CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: REALLY WANT TO GROW UP

Zhao Meimei thought for a moment, then nodded and answered, "It’s just like that, I usually play with others too."

Shi Yang: "Do you still go to his house often?"

Zhao Meimei: "No, there’s just a Dodo at his house. Sometimes when I miss it, I’ll go visit, but usually Xu Xu comes to my house to play."

Shi Yang laughed: "He always goes to your house to play, and you say your relationship isn’t the best? Not telling me the truth?"

Zhao Meimei shrugged: "It’s the truth, it’s not me who invites him, it’s my mom who often tells me to invite him over. My mom says Xu Xu’s family isn’t well off, so every time she makes some special food to entertain him."

Shi Yang sighed: "Your mom has always been so kind."

Zhao Meimei nodded in agreement this time.

Shi Yang held a small file from the nail clippers and carefully filed the rough edges of Zhao Meimei’s toenails. Zhao Meimei blinked and sat up, asking Shi Yang, "Bro, is the class representative in your class close to you?"

Shi Yang was taken aback, looking up at Zhao Meimei: "How did you know she’s the class representative?"

Zhao Meimei: "Your classmates called her that, I heard it."

"Oh." Shi Yang responded and continued helping Zhao Meimei tidy her feet.

Zhao Meimei squinted and asked, "Bro, does the class representative like you?"

Shi Yang’s expression disappeared, staring at Zhao Meimei: "Who told you that?"

Zhao Meimei smiled mischievously: "I went to find you, and as soon as I said I was your sister, she was so enthusiastic towards me, and your classmates even made a fuss."

Shi Yang became serious, saying sternly, "That’s not true! Don’t talk nonsense!"

Zhao Meimei: "You’re the one not telling me the truth; dare you say she doesn’t like you!"

Shi Yang coughed lightly to cover his emotions, letting go of Zhao Meimei’s foot: "Little brat! How old are you, thinking about such nonsense all day!"

Zhao Meimei pouted: "Who’s a little brat? Sister Jing used to pursue you; her attitude towards me was just like your class representative’s."

Shi Yang met Zhao Meimei’s earnest gaze, sighed, and explained: "Whether others like me or not is none of my business, but I don’t like them. Right now, I just want to study hard and get into college, and I won’t think about anything else, nor do I have the time."

Shi Yang is tall and thin, cool and handsome, and currently at the age where desires secretly stir and there’s a longing for love. To say that there aren’t groups of girls around him who like and pursue him is impossible. Everyone admires beautiful girls and wants to get close to the opposite sex, except Shi Yang, who remains unmoved and inactive. Unless he’s abnormal, saying he doesn’t feel anything at all is pure nonsense; it’s impossible.

In fact, Shi Yang had two serious girlfriends before, holding hands and hugging waists with them, but he wasn’t really interested in either.

He had his first girlfriend back in junior high school.

When others dated, they would walk their girlfriends home at night, pick them up for school in the morning, and even have lunch together at noon, always being a bit closer than others.

During junior high, Shi Yang was always busy around Zhao Meimei, taking care of her like a father to a daughter from morning till night. The girlfriend endured it once or twice, but over time, even the warmest heart can’t stand being neglected like that. The girlfriend lost her temper and broke up with Shi Yang.

Shi Yang thought about it and realized he indeed couldn’t manage it all. Mostly because Zhao Meimei had just started elementary school at that time and was quite mischievous, so he agreed to the breakup easily.

The girlfriend cried bitterly behind his back, and ever since then, whenever she saw Shi Yang, she would definitely show a face of being hurt but smiling through it, giving Shi Yang a resentful look with small eyes.

The second was when he just started high school; they broke up in a few days after he got into a fight and ended up in the hospital. Once he was discharged, his dad arranged for him to stay with a teacher to catch up with his studies he missed during that month.

Living under the watchful eye of a teacher, there’s no chance to date or anything. Plus, catching up on a month’s worth of classes was indeed challenging, leaving no energy for anything else.

