Adored by Him: My Blissful Days as the Girl Next Door-Chapter 93 - 92: Kept Secret

"A broken family is worth a fortune." Zhao Meimei had read this line in a book before, never understanding it until she followed her dad to pack a truck full of odds and ends, finally comprehending its true meaning.

Xu Xu’s home was indeed broken and old. At first glance, it seemed bare, but during the actual move, they realized that while there weren’t many large items, the numerous small ones were dizzying.

Busy from morning till night, they only managed to move over half the stuff to the new house. They would have to continue tomorrow.

The new house was cluttered, with not even a place to step.

Zhao Dazhuang took advantage of Xu Xu and her mom being distracted to secretly slip some money to Zhao Meimei, asking her to order a few dishes from a restaurant outside the community.

The food was for Xu Xu and her mom. Once Zhao Meimei returned, Zhao Dazhuang took her back home.

Xu Xu’s mom tried to keep them, "Why don’t you stay for dinner?"

Zhao Dazhuang politely declined with a smile, "No need. Meimei’s mom must have prepared something at home. We’ll come over again tomorrow morning."

Xu Xu and her mom escorted them to the community gate before heading back.

Though the house was in disarray, the soft yellow light cast a warm and bright atmosphere.

After dinner, Xu Xu’s mom tidied up the bedding, then took out her small accounting book to meticulously record every expense from today. Blue entries were her own spending, while red ones were what Meimei’s dad discreetly covered.

Xu Xu’s mom sighed, "Meimei’s family are good people. You should make sure to play well with Meimei and remember their kindness."

Xu Xu nodded seriously.

The college entrance exam results came out quickly. Zhao Meimei had successfully been admitted to the city’s top school.

Zhao Dazhuang and Liu Xiue were elated. After sharing the good news with every household, they decided to invite the entire Shi Yang family for a get-together.

The restaurant they chose was the one Shi Yang’s father often dined at, ordering a few dishes both families enjoyed and found tasty.

Once the private room door was closed and there were no outsiders, Shi Yang’s father relaxed, taking off his coat and draping it over a chair back. He unfastened two buttons on his collar, turning to Zhao Dazhuang and Liu Xiue, "If you hadn’t called to arrange this dinner, Yangyang’s mother and I were planning to invite you ourselves!"

Zhao Dazhuang, feeling on top of the world due to Meimei’s impressive exam scores, felt proud, as if his face had been gilded.

Zhao Dazhuang held up a bottle, filling Shi Yang’s father’s glass.

Shi Yang’s father praised, "Meimei did really well this time, making her father and mother proud."

Zhao Meimei sat next to her Brother Yangyang, beaming and unreserved. "Of course! I almost had to resort to extreme study measures!"

The whole table was entertained.

Shi Yang’s mother took out a specially prepared gift for Zhao Meimei. "This is a reward for getting into the city’s top school."

Accepting it, Zhao Meimei opened it and was immediately overjoyed. "A cell phone! Is this really for me?"

Zhao Meimei turned to her parents, "Can I keep it?"

Zhao Dazhuang and Liu Xiue were a bit embarrassed, "Oh wow, this is too much, such an expensive gift."

Shi Yang’s father chuckled, "Expensive or not, who knows, but it’s from Yangyang."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Meimei grinned and turned to ask, "Brother, did you buy this for me?"

Shi Yang nodded with a smile, "Yeah, do you like it?"

Zhao Meimei nodded repeatedly, "I love it! I’ll take anything you gift me!"

Zhao Meimei, now decisive, turned to her parents and declared, "My brother gave this to me, I’m accepting it."

Zhao Dazhuang and Liu Xiue didn’t say anything, implying their approval.

The adults continued chatting about topics that interested them, occasionally mentioning Shi Yang’s company and Zhao Meimei’s studies.

Zhao Meimei paid no attention to these topics, first playing excitedly with her new phone. After a moment, she remembered something and reached toward Shi Yang’s pants pocket.

Shi Yang, wearing suit pants with pockets loosely against his thighs, was listening to his dad talk about a few major local factories potentially going independent when he suddenly felt a hand graze his thigh. Before he could react, he felt a strong rub against a sensitive area.

Shi Yang quickly pressed Zhao Meimei’s hand down, silently warning her with a side glance: "What are you doing! Don’t just touch randomly!"

Zhao Meimei pulled out Shi Yang’s phone from his pocket, grinning at him and asking, "Brother, we have the same phone model?"

Shi Yang’s expression was somewhat unnatural. He raised a hand, half-clenching a fist and covering his mouth, subtly cough to hide his emotions: "Yes."

With a smile, Zhao Meimei lowered her head to toy with the phone. Shi Yang sneaked a glance at her before inconspicuously adjusting his pants.

Lately, he had been busy working, crashing into bed at night without time for such matters. Upon reflection, he realized it had been over a month since he last handled it himself. Though his mind wasn’t thinking about it, his body had already started feeling pent up. Zhao Meimei’s unintentional rub earlier struck him unexpectedly, causing a strange thrill.

The more Shi Yang tried to control it, the more his lower regions reacted, gradually rising to attention.

The main culprit was still there, happily playing with her phone.

Shi Yang caught Zhao Meimei with his peripheral vision.

Zhao Meimei’s profile was very attractive: her drooping eyelids had long, thick eyelashes, a small nose, slightly pursed lips, and smooth skin. Shi Yang couldn’t help recalling the playful interactions where he would pinch her.

Looking down, his gaze inadvertently fell on the subtly rising arc of her chest. A single glance made Shi Yang’s eyes heat up, and he hastily shifted his focus, feeling his lower body respond strongly with a few hard twitches.

Shi Yang’s mind blanked, buzzing with noise.

His breathing grew heavier, his lower body’s deformation tightening his brow.

Shi Yang leaned against the back of the chair, his expression vacant and distracted.

His gaze was both bewildered and seemingly awakening.

Arousal was simply arousal. Any guy in his early twenties would get hard if suddenly touched, even if it were just a piece of wood rubbing against him.

Arousal was just what it was, nothing to deny. Some things shouldn’t be deeply pondered or probed into, whether it be Zhao Meimei’s then-age, their sibling-like relationship, or the close ties between the two families.

To Shi Yang, Zhao Meimei wasn’t his biological sister; they had no blood relation. However, she also wasn’t just a romantic stranger he met by chance.

From a young age, Shi Yang had always been someone with firm opinions. In some matters, he was more patient than others might expect. Before he could confirm whether certain feelings matched his expectations, he decided to keep them hidden, undisclosed.