Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

"That works too." Yang Xiaobo hesitated a moment, then nodded in agreement. It really was cold outside, and at this hour the bus would be packed with people—never mind a seat, there would not even be room to stand.

Yang Xiaobo did not much mind for himself, but every time he saw Shen Hua squeezed until she was gritting her teeth, it pained him. He was not as strong as Yang Ce either, who could shove other passengers aside on a bus.

Back when Yang Ce and Chen Shutang had ridden the bus together, Yang Ce had simply pushed the others aside, leaving Chen Shutang plenty of space.

The four of them left the shop together. Yang Jiyan froze—a fellow was sneaking about, pulling at the door of his BMW. By the time Yang Ce stepped outside, the man had already opened the door and was reaching inside. Yang Ce had not expected that in the brief while he was in the shop, with the engine still running, a thief would be drawn to the car. Without a word he rushed over, seized the man by the scruff of the neck from behind, and hoisted him up.

In the fellow's hand was still a small bag—none other than Chen Shutang's handbag.

"Stealing?" Yang Ce asked coldly.

"I—" Seeing that Yang Puqi had lifted him with one hand, the thief realized at once that this was a ruthless man, not one he could afford to cross. He hurriedly begged for mercy: "Good sir, let me go. I have an old—"

"Oh, spare me." Yang Xutang gave a cold laugh. "Let me guess—you've got an eighty-year-old mother above and a four-year-old child below, a sick wife and a dead father, and I'm meant to take pity on you?"

"How—how did you know?" The thief was instantly embarrassed.

"Leave the bag and get lost!" Yang Ce took Chen Shutang's handbag, flung the thief aside, and sent him sprawling hard into a snowbank by the road.

"Thank you for sparing me, good sir, thank you!" the thief cried, scrambling and tumbling away into the distance.

Just then the commotion outside roused Chen Shutang. She opened her eyes, saw Yang Ce standing outside the car, and asked, puzzled, "Yang Ce, what's going on?"

"You fell asleep and attracted a thief. He nearly made off with your handbag." Yang Ce handed the bag back to Chen Shutang.

"Ah!" Chen Shutang was immediately embarrassed. "It's all my fault—I didn't lock the door."

"It's nothing. Just be more careful next time." Yang Yanzhou finished, then gestured to Yang Xiaobo and Shen Hua behind him. "Mengyan, let me introduce you to two people—my brother Yang Xiaobo, and his girlfriend Shen Hua. We ran into them at the shop just now. Let's give them a ride part of the way."

"Oh, sure." Chen Shutang nodded, then waved amiably at Yang Xiaobo and Shen Hua. "Hello there!"

"This is your sister-in-law," Yang Ce said, introducing her to Yang Xiaobo.

"Sister-in-law," Yang Xiaobo called out respectfully at once. Shen Hua's voice was very small—she was evidently still shy. But in calling her sister-in-law, she had as good as declared herself one of the Yang family.

Yang Ce opened the rear doors for Yang Xiaobo and Shen Hua, let them get in, then returned to the driver's seat and started the car.

Not far away, in a dark corner, the thief from before shakily took out his phone and dialed a number. "Boss... I failed the job."

"Useless," came a hoarse male voice from the other end.

"That Yang Ce came out too fast—I hadn't even had a chance to make my move," the thief explained.

"It's that your hands are too slow. All that training I gave you, wasted," the man on the phone said. "Get back here. I'll send your senior brother out instead."

To be continued.

931. He Is One of the Yang Family (Part One)

931. He Is One of the Yang Family (Part One)

"Boss, I'm sorry. I've failed your expectations," the thief said cautiously.

"Forget it," the man on the phone said. "This organization of ours could not have come this far without your contributions. Once the great undertaking succeeds, you will be counted among those who made it happen. Besides, that business in Yunnan—didn't you handle that rather well?"

"Thank you, boss." The thief was delighted. "In Yunnan, though, it was only because you were there in person guiding me that the job went off smoothly."

"Enough. You are my disciple, and I hold you to a strict standard for your own good," the man said. "Come back. We'll discuss everything when you're here."

"Yes, boss." The tension the thief had felt a moment ago eased considerably. The boss had not truly blamed him, it seemed, and that gladdened him greatly.

Yang Ce drove on quietly. As he passed the corner of a dark alley, he instinctively tapped the brake. Casually he turned his head and glanced toward the corner deep in the alley.

Then he turned back, looked at the people in the car, pressed the accelerator again, and the car sped away.

"Bro, when did you get a new car? This is a BMW, isn't it—that X5 SUV they brought out last year." Yang Xiaobo loved cars. Whenever he had free time, he would go online and browse Auto Home. At school he often bought car magazines, too.

"Yeah, not long ago. That Volkswagen Bora before was a friend's—I can't keep driving his car forever," Yang Hengye said. "What, are you interested in cars?"

"Yeah." Yang Xiaobo nodded. "I buy Auto Home magazines all the time. Back then I thought this car was so cool—never thought I'd actually get to ride in one someday."

"When you graduate from high school, whatever car you want, I'll buy it for you," Yang Hengye said. A car was nothing to him now.

"Really?" Yang Xiaobo cried excitedly at Yang Juehuan's words.

"Of course it's real. Have I ever lied to you?" Looking at Yang Xiaobo's youthful, lively manner, Yang Ce could not help thinking of himself in high school. "Mengyan, do you think the two of us were like them back in high school?"

Yang Cenbin had only meant it as a sigh of nostalgia, but Chen Shutang misunderstood. She thought Yang Yanzhou was talking about Yang Xiaobo and Shen Hua's relationship, so she blushed and said, "In high school, we were just classmates."

"Huh?" Yang Ce was startled, then burst out laughing. "Mengyan, I meant the way the two of us looked—nothing else."

"Oh." Chen Shutang's face flushed red, and she felt rather embarrassed. "I didn't mean anything else either."

Yang Xiaobo and Shen Hua, in the back seat, thought their big brother and sister-in-law were simply hilarious—but they did not dare laugh, and could only hold it in, which was sheer agony.

"Which way now?" Yang Minlan was not very familiar with the route to No. 8 Middle School. She had not taken it many times back when she was a student—only that one time she went to the bookstore with Chen Shutang—and had no clear memory of it.

"Yeah, turn right at the intersection ahead," Yang Xiaobo said, watching the road.

"Heh, you know it pretty well. Looks like you've been there plenty of times," Yang Ce teased.

"I walk Shen Hua home a lot," Yang Xiaobo said, scratching the back of his head, a little embarrassed.

"Met the parents already?" Yang Yanchuan asked.

"Not yet. Today's the first time," Yang Xiaobo said in a small voice.

"Well, when we get there, make a good impression on Shen Hua's parents," Yang Ce reminded him. "Don't say anything careless."

"Don't worry, bro, I know what I'm doing," Yang Xiaobo said with full confidence.

Yang Ce suddenly felt he had turned into a gossip—why did he sound like some nagging elder, going on and on? He shook his head with a wry smile and drove on along the route Yang Xiaobo indicated.

"It's just ahead," Yang Xiaobo said, pointing at a residential compound not far off.

"These are all villas?" Yang Moyi glanced at Shen Hua in the rearview mirror with some surprise. He had not expected this girl's family to be quite well off—and he had no idea what her parents did.

It seemed Yang Xiaobo had a good eye, snagging himself a little golden goose. Yang Ce had wanted to ask Yang Xiaobo what Shen Hua's family did, but on second thought he let it go.