CHAPTER 29: CHAPTER 29: SHINY BIG FOREHEAD

It’s weekend, Shi Yang goes to Zhao Meimei’s home for breakfast, and after finishing, he reports to Liu Xiue: "Aunt, I’m going shopping with Chaozi today, and I’ve taken Meimei with me."

Liu Xiue smiles warmly: "Go on, with you taking her, I’m relieved, so she doesn’t run wild with a bunch of mischievous kids outside."

Liu Xiue dresses Zhao Meimei in a clean short-sleeved shirt, thinking she needs to sit on the bike, she skips the dress, finds a pair of pale blue knee-length shorts for Zhao Meimei to wear, then drags her to wash up. After washing her face, she specially applies a bit of her own Snow Cream on Zhao Meimei.

Zhao Meimei gets a good rub on her face by her mom.

Liu Xiue holds a wooden comb and neatly ties Zhao Meimei’s sparse hair at the back of her head, smilingly watches the clean little darling, and laughs: "This big forehead, shiny and bright, it looks smart."

Zhao Meimei proudly shakes her head to her mom: "Does my forehead look good? Aunt Wang says my forehead is too big, bald on the sides."

Liu Xiue is annoyed, rolls her eyes: "Don’t listen to her nonsense. When I gave birth to you, I thought how wonderful it would be to have a darling like the one on a New Year’s picture, big forehead, smart and pretty."

Liu Xiue says this, lightly pats Zhao Meimei’s forehead: "Turned out, it really came true, isn’t it great."

Zhao Meimei beams with pleasure, looks at herself in the mirror showing her big forehead and finds it pretty good-looking too.

Shi Yang takes Zhao Meimei to meet Qu Chaozong, taking the small path along the river.

Zhao Meimei stretches her head to watch swimmers in the river, exclaims in delight: "Brother Yangyang, look! Someone’s swimming!"

Shi Yang glances over, retracts his gaze, focuses on the road condition: "What? You like swimming too?"

Zhao Meimei tilts her head, stares at the riverside, eager: "Yeah, I’ve never swum, want to try."

Shi Yang looks down at Zhao Meimei’s sleekly combed head, worried she might sneak over to play with water, warns: "Swimming can’t be done by the river, it’s too dangerous, easy to drown."

"Really?" Zhao Meimei responds, asks: "Then where should we go?"

Shi Yang informs Zhao Meimei: "Of course, we should go to a swimming pool, there’s one at the stadium."

Zhao Meimei looks up at Shi Yang’s chin: "Brother Yangyang, can you swim?"

Shi Yang smiles, his lips curve into a proud grin: "Yes, I can."

Shi Yang learned how to swim with his mom at a swimming pool when he was a kid. His mom had a shadow from a friend who drowned back in her days, so she insisted Shi Yang must learn swimming to be able to save himself if he accidentally falls into water in the future.

Shi Yang has been swimming for years, although not at a professional level, but much better than the average person.

Zhao Meimei looks full of admiration.

Shi Yang lowers his head, watches her little expression, and asks with a smile: "What? Want to learn?"

Zhao Meimei nods vigorously: "Want to, really want to!"

Shi Yang teases her: "Can you learn? Don’t end up sinking to the bottom once you enter the water."

Zhao Meimei quickly defends: "Impossible!"

She reaches out to pat her forehead and shows Shi Yang: "Brother Yangyang, look, do you know what’s inside here?"

Shi Yang: "What?"

Zhao Meimei boastfully says: "My mom said, a big forehead means smart, what’s inside here is all wisdom, isn’t swimming just a matter of learning, I’ll definitely master it once I study it."

Shi Yang laughs out loud: "Oh, turns out it’s all wisdom inside! Then I should catch some brilliance!"

Shi Yang says, bends down, and gives Zhao Meimei’s forehead a strong kiss. The handlebars shake twice, then stabilize again.

Shi Yang kisses Zhao Meimei, without any other meaning, just genuinely likes this child, cares for her, adores her, sees her cuteness, and wants to express his feelings with a kiss.

