CHAPTER 350: CHAPTER 349: SHI YANG INSPECTS THE POSTS

During the break, Zhao Meimei dragged Peng Hui and Qian Simeng to the school supermarket to buy a band-aid.

Peng Hui joked while applying it, "Your brother’s teeth are pretty sharp!"

Zhao Meimei lifted her thin eyelids and retorted, "My brother cherishes me."

Peng Hui rolled her eyes and teased, "Zhao Meimei, you’re shameless!"

Zhao Meimei asked, "Is it on properly?"

Peng Hui pressed it down, "All set."

Zhao Meimei immediately betrayed her, reaching out to pinch Peng Hui’s ticklish spot, "You’ve got some nerve! Mengmeng, help me hold her down. I must peel off her disguise today!"

The group dissolved into laughter and teasing, when someone from afar called out, "Meimei!"

Zhao Meimei looked in the direction of the voice and saw Dong Wenjie jogging over.

Ever since he received the call from Zhao Meimei’s brother yesterday afternoon, Dong Wenjie had been restless. He originally wanted to get closer to Zhao Meimei, hoping she’d understand him better, and slowly transition from being friends to lovers.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Meimei always saw him as a regular friend, never giving him any chance to be alone with her, just maintaining a casual friendship.

However, yesterday, her brother casually mentioned on the phone that Zhao Meimei often talked about him at home. Dong Wenjie was overjoyed, tossing and turning with excitement, unable to sleep all night thinking about it.

Zhao Meimei was very cheerful, but when it came to relationships, she was very reserved, always claiming to have a boyfriend. Dong Wenjie had never believed it from the start, so after she mentioned it once, he never bothered to ask again.

Dong Wenjie didn’t believe Zhao Meimei had a boyfriend because he never saw Zhao Meimei close with any guy.

So, after thinking it over all night, he decided to have a proper talk with Zhao Meimei.

Dong Wenjie approached with a gentle smile and said to Zhao Meimei, "I went to your class just now and heard you guys were at the supermarket."

Zhao Meimei was a bit surprised, "Looking for me?"

Dong Wenjie smiled, "Yeah, I wanted to talk about something. There’s not enough time now. How about you wait for me for a bit after school at noon, okay? I’ll meet you outside your dorm."

Zhao Meimei nodded in agreement, "Okay."

During college, Shi Yang only visited Zhao Meimei’s school once on the registration day to help her with the procedures. This time, he squeezed in a visit amidst his busy schedule specifically to meet this Dong Wenjie, a guy who seemed to have a decent eye.

Shi Yang was always calm and composed, handling things with grace, so last night, he only subtly reminded Zhao Meimei.

When it came to Zhao Meimei’s matters, Shi Yang was extra sensitive and meticulous, ensuring to achieve his goals step by step. This time was no exception.

When Shi Yang decided to visit Zhao Meimei, he called beforehand to tell her he wanted to invite her, Peng Hui, and Qian Simeng out for a meal, to treat the two struggling dormmates. A mature man doesn’t spy from behind.

Shi Yang wore a neat casual suit and styled his hair himself, quickly catching the attention of many students as he walked from the school gate to the dormitory.

Knowing Shi Yang was coming, Zhao Meimei hurried out of the classroom as soon as school was over at noon, rushing to meet him at the dormitory.

When Zhao Meimei returned to the dormitory entrance, Dong Wenjie was already waiting. From afar, he saw Zhao Meimei and her friends hurrying back, feeling a thrill of excitement, he quickly moved forward to meet them.

"Meimei!" Dong Wenjie greeted warmly, "Why are you running so fast? I’m not in a rush."

Seeing Dong Wenjie, Zhao Meimei remembered their earlier arrangement and quickly asked, "Oh right, you wanted to talk to me about something?"

Dong Wenjie glanced at Peng Hui and Qian Simeng standing aside and said, "I want to talk to you alone."

Peng Hui and Qian Simeng were originally eager to return to the dorm to change clothes and get their things, so they quickly made a polite excuse and headed inside.

Zhao Meimei didn’t need to get anything, so she followed Dong Wenjie to the side of the hallway, facing him.

Zhao Meimei asked, "Go ahead, what did you want to talk about?"

Zhao Meimei deliberately faced the entrance while talking to Dong Wenjie, sneaking glances at the hallway in fear that Shi Yang would arrive and not find her.

Dong Wenjie handed the shopping bag he was holding to Zhao Meimei.

Zhao Meimei took it, "What is it?"

Inside the shopping bag was a beautifully wrapped gift box. Zhao Meimei asked, "For me? It’s not a holiday, why are you giving me this? My birthday’s in the twelfth lunar month. It’s still far away."

Dong Wenjie said, "I bought it especially for you. See if you like it."

Zhao Meimei amusedly took out the gift box, unwrapping it as she said, "Wow, fancy packaging. Is that necessary?"

Dong Wenjie could tell from her words that she didn’t consider him an outsider, so his initially nervous mood eased a little.

Dong Wenjie’s eyes curved into crescents, "It makes it seem more sincere."

Zhao Meimei paused while unwrapping, looking up at Dong Wenjie in surprise.

As their eyes met, Zhao Meimei felt an inexplicable jolt. She glanced at the gift in her hand, then at Dong Wenjie’s affectionate gaze... uh...

Zhao Meimei wasn’t oblivious. Dong Wenjie’s intentions were so obvious that anyone could see them. How could Zhao Meimei not notice?

In her mind, Shi Yang’s words from last night flashed by, and she couldn’t help but feel alarmed for the first time, reevaluating this seemingly harmless friend standing before her.

For Zhao Meimei, there were only five categories of relationships with the opposite sex: her lover Shi Yang, her father, bros, casual friends, and strangers.

Looking at Dong Wenjie’s gentle, smiling face, Zhao Meimei pondered how she might have led him to misunderstand and think he could move out of the casual friend category?

Zhao Meimei crossed her arms, shoved the gift back into the shopping bag, and threw it back to Dong Wenjie like it was a bomb, "I can’t accept this. I..."

"Meimei!" Zhao Meimei looked up and saw Shi Yang walking over from the corridor in front of the dormitory. She immediately sidestepped Dong Wenjie and took two steps forward, calling out, "Brother."

Zhao Meimei, usually quick-witted, was caught off guard seeing Shi Yang just after realizing Dong Wenjie’s feelings. She suddenly felt like she’d been... caught.

She awkwardly looked at Shi Yang, feeling very guilty.