Chapter 164: Chapter 163: Couple Rings
After Shi Yang finished kissing, he didn’t pull away, instead resting his forehead against Zhao Meimei’s.
Shi Yang softly explained, "I like you, how could I not want you? What I meant was, you don’t have to take being with me as a burden."
"You’re still young now, and you don’t meet many people. In the future, when you’ve grown up, who knows who you’ll meet and what you’ll experience. When that time comes, and your perspective broadens, your ideas mature, if you feel someone treats you better than I do, or is more suitable for you, just tell me directly. Don’t sneak around behind my back with someone else. I couldn’t take it, I..."
Before he could finish, Zhao Meimei interrupted him, exclaiming almost like a vow, "You’re the best person to me in this world. No one will treat me better than you. I will only love you in this life, no matter who I meet or what I go through. The person I love is you, only you."
Zhao Meimei’s confession stirred emotions in Shi Yang’s heart, and he couldn’t help but hold Zhao Meimei’s face in his hands and gave her a heavy kiss on the forehead, his lips soft and silently warming her skin.
With that kiss, it seemed as if all misunderstandings and complaints melted away.
Tears were still on Zhao Meimei’s face, but her lips were already stretched into a wide smile: "I knew it, you still have feelings for me."
Zhao Meimei’s eyes were tear-filled, but her corners of her mouth uncontrollably lifted, as if a heavy emotion had suddenly been lifted from her heart, she was very excited, very happy.
Zhao Meimei jumped into Shi Yang’s arms, hugging his waist, pressing her face against his chest: "Brother, when I grow up, I’ll marry you, you have to marry me."
Shi Yang’s heart, by her words, felt burning with warmth, his Adam’s apple bobbed a couple of times before softly replying, "Okay, I promise you."
Zhao Meimei giggled foolishly, feeling as if she had gained an enormous benefit.
Shi Yang stared at her jet black hair, silently mocking himself, thinking that in a relationship, he would use all 36 strategies one by one, which was almost like bullying, utterly shameless.
This thought only lingered momentarily in his mind before disappearing without a trace. To exchange for someone like Zhao Meimei’s wholehearted confession, any amount of shamelessness was worth it.
Shi Yang thought to himself, as an uncontrollable smile appeared on his lips, he lowered his head, pressing his chin against Zhao Meimei’s head, gently rubbing, thinking, you are mine for this lifetime, no one can take you away from me.
The final exams perfectly coincided with the weekend, and after finishing the last exam, there was still an afternoon left. Zhao Meimei, having handed in her paper, packed up her things, moving with ease and a smile at the corner of her mouth, clearly ready to enjoy some leisure time.
Xu Xu and Wang Jiayue joined her, and the three of them took a taxi to the pedestrian street in the city center.
The pedestrian street had just officially completed construction that spring, lined with specialty shops and small stores, with a long strip of food stalls down the middle; it was especially bustling on weekends.
They wandered around and when they entered a jewelry store, Zhao Meimei and Wang Jiayue couldn’t move any further, carefully examining each counter, their eyes dazzled by the colorful, exquisite ornaments.
Xu Xu, tired from shopping, sat on the bench at the entrance to rest.
The shop owner enthusiastically offered them suggestions, promoting the store’s hot items: "Last month, we received a batch of wishing bracelets that sold out quickly. These are more I’ve restocked from the manufacturer. Have a look, the designs are especially beautiful and versatile."
Absentmindedly, Zhao Meimei flipped through the bracelets, her gaze moving to a pair of rings in a glass cabinet filled with small diamonds, where her sight lingered for quite some time.
Zhao Meimei asked the shop owner to take out the rings for her to inspect closely. The women’s ring had a delicate band adorned with a circle of small diamonds, while the men’s ring was slightly wider with the same diamond detail.
The rings were quite simple in style but incredibly well-crafted.
Wang Jiayue glanced over, "What are they?"
The shop owner said with a smile, "You have a good eye, these couple rings are the summer flagship item of this brand. They’re sterling silver, and the rhinestone finish is meticulously done, making the wearer’s hand look very fair."
Zhao Meimei put on the women’s ring. Surprisingly, it fit perfectly without needing any adjustment. She admired her hand, twirling it back and forth, then contentedly took it off.
Wang Jiayue nudged Zhao Meimei playfully, "Is it for him?"
Zhao Meimei giggled, nodding, "Yeah, his birthday is coming up. I came out today to buy him a gift."
Wang Jiayue curiously asked, "You think he’ll accept the ring if you give it to him?"
Zhao Meimei understood what she meant, lifting her eyelids slightly, grinning widely as she unveiled her plan proudly: "Actually, if I could, I’d want to stamp a mark on his face. I’m at school most of the time and can’t keep an eye on him. If I give him a ring, and he wears it on his hand, everyone will know he’s taken, I just don’t want anyone else to be interested in him."
Wang Jiayue laughed so much she couldn’t close her mouth, "Would he wear it?"
Zhao Meimei’s eyes sparkled with amusement, "Of course he will. Anything I give him, he would wear for sure."
Wang Jiayue looked enviously and picked up the men’s ring to have a closer look, "It really is beautiful."
The shop owner eagerly pitched, "We still have stock for this style, would you like to buy a pair too?"
Wang Jiayue seemed hesitant, she, after a moment of staring at the couple rings, placed them back in the jewelry box, "No, I’ll pass. I have no one to give them to."
Zhao Meimei teased intentionally, "Why no one? You can give them to Xu Xu!"
Wang Jiayue was so scared she quickly covered Zhao Meimei’s mouth, nervously glancing out the store door, "Quiet down, what if someone hears?"
Zhao Meimei nodded cooperatively, unable to suppress her laughter.
Wang Jiayue blushed deeply, pretended to lightly hit Zhao Meimei, speaking softly, "Rings aren’t something to casually give or receive."
On this point, Zhao Meimei agreed, she smiled as she paid for the couple rings.
After they shopped a bit more, everyone went home separately.
Ever since accidentally learning the relationship between President Zhang and Zhang Xin, Shi Yang hadn’t been running around mingling. Instead, he took Third Brother a few times to the neighboring counties, visiting each kindergarten to do some promotion.
Sometimes when he returned early in the afternoon, he’d drive directly to the kindergarten where Qu Chaozong worked, sometimes lending a hand. However, most of the time, Shi Yang and Qu Chaozong were planning for jobs to undertake in the provincial capital.
Shi Yang planned that after Qu Chaozong left, the current work would be handed over to Third Brother. Wang Tianyu, who just started in this field, needed to be honed at the grassroots level for a while. This was perfect, both for learning and as a method of supervision.