Chapter 76
Hao Ren didn't expect to see her Third Uncle there. He was stupefied for a moment and ignored him.
"Hey, boy, I'm talking to you!" Zhao Kuo shouted impatiently when he didn't get a response from Hao Ren.
Having ignored him again, Hao Ren turned to Zhao Yanzi and said, "Now that your Third Uncle is here, just forget about it."
He put one of the umbrellas back in his bag. Then, he looked up at the sprinkling rain, opened up his other umbrella, and walked away.
"What...what temper..." Zhao Yanzi pouted as she stared at his back. She ran over and dragged on his arm after a few seconds. "Why throw a tantrum like a kid? You can come back with us now that Third Uncle is here to pick me up!" she asked.
"I am not getting into your Third Uncle's car!" Hao Ren lightly threw away her hands.
"What are you saying, kid!" Zhao Kuo heard it with his acute hearing and shouted from afar.
"Stubborn! Grumpy!" Zhao Yanzi stomped her right foot and decided to leave Hao Ren alone. She jogged back to her Third Uncle at the school gate.
She was a little moved when she saw him waiting at the school gate with an umbrella, even though she didn't like this "Uncle".
"Forget about him and let's go!" Zhao Kuo sensed Zhao Yanzi's bad mood. After he opened the door to let her in, he started the black Mercedes.
Hao Ren quietly walked along the street with his umbrella. He ignored the million-yuan cars that were pa.s.sing by him because all he cared about was his grandma.
It was a random idea to pick Zhao Yanzi up from school; he didn't do it because it would make she happy. If anything, he was doing it as a reward for her hard work lately.
As the black Mercedes pa.s.sed by, Zhao Yanzi looked back at Hao Ren who was walking by himself. She felt bad for him all of a sudden.
"Third Uncle, let it go. Let's take him with us," Zhao Yanzi said.
"I'm not taking him...who does he think he is!" Zhao Kuo said with pride.
The car left Hao Ren behind while they were talking.
Zhao Yanzi turned back again to look at Hao Ren who was strolling in the rain, and she said to her Third Uncle all of a sudden, "Third Uncle, stop the car!"
"Why? Did you forget something?" hearing Zhao Yanzi shout, Zhao Kuo immediately parked the car along the roadside.
"You go ahead, Third Uncle. Take my backpack with
"Zi! It's raining!" Zhao Kuo insisted.
"It's fine!" she ran back over a puddle as the water reflected the shape of her slim pale legs.
Hao Ren was walking with his head down under the umbrella when the small body entered his view.
He looked up and saw Zhao Yanzi standing in front of him, breathing heavily.
"Give me the umbrella!" she reached out her hand.
"Huh?" Hao Ren didn't realize what she meant.
"Give me the umbrella!" She repeated in a louder voice.
Hao Ren looked at her as he took the other umbrella out of his bag, confused.
Zhao Yanzi quickly s.n.a.t.c.hed it from Hao Ren, opened it up, and walked ahead in big steps.
Hao Ren sped up to catch up with her.
"What are you doing? You are walking with me when there is a car waiting for you?" Hao Ren asked her.
"Who wants to keep you company! Can't I just enjoy the rain?" Zhao Yanzi hopped over a small puddle and pouted.
"Zi!" Third Uncle backed up the Mercedes towards them and rolled down the window.
"It's ok, Third Uncle! You can go back first!" Zhao Yanzi waved at him.
He looked at her in confusion as he noticed the impatience in her tone. He felt wronged and wondered if he had done anything incorrectly.
"It is indeed more and more difficult to see through this little girl. She was so mad at this boy that she wanted him dead...but now..."
He sighed as he watched them walk forward side by side. Then, he stepped on the gas paddle and headed home.
The drizzling rain fell down generously from the sky.
The air hadn't been this fresh for quite a while, and the cool and refres.h.i.+ng wind made them feel very comfortable.
Zhao Yanzi's shoes and socks got wet, yet she still insisted on walking instead of taking the bus or hailing a taxi.
"How did the exams go?" asked Hao Ren.
"Just so-so," she answered. Then she added, "You didn't help me cheat."
"You certainly have only yourself to rely on in the exam. How can you cheat?" Hao Ren said with a strong sense of righteousness.
"Pffft, don't tell me you have never cheated," Zhao Yanzi said with disdain.
Hao Ren examined his past and realized that he wasn't really that righteous during his middle school exams either.
However, he quibbled for himself in silence, "We only used some cheat sheets...and the most serious offense would be peeking at other people's papers. No one was bold enough to ask for answers with a cell phone..."
"When will you get your results?" Hao Ren asked.
"So annoying... you aren't my parents!" Zhao Yanzi rolled her eyes at him.
Hao Ren quibbled secretly, "I'm your tutor...and... I'm your future husband..."
Seeing how defensive she was, he kept quiet as they continued walking. She didn't answer any of his questions.
"You and that Cla.s.s President...what has been going on with you two lately?" Zhao Yanzi suddenly asked after taking a few more steps.
"Why are you asking?" Hao Ren was interested.
"Just curious." she pouted her mouth and sped up a little.
Hao Ren thought to himself as he hurried up and caught up with her, "Could she be thinking that Xie Yujia is my girlfriend at school?"
"Didn't think she could get jealous too..." Hao Ren thought as he looked at her pretty little face.
They sped up and slowed down from time to time until they arrived at Zhao Yanzi's house.
Zhao Kuo's black Mercedes was parked outside.
Zhao Yanzi took out her key and opened the door, and she immediately heard the quarrel between her dad and her Third Uncle from the living room.
"What? Brother, you are inviting those jerks from West Ocean?" Zhao Kuo's loud voice came into Hao Ren's ears.
"Quiet, we have guests here," Zhao Guang shushed him, "We need to invite them whether you like it or not. They used to be on good terms with us after all. If we don't invite them to Zi's 15th birthday party, it would be like coming to an open rupture publicly."
"Brother!" Zhao Kuo stopped himself when he noticed that Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi had returned.
"Dad, Third Uncle, I'm back," Zhao Yanzi walked inside and put the umbrella in a corner.
"Uncle," Hao Ren followed in and greeted.
He didn't want to look rude in front of Zhao Guang although he wasn't a big fan of Zhao Kuo.
"Where is my grandma?" Hao Ren asked.
"Hehe, she is cooking dinner with Hongyu in the kitchen," Zhao Guang laughed. Then, he turned to Zhao Kuo with a straight face and said, "You, come with me to the study room."
Zhao Kuo's face turned red as he looked down. He then followed Zhao Guang, who was taller and more well built, into the study room.