CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: PROTECT YOURSELF FIRST, THEN PROTECT YOU

Director Shi stayed in the hospital ward until the afternoon before leaving, as there were matters to attend to at the factory. Shi Yang’s mother went to see him off and turned back to instruct Zhao Meimei, "I’ll go buy some food in a bit and come back. Meimei, you take good care of your Brother Yangyang here. If anything happens, go outside and call a nurse, okay?"

Zhao Meimei nodded in agreement. After Shi Yang’s mother left, she closed the ward door and ran back to the bedside. Her eyes darted around mischievously as she stared at her Brother Yangyang.

Shi Yang looked at her and asked with amusement, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Zhao Meimei moved closer, "Brother Yangyang, earlier your mom said your ribs are cracked. What does that mean? Does it mean your ribs are broken?"

Shi Yang: "Pfft... Ouch!....

Shi Yang frowned, staying silent because he was in pain. The laughter had jolted his ribs, and it was agonizingly painful.

His rib fracture wasn’t severe, but he had really taken a few punches. He couldn’t move comfortably, and it was only when he heard his mother complain that he realized he was bruised over a large area. No wonder every slight movement hurt so much.

Shi Yang waited for the pain to subside before speaking. His chest felt weak due to his condition, and his voice was soft with a slightly hoarse tone, "You’re the one who looks like ribs."

Zhao Meimei’s eyes twinkled with a smile, narrowing into slits, and her mouth revealed two uneven rows of small chipped teeth.

Shi Yang looked at her two crooked front teeth and calculated that by the next New Year, they should grow pretty evenly.

Shi Yang couldn’t lift his arm, so he could only look. When he saw the bruise on Zhao Meimei’s face, his heart ached, and his expression slowly darkened. He scolded her coldly, "Zhao Meimei, why don’t you behave?"

Zhao Meimei was laughing, but she stopped when she heard this, "I wasn’t disobedient, was I?"

Shi Yang tried to control his anger, afraid that he might shout and aggravate his wound, "Didn’t I tell you to wait for me in the stationery store? Didn’t you agree? Why did you run off?"

Zhao Meimei was taken aback by the reprimand and quickly explained, "I finished picking the erasers, and you weren’t back, so I went to look for you."

Shi Yang was angry, but his voice was feeble, "Did I ask you to look for me? Didn’t I say to wait there for me!"

Zhao Meimei bit her lower lip, her eyes darting around uneasily, "I just wanted to find you!"

Shi Yang exploded, coughing twice in anger before cursing, "You’re such a troublemaker! Why did you rush when Brother Chaozi was fighting? Why do you keep meddling? You’re always involved in everything!"

Even now, when Shi Yang thought about seeing Zhao Meimei getting slapped and sent flying, his heart twisted painfully. It brought tears to his eyes, and he cursed, "And yesterday, how dare you bite someone! Are you a dog or something? Aren’t you afraid he might slap you to death?"

Zhao Meimei saw Shi Yang was genuinely angry and quickly ingratiated herself, hurrying to placate him, "He was going to hit you! He dared to hit you in my presence! If I were a dog, I would’ve bitten him to death!"

"Zhao Meimei!" Shi Yang shouted, feeling the wound on his ribs crack open and his face turn pale from the pain.

Zhao Meimei was frightened. For the first time in her life, Shi Yang was this mad at her, not faking anger like usual but truly angry and cursing.

Shi Yang was both in pain and angry, a rare flash of agitation in his eyes. His suppressed anger hadn’t dissipated, and he was angry enough to want to swear.

Shi Yang waited for the pain to subside, glaring at Zhao Meimei, "Do you think you can bite someone to death? Look at the bruise on your face! You need to protect yourself first if you want to protect others! If you hadn’t meddled recklessly, would Chaozi have started a fight? The guy didn’t even know Chaozi! This whole thing happened because of you, do you understand?"

Zhao Meimei stared at him, at a loss, her expression turning suddenly dejected. She slowly lowered her head, saying nothing.

Shi Yang: "Do you realize your mistake?"

Zhao Meimei’s thin eyelids shifted sideways, her stubbornness rising, "I dragged Brother Chaozi into this, so that’s my fault, but protecting you wasn’t wrong!"

