“You’re pretty childish too.” Meng Yang hugged Liu Zhi’s waist and walked forward with his whole body close to Liu Zhi. “You’re attracted to someone but don’t dare to say it, you like someone but don’t dare to pursue them, and you don’t even dare to agree after I confessed to you.”
"Only kids play those tricks in TV dramas; adults would just pounce on them, okay?"
“That’s a heretical view.” Liu Zhi rubbed his head by his arm. “Adults have too many concerns and have to hide their feelings, while children rush in without a care.”
As they approached the residential area, there were more pedestrians on the road. Liu Zhi let go of Meng Yang and then pretended to be stern and aloof.
Meng Yang clicked his tongue, then hooked his arm around hers and pressed himself against her again.
Liu Zhi paused for a moment, then obediently took Meng Yang's hand.
Liu Zhi's phone vibrated again, and she glanced at the latest message.
Liu Yi sent her two messages.
"Sis, are you there?"
"Sis, are you busy?"
As they approached the stairwell, Liu Zhi sent Liu Yi a message.
"What's up?"
Liu Yi sent Liu Zhi a short video with the caption, "Can we video chat?"
Liu Zhi types very fast.
"Wait until I get home."
Liu Yi, on the other end of the phone, twirled his pen, playing the video over and over again, feeling somewhat anxious.
Liu Zhi finally arrived home, and she played the video.
This is a video taken a few days ago when Meng Yang was the victim of a medical dispute. The person who filmed it was probably a bystander at the time.
Due to the shooting angle and image quality, Liu Zhi's face was not shown, and Meng Yang's profile was blurry.
Zhang Ju's hysterical shouts were very clear in the video, with the speaker on. Meng Yang came looking for the sound, so Liu Zhi had to replay it.
This time, Meng Yangcheng witnessed the entire process of Liu Zhi shielding her from the stick.
The moment the wooden stick fell, Meng Yang felt a pang of heartache.
Another message came from Liu Yi. Liu Zhichao gestured for Meng Yang to be quiet and went back to his room to make a voice call.
"Sis, are you hurt?"
"No."
"You're lying, turn on the video."
Liu Zhi turned on the video and deliberately moved around a couple of times for Liu Yi to see.
"Are you really not injured?" Liu Yi asked dejectedly. "The back of that doctor who was beaten looks a lot like yours."
The desk lamp was on over Liu Yi's side, making the entire screen brightly lit.
Liu Zhi leaned back against the headboard, looking relaxed.
"You must have misread it," Liu Zhi changed the subject. "Why didn't you go to evening self-study today?"
Liu Yi stammered, "I'm feeling a little unwell, so I went home early."
"And then you just scroll through your phone and watch short videos?" Liu Zhi raised an eyebrow.
"Work-life balance, work-life balance," Liu Yi said with a dry laugh.
He was silent for a moment, then said, "Aren't you on duty today? Why are you at home?"
"It's a one-day shift, and today just happens to be outside my shift," Liu Zhi said without changing her expression.
"Oh..." Liu Yi said, "Take care and get some rest."
"Is there anything else?" Liu Zhi leaned forward slightly without realizing it.
“There’s another one,” Liu Yi hurriedly said, “My classmate broke his arm but insists on going to school.”
"Why can't you go to school if you have a broken arm?" Liu Zhi asked. "Just be more careful."
"Well, how should I put it... he broke the arm he uses to write, but he insists on taking notes and writing on exam papers."
"He's really hardworking," Liu Zhi exclaimed. "You should learn from him."
"I want to persuade him to go home, how should I put it to be more serious?"
Liu Zhi chuckled, "Do you want to eliminate a competitor ahead of time?"
Liu Yi: "..."
"You can't do heavy work before the fracture heals to avoid displacement and secondary injury," Liu Zhi said. "However, it's best not to meddle in other people's business."
Liu Yi responded.
When Meng Yang came over after taking a shower, Liu Zhi was looking at her phone.
She had a vague feeling that something was off about Liu Yi.
"Why are you spacing out?" Meng Yang asked.
"I was thinking about something, I got distracted." Liu Zhi got up and went to the bathroom.
After taking a bath, as usual, Meng Yang helped apply the medicine.