Zhao Meimei looks up at Shi Yang with a smile: "Brother Yangyang, do I smell good?"

Shi Yang lowers his head and sniffs, laughs: "Good, used your mom’s Snow Cream? Hmm, really smells nice!"

Zhao Meimei giggles, being praised by her Brother Yangyang, her little vanity receives great satisfaction.

Shi Yang watches Zhao Meimei, dancing happily with joy because of his compliment, feels an especially satisfying happiness inside. Zhao Meimei leans on and deeply relies on his attitude, clearly highlights his importance to the little girl, making him instantly feel proud and honored.

Shi Yang carries Zhao Meimei, letting the little girl snuggle in his embrace, suddenly feels like a towering man, grown up, mature, capable of being needed, admired...

Zhao Meimei moves closer to Shi Yang, smells around his neck: "Brother Yangyang, you have a scent on you, it smells really nice."

Shi Yang is taken aback, indeed he doesn’t usually have the habit of using perfumes or skincare products.

Shi Yang: "What kind of scent?"

Zhao Meimei purses her lips, thinks hard: "Can’t say exactly, but it smells nice."

Shi Yang laughs.

Zhao Meimei, without even realizing it, memorizes the scent unique to Shi Yang like a clingy little pup. Back then, she didn’t know it was Shi Yang’s faint body scent, a fresh fragrance mixed with the smell of laundry soap that will permeate Zhao Meimei’s entire childhood, youth...

Qu Chaozong only familiarized himself with several brand stores he visits frequently after knowing Shi Yang, becoming a regular afterward. Shi Yang’s good taste shines when shopping, his spirited demeanor makes any clothes look like model’s picks on him, quite stylish.

Since they started shopping, Qu Chaozong follows behind Shi Yang and Zhao Meimei, pointing and trying on what Shi Yang suggests, paying whenever Shi Yang nods.

Shi Yang assists Qu Chaozong in picking out a pair of white sneakers with blue stripes, Qu Chaozong puts them on and finds them comfortable, looking handsome too, very satisfied.

Shi Yang checks out the men’s section, has an impression, then takes Zhao Meimei to the women’s section to pick out a style. He asks the assistant for Zhao Meimei’s shoe size, the assistant glances at Zhao Meimei, smiles: "Your little sister is too small, you need to go to the kids’ section to buy shoes."

The assistant points to the department store entrance: "There’s a special counter inside."

Shi Yang looks down at Zhao Meimei’s tiny feet, blushes bright red, quickly pulls Qu Chaozong and Zhao Meimei, turning to the department store.

Shi Yang takes the two of them to the children’s shoe section to begin shopping from the first store. They visit four stores without finding satisfactory shoes, Qu Chaozong gets bored, never had much patience for shopping.

Qu Chaozong: "It’s good enough to buy a pair. I think those pink ones back there look fine, don’t all little girls like pink?"

Shi Yang doesn’t pay him any mind, continues shopping with Zhao Meimei. At the second-to-last counter, Shi Yang takes a pair of bright orange sneakers from the rack, with a faint brand logo painted in light gray on the shoe side, looking quite artistic.

Shi Yang asks the assistant to find Zhao Meimei’s size, helps her to try them, lets her walk around the hall to test.

Shi Yang asks: "Comfortable?"

Zhao Meimei nods.

Shi Yang is satisfied and pays.

Shi Yang finishes buying shoes for Zhao Meimei and returns to the adult sports brand store they visited earlier.

Shi Yang heads straight for the racks, takes down a pair of equally bright orange sneakers, at a quick glance, quite similar to Zhao Meimei’s style.

Shi Yang tries on his size, smiles at his feet in the mirror.

Qu Chaozong purses his lips, looking speechless: "Geez! So you dragged me around for so long just to buy a pair of couple shoes for this little girl?"

Shi Yang laughs and curses: "Get lost!"

Recently, Shi Yang really likes orange things. Since he likes it himself, he also wants Zhao Meimei to wear them together.