After shopping in the morning, the two of them had lunch at the mall.
Afterward, Pei Chen went to buy milk tea for Liang Zhiyi. When he returned, he saw her on the phone with someone. “Okay, Uncle Pei, bye-bye…”
When she hung up, he handed her the milk tea. “Were you talking to my dad?”
“Yes, Uncle invited me to come over later.”
Pei Chen smiled. “My dad really likes you.”
Sometimes, Pei Yongxia cared more about her than he did about Pei Chen.
The girl took a sip of her milk tea and smiled sweetly. “Of course! After all, I’m the one who caught his son’s heart, right?”
He laughed, “Definitely.”
Then Liang Zhiyi went to the supermarket to buy some milk and fruit to bring to Pei Yongxia. Pei Chen told her there was no need to buy anything since they had everything at home, but she huffed softly, “No way, I have to make a good impression on Uncle.”
He smiled indulgently and let her have her way. After they finished shopping, Pei Chen took her home.
When Liang Zhiyi walked through the door, she was also amazed by the newly renovated interior. It felt much warmer and cozier than before.
She greeted Pei Yongxia cheerfully and asked about his health. Pei Yongxia assured her that everything was fine and then asked, “How are you and Pei Chen doing in school? Is he treating you well? Has he been bullying you?”
At his words, Liang Zhiyi couldn’t help but recall the night before they returned to Lincheng. They had planned to cook dinner together in the apartment, but it ended with her being lifted onto the kitchen counter, wrapped in his arms.
She had been so tired that she complained her hands were sore, pouting at him, “Pei Chen, aren’t you going to hurry up…”
Finally, his hand covered hers, guiding her on what to do. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her ear: “You’re moving so slowly. How am I supposed to come like this, hmm?”
As the memory surfaced in her mind, the girl’s heartbeat quickened. She glanced at Pei Chen with a mischievous glint in her eyes:
“Uncle, if Pei Chen has been bullying me, you should ask him.”
Pei Yongxia, still puzzled, asked, “What do you mean, Pei Chen? Have you been bullying her?”
Pei Chen understood the implication in her words, his ears growing warm. He then took her hand and, looking at her meaningfully, said, “Dad, I haven’t. It’s just that sometimes she doesn’t listen, so I have to keep her in line.”
???
Liang Zhiyi’s cheeks turned slightly red.
He was talking about using that thing of his to keep her in line… boohoo…
Pei Yongxia didn’t catch the special meaning behind their words and simply advised his son, “You should be more accommodating. In any situation, you should let Zhiyi have her way. A boy should be generous.”
The girl gave him a proud sidelong glance, and Pei Chen finally responded with a low chuckle.
After chatting for a while, Pei Yongxia said there was something he needed to tell them. He went to his room and returned with something in his hand—a bank card, which he handed to Pei Chen.
“Son, this is the money you’ve been sending me this semester, along with the college entrance exam bonus you gave me. I’ve saved it all in here.”
Pei Chen was taken aback and didn’t take it. “Dad, you should keep it. I sent it to you, and I have enough money for myself.”
“Take it,” Pei Yongxia insisted. “I’ve been saving it specifically for your surgery. You did so well on your exams, and yet you refused to use the bonus to treat your leg, even leaving it for my recovery.”
Pei Yongxia sighed. “Your mom has been covering my rehabilitation costs. She’s keeping track of every expense as if I’m borrowing from her. So, take this money and get your surgery done soon. Otherwise, I won’t be at ease while you’re away at school.”
Liang Zhiyi also held Pei Chen’s hand and urged, “Pei Chen, please get the surgery done. If something happens and your knee can’t be treated anymore, what will you do?”
Earlier, when she spoke with Pei Yongxia on the phone, he had privately mentioned this to her. She had come to the house specifically to convince Pei Chen to get the surgery.
Pei Chen lowered his gaze, and Pei Yongxia continued, “You love playing basketball so much, so of course, you need to get your leg treated. And if you won’t do it for yourself, think about Zhiyi. She’s always worried about your leg. Do you really want to keep making her anxious and upset? Put yourself in her shoes—how would you feel if she refused to get surgery?”
