After dinner, Zhao Meimei’s family stayed until after eight o’clock in the evening before taking a taxi home.
Before leaving, Zhao Meimei pulled her Brother Yangyang into the bedroom, hugging him tightly and refusing to let go. Shi Yang felt his heart melt with warmth, restrained himself from fully embracing her, afraid that someone might notice, and gave her lips two light pecks, making himself feel unsatisfied.
After seeing them off, Shi Yang lay in bed that night, helping himself through two rounds of self-comfort, finally feeling that the itchiness and numbness in his heart were slightly alleviated.
His body was comfortable, and he began to concentrate on thinking about what to do next.
To keep Zhao Meimei, he needed to first work on convincing his parents. He couldn’t mention the private vows between him and Zhao Meimei from before; he could only steer it towards the friendship between the elders.
His mother never had much of a say; as long as his father nodded, the matter would be settled.
Thinking of his father, Shi Yang immediately felt a deep sense of helplessness. His father was too shrewd. If he took this matter upon himself, he couldn’t guarantee that his father wouldn’t notice anything. Meimei was still too young; he didn’t want to bring this matter to light yet. He thought of waiting a couple of years until his career stabilized, and Zhao Meimei also grew up, before making an official announcement.
When it came to everything, Shi Yang always subconsciously planned well, taking steady steps from handling to completing things in an orderly manner.
So for something that might have variables, he almost instinctively wanted to avoid it.
Shi Yang’s mind was in chaos; he and his father were not close enough to have heart-to-heart chats, and he wasn’t the type of person to easily lay out his feelings. In a sense, he was even a bit solitary, mostly concerned with appearances in interactions with outsiders. The ones he was truly sincere with were his mother, Zhao Meimei, and Qu Chaozong.
He had no experience talking to his father on a personal level, but now pressed by circumstances, he had no choice but to force himself to reach this point, so realizing this, he felt uneasy, embarrassed, and even a bit anxious.
Maybe it was best just to lay it all out, to openly tell them that he had fallen in love with Zhao Meimei and that he would marry her in the future. Zhao Meimei would be their future daughter-in-law, a member of the family.
This all-or-nothing idea gave Shi Yang an inexplicable feeling of relief throughout his body, but it didn’t last long before reason crushed it to dust.
He reminded himself that haste leads to waste, and now was not the time.
Shi Yang tossed and turned, restless until the early hours, before finally falling asleep in a haze.
Zhao Meimei returned home with her parents by taxi and, upon entering, sensed a long-unused desolate feeling in the house. She sniffed the air, feeling its chilly scent.
Liu Xiue wandered around the master bedroom, then turned back to the living room and yelled at Zhao Dazhuang, "Zhao Dazhuang! Are you crazy? How could you open the window on a snowy day ?"
Zhao Dazhuang had drunk a lot at night, and after the taxi ride and climbing the stairs, he was tipsy. As soon as he got home, he flopped onto the sofa. When scolded, he didn’t answer back but instead beckoned to Zhao Meimei, "Come here, my daughter, let Dad cherish you!"
Zhao Meimei quickly snuggled next to her father, and the two of them played on the sofa.
Liu Xiue closed the windows, but the cold temperature in the house didn’t rise for a while. She hurried Zhao Meimei to wash up and wrapped her in a thick quilt, even specially placing a hot water bag under her feet, before feeling relieved enough to close the door and leave.
Zhao Meimei was truly exhausted; she fell asleep shortly after lying down and didn’t hear her parents talking in the living room.
Liu Xiue heated water and handed a warm towel to Zhao Dazhuang, "Wipe your face."
Zhao Dazhuang, fueled by alcohol, playfully said to his wife, "I’m too drunk, my hands aren’t working well, you wipe for me."
Liu Xiue gave him a sideways glance, took the towel, and helped him wipe his face. She wiped from the forehead to his eyes, and when she saw the obvious dark circles under his eyes, her heart softened, and she carefully wiped every area. She couldn’t help but sigh as she stood up with the rag.
Zhao Dazhuang squinted at Liu Xiue’s drooping back, feeling troubled. He knew Liu Xiue’s worries, but he really had no solution for now. If only Zhao Meimei were a bit older and in college, they wouldn’t have these concerns.
After washing up herself, Liu Xiue returned to the living room to find Zhao Dazhuang already dozing off. She hurriedly woke him up and helped him to the bedroom. However, Zhao Dazhuang drank too much and felt hot in the chest, and after a short while, he kicked the quilt off while sleeping. Liu Xiue was also exhausted and fell asleep without noticing.
The next morning, Liu Xiue turned to look at Zhao Dazhuang sleeping on his stomach, seeing him lying on the bed bare-chested with the quilt on her side.
Liu Xiue tried to pull the quilt over him and found Zhao Dazhuang’s face flushed, breathing heavy, and occasionally making muffled noises, which seemed off.
Liu Xiue quickly helped Zhao Dazhuang flip over and found the air he exhaled was hot.
"Meimei’s dad? Dazhuang? Zhao Dazhuang!!"
Reaching out to touch his forehead, Liu Xiue found it burning, and she was immediately panicked.
Liu Xiue called the neighbors upstairs and downstairs, and everyone helped send Zhao Dazhuang to the hospital. The doctor took his temperature — goodness, a high fever of forty degrees, a bit later, and he could’ve been seriously hurt.
Liu Xiue, exhausted, sat by the hospital bed accompanying Zhao Dazhuang while he received IV fluids. Zhao Meimei squeezed onto an empty bed beside them, sending messages to her Brother Yangyang.
When Shi Yang got the news, he was with Qu Chaozong and company employee Wang Tianyu, visiting kindergartens to promote the installation of Naughty Castle equipment.
Li Shuren had sent over two new sets of brochures, including beds, tables and chairs, floor mats, and more that would be used in kindergartens. All were new styles that hadn’t been seen before; the colors were bright and beautiful, just a bit pricey.
When Li Shuren called to notify Shi Yang to receive the shipment, he reminded him that once the mall location was secured, they could begin promoting through the kindergartens, whether by distributing coupons or giving small gifts. The key point lay in the hands of the kindergarten principal.
Shi Yang immediately understood. So when visiting kindergartens for business, he became even more respectful and sincere, making sure to leave a good first impression at each stop.
The kindergarten principal personally sent Shi Yang and his team out, and after discussing the specifics, just as Shi Yang thought she might say she’d think about it like the previous places, she suddenly asked, "When will you come to measure the space? How long until the design plans are ready? How many sets of designs are usually provided?"