

“Do you want to go?” Yang Tian asked with a smile.

“I knew they must want something from you, so I refused at first. But then they kept talking about things from my childhood, and I felt embarrassed refusing too firmly…”

As Huang Juan spoke, her face was filled with apology. She was simply too kind and had never learned how to refuse others.

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“Then let’s go. What kind of sense would it make to refuse an invitation to a meal? Not only are we going—we’re going to eat well!” Yang Tian said with a hearty laugh, making Huang Juan smile as well.

At noon, at the Golden Coast.

Huang Jian and Jiang Mei had truly gone all out. They had actually reserved the entire Purple Cloud Pavilion. Huang Ya had come too, and the family was waiting outside the pavilion for Yang Tian and Huang Juan.

The moment the two of them appeared at the elevator, smiles of ingratiation immediately spread across the faces of all three.

“Oh, Xia Juan, you must be tired! Come inside and rest. Let your cousin pour you something to drink and quench your thirst!” Jiang Mei hurried over to greet Huang Juan, fussing over her.

Huang Ya called loudly from the side, “Xia Juan, come sit with your sister!”

“Comrade Xiaoyang, here, have a cigarette!” Huang Jian approached Yang Tian and courteously took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, offering him one.

“Thank you, but I don’t smoke,” Yang Tian replied with a smile. He then strode to his seat, appearing calm and composed.

“I say, you old fool, smoking yourself is one thing, but do you really intend to make Xiaoyang smoke too? Put that cigarette out at once. Xiaoyang and Xia Juan may not like the smell!”

Jiang Mei was the more tactful one. Seeing Huang Jian standing there foolishly, she hurried to smooth things over.

Huang Jian immediately agreed, then crushed out the cigarette he had just lit.

“Xia Juan, you’ve been in Binhai for two years now, yet you still haven’t come to visit your third uncle and aunt. What is it—do you think your aunt didn’t love you enough when you were little? Oh, my child, we were poor back then, and your third uncle was useless. Even if I wanted to spoil you, I didn’t know how! You mustn’t listen to your father’s nonsense. Your third uncle and aunt have always cared about you. It’s not that your father is a bad man either—he’s simply always had that temperament. He was the same when he was young!”

Jiang Mei took Huang Juan’s hand and began ingratiating herself, glancing at Yang Tian from time to time.

Meanwhile, Huang Jian urged Yang Tian to eat. The table was covered with famous dishes from the Golden Coast, and the meal would probably cost more than a thousand yuan. There was even a bottle of Wuliangye waiting to be opened, most likely purchased simply to make an impression.

At that time, even a minor section chief at the Construction Bureau did not earn much in a year, much less someone like Huang Jian, who ranked below section-chief level. For them, this meal was practically a banquet fit for the wealthy.

“Xia Juan, come on, have some food! Ah, when all is said and done, your third uncle is simply incapable. Otherwise, your aunt would definitely take you somewhere even better!”

Jiang Mei kept emphasizing Huang Jian’s inadequacy. Everyone knew what she meant. Huang Jian lacked ability, and she wanted Yang Tian to pull some strings so that he could climb a little higher.

“Third Aunt, you’re too kind. This is already quite nice. Besides, when it comes to eating, being full is all that matters!”

Huang Juan smiled kindly. She understood the purpose behind Huang Jian and Jiang Mei’s invitation, so she kept looking at Yang Tian apologetically, feeling that she had dragged him into a great deal of trouble.

Yang Tian, however, did not care in the slightest. He ate when there was food and drank when there was wine. He would deal with soldiers when they came and block floods with earth when they arrived. He had seen plenty of worldly opportunists like Huang Jian and Jiang Mei. Did they really think he would be afraid of them?

“Yes, yes, Xia Juan is still as sensible as she was when she was little! Actually, Xia Juan, Xiaoyang, now that the door is closed, we’re all family. There’s something I’ve kept bottled up inside for a long time, but I don’t know whether I ought to say it…”

Seeing that the time was right, Jiang Mei slowly began getting to the point.

Everyone at the table froze except Yang Tian, who continued eating with great enthusiasm.