These words struck a chord with Pei Chen.
In the end, he agreed to have the surgery. Liang Zhiyi said she would contact Zhong Xinrou to help with the arrangements, and Pei Chen’s medical insurance would cover part of the expenses.
That evening, since there were guests at Liang Zhiyi’s house, she had to go home for dinner.
Pei Chen walked her out as the sky darkened. As they passed under a streetlight, he suddenly hugged her.
“Zhizhi—”
She paused for a moment, then smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. “What’s the matter?”
He buried his face in the crook of her neck and whispered:
“Sorry.”
“Hmm?”
“For making you worry so much about my leg all this time.”
He admitted that he hadn’t considered the feelings of those who cared about him.
He had just been thinking that maybe his excessive pride and stubbornness might have hurt others at times.
Hearing this, Liang Zhiyi smiled and gently patted his head. “It’s okay, Pei Chen. I understand you, and I’ve never been angry with you.”
She accepted that the boy she loved had his own sharp edges, his own thoughts, and choices.
Even if he wasn’t perfect, she still loved him completely.
Under Zhong Xinrou’s arrangements, Pei Chen was soon admitted to the hospital. Due to the complexity of his meniscus injury, after an evaluation, several doctors collaborated to create a surgical plan. While the risks were low, the procedure required the doctors to be especially patient and meticulous.
On the day of Pei Chen’s surgery, he reassured Pei Yongxia to stay home and focus on his recovery, telling him there was no need to come. Besides Liang Zhiyi, Xuan Xia, Liang Tongzhou, Ji Fei’er, and a few others were also worried about Pei Chen and came to the hospital.
A few hours later, the surgery was completed. When the doctor informed Liang Zhiyi that the surgery was successful, her eyes welled up with tears, and the heavy weight in her heart finally lifted.
Pei Chen, still under the effects of anesthesia, woke up to find several of his classmates around him. The girl took his hand and asked with concern, “Pei Chen, how are you feeling?”
“I’m okay…”
Everyone gathered around to check on him. Pei Chen took the cup of water offered to him and, surprised, asked, “Why are all of you here?”
Xuan Xia patted his shoulder and smiled, “Brother, you’re having such an important surgery. How could we not come? Besides, you won’t be able to move around much for a while, so someone’s got to be here to take care of you, right?”
Liang Tongzhou added, “Pei Chen, we’ve already discussed it. Xuan Xia and I will take turns taking care of you for the next few days.”
Fan Gao raised his hand from the side, “I’ll help too.”
“Yeah, right,” Xuan Xia teased. “With that chubby body of yours, you’d probably end up knocking Pei Chen over instead.”
Everyone laughed.
But it was true that Pei Chen would need the help of the guys, especially for things like going to the bathroom, where Liang Zhiyi couldn’t be much help.
After staying with Pei Chen for a while at the hospital, the others eventually left, leaving only Liang Zhiyi and Xuan Xia behind.
In the evening, Liang Zhiyi planned to go to the hospital cafeteria to get dinner for them. She had just asked Zhong Xinrou about Pei Chen’s dietary needs and took notes, intending to have the meals prepared at home and brought over for the next few days.
After telling the two boys, she walked out of the ward, only to see Gong Qinxin standing at the door.
The woman was holding a thermos and some fruit, peeking into the room.
“Auntie?”
Gong Qinxin saw her and quickly approached, asking with concern, “Zhiyi, how did Pei Chen’s surgery go? Was it successful?”
“It went very well. Now he just needs to focus on recovering.”
“That’s good to hear. Oh, I made some soup and prepared some food. Could you give it to him for me? Just don’t tell him it’s from me.”
The girl looked into Gong Qinxin’s sincere eyes, accepted the items, and nodded, “Thank you, Auntie.”
“For the next few days, I can prepare the meals for you at the hospital and bring them to you at mealtimes, so you won’t have to worry about it. Is that okay?”
“No need, Auntie.”