Now that he’s caught up with his grades, the college entrance exams are coming soon, so there’s even less time to think about these matters.

Shi Yang affectionately tapped Zhao Meimei’s nose: "Stop trying to dig into these things."

Zhao Meimei giggled, confessing honestly: "I’m just worried you’ll really find me a sister-in-law, and then you won’t be good to me anymore."

Shi Yang laughed, pinching his thumb and forefinger together: "Zhao Meimei, your heart is only as big as a needle’s eye. Just rest easy and put your little heart back in your belly. I won’t become close with anyone else and won’t stop being good to you."

Zhao Meimei skillfully hugged Shi Yang’s neck, pressing her leg against his stomach, pulling him in, and kissed his face with a smack: "Brother Yangyang, you’re the best."

Seeing her giddy little expression, Shi Yang ruffled her hair: "Go, change clothes, get ready for bed."

At night, Zhao Meimei, wearing a tank top and shorts, squeezed into the same bed as Shi Yang. Knowing Zhao Meimei tosses around in her sleep, Shi Yang let her sleep on the inside, and to prevent her from getting cold against the wall, he folded a thin quilt and placed it against the wall. Originally, there was only room for one on the single bed, but with the extra quilt, there was almost no space left between them when lying side by side with Zhao Meimei.

Shi Yang teased Zhao Meimei: "Once you fall asleep, don’t you dare wet my bed, I only have this one thick quilt."

Zhao Meimei kicked her legs on the bed a couple of times, then turned her head and nestled in Shi Yang’s arms, acting spoiled: "I stopped wetting the bed a long time ago. What you’re talking about happened when I was little; now I’ve grown up."

Shi Yang smiled: "Grown up in fourth grade?"

Zhao Meimei counted on her fingers for Shi Yang: "It’s the second half of fourth grade. After the summer break and the new semester starts, I’ll be in fifth grade, and in a year, I’ll graduate from elementary school and go to junior high. Maybe I can join your old class by then."

Zhao Meimei has always looked forward to growing up quickly.

The elementary and junior high schools were in the same area, meaning that the students from the primary and junior high departments saw each other all the time.

When the primary students like Zhao Meimei looked at the junior high students, it was always with admiration and envy towards the older kids.

Zhao Meimei also wants others to look at her like that. She has always remembered how she felt sitting in Shi Yang’s junior high class, everything in junior high seemed better than in elementary school.

Shi Yang, cuddling Zhao Meimei, nudged the top of her head with his chin, just like he used to do when cycling with her: "By the time you’re in junior high, I’ll be in college."

Zhao Meimei squirmed out of his embrace, glancing up, only seeing his chin, then quickly swam up like an eel to lay next to him on the pillow, eye to eye, asking: "Brother Yangyang, when you go to college, can I still see you?"

In Zhao Meimei’s mind, college is a very far place; she doesn’t know exactly how far, but she knows that the university students in their community, after their graduation banquets followed by her dad, are rarely seen again.

Shi Yang laughed: "Even if I go to another city for college, I’ll still come back during the winter and summer holidays."

Zhao Meimei is starting to develop her looks; her eyebrows and eyes are lengthening, her formerly flat nose is taking shape – quite petite and cute now.

Zhao Meimei twitched the long tails of her eyes uncertainly and asked: "Will you really come back then?"

Shi Yang nodded: "When the school holidays come, if I don’t come home, I have nowhere to stay."

Zhao Meimei breathed a sigh of relief and snuggled back into Shi Yang’s embrace: "Then I’m relieved."

The heating in this street house isn’t as good as in the small apartments. It’s adequately warm during the day, but the temperature noticeably drops at night.

Shi Yang was wearing a tank top and loose shorts. Now that he had grown up, his chest was broader than during his childhood. Lying in his arms, Zhao Meimei felt warm and comfortable, and soon her eyelids grew heavy.

Shi Yang wrapped the quilt around them both and pulled Zhao Meimei into his arms, comfortably closing his eyes.