Liu Zhi's injuries have healed considerably, which makes Meng Yang much more relieved.
Meng Yang went to bed earlier than usual because she had to go to work tomorrow.
Liu Zhi wasn't sleepy, so she turned on a desk lamp, dimmed the brightness, and leaned back to read a book.
Meng Yang closed her eyes and counted sheep for an hour without falling asleep. She simply leaned against Liu Zhi and stared intently at him.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes... ten minutes passed, and Liu Zhi still did not react.
Meng Yang rolled over and lay on top of Liu Zhi, slowly climbing up.
Liu Zhi's hand holding the book stiffened again and again.
Finally, Meng Yang snuggled into Liu Zhi's arms, tilting his head back to cover the book.
Liu Zhi met her gaze, her expression somewhat subtle.
Meng Yang very considerately took off her glasses and placed them on the bedside table.
"Go to sleep." Meng Yang wrapped his arms around Liu Zhi's waist and said domineeringly, "I can't sleep if you don't sleep."
Liu Zhi patted Meng Yang's head in that position and sighed helplessly.
The lights went out, and Meng Yang had a smug smile on his lips.
As soon as Liu Zhi lay down, Meng Yang rolled into her arms and pulled Liu Zhi's arm around his waist.
Liu Zhi pulled her closer to him, his thumb unconsciously stroking the lines of her back. Meng Yang inhaled the fragrance of Liu Zhi's hair and closed his eyes contentedly.
As the night deepened and everything returned to calm, Liu Zhi quickly grew weary.
Meng Yang's breathing was shallow, sounding as if he were asleep.
"I still feel like I'm dreaming," Meng Yang sighed.
Liu Zhi: "..."
"Are you asleep?" Meng Yang asked, his nose touching Liu Zhi's.
"No," Liu Zhi said softly, "Can't you sleep?"
Meng Yang nodded in her arms.
“Take a deep breath, hold it, then exhale,” Liu Zhi said. “Pretend you’re reading a textbook.”
Meng Yang did as instructed, but after a while, he still couldn't fall asleep.
"What should I do? I still can't sleep," Meng Yang said, feeling wronged.
Liu Zhi turned on the light and propped himself up on his arm to look at her.
"Can't sleep? Shall we chat or get up and exercise?"
“They’re probably all asleep downstairs at this hour,” Meng Yang said. “Let’s chat instead.”
"What do you want to talk about?" Liu Zhi shifted her posture, sat up straighter, and turned on the desk lamp.
"Let's chat casually," Meng Yangping said, lying down and looking at the ceiling.
"Let's talk about it then. What's wrong with you not being able to sleep tonight?" Liu Zhi said. "Is something bothering you?"
"Just like I said on the way back," Meng Yang sighed. "It feels like a dream."
“I’m not lying next to you,” Liu Zhi said softly. “It’s not a dream.”
"Is your period about to start? Your mood swings are so frequent." Meng Yang pulled the blanket up to his forehead and sullen out for a while before showing his face again.
“I went to the hospital’s staff list area a few days ago, and the signs have been changed,” Meng Yang said. “Previously, the staff of Ning Nursing Home were at the northernmost end, and the staff of the main hospital were at the southernmost end.”
"My introduction has also moved from the northernmost point to the southernmost point, and now I'm on the same board as you."
Liu Zhi listened quietly to Meng Yang's voice.
“When I was still at Ning Nursing Home, I would occasionally come to the hospital.” Meng Yang’s eyes darkened, as if he were lost in a not-so-pleasant memory. “I would always stop when I passed by there.”
"Do you know who I'm looking at?" Meng Yang glanced at Liu Zhi.
"Look at me." Liu Zhi rubbed her nose.
“I always stop to look at that silent girl,” Meng Yang said. “She wears a white coat, has an indifferent expression, and her eyes hold a sense of detachment.”
Liu Zhi awkwardly rubbed her nose again.
"I don't know why, but I keep hearing a voice in my ear."
"What?"
Don't love me, it won't lead anywhere.
Liu Zhi: "..."
"The results are in," Liu Zhi said.
“Actually, I really wanted to get angry when you were leaving that day,” Meng Yang said. “I had something stuck in my throat, but I swallowed it back down after holding it in for a long time.”