Zhao Meimei pouted, her eyes gradually filling with tears, feeling both wronged and sad. She had never been scolded like this, not even when her mother yelled at her, it was always mixed with indulgent scolding that she never took to heart.

But now the one scolding her was Shi Yang, her Brother Yangyang, the person she liked, relied on, and trusted the most. Being reprimanded and scolded by him was unbearable, and her stubborn streak felt her pride had been hurt.

Zhao Meimei looked at Shi Yang, her lips pressed tightly, tears falling, looking pitiful.

Shi Yang glared at her, a faint blush appearing on his pale face, furious and red in the face.

The two stared at each other, their dark pupils clearly reflecting each other’s image.

After some time, Zhao Meimei’s eyes softened first. She cheekily leaned forward, ignoring whether Shi Yang agreed, and pecked him on the face.

Shi Yang’s eyes already had a hint of laughter, but he tried to keep a straight face, "What are you doing? Stop kissing me!"

Zhao Meimei bit her lip, "Hmph!" She leaned forward and pecked him again, "I’ll kiss if I want to!"

Shi Yang was helpless, his mouth slowly curving into a pleasant arc, "You’re all dirty, getting my face full of saliva."

Zhao Meimei asked with a quiver in her voice, "Will you still be good to me in the future?"

Shi Yang suddenly laughed, unable to hold it back, giving Zhao Meimei a sideways glance. His eyes and brows carried a hint of charm, but paired with his swollen face made him look ridiculous.

Zhao Meimei didn’t find it funny, but when she saw Shi Yang laugh, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to touch Shi Yang’s neck, "Brother Yangyang! Can I come up and lie with you?"

Shi Yang snorted, "Now you want to cling to me?"

Zhao Meimei saw the smile in Shi Yang’s eyes, feeling reassured, and instantly returned to her clingy nature, moving forward, "I’m tired of standing. I want to lie down for a while. Let me come up?"

Shi Yang pursed his lips and smiled, "If you want to come up, come on, but don’t press on my wound."

Zhao Meimei grinned, quickly removed her shoes, and turned to climb onto the hospital bed, being careful not to bump into Shi Yang, curling up beside him on her side.

Once Zhao Meimei lay down, she reached over to lift Shi Yang’s shirt. His chest had a layer of lean muscles, developed from playing basketball and swimming regularly. She looked at the white bandage on his chest, biting her lip, and asked, "Does it hurt a lot?"

Shi Yang didn’t pretend to be strong in front of Zhao Meimei and honestly nodded, "It hurts quite a bit. Talking, laughing, basically any movement hurts."

Zhao Meimei’s eyes were red, "When you were getting hit, I was scared to death. I saw you being carried away all bloody and wanted to chase after you, but the teacher stopped me, holding on firmly. I was so anxious."

Shi Yang suddenly laughed, his pretty double eyelid flipping as he asked, "Were you that afraid of me getting hurt?"

Zhao Meimei nodded earnestly, reaching out to cover her chest, "It scared me right here! It hurt so much!"

Shi Yang grew up by his mother’s side, having only ever been close with Qu Chaozong besides her. He had no siblings or close relatives, and his near-single-parent upbringing forced him to mature quickly and become independent. He had to learn to take care of himself while also caring for his mother.

Throughout his life, no one had ever liked him purely and relied on him as Zhao Meimei did. She was willing to protect him at all costs, yet occasionally needed his care, protection, and tenderness.

Shi Yang’s mouth slowly curved into a smile as he watched Zhao Meimei’s hand covering her chest. His heart felt warm, and he tilted his head, focusing on Zhao Meimei, and said gently, "I won’t behave like this again. I’ll protect myself first before protecting you."

Despite her young age, Zhao Meimei was very perceptive, skilled at reading adults’ thoughts. Seeing Shi Yang’s softened gaze, she knew this matter had been resolved completely, and she couldn’t help but chuckle foolishly, immensely relieved and happy.

Watching her laugh, Shi Yang couldn’t help but smile, bending his brows and lightly scolding, "You little fool!"