Seeing Gong Qinxin lower her head, she quickly explained, “What I mean is, there’s no need to prepare food for me. My classmate and I can eat at the cafeteria. Just focus on making meals for Pei Chen.”
“Alright, no problem.”
Gong Qinxin handed the other things she had bought to Liang Zhiyi and then left. The girl watched her leave, then looked down at the items in her hands, letting out a soft sigh.
To avoid being discovered, she first took the food to Zhong Xinrou’s office, then went to the cafeteria to buy meals for herself and Xuan Xia. Finally, she returned to the ward with everything.
Xuan Xia saw her and said, “You went out for a bit and came back with so much stuff…”
Liang Zhiyi carefully chose her words, “No, it’s just that my family’s aunt prepared some fruit and made food for Pei Chen.”
She set up the tray table and placed the food Gong Qinxin had brought in front of Pei Chen, opening the containers one by one. Xuan Xia leaned over to take a look:
“Wow, the food is so lavish! Makes my bowl of beef noodles look pretty sad in comparison!”
Liang Zhiyi gave him a sideways glance. “Having beef noodles is already good enough. Are you the patient here?”
Pei Chen looked at the food, feeling a bit embarrassed, and said to her, “Zhiyi, you didn’t need to have your family prepare all this.”
“It’s no trouble. The most important thing is for you to recover.”
As Pei Chen ate, the girl asked him, “How does it taste?”
“Very good.”
Liang Zhiyi smiled, “Then eat up…”
A few days after the surgery, Pei Chen was discharged from the hospital. He could walk now, though he needed to wear a brace to protect the injured limb and use crutches.
At first, his knee couldn’t bear much weight, so he had to gradually increase his activity while doing physical therapy to prevent muscle atrophy from prolonged inactivity.
After the New Year and Lantern Festival passed, their winter break was coming to an end, and they had to prepare to return to J City for classes. Fortunately, Pei Chen’s health was quite good, and he recovered quickly. Within a few weeks, he was able to go out on crutches without much trouble.
On the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, Liang Zhiyi and Pei Chen flew to J City.
With two days left before the start of the new term, they stayed at the apartment when they arrived in J City.
That evening, after arriving at the apartment, Liang Zhiyi first contacted a cleaning lady to tidy up the place. Once the cleaning was done and the cleaner had left, she walked back into the living room, sat down next to Pei Chen, and leaned her head on his shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Finally done. Today was so exhausting. But seriously, why did you insist on coming two days early? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just go straight to the dorm?”
Pei Chen wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. He looked at her intently, emotions swirling in his eyes. “What do you think?”
After enduring a whole month during the winter break, he was feeling quite frustrated.
The girl caught the underlying meaning in his words. Her eyelashes fluttered, and as the thought of being intimate again after a month crossed her mind, she suddenly felt a bit shy and unfamiliar. Just as she lowered her head in embarrassment, her lips were captured by his, his cool breath overwhelming her senses.
He easily pried open her teeth, leaving her feeling light-headed.
His hand gripped the back of her head, holding her securely in his arms as the kiss deepened, creating a spark in the air that felt almost tangible.
She shifted slightly, worried about his leg, and tried to pull away from his embrace. However, she accidentally pressed down on his knee, causing him to take a sharp breath in pain. Alarmed, she quickly asked:
“I accidentally touched your knee. Does it hurt a lot?”
He frowned slightly, “It hurts a bit…”
“What should we do?” She immediately stood up, concerned. “Maybe you should stand up and move around a little? See how it feels?”
Pei Chen stood up, moved his leg a bit, then pulled her back into his arms, leaning against her.
“How is it? Is it still painful?”
“I feel like I can’t walk anymore, and it’s really hard to move.”
“What should we do then?”
He leaned his head into the crook of her neck and murmured, “Looks like you’ll have to help me take a bath tonight.”
Liang Zhiyi: ?
His voice dropped even lower as he added, “And you’ll have to sleep with me tonight. If I need to get up during the night, you’ll need to help me.”
Liang Zhiyi: ???