Chapter 298: Chapter 298

The restaurant is the best private dining place in the city, a private room that Shi Yang’s father managed to secure through connections.

Shi Yang’s parents didn’t come empty-handed. Shi Yang’s father carried two bottles of good wine gifted by a friend, aged for over twenty years, while Shi Yang’s mother brought a pair of gold bracelets freshly bought from a store counter.

As soon as Zhao Meimei’s parents sat down, Shi Yang suddenly stood up, walked in front of them, and directly knelt down.

This startled Zhao Dazhuang and Liu Xiue, who quickly reached out to help him up.

Zhao Dazhuang extended his arm to support Shi Yang: "What’s going on here? Get up quickly!"

Liu Xiue helped pull him up: "That’s right! Yangyang, get up quickly!"

Despite their efforts, Shi Yang resolutely remained kneeling on the floor, his voice firm and clear as he said, "Uncle, Aunt, I’m sorry, I brought my parents here today to apologize and ask for penance."

Zhao Dazhuang and Liu Xiue were stunned by his aura for a few seconds, then realized what had happened, and the anger in Zhao Dazhuang’s heart, originally burning like a flame, was extinguished like a fire pit suddenly covered by a lid.

Zhao Dazhuang said: "If there’s something to talk about, say it standing up!"

Shi Yang sensitively caught onto something, his eyelashes slightly drooped to hide his momentary joy, and he refused even more to get up.

Shi Yang said: "I took Meimei on a trip this time, and for a moment, I couldn’t control my emotions. Meimei and I got together. This was a mistake on my part, I didn’t control myself, I owe you both an apology....."

Suspecting something was one thing, but hearing it confirmed was quite another.

Zhao Dazhuang’s seemingly extinguished anger surged again. Before he could say a word, Shi Yang proactively said, "But Uncle, Aunt, I don’t regret it, really. Meimei and I being together wasn’t impulsive. I truly love her, and today, I just want to apologize to you both, for handling things so poorly. I know I’ve done wrong, please forgive me."

Sitting by the side, Shi Yang’s father and mother watched Shi Yang kneeling to apologize and were momentarily stunned, completely unprepared for Shi Yang’s actions. They felt empathetic towards their child, but could not intervene, feeling utterly surprised while increasingly aware of Shi Yang’s sincere feelings for Zhao Meimei.

Zhao Dazhuang and Liu Xiue also felt a tinge of shock and discomfort, never expecting Shi Yang to kneel before them.

Zhao Dazhuang wiped his hands vigorously on his pants, and his grievances were somewhat diluted by Shi Yang’s words. When he spoke, his voice was slightly hoarse, "What you’ve done today surprises me greatly, I....."

Zhao Dazhuang hadn’t finished speaking when Zhao Meimei, who was standing by, couldn’t hold back anymore. Watching Shi Yang kneeling before her parents for her, facing all possible accusations and pressure alone, Shi Yang’s posture deeply pierced Zhao Meimei’s eyes, causing her vision to blur, her heart to toss and turn like seaweed in the waves. Zhao Meimei felt suffocated in her chest, took a deep breath and, before anyone else could react, leaped forward and knelt beside Shi Yang in front of her parents.

Zhao Meimei reached out and grabbed Shi Yang’s left hand, deliberately intertwining their ringed middle fingers for her parents to see.

Zhao Meimei said: "Dad, Mom, please don’t blame my brother. My brother and I are mutually in love, we like each other."

Zhao Dazhuang and Liu Xiue said nothing, their eyes involuntarily landing on Zhao Meimei and Shi Yang’s interlocked hands. Both wore rings on their hands, shining brightly, seemingly to ensure the parents didn’t miss it, implicitly stating their stance.

Zhao Dazhuang glared at his daughter who seemed to side with the outsider, then withdrew his gaze and said solemnly to Shi Yang: "Even if you like Meimei, you shouldn’t have done this. How old is Meimei? She hasn’t even gone to college yet! How could you do something ? You’re not taking advantage of her youth, are you!"

Zhao Meimei said: "Dad, don’t say that about my brother! My brother didn’t take advantage of me!"

Zhao Dazhuang said: "Yangyang, just because Meimei calls you brother doesn’t mean you should do this!"

Zhao Meimei quickly said: "I call him other things privately too. I have nicknames for him; I can’t tell you what they are!"

Shi Yang: ".....Meimei, speak properly!"

Zhao Meimei pouted, her eyelashes lifting slightly: "Mom and Dad, I’m not a child anymore. I’m an adult now, I know what I’m doing, I know who I like and who I want to be with. My brother and I happened naturally; if you must say who liked whom first, it was definitely me who liked my brother first. When I was little, the first boy I liked was my brother, and all these years, I’ve liked him continuously. It was me who secretly wanted him!"

Zhao Dazhuang: "....."

Zhao Meimei looked directly at her parents: "When we were together on the trip, my brother specifically asked if I was willing to be with him, he let me choose, and I agreed. This is something for which each of us bears responsibility; you can’t solely blame my brother, I am at fault too."

Shi Yang quickly stopped Zhao Meimei: "Meimei, don’t talk nonsense! It’s not about you."

Zhao Meimei’s slender eyes widened: "You love me, I love you too, I am speaking the truth."

Shi Yang told Zhao Dazhuang and Liu Xiue: "I love Meimei, I did this, and I don’t regret it, I am willing to take responsibility."

"Uncle, Aunt, I’ve known Meimei since we were little, I’ve taken care of her for years, I have feelings for her."

"When I first saw her and took her down from our big iron gate, I really liked her, thought she was interesting, fun, and charming."

"When I was in high school, I fought for her, and she desperately protected me. Back then, I just wanted to treat her like my sister, to take care of her in the future. At that time, I had absolutely no other thoughts." Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

"Later, when I went to university, and started a business alone in the provincial capital, working day and night developing software, I relied on her calls every night for motivation. At that time, she was my sole solace and concern... She suddenly ran away from home just to see me, coming alone in frigid weather to the provincial capital... It was then I started thinking why she was so endearing. I started having feelings."