“Third Aunt, if there’s something you want to say, just say it,” Huang Juan said. She knew Jiang Mei was scheming, but at that moment, it was all she could say.

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“Ah, your third uncle is only a minor clerk at the Construction Bureau, and he’s already approaching retirement age. He still hasn’t managed to become a section chief. If he were to retire early one day, how could that little pension possibly support the whole family? Your cousin Huang Ya is still in university, and tuition is so expensive. Because of this, I haven’t had a peaceful night’s sleep in ages!”

As Jiang Mei spoke, she began wiping away tears.

Keep pretending. Go ahead and keep pretending! Why not just say outright that you want me to put in a word with Director Zhang and get Huang Jian made head of the Design Section? Why take such a long and exhausting detour?

Yang Tian cursed inwardly, while maintaining a perfectly calm expression.

“About that… Third Aunt, why don’t you ask Third Uncle to work harder?” Huang Juan offered an apologetic smile, meaning that she and Xiaotian could do nothing to help. They were still students, after all.

“Oh, child, asking your third uncle to work harder would be harder than making a sow climb a tree! If our Xiaoyang could just say a few good words to Director Zhang, I’m sure the matter would be settled!”

Jiang Mei could wait no longer and laid everything bare.

Cold sweat broke out across Huang Juan’s forehead. She did not know what sort of connections Yang Tian had at the municipal bureau. Asking a high school student to plead with the head of the Construction Bureau on someone’s behalf—wasn’t that making things difficult for him?

Yang Tian, however, merely smiled calmly, inwardly delighted. One moment it was “our Xiaoyang,” and the next it was “our Xiaoyang.” Since when had Yang Tian become part of their family?

“Third Uncle, Third Aunt, you just said that once the door is closed, we’re all family. So I won’t beat around the bush with you.”

Seeing Huang Juan looking both anxious and embarrassed, Yang Tian finally spoke.

“Going to Director Zhang to discuss this matter isn’t difficult. But you know my Uncle Huang’s temper. He doesn’t allow me to do this sort of thing behind his back. Uncle Huang watched Xia Juan and me grow up together. Whatever I do, I don’t want to hide it from him, nor do I want to make him upset or angry. So you should go talk to Uncle Huang. As long as he gives the word, I’ll certainly help.”

Yang Tian was no pushover. Did Huang Jian’s family really think they could take advantage of him so easily?

He knew that Huang Jian’s family had never gotten along with Huang Biao, so he deliberately brought Huang Biao into the matter. If Huang Jian and Jiang Mei wanted his help, they would first have to find a way to make Huang Biao happy.

For Huang Jian and Jiang Mei, that was an extremely difficult task. They knew Huang Biao’s temper all too well.

Hadn’t they kept insisting that everyone was family? Then they could go persuade Huang Biao. If they managed to move him, Yang Tian would help.

In a way, he was standing up for Huang Juan’s family. In the past, Huang Jian’s family had treated them with cold contempt and looked down on Huang Biao. It was time for them to humble themselves and plead with him. Huang Juan would surely feel immensely satisfied when she saw it.

“Yes, yes, of course. Biao has a stubborn temperament, but we’ll find a way to talk to him. We’re all family—there’s nothing that can’t be discussed!”

Jiang Mei and Huang Jian both wore bitter expressions. Yang Tian’s move had been truly ruthless, but they had no choice but to accept it. Otherwise, Huang Jian would have little hope of being promoted to section chief.

“Xiaotian, you’re awful! But luckily, you came up with this idea. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known how to answer them!”

After the meal, Huang Juan’s mood suddenly brightened. She hopped and skipped along as she walked back to school with Yang Tian.

“Didn’t their family bully yours all the time in the past? It’s time they paid for it,” Yang Tian said with a confident smile.

“But don’t you think this might be a little too harsh on them?” Huang Juan still felt somewhat reluctant.

“With some people, you have to be harsh. Otherwise, they’ll always be bullies who prey on the weak. Giving them a taste of hardship is only fair! Ha ha!”

Yang Tian laughed with exceptional delight. Huang Jian’s family wanted to use him as a stepping stone? They could dream on.