Mrs. Tang had never thought that Tang Yuanyuan would wake up early in morning just to go for a morning jog.
“Yes, Madam. Miss even changed into her sports shoes.”
“How long has it been since she left?”
“About an hour.”
“It’s been an hour?”
Mrs. Tang was taken aback when she heard how long Tang Yuanyuan had been gone. “She still hasn’t returned after an hour? Where did she go?”
“This can’t be happening.” Mrs. Tang’s expression became a little serious. “A young girl like her going out early in the morning is dangerous. I have to go and look for her immediately.”
Then, Mrs. Tang ordered the servant. “Go upstairs and wake Mr. Tang up. Tell him about this and ask him to look for her too. ”
After giving the orders, Mrs. Tang put on her jacket and prepared to leave the house.
As soon as she left the house, she stumbled upon Tang Yuanyuan who had just returned from her morning jog.
“Mom?”
“Yuanyuan?”
Mrs. Tang walked toward her with surprise written all over her face. “I was just about to go and look for you. What happened to you? Why did you wake up so early for a morning jog when it’s so cold outside? And why are you wearing so little? What if you catch a cold?”
Tang Yuanyuan shook her head. “I will not catch a cold, Mom. I went for a jog and my body is all warmed up. I even sweated so much that I’m feeling hot right now.”
Tang Yuanyuan headed in and took her clothes off. Mrs. Tang instantly took a towel for Tang Yuanyuan to wipe her sweat off. “After drying yourself, remember to go change into a new set of clothes immediately. You’ve never got up this early to go for a morning jog before. Why did you suddenly wake up so early and become so hardworking? Who are you trying to scare?”
Tang Yuanyuan was panting slightly. Truth is, she only went for a slow jog today, but it was tiring indeed. During her jog, there were several times where Tang Yuanyuan thought of giving up, but everytime she thought of Yuchi Yishu, she gritted her teeth and continued jogging.
When she realized it was almost an hour, she headed home.
“It’s nothing, Mom. I just realized that I should be exercising more often.” Tang Yuanyuan didn’t tell Mrs. Tang that she wanted to lose weight, so she made up an excuse. “When we were on our trip, there was a madam who told me that our life depended on the exercise that we do, and we have to exercise more often to be healthy.”
“Oh. Back when I used to tell you about this, why didn’t you listen to me? Is it because what I said was nonsense, but what others say is an imperial edict?”
Mrs. Tang complained and reached out to poke her head.
“No, Mom.” Tang Yuanyuan shook her head. “I know that you said it for my own good, but anyhow, you’re still my mother and sometimes I can’t differentiate whether you’re just joking around or you’re being serious with me. However, things are different when it comes to strangers.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
“From tomorrow onward, I’ll be going for a morning jog every day.”
“It’s good that you’re taking the initiative to exercise more often. I will not stop you, but you’re not allowed to leave so early in the morning. At least wait until the sun is up before you start running.”
“Okay, Mom.”
Winter break was coming to an end, but Tang Yuanyuan still woke up daily for her morning jog, and even cut down on her daily food intake. She used to eat two bowls of rice every meal, but she cut it down to one bowl, and in the end, not even a single bowl. She even started having corn steamed rolls and a cup of soy milk for her daily breakfast. She also stuck diligently to her daily workout routine.
“Yuanyuan, are you trying to lose weight?”
Everytime Mrs. Tang asked her, she would shake her head and deny it. “No, Mom. I’m just working out!”
“You call this working out? You even started to avoid food with a high calorie intake! Do you think I’m dumb?”
Tang Yuanyuan pursed her lips and said nothing.
Mrs. Tang took her by the hand and pulled her into a room. “Tell me the truth; did something happen during the trip?”
Mrs. Tang knew Tang Yuanyuan too well. She had advised her multiple times before, but Tang Yuanyuan did not heed her words. Although it was a good thing that her daughter was willing to put effort into working out, since it was healthy to exercise and lose some weight, Mrs. Tang was worried about her sudden drastic change. She felt like something must have happened during the trip.
“Nothing happened, Mom.”
“You’re my daughter, so don’t think of lying to me. Tell me what happened. Do you think I would hurt you? ”
Tang Yuanyuan’s eyes, which were as clear as water, stared at Mrs. Tang for a while. She lowered her lashes for a moment before saying, “Mom, do you think I would look good if I lose weight?”
“Of course. Our Yuanyuan is already so good looking when she’s chubby. If you ever lose weight, you would look amazing.”
“Do you think Yishu would fall for me then?”
Tang Yuanyuan took a long time before she asked this question.
Mrs. Tang was taken aback, and she was silent for a few beats.
“Y-Yuanyuan, what are you talking about?”
Mrs. Tang almost couldn’t believe her ears. Tang Yuanyuan was upset when she saw her mother’s shocked expression, and she lowered her head.
“Mom, am I overthinking?”
After saying that, Tang Yuanyuan bit her lower lip, feeling extremely upset. “But… I don’t want Yishu to get a girlfriend. I really don’t want that to happen.”
Tang Yuanyuan finally understood why she was in tears when she dreamed about Yuchi Yishu. It turned out that she had feelings for him, but it was just that it had never occurred to her before.
Lately, she wasn’t only determined to lose weight, but she was also thinking about this matter. She’d thought it through. She had grown up together with Yuchi Yishu since they were children. He was her childhood sweetheart, and she had been relying on him for such a long time. She wanted things to stay that way.
“Oh Yuanyuan, how could you…” Mrs. Tang used to think that her daughter didn’t understand a thing about relationships, and she was even worried that she would never really grow up. Everytime she tried to advise Tang Yuanyuan to lose weight, the latter always acted as if she didn’t care.
Mrs. Tang could only let out an internal sigh. After all, she cannot be interfering with her daughter’s fate. If Yuchi Yishu and her were not fated to be together, or if Yuchi Yishu had no feelings for Tang Yuanyuan, then she would just find someone else for Tang Yuanyuan in the future.
But she had never expected that Tang Yuanyuan would…
“Mom, it wasn’t intentional.” Tang Yuanyuan raised her head and said pitifully, “But I’ve realized that I’ve become so weird recently.”
“Silly girl.” Mrs. Tang hugged her tightly. “You’re not weird. It’s normal to catch feelings for someone, especially when you’re already a teenager.”
“It’s not weird?”
“You are going to be an adult soon. What’s so weird about catching feelings for someone? It’s just that… I was always thinking when my silly girl would finally grow up.”
“But I’m too fat.”
“Aren’t you trying to lose weight? However, are you sure about this?”
Mrs. Tang was worried that Tang Yuanyuan was not able to differentiate the feeling between crushing on someone or being dependent on them. Her daughter did not want Yuchi Yishu to find a girlfriend because she has a crush on him, or was it just that she didn’t want to lose her best childhood friend? Those were two totally different things.
“I’m sure.” Tang Yuanyuan nodded. “I’ve thought about it, and I hope that I can lose weight before Yishu gets a girlfriend.”
Besides, she also wanted to become an adult soon.
One more year to go, and she’d be eighteen years old.
By then, she’d be an adult!
She hoped that by that time, she would’ve achieved her goal of losing weight.
