CHAPTER 78: CHAPTER 77: RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME (3)

Shi Yang turned around and saw Zhao Meimei standing at the door of the mail room with a look of surprise on her face.

Thank goodness... Shi Yang let out a breath of relief, grateful that Zhao Meimei had found her way here safely.

Shi Yang stood still, watching Zhao Meimei, and then his body, tense like a bowstring, abruptly relaxed. His knees buckled, and he stumbled a step forward before he managed to steady himself again. His face showed a mix of great sadness and joy, with an expression slightly stiff, revealing neither happiness nor anger.

Zhao Meimei called out again, "Brother!"

Upon hearing her voice, Shi Yang felt his heart settle completely. Only then did he realize that he was drenched in cold sweat. He looked at Zhao Meimei and gave a genuine shiver.

Zhao Meimei rushed over excitedly and flung herself into Shi Yang’s arms. Shi Yang stumbled back two steps before regaining his balance.

Zhao Meimei held her Brother Yangyang’s waist tightly, her words spilling out in excitement, "Brother! I finally get to see you! Oooh! Brother! Brother Yangyang!!"

Shi Yang looked down at Zhao Meimei, who had thrown herself into his arms, and without hesitation, reached out to hold her tightly, locking her securely in his embrace as waves of immense joy flooded him, leaving his mind in a blank state.

As Zhao Meimei gleefully called out, she was enveloped by Shi Yang’s full weight, pinning her down with his long, strong arms wrapped around her back, carrying the familiar scent of his shower gel.

After holding her tightly for a moment, Shi Yang finally disentangled Zhao Meimei from his embrace, drawing her close to scrutinize her carefully, ensuring she wasn’t hurt, before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, feeling utterly drained.

Zhao Meimei looked up at Shi Yang with a bright smile: "Brother!"

At this moment, Shi Yang actually wanted to scold Zhao Meimei fiercely. This girl was simply too daring.

But when he saw the joyful smile on Zhao Meimei’s face, the words wouldn’t come. After hesitating for a while, he hugged Zhao Meimei again, pressing his chin atop her head, rubbing slightly to confirm that this wasn’t a dream, that Zhao Meimei had truly come looking for him.

His previous worries and fears were suddenly swept away by a tide of joy and excitement, overwhelming him with a surge of emotion and warmth, making him feel somewhat dizzy and leaving a burning itch in his throat.

Shi Yang wrapped his arms around Zhao Meimei’s shoulders, advising her, "Wait here for me, I’ll go tidy up and be right back down."

Shi Yang quickly returned to his dorm room, changed out of his dirty clothes, grabbed a clean set to put on, took his phone, wallet, and the hard drive with all his copied files, and then hurriedly ran downstairs.

Shi Yang held Zhao Meimei’s hand as they walked out of the dormitory building.

After the euphoria passed, Zhao Meimei calmed down and grew a bit apprehensive, fearing Brother Yangyang might be angry and would send her back home impulsively for coming here so rashly.

Seeing her Brother Yangyang leading her straight toward the school gate, Zhao Meimei panicked and tentatively asked, "Brother, where are you taking me?"

Shi Yang’s chaotic mind calmed down, and his rationality returned.

Thinking about Zhao Meimei traveling all the way from home to the provincial city just to find him, his heart felt as if someone had poured a boiling cup of hot tea into it, nearly melting with emotion.

Shi Yang suppressed his joy and deliberately put on a serious face, saying, "Zhao Meimei, your courage is growing bigger by the day!"

Zhao Meimei’s heart skipped upon hearing this, sensing an impending storm. Whenever Brother Yangyang brought up such topics, it usually meant a harsh scolding.

Realizing this, Zhao Meimei felt a sudden sense of grievance. The bitterness that had been tormenting her since last night flooded out, minging with her overwhelming joy.

Shi Yang: "How could you dare run away from home alone? Do you know how dangerous the outside world is? What if something happened to you?"

Recalling her exhausting morning trek, Zhao Meimei immediately felt more aggrieved, pouting and looking at her Brother Yangyang: "I just wanted to find you."

Shi Yang: "Why did you want to find me?"

Zhao Meimei raised her voice, "Because I missed you! You don’t miss me!!??"

Shi Yang stared at her, his expression softening bit by bit, eventually unable to keep his voice stern, "Even if you missed me, you shouldn’t run away from home by yourself."

Zhao Meimei cast a sidelong glance, complaining, "If I don’t come see you, are you planning to abandon me?"

Shi Yang was momentarily stunned, "Nonsense! When did I ever say I didn’t want you?"

With her nose tingling, Zhao Meimei’s eyes immediately turned red, "You found yourself a girlfriend. You’re going to take her to eat hotpot and ride bikes with her. Where will you find time to spend with me?"

Shi Yang was so amused he nearly laughed: "When did I find myself a girlfriend? Hotpot and bike rides!"

Pfft! Shi Yang chuckled at himself.

Zhao Meimei, indignant, "You’re lying! You must have found one. If not, why did you hang up on me last night? Why didn’t you answer me then?!!"

Finally admitting defeat, Shi Yang explained helplessly, "The phone ran out of battery last night. I told you clearly, I was just too busy and tired from work. When I finished explaining, I realized the phone had shut off automatically."

Zhao Meimei asked suspiciously, "Then why didn’t you call me after charging it?"

Feeling inexplicably guilty under her questioning, Shi Yang apologized, "I didn’t handle this well. I was planning to call you after charging for a few minutes, but I got caught up modifying a program and returned to my work."

Shi Yang reached out to embrace Zhao Meimei’s shoulders, "I haven’t slept for two nights and three days, and I only managed to lie down for a nap after working till early this morning."

Habitually, Shi Yang ruffled Zhao Meimei’s hair, offering a touch of comfort, "Besides, when have I ever lied to you?"

Realizing he had a point, Zhao Meimei’s pent-up grievances and anger dissipated instantly, and a smile appeared on her face once more. Cheerfully, she grasped Shi Yang’s hand, asking, "Brother, were you surprised to see me suddenly?"

Shi Yang couldn’t help but smile, "Surprised? You nearly scared me to death! Based on how abruptly you arrived, if your mom hadn’t called me, I wouldn’t have even known you were here."

Speaking of this, Shi Yang remembered to call Liu Xiue to inform her.

Upon hearing that Brother Yangyang was about to call home, Zhao Meimei quickly held onto Shi Yang’s arm, "Brother, I don’t want to go back home. I want to stay with you!"

Shi Yang hesitated for a moment, considering that since his task was already completed, he could take some time off to contact the client and make any necessary modifications later, which shouldn’t take long. Plus, this was Zhao Meimei’s first time visiting the provincial city, so perhaps he should take her around, show her the sights, and then bring her back home.

This settled, Shi Yang decided and then called Liu Xiue.